We lost depth in Covington, Green, and Rivers although Rivers was absolute crap in the playoffs. The Wood signing has great potential to boost the talent level of our team, but he has a lot of red flags. Everyone else we've acquired is a big question mark on minimum signings so I'm not too optimistic that we've improved. Plus a lot of our main guys are on the wrong side of 30 and are a year older.
Stone is growing on me. He is one more quality trade or acquisition away from a thumbs up from me. I really really want to get Stoned.
This team is a gamble but it has a lot of upside. Cousins could just be hurt and not produce, but what if he isn't and does? Wood can be just mediocre, but what if he thrives even more in a system that lets him with players that can open up his game? I can't say for sure that we will be true contenders but the excitement for me is high on the potential of what could be.
Are the Rockets better? I don't know, but I can say that they are different. The biggest issue working against the Rockets isn't that they lost Covington or Green (who I think is a little over rated). The biggest issue is that the Rockets two best players do not want to be on this team. That is something that is a serious problem and can flare up at any time. The Rockets move from Covington to Wood is a move where there is high volatility. Wood plays a position of need (center) and has higher upside than Covington. Wood potentially provides offense when Harden is tripled or not on the court. There is also a chance Wood reverts back to an inconsistent fringe player with a big pay day. No one knows really. The Rockets really potentially improved with having a healthy Eric Gordon and the underrated addition of David Nwaba by Morey last year. If Nwaba is healthy and is shooting "okay", he will have an enormous impact on the Rockets. He is the Rockets best guard defender and excellent both defensively and offensively in transition. He is a very physical and tough player that fits well with Tucker personality wise and game wise is an excellent fit with Harden and Westbrook. The Rockets are actually a deeper team, and more diverse than a year ago. The Rockets can also role out a defensive team of....... Harden/Nwaba/House or Brown/Tucker/Wood ........... that is an excellent defensive team to close out a game...... That line up will not score as much as some other possible line ups, but that line up will protect the ball, play very physical and smart. So overall the Rockets have a higher ceiling........ and have carried out a lot of the moves discussed internally before the Morey departure...... but the team is very volitile..... and that doesn't even touch on Demarcus Cousins..... who knows what he will be like, but I can say he already returned from his worse injury and played well with Golden State. His second injury isn't as serious. Harden Westbrook House Tucker Wood Nwaba Gordon Brown McLemore Green Cousins Caboclo Clemons Tate Silas can likely run out a rotation 9 deep when the season starts if Nwaba is ready to go..... that doesn't include Cousins or the possibility that Clemons works his way into the rotation..... there also will be some guys cut in training camp that the Rockets can always look at. There are still some free agents out there as well....... Dedmon, Batum, Henson, Roberson, Gibson, Llyasova, Jefferson, Korver, Harrison,
Morey was hampered I admit, but his limited basketball exposure and his over emphasis on statistics hurt us too. Telling the coaches how to run the game eg 3 and D wasn't his job. He also gave too many 1st round picks. There was no reason to acquire an injured Knight for Ryan and a 1st round pick. He didn't need to do this with T-Will either. Philly already has a fair amount of depth which is making his job easier there. Brand isn't the best GM, but he is undoubtedly working with him. I don't believe it's a terrible blow at all. Stone has the chance to be his own man, but I doubt if he will be able to acquire the pieces that are necessary to surround Harden and Russ. Wood is a good start, but filling out with G-League players was also a Morey characteristic in Houston.
Do the Rockets have any positions left to fill out or the money to acquire them? Dedmon and Harrison/ Gibson can help. Maybe Ilyasova too.
Let's hope the best. It's time to move on from Morey in Houston. I believe his track record was good but not great. Hopefully the Rockets will beat Philly when we meet them. I don't have much faith in Stone either, but he could surprise me. Time will tell.
Morey didn't want to trade first round picks in the Knight trade, that was 100% ownership. Same with the first round picks in the Westbrook trade. Morey did gladly give up a #1 in the Covington deal and a #1 pick in the Chris Paul deal. He did trade two #1 picks for Harden.... and he did deal a #1 for Williams which did not work out. Still, if you look at it...... 6 of the picks Morey traded were at the request of ownership Morey dealt 5 #1 picks in deals for....... Harden, Paul, Covington and Williams... which I would argue were exceptional. When Daryl Morey was the GM in Houston he was never allowed to rebuild, he never had a top 10 pick to work with........ that makes it extremely hard to rebuild. The Sixers were the opposite, they have depth because they bottomed out. A lot of the plan this off season were moves and players that the Rockets had interest in when Morey was still the GM so it is hard to know how good or bad Stone is at this point. I think you are really underestimating this Rockets team depth, it is the best in years.
They have very little money until they hit the apron so I do not see them bringing in anyone for more than the minimum UNLESS they make a deal and move someone like House or Tucker or Gordon. That is the reason they have been relatively quiet. They hoped to move Gordon and the price was too high. I would be shocked if the Rockets do not make another trade or two before the deadline.... likely another before the season starts.
I guess this is going to be a thing anytime Rockets front office makes any sort of decent move. I am on board.
This is the first post to really make me feel better about things, even though it recognizes the potential chemistry timebomb. The one other thing is I have to, have to, have to assume Silas will figure out how to get this squad to beat the double team better than we saw this last season.
