They should have made some trades to acquire draft picks and they should focus their free agency hunt on young talented players with upside. Self awareness is underrated. We need to accept where we are and try to rebuild, not continue trying to chase next big thing and looking for the quick fix. No one wants to be here because people don't like they way we are running our team or the player personnel. Maxing out Conley or Horford wasn't going to make us contenders and I never though Durant was a realistic option after last season. I've been on the rebuilding wagon for a while.
OK, but you should know by now that Les is not going to rebuild. He's never wanted to rebuild. In the 20+ years I've been watching the Rockets, I don't think they've ever gone through a true rebuilding phase. It didn't happen after Hakeem left. It didn't happen after Yao and Tracy went down. And it's not going to happen in the absence of Dwight, and maybe not even if Harden leaves in two years. So suggesting that is kind of pointless. Secondly, suppose they followed your plan and went for young guys instead. They keep a good chunk of their cap room and stomach the fact that they don't surpass the salary cap. Harden with a few veterans and mostly young guys with upside STILL probably wins 40ish games next year. That'll be good enough for another mediocre draft pick. Then they do the same thing again next season because nobody will want to sign on a team with Harden and a bunch of young, unproven players. They'll win 40ish games AGAIN, get ANOTHER mediocre draft pick and then Harden walks. So, at best, your rebuild is three years away. In the meantime, we all get to enjoy watching Harden waste his best years on a mediocre team. Now, the counter to that is "Just trade Harden now." But that goes back to my original point: Les Alexander will not tank, therefore he will not trade James Harden. This is the reality we face as Rockets fans. So you can either b**** and moan about it every offseason when they fail to sign the one superstar player that 20 other teams are after and talk about how they should just blow it up, OR you can deal with it and just accept what little victories you can. Life is too short. Sports are supposed to be fun. So I'm going to appreciate the Rhyno signing for what it is: a little victory for a franchise that is extremely limited.
I like Gordon a lot provided health. Would be the optimal secondary ball handler to Harden at this point in the market.
It appears more likely now that the Knicks have signed Courtesy Lee. Agreed he'd be a nice shooter off the bench at the right price, but I can't get past the injury history.
I wonder if he's limited to 20 min a game if he can play 60+ games . What have his health issues been anyways ?
Its a great post and I understand your point, but I am not content with little victories; I want a championship. I am openly advocating that we trade Harden and rebuild. So the mediocrity scenario is not what I'm going for here. I personally think that the course we are currently on is guaranteed to end in mediocrity and Harden bolting leaving us with nothing.
Hopefully the Rockets pass. After all, Greg Oden would be a nice signing for the Rockets, if healthy. Split time with Capela. No? Spoiler PASS!
Fair enough. But I just don't understand the point of shouting "Trade Harden!" from the mountaintops when you know that it's never going to happen. Rather than complain about the things you know the Rockets cannot and will not do, why not appreciate a superstar player while you have him and commend the team for the one or two times a year they actually acquire quality players? Differences of opinion, I suppose. To each his own.
Oh ****! I can't tell what would make me happier.... On one hand, the Mavericks will regret that deal pretty much about as badly as they regretted Parsons. On the other, the idea of Cuban missing out on ANOTHER marquee free agent if the Warriors match might be too glorious to pass up. Ugh..... Which side to root for!?!?!
Looking at what other wings have gotten this offseason, I think Afflalo's two years for $25 million is a perfect comparison for Gordon. Given how injury prone he is, I think a shorter contract with a decent, albeit modest, per year figure makes more sense. I wouldn't want him for anything more than $15 million a year, and even that seems high, and I definitely wouldn't want them to give him a four-year contract.
