Oladipo: Our better days are ahead. Everyone just stay patient.

Safe bet.

They were terrible with a sulking Harden this season.

Even if he was completely bought in the realistic peak was probably still a second round exit and the most likely outcome was a 4/5 or 3/6 first round exit. This year, a first round exit is the most likely outcome (7/8 seed). We probably get to watch some play in games and we get to play without expectations.

 

Your evidence is a 2 game sample being 1-1 against the Spurs, what conclusion did you draw from us losing to Chicago.

Again, doesn't matter if Princes contract is bad, giving away two rotational level players is a sign we are not trying to compete for the playoffs.

If you are so confident, you should make your bet, as someone said you would make a killing in Vegas.

 

We didn't "give away" two rotational players. We got another first round pick in a trade for them. I mean, I agree that I would have much preferred to land Allen, but saying we "gave away" them both is misleading.

Let's just see what they do with their ammo. How do you know they won't use the FRPs and trade exception to land players around the trade deadline? Way too early to call either way.

 

Wow y'all really think we are making the playoffs? We won't sniff the playoffs for another 6 years in my opinion. And we should not want to either.

If we can any assets for Wall Gordon Tucker we need to do that ASAP.

 

We’ll know by March 25. I know for a fact the team wants to give it their all for the next two months. It’s all about flexibility. The season should be considered three mini seasons.

1) Harden drama
2) pre trade deadline push
3) post trade deadline


If the team is flailing still after March 15 or so, I expect a fire sale. If the team is 8 seed or higher, I expect cautious moves. Oladipo will have his future decided here by then. He wants to buy in and has an open mind and the team wants him to win and stay here. Tucker is the only player I could see traded anytime soon. I imagine he and the team work together in the next few weeks to decide his future whether it’s trade or extension.

 

I don’t understand the fan logic behind wanting your team to fail so you can MAYBE draft some good players down the line. Are you still going to watch every game in those 6 years of tanking? Or are you going to turn it off and come back when they’re good again? Aka bandwagon.

When did this board become so weak-minded? We used to be optimistic fighters. Now it’s like you’re either a media-glorified contender or there is no point in stepping on the court. Things happen, players get injured, 28 teams are not considered anywhere close to contention but they aren’t all giving up because they can’t beat the Lakers.

where did all the real Rockets fans go?

 

I mean we lost to the bulls.... You will all realize how good Harden is when we don't even get 20 wins this year.

 

Ugh, transitive logic is so meaningless, particularly in the NBA. The Lakers and Clippers barely beat the Bulls. Guess those teams aren’t real contenders if they struggled to beat the Bulls!

 

That poster not understanding that this will be a process is all you need to understand. There isn’t a ton of logic being used. There is no definitive course. The Rockets are not ready to be a playoff team yet. It’s going to take time to gel and the runway isn’t very long. Optionality and flexibility is key.

These same people saying our optimism is unwarranted will be awfully quiet when the team finally clicks and goes on a 4 or 5 game win streak. It’s just obnoxious that they take our optimism as a statement of fact and not just a shimmer of hope.

 

Tucker has checked out. He doesn’t want to be in a rebuild and probaly will be traded within a few weeks.

 

How bad does GSW want to get rid of Wiggins bad contract? I would really love to have that Minnesota pick they own. Oladipo, House, Tucker, for Wiggins and the Minnesota pick. We have to live with two more years of Wiggins after this, but he is definitely a serviceable SF and we won't be able to create any type of contending team for the Lakers for a couple of years anyway. If we can't get our own top 4 pick maybe the Minnesota pick will get us there. This trade would have to wait until Feb. 2nd

 

From my perspective, if you do not win a championship, you show you keep coming back with that as your only goal. Not keep throwing teams together on the fly instead of building chemistry and adding pieces. Not saving money. Not seeing your star run teammates out of town.

This is no plea for instant gratification. I'm here. Have been my whole life. Always will be, and that whole road you're talking about, there's many of us who've been on many of these similar roads. Maybe this is your first rebuild process? Whatever happens, i'm hoping for the best for OUR Rockets situation. Don't care if it means the Nets suffer injuries or don't work out and Harden and KD both leave in 2 years. Not wishing for career ending stuff, but yeah. Hell, i want Harden to return in 2 years if it doesn't work out or if he gets a ring. Come home and win us one. Recruit a guy or 2 here. I'm down. Winning cures all and it is the ultimate goal. Why wouldn't you want your franchise to have the same prestige as that team in podunk San Antonio? Even Dallas has better prestige than Houston now. Gross.
I was all for it when we were underdogs and watched Lowry, Brooks, Scola, Landry, Hayes and Artest kick ass and loyal Yao's Willis Reed moment, but the NBA landscape has drastically changed since then that a superstar individual or 2 or 3 matters more than ever. Still, if we can have a run like that 09 team and push these elite teams to the brink with toughness and fight(even knowing eventually superstar talent+treatment wins out in the NBA), i'll be here slamming my nuts on the dresser. Those are memories that stay forever even without the championship. Right now, i can see similarities, but Wall is too injury prone and if Beal/prime Wall wasn't much, Dipo+Injury prone Wall at 70% is a bottom feeder in the West.

 

The real rockets fans are the ones who actually understand this team has been going downhill for 3 years now and it continues that way now. And know that they will suck for years to come. And no this is not a playoff team. Real fans are able to call it like it is good and bad. Fake ones continue to act like everything is fine when the house has clearly been burning. *cues gif*

 

Those Bulls spanked the Mavs twice. Beat Portland too. Two teams that are ahead of the rockets. Still think it's too early to see how good or bad we can be consider the roster turnover

 

Who's saying everything is fine? I think some are just more optimistic than others. A lot can happen in a short amount of time. Just a year ago nobody thought we would be trading Harden. Hell even two weeks ago some were still in denial about Harden not wanting to be here lol

Yes it's more likely we suck the next 3 years or more (tanking isn't full proof either) but quick turnarounds can happen as well

 

Plenty of folks have acted as if everything is fine for a long time. Quick turnarounds don’t happen for non marquee destinations

 

Says the guy that is trying to figure out a way to get to Miami.

 

Man, some people still are under the delusion that this team can do anything of note?

 

It's because a lot of fans recognize the fact that you'll never be in the championship mix without an MVP level player. And unless we draft that player, there is no feasible way for the current Rockets to acquire one. I'm not one of those championship or bust chumps but I at least want to be in the mix. I want the team to at least be a contender within the next 10 years. Yes, I remember the Scolandry years fondly but they were hell from april-july where we were irrelevant in both the playoffs and the draft. Be great or be terrible, the in between sucks.

 

It's not just the bulls though our record is terrible and our schedule gets tougher. I look at all the teams in the west and we have the least talent.

Give me your 8 playoff teams.
For me it's there 8 in no particular order.
Lakers
clippers
Mavs
Nuggets
Jazz
Suns
Warriors

Portland/San Antonio/Memphis will fight for last spot.