Ofc the more defense the better, the more talent the better. I like both Chet and Jabari and would be fine with either. But if neither are there at 3, you have people concerned over Paolo fit in this team because of defense, which is ridiculous when he could be the best player on the entire team.
Did okc or gsw pick any lesser players to fit positionally, or were those the best players available anyway. I know the Suns picked Ayton over Luka due to fit(and maybe defense). A horrible decision that they will regret for years.
Green has a 6'7" wingspan and lacks strength. He doesn't have the best defensive instincts either but he is a hard worker. He has limitations defensively. He can off set some of those limitations by guarding point guards but his length and strength really limit him against shooting guards. He is never going to be a plus defender against shooting guards. Remember, the key isn't even to "be average", the Rockets want to compete for titles which means as a team you need a top 5-8 defense. Green by himself is fine if the Rockets have positive defenders at the other spots and a point guard that can cover shooting guards. As for Banchero, he can be an adequate defender but he is never going to be a real difference maker because he doesn't block or alter shots. He can be average, but that means that the Rockets have to have very good defenders around both of them and that is very hard to do. If Holmgren and Smith are gone, you probably take Banchero and try to make it work and accept that you basically can only add plus defenders and have to target specific positions.
He is a great quote.... take what he says as 90% what he believes and 10% said for humor. Some of his other quotes include: Quote of the day comes from Chet Holmgren, when I asked what’s one thing people should know about him. “I actually do lift weights and I actually do eat food.”
The self deprecating quote from yesterday about eating and lifting I loved. I applauded his PR team and felt it was a great quote. This? Not so sure. Kid is going to be hunted if he goes into this cocky vs confident. To each his own though. Im down with self affirmations, but having some self awareness can also go a long way. Interested to see how it plays out.
Love it. Chet's has had the confidence from day 1. Guys have been trying to go at him for obvious reasons at every level to this point and look where he is now. About to be the #1 pick
I don't have an issue with what he said to be honest. The same would be true if any other player said it and played a team based game. He doesn't have a long history of running his mouth as far as I know and he doesn't play selfish at all. It is kind of a loaded question honestly.... I am sure that he doesn't actually believe right this minute he is the best player in the world, but that he isn't going to back down from anyone... In fact I remember a quote from him before his freshman season where he said something to the effect that he learned very young that if you don't believe in yourself no one else will. Chet is a very mentally tough and gritty player that doesn't avoid physical contact - but he is going to have people want to come at him because of his size and his slight frame and I am sure that there will be times that he gets put on a poster.... but if he stays healthy I am confident he is going to be really good defensively - just like I am pretty confident that Banchero is going to get at least 20 a night in a few years.
CHICAGO — About an hour before the 2022 NBA Draft Lottery, before the Houston Rockets learned of their No. 3 pick, general manager Rafael Stone stood a few feet in front of the main ballroom entrance at the McCormick Place Convention Center with his son. Elsewhere in the room, dozens of media members, NBA personnel and players fraternized as Stone watched. The look on his face wasn’t exactly stoic. It certainly wasn’t one of anxiety — not this year, at least. All of the sweating and nerves were his modus operandi leading up to the lottery a year ago, when Houston was actually in a state of flux. Back then, Stone almost had to get the pick right, but before that could happen, he needed a lucky bounce — something the city could look forward to after an emotional breakup with a franchise icon. Despite the fact that members of the Rockets’ brain trust already were present in Chicago Tuesday, they really hadn’t done that much work on the incoming prospects, at least not compared to the work they will do this week. There had been no formal group sessions yet, so all the scouting and evaluating up until that point had been done individually. Still, Stone’s demeanor early Tuesday evening eluded confidence. Perhaps it stemmed from the season the Rockets just completed, as rookie Jalen Green took notable strides over the last few months and showed glimpses of being a capable torchbearer. Perhaps it was the notion that this 2023 class, though without a notorious heavy hitter like in years past, still was ripe with quality at the top — and Houston was guaranteed at least a top-five selection. Whatever it was, Stone didn’t seem the least bit apprehensive. “I think I’ve probably told you this before: If I have a flaw, it’s probably that I’m always pretty confident,” Stone told The Athletic. “So probably, that was just the status quo. From my perspective, the nice thing about this, there’s a little relief now that we have a specific draft spot. We can do more definitive planning, and the league kind of unlocks a little bit. You can have conversations with other teams. So it’s nice, just in terms of giving you a go-forward. But that was going to happen irrespective of position. I think I was looking forward to that, and it’s nice that has now happened.” Although he seemed unfazed before the doors opened, Stone’s prior confidence was tested once the actual lottery results came through, courtesy of NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum. New league rules give the worst three teams the same odds of landing the No. 1 pick, but there’s always going to be a certain belief that the team with the worst record will be rewarded on lottery night, no matter how realistic it is now. Crazy things tend to happen every year during this showcase, and this year was no different. Shock and murmurs filled the room as the Detroit Pistons wound up with the No. 5 pick and the Sacramento Kings leapfrogged into the top four. But the Rockets are confident. They are guaranteed one of the triumvirate of Chet Holmgren, Jabari Smith and Paolo Banchero. That’s a fine consolation prize for finishing the year with a 20-62 record. Even beyond