lol, you will soon see. Reed excelled every single time he was given a real chance last year. No doubt he will have a few bad games as he adjust to being a full time starter but there is a reason the Rockets are extremely high on him.
This is what I’m hoping for. The only way Reed will take his lumps and improve is by allowing him to take his lumps and improve. Ime has to suck it up until the deadline and work with what he has anyway, so at least kicked the tires on the kid to see what you’ve got. We may be pleasantly surprised.
Reed should be fine, with all the talent this team has, he should be able to learn as we win......FVV was needed when we were changing the culture, it is already set. Now we need to start looking at building a championship team - and sometimes you need to let young players make mistakes, because Reed at the end of the year will be much better than Reed at the beginning, I feel we wasted his year last year.....which was frankly not all that bright. DD
We are already a championship level team if more injuries don’t sideline us. We really aren’t in any danger of losing any of our core players other than Tari and we have great draft picks. If Reed is more than a backup level combo guard that is just gravy. The biggest question is if Ime is a championship level coach. He is going to have to prove he can construct and offense and manage rotations correctly without his crutch. I saw some flexibility for a short time when he moved FVV off the ball, but he went back into his comfort zone pretty quickly.
I could not agree more with this - Ime has to be flexible - if he can't let guys be themselves like Popovich did with players like Parker and Manu - and benches them because they don't play his way, then he will hold the team back. I am hoping he is growing too and they can play the way he likes but he makes room for creativity too. DD
There is truth to this - but I would rather cut to the chase and find out if Sheppard or Amen are going to be able to play the point and/or how much they can contribute. I don't want to stretch it out several years. The creme will rise to the top in most cases, and if Reed isn't good enough and Amen is more of a secondary scorer -- then better to know now and address it earlier than string along for several seasons. Fred is a very good ball protector, defender and leader on the floor - but he isn't a threat at all going to the basket, he isn't a good shooter and he can't play fast --- lets open it up some and see what happens. Thompson, Sheppard and others all can finish and play in transition and fast. Durant is a MASSIVE security blanket for Reed especially, he will find KD off kick outs and KD will also get him wide open shots. The situation is far better for Reed this year than last. If he cannot cut it this year, then he likely isn't ever going to cut it as a starter on a very good team.
Cam would not be starting with FVV out if he were still on the Rockets. Cam's value around the league is extremely low.
Exactly. FVV and Dillon were brought in to change the culture and accelerate the maturation. That being said, FVV being our best option on offense in last year’s playoffs is NOT a “deep playoff run” caliber team. We corrected that by pivoting from JG to Durant. And no one in the Rockets FO drafted Reed thinking he was going to play NBA caliber defense immediately. He’s got some unique NBA skills and has largely proven that when given minutes. Plan A, B, and C should be Reed is next man up.
I have more faith in Reed stepping up because he has a very high b-ball IQ. Usually smart players figure out how to use the tools they have available to make an impact. What I do not have faith in is Ime Udoka relenting and maybe shading the defense to protect Reed similar to how GSW protects Steph Curry and how Cleveland protects their guards. If Ime insists that Reed must be an island on defense, then we're in for a disappointing season.
The odds of Ime making Reed an island on defense is less than 1%. There is absolutely no concern for Ime Udoka’s defensive acumen. He is the best team defensive coach in the league. Just like Cam, it is up to Reed to be able to perform within Ime’s team defense. If he cannot he better be a Curry level shooter to earn a rotation spot. This is a championship level roster. Ime must perform as an offensive coach and Reed must prove himself a rotation piece on a championship team, period.
I think FVV’s real value is come playoff time and we shouldn’t be underestimating his veteran presence and ability handle the ball/ run an offense with few mistakes. If championship is the goal then you would be need multiple competent ball handlers. I wouldn’t be surprised if the rockets make a bigger move than expected and not just get some journeyman.
The online sentiment seems to be that Rockets are screwed, season over. I know, crazy over-reaction from other teams fans that don't even watch the Rockets. However, this is actually a good thing.. because if we get a top 3 seed in the West, I think it's very likely some of our players will get a major reward like Dpoty or 6th man.
More of an Earthquake than Sky is falling which I think the Vikings and the Tribal people would often say, we are Nerds!
