Rockets turned down first-round pick offers for Eric Gordon

Moronic decision

 

Look I get that everyone wants to look for the silver lining and be charitable. Especially because this young team, when they are playing well... man they are fun to root for and get you excited. Watching some of the games this year and enjoying Craig Ackerman when he's rolling is some of the most fun I've had IN YEARS watching Rockets basketball.

But.... (here comes Debbie Downer)

There is never a situation where you can say that it's "A Problem" to have more than 2 first round picks in any draft. Let me remind everyone about the tale of Royce White. The Rockets had three 1st rounders that year, and the one with the highest potential upside never played, and demanded a freaking bus to go from LA to New Jersey.

There was also the year that the Rockets were bringing in a roster that had Thabeet in his 2nd year, Terrence Williams in his 2nd year who they just spent a 1st round pick to acquire, a lottery pick in Marcus Morris, and were stuff with solid veterans like Scola, Kevin Martin, etc. and yet Morey still kept the pick that ended up being Chandler Parsons.

I get that we want to be optimistic, and wish I was more charitable myself, and not so damn pessimistic, but guys... we should NEVER be a team that thinks after two seasons as a bottom 3 team in the league that we have TOO MANY 1st round draft picks. The more swings at the bat you have to get talent in the 1st round, you take those swings.

 

If Gordon wants to be here and Wood wants to be here, there's no harm in punting.

Wall becomes expiring next year, Gordon becomes expiring and Wood becomes expiring.

The Rockets really don't have roster space and I keep trying to explain that and others are finally picking up.

15 spots must be available.

Let's start with the Rookies this year

1. Green
2. Sengun
3. Garuba
4. Christopher
5. Nix (he will be signed)

Then we go to players with contracts longer than this season

6. Wood
7. Gordon
8. Wall
9. Nwaba
10. Tate
11. Matthews
12. KJ Martin
13. KPJ

Trading Theis for the expiring contracts was actually needed just to clear 3 spots for next year (including Nix who 100% will be signed).

Brooks and Augustin due to their contractual situations were gone.

This leaves exactly 2 spots for the 2 draft picks. This allows the Rockets to have FLEXIBILITY. They can trade Wood, Gordon or Wall prior to the draft. They can trade anyone actually, but they don't have to. OKC holding so many picks have confused the value of a FRP and at this point it's kind of convoluted. Portland traded all of their non Dame/ Simons assets and got 1 FRP. The Spurs got to swap a FRP for a SRP for Thad Young. It's all mixed up.

So theoretically you could have traded Gordon for an expiring and a FRP and had the roster spot but there is probably more value for now in rolling the dice that Gordon (Assets available at draft) + Brooklyn pick on draft night will combine for equal or greater value. These same teams will know what they need come draft night and maybe Gordon will be their last piece. I for one and happy Stone didn't trade to make a trade. Letting Oladipo expire last year would have resulted in the exact same scenario except he wouldn't look like a dude with egg on his face when he seemingly handed him to Miami.

 

Wait, what? Nah, this can’t be real

Stone…



Is this really your thought process?

 

If we end up salary dumping Gordon next season I won't be the slightest bit shocked.

He's always been injury prone, and he's 33. The odds we will ever get much better than a late first are very low.

 

Hoping others can validate my thinking here:

there’s no way we go into next season with Gordon playing backcourt minutes right? I mean, with KPJ, Green, Christopher and Gary Bird showing so much promise, we’re not having Gordon significantly cut into those minutes next year, right? Can we all agree that EG has to get traded in the offseason?

If so then I guess I’ll compartmentalize my frustration and wait till I see the return we get then.

 

take this in account

 

To me, the thing to watch is if EG asks to get bought out to join a contender like Philly because that's a much more real possibility than people are allowing because of the happy talk coming from the Rockets front office in order to do damage control. EG is a pro's pro so he's not a guy to publicly go the Harden route, but the guy had to have had it in his mind that he was getting dealt, and we all know that through back channels there are teams that are surely tampering to try and get him on their team via buyout.

