This take is laughable. BUT.... I will say that A: Stone definitely did not bat .500 in the rebuild. Alot of misses, or caught looking at-bats. Still a solid haul of assets & young players. B: Stone's real test comes now. Anyone can draft in the top 5, and get decent young players. But what does he do with these young players to either trade, extend, develop, or build around? This is where the job gets challenging, and the real test starts this Summer. Yes, it's obvious that this team isn't a team that currently has a trajectory to make it to the finals every year. They aren't yet a true contender, and don't have a true top 5 superstar on their roster, and I doubt any of these players will get there unless Amen can develop a real offensive isolation game which is easier said that done. A failure of a rebuild though..... ugh... go search the history of the Charlotte Bobcats. Look up the endless years of suckage that the Sacramento Kings have had after the Adelman years. A 3 year turnaround to get a team that can actually make the playoffs every year is a win regardless. Yes the goal is contend, but you gotta be invited to the dance to begin with to have a shot at getting a dance.
Thanks, OP. Nothing like getting a Franchise Future Manifesto from someone who joined CF three months ago. Exactly. If you want to argue that keeping KPJ around prevented us from landing Mobley, that's fair (and painful to consider). Other than him, what superstars were taken after the Rockets' drafted in those rounds? Let's see some names. This isn't about whether Scottie Barnes is more valuable than Jalen -- that's a different argument. What superstars did we pass on?
Exactly. So many teams wondering in the lottery year after year with no achievement.. And when there’s finally a desirable prospect in the draft, you know that the Spurs would get the 1st pick.. I think that overall, obtaining the 2nd place at this stage, although it’s a really nice achievement, did not reflect our true ability. A first round exit after a 7 game series would’ve been less bitter if we were placed 5-8. When we lost to the Warriors back in 2018 and 2019 it was much more frustrating, knowing we gave all we had and it wasn’t enough. This time we know that we have MUCH more to develop, and if we are able to do so, I am confident that in the 26 playoffs we’ll sweep the s*** out of the Warriors, or whatever other team we’re facing.
There is literally no room for nuance anymore in any kind of sports discussion. These idiotic hot takes are so frustrating to have to listen to, and yet they make up the vast majority of sports discourse today. If the season were to be replayed starting today, this iteration of the Warriors with Butler would have finished on par with the Thunder for 1/2 in the West, and the Rockets would not have faced them in the first round. Our quality of opponent was not that of a 7th seed, and nor was our team quite ready to take on the burden of being a true 2 seed either. Our rebuild has gone just fine, if not better than that. 31 other teams would KILL to have Sengun and Amen on their rosters (including the Thunder and Celtics), and guys like Jabari and Tari are coveted throughout the league. Was it perfect?? Of course not. We still need a primary scorer that can rise to the occasion when defenses are pressing. But overall, the team is well positioned for the future. Also, anybody talking about Reed and Cam playing real minutes in this series is not a serious person. Reed looked like an absolute deer in headlights with a 30 point lead going up against Pat ****ing Spencer. Do you guys really think he was going to play 15 productive minutes against Steph, Jimmy, and Dray?? The kid needs time to develop. A full off-season in this system, with guys like Fred (if he's still here), Amen, and Ime in his ear will do him wonders. And Cam Whitmore?? The guy that might have one of the absolute worst attitudes I've ever seen out of a young player?? Why the **** would you want to REWARD that type of behavior out of someone that's proven that he can't handle the slightest bit of success without it going straight to his head?? Where did he show that he was mentally prepared for what playoff basketball against one of the most psychologically and physically taxing teams in the league was going to be like? I have no problem with Ime leaving those two on the bench, and it was proven when they couldn't even handle taking care of business against the bench mob of the Warriors in Game 5. I'm so tired of people being all or nothing about every single thing in their lives. There is a **** ton of gray area in everything we do, and that's the beauty of living.
Welp... It's been less than 24 hours since the Rockets' offseason began and we already have nonsense threads like this. Time to bail on Clutchfans for a few months.
I think rebuild failed is a bit of strong assessment. There are real concern about whether we have superstar but that is the nature of rebuild. Unless you have obvious unicorn generational talent, superstar talent is often only obvious in retrospect. There is definetly growth in some of our players but we are also very reliant on our vets to make difference. As a result, it is hard to gauge whether we can keep winning at similar pace if the currents vets are replaced. Also the vets are playing heavy minutes so that is taking opportunity away from younger talent. Next year, instead of focusing on best possible record, we need to find more playing time for younger talen on bench along with a bit more focus on offense.
The “rebuild” has not failed. It is still ongoing. However, the “tanking” portion of the rebuild IS over. And this part of the rebuild DID fail to net us a Star player. I like Amen, I like Alpi… but they don’t project as All-NBA players. The Jalen draft was our best shot, and… well. You know. The rebuild will continue. A star player will now have to come from trade or free agency. We have good players. We don’t have the player or players to reach the next level—contender status. Feel free to disagree, but we saw what we saw offensively not just in game seven but all series long. The Man did not appear. Yes, we’re young. But I just don’t see any of them projecting some great leap to superstar status. We didn’t get the luck in the lottery and that’s over now. We got good players, but no great one. We’ll have to hope for better luck in trade/free agency.
