But a lot of you will be disappointed this year. We have the youngest and least experienced roster in the league. We have essentially 5 rookies, and it seems like everyone else on the roster is in their second year. We are finally tanking, and that top pick and future superstar is within grasp. #TankTroopers #Progress Right? Sorry, hate to burst your bubble, but here are some realities you might as well accept now, before you tear your hair out or wake up in the middle of the night in cold sweats later. 1. The rookies are going to play MUCH less than you think. Out of White, Dmo, and Jones, only one of the three will have significant playing time. Jeremy Lamb is not guaranteed anything. And when he is given playing time, it will be earned by showing he can play winning basketball, not just jacking up contested 3s. And that goes for all the rookies. The rookies will play only when they show they can help the team win. Their minutes will be taken over the dead bodies of guys like Delfino, Douglas, Livingston, Patterson, who are all currently ahead of them. 2. Our defense will be top 10 to top 5. This is what happens when you surround a DPOY candidate with 4 other plus defenders. Yes, I just called Kevin Martin a plus defender, open your eyes. Thanks, McHale. 3. Our offense will be helter skelter, but in the fourth quarters of tight games, we have one of the better closers in the NBA. The guy is learning to run the show, and letting the game come to him. But when the game is on the line, he is one of the rare players that has another gear, and in those moments the show will be run through him. 4. Given all of the above, this will be the most painful for you. We aren't getting a top 5 pick, or anything remotely close. Whether we make the playoffs or not depends on the health of some other team. But either way, this team will push 40 wins or more. Top defensive teams can't tank. Winners like Lin, Asik, and Parsons can't tank. Either you get rid of these guys now, or we won't tank. The funny thing is, if we somehow squeeze into the playoffs, it will be because 1 or more players have stepped up to reach allstar status. Rather than celebrating the allstars in hand, you will lament our lost opportunity to potentially draft one who might become an allstar one day, if we are lucky. Eh, I hear you though. And I'm sorry. #TankTroopers #Unite
What are you apologizing for you're basically saying this team will have the same 40 wins record it's had for years.
You're usually pretty good on these preseason predictions, right? http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=206126
I want to tank. But, i feel like were gonna play guys like delfino and martin heavy minutes when i'd rather be playing our rookies heavy minutes to develop. We will have enough wins to be at the end of the lottery again, so that will be the real disappointment. I want Andrew Wiggins damnit! So we better tank next year at least. Just look at this year as another waste.
Not expecting anything more than a bunch of fun, fast paced games. Reality sunk in when I played 2k13 and had trouble beating Golden State
I have been saying all off season the Rockets will not be as bad as the tankers or I want them to be in order to get a high draft pick. This teams starting lineup is very well balanced and in my opinion we are headed for another 12-15 pick.
If we play our rookies heavy minutes instead of guys like Martin or Delfino, we still win 30+ games. As long as Lin/Asik are on the team, they will never be bad enough for a top pick, no matter who the rest of the guys are. In that case, you might as well push for the playoffs, and actually make the rookies EARN minutes by playing the right way. #Reality
We are hopefully going to be a bottom 5 team. Have a feeling Morey wont be around too much longer, not saying he is going to be fired but he and the organization will probably come to a mutual decision to part ways probably next off season. Our team is pretty garbage and our coaching is going to be suspect all season. We got Lin so that the team doesnt actually lose money, Les just wants to pimp him all over China. Asik is what we got when we missed out on the allstar bigs. Hopefully Toronto pick works out well for us and our own too, but true to our luck the 2014 draft has better top end talent.
Jones and Lamb will probably get minutes. I'm not sure about the other rooks. I'm thinking 40+ wins is within the realm of possibility. I'd like to see us have a 10 man rotation. Our best chance for success is to use our talent, youth, and athleticism to our advantage by consistently being uptempo. Our opponents ability to play effectively in the half-court is diminished if they're tired and sucking wind. Youth and athleticism can beat skill and experience through wearing out your opponent. The Rockets have skilled players too by the way.
It's hard for me to see the Rockets picking <10th and >16th. There's still Harden and Smith. Probably not the smartest ticket out of mediocrity, but it is the best.