just having the privilege of adding one of those players to the roster, there’s a strong internal belief, one strengthened by a positive finish to the 2021-22 campaign, that Houston’s developmental plan is working. Green got better. Alperen Şengün got better. Kevin Porter Jr. got better. Josh Christopher, once projected as a late second-rounder, got better. Even the players who have been on the roster longer — Jae’Sean Tate and Kenyon Martin Jr. — have improved in some areas. Whoever ends up joining the rebuilding revolution will be expected to improve — and should improve, nurtured by a patient head coach in Stephen Silas and a fiery old-schooler in lead assistant John Lucas. “I think we’re very confident in our player development system and staff,” Stone said. “Of all the areas in the NBA, that’s probably the one I’ve spent the most time in. Maybe I go beyond being very confident, I’m not sure. I think that’s an area of strength for us. So, if we end up picking it, I think we’ll get somebody with a lot of talent. We’ll get somebody with a lot of talent at 17 if we pick that one, as well. “I do think that we’ll be able to add talent, which is really important, and then we have to develop it. And we have to continue to develop the other guys. We have a ton of very young basketball players, and none of them are ready, none of them are done. It’s about developing them and them getting better.” Now knowing where they’ll be drafting, the real fun begins. Although Houston missed out on the top pick, some of the pressure that comes with that is now off its shoulders. The Rockets truly can hone in on the best-player-available approach. Because the devil’s advocate exists, there should be some natural hesitation to fill a roster entirely with young players, and with the Rockets potentially adding two more, questions should arise. However, Stone scoffs at that notion, citing the strong chemistry with the group and the fun environment that Silas has cultivated — a young player’s dream. The real debates will come internally, about which player Houston should select — and how to rank the top prospects. Stone has said in the past that he welcomes debate and a difference of opinion, that it makes the collective group better. Silas will have his opinions, just like basketball operations members Ed Pinckney, Jimmy Paulis and Eli Witus. Chuck Hayes, assistant director of player personnel, also has his beliefs. And if the debate at No. 3 is tough, the one for No. 17 will be infinitely more complex. The week in Chicago will accomplish a great deal, and clearing up some of that early murkiness is one objective. Stone is looking forward to arguing. “Part of the process is to make sure that we challenge one another’s assumptions,” Stone said. “It’s probably not a great sign if everybody thinks alike. We’re dealing with human beings, so there is no right answer. We ought to have real differences of opinion about how good people currently are, how good they will eventually become, and I think that’s part of it.” Essentially, the Rockets want to continue to flesh out their plan for the future. They already have added a top pick and player in Green. They will add another top pick and hopeful top player in this year’s draft. If you’re a betting person, you can go ahead and pencil them in to add another top pick next year. Although winning is a universal reward, Stone has stressed that he is patient and in no rush. That would imply taking the best player available every time, right? Wrong. Simply collecting the best player available won’t get the Rockets back to the top. At some point, a team must be built. A roster must be properly constructed. “You definitely need some of that,” Stone replied. “You can only play five guys, and the league is moving towards less positionality. It’s fine to have players with redundant strengths. I do think it’s hard if they have redundant weaknesses. And players aren’t perfect, you know, so you’re definitely gonna have players with weaknesses. I think that is something that you have to be careful with.” This is why scouting and evaluating talent is so crucial. Last season, the Rockets’ front office sat in the stands and watched Christopher, a player who wasn’t as heralded as others, separate himself from his peers with his standout effort and two-way showings. Houston had three picks then — and would eventually get its hands on a fourth — but the same approach remains. Stone often refers to himself as a basketball junkie, which lends a hand to the Rockets’ all-encompassing approach to picking out talent. The interviews hold weight. The body language matters. “At least for me, personally, there definitely is no method to my madness,” Stone said. “As much information as I can possibly get of any sort, I think is useful for me. You’re just trying to find good basketball players, and I don’t think they come in one size or shape. You’re checking as much out as you can, and you’re watching as much as you can. You’re comparing them to all these people who might make sense. I’m basically just trying to find each and every way I can to try and figure out whether people can be successful.” Whoever ends up becoming a Rocket on June 23 — be it Holmgren, Smith, Banchero, Jaden Ivey or someone else — he will be joining an upstart team full of bright-eyed players who want to play fast and explosive. Because of the belief in the development, the internal growth is the fulcrum of the rebuild. Bringing young players in to your system and culture is one thing, but taking the next necessary steps and cultivating talent is what gets you out of the NBA slums. Year 1 saw a ton of losses but also a ton of lessons and growth. From top to bottom, a hands-on approach has been preached ad nauseam. This team will grow as quickly as it allows itself to. “That’s the thing we’re banking on,” Stone said. “We have a ton more information about the people on our roster than we do the people in our draft. And so we’re optimistic about our future, not because of some unknown player that has not been drafted yet; we’re optimistic about our future because we really like the guys on our roster. We have really good information about their character and their work ethic. “All the guys talked about, they’re really good for their age already. We have some people who have shown signs that (they) are really good ones. But we’re extraordinarily young, so it’s going to be incumbent upon them to maintain the work ethic that they’ve shown to date. And to really grow their talents in the way other people have in the past so that they can become really good basketball players.”
