That is most likely the exact thing they are doing. They didn't sign Matt Bradley for a day to clock stats in their rotisserie league.... These guys were (I believe) all E10 contracts, which convert to standard min. contracts if not waived before the start of the regular season. All waived, so all good on that front. However, if they spend at least 60 days with the teams GLeague affiliate after being waived(RGV), then they earn (up to) a $75k bonus. So these 3 might be able to double their GLeague earnings as a result.
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id...season-preview-rankings-predictions-odds-more 19. Houston Rockets BPI's overall ranking: 13 Chances to make playoffs: 49.6% Projected wins: 42.1 When we last saw them: In Year 1 under head coach Ime Udoka, Houston lifted off to a record of 13-2 in March, leaving many to believe it might challenge for a play-in berth. Over that span, Jalen Green caught fire, averaging 27.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists. The Rockets finished 41-41, a 19-win improvement from the previous season, which represented the largest increase in wins by any team from 2022-23 to 2023-24. Houston stood relatively pat in the offseason but used their No. 3 pick on the sharpshooting Reed Sheppard, who can seriously contend for Rookie of the Year. Biggest strength and weakness: Houston's collection of young talent could set up the Rockets to contend for a while if players such as Green, Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr., Amen Thompson and Tari Eason continue to develop. The club pieced together a nice blend of up-and-coming players and solid veterans to take the lead in establishing the new culture under Udoka, which starts with strong defense which ranked ninth last season. However, the Rockets ranked 20th on offense, so players like Smith, Thompson and Eason need to take another step in their offensive development, as well as more consistency from Green. -- Wright Rockets in NBA Rank: Alperen Sengun (54) Jalen Green (69) Fred VanVleet (79) Jabari Smith Jr. (92) Number to watch: Continuity on defense The Rockets finished 10th in defensive efficiency last season, 8th in rim protection and allowed the fewest fast break points per game last season. Best bet: Over 43.5 regular season wins (-115) The Rockets don't rely on just one player, which makes this bet intriguing. With seven former first-round picks and a defense that finished 10th in defensive rating last season, the talent is there. Houston won 41 games last year, so adding three more isn't a stretch. Yes, the Western Conference is stacked, and some players are still trying to figure out their roles, but I believe Udoka can further position this team for success. -- Moody Fantasy breakout candidate: Jalen Green Green was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft and has proven to be a plus scorer, but he's had trouble with consistency. When Ime Udoka took over as the head coach, he particularly wanted to institute a level of professionalism that required Green to improve to earn his minutes and opportunity. After a slower start to the season, Green burst out to average 29.2 PPG from Feb. 29 to March 29 as the Rockets made a hard playoff push. I like that as a preview for what we might expect from him more consistently this season. -- Snellings
I think the Spurs and Wemby will surprise to the upside this year. They played Jeremy Sochan at point for half the season. Once they stopped that insanity Wemby started playing at an all-nba level. I hate Wemby and the Spurs, but I think Wemby is an all-nba player if healthy.
And they were 11-16 after the All Star break. I don't think they'll surprise anyone. They'll be better, but not play-in contenders IMO.
I think they could compete for the play-in if they wanted to. I believe they will be tanking again. There is nothing wrong with it. The Rockets did it for 3 years. Cooper Flagg is the real deal and a bunch of teams are going to tank after the all-star break.
Yeah, and they may have two chances between their pick and Atlanta's, though the Hawks may surprise some people this season. Either way, I think they bottom out one last season. Next season, though, all bets are off.
They're going to be the worst team in the West. Wemby is an inefficient chucker and the rest of that team is absolute trash. I'd be shocked if they won 25 games.
Chris Paul and Harrison Barns are not trash. If they really wanted to compete they could ala the Rockets with FVV and Brooks. Down the stretch they will pull the plug and tank for Cooper.
I don't know why, but this just struck me -- after the Kawhi injury, there is a good chance we will OKC will swap its 2025 with the Clippers instead of us. That means -- knock on wood -- the CP3/Westbrook trade may fetch OKC Topic (who won't play this year) and a non-lottery 2026 pick. All things considered, that would be a great result.
All things considered it’s still a terrible result. CP3 was the better player, was flipped for positive value, WB was flipped for the Wall fiasco. Us having to pay multiple first, and having our picks tied for half a decade for that swap was one of the franchises worst trades. It could have been a lot worse, but it doesn’t make the result good, imo.
No, it's absolutely a terrible trade no matter what. I'm just saying the results may elevate it from an all-time blunder to just an awful trade. One major silver lining, though - I believe the FRP pick we received in the Wall/Westbrook trade was included in our trade for Sengun.
Agreed. It's likely not going to set us back as much as everyone previously thought. Our pick is top 10 protected and even if we end up swapping picks with OKC, we can still swap that with PHX. My guess is we're picking somewhere between 15-25.
I agree. They face the same issue as the Rockets did last year - 10-12 better teams in the West. In the East, they make the play in.
On the Spurs, Chris Paul will still be good for them. Floor general, coach on the court, get guys organized, something they sorely need. Harrison has been running on fumes already last couple years (Kings). On the Spurs, it's possible Pops might revive him, but I'm not expecting too much. I see them prioritizing their young guys in minutes.
I honestly think CP3 will be with the Spurs UNTIL trade deadline and then be sent to a contender. His contract is completely moveable. Spurs are paying him $10M to instill professionalism and teach the young guys how to play for 60% of the season & practices.
