In his defense, Ime isn't the one missing all the bunnies inside of 5 feet that doink off front rim (or in Alpi's case, spine-tingler jam takes)... OTOH Curry ALWAYS finishes. On the other side of Ime's ledger- Cam Whitmore can't get a sniff of meaningful play. It's grating.
You can look at this series in two ways. 1. You believe the Rockets have overachieved and isn't really this good and doesn't deserve to win anyways, so whatever we fought the good fight and if we lose we lose. NBD. If you're like that, you don't really need to blame anyone. The Rockets are doing great and haters gonna hate. 2. You believe the Rocket are already a good this year and can do damage in the playoffs, but still flawed team that needed help to take the next step. In which case you should blame both the front office and Udoka. The front office treated this season like a throwaway one by not even making a single marginal upgrade. The coach just wanted to get as many regular season wins as possible and putting player development on the back burner. I personally belong in the second camp, which is why I'm bitter at the lack of offense so far. But I know most Rockets fans are in the first camp because most people were happy the team made zero changes and believe Udoka's coaching decisions were all great. So yall shouldn't complain now because this has been the expected outcome ever since no one bothered to address the "no one can shoot" issue on the team.
I'm a hybrid, I guess. I believe we were already good this year and capable of doing some damage in the playoffs, but unlikely to get past the 2nd round without a lot of luck on our side. But still, I think Stone was right to stay pat and not give up our entire bench to bring in an aging star like KD, Harden, etc., or to trade big assets to land someone like Butler or Booker. I think this year we arrived in the playoffs right on time in the rebuild schedule, and since nothing Stone could've done would have gotten us to the finals this year, let's just see how far we can go with the current team. Then this summer, see what we can do to make that next step to actually become legit contenders. I know it's tantalizing to come in as a #2 seed, thinking we should be able to reach the finals, but with OKC in the way, that was never going to happen no matter what moves we made at the deadline. So sit tight, see who steps up in the playoffs and who shrinks, then make your moves accordingly in the off-season. All that said, if we lose to 6th seed Golden State in round 1, I'll be throwing things at my TV. And if that happens and Stone still doesn't make a move to significantly improve our offense, I might go postal. Enough is enough.
With Butler the GSW are maybe one if not the best 6th place team ever. His addition has rejuvenated a dynasty. Say what you will but the GSW play a winning style of basketball. They are suited to be a one or two seed. I am okay with the matchup and think we are capable of beating GSW but need to use a full developed roster to do so. Even with a lesser developed roster everyone on it has value and is capable of playing a role in victory.
I feel similarly. I was fine with not making big moves so we can see what we have, move forward with whoever seems promising, and get rid of the rest. Unfortunately nobody that has gotten major playing time seems promising, so now I don't know what they should do. If Sengun looks good in game 4 at least he'd only have one stinker. Green I'm kind of ok with because GS targeted him so much last game, I think it's partially on the staff to get him open. Amen just doesn't have it as far as I can tell.
I'm cutting Amen some slack. This is only his second year, and the playoff atmosphere obviously has him rattled. He's the only one of our current roster that I see possibly becoming a real star, assuming he learns to shoot moderately well from distance. Both Jalen and Alpi need to be more consistent. And if this year has shown us anything, we need to bring in some consistent offense this summer.
That's fair, I definitely don't hate the idea of giving him another year. I am just shocked by the degree of how bad he's been.
See this is what I don't get. If you understand this is a flawed team, a team that's not good enough, why would you be mad they lose to a better team? Yeah the Warriors are the 7th seed, but it's clear the Rockets type of basketball was going to get screwed in the playoffs. Even Vegas know this, which was why the Warriors were favored last night despite missing Jimmy Butler. The Rockets simply lost a game everyone felt they should lose. And if they lose this series it would also be expected. There's no need to consternate over a team not designed to be good enough to win.
I don’t think Udoka is the coach to elevate us from point A to point C. He appears lost when it comes to in-game adjustments, is too rigid in his approach, and struggles to adapt to the flow of the game. I’ve tried to overlook these flaws, but they’re undeniable. His stubborn insistence on ignoring what makes our offense functional consistently undermines us. He lacks the adaptability to get the most out of his roster. Additionally, he avoids accountability, never admits his errors, and is quick to throw players under the bus. I just don’t see how our prospects can achieve their full potential under him. Udoka can pull a team back from the brink, but he can’t guide it to the top. He’s much like J.B. Bickerstaff in that way.
I’m completely in the first box. We were 5th in net rating in the west, so it’s not like we are a “real” 2 seed (i.e. high 50s-60 wins, net rating around +7 or +8. If our clutch luck flipped a bit and we were a 6 seed, nobody would be losing their minds.
It's not an either or situation. They absolutely overachieved this season, although I'd argue not by a huge degree. I honestly thought a win total in the high 40s was likely coming into the year. And in the end, they only needed slightly more than that to be the 2nd seed in what was a down year for a lot of teams in the conference(aside from OKC). Had they won 52 games last season, that would've landed them in 4th place. That being said, I don't think they're good enough to win a title this year. I've said all season long that the Rockets are on the same trajectory as the Thunder, only a year behind. And what did OKC do last year? Win 57 games, get the top seed, and win a playoff series. The Rockets have done 2/3 of that(so far). They won 52 games, got the 2nd seed, but the jury's still out on advancing to the second round. "The coach just wanted to get as many regular season wins as possible and putting player development on the back burner." This is also where I think it's not either or. It is possible to win games AND develop your young players. This is where Ime really needs to improve as a coach. Last year, he was cut a lot of slack for benching guys like Jalen as often as he did and deferring to the veterans. But that cannot continue now that we're approaching the point where all these players are eligible for extensions. The front office needs to know what they've really got with guys like Jabari, Reed, and Cam. I would've preferred trying to develop Reed and Cam over trading for a veteran to help down the stretch. In the end, we wound up with neither. The upside at least is that Stone didn't give up that Phoenix pick, so now we'll get to draft someone in the top 10 and maybe even higher.
Don't get me wrong. We have flaws, but I also think we have enough raw talent to pull off an upset. But I wouldn't be shocked if they exploit those flaws and take the series. What I was getting at was that I despise this team so much that another series loss to the just triggers my NBA-PTSD.
I get JVG vibes from Ime. He's a great defensive coach who has no clue how(or no desire) to develop and run an offense. And JVG at least had the legit excuse of having virtually no bench. He was forced to play guys like Juwan Howard and Luther Head.
Also GS is the worst team Tari can play against defensively because it’s a lot of attention to detail. Tari likes to roam defensively and does a lot of ball watching which causes him to lose focus. He’s playing ok but not good enough. I wish his game matched the hatred he has for the Warriors.
Rockets are already good but young, which kind of moves them to number 1 imo. Amen has been very disappointing and that is not ime's fault. But he is very rigid in his ways and that is his fault.
What's the point of having the ingredients if the chef won't put them in the food? I think most people think we have enough but not using it effectively Rocket River
I think GSW is trash. Minny will wipe the floor with them (If we end up losing the series). In that case, I'm only looking at Udoka.
