We had the fake season last year due to our young guys playing 100% every night and west being easier as overall compared to last year. Last year had clearly good 8 teams in the west, rest of the teams were tanking. This year even the worse team will challenge anyone (Kings, Pelicans, Jazz, Clippers, Blazers and Mavs) Let’s be honest, without KD are we better than full power Jazz, Blazers, Mavs or even Pelicans?
Let me be clear about something: As I fan, I only care about (i) winning, and (ii) player development is the hope that it will lead to winning. It would be great to have both of those things, but I would settle for one. But when Josh Okogie and JD Davison are getting more minutes than Reed while we are losing, I cannot stomach this team.
In the end, credit and blame should be handed out equally for everyone. If you believe that it was Udoka who led the team from basement to .500 to 2nd seed last year, then you also needs more blame this year for the Rockets on pace to win fewer games despite better talent. If you believe, as I did, that adding talent and growing talent was the main reason to drive those increase in win totals, then honestly the blame falls more on whoever built this current team. Which actually may still be Udoka. Or it may be more on Stone. But likely a combination of both. Because if you look at last year's team compared to this one, it's basically been a trade of FVV+Brooks+Jalen for KD, DFS, Capela, and Josh Okogie. With one extra year of development for Sengun/Reed/Amen/Jabari/Tari. Talent wise, the Rockets should be BETTER than last year. The fact that they clearly don't look that way means the talent don't work together. And that's on team building
