It’s weird you accused me of setting up a strawman then set up a pretty big strawman like this. Please let us know how you think the Cavs got involved in the trade.
Top two on this list are funny https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2947084-ranking-the-10-worst-signings-of-2021-nba-free-agency
The fact that this article was written in August 2021 represents all that is wrong with modern sports reporting.
It’s a little more than that. If it was just that we didn’t want him on his next deal we could have tried to trade him at the deadline or even S&T if Stone thought the price might go up. But not being responsible for the 2/20 Prince was owed (and tax implications of that last year) was a necessity (or at least from ownership). We could have waited but it’s possible we might not have even gotten a FRP to get off Prince’s deal packaging Allen or may have even had to throw in a draft asset if someone who could take him didn’t really want Allen.
I dare you to find one thing in that post you quoted that was not true. Did Ra-fel not say he had multiple FRP offers for Dipo or not? Did Rockets not say same about EGo as well? Try harder Pedro frio.
Straw man isn't about something being true or not true. It's about someone creating a fake position (the straw man) and then arguing against it. Nobody was defending or justifying the accuracy of EG or Dipo trade rumors.
Isnt your position that OKC should have traded for JA exactly what you've described then? A fake position that everyone else has to explain or defend. Hypocrite much?
They did not have to pay him 100m for him to still be a better asset than Dipo, nobody has omitted that from the conversation, you just missed it.
I do recall having heard both of these statements - I do Not recall having heard them directly from Stone but from the media ... It's one thing to hear it directly from Stone, it's another for someone to write an article or tweet saying it.
Nope. I never said that. I was just explaining why I think other teams undervalued Allen just like people claim the Rockets did.
I was just giving the short of it .... they did get a #1 and dump that Prince Contract as a result too which has also been largely ignored. There were a lot of moving parts to that deal and it's really hard to fault the Rockets for moving on from Allen when you look at the whole picture. As has been pointed out, it's not that simple. There was getting a #1 pick, there was dumping $20m in salary and avoiding the luxury tax and there was not committing to a contract that amounted to $100m. And let's be honest, no one thought Caris LeVert was ever going to play again .... Sure, Allen was a better asset than Oladipo, but you did get a reasonable return for Allen and an injury to Oladipo played a large role in his reduced value .... who still netted you a pick swap & Kelly Olynyk who probably should have been kept over Theis. That was probably the larger mistake .... Yeah, we dodged a bullet when Oladipo refused the extension, that might be the worst contract in the league right now had he accepted it.
For it to be a "Quote" he - Stone - Had to say it. Otherwise, it's just media speculation and that's about as useful as a Holic tweet and shame on us for taking it as gospel truth.
Bottom line, Stone is a grandstanding insufferable dolt. And it was likely his inability to judge markets or not do his due diligence (Dipo was dead set on going to Miami and every NBA team knew it PLUS the extent of Dipo's injury was complete incompetence by Rockets medical). Very likely both and a heck of a lot more mismanagement miscues that we fans are not privy to. Rest of NBA are of the same opinion. The Harden trade was a shyte fest. Instead of a actual young All Star (Ben Simmons) or soon to be All Star (Jarrett Allen), the Rockets ended up with ZERO YOUNG ALL STAR LEVEL players after Dipo trade, which Stone repeatedly insisted was the ultimate goal of the Harden trade. https://spacecityscoop.com/2021/03/26/houston-rockets-source-buries-franchise-victor-oladipo-trade/ “Alot of people are really confused as to the master plan of the Rockets. You don’t need to study the NBA everyday to understand that the Rockets should have two young cornerstone pieces. They’ve already got Christian Wood, they should have Caris LeVert. Instead, after the James Harden trade and [Thursday’s] deal sending Victor Oladipo to Miami, the Rockets have Christian Wood and what looks like a bunch of spare parts. National observers do not understand this trade. The Rockets get Kelly Olynyk and Avery Bradley. My goodness, everybody is really confused again. What is the long-term plan to get this team back into contention? They have got alot of work to do.” Stone never learns - "I would for sure, 100%, make same deal again." https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/...ould-for-sure-100-percent-do-that-deal-again/
It's called preponderance of evidence. And after all the bad decisions it's a wonder that you'd still deign to give him benefit of doubt. I could have done WORLDS better than Stone in my sleep and I am nowhere near experienced, knowledgeable or qualified enough to be a NBA general manager.