I agree with that 4 forward crap. To make it worse, they actually stared 5 forwards in 35 games this season. Sengun Jabari KD Tari / DFS Amen I made mention of something along the lines of Ime would start 5 forwards if he could, it wasn't but a couple games later that they ran that lineup out there and did it 35 times ....
This is a roster composition problem for GM Stone to fix. This would have been a lesser problem if FVV was healthy last season, but still an issue.
Stone gave Ime what he wanted .... what he probably said he needed to win. I don't need guards, I need big wings. If FVV was healthy, Ime would have run him out there with 4 of those forwards for 36 minutes a night.
The amount of suck is relative .... This is a good team with a some good talent. This isn't a great team full of superstar talent. We aren't the Spurs or OKC. We didn't get lucky and pick first and draft a unicorn and then get another top 2 pick.. I honestly think Stone has done a fairly good job, depending on the talent available when his picks came up - he didn't leave talent on the board a whole lot and he didn't blow picks outside of maybe Reed and I wanted him too .... He's also managed the cap very well - he had a plan last year and spent to the limit and Tilman paid the Tax. That plan got blown up .... but had Fred & Adams stayed healthy, it coulda worked .... maybe they win a series or two. Ime on the other hand .... I don't think I'd want him coaching a Jr high - Jr varsity team. I'm tired of complaining about his offense ... and forcing KD on ball was stupid. Sengun dribbling from the 3 point line is stupid. Not running a damn pick and roll is stupid.
Sengun is not a forward. The idea that the Rockets were trying to start “five forwards” is just not accurate. Their intended structure was a guard, three forwards, and a center. The bigger issues were pretty clear: point guard play, lack of reliable depth with DFS struggling and injuries, not enough shooting, and constantly having to play at least two non-shooters because the roster lacked spacing. And Sengun was a major part of the problem too. He had a horrible final three-fourths of the season. The Tari / Jabari / KD forward combo without Sengun was actually really good. So this was not really a “too many forwards” issue. It was a shooting issue, a playmaking issue, a depth issue, and a Sengun decline issue.
I don’t know what to tell you. OKC, SA, NYK legitimately close with 4 guys that are faster than Jabari and KD. Neither Jabari or KD can play center at that level and even if Alperen Sengun is the bane of our existence, whatever 5 we replace him with will also be significantly slower than 4/5th of those closing lineups. That’s 3 guys slower than their power forwards. If we keep acting like it’s not a problem or expect height to counter act it and be a better advantage than speed and fluidity, we’re gonna keep getting our asses kicked in the 1st round.
Knicks? The Rockets dominated the Knicks when KD was on the floor, and that was without a PG they could play with Brunson on the court. The Knicks were able to win one of the games barely because the bench sucked in the non-KD minutes at the top of the 4th. The other, the bench cratered again to allow the Knicks to make it only a 17-point victory. I get OKC and SA are bad matchups, but acting like KD is a problem for the Rockets against the Knicks is just bias.
Fair, I was more speaking to the accumulative issue. KD + Jabari + a center. In the playoffs, seeing the same good team repeatedly. I’m not against KD in isolation but would strongly recommend having speed from the other guys.
If we go for a more "run it back" option.... Deuce McBride. More of a combo guard than floor general but I think he's battle tested enough to provide some shooting, playmaking, and defense in a more depth. Still young enough with some upside (turns 26 this September) that he can become a better rotation player and he's got one year left at $3.9 mil.
