As a person who was happy with the Harden trade and our drafts since then, this is a great argument that's hard to disagree with. I don't disagree looking back that it probably didn't change our odds much with or without Allen. In hindsight taking Allen was probably the right call. The younger me (time of the trade) would argue that it is too risky to risk the top 3 pick, which I think it still a reasonable take without hindsight. I wonder what picks we got instead of Allen... Great post either way
The coolest thing about the magical power of hindsight is it lets you go back in time and pick the best players at each spot in every draft. You can't miss!
Part of it also I think is Stone/Silas banked on the wrong guy, they thought Wood was #1 big man and didn't think they needed Allen (or/and Mobley). There's been lot of little mis-steps along the way where with time, we see it snowballed into a boulder. Rockets rebuild has been delayed.
I don’t question the next few drafts, because when Stephen Silas is our head coach, and our culture is the way that it is, we’re destined for top draft picks regardless. My original point is, I strongly value high IQ, two-way players with size and length. That’s the way the league is trending, and the smart teams (OKC/Orlando) draft that way. Stone should have built this team under a similar identity, and drafted BPA within those parameters, rather than throwing darts. A Mobley/Allen/Jabari core has future top-5 defensive potential. Give me that over Green/Sengun/Jabari any day of the week.
Sengün got little to do with that, he was the 16th pick, not even a lottery pick. We have won with that pick. He has abundant BBIQ. Yeah, it is not easy to build around him yet but who says Sengün cannot work well with other stars?
Hindsight is 20/20, but a good GM always try to improve and don't hold onto assets pass their expiration date. A good Gm has to see at least few more steps ahead, because if the move was obvious, then the opposing GM will see it too.
All I know is the kpj redemption storyline took priority over rookie development. Who knows how good green and smith looks alongside a competent one and a real coach. I'm just glad we have sengun, always fun to watch him and ball amd develop
You seem to be convinced the Rockets and Cavs are the same team. It’s delusional stupidity. If you aren’t competing for a championship why take up your cap space? I’d rather hit free agency next year with the most cap space in the league. Your thinking is too myopic to even consider that because in your estimation Jarrett Allen would make us so much better but not to the point we’d actually win any more games. You need to take a course in critical thinking skills.
False. That's assuming we had the exact same record and lotto position as them. And even then, going with those odds would be dumb. The Cavs finished outside of the top 4 and needed to hop up to win. We needed to land inside the top 4 to keep our pick, so hoping to finish outside of the top 4 and jump up would be pretty dumb. The Rockets did what they could to maximize their chances to finish with a bottom 4 record and give themselves the highest chance to keep their pick. Nothing suggests that we wouldn't win more games with Allen on the court. Stick with the "we shoulda drafted Mobley" angle. That's a better argument.
Allen makes 20 mil per, that's a mid contract it's not huge. They have him locked at $20m until 2025-26; his prime. For the extension money we gave to KPJ, who's actually more valuable on the market? We got Exum (from Cavs) and Kurucs (Nets), neither of guys on the team, only traded to make the money work. For all shopping Stone is trying to do on Gordon and no one biting (yet); do you not think Allen cannot fetch something easily.
Have you actually looked at the free agent pool this summer? It’s a weak class for a young rebuilding team looking to add a core piece. So please tell me. Cap space for who? You realize free agents have to actually WANT to come here right? Not everything is played out on a spreadsheet. Delusional stupidity is disregarding how much of a clown show this organization is, and thinking we can just sign whoever we want. Our brand is at rock bottom. Also, Allen only makes 20M. That’s a solid contract locked up until 2026. Why are you acting like he’s prime Shaq making 50M?
Not sure why you, and so many people on here think Jarrett Allen alone would be enough to hurt our lottery odds that year. Our roster (and HC) was dramatically worse than the Cavs that year. We played a total of 30 players. There’s nothing that would have prevented us from having the worst record; especially when tanking was an organizational goal.
with the way this organization has been post-Harden trade, we could’ve drafted Mobley and currently be wishing we had drafted Green instead because of how promising he looks in Cleveland Mobley wanted nothing to do with us for a reason, and I don’t blame him
Id rather have Sengun on a rookie deal and Milwaukee 1st. If harden legitimately wants to return we have enough cap for a second star. Some of you are actually proposing keeping Allen for the tank only to trade him for what we ultimately got for him trading him to begin with. This is almost dumb as trading for Myles Turner. The FO is far from perfect but it takes a special village idiot to deal exclusively in hypotheticals and believe it to be reality.
It’s not about comparing our roster to theirs. It’s about comparing our roster with and without him, and nothing suggests we wouldn’t win more games with an upgrade in the middle.
Correct me if I am wrong, but Allen may have been enough to drop the Rockets to the 5th pick in 2021. Then the pick would have gone to the Thunder.
