Our once proud franchise is being run into the ground

i was illustrating this current great divide and gap between Rockets and top western team fans love to talk about isn’t that wide. Not talking about 2023 but rather now in the present.

 

What does no offensive system mean? Can you tell me what offense Boston or the Knicks run?

Brunson was one of the top iso players in the playoffs and Knicks are among the top ISO teams in the playoffs. Boston did not win a title that next year with virtually the same team Udoka led. They went out and got 2 stars, played a lot of ISO and 5 out and shot people out the building in 2024. But They underachieved again this year.

Knicks have a stretch 5 and 5 starting players that can shoot the 3 with 4 starting players that can attack the rim.

If anything the 2026 Knicks and 2024 Celtics showed us that having multiple shooters to stretch the floor is important, having guys that can get in the paint is important, and having stars to lead the way and go to work when defenses clamp down is important. Durant needs help.

 

would anyone else like OK FO or Spurs FO have done better than the Rockets FO with the rebuild?

with the WB and Harden trades and other trade moves?

with the 2 head coaching hires?

with the 4 draft lottery picks?

 

Yes

 

They have a forumla and Young team. You build on this threw draft, and or Free agency. You dont just go out and
tear that down. People want a instant gratification for rebuild after 2 first rd Exits. Rockets didnt have the success
as pistons. but doesnt mean they can't build on what they have, and get close the being in the West Finals.

Health has been a major issue, so you dont just go out and say this or that, When your team is not in full strength.

Rockets still have room for success against the up tier teams, you dont know How some of these young players they have can grow, and threw roster additions (FA OR Draft) and experince they get better in few years.
Overall the rockets last 2 season have been A+ to me, Kd was also pretty amazing, as well as Sengun , Amen, Jabari, and Reed.

All had amazing year.

 

Houston FO probably forgot to set an alarm

 

Are we getting better now?

 

Spurs had Devin Vassell, Joshua Primo and Jeremy Sochan as their 3 lotto picks before thye got gifted Wemby. Even Presti who is the best drafter here wasted lotto picks on Ousmane Dieng Pokusevski and Josh Giddey.

Other teams could have done better but also other teams have done way worse with just 3 years to rebuild. Its funny you say 4 lotto picks because that Reed pick wasnt even due to tanking but to Stone trades.

 

Nope

 

Bogdanovic for 1 year, what is after 1 year?

 

Lol Dieng is already trending towards a better future, Josh Giddey is an AS on Offense, it is the Defense that is lacking.

 

Thread title is a clear reality. What a terrible offseason. Missing out on the best draft. Keeping a 38 yr old KD. Signing an old Marcus Smart and Bogdon. Yuck. No clear direction going into yr 7 of the rebuild.

 

Honestly this is ridiculous, we are wallowing in between rebuild and trying to win the glue factory trophy.

We have a core of young players who are developing nicely, but Ime can't stand winning that way, he just has to have a bunch of old tired vets that can't shoot but play hard on D - which also - you can't win that way.

Instead of finishing what we started and continuing to build, we now have a bunch of Injury prone vets competing with young up and comers for playing time, now normally with a quality coach that is fine.

But we don't have a good coach, we have a guy who overplays vets and even though we were 17-4 with Sheppard starting, Ime just can't stand winning that way with the ball going in......no he wants to prove that rebounding and defense wins, even though it never has and never will.

So, we get to r****d the growth of Amen, Reed, Sengun, Jabari by playing minutes for guys barely hanging on in the league - guys who can't stay healthy....FVV, Adams, Smart, Bogdono....etc.....and an old sniper who just doesn't want to move off the ball.

This team is 100% a mess, coached by a mess and run like a mess.

****

DD

 

But it’s okay because they brought back ketchup and mustard apparel, so we’ll buy tickets along with corporate STH and Tilman will make money from sold out arenas anyway.

 

And we get to watch KD acquire meaningless career stats - he is not a long term Rocket so I don't give two ****S for any of that.

DD

 

PG Check.
Shooter Check.

Younger Superstar..... not close.

 

You just have to let Stone go, yeah, a new manager might be a risk but you are definitely locked in that 1st to 2nd Round for ages.....

 

lol like the franchise wasn’t run into the ground with Les Alexander

 

We had our best years under Les. He could be cheap at times, but at least he hired good people (for the most part) and let them do their thing.

 

Nice post. Sums up my feelings about the Rox. Only a handful of teams get a transcendent player (or, like the dumb Mavs, two of them, trading both of them, one to the Knicks and one to the Lakers, but I digress). In the NBA, you can only do so much without those super special elite players like Wemby or pre-middle-aged Lerbon, or Hakeem.

Not sure about Ant or what our chances would be to get him if he gets disgruntled. Had never thought about that.