Anyone else think that the Rockets future now lies in the hands - or lack thereof - of Hasheem Thabeet? See, this is all part of Morey of Morey's master plan. He wants the Rockets to suck, but how do you suck with decent players? As much as we rag on Scola or Martin, neither's actually bad enough to land a top 5 pick. But supposedly, the 2012 draft is a bonanza. And there's no way the Rockets can miss out on that. And so Morey has a dilemma, and finally found the answer in Thabeet. For you see, Thabeet is by far the most godawful player, the player most conducive to LOSING, that you can play... and still get fans to buy the "we're developing him" argument. Thabeet makes Jordan Hill look like Hakeem. He makes Miller look like Deke on defense. He's so godawful the Rockets would be a bottom-5 team just by playing him 30 minutes a game. And therefore, he is our ray of hope. He is the truly the center for the future, a future that only he can create by starting on an otherwise average team. And bring us our savior in the form of a top 2012 draft pick. Now all we need is a coach that will put him on the floor all game, every game. And we need to teach him that giving up a layup is better than fouling, so he can stay in the game longer.
I would love to see what the guy could do with a full 35 minutes guaranteed every night... I wouldn't miss a game...
Honestly those think Thabeet is the hope are unrealistic. He's not ready yet. Terribly raw. Worse than JHill. This team will suffer from raw youngsters like Thabeet and JHill. There is not much you can do with this no-size-roster. Play Thabeet 5-10 mins in the rest of the season. See how much he can improve. I will be happy if he turns out to be a solid back-up center behind Chuck.
I love my Rockets and hope Thabeet becomes a 20-10 player; But with Adelman as Coach he probably will be a 20-10 player, 20 games - 10 mins per. Play him, play T-will, play J-Hill and Pat, what have we got to lose? (but our minds). We are in a win win situation, win and make playoffs, talent develops, free agents want to team up with talent, if we lose higher draft picks, talent develops... And our cap space is looking good for 2012, if the world doesn't end we could make a run at Dwight, ChrisP or D-Will. we weren't winning with what we had, and probably won't win with what we have now, but we are better placed to go hard after top draft talent & top Free agents. Tankers, you have your wish. Here's hoping Rockets kick butt & Thabeet is a Deke light.
I think Thabeet has the talent to have an impact on this franchise, but he does need some serious development. And the only way in which to do that is through playing actual games, he will need a serious amount of playing time, even if his struggling you continue to play him! Its full development mode, and after seeing the interviews the other day I think that's exactly whats going to happen!(I'm excited!:grin
The Solomon article gave me hope. like we got 2 lottery tickets instead of one. I hope the footsteps of Houston's great center will be enough to motivate him to bust his ass he can hang out at the mall when he is done.
Trust me bro, as long as Chuck is center, the rockets are going to suck. And I love Chuck Hayes, but he is no center. I see the Thabeet kid turning things around next season with some consistant minutes with a new coach and in Morey I trust. If the moves for Williams and Thabeet pan out along with Patterson, I see Morey in the running for GM of the year next season.
It will be like the Christmas shopping season for Walmart, Bestbuy, Fry's. Just imagine how many tv sets will be smashed by irate fans every game night. Beer will also be flowing freely on the seats and on the floor of bars and at the TC. Budweiser will have to build a new plant beside its existing one on the East side of Houston just to fill in the back order for beer.
People need to stop being so overdramatic about everything. Hasheem is either "ThaBust", has ZERO things in his favor except being tall, and is guaranteed to never amount to anything, or he's "ThaBeest", the "hope of the Rockets future", and will develop into the next Dwight Howard. I just want to tell all of you to WAKE UP!! Guys don't get drafted second overall just for being seven-foot-three. Clearly he has some serious tools beyond just his height; his athleticism and shotblocking are fantastic, and he has the frame to add substantial bulk and become a serious interior presence. At the same time, he's incredibly raw, and obviously hasn't shown anything except an ability to block shots at the NBA level. All he has is a chance to be good, he's not anywhere close to being there, and there's no guarantee he will ever develop into anything. And by "good" I mean "a good NBA player, maybe starter quality if we get lucky", not "OMG HASHEEM THE DREAM". Yes, he has some potential. You're being a petulant child if you won't admit that. No, he's not the next Olajuwon. You in fantasy land if you think there is any realistic chance of him becoming that good. The truth is somewhere in between. So cut it out with all of the ridiculous hyperbole.
10-15 minutes a game by the end of the season. Make him put on about 15 pounds over the off season and get him some more time next season. Hopefully Yao Hakeem Chuck Deke can teach the guy how to play better, he has the height but needs to bulk and learn some skillz.
Considering he was acquired as payment for getting a draft pick, I'd say no. When the Rockets actually give away something or use a draft pick to acquire a player, then you can pin the hopes of the franchise on them.
I agree with the OP, if our goal is to tank hardcore next season, Thabeet as our starting center will do the trick. I would feel sorry for Scola and Martin, however. Their talents would be wasted here if our goal is to be losers. Hopefully they will be traded to new teams in the off season. I'll cheer on Scola and Battier's teams while everyone enjoys watching the Thabeet show lol.
We did this trade to roll the dice on a 7'3" center and got a lottery-protected 1st rounder as insurance. Work with him in practice and let him go out there for 10 minutes a game, more if he's effective, to try to show improvement. I'm excited at the thought of the Rockets going young down the stretch. Budinger the new starting SF (big opportunity for both him AND the team), TWill finally getting consistent minutes, and Patterson has started to come into his own. Hopefully Jordan Hill can pick it up and Thabeet could at least show us something.
