Season's Pretty Much Over - Thoughts moving forward?

Trae would go to a team with an All World Center like Holmgren, Wemby or Embiid.

 

This team needs to keep rebuilding through the draft. They have the perfect opportunity to do it thanks to the Western Conference being so tough which forces them lower in the standings even though they're decent already.

I don't have full faith in any of the current players. Sengun's body is an I'll-believe-it-when-I-see-it body. Green is the player I believe in the most, but he's not had an easy time so far. I like Smith Jr., but he doesn't seem to have a star mentality and he's not a natural leader. Whitemore is not someone I'm assuming will be a star either. As for Amen, I look forward to watching the twins who could end up being the best sibling duo the NBA has seen. But I actually believe in Ausar more. The reason is that the body type that they have looks more suited to being a star forward than a star guard. If one of them is going to be a star, my guess would be Ausar.

 

With Tari out its time to sign a free agent we can develop. Stone we need you to find a gem!

 

one game I put on Udoka: The Portland game.


5 games I put on Stone, intentionally or unintentionally not getting a couple of guys Udoka could trust in a rotation. Remember that smile coach had when he said he'd love a shooter and a backup big at the deadline. you get nothing!.

Memphis 2nd game
Toronto 2nd game
Nets 2nd game
Pacers 2nd game
Hawks 2nd game.
Bulls 1st game

There were also 14 days after Eason got hurt where Udoka would not trust his rookies.


Those three games in the West coast where the refs put their filthy paws in the game. They gave us the Knicks game but 2 more remain unaccounted for:
Lakers
Clippers
Warriors

So around 9 games they had no business losing.

35- 25, that would be 5th or 6th in the west.


The core Six is so young, well, core 5 with no Eason, that I'm not down on this season. More disappointed with the head honcho for not getting someone to help with the shortcomings of life without Tari.


22 games left. I will appreciate them all except the Timberwolves game.

 

Rox suck and only get role players no other team wants:

 

Probably a split 1-1.

 

The Rockets have the same record as the Hawks, who are in the play-in at this point. We’re just playing in a tougher conference. Our trajectory is good. We just need to keep improving and making adjustments. I’m not even rooting for the play-in anymore as I want to keep the best odds of #4, but if they went on a streak that got them in, they would have some good film to look at going into the offseason of what works for this team. So, no matter how this season ends, there will be positives for us to look at and reasons to be optimistic.

 

The Play-in ship has sailed.
Sorry Brooks.

 

Tank, TANK TANK !

DD

 

And I still don't believe he's being used right. I think he would be better as a SF. He showed what he could do in Summer League.

If the Rockets can get a 7ftr to play along side Sengun and Jabari in the frontcourt, I think that could solve most of our problems.

 

I don't like the offense-only nature either, but the Rockets have no power over who is available. If the choice is Trae Young versus 3 limited protected future FRPs, Jalen Green, and expiring contracts, I prefer Trae Young. There does not seem to be anyone of comparable talent that is more well rounded available.

 

I'd prefer to wait until someone else shakes loose. It's only a matter of time .....

Even if you have to push assets into the future, that's better than blowing your wad on a very flawed player - we have enough players with huge flaws as it is.

 

I'm dumbfounded by this. Truly I am.

 

Not much to it: Green has the most athletic body on the team. Basketball is an athlete's game. Thus, Green has the most upside. His body is well-balanced. His skills are not far away from being NBA-worthy...he's got the toolbag to be a very good player. He only needs to add the tools now. Nobody else has the bag to hold the tools.

Jokic (Denver) is impressive. But I don't think he'll be impressive for long. He doesn't have the type of body that will last. I give him a few more years at the top and that is it.

Jalen Green is 21. By 23, there's a good chance he'll be very good. For perspective, Michael Jordan was a rookie at age 21. He's not far away from Jordan at 21. Jordan may have been a better scorer. Green may be the better shooter.

Update: Jalen recently turned 22.

P.S. Talent is the most important thing in basketball. It doesn't take a lot of practice for the best basketball players. They naturally have what it takes. 1 year of devotion to instructional videos by Michael Jordan etc and the talented ones are ready to play ball. How devoted is Green? That I don't know. But his foundation is not far away from finding success. He has the body. He may not have the brain for it. We'll see. The answer is coming soon. He's had a couple of years of being rich. Now is his time to play ball.

 

We are one year into what some would call "Real Coaching"
since we dismissed Silas as not having the motts.

Still trusting in Udoka
So Who come and who goes . . ..
I'm good with his input and seeing how it plays out in at least one more year

Stone and Tilman - not so much.
Where is out pick in the draft?
I just want a solid rotational player
Preferable with some size.

We will need some size going forward

Rocket River

 

On other players becoming available, the better ones are likely going to go to teams with more assets or the player will have leverage and likely pick an LA or NY team.

Trae is not like Bridges that has a lot of value tied to his contract being great (i.e., he isn't going to hemorrage as much value each year). He will likely retain enough value that he could recoup any draft capital past the 2025 pick. He might even retain value better than the 2025 draft pick. So basically, the wad would not be completely blown. It would just be in a different shape. If a better player is available this offseason and the Rockets can get him, do it. If not, I don't see much difference in ability to trade after the 2025 draft. Trading at the 2025 trade deadline would likely be a little harder as the Rockets would need to be selling to get assets in a different shape and then buying if they can't get a 3-team trade to work.

On the other players have flaws....the big ones are rim protection, ball handling, and three point shooting. Trae's strength solves 2 of the 3. Trae's flaw is defense, but Amen, Dillon, and Tari (and possibly JSJ in the future) should mitigate a lot of that. The only concern I have would be on Trae and Sengun defensively together.

I see it coming down to whether a person like's Trae better than Green and the players that would be selcted with three FRPs. I don't see acquiring Trae as a significant hindrance to future trades as I see it as mostly pretending there is a huge opportunity cost that is lost by acquiring him because there is a bias that Trae is not an ideal player. I'd rather have perfect players, but that would not paralyze me about taking chances to see if something else might work even if it does not fit my preference.

 

“Hakeem Olajuwon is not walking through that door, fans. James Harden is not walking through that door, and Clyde Drexler is not walking through that door. And if you expect them to walk through that door, they’re going to be gray and old. What we are is young, exciting, hardworking, and we’re going to improve. People don’t realize that, and as soon as they realize those three guys are not coming through that door, the better this town will be for all of us because there are young guys in that (locker) room playing their asses off. I wish we had $90 million under the salary cap. I wish we could buy the world. We can’t; the only thing we can do is work hard, and all the negativity that’s in this town sucks. I’ve been around when Carlos Lee was booed. I’ve been around when Bagwell was booed. And it stinks. It makes the greatest town, greatest city in the world, lousy. The only thing that will turn this around is being upbeat and positive like we are in that locker room ... and if you think I’m going to succumb to negativity, you’re wrong. You’ve got the wrong guy leading this team.

With only a young Alpren Sengun as the centerpiece for the future in Houston, Ume Udoka was over it during his third season in Houston. H-Town fans have never been a patient bunch as they were itching for a winner. The Rockets finished that season 35-47, and and tenth in the Western Conference. Udoka would only last one more season in Boston, but that quote would last forever.

 

I want to repaste this



Seriously.
Our scouts.
Our Coaches
Our GMs

Everyone needs to get their *sses in the gyms, the tape rooms, and around the country
and internationally

This video is why I look at The Rockets with Jalen Green
He needs to be COACHED UP! Jabari, Alp, all of them!
This Summer League and training needs to be EPIC!

Rocket River