Amen absolutely needs to take on the Giannis role next year, unless Giannis is on this team. I’m hoping the Bucks look awful and Giannis finally forces his way out and we go extremely hard after him. I am of the firm belief that the non-coast teams will have a 2-3 year window to win a championship after Lebron retires, if Giannis doesn’t end up a Laker. Doncic can’t carry a team past defensive teams like the Rockets and OKC without a sidekick. Getting Giannis on the Rockets is more than just getting a great player, it is also about who doesn’t get him.
I'd hesitate to trade for Giannis. Getting him won't be cheap. We'd probably have to give up multiple young studs and some draft capitals. Giannis will soon be on the other side of 30. Unlike skilled players like Harden and Durant, Giannis whose game is about physical abilities will decline much faster, like Westbrook. He would give us maybe 2 or 3 year window to win. And then we'd have to rebuild again. If your goal is "get him before someone else does" then you should hope MIL to do fairly well so that Giannis won't want to leave.
I'm on the fence personally. I guess it would depend on the price in terms of trade assets. Amen is basically the smaller, quicker version right now on offense, so the fit on that end of the floor is kind of weird, unless you're trading Amen for him. But you'd think the Rockets would try to hold onto Amen and make it Sengun + picks and stuff for Giannis. (Who knows if the Bucks would even accept that, they might say "Amen or no deal".) I think I would seriously consider it if it was like, Sengun + Cam + three draft picks, something along those lines (give or take a pick or a Reed Sheppard?). That gives us enough ammo to potentially keep things rolling after Giannis leaves his prime in a few years. I don't think I would trade Amen for him. I'm at the point where I think he's the only guy we have with a really good shot at becoming a top 5 player. If Giannis were three years younger, sure.
I think it’s Sengun, Dillon and 4-5 picks. I would do it. I think Giannis is Lebron like with his athleticism and will be great for another 5 years. Everybody loses their crap about the age factor, but Lebron, Durant, Curry, Butler are all defying that logic and Giannis has a body type and a work ethic very similar to Lebron. I love Sengun and hate to give him up, but Giannis is a perpetual MVP candidate when his team is in the championship hunt, which with Amen, Jabari, Jalen, etc. he will definitely be in that hunt. The potential for “Showtime” Rockets would be phenomenal and so much more fun than the in-out game with Sengun. We could also make a play for Reid or another 3 and D guy to give Amen and Giannis more outside shooting.
LeBron is a rare freak. You can't expect anyone to be like him. All these other guys have one thing in common that Giannis doesn't have: ball skills. Giannis is more like Westbrook. He will likely be a bench player when he loses his athleticism.
My thing is I think he's already showing some ill effects from age--it feels like he's dealing with nagging injuries at playoff time every season and underperforms. That said, he claims to be a true 7-footer, and I think that's probably true. I think WB, barring major career-ending injuries, would have aged better if he were basically a big man with small forward skills. I can think of a lot of guys that size who were highly effective up until age 34-35 or so. Only a few into their late 30s. I think it's possible Giannis could play near this level until age 35. Not 40 like LeBron though, you're probably correct on that one.
In an interview, Ausar said that Amen is very calm on the court but has a temper off of it (just ask Tyler Herro). Amen must avoid all that extracurricular stuff that the Warriors might try to do. If he can do this, his cerebral-ness and hyperprocessing basketball brain will shine in these playoffs where only geniuses succeed.
Funny you say that since Westbrook has barely declined due to age. What really limited his quickness and athleticism is the injury caused by PatBev, but if you compare him on the Rockets for example in 2020 and today on the Nuggets there is barely any difference. Giannis will be 31 this year he will have 5 yrs and then he is on WB's current state. Of course he will cost a king's ransom to get but if we do trade for a superstar Giannis is preferable to Booker or KD.
When Westbrook played for the Rockets, he was 31, and yes, he was declining. I remember we talked about him losing a step, not being able to jump as high getting to the basket, etc. Not sure how you can blame that on the PatBev injury. That had happened 3 years before and he was still in MVP conversation a couple years after that. Giannis will likely start declining within 2 or 3 years. Giannis, Booker, or KD? Honestly I don't salivate over any of them. Normally, you would be excited about getting a superstar. But all these guys will require giving up a chuck of your future to get. (Durant might be cheaper.) Giannis and KD are on the wrong side of their prime. Booker is the youngest. But he is the least impactful player among them and his contract is not worth it. In fact, all of them are making huge amount of money.
The patbev injury undercut him and he tore his ACL, WB wasnt the same after that. He never recovered to his previous self and when people say he lost a step they were referring to that. At 31 yrs old no way was WB losing his step due to age lol. Thats like looking at Giannis now and saying he lost a step at age 30. I actually agree with you, I prefer our depth and youth movement. I think our guys will be amazing if we manage to keep them together for the next 5 yrs. But if we are gonna do a star trade, Giannis is the best candidate imo. You may think he will decline in 3 yrs, but thats just speculation with no basis at this point. Either him or Trae Young, with Wolves success I dont think Ant will ask out anymore.
On second thought, Tim Duncan also never won DPOY (and only finished top 3 in voting twice), which makes me less angry. 10-time 1st all defense. 5 rings. What's Amen's destiny? Probably will get his first 1st team selection this season.
Duncan was all defensive 1st team his rookie year, then 1st team all-NBA and all defense, won a ring + finals MVP his sophomore year @ 22 yrs old. One can hope.