Yeah, I tried explaining this repeatedly and it's hard for most to even comprehend it. It gets tiring trying to find decent sports conversations sometimes, haha Like fans acting like the Warriors were a true 7 seed or the Rockets were an actual 2 seed, in an average season in the west, Rockets would probably be like a 4th-7th seed (and 4 wins from 2nd-7th isn't the standard season in the west, except for more recent outliers). Rockets window is just starting/opening and people are acting like the whole team/franchise is collapsing, I'd much rather be where we are vs window completely closed. Warriors for how lucky they are for the last decade plus will soon be back to rebuilding. And to call this a failed rebuild, this isn't ****ing NBA 2k. Look at what OKC had to go through to get to where they are now, it takes time, I'm just glad Houston is moving/trending good, because it could be a hell of a lot worse. Did I want Rockets to win? Of course, but at the same time Warriors are a real experienced team, especially in the playoffs, and that Butler trade basically saved their season/kept their window open a little longer. People acting like Houston is in a "win now mode" should take a step back and realize they're still rebuilding, or some fans wanting to gut the whole team immediately for an old star, like for what, to get to the second round? Houston is in a good spot to land more pieces/talent, and can also grow from this. They also own a lot of valuable picks/swaps. I'm just thankful a lot of the bad takes/posts I read aren't from people who can actually do these trades/moves, because we'd be quickly back to being irrelevant. I'm also not saying I know everything/I am always right, but some of this stuff is just beyond stupid.
Yeah because the Warriors rebuild with Steph and Klay paid immediate dividends. It takes time man. We have all the time in the world.
Did most fans honestly think the rockets would win their first playoff match before the year started? I think we’re right on track making the playoffs and get experience for this young team. Kobe won with a 27 year old Shaq and Fisher, with 30+ year olds Fox, Horry and Grant. I was there when it happened, watching the games at Staples and had seen Kobe loose games with horrible decisions to the point some fans screamed to trade him. Green might not be the next Kobe but he isn’t this bad. He deserves a second chance, like Kobe, and he will bounce back next year. Is he the star of this team? No, he isn’t but he’s a good 2nd or 3rd option just as Sengun is. I think we might have our first option in Amen but he’ll need time to prove himself, he has however shown in this series he can be the guy when he’s aggressive. Curry and Giannis didn’t win the ring until they were 27, Jordan 28, Jokic 29, Durant 29, Hakeem 31, and Dirk 33. The team is just starting to scratch the surface of what they can do. Give it time especially after just one playoff series against one of the best dynasty’s the NBA has ever seen before deciding to blow it up.
“A lot of good things are ahead for that team. Ime did an amazing job, and really the whole rebuild over the last couple of years has been so impressive… Much respect to the Rockets, and their staff, and their organization. They had a great team and they had a great season.” Spoiler - Steve Kerr “Rockets failed their rebuild” - Shrek2onDVD
*unlikely to ever be filled by said picks* I agree but doesn't mean what they've developed is not quite valuable. a) For the given capital we had I'd say we're in the average range of outcomes. Sengun was a steal at his pick. Green has been a disappointment. Others are in range of normal. b) it all hinges on can we find the right superstar to pair with the crew...4 years of work and slowly building value and we get may get 1 good shot to make it all take off
The biggest regret is that we didn't draft a superstar? This is quite an excellent strategy. Is Stone of aware of this? If not, someone should probably call him ASAP and let him know.
This is ****ing stupid. You wanted to go from not making the playoffs to the finals? You people are insane lol
Well, since this is a make believe thread, not your post but I mean the topic (you obviously make good points/questions). I'm also not quite sure OP understands a rebuild. Anyway, I feel in the 1984 NBA draft, the Rockets **** the bed (not the Olajuwon as 1st part), but they could have had Akeem, Jordan, and Drexler. Hell, might as well just put this out there as a reminder, LOL: This would have changed everything, assuming it works as good as it does on paper. That's how silly this forum is sometimes, but at least this is backed up by a few sources/rumors out there. I'm still very thankful I didn't have to read through through threads like this during Houston leading to the championship runs, because it would have been a dumpster fire.
Is there a rebuild happening? We got the second seed by over playing our veterans. Sengun and Green have been around for a while now. Smith and Eason were both injured most of the season. Thompson gets his start because Smith’s injury. Whitmore and Sheppard get zero minutes most of the season. random thought: Silas didn’t have - FVV, Brooks & Adams. He had a talented low basketball IQ small forward playing point guard because there was no other choices on the roster. —> tank Stone is pulling the strings and always has been. We have accumulated several top prospects but play veteran players in our “Rebuild”. What is the next move by the Rocket’s puppeteer?
Our rebuild so far is not perfect. I think this year will determine if houston will turn into a powerhouse or failure. We need a dominating player but we can loose all our assets trying to do so. We can keep up investing in mediocore players and be a regular play off team the next 10 years without coming close to finals. I wish we have drafted mobley and cam thomas...
I wouldn't say it's a failure but it's troubling to see vets playing 30-40+ mins and our youngsters not developing fast enough to b useful. Sengun and amen improved. Green improved in some areas but inconsistent as fk Reed and whitmore werent even able to play smith got demoted to bench and seems content eason plays like a headless chicken and still makes dumb plays. But compared to the other tanking team, we are ahead of schedule in terms of season results. We also have a sht ton of picks to pivot and improve.
