As currently constructed and coached, we are not a championship team. I get it; injuries to FVV and Adams are tough and those two are impossible to replace but we have the talent to win it all. Things aren't clicking, players are playing solo ball, adjustments aren't happening. I was hoping for more this year, cautiously optimistic about KD coming in, but it's not looking great. I'm still an optimist but I've been watching basketball for a looong time and I can see it in the play, the body language and the energy.
The chemistry is bad. The pieces they are working with just don't fit together right now. Something is obviously off and it starts with the guard play. They absolutely have to get some help at guard.
The issue isn't that this team isn't a contender, but rather the following. 1. They made a trade for a 37yr old star/superstar. 2. They signed multiple veteran players with major injury flags to multi-year contracts 3. They made sure those signings are done in a way that prevent them from making major moves at the deadline should things not work out. If you look at all the deadline moves, it's clear the most important parts are that players changing hands are expiring salaries. The Rockets have no expiring salaries. Adams has 2 more years and is out for the season. FVV has another year and out for the season and has a NTC. Capela has 2 more years and is shooting less efficiently than most guards. DFS has another year and is averaging 3ppg coming off major injury and was the 2nd highest paid FA to switch teams this past offseason. GMs sometimes overuse the word flexibility when talking about moves and non-moves. But this is what happens when a GM decides he needs zero flexibility. When things go wrong all he does is throw up his hands and say, "We've Tried Nothing and We're All Out of Ideas!" Now, I'm not saying the Rockets absolutely cannot make moves. But if they do make a major move it's going to really cost them draft assets, because they lack the neutral, small assets that teams usually like to use when they make minor moves.
The status quo is not good. I’m also worried we are gonna go all in on Giannis and field a team of old, injured mercenaries. No longer have faith in the org.
There are three questions everybody (here, but more importantly in the front office) should have been asking themselves throughout the offseason: 1. How often does a team go all the way when they don't have the best player in any playoff series they're likely to face? Especially in the more-competitive Western Conference? 2. How often does a team go all the way when the majority of their rotation is age 25 and under? 3. When has it ever happened when both of those things are simultaneously true? We were never going to be strong contenders with this roster. Nothing is impossible, there could be a massive streak of big injuries to teams we face in the playoffs, we could luck into incredibly hot shooting from all of our guys at once, that sort of thing. But you don't bank on odds that long. It's why I wasn't in favor of trading for KD in the first place. However, I do think he made some sense at the very low price we paid for him, but only if the move doesn't pressure you to feel "all-in" and prevent you from making positive long-term moves.
Only the team that wins the finals is the championship team. Playing solo ball because of the coach's style.
forget championship, this isn’t even a 2nd round exit team with an offense this bad plus no shooting or PG play combined with a 37 y/o KD and a fraud in Sengun, we’re cooked in the postseason KD can’t carry a team in the playoffs if our young core or “core 7” was worth a damn, KD would’ve been like a final piece to make us a legit contender…instead he’s the best player on the team by far and has to carry the offense, and we’re still just a mid-tier team
They don't fit together because we have a horrible constructed unbalanced team of forwards and bigs. The only healthy decent guard on the roster can't stay on the court because he's such a sieve on defense.
You’ll flame me but I’d probably trade Sengun + Reed for #1 pick + a center this off-season if opportunity is there and just focus on building around Amen & Peterson. Compete as hard as you can but would have a pretty fresh start once FVV & KD off the books
