Sure, they could have made it work but if you look at the Rockets salary, it would have required Tari plus a single player salary greater than that of Capela to make the math work. The next player up the list above Capela is Amen and then Reed. No way you were adding either of those players to that deal - period, end of call. The only salary that actually worked for White was DFS (alone). I think it's clear that Ime and his favoring a 5 forward lineup is the reason that didn't happen.
For me, it's on Ime. He's the assclown asking Tari to do things he's not capable of doing (playing the 2). He's the one who's empowering Tari to fail instead of putting him in the best position to succeed which is as the agent of chaos off the bench. Blame the architect of the five forward lineup.
I would imagine the reason DFS wasn't traded for anyone at the deadline is because no team is stupid enough to take that contract off our hands. It'll be far more moveable after this season when he has only one guaranteed year left. But for now, we're stuck with him. That being said, playing him over Josh is entirely on Ime.
What's comical is that I mentioned early in the season that he'd play 5 forwards if he could .... now he's doing it. If this is a lost year, KD's minutes should be limited & Reed should be getting 30+ per game just for the sake of development .... but we get the opposite. Amen & KD 1-2 in the league in minutes played .... Reed often pulled for the likes of Tari & DFS getting closer to 25 per. And where the hell is Okogie who's shooting has been steady all year .... unlike his minutes (and he might be the best perimeter defender not named Amen on the roster). Jabari Tari KD DFS Amen 2 shooters, no ball handler & 4 rebounders. This guy's a joke - Kinda mad at Stone for giving him that extension, that might be the worst move he's made as GM.
Yeah, I've said as much - It probably cost them a first round pick just to move off that contract, much less return any actual talent which didn't make the Rockets offers competitive with the offers they actually took which were mostly expiring contracts and 2nd round picks. I wouldn't have given up a #1 in this "Not our year" either .... sometimes you just have to keep your powder dry and save it for another opportunity. Hopefully a big name shakes loose (not Giannis) and the Rockets are able to cobble together an offer that gets a deal done. Yeah, playing DFS over Okogie is a terrible look .... I don't need no guards!
Tari makes so many braindead mistakes in crucial moments, it's almost like he's actively trying to sabotage the team. It's insane. Every single time.
Super controversial opinion incoming...FOR THE SAME PRICE I'd rather have Jalen Green than Tari, even on this iteration of our team. The reasoning is because even though both are streaky, Jalen at least doesn't make a million boneheaded mistakes in the clutch and while not as disruptive on defense, he's not going to foul everyone and their mother in the last 30 seconds of the game. Tari was sort of the plus/minus god early on, but the more I've seen him play this season, the more exposed I think he is. He is the lowest IQ (and still effective at times) player I've watched in a long time, and his hustle and effort seem to be waning this season, for whatever reason. Is it time to just move on? Does he even deserve a big contract? I know he can still be good, but he wants Alpi/Bari/JG tier money and he is not even worth half that.
I blame Ime for constantly putting in low iq players like Tari at the end of games. Almost costed us the game once again.
