I think it's more than half a season. Potentially closer to half an infinity. Amen is not a lead offensive engine/orchestrator - he can drive, he can finish, he can pass, he can cut to the hoop - but every second he spends pounding the ball on the perimeter trying to figure out what to run while the lead defender backs up to the three point line is a win for the defense. Thus far he iss not a good P&R ballhandler or isolation player in the half court, at least I don't think he is and the numbers seem to back it up. IMO if the Rockets get rid of Fred it's basically the Reed & Holiday show, that's how you try to cope with the loss of Fred.
I think JVG will never win a ring because he . . . retired from head coaching 18 years ago? This may be why he has not been hoisting the trophy recently.
Am I crazy or was he the lead assistant of the Clippers this year? Would that be in view of a HC job or does he just wanna be an assistant?
He already won a ring...... as a defensive consultant in Boston 1 year ago.......guess you missed that one. Probably not as great as winning it as the Coach but at least a ring copy. He stepped back from coaching 20 years ago due to his intensity and was nearly depressed.
Playing Fred 40+ mins as starting PG in phase 2 means Rockets are trash at developing young talents like Reed. Fred should not be in our future plan.
Sign davion to replace him. 26. Use to coming off the bench. Penetrates better. Can still shoot and pass very well. More versatile and better on d. Oh. AND CHEAPER!
I mean, ESPN laid him off so they could give more money to the Pat McAfee's & SAS of the universe - money well spent.
How much y’all think Ty Jerome would cost us compared to FVV? The man was 51% from the field & 43% from 3. He is an unrestricted FA. Why are we not trying to replace Fred with him for that kind of money Jerome, Reed, and Cam off the bench would light the house on fire from the 3 every other night
Breen/JVG/MJ was by far the best team, they said what they saw and didn't try to cram league-mandated viewpoints down our throats. JVG said on multiple occasions that he was supposed to prop up the league on certain topics instead of speaking honestly about them, so he chose to avoid those topics altogether to keep his job, and not be a league puppet. Accuracy used to be the focus of a broadcast (announcers + replays from production team). Now the NBA uses the announcers + limited replays to push their agenda and promote the image they want. It infuriates me to watch a replay of a call that is obviously wrong, and I listen to the announcers say it looks like the refs got it right. Always appreciated the accuracy of that broadcast team.
That's how I see it too. Amen is not good at controlling an offense. His concept of playmaking is drive into the lane and see what he can do there. Reed actually has a high floor as a PG because he understands play development and setting up teammates. But I'm more optimistic than you (surprise! ). I am hopeful that Amen is a smart learner. This is something he can learn. If he can't do it by the end of next season, he probably will never learn. He just may not have it. He can still be a great player if he gets a jumper. It doesn't have to be 3pt. Just a pull up or step back from midrange can keep the defense honest and give him room to maneuver. He is already better than Jalen in changing speed and direction.
Amen is already a good passer and almost always makes the right decision. He does need to improve his handles and at least get a good mid-range shot (which he’s showed signs of already). Even if we take a step back in terms of wins, the experience Amen will get running the offense will better prepare us for contention in the following years than running it back with a lame duck PG who has already peaked at the probably the 25th or so best pg in the league.
I think Amen got better on drives as the season went on (not sure if numbers back that up). Not PG level or offensive engine level, but a promising step (i.e., he was better than I expected in January/February). Mostly, I think his shot is holding him back. Also, I think that long-term, he will be best suited with a stretch 5 if the shot never comes. He still seems to be improving rapidly. I would definitely want to give him more reps.
You are right about Amen and Sengun not being compatible if neither develops an outside shot. If that is the case, the Rockets will have to decide which one to build around and trade the other one. My preference would be to trade Sengun for several reasons. 1. The league is increasingly a guard centric league. 2. Amen has a more unique skillset and athleticism that is close to unmatched in the league. Finding a center that can shoot will be a much easier exercise. 3. Amen was 1st team defense, even though he didn’t even start for half the season. Pretty unprecedented. Hopefully, it won’t come to this and one or both develop and outside game.
When you get right down to it, they could all three play together and Jakucionis bring something the other two don't - a 3 level threat - that can run the offense. And he has the size to guard 1-3. Amen's on ball numbers were pretty rotten. The shooting is still terrible even if it has improved - there's still a long way to go. Where he has thrived at is off the ball. Honestly, I don't care what position he plays as long as he's on the court. He's an impact player. Reed's numbers as the primary ball handler have also been underwhelming - and I've been a Reed supporter from the beginning. Where he has shined at is in isolation and his shooting has improved over the last half of the season to what we expected when he was drafted. He's also had a tough time defensively - I think that's a huge part of why we didn't see more of him last season. Drafting Jakucionis is more planning beyond FVV than displacing Amen or Reed. The guy most affected is probably Jalen Green. All three of those guys working out leaves little room on the roster for a $33m inconsistent SG. Walter Clayton Jr is also high on my wish list. He might not fit as well with Shepard as Jakucionis or Demin but he's a winning player and a straight up dog.
I could see a 3 year deal starting at ~$30ish with the 2nd and 3rd years being team options. That makes him a tradable asset in case a star comes on the market or an upgrade at the PG spot becomes available. There just isn't much out there at the position this off season.
I’m ambivalent on Kasparas, but if the shooting is going to be elite he makes a ton of sense. Honestly I think Walter Clayton has that killer mentality and is already an elite shooter. So many of his 3pt shots were from nba range. I get the size concerns but he’s a much better shooter and defender than Kasparas. I get that Kasparas is the consensus better prospect, but if Clayton was 2 inches taller I think he’d be drafted ahead of Kasparas.
There is no job posting that says "We are looking for a starting PG with a starting salary of 25mm." As I suggested yesterday, the Rockets are not going to cut FVV on a wing and prayer that Reed, Amen, and Holiday suddenly turn into better PGs. In Udoka's system, a player needs to prove they deserve the job. Amen proved he deserved to be a starter, but he didn't prove to be a good PG.
