would let him be a RFA before I offer him a contract. there's zero benefit in paying someone that can barely play 50 games a year.
I think the only one that was a real miss with the information we had was the Jalen pick. Mobley at the time was getting a lot of attention for that pick also and given Jalen’s frail and small body and an awkward jump shot that was just a super long shot for a chance of success. He’s like 6 foot 4 and much smaller than “Kobe or Michael” comparisons. Usually smaller undersized shooting guards with a poor shot are not typically winning players. Mobley was already there for the taking and well regarded. That was the only pick that I think we could be upset about so far. Jabari draft we had the 3rd overall and there were… *** at the time*** three clear standouts from the rest. That pick was a no brainer, we simply picked whoever was left over out of the top 3 and EVERY team in the league would have done the same. Thompson draft was good, he hit on that. Reed draft it’s way too early to be able to determine. Sure Castle has been playing better lately and some people wanted him but shooting was a huge need and Reed was an awesome shooter and in what was seen as a poor draft class it was a well regarded pick at the time. But it’s way too early to tell how that plays out. So really, the only pick we goofed up so far, with the information we had at the time, was Jalen Green over Mobley. The rest of it was just the unpredictability of how young guys develop and not develop. Every year there are surprises as well as disappointments it’s just how it goes.
I hate the situation so much. He's a damn good player. We gotta do what's best for the Houston Rockets and Tari gotta do what's best for him.
Not to mention that Mobley and his dad did everything in their power to not get drafted by the Rockets. I’m not sure Jalen was a bad draft pick, but his development was some of the worst coaching in the history of the NBA. Not sure Jalen will ever recover and be 2nd pick worthy, but I bet he ends up being a pretty good player if only as a 6th man.
Curry also didn’t want to go to warriors. I mean it is what it is at this point. I would have went with Mobley but whatever. I wish Jalen the absolute best as I do think he’s a good dude. But Jalen to me always screamed of “inefficient, undersized chucker with an ugly streaky shot and questionable at best defense”. So to me he always seemed a best fit as one of those “instant offense” dudes from the bench , you know the guys… The only way it could ever work for serious winning with him as one do the featured players is if he became an awesome shooter. And given his shooting form that just seems super unrealistic. I don’t know, I wish him well. Seems like a good dude and I really wish it worked out as he flashed nicely when his shot was on. But him being a brick house most of the time just brought the whole team down.
At this point, this is the smart play unfortunately. Let him get an offer and if it’s less than like 13 million per year match it quickly as I still think he helps us out a lot when healthy. But at this point you absolutely have to pay him with the assumption that he will only play about 50% of the games. I think at 13-15 mil range it’s probably still worth it at least for like 2-3 year contract and if he’s healthy in the playoffs I do think it’s a boost for us and not a humongous overpay. But if someone gives him over 15 million than you may just let it go at that point. Although that’s hard to see happening as he’s played less games than Zion in the last 3 years. Hard to see any teams throwing big money at him. Most teams don’t want the unpredictability of his injuries. But I think the Rockets are deep enough at wings to sustain his missed time as long as he doesn’t cost a lot. So yea, love Tari, want to keep him, but it’s gotta be a super team friendly deal.
If the rumor was true that Mobley's dad didn't want him anywhere near KPJ, then the KPJ debacle cost us more than meet the eyes. Of course, people also speculate that if we picked Mobley, we wouldn't have picked Sengun. It's the butterfly effect we'll never know. Hindsight telling us that Mobley-Sengun would be a really good double-big tandem. But it's unlikely that Stone would have that kind of foresight.
That kind of double bigs, I could live with. Sengun, Adams makes no sense whatsoever. Of course, we would’ve still had Silas.
Oh i still think Stone did well with the information and picks we had. I just think that unfortunately it didn't leave us with a solidified contending core, though i do think we're at least an outsider contender. You're right though, the Jalen pick's the one that screwed us (though i'm not sure Mobley makes us much better contention wise) if he doesn't bust and actually hits that "lead scorer in the league" projection then we probably have all we need. **** luck, but it's what we got.
So Denver beats us by single possession twice, one of those being a clear game that the refs gave to them, and we kill them in this game. Not too bad. Where are all of those doom and gloom folks who say we're nowhere close to this team?
