Can the Rockets make the playoffs without Patrick Patterson?

Hmmm... Alright?

Notwithstanding the stuff with Carl (other posters who have been around here a long time seem to really be at odds with him because of this), I would say that Morey is not infallible and he can do things both correct and wrong. He took a team that was a 8th/9th seed and turned it in to a 7th seed with upside. Let's not act as though he took his team from the bottom of the lottery to the finals in one year like Danny Ainge.

He compiled 'assets' for years to get here. We are still a MAJOR piece away from competing. But I guess we should all be licking his bootstraps for fielding a team of kids who are overachieving (in part because of our coaches, who don't get 1/10th the love as Morey) all the way to the possible 6th seed...

Ask yourself this: Is there anything Morey could do that would make you disagree with him? Or do you actually believe that because he got James Harden that he will forever be correct in all dealings?

 

I really only disagree with you on how this trade comes out bad. I think if PPat is an arguably similar/better player than Trob throughout his career, it is a clearly bad trade. That stands to reason for me, since not only would we have lost the better short-term player, but we would have forfeited our team's chemistry and perhaps additional growth this year.

When I see our guys yelling at eachother on the court, I cringe and wonder if that would all be happening with PPat out there. I have been to a lot of games this year, and I never saw the guys going after one another as much as I have lately. It may just be the stress and being young, but it does make me wonder.

 

So what would be the benefit of arguing with you then? Have a good day sir.

 

That's one way of interpreting it.

Another is that these players have become close enough to each other that they're not afraid to call each other out and voice their opinions and disagreements, even on the court.

Eye of the beholder and all that...

 

Where's the Moochie Norris option?

 

I don't have a problem with Carl being upset about Patterson. I spent a few years here defending Luis Scola, and I'm sure some members grew tired of it, even if they didn't say anything. I was upset that Morey got rid of him. It still bothers me, but I've moved on. The deals that moved Patrick and Morris? I said at the time that it would probably hurt us in the short term, even affect what looked like a clear path to the playoffs, as unlikely as that might have been at the start of the season. That it was a long term move. You clear the log jam at the 4 to give some young guys some minutes, guys like Donuts in particular. You get the 5th pick of the draft, a guy with a lot of potential, who you groom for the future as a player on the team, or a fellow to be moved as part of a deal. You get what will probably be an excellent 2nd round pick, and I like Morey's track record with the 2nd round.

The GARM can, and frequently is, an on-going melodrama, right up there with General Hospital. Members rant and rave about the tiniest things, micro-analyze the most insignificant comments by, hell, anyone connected with the Rocks, whether it be the front office, or the coaching staff, or a player. Doesn't matter. Someone will make a huge deal out of virtually anything here and spew out dozens of posts "defending" their "position," assuming one can figure out what that is, which is sometimes a challenge.

Yeah, I don't have a problem with CH's threads about Patrick, and I don't have a problem with this thread. It's a good question. Of course the trades impacted the team's performance. How could they not? The question is whether the impact is large enough to affect our ability to get in the playoffs this year, a question I still can't answer. I think Morey weighed the pros and cons of the two moves and decided it was worth the risk. Then he convinced Alexander that it was worth the risk, and we all know how much Alexander cares about getting back to the playoffs. He cares a hell of a lot, yet he obviously agreed to the two deals.

And we get to watch how this all plays out. The deals were as much about this summer and going forward as they were about this year and the playoffs. Someone would have to be a blind man not to see that. So we'll see. Nice thread, and you have my opinion, CXbby. I don't know.

 

Good story homie, didn't know you were Daryl.

 

I disagree that Thomas Robinson will never be a bonafide player in this league. Yes, he is young. He is a rookie. He has lots to learn about NBA ball, but he is extremely talented, much more so than the players we gave up in order to get him. TRob is tall, has great length, great leaping ability, outstanding agility for a player his size, great strength, better than average handles for a true Power Forward, and is an outstanding post rebounder, with the athleticism to become a great post presence, with a couple blocks per game reach as well.
TRob's shooting touch only goes to about 14 feet right now, so he is not suited at this time to pop out and take long 2's or the occasional 3 like the PPat and Marcus Morris. We all knew there would be a drop in shooting production after the trade. But the fact remains this team was SUPPOSED to be rebuilding. This team IS the youngest in the league and has surpassed all reasonable expectations we had coming into this season. I think TRob has true starter or even eventually borderline All-Star potential if we dont strangle him with expectations and dump him on some other team before he has a couple seasons of experience under his belt. He is twice the athlete either PPat or Morris will ever be, and he is still learning. Ultimately I think we got the steal of the trade season because TRob will only improve, whereas PPat and Morris are already at their low ceilings and will not improve much from what we know them to be.
I think Thomas Robinson is and will become the star-level PF the Rockets have been searching for for the better part of 10 years. Be patient, Morey is building us a perennial contender.

 

I wouldn't say "Without Patterson" but I would say without team chemistry there is a SIGNIFICANT possibility they won't. I'm talking about the chemistry since the trade, but maybe someone will stand up and give a speech like our old vets (Battier, Hayes, Scola) used to do. Delfino hasn't been here long enough for people to follow him otherwise I think he'd be the one.

 

To this day, I still can't tell if CH is trolling or not with this obsession with Patpat.

 

I go to games and am one of those people who is viewing an inferior product on the court every single night. It's visible and tangibly evident in the TC.

Morey talked about Trob being a potential all-star. What did he actually think about that since you happen to know his thought process? Did he just say that to talk up his trade without believing it? If he is proven wrong, was this trade bad? Do you think Trob is a future all-star? Cause I'll take one of these little tipjar bets you like so much on that one...

We are not even a top 10 team in the league right now and you act as though no one has the right to question a guy who has led his team to 3 straight 9th place finishes. That means in the past 3 years, 16 teams (the MAJORITY of the league) have had more success than us every year. In that time, we are one of 8 teams in the league to have not made the playoffs. EIGHT TEAMS. And I'm supposed to bow down to the grand wizard?

 

he's clearly not trolling.

 

There is nothing wrong with that and you shouldn't be called out on that. A lot of people in the GARM worship Morey but all the criticism you presented is solid. You don't get an edge for being respectable and not tanking for 4 years to get talent. 9th place is the worst ..THE WORST place to be and it is a major blunder on team planning.

 

I think it is debatable between reasonable people whether you are correct, or whether I am correct. What I will say is this: How many examples of raw talent have been transformed and developed in to stars in this league? And how many examples of raw talent have never done anything in the NBA?

I'm playing the numbers on this, and it is rare to see someone go from untapped potential to all-star. Look at the history of the top 3 picks from years past. I don't see a lot to make me optimistic that Trob will bust out of his shell and become great. I could be 100% wrong, but I could be 100% right.

 

People are still crying for Pattrick Patterson? The guy that most of us acknowledges was charmin soft?

We are fine without Ppatt make or don't make the playoffs