The problem with running it back in this league is unless your core makes major steps upwards, you end up like the Kings or Grizzlies. Every other team in the West will get better in the off-season, especially the ones that are trying to make the playoffs. Spurs are injured this year but no doubt they will be competing for a spot next year with #2, Fox and healthy Wemby. Same with the Mavs.. who just got Flagg. Warriors will be competing with a spot as well now they have Butler, if Curry is healthy. Clippers are running it back. Nuggets might trade for KD. Lakers will build around Luka and as long Lebron doesn't retire, they are always in play for the playoffs. Wolves will run it back, they will probably never get over the OKC hump unless Ant evolves into another tier higher. A lot of Rockets fans don't realize, we overachieved this season and mainly because Ime got the guys to play hard nearly every game which catches a lot of teams off-guard in the regular season. You see that advantage gone in the playoffs where every team plays hard and Warriors played hard against us. We don't have the same talent level as an OKC, who actually cruised most of the season, resting their core here and there. They still won nearly 70 games.. You can only run it back if you win it all.
I am not against running it back - I actually would prefer that to overpaying for someone like KD. I don`t want to put us in a very limited timeline. That being said, yeah we were the 2 seed which was a lot better than I expected. We also were only 4 wins above the 8th seed (which was more in line of what I would have expected). So I don´t think we should read too much into us being the 2nd seed. I would say we are slightly ahead of our timeline. But also, that we haven´t found a superstar yet. Sengun is the closes right now and Amen has the highest potential, but so far no player has shown, that he could be a legit MVP candidate. It is really rare to win without one. Also most our lottery picks (outside of Amen and Sengun) so far have been disappointing. Green shows flashes but is really inconsistent, Bari disappears and seems just fine to be a role player, Reed got ran of the court with spotty shooting and getting abused on defense. Yeah, I am not done with any of them and still believe, each one of them could still develop into a ALL-NBA kind of player, but that doesn´t change the fact, that I expected more from each of them so far. If a player like Giannis is available, you go after him. - especially when he still has a good 4-5 years left in him. Players like Booker or Jaylen Brown are trickier, because of what they would cost asset wise and salary cap wise. For the right deal, I would still take them, but not giving up most our assets or players like Amen or Sengun. And guys like KD should only be targetd for very cheap. Our timeline is not the next season, but the next 5-10 years.
That is the thinking, running back is only Plan C....because all other plans failed to materialize and not because it is so cool.
I agree that he lacks in playmaking and ESPECIALLY creativity. I also agree he should be reduced in salary and role if kept. But he is the most reliable at getting us into our sets and entry passes into Sengun. I compare his playmaking to NFL quarterbacks. Hes not making things happen and creating openings like a star qb, but he is controlling the offense and protecting the ball like a solid game managing qb. Even with that said, hes our best option on this team and playmaking. Jalen doesnt have the vision to take advantage of the oppurtunities he creates. Amen is loose with the ball and has some security issues. Sengun is flat out a secondary guy, even though probably our best genuine "playmaker" at creating/finding and making things happen but he cant dribble and bring the ball up and can ultimately be denied the ball. Reed is just a question mark still. I still think our best path to improving this roster is to upgrade FVV, even if its addition by subtraction while the team takes a step back initially because i doubt hes accepting/being told to take a bench role next year. Personally, In my idea world, we bring fred back at 20m and both he and brooks come off the bench as vets
