This team is built with the lynch pins being FVV and Steven Adams, rather than our young players

if the Rockets young core was really all that, they wouldn’t be so reliant on a bottom tier starting PG and a backup C

that’s why they’ll be going hard after Giannis after we get bounced in the 1st round

 

We likely wouldn't be contenders even with FVV and Adams, but we'll never know what their full contributions would have looked like to this year's squad. Even a role player can have a huge impact. Look at Bogut and Iggy on the Warriors. They averaged only 6.3ppg and 7.8ppg, respectively, on the 14-15 championship squad. They were hardly lynch pins, but were vital players. The team would have been good without them, but they definitely raised the ceiling IMO.

 

What you’re really saying isn’t that they are lynch-pins, but rather none of our young core is a superstar; therefore we are more fragile to losing two important role-players/leaders bc Amen/Sengun haven’t made a big leap, (yet).

And ofc, it also means Durant is lacking at elevating a team short on role-players/leaders, too.

 

Blah, blah, blah. We are really running out of things to be mad at each other about.

 

Someone has to help me understand why it made sense to build around an older player coming off a serious leg injury (who then had another injury) and an older player coming off one of his worst seasons as a pro. If those players are a single point of failure for your team or you are doing a bad job as GM.

 

On the contrary, this says more about the alleged “cornerstones/core” .. The idea wasn’t to build the roster around KD , FVV, and Adams, but for those guys to complement this alleged core while providing us with championship traits (toughness,accountability,resolve, etc)…Now because of the injury and nonexistent impactful jump that this alleged core dead projected to have, **** looks weird to others..

 

In New Zealand calling someone a "lynch pin" is one of the worst slurs you can use.

 

There wasn’t really a downside to taking a swing this year. They didn’t sacrifice meaningful future assets or block the development of the young core — just tried to stay competitive while those guys develop.

If your vets hit, you’re in the mix. If they don’t, you’re basically where you were going to be anyway, just with more information about the roster.

 

They probably reboot, sale as many tickets as they can with Giannis and Durant. Then just let Giannis, Durant salary role off, and buy into what
the summer 2028?>

I say atleast keep Reed and Thompson, alteast you have 2 semi- stars there in next 3-4 years.

Who knows it makes sense ticket wise, and if you just wanted to role off salary for free agency.

 

Its the two track build out. The young core isn't ready yet, so they tried to build a contender during these KD years by filling in with steady vets in FVV and Adams. It failed for this year. Next year it will fail again if someone doesn't get a lot better amongst Sengun, Bari, Amen, and Sheppard. The young core doesn't have enough shooting or defense - unless we see dramatic improvement from a couple of the guys, I see a big shake up next offseason (2027 not this summer).

 

I was yelling this at the top of my lungs prior to LAST season even before we got Steven Adams. They never built this team around any young guy. They always treated the young guys as after thoughts who should adapt or be role players.

This team is built around Ime Udoka’s mental issues. Not even to his strengths. If it were built to his strengths, we’d have an offensive minded roster who he could coach up defensively. It’s built to exacerbate his secret theory that role players who can’t shoot are undervalued and that stars get too much credit.

The college atmosphere was good when we had to install a culture. It’s time to optimize our on-court assets now whether we’re keeping or trading them.

 

Pretty much this, except I would add the KD track was built primarily using resources that would not affect the long-term track.

Maybe the Rockets trade for Giannis, and Stone will give fans a reason to say he is robbing from the future, but for the most part, that just has not happened yet.