I love this combo with Reed coming off of the bench. The Rockets can lock down and just out-talent/out-muscle the other team’s starters … then just as they take a break and the reserves come in (who typically are worse defenders), Reed blitzes them with quick 3s and quick hands while DFS defends the wings and Adams takes all the rebounds. It is demoralizing as hell to have someone bombing away and everyone causing havoc on D and the boards while the all-stars rest. No rest for the weary…
I love the way Tari's looking. He impacts the game across the board, and that J is a game changer. That said, the same problem remains. No matter how good he plays, if he can't stay on the court.....and there's always the risk of career ending injury with that leg.... You HAVE to sell high. We have to look at the big picture.
Udoka is extremely lucky for the roster he has. Too much talent. These Amen/Bari/Tari guys would be doing allstar numbers on mediocre teams. Then he has Durant and Alperen. Then vets like Adams, Dorian Finney Smith, Capela...at the end of the bench more vets like Jeff Green, Tate, Holliday... Then a former #3 pick who looks like an elite shooter in the making... then he signs Okogie and he suddenly is an elite 3pt shooter... This team as it is it has all the championhip pieces, even without Fred. Right now. It is on Ime to improve the quality of the positional offense, which looks awful too often. He has all the freaking pieces a coach can ask for, and more.
I prefer Tari in the short term over Bari. That said, I think getting Reed more minutes is more important than the Tari v. Bari discussion. Reed almost must start as it is just hard for him to get more minutes without starting or coming in earlier. It is just hard to get more than he is getting with 14 minutes in 1st and 3rd combined going to starters, and Reed needing a rest in the other 21 minutes of each half. I will say that Tari replacing Okogie looks to have really helped the starters as they needed another shooter. Also, Tari's energy helps KD, who sometimes needs on-court rest. Though, Tari has been smoking hot as a starter. I don't think Tari will keep playing as well as he has, and we will have to see if that is still enough shooting.
“Did we find something with the double bigs? I think we did?! If it ain’t broke, don’t touch it.” “We’re 11-1 (13-6) when Okogie starts! If it ain’t broke, don’t touch it.” “We have a net rating plus minus of eleventy billion when Tari starts! If it ain’t broke, don’t touch it.” Start him. Terror Twins™ reunited. Ride him until the wheels fall off. If he gets hurt, he gets hurt. Keep Reed where he is. He is our Payton Pritchard, our Cam/Pat Spencer, our Collin Gillespie, our TJ McConnell, our Tyler Kolek. “Be a [sturdy] backup point guard for us.” — Udoka Fred will get his starting spot back next year. Reed continues to be sixth man. Then we re-sign Reed to a Pritchard deal. (4 years, $30M)
I hear that. But let’s just be real that we’ve been playing bottom of the barrel competition. Im still getting over that terrible string of losses to both good and bad teams. I’m excited to see what this lineup can do against the top teams. I really want to figure out how we can cut down on the turnovers though. That may have nothing to do with Reed. I agree that we should leave well enough alone for now. I also don’t want to screw with Bari’s obvious developmental progress. But we’ll still need to find a way to get Reed more minutes lest we undercut his developmental progress.
How are the Rockets going to sell high on Tari Eason when he is a free agent after the season, and other NBA general managers know his injury history? Not to mention, unless you get a comparable rotation player in return, the Rockets are hurting their chances of winning a championship this season. They will not get appropriate value at the trade deadline. Their best course of action is to ride out the year with Eason and match his RFA offer. His injury history is going to depress offers from other interested teams, too. If they need to make room for his contract in 2026-2027, figure out how to move either Finney-Smith or Steven Adams for salary relief. I like both players, but you don’t lose Tari Eason to keep them.
He's playing the best ball of his career right now. The improved three helps balance out some of the aforementioned injury history. Someone will bite. I realize we're a much better team with him right now, but his health cannot be counted on. It's like a stock with a short cover. This is the perfect set up to target another high impact player without the injury history. We throw in a pick or two if necessary. DFS is on the mend, and will eventually lighten the impact of Tari's absence. Sign and trade.
Eason is the Big Intangible, a rare player who’s worth more than it appears on the surface. I trust that the coaching staff knows more about his health and injuries than we do. If they believe he isn’t chronically hurt and destined to miss more games, it would seem foolish to trade him for anything short of a goldmine. QUOTE="Plowman, post: 15986960, member: 1967"]He's playing the best ball of his career right now. The improved three helps balance out some of the aforementioned injury history. Someone will bite. I realize we're a much better team with him right now, but his health cannot be counted on. It's like a stock with a short cover. This is the perfect set up to target another high impact player without the injury history. We throw in a pick or two if necessary. DFS is on the mend, and will eventually lighten the impact of Tari's absence. Sign and trade.[/QUOTE]
I agree that they should know the risk, and Stone will act accordingly. To be clear, I'm not talking about dealing him for just anybody....more like as a principle in a trade for someone generally considered better than him...a high value player.
Sadly I think it may be wishful thinking on that last point. I think he's genuinely going to make it impossible for us not to pay him starter money, he's clearly not a backup level talent.
I sincerely doubt another team is willing to offer the moon for Tari Eason by the February trade deadline considering his injury history and impending free agency after the season. The Rockets wouldn’t get enough value and talent back to make it worth weakening their championship aspirations. Austin Reaves for Tari Eason might have made sense, but Reaves is now out for a month with a calf injury. Unless the plan is to package Eason with other assets to get a significantly better player, the Rockets get worse. Perhaps Giannis and the Bucks finally pursue trade options, but otherwise, there are not going to be many players available that fit that bill. Also, any team with the cap space and willingness to sign Eason to a restricted free agent offer sheet is not going to give the Rockets anything significant in a sign and trade this offseason. Finally, prioritizing a player eight years older (Dorian Finney-Smith) over a 24-year-old Eason is poor good asset management. You trade the older player and keep the younger one.
How many more minutes does Reed need for his development? That whole point of debate should cooked and well done by now. He's getting enough minutes, he's getting them at key times, he's encountering diverse kinds of opportunities and difficulties on both ends of the floor and has responded with both growth and failure, as expected. Some games his 3-point shooting is deadeye, others he creates his own shot, racks up assists, steals, blocks and whatever else. This is Reed's first full NBA season and 25-30 mins is just what he needs and I want him fresh for the postseason. Maybe I'm off base, but Reed's stamina concerns me a bit. Not for next year and beyond, but this year. I'm to the point of believing for several Reed-lovers here, there is literally NOTHING Ime could do to satisfy them. Re Bari, I hope he continues the recent efficiency, but we've been here before. At 12-13 shots per game, he's about maxed out. The TOs really bug me because so many of them are not because of the defense. Unfortunately, KD is just careless and doesn't value the ball. Same for Alpi. Sometimes I think those two are setting the tone for the rest of the team. If Fred or a traditional PG were eating minutes, TOs would probably decrease but the offense would be less dynamic. I'm nearing the conclusion it just comes with the territory, but I'm not there yet.
I don't want DFS to replace him in a vacuum...don't want to just get older. You likely missed it as I posted later that it's my intention to move him in a deal for a higher level player. DV, I completely understand where you're coming from and those are valid points. Either way, his improved play of late bodes well for our Rockets. I'd like nothing more than for him to stay healthy.
How do you expect we trade an expiring contract with health concerns for a better player? For a hidden gem, maybe. For a “generally considered” better player? I highly doubt it.
OG Anunoby games played: Age 23- 43 Age 24- 48 Knee and hamstring. Not making a direct comparison but there’s one precedent of a guy that can guard best players and shoot being highly valued throughout the league despite injury concerns.
