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Ben DuBose: Fertitta’s goal is limiting the “bad years” to one or two seasons

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by csnerd84, Mar 31, 2021.

  1. topfive

    topfive CF OG

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    If you believe half of ClutchFans, Harden came up with the idea, then pushed the trade through himself. Tilman fell on the sword later because he's a gentleman.
     
  2. daywalker02

    daywalker02 Member

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  3. topfive

    topfive CF OG

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    A note of caution for all of you who are now relieved that Tilman is giving his grudging half-approval to the idea of tanking, secure in your knowledge that we'll be hoisting the Larry O'B trophy in 3 or 4 years...

    I hate to kill your buzz, but since Michael Jordan left the Bulls 22 years ago, only 9 teams have won titles. 21 teams have won nothing, including Rockets teams that we all had extremely high hopes for.

    We're currently the worst team in the league and one of the worst in NBA history. It'll be a small miracle if we're even in the playoffs 3-4 years from now.
     
    darksoul35, BMoney, amaru and 2 others like this.
  4. chenjy9

    chenjy9 Numbers Don't Lie
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    Funny thing about winning is that you have to SPEND money to win... or at the very least not drive off the best GM we ever had along with the best coach since Rudy T.
     
  5. Ramo$e

    Ramo$e Member

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    https://sports.yahoo.com/report-tilman-fertitta-vows-stay-151620533.html

    Report: Tilman Fertitta vows to stay out of Rockets’ rebuilding plan


    Tilman: "It’s really, really hard because I am competitive and I hate to lose. But my people, including Tad (Brown) and (Rafael Stone) and even my son Patrick, just (say) the biggest mistake you can make right now is use all these picks to be a .500 club, because you’re never able to be a championship caliber club. But I hate losing so much I’m totally staying out of it, because I’m scared that I can make the wrong decisions. I want to win today. I just have to (stay out of it) because they’re right and they just gave me examples and examples."

    I see people in here are still crying over spilled milk and things that they can't change. Blame anybody but Harden apparently. It's doesn't matter why the Harden experiment didn't work, it didn't. Doesn't matter why no more, he is gone. Tilman is not selling the team. Get over it. Move on. This is the best you could hope for.
     
    jacoby likes this.
  6. pass_to_Hakeem

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    2-3 years … is that all? Lol it will more than likely go longer. Tilman is a clown when it comes to running a professional sports franchise. He wants higher ticket sales and merch sales but wants to go put a clown show out on the floor. You respect what Stone does… giving the TIGHT leash he is on. It’s hard to be a fan these days
     
    saleem likes this.
  7. Falcao

    Falcao Rookie

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    If you really want to limit the bad years, you need to find a way to get Michael Porter Jr.
     
  8. dobro1229

    dobro1229 Contributing Member

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    Two years goes by fast. You need to strike gold twice in two off seasons. More than likely Wood and KPJ are not star level foundational players. I like both but I just don’t see if but if one of them exploded in their development you still are banking on A. us actually getting our 21 lottery pick and B. that player being a Lebron like revelation right out of the draft.

    Then if you think about the trade route remember the long agonizing trail that Morey left to get from Yao breaking his foot to the Harden trade. And Morey had a ton of decent role players to keep trading up with. Right now other than Wood how many of our players would net a 1st rounder??? You just traded maybe the second best player in Rockets history for picks that are complete unknowns. Why would you sell those off now for a player that obviously another team doesn’t think is that great to keep. And no star player is forcing a trade to Houston until we get some other foundational piece to play with another star.

    Two seasons??... I’d say more like 4 or 5 if we are being honest here. At least I hope they have the patience to do it right the way Hinkie was prepared to do.
     
    amaru likes this.
  9. Landry's Tooth

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    I wasn't there. What did he do? Tell Harden no just once?
     
  10. Buck Turgidson

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    You were all warned about Fertitta well before he even bought the team.
     
    HP3, BMoney and YOLO like this.
  11. Nook

    Nook Member

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    Well he has almost pushed out everyone he wanted gone. He is a master at not firing employees but making their professional lives so incredibly horrendous that they will gnaw off their right arm to get away.
     
    Invisible Fan, HP3, Ramo$e and 4 others like this.
  12. Buck Turgidson

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    That's his m.o.

