Mavs and Clippers should be knocked down some and Grizzlies should probably be at the same level as Rockets.
You were patient a year ago and the team got to the WCF despite being down 2 starters....clearly it's time to panic.
Why hate on those odds? If you are a betting man and believe Morey has an answer waiting to get through the West, then 20/1 odds is something you fire on. Vegas is just saying that the NBA has 4 true title contenders then a handful of other really good teams. Clutchfans believe making the WCF last year is just the beginning but odds makers see a team that hadn't achieved that kind of success in almost 20 years and therefore see more of a fluke than a guarantee of future success. For me, I'll take 20/1 any day of the week on the Rockets.
On the one hand, Middleton is much younger than Green and will be at the beginning of his prime in 4 years as Green will be ending his. On the other hand, if Wes Mathews can get 16 mil a year with an Achilles glued together, maybe green was underpaid.
I don't like the Spurs getting better, but I understand LMA's reasons. Personally, I believe the reason the Rockets were below Spurs/Suns on LMA's list is because of "ROLE." LMA wanted a leading role, something he would have on the Suns and something he would have on the Spurs with quiet unassuming leaders of Duncan/Leonard. But on the Rockets, LMA would be 3rd fiddle to Harden/Howard. In theory LMA should get a ton of touches, but in reality he would split touches with Howard. If the Rockets want to find a 3rd star, they are going to need to find someone willing to be that "3rd fiddle" like Bosh/Love. Howard SHOULD be that 3rd fiddle (ala DeAndre Jordan) but I don't think he has come to that conclusion yet.
lol from what I heard they are notoriously bad gamblers. Good. Can't wait to see them fail. Geriatric frontcourt no wings and backcourt who hate each other. Gonna be good.
The fact that we were down 2 starters and Harden has to carry two grandpas and still made it to the WCF made me even more angry. Last year was a golden opportunity and Morey blew it. Who knows what would've happen if Harden had had more help in the backcourt? Morey had multiple chances to upgrade the PG position throughout the year but ended up with Prigioni. That's unforgivable.
Lol @ those odds. Most reporters and "experts" had the Rockets as the 7th or 8th seed last year before the season started.
Mavs - - are they better at the 1? No. 2? No. 3? No. 4? No. 5? Marginally. So, Mavs are more-or-less same team with one year (even) older statue at the 4, a 2 who may well miss the first 30 games and has a tough basketball injury, and a 5 who must replace the previous Mavs' heart with only a slightly better game. Mavs will be contending for a p/o position. Clips, too. Both said with the disclaimer, 'at this time'. TheGoodGuys, meanwhile, are returning essentially the same roster as the WCF contenders with Josh a '?' + return to health of two starters.
So what can we make of Morey turning down all of these PG's or at least not pursuing them heavily in trades... You can disagree with him if you want to but obviously Morey and Co. have done their homework that suggest that upgrading from a Prigioni or Terry to a Stuckey doesn't really increase the Rockets variables to win as much as fans might think. If they keep on passing up on guys like this that all happen to be point guards, there is probably a pretty damn good reason why they are doing so. Reg: Ish Smith (who I think they actually really liked), also would have been a pretty good player to have kept and probably would have beat out several of the other PG options coming off the bench last year, but the move was because of Tarik Black earning a spot on the roster and them having to make tough choices with so few roster spots. The point is - I'm 110% certain that Morey is working himself over to acquire who he thinks is a difference maker at PG. I can guarantee you he's not satisfied with what he has next to Harden, and that's why he only agreed to only pay Pat Beverley essentially backup level salary. Corey Brewer... another backup, is making more than he is so that tells you something right there. What is differing is what Morey considers a difference maker and what you (and many other fans) consider to be a difference maker. Some things to consider - -Mo Williams does not defend well, and is a shot taker. Not a creator. He's essentially a SG in an old PG's body. There is a reason why Lebron left Cleveland. If Mo Williams is your secondary creator, that's not a good thing for your team. Analytics probably show that he actually makes your team weaker by taking creative opportunities away from Harden more than anything. -Isaiah Thomas is a negative defender, and again is more of a 2 guard. This is a bad fit next to Harden. On the Rockets he's coming off the bench as a spark plug which is great, but there is a reason why they went to acquire that spark at the 2/3 rather than the 1 with the Brewer acquisition. I think they liked the offensive spark mixed with his ability to switch defensively, and push the pace. -Collison likely wasn't available, and there is no talk of him being available now even with the Rondo signing. There is a reason why this kid has fizzled out in several different locations already in his early career. If he was that great, he'd still be in New Orleans. -Barbosa was pretty much retired before Golden State pulled him out from the couch and got a good year from him. Still he's not a starter in any sense in the NBA. And he's not a PG. He's basically what Corey Brewer is for the Rockets but not as good. I don't hate all of these players by any stretch. If you asked me, yes I would rather have Collison backing up Beverley than Prigioni, but I want people to start digging deeper into the decision making process. You have to understand why they are making the decisions they are making rather than just saying "Oh that guy is a bigger name than our guy... let's sign him with the MLE". Its not that simple, and I think many fans like yourself extremely overvalue the difference a player on that caliber would be for the Rockets, and understand that there is a really, really good reason they aren't making that minor upgrade... if its really even an upgrade to them.
That's why I hate Morey. Could have kept Dragic but let him walk because of "flexibility". He's not willing to take risk. Who knows what would've happened if we had a better PG? I really think last year was our year, and we blew it.
The fact that Morey won't give Smith more than the non bird tender because he wants to keep a guy McDaniels that isn't even in the rotation is just a joke. You risk losing Smith who helped this team get to the WCF? The spurs let joseph go. You don't lose a core player for a guy who doesn't play.
