Right? Just like opening night against a rookie PG and a lotto team named the Nuggets! That's great news! We can match up better against the Spurs! All we have to do is beat a sorry as Suns team and beat the hated Mavs. cakewalk..... It's funny how suddenly optimistic some of ya'll have been when this team has proven all season that when they need to win games they lose. Every time they have a chance to build on something they lose. 81 games is enough evidence. You know what i suggest you folks do? Fly to Vegas and put $500 on the Rockets to beat the Warriors in the first round. What's there to lose right?
Not sure you really read the post I was replying to or understood what I wrote. 1. The "hyperboles": You say my part regarding "no sane GM would calculate that way" is a hyperbole. In what world is it a hyperbole to say that when I'm replying to the statement "The future takes care of itself when you live for right NOW! For example, rockets make a run at GS, lets say they somehow get to a game 7. Going into the offseason, Durant is now interested in joining the team on the verge of upsetting the "greatest team of all time." Boom future set..."? Sorry, but that is childish wishing and a complete crapshoot. If I were an owner and had a GM with that thought process on my payroll, I'd go berzerk and dump the guy. You are paying the GM to make sound decisions and to build the roster with a detailed plan - betting on the most abysmal Rockets team in years to somehow nearly pull an upset the best team in decades to lure Durant is a total crapshoot and not what a GM should do, the odds are just way too low. Next, saying "flexibility of a draft pick is a much better and safer way to improve the team." is a hyperbole? A 100% chance at a good lottery pick (to draft or package) is not a safer way than that wishful thinking I've just mentioned, really? If this is a hyperbole, I don't know what to say. 100% chance at pick is not safer than the absymally low chance at the upset scenario that lands us Durant? Questionable logic. "good players wouldn't want to join a team with a flawed roster and basically no odds of contending in the near future." -- Yung-T How does that also not apply to us if we fail to make the playoffs...because a 12th pick with zero NBA games played will sway a FA...lols. Think you haven't read my opinions on FA in other threads, I've stated that I don't see us landing any top-tier FA because of our bad situation. Still, at least with the regular season we had the petty excuse of Harden playing on a bad ankle for the first games, a tough coaching change, Motie being out and Dwight recovering, Ty not meshing with the team, etc. That's at least a bit of an explanation (still a bad one), but now the team is healthy and has played together for a lot of games and under JBB, so we have absolutely no excuse of getting hammered by GSW, it would just highlight how bad this roster and its future is. Those looking to align with a contender, a unproven 12th pick is not going to sway them. Never said the pick would sway a FA looking for a contender to sign with us. Read my sentence again, I was strictly talking about the potential playoffs vs GSW, never mentioned the pick having an impact. "So, you just made our point about how playoffs is always a good thing." I didn't, neither did you.
Again, you are mentioning extremes -- signing Durant. When I say history shows that worthwhile FAs heavily favor playoff teams if they switch teams, I'm not talking just the cream of the crop. I'm talking basically anyone who is sought after by many teams and signs within the first few weeks of July, if not the moratorium itself -- like Ariza, Parsons, DJ etc. This isn't just about Durant. Get off your exaggeration that the debate is Durant or Draft Pick. That's not what we are saying at all. It's merely 12th pick vs increased trade value of current assets and increased attraction by any worthwhile FA, by being showcased in the playoffs...plus further playoff experience regardless. And you said it was negative value to play GSW. It's not even zero value. Sorry, I thought your statement that I highlighted (which was your last statement) was saying losing to GSW would make FAs not want to come. I took that as meaning that not making the playoffs and getting a 12th would. What does that last statement mean then? "good players wouldn't want to join a team with a flawed roster and basically no odds of contending in the near future" Clearly, leaving the pick out of the equation, not making the playoffs does not help that.
Again, I was quoting a poster on Durant, the statement you just quoted was from said poster. That's the whole point why I wrote that it's a complete crapshoot that no GM should do. Read the original post I was replying to and then you see the context.
Heavily flawed team on offense and defense, bad chemistry and a franchise player with a bad reputation, no willingness to defend and a playing style (demanding the ball) that is not likely to attract a co-star. That plus no picks, a terrible coaching staff and Dwight likely to leave. I just don't see any good FA joining this mess.
