Have to disagree here and Udoka said as much in an interview. Not all players are made the same and defense is only partially about effort. You can get players to their capacity but nothing is going to turn Cam Johnson into PJ Tucker on defense. Our defensive issues stemmed from being the only team that didn’t have any rim protectors on the roster and no elite wing defenders. That’s why the Kings were also tied with us despite having a defensive head coach in Mike Brown. We can clean up all those errors but nothing is going to make up for a team not having a last line of defense. In fact there’s hardly anyone ever who’s been able to do that. Winning a title is about being a top 10 defense and offense - at minimum in the playoffs. Notice how offense has never mattered more than defense in that proven formula no matter how much the NBA changes the rules or the game evolves. Never forget defense is and will always be 50% of all possessions, that’s why the formula is locked. Just not fair to ignore that and tank the players’ net impact on the game. That’s so much more detrimental than temporarily lacking shooting.
Funny how Stephen A said flat out Udoka and his staff don’t want Harden. Windhorst wouldn’t address on TV whether the Rockets are suitors, chose his words carefully to say Sixers feel like they got it. Do you really think ESPN is going to come out and tell you there’s 0 drama about the most expensive FA on the market in Harden? Lol
Hit 'em with the 3 years, $90M (35-30-25)... maybe even 4 years, $115M (35 - 30 - 25 - 25) Team option on the 4th year
As part of the Westbrook trade. We owe another one in 2026, and a swap in between. Peeling the scab off that would is not pleasant.
Amick is 100% trustworthy, non-drama plugged in and he says HOU is still very much in play for Harden. I don't want them to sign Harden.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6Do3DQgYxQVLCe3cBVPZey TM: Tim MacMahon | BW: Brian Windhorst | TB: Tim Bontemps Not all Rockets related… (8:35) TM: There has been rumors, speculation with Kuzma to Utah. (9:06) BW: Jazz have been in the market for forwards in trades in recent weeks. Frankly, for fours. (9:37) BW: Porzingis was a player that Utah was discussing. (10:05) BW: They were a silent bidder for Porzingis. (12:33) TM: It’d be very surprising if Bruce Brown was back in Denver.; (12:55) TM: Floor is full mid-level.; (13:00) TM: Stein linked him to the Mavs. I’ve heard similar things. (14:08) TM: Rockets will be linked to every single free agent in the world, just because of the cap space, whether it’s true or not. (15:07) TB: With this new CBA, you have to be within 90% of the salary cap by the start of the season. If you’re Houston with $60M to spend, you gotta find ways to spend. You can’t sit there because you don’t like what’s out there. (15:46) TM: They don’t have to do it in free agency. (mentions OKC method of taking on salary) (23:06) TM: Grant Williams has been linked to the Mavs but I was kinda told calm it down a little bit. (26:50) TM: Despite the Mavs salary dumping Barnes, Rick Carlisle loves Harrison Barnes. (37:20) BW: Middleton opting out, yeah there are some suitors, Houston being one of them…coming off a year where he was not himself and leaving $40M on the table, he has to know what’s sitting there. (38:38) BW: Lopez is a different story. Bucks have to draw a line somewhere. I don’t know how high they’ll go. Not sure if Lopez knows it but I expect it to be tested. (42:36) BW: (Cam Johnson) He already tipped his hand he’s gonna be staying in Brooklyn; TB: Maybe but what’s the number?; BW: Large.; TM: What’s too large for Brooklyn?; BW: (43:02) Johnson was offered 4/65 (last year in Phoenix). They didn’t go back and forth on it. I think he’ll get around $90M and if a team comes hunting, he could approach $100M, maybe not all guaranteed and the Nets will match up to that level; TB: The one team I’m curious about is the team run by his former coach now in Detroit.; (44:11) Houston is the other team that has been rumored. Again, I think the Nets match but the one thing I’ll say, anytime you hear about Brooklyn/Houston business, you have to pause because Houston owns all that Brooklyn draft capital. It’s not a standard transaction discussion. That’d be a sign-and-trade concept in that regard. I didn’t bring him up because I think he’s staying in Brooklyn. (45:22) TM: I have curiosity as to where Wood’s landing spot will be. I’ve been told by a bunch of a teams it won’t be there. I’m curious where that will end up being.
Yeah. 17, 20, 22 ....... that is the Rockets record the last three seasons. Interestingly enough, the Rockets have gotten worse defensively each year of the rebuild. Coaching and organizational culture definitely matter, although it is a bit of a chick or the egg scenario - maybe organizations with strong cultures only draft and trade for players with those traits as well. Green, Smith and Sengun all should have better seasons than last year. It is possible that KPJ improves as well. The rookie class for the Rockets is impressive on paper, but probably won't make a major impact in year one. That means that all the improvement has to come from coaching, improvement from players on the roster and free agency. As far as free agency is concerned, I have heard the Rockets are mostly looking to sign guys on short term deals unless they are certain they can trade them with ease in a few seasons. That is really threading the needle for who the Rockets can get. So I think 30 wins next season for the Rockets is possible, but some expecting 40 wins are going to be upset.
I’m getting the vibe that vet signings will be minimal and this will basically be another season of tanking. Again, the Rox brain trust has a much higher opinion of our young players than the rest of the NBA GMs and scouts. And many fans think we’re going straight from the draft lottery to the NBA finals.
Why the hell would we S&T for someone we can sign outright, to give back assets? They say dumb **** sometimes.
Really glad to hear this. My biggest worry was that they were going to give the bag to over-the-hill guys on untradeable 4 year contracts and our young core would be stuck behind aging veterans while we play mediocre basketball. I want to end up in OKC's position, not Charlotte's.
I don’t doubt that someone has told him that. I don’t even doubt that Harden is saying it out loud. I just doubt that it’s true.
I don't find it all that interesting. You strip off vets over time and replace them with rookies, of course the performance is going to get worse (especially defensively). Young players have no idea what they are doing, and have yet to develop the instincts needed to make rotations, assignments, a second nature, rather than having to actually think about it.
