Our once proud franchise is being run into the ground

I don't mind the vets we got but Ime can't sub efficiently. He goes against the grain.

 

Rockets only got locked to that 1st round due to injuries last year. We will be able to reset after this year if needed so all the doomer talk just need to stop.

 

Stone is better than Morey. By best years do you mean the 2018 run? It took several years for that to happen, years you arent giving the Stone admin. Harden was already 28 by that time, right now Amen, Sengun and Jabari are only 23.

 

Right now everyone's disappointed in our FA class, but that ignores the larger issue. The Rockets are about to invest around $60M a year in cap space long-term on a pair of wings, one of whom can't dribble, can't pass, can't stay healthy, and can't consistently shoot, and the other of whom can't shoot at all. They are going to invest heavily in mediocrity. The franchise will be crippled for years unless one of their upcoming draft picks miraculously yields a superstar.

The people at the top are too far down the path they've chosen. They are doubling down on sunk costs instead of reevaluating everything. We're in for a long night.

 

Construction: At the dry docks we built a silent Submarine. We launched. And for years it operated by running completely silent in the deep. We purposefully submerged the franchise to the bottom of the ocean to avoid the radar and stockpile premium assets.

Emergence: It was time to surface and fire our biggest torpedo. A massive splash, but missed. We took damage and submerged.

Launching the offensive: Regrouping, we added new artillery. Loaded a nuclear weapon. And Once the "win-the war- now" era commenced, things quickly went wrong. The submarine began taking on water from multiple hull breaches, forcing our crew to frantically plug the leaks with our fingers. The misfit outfit now shorthanded, plugged one hole after another, but two more emerge.

To the Dephs: The creaking and cracking sounds "amplified" significantly the deeper our craft traveled, signaling the compounding stress. Pppung sounds. And then…

 

This. And it all started when Les hired MDA as the head coach.

 

For the record they didn't trade Brunson to the Knicks - they let him walk away for nothing.

 

It’s not too late for Stone to get his man-crush back…


Victor Oladipo: I’m a free agent. I don’t have an agent right now just me and my family. I know I have a lot left, and I genuinely love this game. I’d rather show you I’m ready than spend my time trying to explain why or flood you with analytics to prove it. If you’re about winning, value mentorship, and think there could be a fit, you can reach me directly. I’m open to every opportunity right now—I just want to make sure I weigh each one carefully. I can’t wait to share my story. \-#Invictus #BeAVictor

x.com

 

Calling signing Amen to an extension investing in mediocrity is certainly a take.

 

I call losing in the 1st round in consecutive seasons mediocrity - we are neither particularly bad nor particularly good.

Signing Amen to a massive deal severely limits your ability to improve (assuming one of the upcoming picks doesn't strike gold).

 

40M for Amen isnt a massive deal. I would say thats more than fair value considering Sengun got 38M. How much do you think Amen would be worth in the open market? He is genrally considered the 2nd/3rd best player in his class so 40M isnt a massive deal for a guy gonna give you 18/7/5 even if he cant shoot. The max is what, 55M-70M?

Do you know the context of our first round losses? The first time we had one of the younger rosters in history and also Jalen kinda flopped so we turned him into KD. The second time we had 100M in injuries. How would that be mediocre?

Winning 52 games would be a good result historically. 2 yrs ago that got us 2nd seed nobody would say that was a mediocre result.

 

I would very much like to see Amen in the open market as a restricted FA. I think the Rockets value him much higher than anyone would. Case in point - Amen gets 37 minutes a game with us, while Ausar gets 26 minutes a game with Detroit. Is Amen that much better than Ausar? I doubt it. On a good team Amen is a 6th man at best, and a flawed one at that.

You say we had a $100M on the bench in the playoffs, and that's true. But while that was due to injuries, the opportunity cost of giving ridiculous contracts to wings who can't shoot will likely be equivalent - overpaying Amen by $20M a year is no different than losing a $20M player from your rotation.

Maybe Stone pulls a rabbit out of his hat, but assuming not this team will not win 52 games again. KD won't be that healthy again at this age, and the tanking teams will actually compete this season. Just like Jalen's value fell off a cliff, I think you'll be shocked how Amen is viewed at the end of next season, especially if he's making over $40M a year.

 

Well first of all yes Amen is a lot better than Ausar.

Just on their averages alone Amen is 18/7/5 while Ausar is what, 9/5/3? Why is this even a question? Despite being asked to play pg Amen still averaged 59% TS while Ausar who is being used as a natural off the ball SF averaged 54.5 TS%. Amen played 37 mins because he is just that good while Ausar is just one of the long lengthy wings who plays with Cade alongside Ron Holland. Amen despite still being horrible at 3 has shown massive improvement in mid range and fts. He is shooting 78% in ft already so 3s are only a matter of time. Hack an Ausar still in effect though since Ausar still shoots 57%. Are you even familiar with Amen's game? lol

saying Amen is just a 6th man at best "and a flawed one at that" ok bro I dont think we will see eye to eye on this. What kinda 6th man at best gives you 18/7/5? Can you tell me?

This team will win more than 52 games health permitting.

 

You can't agree more on this thread.

Stone can't stop proving it's true with his stupidity.

 

When you say "once proud franchise"...you mean back in the 80s/90s right? The organization hasn't been proud anything in the past few decades.

 

Things are not looking good at all. Gonna be even worse if we give Tari $20M plus. This team is going nowhere fast!

 

No team take Rockets seriously.

They know Rockets suck.

 

This franchise isn’t serious about winning. It’s a shame. Ime and Stone need to go.

 

You're kidding right? Amen basically plays an extra quarter every night compared to Ausar, but you're still comparing their counting stats? No coach other than Ime would give Amen so many minutes, so many touches, and so much rope.

Every bad team has a guy like Amen who eats up minutes and stuffs the box score but doesn't generate wins. It took an absolutely brilliant season from KD to lift this team from bad to mediocre, and his absence in the playoffs showed everyone exactly what an Amen-led team would look like - struggling to break 100 points. We play a defensive specialist like he's an all-star and we're about to pay him the same as well. Miscalculations like that are death in the apron era.

 

annus horribilis