Dude still has a chip on his shoulder from draft day. From Day 1, he’s been blaming everyone for losing millions of dollars (literally $15m vs going #7, for instance). Coach even told him to channel that chip on his shoulder into positives, like working hard to prove ppl wrong. Unfortunate he apparently has been turning his attitudes against his team.
Keep in mind one dude's "nonsense" is playing 30-40 minutes every game and never having rest days putting up consistent defensive effort at a high level and the other plays spot minutes and still does defensive actions that you expect from someone with tired legs like gambling on defense or jogging back in transition
Cam deserved more minutes. He played some decent defense in the 1st half. The 2 and 1 in the 1st half was awesome. He went around his defender for a nice layup in the 2nd half. He showed off his improving floater in another game. The kid 's 3 point jumper is pretty good, and he's developing chemistry with Sengun. Ime should pull him out for a stretch of bad play, but Cam is talented and he's improving. The Rockets shouldn't give up on this 20 year young man. I think the G- league time was helpful for him, and Cam should have acknowledged that. He shouldn't be riding on the bench right now.
Clearly why KPJ isn't a Rocket, good interviews, horrible attitude off camera. (still inconclusive about hotel cam)
What is Jalen’s “nonsense”? Being a good teammate and doing what is asked of him and never complaining about anything publicly?
the small snippets make it sound like he’s not happy with coaching or the team with minutes, and is a huge disservice and false narrative. Listening to the whole interview gives perfect clarity. He’s not happy with himself, his play, and he acknowledges his minutes do and should reflect that. No story here, just an athlete taking responsibility.
People don't have to be all roses and wine after a victory at home against a Lukaless maverick teams. I'm so sick of fans saying we shouldn't criticize Ime or Stone, because we are ahead of schedule and third in the West. For the thousandth time, we have benefitted from a soft schedule and playing teams without their best players. We are improved and Ime has done a good job defensively. That is not good enough and doesn't forgive when he mishandles his players. Every fan has a right to be upset that FVV continues to get monster minutes at the expense of developing our young players. I'm not all that upset about Cam being in RGV, but quit telling me to be satisfied with one of the worst offenses in the league and your best player playing less than 30 minutes a game, while FVV is close to the top of the minutes in the league playing a style of basketball that is counterproductive to the personnel we have. Cam should handle himself better, but he and our fans, should be pissed about Reed getting gifted minutes while playing terrible.
This is what worries me with Cam, if he can keep this under control he can have a decent future...anything else and he'll be out in no time
Part of Reed's issue is his demeanor. He is way too reticent. He needs to be more aggresive and Cam needs to be more mature. It is much more likely that 20 year old Cam will mature than Reed will be able to make up for his physical limitations.
The only time Cam loosened up a little in the two interviews was when the question wasn't about him but about Alpi. He actually smiled then.
I agree with you on Reed needing to be more aggressive. I believe they will both overcome their issues.
The rockets best 4 players so far this year have been: Sengun (C) Amen (SF) Brooks (SF) Tari (SF) Cam's problem isn't Ime, it's that 3 of our best 4 players have the same natural position as him. As of today, Cam and the other 3 are all natural SFs. Brooks can play some PF and SG in a pinch but lacks size and handles, Amen can play guard but is limited by shooting, Tari plays a lot of PF but you lose the benefit of his elite perimeter defense when he has to match up with bigger guys. Cam is a perimeter scorer but he lacks the basic level handles and passing ability to play either guard position consistently. The rockets don't have the most complex offense but he would struggle with just step 1 of most of our plays (PnR/handoff with a pocket pass to Alpi on the short roll) without turning the ball over. He's a SF, not a guard. His best opportunity to get more minutes on a healthy team is to become so good defensively that the combo of his scoring ability and defense make him one of the best options at SF. And/or wait for Amen to develop a jumper that allows him to play guard full time. That's why Ime has harped on his defense because right now there's no reason to play him over Brooks/Amen/Tari on an average night. Has Cam recently played better than FVV/Reed/Adams/Green? Sure, but he doesn't and can't play their position consistently. Sure, guys can play out of position but you still need certain skills on the court to initiate a play. The rockets are no doubt aware of this abundance of wings but my guess is they aren't quick to clear it because they know a big trade is coming. Brooks/Amen/Tari/Cam will not be on this team together forever. Some team will want one or more of them in a trade.
Unless Ime was Ime and decided FVV needed 40 minutes. Again, you are trying to be rational when talking about what an irrational person would do.