He fits into Seth Curry's role in Philly perfectly, and I'm sure through channels, he's hearing that they'll sign him if he gets bought out. I'm failing to really understand why he won't at least ask. Will the Rockets give in though? That's another questions, but they sure do like to talk a big game about how much of a "good dude" this guy or that guy is, etc. How good of a dude is Stone back to these guys when they say to him "Hey... you said sit tight, and be nice while I find you a trade, and you didn't get it done... I'm done being a "Good Dude"... now buy me out ASAP."

I'm sure that Stone wants no part in a buyout for EG (maybe Wall now), but I don't know if he'll really have much of choice if he wants to keep somewhat of a reputation that he seems to think that he has as a player friendly GM.

 

what a start to a Friday. just absolutely idiotic and sadly funny at the same time

A joke of ownership and FO. but we've known that for a long time

 

I'm putting the chance of a buyout with 1.5 years left on his contract at 0.01% because wacky stuff does happen but it's nearly 0%. You don't turn down a FRP to buy someone out. John Wall? Maybe. This is doom posting. Just like all of this Mobley is an all time great and Green is a bust bullshit that is everywhere. Look at the comparison of Bagley at 25MPG his rookie year and Mobley at 34MPG this year. Mobley could be great, but it's one year. Green could end up being less than a star, but it's one year.

https://stathead.com/tiny/zYu3z

People need to realize that we haven't gone through a rebuild as fans since the Yao/Francis era. Les had no stomach for this. Hopefully Tilman doesn't do anything rash this offseason because he doesn't either (I don't know). You are going to make mistakes during a rebuild and sometimes you are going to make great decisions that look bad at the beginning. Even the all time great Warriors had fans up in arms over choosing Steph to replace Monte Ellis after the Bogut trade. Then fans freaked out when they lost out on Dwight and signed Iggy. Fans freaked out when Mark Jackson was fired. Steve Kerr was an unpopular hire and had the brilliant idea to put Draymond as the center of the offense's universe.

The Rockets don't deserve the benefit of the doubt, especially after allowing Harden to tear down the franchise to get Russ, but I am not super concerned about anything that happened in Houston yesterday. The only thing to me that sucked was an ALL NBA Player in his mid 20s just got traded to a team where we own their draft capital for the next 6 years. Shooter or not, if Simmons is healthy the Nets will be at worst a low seeded playoff team during his 3.5 remaining years under contract. Hopefully they keep failing this year down to the 10 seed and lose the play in because this may be the best shot at a lottery pick for the next 4 seasons from them.

 

Do not be alarm.

 

Handicapping yourself because KPJ wants you to is an even dumber reason to not trade EG.

How many shameless dopes does this organization have carrying water for them on Twitter? Just for a smidge of access?

 

I think the Rockets have a bonus with Eric to the point that he would not mind spending the rest of his career here.

It is weird as hell but I have to accept.

 

There's an argument that late firsts are less valuable than early 2nds because the contracts are structured, you therefore lose flexibility. It's understandable that a pick at 28 or 29 was not considered fair value for EG.

 

It is a weird dynamic as hell.

Stone playing hardball willing to keep Ego around to just sit around the young ones.

Stone is just something else, and he is no different than Morey, he does not see players as human beings no matter what he pretends to say in interviews.

 

Stone is a stage 5 clinger. He's too emotionally attached to every player. He does right by them and this will cost him his job.

 

If we could have gotten the 18th pick, then we should have done it. But if it was the 28th pick, then I'm ok with holding off to trade him until the off-season.

My assumption is that EGo is cool with being here for the rest of the year and isn't begging to be let go.

 

Sadly there is really only one well-run franchise in town, and it ain't the Rockets or Texans. Rockets fans deserve better than Tillman and Stone. @Nook @IBTL @Jontro

 

the front office in in chaos, at best. no strategy whatsoever.