I'm talking about in terms of sheer on-paper talent. They added two very quality offensive players that they really could have used the last couple of seasons. Plus, they were always going to lose Howard, and giving Capela more minutes to see what he's got seems like a huge plus to me. I agree that obviously more work needs to be done. But in terms of value added to the roster, I think the Rockets are certainly in a lot better shape today than they were a week ago.
Didn't get it, because Klay/Splash Brothers was already a thing the year before they drafted Green and Ezeli, Iguodala/Livingston weren't on the team (and Iggy was a big deal when they got him), David Lee was their big acquisition second leading scorer...and he left off the whole 7th pick in the draft on Barnes they had that year. But I guess he's jumping around history to put that together .. clever, I suppose.
With the Warriors getting Durant, I'm not sure anyone in the west will win anything. The question is whether as fans we are okay with a team winning 45-50 games and playing an entertaining brand of basketball or whether it is championship or bust? As a fan I'd rather be entertained in this NBA. Maybe that makes me a bad fan, but I don't see anyone beating the Warriors or Spurs. I can take heart in the fact that the Mavericks struck out in free agency.
I just think teams should just start tanking and playing street ball, while the little teams of Warriors plus spurs, and boston + cavs just duke it out all year in a 4 way tournament. Then way bspn cant just have a field day every day with those 4 teams, and the rest of the 28 teams can just play mad street ball for 82 games then go fishing. Hello texans.
With all do respect I just can't see it that way. I think you compete to win; win it all. You do the best with what you have, but you should always be striving to get better; to beat the best. thata from the ownership to the MGMT of the team right down to the coaches and players. We need to build something special the way GS did; build something people want to be a part of. Not a quick fix to stay competitive; what does that even mean. We need to rebuild and build our own Golden State. Then maybe we can attract players of Durant's caliber. Right now it's just James and that's not gonna change by the time we have to make a tough decision about losing him for nothing.
http://bbs.hupu.com/16683692.html Unlike Clutchfans, most Chinese fans were positive about the hiring of D'Antoni and 2 recent signings. Here's some quotes of Chinese Rocket fans on Clutchfans: "I can't stand American fans. They complain when Morey don't pull the trigger, but when we make a move, they still find ways to complain. They don't understand how tough Morey's job is. People need to stay patient. I remember everyone was disappointed when Bosh went back to Miami, but we ended up making the WCF. There's still plenty of time to upgrade our roster." "This is our best offseason since we signed Dwight. We didn't wait for Durant and didn't overspend like the Lakers did. We have a smart front office and the signings show that we are still an attractive destination." "People who complain about injuries and defense need to understand there isn't a perfect player. Let's wait till the season starts and see how they fit with the team before you complain." "I give Morey a B+. I cannot believe how irrational the American fans behave. Free agency is out of GM's control. We went for Durant and Horford but they rejected us. What else do they want Morey to do? Inception? Morey already tried his best." "I can understand the disappointment but they need to stay rational. Morey went for the best option available. This may not be the best ending, but clearly isn't the worst." "People need to understand we are not that competitive in the FA market after a disastrous season. Only delusional fans would think we had a chance in Durant. Gordon and Anderson are solid players that can help our team. Even if you are disappointed, I hope people can appreciate the effort our organization has put in."
All that we've really lost is Howard and T. Jones. Is that going to kill us? I'd argue no. In Dwight's 3 seasons here we were 111-72 when Dwight played. That's a 60.6 winning percentage. In those same 3 seasons we were 40-23 when Dwight didn't play. That's a 63.5 winning percentage. We've done fine (actually better) when Dwight didn't play. Now you add additional shooters plus whatever moves we can make in the remainder of the offseason and it's hard to argue that we won't be better next season.
Agreed. And I'll add that "super teams" are hardly a lock to be successful. The last three super teams that formed (Lakers, Heat, Cavs) all failed to win a title in their first year. All it takes is one bad series or one injury to lose. Nobody thought the Mavs would beat the Heat in 2011. Nobody picked the Cavs to beat Golden State last season. Fielding a great team doesn't win you the crown. You have to go out and actually win the games. And the Rockets may not be contenders on paper today. But you never know. They could outperform their record, make a deal or two at the trade deadline and vault themselves up into the three or four best teams in the West. With OKC losing Durant, that leaves pretty much Golden State and San Antonio at the top. And what if Curry goes down with a major injury? Sports are fun in part because they're unpredictable, and that remains the case regardless of what super teams may have been formed in free agency.
He got a 3-year deal with PHX. Spoiler <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sources: Jared Dudley agrees to three-year, $30 million deal with Suns. <a href="https://twitter.com/WojVerticalNBA">@WojVerticalNBA</a> on <a href="https://twitter.com/TheVertical">@TheVertical</a>. <a href="https://t.co/sQcCFk5Tq8">https://t.co/sQcCFk5Tq8</a></p>— The Vertical (@TheVertical) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheVertical/status/749072935265206277">July 2, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Just wanted to do a thought exercise, comparing perceptions and how they can change. The comparisons being: Curry/Harden Livingston/Gordon Bogut/Anderson Iguodala/Brewer (or McDaniels) Green/Harrell Ezeli/Capela Kerr/D'Antoni Of course it's not an exact comparison. For one, it's highly unlikely that McDaniels is the next Iguodala or that Harrell is the next Draymond. But how would you know if you never let them play? But more to the point, just hoarding cap space for a top 10 player or straight up tanking are not necessarily better plans than (i) drafting & developing well, (ii) signing some key vets, and (iii) keeping some flexibility but not at all costs. No one was scared of the Warriors just a few years ago after they got bounced in the 1st round by the Clippers, with Mark Jackson in the middle of "an increasingly dysfunctional atmosphere" per Woj. And look at them now, the team to beat, the team to join. Stay true ye Rockets fans! Stay true!
Of course, I'm not saying don't try to win, but no one has sufficiently proven that tanking is any more effective than building the best roster you can every year. All I'm saying is that if they do the best they can and win 50 games then I think they've been successful. Only one team can win it all. It seems harsh to bang on your team if they fall short of that. I respect Morey because he's constantly trying to make the roster better. Has he made mistakes? Sure. That being said, I'm going to try to enjoy this team and watching them develop.
Vegas odds: Rockets are now 200 to 1 to win the finals (behind teams like the Pelicans and Hornets). Hawks are now 60/1. But nah Dwight doesn't make a difference
Old timers always seem to defend management at any given moment. It is pretty easy to find different kinds of excuses, but results are pretty much the same year over year. Maybe that's why they survive as a fan over so many mediocre years? or maybe they have kinds of personal relationship with part of the management that they could not criticize. Either way, people can always look at the bright side and hope. That's probably they do.
You fire every general manager if their team doesn't win a title within five years and there will be at least 25 GMs out of work. I'm certainly not saying Morey shouldn't be fired, but we need to establish some sort of rubric to determine success that is something other than win a championship within five years or you will have a revolving door every five years. Is having a winning record every year enough? Do they need to average 50 wins? Do they need to get beyond the first round more than once or twice in a decade? Simply not winning a title is not reasonable to me. If that makes me an old timer I'll gladly own it.
ya what these quotes have neglected to factor in is that the front office had us in a holding pattern the past 2 years keeping all our eggs in the basket precisely for this Free Agency moment. we didn't trade away decent assets because we might have had to take back longterm salary. we maintained ridiculously unbalanced rosters. we let our own free agents walk away. all to preserve precious capspace for kevin durant et al
