Pretty tough to be worse than the Wizards, Twolves and the Pistons. The Thunders are trying too. We gotta trade every quality player on this team. Wall is not going to fetch us fair market value. I doubt Dipo would too. This is not a tanking year.
What is natural? Letting Dipo, Tucker, and Cousins expire? How do you know what will piss Woods off? We were the team that picked him up when he went undrafted and gave him his first big NBA contract. The beauty about the new playoff odds is we can luck into a top pick this year or the next two season when we control our picks.
You don't think Wood would be pissed off if he is told the goal of this team is to tank until the next superstar emerges either via picks or trades.
and the only reason we have 2 championships is because we tanked for Hakeem Rockets only other real opportunity during that 25 years was led by James Harden in 17-18, a #3 overall pick that we were lucky to get while he was still on his rookie deal and could immediately hand a long extension to so that we could have someone to build around and carry the franchise for many years as of now, the Rockets don’t have that guy
I'm not sure why the FO would put it like that.... I'm also not sure how being medicore and crossing your fingers that you pull another Harden like trade is such a better proposition.
I am just saying do the best on the things we can control. If you want to trade away everyone, fine, that's at least a start.
We can't control when a Harden becomes available, just be prepared. Hard to be prepared without cap flexibility and assets. Trade everyone... no. Set up the team to take advantage of the draft the next two seasons when we have our picks.... yes.
He's in a wheelchair right now. Knowing when to fold them (LeBron in 2019, Curry last year) is the mark of a superstar.
yeah, and the Harden trade is something that rarely happens and can’t be banked on to happen again We’re just gonna wait around for some team to want to give away a young player like Harden because they’re cheap? what’s more likely is us trading for some disgruntled star with a year left on his deal that we’ll be begging to re-sign People are hoping to be able to pull off a Harden trade miracle again or find a Kawhi, Giannis, or Jokic type outside of the lottery? u are far more likely to find the generational talents like Harden at the top of the draft, and that’s where the Rockets need to be instead of chasing 9th seeds or 1st round beatings for years to come
Ok, this is thrown around a lot. Tell me how is this achieved. You seem to agree the current roster is not assembled for reaching bottom 3 at the end of this seaon.
What is achieved exactly? Bottoming out and getting high draft picks to develop or trade up? I don't necessarily agree we can't be a bottom 4 team this year (the lottery odds could either help or hurt), just that it will be hard. A lot of volatility in this Covid season.
@YallMean : So what do you suggest the Rockets do to try and claw back to relevance? Say they make it into the playoffs as the 7th or 8th seed. What then? Do you enjoy watching LeBron and AD destroy Wood and Co? Is that going to make him feel like this is the team he wants to attach the best years of his career to? Or do you think that the Rockets upset the Lakers in a 7 game series? Fast forward to next season, what improvements do you think the Rockets can make? Recall that Oladipo, if he is a free agent, will be considered one of the prizes of this free agent class. Are you paying Victor $25+ million per season for the next 4 years? Or are you going to give that money to another of the offseason prizes Kelly Oubre and let Dipo walk? Regardless, where is that team headed next season? Which then brings us to Woods final season under contract. That is precisely when the Miamis and the Lakers come calling to poach other teams talent and there will be Christian Wood: At best twice bounced in the first round wondering where the help is going to come from if he stays loyal to the Rockets. THAT is how you lose a possible franchise player. Not by surrounding him with talent that can give him a reason to want to buy in long term.
I think you absolutely construct a trade that will bring in Mpj, Levine, or Herro? Who else is good out there Collins, Bagley + Haliburton? You need another possible young allstar around Woods. Darius Garland + Drummond sounds sexy too. Dillion Brook and Clarke? Getting some good draft picks as well.