The Rockets organization is so dated and out of touch. There is no real excuse for it - the players are mostly young, the coaching staff isn't old and the front office isn't old either. Yet the way the front office is structured and staffed is what was common 35 years ago. The player development department is a joke and the connection with the NBDL pipeline is weaker than in years. The same is true on the court..... the Rockets have 4 guys playing 35 minutes a night, and it would be 5 if FVV wasn't hurt. Kevin Durant is playing like 36 minutes a night. Compare that to the Spurs and OKC and Pistons. The Spurs have one guy play just over 32 minutes a night, the Thunder have one guy... and the Pistons have one. The Spurs and OKC are loaded with long and skilled guys that are versatile and the Rockets have the Roster construction teams were running out there 25 years ago. Again, it isn't that Stone and Udoka are terrible or even mediocre. The Rockets would likely have the 4th best record in the NBA with a healthy FV and would likely make it to the second round (probably?) - but they just could be so much better with some more visionary leadership.
I like this a lot. This comes off more goal-oriented than "The second worst thing is just to run the same team back with Fred and Steveo." Rockets should be focused on goals, and not make decisions out of frustration over how this season has played out. If one views the next season as zero chance at a championship, how the team is run back next season should have zero impact on what is considered the second worst thing. Changes to next season's roster should be made with goals first. When goals aren't significantly impacted, the Rockets should try to win even if it is a long shot and fans will complain often as it will likely not look good.
That probably explains why Stone was dumb enough to hire a guy to coach this team who possesses a 90s mentality. Ime is fixated on defense, doesn't care about offense, relies heavily on ISO ball, is obsessed with wings, plays his primary guys heavy minutes, and doesn't believe in using more than 9 players in a game(and he shortens that to 8 in the postseason). This is a disastrous formula in the modern NBA. If it was back when refs called illegal defense, the game was more physical, and the pace was a lot slower, then Ime might be a perfect fit. But he's like a relic now.
Giannis is really really good but not that good. Bucks fans should be on the streets demanding a trade.
I am really dreading the inevitable Giannis to Houston talk this offseason. I would be a lot more excited by Houston getting back into 2026 draft talk.
Imagine trading for Giannis this summer and committing almost $600M dollars to two non-centers shooting a combined career 24% from 3.
Honestly, chances of winning a championship aren't very good even if you got one of those guys. Every year, there are 29 teams that don't win it all. To me, my expectations for my team isn't championship but good enough to go deep in the playoffs. I think you can do that with a very deep team without a generational franchise guy. I mean, I can imagine if OKC lost SGA, they'd still be a very competitive team in the playoffs. If my team could compete year in year out, I'd be satisfied as a fan. Oh, and it helps a lot if my team has likeable players rather than guys I rather not root for.
Morey and D'Antoni had personal differences with Tillman. But they might have left from sensing the whole backward moving organizational model with it. Personal disagreements can be settled with compromise. But leaving the org entirely might have been like "What are we, scouting to stop Bird & Magic? Cant work in this"
Once this league year ends and he opts in he no longer has a NTC and can be traded just like anyone else.
Would not mind drafting or acquiring a nice young star center or guard prospect and have Fred and Steveo mentor them next year. Doing a soft reset prioritizing star prospects doesn’t mean we have to be a terrible team. We should be able to use prospects, picks, and our all-nba “burner” to find our core piece to pair with Amen. And as we learned in the Silas era, it’s nice to have a few veterans playing with your young prospects.
lol. I meant the lack of good vets hurt us and we got better when guys like Fred and Dillon joined the team. Maybe don’t pay a vet $40 mil to stay away from the team?
Here is Dwyane Wade's shot chart from I believe that last "Heatles" season they were together Just sayin' Also, that was AFTER Wade improved a lot as a jump shooter, he was even worse when he was Amen's age.
Curry unlocked everything, the Heatles and the 2010s......that is when all that shooting just began.....infant stage.
The league has definitely changed--but let me ask you, do you think Wade would not be a top 15 player in today's NBA?