He isn't ever going to be very heavy for his height. His frame isn't the type to ever get very big and honestly at his length and style of game you don't want him to add a lot of weight. He is very mobile and active and you don't want excessive wear and tear. He has decent core strength, uses leverage well and battles. He also recovers very well after being bumped.... but the reality is that there are going to be times that players like Embiid and Jokic are going to back him down... but they do that against anyone anyway. Here is what his father looks like, and it gives you an idea of what his natural frame is like.
The Suns error was less one of fit vs. talent and more one of talent judgement / owner interference. My understanding is GM/scouting wanted Luka, owner picked Ayton. They likely thought talent wise they were the same. Personally, I wouldn't have picked Ayton first, second or third lol... but then i probably would have picked Bagley over him - but both below Luka and Trae, but i almost always lean guards/wings over bigs. Beyond that i couldn't say. OKC is easier to look at because they took Westbrook ahead of say Kevin Love, which could have been positional. They took Harden ahead of say Tyreke Evans, which could have been a positional decision... but who knows. As I noted, if there is a talent gap, you go talent. If you're talking players in the same tier ... AND are at a point where you aren't just completely devoid of talent, to me it makes sense to factor in position and fit. The Rockets, on the one hand are horrible and shouldn't be picky... but on the other hand, Jalen Green is THE GUY. I'm not drafting Sharpe. Obviously not now, but if i was 4th or 5th, i wouldn't draft him... UNLESS i thought he was clearly ahead of the guys around him, which i don't. If we're talking about the current reality, they're 3rd. Paolo is NOT the "best" fit, with Alpi, given defense being such a need. But to me, he's the same tier as Jabari. To me. So I'm not trading assets to try and get Jabari. I'm not upset if we end up with Paolo, in fact I'd be pretty jazzed about it. Whereas Chet is a tier above. I would trade some assets to try and get him... BUT, not a lot, because it's not like he's a HUGE tier ahead. So this would have been more relevant if they landed 5th.
My suggestion would be to let him hang upside down two hours before the game. This would allow him to pop a vein in his forehead. And then he would look tougher on the court, but not gain unnecessary weight.
If they draft Banchero eventually they will have to trade Sengun to get rim protection. As far as right now goes, draft Banchero and either draft or trade for a 3-D SF that can block shots from the weak side and rebounds well. Then if they get lucky, hopefully Sengun's defense improves. I like Sengun alot but he and Banchero are a bad fit. I do believe Banchero's rebounding will improve.
I agree, I don't think Banchero and Sengun are compatible on the floor together defensively. The Rockets defense would be atrocious as teams will drive the lane with impunity. At the end of the day, you still take the best player at #3 and that is likely Banchero. The Rockets can always trade Sengun if they need to. I think Banchero will be an adequate rebounder for a PF, I just don't think it will be a real strength. The Rockets will have no choice but find a C that is a good offensive rebounder, shot blocker and can switch on the perimeter AND can hit open shots on the offensive end, that is a REALLY hard find. At SF they will need a long athletic player that can easily switch and can space the floor on offense. That is easier to find but still highly valued around the league. It would have been a lot easier if the Rockets could have just gotten Holmgren and Eason.... but that was a real long shot.
Job interviewer: "We've discussed your strengths, what would you say could be a weakness". Interviewee: "If I have a flaw, it’s probably that I’m always pretty confident" Interviewer. ...
I said I don't know if Chet is Durant 1.0 because I think he has a lot in his bag he has not shown, don't twist my words. Yes the Lebron 1.0 is all me, what's your point? I can't believe you of all people are having an issue projecting a guy or pumping him up, we have not forgot your Arron Gordon obsession.
