Victor and Scoot are nowhere close as prospects…Scoot is the consolation prize u can live with ending up with Scoot after this season anyone other than those 2 and the rebuild is fcked and the draft is an automatic fail
man, everybody except for a select few delusionals knew they were going after Wemby…Tilman didn’t reveal state secrets the concerns about the dysfunction of the organization and whether we’re doing a good job developing the young guys are all still valid concerns ok, u get Wemby…the fckery of the organization will still be there I mean, y’all really trust the trio of Stone, Tilman, and Patrick? Idk if Silas will be here next year, but blockhead Stone is the one who hired him while still trying to convince Harden to stay.
Yeah I agree, it’s a huge difference. Many fans want us to land 2nd to draft scoot bc of the PG need, which is silly. Scoot isn’t gonna come in and this team better. Might be a hot take, but Brandon Miller is closing the gap on scoot
I think Victor is a forward. He would work well with Sengun. Bari could back them up if he improves from his bust rookie season.
I’m thinking Paul George or Brandon Ingram. Sounds crazy but he’s been that good. Most players don’t hit their ceiling, so who knows
with as bad and as dysfunctional as this franchise has been lately, I’m just not confident in their development program if Wemby is truly generational as a prospect, then he should be able to rise above all the fckery and be great Luka would still be Luka if he was drafted by the Kings…Lebron would’ve been Lebron anywhere…KD would’ve been KD no matter what…that’s what we need we get another Jalen or Jabari level prospect that needs a lot of help to reach their full potential and I’ll be worried because I don’t trust this organization from the owner down to the coaching staff
Yeah I feel the same way. I try to remain optimistic, but hard bc this coaching staff so bad. Our guys just don’t know how to play basketball and I blame the coaches for that part
This summer, it will have been 39 years since that historic day when the Rockets drafted Hakeem Olajuwon. Yes, it was June 19th, 1984. June 22nd, 2023 is right around the corner. Wemby as a new Rocket could make 2023 as historic as 1984 was. The team Hakeem came to had been bad. The 2023 Rockets are bad too. ...Then I woke up
So..40 years since Ralph if i'm correct? What if Wemby is the next Ralph and Hakeem comes next year? Baye Fall is supposed to be a raw athletic, long C committing to Arkansas-a Senegal native, not quite 7ft, very raw offensively but great instincts defensively...hmmmmmm... but does he have the natural footwork to work with Hakeem and become the next Hakeem offensively too? Is Baye our real African Bae we've been waiting for?
I just don't get it .... so many want to blame everyone but the player for their failures and its even crazier when you admit that the players are of a lower quality as a prospect. What better shot is there in the NBA than one in which the shooter is the only player in the frame - no defender in the picture - literally undefended? These guys are shooting 30% on those shots. You cannot blame the system nor the coach for that. And the idea that you need to run plays directly for player X or Y is unfounded when the offense generates those shots for everyone and guys know those shots are going to come within the flow of the offense. Defenses will find it difficult to focus on one player or another when all five are getting quality looks. They are the worst shooting team in the league yet sit here with the 4th best shot profile in the entire league - with a bunch of 20 year olds executing the offense - imagine when these kids pull their heads out of their collective asses what the offense can look like. This is a huge credit to Silas & his staff ..... but because the team shoots a league low .451 from the field (.386 over the last 3 games) and a league low .326 from 3 the shot profile and general offensive efficiency are disregarded altogether and we have the narrative that "it's Silas fault". The one thing I will agree with on Silas is that his rotations are questionable at best and downright dumbassery at worst ..... but the on court problems are a direct result of players being .... Green or just not as good as projected. . .
