None of them have had the trajectory of our 3-4 year fall down from grace, from talent in both the front office and on the court that enjoyed being here, kept things competitive. Then new owner came and all of a sudden our asset focused GM had to do gymnastics every year to save money often with no basketball reasons to the point where none of those franchises can brag their CEO, GM, Assistant GMs, coach, associate head coach all ran the other way, often leaving money on the table. Maybe unprecedented in all the angles of people leaving in that way. Knicks have had their issues with their owner, but he spends money thats a bare minimum in really what they can contribute to the team, finances. Memphis has drafted young talent, even tried paying for bringing in Iguodola a contract rockets wouldn't sniff unless it 'guaranteed a finals' or some other obscure goal post Tilman will create. Sacramento, terrible decision making, at least they spend. Chicago...close to terrible culture. Phoenix, the other owner in the bottom of the barrel with tilman in Sarver, has a history of losing trust with stars and lucked out Booker stayed put and now finally contending after spending on a guy tilman said was the worst contract in business or sports. Orlando, terrible ownership and management as well. Clippers and Nets..new age owners came in, spent money and are changing the narrative as we speak. Rockets got the opposite Tilman won't really need to prove himself now except by staying out of the rebuild to get a fast track to the 8th seed/profitability but really when the young talent is due their extensions and 4-7 years and we'll see he learned
Please God , oh God please let us pick first in the draft.... https://images.app.goo.gl/SDv6DWhWn2ev3WbY6
Not sure if even possible but if the ping pong ball bounces our way and we land 1 and assume we are drafting Cade, do we consider trading Wood and 23/24 to move back into the top 5 for Green or replace Wood with Mobley? I know a lot of if's and assumption but it is even possible. Would teams like Cleveland, OKC, Detroit, Orland even be interested and does Wood even carry that kind of value along with 23 and 24? Can you imagine the 2020 Rockets (Cade, Green (or Mobley), Porter Jr, KMJ, and Tate, PLUS) And love it or hate it, you do have a strong vet presence in John Wall.
Just for conversation https://sports.yahoo.com/nba-mock-d...es-a-serious-look-at-no-1-spot-155622404.html
Stars are gonna get paid .... and Tilman will open the checkbook for them. The stars aren't what was wrong with the Rockets .... It was the mid tier players where he refused to spend or spend above the tax line. We'll get to see very soon if he's learned his lesson , two things will be very telling as to their willingness to spend to build a contender. That starts by using every tool at your disposal to better your roster .... Bird rights and MLE's are the biggest tools for teams over the cap. Letting another MLE rot on the vine will tell us if Tilman learned his lesson or if he's still the same cheap guy who says one thing and does the opposite. Letting Olynyk's bird rights fly away would be Ariza 2.0. That was the straw that broke the camel's back .... and sent everyone running for the exits.
We can say we’ll see if Tilman learns his lesson about spending years from now or whatever, but at the end of the day, if he just doesn’t have the finances, what’s he gonna do? He’s not gonna sell the team How long is he gonna be paying off all the loans he’s got?
Learning the lessons about spending doesn't start years from now , it starts right now , this offseason. Either he learned or he didn't. As for the money , the team pays for itself , it runs a substantial surplus ..... as does every other franchise , even some paying big tax bills.
Would be a great breakdown to see if someone can deep dive into the financial situation. We know the initial terms that he has to pay les back some 100+ million with loans, he also borrowed the max amount from the nba, then the rest in bonds. We know his business has struggled then more so after the pandemic and he was cutting cost before hand and he took out a pretty terrible loan again last spring/summer, but also i believe took some of his company public for funds as well. How does that all affect the rockets? We may not have to see until whatever rookies we get this and next year go for their 2nd contracct as the first extension makes easy financial sense, then things its more of a level playing field on what other teams can offer including talent, role players, better staff/culture. We failed the first time, massively under tilman losing our Preisdent, GM, coach, stars, role players. he has punted essentially an has us looking far away and hopefully by then all those payments are under control. Can be the difference of being prepetually good enough vs really going for it.
Agreed, I'm not sure what kind of creative accounting they do to show a loss, but just the tv deals especially next one cover a good chunk of the salary's coming in. Tilman has more cost and interest owed than maybe every other owner having bought in at the peak prices while being the most over leveraged, but you are right, while I have thought of it like he won't have big salary spending for years, if he really learns his lessons he will beging working on facilities and not just announce it for the media like last time. He will hire staff, player development, trainers, and make us a destination to develop and show out the best in your game. Those railroad tracks have to be laid out asap for us to be in the position to be a destination for talent for staff, for front office, and for players and then ultimately fans as well. His track record is bringing a great recipe for restaurants and making them uniform, good for him. This is a whole different set of economics that was slapped in his face that no one cares about his reality show and tilmanisms out here. We don't need you to teach chris paul a killer instinct and how he should've stepped on their throats in game 4 as if that means something in basketball, just hold your own on the finances and get the hell out of the way and enjoy your ring and gold when the time comes.
