With the improved play of KJ, the required 20+ mins Jabari has to get as #3 pick, and the solid play of Tari, what role does Jae'sean have left on this team? There are only so many minutes to go around. Tate is essentially a finished product, which means his flaws are likely to remain but his strengths are also very strong. However, for a rebuilding team with a core under 22 years old, it seems to me that he's the odd man out of the lineup. There's no way to get him back into playing without his minutes impacting others. Is it worth giving Tate 20+ mins/night if it means KJ and Tari's minutes take a hit? Do we trade him at the deadline? If so, for what?
I think it’s worth it . I’ve seen flashes from Tate of being more than just a role player I think there is still room there . I want to see him handling the ball more . I want to see if his shot has gotten any better . to me , KMJ is the hot topic and makes highlight plays . But Tate (especially if we can get him some help ) makes WINNING plays . the rockets apparently don’t have much use for that this year . But I think he can be a force that drives growth from the young guys. Gordon is checked out . We need a vet that is playing hard to be able get on the young guys’ ass and hold them accountable It’s a blessing for tankers that Tate has been out .
Tates a good value contract. I think he's going to be around a while. The Rockets definitely need his defensive intensity in practice to make guys like Jabari and Tari better.
I think KJ and Tari both should be ahead of Tate in the rotation, but if Tate is ok with staying around as the fourth forward, I don't see any reason not to keep him around for depth. He's on a team friendly contract for this season and then two more, and he's exactly the kind of hard playing guy you want coming off the bench, pushing guys in practice and filling in when there are injuries. Now, if a team comes offering good value for him, sure, the team should be open to taking those calls -- but I don't think there's a pressing need to trade him, even if I think he probably shouldn't be getting 20 minutes a game and cutting too much into the minutes of Tari, KJ , and Jabari.
I think we should slide Tate into the starting line up and perma-bench Gordon. We need a little more playmaking ability in there and also just some energy that Gordon doesn't seem to have. EG was a great defender when we needed him to be, but he just can't give a F right now and I don't blame him. Tate is exactly the kind of vet I want around the kids. A guy who had to work his ass off to get an NBA deal, always working on his game, always plays to win. He also needs some reps on that 3pt shot and we're the perfect team to give him those reps. We've heard he's worked on it all summer but haven't seen it consistently yet. I think with Gordon sitting and waiting for a trade, the minutes would be distributed nicely. Tate would have to hit his open shots for the spacing to work with Sengun though.
Tate is gritty, he’ll find his 20-25 minutes. That said, he should be dealt with EG at the deadline for the right offer.
All of Nix’s playing time and responsibilities; just feed the post and take open 3’s and play within himself. He has dropped some size so he is probably quicker. We have a need he fills it => win / win
Unless the rules have changed, you can't trade a player that re-signed (extension), in year one of that extension. Often discussed when we re-signed Capela
Exactly, minutes by Mathews and Nix can be eliminated. Josh Christopher is not getting playing time. Nix is meant to show JC that Silas wants JC thinking more about passing first. Tate can pass.
I think it's a mystery how to fit the undersized Tate into the equation. I could see him pairing with Jabari if Smith was making shots. But that's not happening. Maybe you play Martin with Tate, but again, the Rockets lack length in the frontcourt. Plus, Sengun is an average weakside help defender; he can block a shot or two, but that group will struggle on D and fail to inspire fear. I love Martin at the traditional small forward position because everyone has their head on a swivel that he will send their shot into the third row. Do you bring Tate off the bench as Martin's reserve? I wonder at this point if Gordon would even buy into coming off the bench. If he was willing, that lineup is interesting: KPJ / Nix (only for 5-8 minutes, what Matthews is getting now) Green / Gordon Martin / Tate Smith / Eason Sengun / Garuba When the subs start rolling in, Gordon will look for his points. Tate and Garuba, good team players, fall into the role of "connectors." You could even run a play for Eason to get him a touch. Ideally, one would stagger KPJ and Green so that one of them is on the court. Silas will try to make 3-guard lineups work if I were to guess. These are not my favorites since 1) we always walk and never run, and 2) we struggle to be physical enough without fouling. But our headstrong coaching staff will probably put this lineup on the court. I hate where this is going when we turn to the bench because our reserves have limitations in creating their own shots. KPJ / Nix () Green / Gordon / Matthews () Smith / Martin / Eason Sengun / Tate / Garuba I have no idea what to do if Bruno Fernando starts getting minutes. I guess that Garuba takes another cut in minutes.
Gordon-tate - tari - usman is too good of a lineup . if you put kpj or sengun in there it’s probably our best lineup . too good . Won’t be played
I don't think this applies to Tate because we actually didn't extend him. We declined his team option that we had on him this year, making him a restricted free agent, and then we signed him to a new three year contract. So, I believe he could be traded mid January as a re-signed player. Not saying we SHOULD trade him, but just clarifying that I believe we CAN since he wasn't extended.
Umm I wasn't aware that we didn't pick up his option. I thought we did. I didn't remember him entering free agency.
It was an extremely short free agency. The team re-signed him pretty much immediately. But it gives the team a lot more flexibility , since they get him longer term on a team friendly deal (7 mill, 6.5 mill, 7 mill(TO)), and can trade him this year. He meanwhile got to get over five extra mill this year (since the team option the Rockets declined was just a little over a mill), plus a little security.
We're a good 3PT shooting team, really bad defensively, bad on defensive rebounds, we need more playmakers and players who can score efficiently in the paint Tate actually helps all of our weaknesses. I think the move that makes the most sense to open up minutes is moving EG
