This has been one of the most frustrating seasons in my Rockets lifetime because expectations were so high. FVV going down early hurt, but the bigger issue feels like a lack of mental toughness across the entire organization. Add in questionable adjustments, bad 3-point shooting and player decision-making, and guys not taking the leap. It feels like we’ve regressed across the board (front office, coaching, and players). As a fan, it’s just tough to watch right now, especially knowing the ceiling is still there. I want to continue watching every game, but I have better things to do with my time. Let’s see where we are in two months…
Biggest issue is - teams have figured it out, Ime is playing 90s basketball … we try and out rebound and out score teams in the paint … while not taking a bunch of 3s - teams have adjusted to just jacking a bunch of 3s and packing the paint because our bench is so thin soon as Tari gets hurt, and DFS is still not healthy and moving like his shoes are made of concrete, Alpi and Adams being hurt forced more minutes on Bari and now his 3pt shot is broken (legs are huge) Reed is targeted on defense which in Ime eyes cancels out what he brings on offense - Holiday isn’t the answer and apparently neither is Davidson
I’m not sure the ceiling is there. I’m worried about Bari and Tari. One can’t shoot; the other can’t stay on the court. Reed isn’t getting the freedom to make mistakes; it doesn’t feel like his development is much of a priority to the coach. Speaking of the coach, he’s been out-coached several times and can’t seem to adjust to the personnel he has to work with. I’m worried that the coach was playing GM this summer and that how we ended up with no guards and a broken down Clint and DFS. We just aren’t a contending team and I worry we jumped the gun going in on the win-now approach. I wish we would consider resetting the timeline by either making a consolidation trade for a young core piece or finding a way to take another big swing in the draft; i’m not sure we have “the guys”. Big trust gap with the coach and the front office right now.
KD trade and leaning into older slower veterans broke our roster. Adams - love him, but he should not be more than a bit player when needed - too slow, bad hands, zero offensive threat and doesn't guard the rim. KD - At this point he is just a shooter, he doesn't do much else well - should become a secondary players and minutes restricted. DFS - Injured and slow and unathletic The Rockets have a team that doesn't fit together - we went from a fast paced athletic team - to a slow unathletc one, and we are trying to get the old guys to beat the young ones off the dribble and they can't do that. DD
It’s a gimmick team Deny KD the ball, put a center on Amen, and gang rebound Probably why we feel like we’re getting outcoached every game because gameplanning against us is so easy
We knew what were getting into once we heard Fred was getting injured. Losing your starting PG, is a big step back. So it shows, but still the rockets were on one of the worst stretches in the league in terms of Away games. Houston has some home games coming, and lets hope they get back on track. When KD, hit that 3 vs suns at Home!, things look great, if the team went on easy mode after that, because well KD is here, they have no reason to take these teams seriously, better believe every team going to take you seriously and try to beat you. Sengun has been out, so its very easy for them to get into this funk like they did. Its time to wake up, and get back on track! Lets do it now, they too good of team to be in this rut! Still no reason to panick. Home games coming..
The Rockets have a huge spacing issue. Shooting the past 5 games or so has overshadowed this issue, but it was masking it earlier in the season. Shooters have to shoot their way out of slumps. Guys got to get healthy. DFS does not look like the same guy who was guarding Ant last season. FVV being out all year is felt more when a couple of other guys are out or playing well below 100%. Holiday should not start. I like Holiday more than most here, but he's been horrible for a long while. Teams are going to play zone, sag off non-shooters away from the basket as long as the Rockets keep playing 2 to 3 non-shooters at a time. Ime's solution is more defense. I think Rockets need to try to play their best shooters anytime 2 non-shooters are on the court and pray the shooting returns.
Bingo @gfab-babyboi @carl_herrera Playing 90s basketball in the year 2026. Said it last year “They're not a typical modern NBA team. In terms of spreading you out, playing fast, and shooting a million threes — they're kind of old school in many ways. It felt like 1997 out there to me — a completely different NBA game than what we're used to. And we've got to be ready for that. This is what this series is going to be," Kerr said. 8 forwards (Durant, Amen, Jabari, Tari, Dori, Okogie, Tate, Green) 3 centers (Sengun, Adams, Capela, *not the modern centers) 1 guard* (who got hurt; *that the coach trusts) We start 2 non-shooters (sometimes 3, no other team does this). We play double bigs (neither of which can shoot) Take the least amount of threes. It’s “your turn, my turn” iso ball. “#1 offense” was always fake “#1 3pt shooting team” was always fake We’re struggling to score 95-100 points these last 5 games and the coach is talking about “need better defense”.
It was my biggest gripe cause GS showed the blueprint to beating us - they just took double if not more 3s than us the whole series …but Ime ignores this, even if we almost lose or get close to losing everytime we play teams that just say F the PF and C position, we going to play fast, jack up 3s and pack the paint. Alpi - can’t shoot Amen - can’t shoot Adams - can’t shoot Durant - double him and high chance of turnover Bari - can’t create and now lost his shot put Tari in for Adams and he can’t stay healthy and not a creator either I’ll stand by the trade should have been FVV TARI (filler) if we wanted Durant … instead of DFS we should have went after Grimes .. I would of brought Landale back over Capela cause atleast he could spread the floor abit off bench
The 90s thing is right been saying that forever that we don't shoot enough 3s....we shoot 2s they shoot 3s we lose. DD
To be effective, modern NBA teams tend to need a certain mix of skills. Our FO and coach, as a gambit, rejected that and concentrated resources on only a couple of those skills (rebounding and defense) and deprioritized other critical ones (perimeter shooting/creation/playmaking, which are harder to acquire). There were some metrics that suggested this gambit might work. Turns out, it doesn’t work. What’s next? Choosing which combo of young players we actually believe in, acquiring a long term offensive primary that can shoot the ball, and making hard decisions to build a team that maximizes them.
Exactly what I have been saying, we leaned ENTIRELY the WRONG way, good offense always beats good defense....... Honestly, Adams should be dropped from the rotation all together....he is too slow and doesn't protect the rim..... you don't need rebounds when you make shots. DD
i posted this in another thread... but seems pertinent here as well, so wtf... Folks wanted to 'trust the process'.... tank and get a bunch of lottery picks.... Personally, I've always been about getting known commodities - but thats not as 'sexy' for most as a high lottery pick.... KD has done his job. He has been as advertised. ...and he'd prob be better is he were on a reasonable minutes load... If we had sent out Jabari instead of Dillon Brooks, we'd be in a great position... If we had FVV instead of Reed we'd be in a much better position... Amen is spitfire - but he cant shoot... and makes many mistakes... Folks claiming that losing JG hurt us - no it didnt... he was skitzy af.... Now folks can claim that its mgmt's fault for picking the wrong guys... but Stone took the consensus bpa.... Everybody says its about guys developing... the thing is that many players dont develop into starting caliber players... thats what we are seeing... Could we get a #3 or #4 pick for Jabari, Amen or Reed today? Could we have gotten a #2 for JG? Thats lost value.... Our best draft result has been Sengun... and he was taken at #16... thats a 'treadmill of mediocrity pick'.... or at least thats what i was told... jus sayin....