    How close was he to actually buying the Astros from Drayton?
     
  13. Corrosion

    Corrosion Member

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    I don't think you are wrong here ..... 4-5 years and a whole lot of luck away from being actual contenders for Larry O'Brien trophies.


    But I don't think its out of the question that they are a bottom 4 playoff team in the 2022-23 season - that's when Wall and EG both become expiring contracts to the tune of $66,935,120.

    I expect they either make a move for a top talent at the trade deadline in 22/23 or in that offseason if they choose to let Wall & EG simply expire.

    2023-24 I expect they are a top 4 seed again with the infusion of talent via that nearly $70m in dead weight coming off the books.
     
  14. dobro1229

    dobro1229 Contributing Member

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    Of course that’s always the hope that there’s another Harden available to trade for. We certainly will have the picks and the contracts to make that happen. What we don’t have though is Morey. I like Stone a little but I’m not sure I trust his judgement just yet to evaluate who out there is the next Harden that all 29 other teams don’t think is.

    I would hope that Stone and Tillman aren’t banking on that happening but for sure you should always be prepared to do it and be evaluating who could be that good.

    The Draft should be everyone’s primary focus now imo. Stock the team with as much high upside talent as you can and at the very least you can go the Utah, Denver model as a backup plan if you can’t get an MVP star in trade or free agency.
     
  15. Corrosion

    Corrosion Member

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    Expecting Stone or any other GM for that matter to "Find the next Harden" is an unrealistic expectation.

    Drafting quality players in the next two drafts the first step , developing those guys is another .... If you accomplish those two things , that trade deadline where Wall & EG become FA's or the following offseason is your prime opportunity to add one and maybe two top quality players to what you've built over these past two drafts.

    You have 66,935,120 in expiring contracts which allows you to bring in 80,422,144 via trade or go into the offseason with enough cap space to sign a couple high quality players.

    Wall & EG's contracts set the timeline for making significant additions to what you did in the draft and returning to contender status.

    If they aren't a top 4 seed in 2023/24 I'll be disappointed.

    This year and next I expect to be lottery bound , 22/23 I expect a fringe playoff team and 23/24 a contender.

    Considering the assets and how the cap space lines up , I don't think that's an unrealistic timeline. One more lottery season , a fringe playoff year and a big jump after that to contender status.
     
  16. count_dough-ku

    count_dough-ku Contributing Member

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    I'd prefer they tank for the next 2 years. The article is correct in that this was a perfect year to suck royally given that fans can't really attend games in large numbers anyway. And obviously there's extra incentive in order to hang onto their pick.

    But if they continue being bad the next 2 seasons, they'll get 2 additional high lottery picks plus whatever other picks they're currently owed by other teams(I know there's a detailed list somewhere, but I keep losing the link). Then after that, Wall and Gordon come off the books, they've got a great young core(assuming they draft well) and a sh-tload of cap space to fill out the roster. Not to mention the potential boon to the franchise from the Harden trade to Brooklyn with all the picks and swaps owed in that deal.

    I'll trade 2 more crappy years for a decade of success after that(assuming Tilman actually pays money to keep the roster intact).
     
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  17. dmoneybangbang

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    2023/2024 contender status seems awfully optimistic.
     
    topfive likes this.
  18. amaru

    amaru Member

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    The Rockets would be fortunate to be contenders by the end of the decade.
     
    ico4498 likes this.
  19. Zen Tabak

    Zen Tabak Member

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    This thread is so emo
     
    J.R. likes this.
  20. count_dough-ku

    count_dough-ku Contributing Member

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    It's not unthinkable if they do everything right and have no major bad luck(OKC getting this year's pick, injuries).

    1) Get high lottery picks the next three offseasons and draft well.
    2) Use the lower picks owed from other teams to either draft good prospects or as assets to land solid veterans.
    3) Don't panic and overpay for any free agents either of the next two offseasons in order to marginally improve the team.
    4) Don't trade Wall or Gordon's expiring contracts for other crappy contracts.
    5) Make sure Silas is the right coach or else find a replacement.
    6) Hope that Brooklyn's window of contention is really short.

    It's not like any of this is far-fetched aside from the last one which is out of the Rockets' control.
     

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