They're basically gonna be what the Rockets would've been a year ago had they gotten Bosh and matched Parsons. An amazing starting 5 with a very weak bench, only much older. I may be in the minority, but I have serious questions about that roster. Great starting 5 even if Duncan has to play center full-time. But a bench of Manu(again assuming he's willing to return for a fraction of what he made last year), Diaw, and Mills is not very impressive. Sure, they'll find some vets to fill out that team, but they won't be adequate replacements for what they had last year. And remember Pop's plan. He limits the minutes(and even games played) for the veterans to save them for the playoffs. But will he have that luxury with a gutted bench and no starting center? It sounds like a lot will be asked of Duncan, Parker, and Manu next season and that could blow up in their faces if any key guy gets hurt. And one more thing. What about after next season? Is Duncan gonna play into his 40s? Will Manu keep going as he pushes 40? Is Parker just coming off a bad year or is he over the hill? Honestly, I see the Spurs have a pretty good shot next season with Aldridge and then it could unravel quickly as their old guys break down(think '97 Rockets vs. '98 Rockets).
Well, the response didn't have to be "Aldridge loves the Lakers and wants to bring Robin Lopez with him." At least half of that statement is absurd. cyberx is a Lakers fan so can't blame him too much for this. IIRC he made a couple of similar speculations regarding Dwight before he came to Houston.
You are assuming the Rockets can just get Lowry, Bledsoe or Lawson. You are also assuming the Rockets can get Durant. Look, right now the Spurs have an exceptional mix of youth and veterans if they sign Aldridge. Vets: Duncan/Parker/Gino Youth: Aldridge/Leonard/Green/Mills Also all these players can play multiple positions. No team can match that mix. Does that mean the Spurs would be a lock for the Finals? No, but if you are Aldridge, you cannot tell me it isn't appealing. Also don't forget that LMA ****ted all over the Rockets in the playoffs two years ago, he may not see them as all that great.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Always hard to gauge how a meeting really went, but Lakers felt better about this mtg w/ Aldridge than they did w/ Dwight or Melo.</p>— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) <a href="https://twitter.com/ramonashelburne/status/616142290235588608">July 1, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> cyberx=Ramona confirmed.
Considering the obstacles we have versus the Lakers, yes, I think it's a laughable situation in LaLa land. They are like the Francis-era Rockets. Rockets will be in a laughable situation of we don't build upon last year's WCF team. PG is the biggest, most glaring need for us. Both starting and backup PG.
Laughing at the media's reports how the meeting went extremely well. I didn't say anything about our chances at LMA, and never thought we really had a chance.
Parker/Green/Kawhi/LMA/Duncan Bench: Ginobli/Dalembert (vet minimum or room MLE)/Diaw/ it's impossible to know what the roster would be until we see just how much Duncan and Ginobli sign for, but they could conceivably keep the whole gang together if everyone is taking a discount. It also wouldn't surprise me to see them Jedi mind trick LMA into taking a few million under the max so they could hold onto Patty Mills.
[Young]: The Rockets, Pelicans and Knicks have interest in unrestricted free agent Kendrick Perkins, according to a source.
Guys, we need to stop thinking about contracts in terms of raw dollars. These numbrs won't look so ridiculous under the new cap
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Some rival execs beginning to operate under assumption LMA to Spurs is happening. Dallas considered frontrunner for Wes Matthews.</p>— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZachLowe_NBA/status/616278962541625344">July 1, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
