Do the Rockets have a Fred Van Vleet problem?

If that's the case, then I really don't see FVV staying here. That takes the Rockets offer down to MLE range, and unless he's fallen off a cliff, he should be able to get that from a contending team.

 

It'd be tight, but playing around withe cap calculator, I think it would be possible (if we waive Landale) to (1) extend Adams for around two years, 20 mil, and (2) opt out and extend FVV for something like 2 years, 50 - 60 mil. We'd have luxury cap space to fill out the rest of the roster. This would also align our vet contracts well. Any more for FVV, however, and things get dicey. You could also decline Holiday's 4.9 mil option.

 

He's playing this many minutes because Udoka is terrible at rotations.... which is why the team blows so many leads, or rather is one of the largest factors.

FVV has been a very fragile player in his career, playing him 39-40+ minutes per game is a recipe for him only meeting healthy 50-60 games a season.

 

I don't disagree about the cap holds, Jalen's new figure actually saved ~$5m or so in cap space while Sengun's cost an extra $20m on top of his cap hold .....

I mentioned cap exceptions above but didn't go into detail, mainly because I don't see getting a starter quality player at that figure, not to mention that the pickings are slim at the PG spot after FVV & Kyrie and the guys in the price range of the MLE aren't inspiring to say the least.
2025 NBA Free Agents (spotrac.com)

The list of FA PG's making less than the MLE: highest salary first.


Dennis Schroder $12.7m
CP3
Tre Jones
G Payton iii
Vasilije Micic
Jevon Carter
Davion Mitchell
Aaron Holiday $4.8m (team option).

Yes, you can probably find a rotation player at that figure but that doesn't really replace FVV.
You are probably relying upon someone already on the roster to take a huge leap forward in that case .... I'm not inspired by the thought of Amen as a lead guard and Shepard has a long way to go in that regard too.

But if that's the talent in your price range, that feels like taking a big step back ..... there has to be an alternative.

Also, remember that use of the full MLE caps your spending at the first apron.

 

i said only his legs look better… young blood

 

This is exactly it, outside of Green, we lack perimeter shooting and playmaking.....Amen helps with playmaking but his outside shot is not good, the only 2 on the bench that can help in both are Cam and Reed and they are both still so raw.

DD

 

You get the best FVV when he plays 29 minutes. Team leader but we're killing him playing 100 minutes a game.

 

I did account for the MLE, read the follow up post.

Below is the FA talent pool available in that price range .... D'Angelo Russell is the next above Schroder at $18m which is out of the price range and he probably expects a raise.

Dennis Schroder $12.7m
CP3
Tre Jones
G Payton iii
Vasilije Micic
Jevon Carter
Davion Mitchell
Aaron Holiday $4.8m (team option).


I mean if you think one of these dudes comes in and replaces what FVV has done .... then I won't argue.

 

Look on the bright side, if/when FVV is run into the ground Reed will finally get a proper shot.

 

FVV is a household name, in the next 2 years time he is still getting 28 million unless teams are all capped out.

Then it's Sayonara Fred.

 

I think Jabari will come around on outside shooting.

 

I don't look at that as a bright side, i think that's a recipe for losing games.

I'd rather Udoka just learn how to run proper rotations so FVV only misses 10 games to injury this season rather than 20 or more. He really is vital to the success of the team.

 

De’Aaron Fox

 

This is killing us more than anything right now. Green and Sengun are shooting better than expected, our overall shooting should be excellent.

FVV and Brooks are way maxed out in terms of shooting so we really need Jabari to step up here. We should be giving him more shots to keep in rhythm. He may be struggling but I believe he's getting used to added muscle and will bounce back very soon.

Also in general we're taking too many 3's for our shooting talent. Practically everyone is take 1-2 more attempts than they should except Jabari. If we want to sustain these numbers, Whitmore and Sheppard have to wake up quickly.

 

=( But I like what FVV brings

 

FVV is very good player who’s proven himself on a championship team, you guys flipping on him after 5 games this season is crazy.

He had an outstanding year last season and probably won’t be as good this year and he’s already a bit overpaid sure, but I still believe he’s a good above average starting level PG who’d easily land a 3/90 deal in FA

 

This is what I dont get. You brought in Reed to be the FVV backup but don't trust him. That's fine he's a rook. So shouldn't Holiday at least be able to alleviate this then? Or is it Amen? The rotations have been abysmal to start the season and Ime let's leads get whittled down to nothing before he changes things (like Amen coming in after the Mavs had cut the lead to 3).

FVV is a liability on offense and on defense at the moment.

 

No you dont

 

FVV is a solid player, but I'd like to see more out of him for 43M. I'm hoping for a little more than leadership and bad shooting. He may not even be a 25M player, tbh... He is savvy on defense, but he's getting blown by a lot. Seems to have lost a step, not that he was ever quick. Not sure why you can't increase Reed to 15-18 minutes and have FVV at maybe 30-32, allow them to overlap some. Even throw Holiday out there for a few stretches, too.

 

Exactly. For me this has nothing to do with Reed Sheppard. Now, sure, in a perfect world, Udoka would be smart enough to play him.... but at this point just play ANYONE so you aren't overburdening an aging injury prone PG.

Play Holiday if Ime doesn't trust Reed, play Amen, it really doesn't matter... just don't play FVV 40 minutes.