He has had to deal with a lot in the past year with his father’s death, health, and now being snubbed from the ESPN 100 team (which included Dort and Camara). I would be annoyed as well. He looks focused and may have his best year yet!
Herb Jones before last year shot 41% from 3 and 63% TS. Tari shoots at around league average from 3 and also not as efficient with only career 56% TS. Jones also doesnt have low bball IQ unlike Tari, Tari has been accused of having low bball IQ since college days I dont think he ever improves just like JR Smith and Westbrook. Tari can get more pts but can he do it more efficiently than league average is the question.
Jones didn’t shoot that last year. He went back to being below avg in 3 shooting 30% in 20 games before getting hurt. Shooting 3’s isnt everything as I said. Jones can’t drive. Isn’t a dynamic scorer. His TS% is higher because he shoots better FT%. Not the point. The 2 are close in terms of performance and the market for this type of player was what Jones got as a starter. As I said I would expect a good agent to argue his client us starter material and start off negotiations around that number.
Tari is better than Bari. Not sure if it will stay that way, but having watched almost every game of their careers, I think that’s clearly the case right now. We need to keep both. DFS is old and is just a 2-yr rental at best. Tari and Bari are key long-term pieces for us.
I'm fine if we want to go the we don't know anything route. On Tari, it seems like the route most fans have had is just assume the worst on an injury that is rare to begin with to be a recurring problem when there just isn't much information to assume that (generally the bone graft seems to go well long term as long as it isn't the foot). I think there will be some concession for injury with Tari, but I don't think it is going to be bad unless he's having problems in training camp. Also, Herb Jones's extension was the max extension he was eligible for. Tari's extension does not have the first year being restricted to 140% of the last year as Tari isn't considered a veteran. Tari's problem is that the Rockets made deals thinking the cap was going to go up a full 10% that it will be tight to offer him more than $20M that first year for the 2nd apron now that it will likely go up only 7%. The AAV Herb signed is kind of what I expected from the JSJ and Tari contracts. Granted, I'm assuming the 2nd apron is something Stone doesn't want to deal with.
Oh yeah don't get me wrong, i'm not at all against the chip he has on his shoulder now, he seems ready to come in and blow up big time. Be great for us if he breaks out too (which i've always thought was more likely than Bari.)
Consider u are Tari and u have an unshakable belief in yourself. You have the best motor in the nba and you’ve worked tremendously hard all off season. You are fully recovered from injury. You’ve seen the org give KPJ real money even though he’s a cancer. You see Jalen get extremely overpaid on 3 really sub-par seasons. You see Bari get paid on 3 sub-par seasons. Two guys who got paid on rookie deals but underperformed. You haven’t made any real money yet, but you’ve over-performed. yeah he’s not scared to get to free agency and he’s not settling for less than $22 mil. Not worth losing him for that. We will regret losing Tari if we don’t get this done. He’s not getting cheaper next offseason.
I don't blame Tari if he bets on himself. If healthy, he'll over-perform, shut people up, get offered more than Jabari next summer and the Rockets won't match. I want him to extend but it probably isn't going to happen.
Nobody forgets him. Many people worry about his extension and his potential health issue. And even after Green and Whitmore are gone, we still have a ton of young talents to sort out. It is still a crowded field.
I don’t really disagree. I was just saying there is no way they would trade the guy who they prioritized extending immediately in order to free up money for somebody they seem less pressed about extending. I was just responding to what I felt to be a ridiculous post.
I don't think JSJ will be traded to free up money to sign Tari, but extensions are about both parties agreeing to a deal. The Rockets may have prioritzed extending JSJ. JSJ may have also just been more agreeable to a contract than Tari, and the Rockets didn't want to have to work on 3 extensions at once. I expect Tari will get close to what JSJ got. Maybe a couple of less years or team options. I don't think injury issue is big, but it isn't nothing either. I think age favors JSJ as he's still got more time to improve and will likely play more years in the NBA. Personally, I value Tari more than JSJ, but I think the age/injury thing will be used against him in contracts. I don't see something less than $18M starting.
The KPJ extension was not real money. Only the first year, $16M, was guaranteed. If Tari wants that kind of real money the Rockets would offer it in a heartbeat. I don't hold it against Tari at all for believing in himself. I would have preferred to work out his extension before Jabari's, but Jabari has played in 86% of his games and Tari has played in 65%. We don't even know what's been offered. Maybe the Rockets offered the same money as Jabari with a team option on the later years for injury concerns and Tari balked. Ultimately, the Rockets need to stay below the 2nd apron next summer and have no obligation to pay Tari based on his unshakeable belief. A lot of players have bet on themselves and lost. If the Rockets are offering a contract with long-term security (4 years/$80M with a player option on the last year) that expires in Tari's prime so that he can chase a big third contract I think that is fair. That's more than twice as much as Isaiah "bring out the Brinks truck" Thomas made for his entire career. I'm no NBA player, but I'd secure a bag before betting on anything, including myself.
When Tari is available, sure. The thing holding Tari back is health and availability. It also doesn't help that he plays the deepest position in the team. If love to keep both if Tari can prove to be durable, but I think he opts to leave for a team he'd start on. That's why I think the Rockets look to trade him at the deadline.
I would think less of Tari if he didn’t want to be a starter. Wanting and reality are 2 different things. I don’t think he is a starting player on a championship team, but I think he is definitely a powerful role player off the bench for a championship team. It’s not just injuries, it is BBIQ and his penchant for committing fouls. His kaos is great off the bench, not starting. Only the Rockets and Tari know his injury prognosis. It is definitely one of the key factors in his contract. Maybe they can come to an agreement with Durant and sign it after the Tari extension.