The first five Cade Cunningham, F, Oklahoma State Cunningham is not just the most complete prospect of the draft; he is as well rounded as any player for many years while still having star potential. That not only will almost certainly make him the first player taken regardless of who lands the top pick (the Rockets have a 14 percent of picking first,) his combination of size at 6-8, playmaking and scoring ability inside, in the mid-range and from the 3-point line would make him an easy fit no matter how the Rockets’ roster develops. Jalen Green, SG, G League Ignite Arguably the most explosive player in the draft, Green could go second, third or fourth, depending on how teams view his star potential. He had that kind of talent, not just athletically but as a potential elite scorer. Evan Mobley, C, USC Mobley offers great length and mobility and could become an ideal modern big man. He does need to fill out a lanky frame and will need time, as to be expected for teenagers taken at the top of the draft. That description could sound similar to Christian Wood, but the Rockets would likely take the prospect they like most and worry about need and fit later. Jalen Suggs, G, Gonzaga Suggs could be a polished, well-rounded prospect, expected to excel on both ends of the floor. That does not mean he does not have top-of-draft upside, with ability to excel as a scorer, playmaker and defender. Jonathan Kuminga, F, G League Elite Though Kuminga seems increasingly likely to be fifth among the top five players ahead of the pack, he also has upside that would not make him out of place going a few picks sooner. An athletic wing, Kuminga was a top prospect before he exceled in the G League bubble. The Miami middle Moses Moody, SG, Arkansas As long as the Rockets will be evaluating teenagers if they can stay in the top four, they can look at an 18-year-old in case they fall to the Miami pick and he falls to 18. Moody seems to fit Rafael Stone’s taste for versatile defenders with 3-and-D skills. Some predict a climb into the lottery or even top 10 but for now, he appears a mid-first rounder. James Bouknight, SG, Connecticut Another player with potential to climb in the pre-draft process, Bouknight could also make the fall to the Miami pick less damaging than it would feel on lottery night. Bouknight has some sensational offensive stretches and could be effective on or off the ball. Ziaire Williams, SF, Stanford If the Rockets do fall, it might be wise to bet on upside, especially with three first-round picks. Williams, who went into the season expected to be a certain lottery pick, has that kind of potential. Kai Jones, PF, Texas Jones will also need time to develop but would have outstanding size and potential for a player with a chance to be on the board at 18. Cameron Thomas, SG, LSU Among the top scorers in the draft, Thomas’ skills and offensive feel should translate quickly. He was less efficient than teams might prefer but that could because of his role and he could overcome those sorts of questions in workouts. The Blazers/Bucks back-to-back picks Sharife Cooper, PG, Auburn Daryl Morey’s first first-round pick as GM was an undersized point guard, Aaron Brooks. Stone’s first first round could bring another. Cooper’s playmaking and ballhandling makes up for a lack of size, particularly with Cooper’s vision. Jared Butler, PG/SG, Baylor A different sort of guard than Cooper, Butler also could still be on the board in the Blazers/Bucks range. Butler is more of a combo guard but can work on or off the ball and has similar versatility defensively, qualities that Stone has been known to seek in previous moves. Ayo Dosunmu, G, Illinois As with Butler, Dosunmu was an All-American who could offer unusual versatility as a player in the final third of the first round. Pre-draft evaluations could influence opinions but he has shown potential as a shooter and playmaker with a competitive fire defensively. Jalen Johnson, F, Duke Johnson’s tough season at Duke has led to a wide variety of opinions but he has the sort of upside, with ballhandling skills and great size, that could make him a good gamble for a team with three first-round picks. He could go in the top 10, late lottery or be a player that slides on draft night. Tre Mann, G, Florida Mann could go considerably earlier but there is some potential to slip, which would make him good value if he makes it to the Bucks/Blazers picks. Mann has versatility to play either guard spot with shooting range that should translate.
I’m very high on Green atp. I think he’s the “Trey Young” to Cade’s Luka. (Or Ja to Zion). Would love to pick him number 2 if we can’t get Cade at 1.
I could see him being like a Bradley beal, he ould be like buddy hield, ben mac too. ITs always tough to see how things translate and the personalities in how they develop. But green is also unique in getting a year of Gleague experience, far far better talent than he would ever see in college, closely resembles the nba game so more prepared then other prospects and access to nba level coaching for the entire year while playing other great prospects. He did well too. I still think Cade has the most unique special goods and with his shot he should can contribute to a team in so many ways. Suggs also has a game thats better suited for nba than college Mobely is uniquely athletic, maybe go down like an ayton but ayton did much better in college. Then Jalen Johnson from duke also has a very unique game with some hints of tatum, some of ben simmons and is a very interesting prospect. If we get that top 4, stone can really play and rockets fans will find some excitement even if its not no 1 cade
This is the longest wait of my life lmao I've already got lottery day & draft night booked off from work
lelz there's no lesson for tillmen to learn. he's not in the business of a championship. he's here to generate monies. the only lesson he could learn is to shut his mouth, cus it smells worse than schitte.
Even though Wood is 26, he still has good upside. He is underweight, he should be playing at the 4 spot. Right now, his biggest concern are injuries. He should be fine as he recovers from his sprained ankle, but the risk of re-injury is present. Your doubts about him being able to acquire Mobley or Green are valid. Mobley is only 215 lbs for a 7 footer. He probably won't be able to bang with 4's and 5's. Cade outweighs him. A bigger 5 plus KO will can help decrease the pressure for Wood. This will require Tilman to go over the LT. This is highly improbable.
Look at Warriors. They are likely to get minessota's pick after minessota miserably failed at tanking at the end of the season. The warriors are win now, they may entertain the idea of woods for the 5th
I don't think anyone thinks tilman would or should goto the LT for this squad. Tillman didn't do it when you had james harden and win now players, why would he now? Plus we have wood for 2 more seasons, when he is up for another contract Walll and EG are gone so there will be plenty of money before the tax.
Interesting, sometimes weird, reinvention of positions. The distinction between Jumbo Initiator and Forward Creator is paper thin IMO. I was more impressed by his mock order.
