Ime Udoka after Valanciunas, Pelicans beat Rockets

Are you aware that I am not talking about the here and now?

Those are prospects and you view them in the next 2-3 years.

Naturally they are not ready in their first year....who was.....except Alpe.

And I would hope strongly that Stone would bring more role players in the next years, the lineups would for sure look different than now.

 

The Rockets had 40 open or wide open threes last night per NBA.com. They made only 12.

 

When you watch the game you will see the main reason we lost was Ime’s rotations when Amen and cam were in we were rebounding just fine and cam was hitting his threes. Then, for some inexplicable reason Ime decided to run and FVV, holiday backcourt when both were playing horribly. I don’t know why Jabari and Sengun were so timid, bou when we put cam and amen in we made runs

 

Funny though it’s the vets like FVV, Holiday, and Brooks that are showing the most inconsistency lately. FVV has been straight up garbage the last ten games. Maybe he’s tired, but Ime keeps running him out there for 37 minutes.

 

His legs been gone.. Ime been trying to rest him more early in games but then he has no rhythm and comes in the 4th bricking 3s…. His midrange is still good and wish he would just use that and only take catch and shoot 3s

 

What? Please GTFOH.

There is no way on Earth that this team should “slow down” so our team of poorly conditioned or weak-minded players (i.e Sengun and Smith) can keep up.

Fact is, you cannot build around Alpi if he can only play as traditional big. He is not a good enough defender and he is not strong enough. He is slow as heck and would get eaten alive. Heck Valancuinias ate him up, and he is a third tier center.

What happened last night was that NO kept three guys shading Alpi all night, which left our shooters open; we just did not make shots (other than Green).

I don’t know what happened with Jabari; but not NBA starter should go scoreless.

 

I don't see it.

Udoka is certainly in the top 25% of NBA coaches and likely better.

He has a team of young players that did not have a solid basketball base in years, be that at the G-League or otherwise. He is taking over a team that was coached by a terrible coach, and now they added two veterans to the group that were average NBA starters and everyone assumes that they suddenly are a playoff team... It doesn't work that way.

The Rockets are rolling out three starters that are 21 years old or under.

Next to those starters are two veterans, that would start on maybe start on 1/3 of the playoff teams in the Western Conference.

Then the Rockets top reserves are 19, 21 and 21 years old.

So minus FVV and Brooks.... the Rockets rotation has two 21 year olds and a 19 year old......... the bench has a 22 year old, 21 year old rookie and a 19 year old rookie..... and the veteran off the bench is who they will likely trade.

Good luck winning with 6 of your top 8 players are 22 years old or younger, and have been poorly coached in the past.

 

It's a disservice Ime was doing himself, proclaiming he has never missed the Playoffs and vowing to make the Playoffs every year....

I would not have adviced that.

He is good but he is just a coach who is at the whim of his players.

And it is not necessarily good for the players to assume they are better than they really are.....only because Ime coached them up.

 

IMO, Jalen's best full game was against the Lakers..he was great. His best three quarters was last night where he was amazing...

Against Brooklyn, I wouldn't call that a good game for most players, but considering how he's played most of the season it was a good game for him I guess. The two previous games against Charlotte and Portland were decent-good games...would've been great games if he shot the three well.

Rockets are 2-3 during that stretch and including last night Jalen played good enough to win the game in those losses.

 

True, but rebounding is primarily positioning and effort, our guys simply got out worked. They were soft in the paint.

 

The perplexing thing for me is...


Look at the preseason prediction threads. The vast majority thought just cracking 30 wins would be a sign of improvement and a positive overall season. Early success really skewed expectations.

 

Alternatively, the Rockets could turn around and include Adams in yet another trade in pursuit of a star player. By adding Adams' $12.6 million expiring salary to 2024-25 team options for Jeff Green ($9.6 million) and Jae'Sean Tate ($7.1 million) -- along with Jock Landale's $8 million non-guaranteed salary -- Houston will have some $37 million in contracts to offer with no guaranteed money beyond next season.