I know a good number on here were proponents for the Rockets tanking this season and getting a low lottery pick. I assume all that changed with the Harden trade and signing. What if the Rockets do end up playing poorly this season and end up with a top ten pick? Is that unacceptable or still part of the plan?
Would be the best situation with our current team. However, Morey is going to make another trade (most likely Josh Smith) and end up signing either CP3 or Dwight this off season.
theyre not going to tank, especially with Harden. Morey was just talking about how we are more attractive now because of our youth and because of Harden. But also because we are competitive. So forget it. There is only one scenario where I would be okay with tanking, but I am not going to even mention it.
The first half of an NBA season EVERY team is trying to win games to see where their team is at and their potential for the year. Revisit this come February and see what their ceiling is. If they look like they might be a lottery team, and there is virtually no way they can get in the playoffs, then Moreys job is to then look at putting this team in a better situation for future seasons. Again guys, it's only 4 games into the season. Lets give it at least a few more months before the tanking threads come out in full force. -note- the hornets only had to try to lose one game last season and that one game was a huge reason why they tied for last place to end up lucking out to get Anthony Davis.
"Inside sources say?" Seriously though, *drool*. No doubt this is his plan A. The real question is what's plan B?
I'm not saying they are tanking or should be tanking. I just wanted to read the opinions on this board, especially those who were pro-tanking before the Harden trade. Tanking might be the wrong word. As the poll says, how do you feel if this team is one of the worst 10 teams in the league.
How you feel if this team is bottom 10 with a top 15 player??? Well that doesn't make you feel very good about the other players now does it? With a player like James Harden on your team + whomever, you are probably looking at winning somewhere between 32 and 40 wins. If you put him next to another All-star calliber player(maybe prime Amare Stoudamire) and this is a 50+ win team that is consistently going past the 1st round of the playoffs. The idea of tanking(benching veterans to play youth) with an all-star or without, really serves no purpose until all hope is lost in the first half of the season, and the front office/coaches decide to pull their best players(veterans) off the court to play bad players instead(ala 2012 Blazers). If thats the situation, it can work out to your benefit long term if you somehow draft Damien Lillard to go with your franchise piece and still have a franchise piece coming back the next season. With the Rockets, they are kind of already in the hole with young players playing now, its just that its the 2nd and 3rd year players playing instead of the rookies. They have so many high upside you players right now its important to see what you have with the 2nd/3rd year players NOW before you make an important decision to move them here in the near future. Playing the rookies instead of the 2nd year players really makes no sense because you still have no clue what their ceiling is an an NBA player. Again, with this team, and all other teams that might be rebuilding beyond this year, you see what you have after the first half of the season, what you can get at the deadline possibly, and then adjust accordingly.
Yes let us shell out $80 million on a Superstar just so we can spend the season tanking. Seems legit!
Tanking is a better situation that having Harden, Smith and Chris Paul/Dwight Howard on the same team? ummm..... okay? You seem pretty matter of fact about this. How are we gonna pull it off?
First off we only have another max contract not two. Second, why would you trade for josh smith when he is a free agent at the end of the year?
Look, it's another thread where half the people think "tanking" means one thing and the other half thinks it's something completely different. Rockets are playing to win, as they always do. They're probably too young and inexperienced to make the playoffs, but we know they'll try. Having a top young player on the roster now doesn't suddenly make it so it's some failure if they don't make the playoffs. Kevin Durant played 80 games his first year on a 20-win team, then got them to just 23 wins in his second season -- and this is a Top 2-5 player in the game today. My only issue with the Rockets right now is that they're not playing Terrence Jones. White and Motiejunas need work and that probably needs to be at RGV. If the Rockets can trade for good, young talent, then great. If they trade for older, short-term talent just to make the playoffs, I'm not happy. Other than that, I think you let the chips fall where they may. You don't intentionally try to lose games... but you do not need to make a 2013 playoff seed such a hellbent focus that you fail to build for the future.