What do you think of U of H? Make no mistake, Tilman is behind the success of the U of H basketball program and its rise back to relevance. After Harden left, this rebuild was years away. Last but not least, the only goal this year is to finish last. That’s it. You don’t screw that up. Next year is the year we focus on improving. New coach etc
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4uveaHRSGv7vLAYtEFt7Q3?si=9XW87SDaQ6uWGrId-MMHgQ&nd=1 Windhorst & Givony: —BW: Spent 5-6 days with Victor and his family —BW: Victor and his family is saying almost no to everything; very little media access to Victor; used Givony’s contacts —JG: Never been a prospect like VW and don’t think there will be ever again; 7’4, 8’ wingspan, mobility, fluidity, skill, instincts defensively, passing ability, shooting ability, ball handling, everything, he’s a complete player; just turned 19 in January; scary when his body fills out and with experience; best thing about him is how intelligent he is off the floor; the more we learned about his upbringing, education, off court habits, hobbies, it gets more and more interesting; fascinating guy off the court —BW: met him 2 days after his 19th birthday —BW: He and his agents did something revolutionary; Jonathan, tell them about the move he went through —JG: Build the situation where he’ll be the best player on the team and have a chance to determine the outcome of every game; they put him with arguably the best coach in French basketball history; (BW: Gregg Popovich of France); built a young team of prospects; feature Victor and express the depths of his talents and push himself to the limits; they’re in 2nd place; Victor is MVP of the league; doing things we’ve never seen —BW: Before every game, he gets into his bare feet and spend a lot of time working on his feet; they have been for years working to protect and strengthen his feet; importance of the big toe and protect/strengthen/prepare VW’s big toe and use bands on his big toe; we see him getting on his toes and fingertips and inching and walking to help build dexterity and strength; multiple NBA GMs were at the game and one was videotaping VW’s muscle activation routine; working everyday to protect VW; —JG: Has an army of people, his agency, who help manage his life on a day to day basis (physical, marketing, media, everything) —JG: Off court interests was fascinating; love of art, classical music, likes to draw, taught himself English with help of American TV shows & Netflix; he wants to be different but nothing fake about it; multiple times where we said “Let’s do this” and he said “No, let’s do that.” Not your average 18/19 year old; doesn’t want to look ahead; hyper focused on this season —BW: When it came to discussing where he may or may not want to go…; JG: He said there’s no wrong team. He thinks he’s gonna figure out the worst situation; he’s not the guy who’s gonna get drafted by Charlotte and Houston and say “I’m not going there.” That’s not the image he’s trying to sell. He’s putting on the table he’s fine going to whoever lands number one. There will be a list of things they need in place to make sure this process goes smoothly but he probably won’t hold out. —BW: You’re gonna be alarmed at how thin he is. He’s listed at 230, 7’4/7’5. He looks very slight. His hips are narrow. Doesn’t look like has has much bulk. He is strong. He is tough. He’s not a finesse player. This is a topic important to Victor, his agents, his physical therapist. —JG: They don’t think he needs to gain a ton of weight. Mobley, Chet, Anthony Davis, Joakim Noah, all these guys get stronger and it’s never an issue. He has a better frame than Mobley and Mobley is fine. He won’t be playing with his back to the basket. He’ll probably be a 4 early in his career. … —BW: They do not want him gaining weight too fast. His mother is very much into organic living; she cooked organically for him his entire life; forget about any chemicals; she says she never cooked the same meal twice, he rolled his eyes a little bit at that; his mother, I spent time with her, I don’t know her well but I was very impressed with her, she reminded me of Jackie MacMullan; his father, who is 6’8 and was a triple jumper, taught Victor how to run; Victor eats and does things organically; he got offered a lucrative deal by a international soda company and will probably turn it down because he doesn’t do it; that’s how he is; he spent time with Dirk’s skills coach; VW has been shooting off one leg; when he sent him back to France, he called his agents and told him do not have this young man gain a lot of weight, he’ll get hurt; JG: don’t let him lift weights at all he said; VW lifts a little now but he’s not like squatting; BW: when you see him, his build is this way; don’t think “Get in the weight room kid”; everything they’re doing is for a reason; JG: He’s filled out so much since I first saw him —BW: he doesn’t watch a ton of NBA; he does watch highlights; he studies Durant and how he gets his feet underneath him, how his footwork is to launch shots; he sees himself trying to play the game more like Kevin Durant; his form is textbook; VW’s form is pristine; very mindful of how he’s going about preparing for this; everything they do is mindful about the future; his agent wants him to sleep 11 hours a day; his trainer would love 10 hours but if it’s 9, he won’t get on him too much; sleep to them is as important as anything. —JG: VW told them he wants to be the best player ever; they have a detailed plan here in place —BW: He’s very competitive; we talked to his coaches when he was 10/11/12/14 years old; he was with a club, living in a dorm with a club from age 14 onwards; he moved away from home even though he’s from suburban Paris; Jonathan found footage of VW as a 9-year old, playing with 11-year olds; when his team gave up a basket, he’d slam the ball into the ground; it’s part of his makeup; he wants to be successful; this guy is so serious about being great; I don’t know if he will be but he’s doing everything in his power to be great from day one. —JG: He’s not soft but everyone around him is pushing him to get tougher —BW: Brands are all over VW trying to sign him —BW: What do you think is the realistic impact he’ll have next year? How do you see his rookie year? JG: All-star. Whatever team picks him will build around him. We hope it’s not one of these incompetent ones who don’t know what they’re doing and have a lot of bad pieces in place; if it’s the right team, they’ll build around him; play PG on offense, C on defense, be an all-star and make the playoffs —BW: I think from day one, he’ll be a dominating defensive force; he’ll alter shots like no one we’ve seen before; no one will understand how long he is, his ability to get out and do that; from day one, teams will have to game plan for dealing with him defensively; not sure how he’ll score; I’m sure he’ll score; averages 22 in Europe; not 100% sold he’ll be a force offensively immediately; you never see rookies become all-stars but there’s a reason teams are falling all over themselves to get him and why we’ll see teams out of it deal with some extreme tanking measure down the stretch
