With Sengun’s recent regression (not worried, normal for young players, will bounce back), Fred is quite literally our best player now. While that may have seemed obvious in hindsight as the highest paid player, there was actually plenty of people who thought Jalen would be our franchise/best player coming into the season, which couldn’t be further from the truth.
This is the only good game for FVV in his last 11 starts. We started our funk before FVV went down. It was the injuries to Tari, Jabari, and Brooks that derailed our march to the playin. FVV was instrumental in our hot start, but he is still average at best. He has helped reset our culture and is a great mentor. No way they keep him past next season. Amen is our best player right now. Our off season will determine what role Amen and FVV play next year. That being said, FVV should be in the starting lineup the rest of the year. In my opinion so should Amen, but I don’t care as long as he is consistently gettin over 30 mins a game and Cam getting over 25. We absolutely should not tank, but the playin is an extreme long shot and the rest of the season should be about getting Amen, Cam,Jabari, and Sengun a lot of playing time together.
https://dunksandthrees.com/epm This is one of the best “all in one” advanced stats that measure contribution to winning that’s available, used by both the media and front offices. Fred is currently in a 3 way tie at rank 21 in the entire league. This compares to rankings of 31, 33, and 23 the previous 3 years. Fred is consistently a top 20s-30s player.
Fred has been solid this season, he is not alone worth 40 mill per season(very few are) but the total of what he brings to the table and what this team needed which was A true head honcho extension (of Udoka on the court), makes it worth it Plus the young bulls all seem comfy and happy and they all super respect VV
Freddy VanVleet is a consummate professional and I hope he retires a Rocket. Last summer, the Houston Rockets signed Fred VanVleet to the richest contract ever given to an NBA player who had gone undrafted. This summer, he put down roots. VanVleet bought a house. He moved his family to Houston. He made plans to stay long-term, which would go beyond the two seasons left on his contract, which includes a team option after this season. “I’m a Houstonian,” VanVleet said. “Just getting situated in my first summer in Houston, which was an experience with the tornado and the hurricane and all of the weather things we had. But just getting settled, getting my family settled, it’s been a blessing to be in a place you can call home.” VanVleet said he is unconcerned about perhaps becoming a free agent again so quickly. While adding that he does not discuss contracts publicly, he emphasized that when he signed in the summer of 2023, he intended to be with the Rockets beyond that deal. The Rockets have consistently indicated they feel the same way. “I didn’t come here to be a rental,” he said. “I didn’t come here to be a free agent (again). I came here for a long-term home. I’ve loved my time here so far. I think I have a good understanding with management and the coaches about what the future looks like with this team. “The business will always take care of itself. I don’t really get too concerned with that stuff. That stuff will work itself out. But I think my family and I will be in Texas. I came here for a home, and I think I found one.” VanVleet is not eligible for an extension this month. The Rockets are not even permitted to negotiate his next deal. He said he did not want to discuss whether he would prefer to be a free agent next summer and sign a long-term deal sooner or simply wait out his contract. “Obviously, I’m aware of the situation and the scenarios,” VanVleet said. “It will be somewhere in the middle of what’s best for me and the team. And my agent and Stone and the front office, they’ll come to a decision about what’s the best path forward.” …
i haven't heard from Roosh in a long time, I wonder if he and Jalen have been working together in the offseason.
If after the Rockets decline his final season option FVV is willing to sign a 3 year deal at around the 44 mil he was going to be paid if they picked up his option as the total amount for all 3 years.... with only 2 seasons guaranteed and the knowledge that he's coming off the bench, then I'm cool with him sticking around
Fred is our second best player, and he likely will continue to be until he's 33 or 34. Rockets fans talk a lot about a "core 7" but we have a star PG who has at least 3 good years left. We should not take that for granted. If our 2026/2027 starting lineup was this, I would be happy: PG FVV SG Thompson SF Eason PF Smith Jr C Sengun Bench: Sheppard, Whitmore, Landale
We've gone from "The Beard" to "The Stache". Not much left other than Steven Adams braiding his pits and walking around with his hands on his head.
There's no universe where brooks makes 20 and FVV makes 15. If brooks is making 20, FVV is easily worth the 45 he gets. Something like 3/80 could be realistic
Brooks being hilariously overpaid isn't a reason for FVV to be. FVV is over 30 and his replacement is on the team already. You don't pay a bench player 26+ million a season.
Thanks for posting this. I think this firmly puts to bed any doubts what the organization and Fred’s intentions are going forward. Like I’ve said, we are signing Fred to an extension that is lower in average salary, we had to overpay to pry him from Toronto, and it will also be declining in value to help out the team’s cap in the future once we have to pay everyone. The fact that Fred is already saying he’s willing to meet the team in the middle suggests it’s been discussed and most likely a done deal.
We'll see, he was our best player last year, depends how he ages. You're just not getting fvv for free that's all. Brooks would ok at a minimum though or something like 3/12, i was surprised how well he did last season.
Sengun was the best player last year, but FVV was second.... however, will that be the case a year from now? You don't pay someone based on what they used to be, you pay them based on what they are
