It was a non typical rebuild starting in 2011 because you had fools gold Martin and a young Lowry to keep you afloat. Then you gambled on Asik, Lin and the sorts of TSquid, DMo, White, TJones, Lamb for talent and sort of failed. And quickly you got Harden and that changed everything. Because you got Harden it seemed ultra quick but those 1 or 2 years were brutal because the organization was thirsty for talent and therefore the 'asset management of the Morey era' began. Players were cut like useless grass.
I have no problem but I would still call it non typical rebuild because clearly neither Martin nor younger Lowry at the time was a superstar or Allstar player. Rebuilding doesn't necessarily mean you got to have Top 5 picks as Leslie Alexander was senile and didn't see the bigger picture. Then you got McHale as rookie coach. You can't retool from something that has been dismantled. Retooling is what the Lakers and Clippers have been doing. Same superstars recycling role players.
It wasn't a full on rebuild, I could agree with that because the organization had to give in to Les who was in need of money, ticket sales etc. thus it was impossible.
What is a typical rebuild then? I think teams try their best to assemble certain combinations of players and iterations of rosters until they find one that clicks. The methods vary as I outlined in either a quick and aggressive rebuild, methodical one, or straight up tanking hoping for a lottery pick as the Rockets are doing now. Lowry and Martin likely was never in Morey's vision in terms of being a part of the future with the team. After 2011-2012 the roster significantly changed with the Harden acquisition. Like I said above, the Rockets drafted players while trying to fill out the roster with more talent through free agency or trades. That 12-13 team surely wasn't the final iteration as they got Dwight the next season. It was a work in progress. Parsons, Lin didn't work so Morey got rid of them and tried to go after Bosh then added supporting vet players with playoff experience. I wouldn't say Morey's rebuild was atypical--it was just very aggressive and costly since we didn't get many players through the draft.
Good question, a perfect rebuild IMO would be if front office and ownership are okay with rebuilding, having a bad record, assembling draft picks etc. Given it patience, just like right now.
I guess my biggest thing so far is that we had less talent after yao but enough vets to stay competitive which made everyone look better. That creates asset appreciation. It led to the harden trade. Now we've got tons of young talent and no structure so all of them look way worse than they should. So far it has created asset depreciation. All of these mock 'redrafts' have our top prospects going way later. We'll see how that all works out.
But are we straight up tanking? What is questionable is how the Rockets have assembled these teams the last 2 years. There have been very few experienced vets to help develop these players. Almost no team in recent memory I can think of has this little experience on their rosters. Why does experience matter? because there's tactics, techniques, and wisdom that comes along with this experience just like any other profession. The rockets roster has been odd the last two years since it features mainly inexperienced guys with little to no winning experience and the vets they did were temp fillers for less than half a season only to be shipped out or not re-signed. No continuity and no vet-rookie/young player relationships established. What the Rockets have done the past 2 years is odd and would be atypical actually.
I doubt that you can just throw out youngsters without a veteran All Star leader, a strong coach like Pop and a GM that actually talks to the fans...not to say good owner that likes to spend on his team. It just takes an eternity longer. But that is just me.
That’s why Im speculating that the Rockets will get their 2023 lottery pick whomever it might be then spend on some complimentary vets with that 61 mil or so they have (they owe their pick to OKC in 24) such as a Dillon Brooks (who ironically Morey drafted and traded in 2017), Myles Turner, or Fred Van Fleet. (I like Van Fleet here and I think he is the perfect guard to play alongside Green). But we may see that 23-24 team to be the start of what will be the core of this team. This could be interesting if they get Wemb or Amen combine that with Van Fleet or Dillon Brooks or Turner This would be a good defensive unit with shooting. Very exciting.
I agree what they have done the last two years roster wise is very atypical being so young / lacking any veteran presence. But how many rebuilding teams have been up against the clock like the Rockets are ... They don't have the luxury of a 6+ year rebuild like the Suns did when they will hand the next 3 draft picks over to the Thunder. They have limited roster space and have chosen to roll with a high number of lottery tickets in young players in hopes that they hit on a couple, and they need them to grow up in a compressed period of time. They'll get the veteran additions this coming offseason ....
Yes i think they definitely will beef up the vet presence with at least two major additions. Its really exciting if you think about. If they can get Wemb or Amen or Scoot and get a Dillon Brooks in here and Van Fleet or Turner (depends on who they draft) this could be a good young explosive and defensive unit. Skys the limit. 23-24 might be the year and I think all this pain we have been experiencing will lead to this pivotal year where we finally see the start of our young core for years to come.
The moreyball tactics used in that time to get role players for nothing just don’t work as well today. Every team knows what's going on in other leagues and no team is ever giving up a guy like a young Harden again for the poopoo platter. You have to draft a superstar or be a destination city. The rockets are doing everything they can to ensure they draft a superstar.
I wouldn’t say never. OKC was strapped financially. Remember they gave Westbrook a max deal and signed Ibaka as well. Harden was looking at a max deal himself. It was about finances. OKC was in a unique situation. Either let Harden walk or trade him for draft picks.
