I believe so. It seems like they want to build around a Randle/Robinson front court. Toppin would be high on my list, too.
Wood can be a #1 player but he needs alot of help If we could find a better player a TRUE #1 then I would feel better Esp in a Wing player. . . . .#1s are not Centers anymore I think our Youngsters make up a Strong bench and boarderline starters Players that I really don't have a use for now that Harden is gone are Wall - Ego - Dipo - House - BMac - Tucker - Cousins They are fine players but we not competing for a championship anytime soon They can contribute elsewhere I would prefer to put them on teams they can try for championships (except House and Bmac I just don't think they good right about now) I think Honestly .. . we really need to know the offensive scheme before we even look at players What EXACTLY does Silas want Wood can Play like AD - IMO Now What? AD was never sh*t on his own . . .. meaning he never progressed in the playoffs etc So We need another player that is of a high caliber than say . . .Jrue Holiday (AD was not able to do much with him on his team so I will put that as our benchmark. JRUE IS NOT A BAD PLAYER!!!!) Rocket River
I think the foundation is not finished yet. More young talent to be gotten to help build it up. Higher draft picks and better talent than guys like Mason, KMart, Spalding, etc.... All those guys are just players we are taking shots on for now while we transition and rebuild. I do believe we will find real talent that is ready to contribute now...
I thought this earlier. My guess is editor at 538 didn't see the writers email for like 2 weeks and was like: "sorry, missed this earlier, added in line noting 7 game skid & will hit publish - my bad!"
Too early! We're still framing the slab and trying to figure out exactly how we want to build this house.
7 game losing streak is a subtle tank job. Look at the DNPs. We have talent but that top 4 pick is huge. At the very least it is currency for raffy. We need to finish bottom 3 to give it a shot. In a shortened season, it will be a little more bearable. The astros tank job was bearable because half of the city couldn't watch because of the directv impasse. It led to a chip. Grin and bear it.
No, not unless you consider at best being blown out in the playoffs by LA or Utah a success. The worst thing you can be in the NBA is mediocre to bad (but not terrible). I have ZERO interest in winning 38-45 games a year and getting crushed in the first round.
Dude needs to work on not tweeting about suicide and throwing stuff at people before he is even a real NBA player. He isn’t a top 5 talent in the NBA. He doesn’t defend his own shadow, he is an inconsistent shooter and even in the D League disappears for entire quarters and halves. He was a smart get for the Rockets but he is still a lottery ticket (all be it a talented one).
I think KPJ can be a star level player. They need to find a versatile PF and another star level wing that can create his own shot as well as shoot the ball well from the outside. Problem is as long as Wood is playing C this team will always be mediocre at best. They have the picks and players to draft, trade to make this happen.
And this is exactly why you don't build in just one way .... thru the draft / fa / trade. You have to incorporate them all to assemble enough talent to have a legit chance to win in this league. So far , I think this roster is headed in the right direction under Stone. He's got one alpha in Wood , he's got a bunch of young parts who can grow into quality players , he has a load of assets he can trade to bring in quality talent and last but not least , he has contracts that he can move to make these things happen .... All we need is one domino to fall to start the chain reaction , as it stands now , we are prepared for it. Patience is a virtue but she won't always wait ....
There are 2 players currently on the team that I would call part of the foundation: Wood & Tate. Wood I see as a starter at the 4/5 and a potential all star moving forward. Like others I think he's the #2 option on a really good team. Tate I think will eventually slot in as a defensive wing off the bench. In another thread I compared him to Super Mario and Ron Artest. I think his role will be similar to Elie's but his playing style more similar to Artest. KPJ, if he gets his head on straight, I see as an EGo type 6th man microwave scorer off the bench. KMart has a long way to go before I can even see him playing anything more than mop up minutes. Hes KJ McDaniels with less skill atm. Finally, Mason Jones. Not sure I see him as a guy who gets burn on a good team. So that's my view of the Rockets "foundation" as of 2/19/21.
They can get away with Wood at center if they have strong defenders at the 3 and 4. The advantage of Wood at the 5 is that the Rockets can play “5 out” and can switch or play “2 deep” both with him. I agree though he needs to have strong defenders at the other two spots. Keep in mind that Wood is only under contract two years after this one and will likely demand the max. So the Rockets have to be careful adding other high priced players unless they have key players on the rookie scale. The same is true for Tate. He has two years and then he is a free agent. So by the time the Rockets are really any good both will be gone or paid a lot more. For Kevin Porter fans, he also only has two years after this one. Honestly the Rockets shouldn’t be worried about winning damn games, and that is why the Oladipo trade was so incredibly stupid. The Rockets should be working to lock up Wood and Tate and others like Jones If they like them. Take a whirl in the lottery this year and see if you keep your pick and trade all the veterans by next year and spend another year in the lottery where you keep your pick no matter what. Then the Rockets have lots of assets to use to put finishing touches or for particular needs.
There isn't a foundation. Wood will be gone once his deal is up with the Rockets in a few years. This is nothing more than a stop gap before his final big deal when hes 27/28 on another team
To be fair, it says compete for the playoffs next season. Theoretically, we can compete for a top 4 pick this season and for the playoffs next season.
Have to "like" anyone who mentions Asimov's Foundation Trilogy. Today's kids don't know that stuff. Heck, they didn't even know who Deckard was until 2049 came out!
Oladipo, PJ, Gordon and House will all be gone by trade deadline or off-season. So I agree Tate and Wood are nice surprises and safe bets. But saying that they be the cornerstone is too early. We have 46M in oladipo, Gordon and tucker. We will add talent with this kind of money. Wall is a guy I really want to be the leader of the team. It is not like we have so many options with his contract, so I prefer just to support him and hope for the best.
