Heat got swept and lost 3 of the games by 21, 37, and 55 points I get the city is cool and all, but c’mon and Pat Riley is so washed up…he’s like the Nicolas Cage of the NBA
Funny that Durant has a positive relationship with Udoka and then suddenly the Rockets give him an extension.
What if KD isn’t in a traditional superstar role? Trade or no trade, the Rockets and us as fans are looking for continued improvement from Sengun and Amen. Sengun was an all star last year, but not a superstar. What if he becomes a threat from 3, or a reliable mid range game, hits more bunnies like he did two years ago. He can improve by 2 ppg and with a better efg. Amen is going to improve, the question is how much and how fast. What if he can hit threes in the low 30s and just continues to mature on offense? Can he get 17-18ppg and a boatload of rebs, assists, steals and blocks? I don’t mention Tari, will assume Jabari is gone, and won’t talk about Sheppard or whitmore. They should all improve also, but the team will revolve around KD, sengun and Amen. I think the question shouldn’t be framed as how much will KD decline. The question is what does it take to win a title, and can we reasonably project performance from KD, sengun and amen to get us there? I personally believe that KDs decline will be gradual, and will be outpaced by improvement from amen and sengun. The fit is outstanding. The question then is whether it would be enough to knock off OKC. I can tell you this - there is no reasonable projection that gets us to a title with sengun JG and Amen being the three main cogs. [Edit - what if Tari stays healthy and starts looking like Kawhi lite? It would be reasonable to expect improvement from him, and unlike whitmore and Sheppard, he has some high end potential outcomes that could impact the equation]
Old declining players LOVE Udoka, they get all the minutes they can stand no matter how poorly they perform. He's probably the most friendly coach in the league for those kinds of players.
Not sure I've heard a player young or old say a bad thing about Ime. He's pretty much loved no matter the age group. He's rigid but if we're grading him on what he's done here from where we were two years ago....he gets an A. A few points deducted for how he handled Jabari and Reed but I'm not really tripping about that just yet.
Kevin's words not mine. He's not washed yet, but definitely declining for his contract and not worth the value.
FVV's contract is a horrible asset for a trade as it is way underwater if the team option is selected. It compromises financial flexibility and will likely cost a significant amount in FRPs or young players to move him onto the team option and meet a multitude of CBA requirements. It would likely cost less assets to decline option, not re-sign FVV, and do deal with other players than include FVV (i.e., dealing underwater contracts has a cost). The only benefit to dealing FVV is that people want FVV gone and if he's not in the deal, he will get re-signed using early Bird Rights. I don't agree with the thought that no FVV is better than having FVV that some have.
Appreciate the back and forth. To simplify, I think where we differ is whether KD of June 2026 (and the years that follow) will be at the same or similar level of declined as he was in 2024-25. I think no, the baseline expectation is that he will be substantially less impactful. IMO the data we have supports that in practically every case of star players at this age. LeBron included, who has not won a conference finals game after age 35 (and LeBron was coming down from a higher peak than KD). Reasonable minds can differ of course, and the data could be wrong. It would just be quite surprising to me for the Rockets FO to bet so strongly against the analytical view.
From what I have been told - the Rockets are interested in KD and the risk of his age and injury, but only at the right cost. The idea being that acquiring him does not hamstring them going forward. Also - keep in mind that ownership plays a part in this, and they at some points are going to want to "go for it". Stone isn't the gambler that Daryl Morey is, and I suspect will be cautious in negotiations over KD.
It tells me clearly that the coaching staff and the front office are not confident with anyone else running the offense in 2025 - not Green, and not Sheppard. The Rockets poked around Jrue Holiday a few weeks ago, which only strengthened my belief that they will have a veteran older guard running the offense, even if it isn't FVV for some reason. I don't understand why they haven't shown more interest in Chris Paul other than the owner's disdain for him.
I can speak a little bit to the ownership side of this, and I can confidently say that they are committed to not overpaying. Now what the definition of "overpaying" is in relation to this deal, I don't know. But I do know they are not moving the offer up from what it currently is. It's very much take it or leave it at this point for PHX.
Why do I get the feeling you'd be the type of person who thinks they bought a beachfront property in Oklahoma.
Houston making it known that we are not going to increase our offer, we own their future anyways. Take it or leave it.
