Jock Landale: Players on our team know Amen is the franchise player

I am sad to say I can envision Ime still playing a 35+ year Fred 40+ minutes 5 years down the road.

 

Our core is very young and was playing in their first playoff series. On the surface it was a #2 seed with home court advantage being knocked out by a 7th seed. In reality, once GSW traded for Butler, they were winning at a pace that would of had them as the #2 seed if they had Butler to start the season. The two old guys may be near the end of their prime but they have TONS of playoff experience plus Ime was plain outcoached.

 

I think it was closer than the 1-3 deficit might have suggested, the Rockets just didn't have the closer, the overwhelming Offense plus Experience needed but that is fine......digging themselves holes everywhere.

• What I am not okay with is ....zero effort from the GM again to strengthen the Roster come playoff time.....
• Then delivers ridiculously boring press conferences.

It is like he works for a few months and takes rest of the time off.......not the 1st Year he did so either.

 

Feel like Amen and Jabari will grow into a nice duo if we don't trade Bari

 

I think Amen, Sengun, and Jabari will all fit like a glove in a couple of years with the right coach or if Ime improves at offense. Everyone else on the roster should be fair game to balance this team. You can’t win a championship with a horrible half-court offense. GSW showed everyone how to beat us. Without significant changes to the roster, especially at PG we will face the same wall of defense that embarrassed us in the playoffs. You can make the playoffs as a defense only team, but that is it. Stone needs to grow some balls.

 

Would Stone have the guts to "Billy Beane" FVV?

 

You didn't mention our #2 in-his-fourth-season draft pick took a s*** on the court 6 of 7 games. But it's understood.

 

FVV has the basketball equivalent of a high OBP. The David Justice scene is probably a better fit for role and stats.

Billy Beane: David, you're 37. How about you and I be honest about what each of us want out of this? I wanna milk the last ounce of baseball you got in you. And you wanna stay in the show. Let's do that. I'm not paying you for the player you used to be. I'm paying you for the player you are right now. You're smart. You get what we're trying to do here. Make an example for the younger guys. Be a leader. Can you do that?

 

Ime only played FVV a lot because he helps the team, and didn't have any reasonable options other than to play FVV a lot. Getting mad about FVV playing 40+ mpg in 5 years is just catastrophizing. I have a hard time thinking FVV will still be as effective in 5 years.

The only players that played more than they should have under Ime, based on merit, did so for development.

 

Alpi and Amen won’t work together until both get a three point shot.

DD

 

Y'all should go listen to the whole thing. Jock talks about Golden State, Jalen, Brooks and other stuff, but the key quotes on Amen are these:

"He just moves at a pace and does things you just can’t teach. And on top of that, he’s just a sponge, he soaks everything up. He’s a complete gym rat."

"He has like this light switch. He walks on the court, and it’s like, bang, he’s a psycho. He has all the makings to be a superstar in this league for a very long time."

 

I think Jock saying Amen has a switch that turns on when he gets on the court and becomes a psycho... that's the most important thing. Amen's mentality is what separates him from all of our other young core - he isn't out there on the court to make friends or show off. His main motivation is to beat you and embarrass you. He has that killer instinct.

I don't think his offense will ever get to the point where he can be the offensive engine and we run everything through him... but with his IQ and feel for the game, and his sort of crazy obsession with basketball, even with him not being an offensive superstar, I think he'll end up as a top 10-15 player in the league for quite some time.

 

Lol that's hilarious. There's no way anyone believes that.

 

Lol ... Landale was giving props to one of his teammates and some wannabe Rockets fans automatically use that to bash another Rockets player? FLAT OUT PATHETIC!!

This place has changed dramatically since I joined, and that is NOT a compliment!


Go Rockets!!!
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This obsession with who is the franchise player smh.
More than Happy with all of our young talent.
Each of them have another level they can tap into.

 

Except they knew Justice was at the end of his career and not in top form.

Ime Udoka seems determined to "Tom Thibodeaux" FVV. You can walk? Then you can play 40 mpg.

 

I currently do not expect Jalen to ever be one who can be counted on. I am hoping they can replace him with a consistent SG. If they keep him he should be moved to 6th man. As 6th man they can see if he is "on" and when he is let him cook. When he is "off" then limit his minutes. Best case scenario if they keep him is he actually does becomes consistent.

 

Ime created that situation himself by not giving Reed any significant minutes during the season. He only played him in short stints with a quick trigger to pull him if he made a mistake so Reed played to not make a mistake, aka timid. Reed excelled every time he was given significant minutes and was allowed to just play. Reed should have been one of the guys to get minutes for 'development" as you say. Ime screwed the pooch on that one.

 

Ime gave Reed the backup PG spot. Reed made mistakes, and lost PT. As such, Reed did not excel every time he was given significant minutes (e.g., backup PG minutes are significant minutes). Reed screwed the pooch by not playing better.

The Rockets had too many guys for everyone to get development minutes. Reed was the least ready for minutes.

 

He was dicked around early in the season leading to a shooting slump that the more competent coaches in RGV fixed in less than one game. From that point on, he shot over 40% from 3 the rest of the season.... but Ime still refused to give him consistent minutes so when we needed him in the playoffs, he wasn't an option.

Ime is basically the worst coach a young player could have. If Reed Sheppard is drafted anywhere else, he's the unanimous ROY