The alarming part of Maluach is he had 0 rebounds in their loss to Houston. How is that even possible?
His performance in the semifinal game (or lack thereof) may help him fall to us at 9 or 10. I view him as a project with high potential.
It’s alarming but we can rebound pretty well as a team, so his strengths would offset any potential weaknesses imo
See, I just don't buy into keeping FVV around. Guard play has been lackluster much of the season, particularly point guard play. That's the weakest link both short and long term. This team is still about the future, not this season or even next but the 5 years down the road ..... that's their window. The only things FVV brings that's above average is ball security (highly important) and team defense. He's below average pretty much everywhere else - shooting 39% from the floor is atrocious and individual defense, teams target him especially with bigger guards. Imagine this team as constructed with a guy in that spot who can offer similar strengths as FVV while shooting much better & having the size to defend those bigger guards. That guy is a hell of a lot harder to find than a backup big and much more important. At worst, just resign Adams who seems content here and you have his bird rights ..... take a swing at a star guard with this lottery pick. There's 3-4 of them that have game changer potential in this draft - even if that guy doesn't play an awful lot next season - it's about the future beyond that. The only real value, to the Rockets that I see from FVV is his contract as a trade piece to preserve that salary slot over the cap. But I have to question his value after picking up the option, because of his poor to middling play this year, he may be a negative asset at that price, even at a lower cost on an extension, he might be seen as declining and who wants that on their cap sheet the next few years? It could cost you move him .... Fred was brought here to teach these young guys how to be pro's - his job here is done. Then there's the LT & Apron issues ..... both can be avoided this season letting him walk and finding a cheaper solution (FA-MLE?) - that might be preferable considering the fact that this team is going to get awful expensive to keep together beyond next season - they will likely be a 2A team at some point in the near future.
I think FVV's shooting is likely to bounce back. Barring a major injury, guys usually become better 3P shooters in their early 30s, not worse ones. I don't disagree that it would be nice to upgrade the backcourt, but at the same time I think I'm back to viewing Amen as the point guard of the future. So anybody we get I'm thinking is more of a 6th man type in the long term. Maybe that's fine with the draft pick, I don't know. In any case, it sounds like the Rockets fully intend to bring back FVV, from the reporting we've seen. So we're probably stuck with him.
I think the Rockets would love to have Fred back. But, only for the right price. If the Rockets bring Fred back, it should be on a contract that is easily tradeable. I don’t think anyone would have a problem with that. Furthermore, the Rockets can just pick up his option for this next year and let things play out from there. In the end I think Fred has done pretty much everything the Rockets wanted when they signed him. When you look at our record and the way the team has developed it looks like a win for both the Rockets and for Fred.
Rockets offense until FVV's injury while playing an incredibly tough schedule 11th Rockets offense during injury while play cream puffs. JSJ was out too, 22nd Rockets offense since FVV's return even with FVV in a shooting slump, but a crema puff schedule 4th The other teams aren't conspiring to make FVV's offensive rating high. On defense, FVV does a much better job switching onto bigger players than another guard on the team. He's had issues with quick guys in the past, but with Amen that hasn't been a problem. FVV's ability to switch onto bigger players being seen as a weak point is just weird. It may get attacked a lot, but that is only because the Rockets are trying harder to keep big guys off Green and Sengun out of actions. FVV was guarding Draymond for what seemed like about a third of the time Draymond was out there in the last game so that Amen could be on Curry and to keep Sengun off of Draymond. When the Rockets play FVV and Amen as guards, the other teams just don't score very often. Maybe FVV is completely attacked in the playoffs. As far as what has been seen in the regular season, any quibbles about FVV's defense is treating a mole hill like a mountain.
have to agree with you that Fred is the guy to move, but that he has tanked his value so badly this year, that the $45 mil team option would probably be a negative asset if they tried to use it in a trade. Fred is a declining player. There, I said it. I think you try to resign him for $20ish mil if you can’t upgrade the position through trade. If he wants to get overpaid, you let him walk. I think it’s very clear cut with Fred.
76ers tank has been masterful, BTW. They need two teams to jump them now to lose their pick. Very possible, but still. We really don't need OKC to get a top 8 pick this year.
I think last year 3 teams jumped into the top 4, didn't they? The lottery is set up to be wild nowadays.
This is a two-prospect draft. There is one elite prospect (Flagg) and one guy that could compete to go #1 in a down year draft (Harper). If the Rockets got either of those players that would be amazing. After those two there is a pretty big drop off because Bailey has terrible tunnel vision. The group after Flagg and Harper would normally be guys in the 8-10 range of a lot of drafts. Tre Johnson is raw, but it isn't a stretch to see him becoming a really valuable role player/starter on a team with continued development. Edgecombe is a possible starter long term - but questions about him too. Unless something changes - I would probably trade the pick if it is outside #1 or #2.
If the Rockets don't get a top 4 pick, I wonder if they will explore trading down for a player they still like and getting a pick in a future year. I haven't had a hard look at the prospects yet but I don't see a player the rockets absolutely must draft at our pick range. I agree with this take. The rockets play better with FVV. The advanced stats seem to paimt thia picture, likely because of things that don't show up in the box score like defense and ball security. If anything, his down year in counting stats are a way to keep him for cheap.
