A Guard rotation of the 2024-25 versions of FVV Jalen Green Whitmore Holiday Reed Springer probably isn't Contender level. So I don't see the point of trading for Durant. If they were stronger at the Guard positions, then trading for Durant might make some sense.
I made a similar point in another thread about the Warriors hanging the next 2.5 seasons on players that are currently 34, 35 and 36 year-old. I do believe they have a legit rationale.
It's easily refutable: none of that data suggests that at 36 he could score 27ppg so it's already a failed model.
Facts and circumstances usually trump models or historical trends. LBJ and Jordan are outliers, KD is an outlier. Brady is an outlier. You cannot form arguments based on models to assess generational talents. You can look at their health and trends in decline but when someone is not relying on athleticism and size like LBJ and scoring an efficient 27ppg on pure skill you have to believe that trend can continue.
KD would’ve made us much better and given us an actual closer/#1 option, and he would’ve given us that without requiring a bunch of young players and years of picks+pick swaps to be traded away Why does it matter that that guard rotation isn’t currently contender level? The Rockets wouldn’t be done adding to the roster after acquiring KD a lot of guys might even improve with KD here as there would be some sort of pecking order instead of guys like Jalen trying to cosplay as a #1 option
Oh, dear. I said a rational way. Without going into all of the wrongness in that, did you notice the number of productive 36 year-old players and how they played at 37 and 38? How being 36 does not indicate that you will be very good at 37? That there are only 3 or 4 players in NBA history? And only two who played a lot of games? Two of the most famous iron men in NBA history, Kareem and Malone? Something KD is not? Ah, no worries, I won't push this any further. I have my answer: some number of people think differently. I can only hope that the Rocket's staff are not among them.
I just see how it could possibly go in the playoffs without a legit closer. I love Fred but he is a backup point guard on a championship team.
As much as I want to lay the blame on Stone there’s too many factors working against the Rockets. Durant, his agent/agency and owner are all obstacles 1. Durant doesn’t want to take the PR hit and cares too much what people and the media say about him. Wants the owner to make the choice for him 2. The agent or agency is pulling all the strings, they know the Suns have nothing going for them and will most likely give KD some sort of Max out of desperation. 3. Ishiaba is a clueless buffoon who is being swindled into thinking they can bring in pieces if they trade Beal. I’d wish Durant would be assertive and just demand a trade, instead he’s proven everyone right that he’s a punk fake tough guy. At this point Kd will take the max and when he’s old and about to retire he’ll just ride the coattails of a contending team averaging 15 mpg where he might get another Chip. KD is not his own man, he never was.
I would say no to KD. This summer, we have to do what we can to get ANT. But we need to do it the Spurs way: find a player on another team that Minnesota covets and who is attainable. Maybe ANT demands a trade to Houston and we can help facilitate a trade where Minnesota lands Zion? That way we won’t have to empty our war chest and New Orleans can be compensated by both Houston and Minny. This is all assuming though that Minny would want Zion.
Ant not going no where. The Rockets are out of superstar trade options and unfortunately I don’t see a future superstar on the roster. We may have to just use those picks in the draft.
So you think trading away Fred without a PG replacement is a good idea as the post I was responding to suggests? Pretty bold take for someone who just started watching games this week lol. There is a reason the Rockets were looking to extend fred,, there is a reason every NBA podcast led by NBA vets will point to FVV as a reason for the team's success. I get you just joined this week, but maybe try to watch some games prior to FVV joining the team before commenting. Saying the team is EXACTLY the same with and without Fred just gives you zero credibility along w your join date.
Rockets would need a PG replacement if they traded Fred, but Fred is not the reason for the teams success. His last year in Toronto and his first year here he started about 70 games. Both of those teams missed the playoffs. This team is pretty much the same team as last year...The reason for this year's team success is Growth from the younger players. Fred is playing worse this year statistically and his "intangibles" didn't all of a sudden get soooo much better.
Rockets FO suffer from same delusions as the most myopic fan. Ant or Booker. That's it. This kind of inflexible thinking does not bode well.
The point was that removing FVV all together is not going to make the team better unless you get another PG. The team with FVV is better than without. If you trade FVV and get no PG in return, Amen / Reed are not ready to run point. Replacing FVV w KD for example and no vet PG seems like it can destabilize the team. We have seen this starting to happen the past few games. A lot of errors that would not have happened.
Join date is poor way to judge credibility. I was not suggesting to jettison Fred, only wary of how dependent on him Ime + Stone have become.
FCK NO, I DONT WANT THAT TRASH HERE!!! He cant even carry garbage to the trashcan, let alone the rockets.
Exactly none of these guys are gonna be available this summer or the next. By the time they are available, we will have already drafted multiple role players that can’t shoot with those picks. This is why Stone needs to make a deal involving a few of them sooner than later. The Suns aren’t making a deal with us, especially if it involves Booker. It’s not happening. They will tank with Booker if they have to, and he’s not even good enough to make us a contender. So idk what we waiting on, some magical superstar to become available. There aren’t many around the league available/worth trading for.
The problem is your post made assumptions about us "giving up our best players" and "future" for KD and then brought rational into it. No one here has said to trade away our core or argued that KD isn't a declining asset. Therefore, the premise of your straw man argument is wrong. Kareem and Malone were falling apart for YEARS and you are right they fell off a cliff. Your stats are fine for MOST players but there are outliers and KD is a generational talent that relies on skill not athleticism. There is good rationality that can continue for at least the length of his contract. Including myself, people are interested in acquiring Durant vs a 4-5 picks and young players trade for a Booker or another young star at this point. This maintains future flexibility. I think we could have acquired Fox but didn't take it seriously. Where I and most will agree with you is that we have been completely uninterested in the old class of stars Kawhi, Harden, PG13, Butler, etc because they are at the end of their cycle and don't fit our timeline. Durant is unique in that we can maximize our declining and expiring assets for a much much better asset and not lose any of our core and maintain our best draft assets. I was interested in Butler ONLY to sabotage him from making PHX a middling team to protect our assets. I would have paid less for him than the Warriors and never would have given him the extension so we win. Durant is a better asset that fits perfectly with what we need right now. FVV and Butler were brought in to rent our cap. If I can transform FVV into Durant you do that every day. Your rationale was wrong for the facts and circumstances. The Rockets staff called about Kevin Durant so they obviously understand this nuance.
Yeah, you’re most likely right. But anything can happen in the NBA as we just saw with Luka. Maybe Minnesota loses in the first round of the playoffs and a healthy Rockets team makes it to the WCF. Minnesota is going through its own ownership issues and who knows how Ant feels about that situation and the (potential) new ownership group. Their trade of KAT already shows their team building ability is questionable. I understand he’s under contract but I wouldn’t be surprised if he demands a trade depending on how this season turns out.
