#RunItBack: Klay with torn ACL, Rockets now the best team in the West?

Other teams will get better. Clippers still likely to add Kawhi. Lebron will get someone. Denver will get better. Utah will get better and likely replace Rubio with someone who can score.

The Rockets won't be the favorite next year regardless of what happens with Golden State. There is not enough talent on this team.

 

agreed agreed agreed. we can only hope and pray morey and bum a$$ tilman feel the same.

 

Not enough smart or disciplined ball is more like it. That’s the rockets biggest deficiency

 

Warriors is to blame for KD/KT injuries...they played injured players who didn't completely recover. Individual players also has their share of blame specially KT who showed he was angry if he wasn't allowed to play...for KD it's all Warriors fault...he was under tremendous pressure.

 

Lakers getting Davis and Clippers getting Kawhi.

Both those teams will be as good as us. Nuggets will still be very good. Jazz may improve.

Rockets will be in the mix, but no reason to firmly say they’re #1 with how bad CP3 looked this year.

 

"If the Rockets & Sixers stay as is, I'm not counting those two teams out." - Skip

 

There is no point in doing this now, or in July, or in October, or in February. Teams will continue to change and evolve.

 

Rockets have tons of work to do.

That aside...

I honestly am still in amazement at how much the league has potentially changed in the last week. For all we know KD might have resigned with GSW and they could have gone another 3-4 years. And even without KD, Myers would make smart moves. But with KD and Klay done, with as far as I can tell no injury replacement for them because they are both FAs (eg., GSW cant double-use the cap space), with Dryamond always a walking time-bomb, with it honestly not a good idea to push Steph for 82 games super hard given his age and long past injury history... I have absolutely NO CLUE what happens with the Warriors. I can see KD opting in. I can see Klay leaving for a max somewhere else - because why not, there's a "dynasty done" feeling and Klay may just want to head somewhere else as he rehabs. I can see GSW lowballing Klay honestly ... I don't know why, I just think it's something that organization might try to do at first at least.

If the NBA in 1-2 months is AD in LAL, Kawhi in LAC, Kyrie in Brooklyn, Jimmy B and Kemba in NYC, the NOP set up well, the Hawks set up well, Philly still pushing, the Bucks making a smart move or two (remember the Bucks were a historically good net rating team...), and the West still has the Nuggets, the Thunder (one day they'll figure out how to advance a round or two), etc, etc, etc. I mean the fact that the Spurs are an afterthought in all that is crazy - I'm not forgetting about them, though.

Long-story short... this is GREAT GREAT GREAT for the NBA, imo. BUT it is ABSOLUTELY INSANE to think the Rockets are super well positioned now. All the "potential" moves above could leapfrog a Rockets team that does nothing major... the openness of it all makes it even more important, to me, for DM to make the right moves.

 

I don’t know why I should care what Bayless says. Besides, he’s wrong. Tad declared that, “There is gonna be fireworks.” That means there will either be a big roster change with maybe an additional star and actual help for Harden, or a fireworks display after every game, win or lose. I lean towards the fireworks after the games. Maybe Skip’s onto something after all.

 

Don't disagree, but the issue was whether or not the Rockets would be favourites as constructed, and in the West, I think they would be. Is anybody really making an argument they would drop out of the top four in the West?

Again, not saying they shouldn't try to improve..every team should. Younger and more athletic is definitely a need. But it's not like they are bottom feeders in the West currently.

 

I think nobody expects the Rockets to fight for the 8th seed, personally i'd say the chance we're still top 4 if healty (which is a big if btw) are good, but it's just not a given, Lakers with a big 3 and Clippers with Kawhi etc might be better than us, other teams like Golden State, Portland, Utah, OKC, San Antonio, Denver all have the chance to fight for home court, and who knows about how good the Kings will be, they had a pretty big jump last season, if their core grows again they might be a good team next season so, overall i wouldn't say we're favourites, unless in that group you put multiple teams of course.

I mean, did you expect the Rockets to be the 4th seed in the West this season?

 

These two injuries have definately shaked the NBA and the rockets are one of the biggest winners...Golden state is done next year and it definately won't be a popular free agent destination for their midlevel. If we make one big trade and add a really good mid-level guy we are right back in the mix. We are definately a more attractive destination for free agents or soon-to-be-traded players who might resign after we trade for them(AD) since they know that we won't have to face our biggest hurdle anymore. Who knows? if we trade for AD, would he resign with us, knowing that we won't have to get past the warriors every season? It may be worth it to get Jimmy butler at all costs now, knowing we could win the west now.

I also think that its not mandatory for us to trade capela anymore since he's only really bad against one team, the warriors. Without KD and Klay, that capela lob can't be shut down easily anymore even with Draymond. Draymond can't just play free safety anymore. HIm and KD can't just switch onto capela.

 

He’s right

It’s too bad Tilman forced Morey to burn our final assets at the deadline to save money. We might have had a chance to improve this offseason. Oh well. This is just the ownership we'll be dealing with going forward. Competitiveness is secondary.

 

This morning the warriors still opened as favorites for 2020. We are really low like 8th best odds

 

Yup , we'd be in a better position to match salaries without giving up a rotation player if we kept knight and the 1st we spent to move his (now) expiring.

A move so shortsighted and clearly designed to shed salary it had to be tilman

 

All of your guys rejoicing about GS now ... what happens when they resign their guys and then protect curry next year by NOT letting him try to carry 82 games worth of load .

Oops they end up with a top 5 pick in addition to a recovered klay and Durant .

Sure we have a shot next year (if CP3 doesn't regress again) but then back to GS dynasty .

Tell you what , GS isn't afraid to tank if they think it will put them in a stronger position long term .

 

This organizations obsession over the warriors is all for not now.

 

We have a lot of work to do to stay competitive in the West. The other teams aren't standing pat just because GS is injured. The arms race continues. The team had a lot of holes this season. Our defense and rebounding wasn't great. And playmaking when Harden is on the bench has become an issue with CP3's decline.

 

Great GMs are as important as anyone in creating dynasty’s. Ujiri has been consistently great and especially excellent this year with all moves aside from Lin. Morey is hit or miss, lately has made a lot of **** ups.

 

i highly doubt draymond and steph are going to tank for a top 5 pick. Their fans won't like that and they got too much heart. They'll probably get a low pick and miss the playoffs. They could possibly trade draymond now too. Or let him walk next time. They are not done completely, but that superteam is done. and you're assuming that KD and Klay will be the same player they were before. Will they still be good defenders after surgery? their shooting will definately be there? will KD's driving ability still be the same??