ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Timberwolves 3/25/2026

The frustration is palpable, Murph.

 

Ain’t going anywhere with that bum head coach. They can keep going star hunting—Giannis, whoever— to cover for his offensive overall ineptness but it won’t matter.

I think I’m 80% this “core” ain’t it but 100% this coach ain’t it. Wasting our time.

Had a PG last year … “But we don’t have a star player!”
Has two all-stars … “But he doesn’t have a PG!”
Next year it’ll be some stupid **** like “Doesn’t have a defensive rim anchor!” “Doesn’t have shooting!”

Fire Stone Fire Stone Fire Stone Fire Stone … are we sure Stone is still the GM or making decisions?

We know Ime rejected Harden twice now. We know he chose Fred & Dillon over James for “muh culture”. We know he pushed for the KD trade. Okogie, Capela, DFS, Adams, are those not “Ime players”?

Spoiler

“Udoka and the Rockets coaching staff experimented all of last season playing big lineups and finished the 2024-25 campaign leading the NBA in offensive rebounds per game (14.6). Houston's size also allowed it to crash the offensive glass off misses with ferocity. That naturally yielded more second-chance points, another statistical category the Rockets led last season (18.1) on the way to a 52-30 record. “We saw something that worked last year and kind of tripled down, quadrupled down on it. The formula can work,” Udoka said.”

Smart-Pritchard
Brown-D.White
Tatum-Nesmith
R.Williams-G.Williams
Horford-Theis-Kornet

(Fred-)Amen-Reed-Holiday
Tari-Okogie
Jabari-Tate
Durant-DFS
Sengun-Adams-Capela

He didn’t have shooting and Boston and coincidentally doesn’t have shooting in Houston. Had 4 centers on the Celtics and coincidentally has 3 centers on the Rockets. Double bigs on the Celtics and coincidentally double bigs on the Rockets. Loaded up on defensive-cant shoot role players with the Celtics and coincidentally defensive-cant shoot role players with the Rockets. Hmmm…

Stone has his own shortcomings but…
If you think Stone wants to play 1960s basketball, built around missing shots, I have a bridge to sell you.
If you think Stone wanted to trade his first ever draft pick for a 37 year old, I have a bridge to sell you.

What are the current complaints…

No franchise guy. True. Stone took the consensus guys at their draft spots. Fire him! (And found Alperen at 16, Tari at 17, Cam at 20. Fire him!)

Stone didn’t bring in a guard or anyone else! Fire him! Well let’s hear it. Who were they sending out? Reminder they were hard capped.

Durant? Nope. Sengun? Nope? Amen? Nope. Jabari on a poison pill? Nope. Fred with veto powers? Nope.
Injury prone 32yo Steven Adams who is out for the season, signed for 2 more guaranteed years?
Busted 32yo DFS?
Fat Suit Capela who can only play 12 minutes a night, signed for 2 more guaranteed years?
Tari, only making $5.6M, is about to be a RFA?
You would’ve been ok sending out the PHX/BRK/DAL 1st to attach to one of those guys for a marginal upgrade for this flawed roster? (I don’t know, Coby White was the hot name. White is making $12.8M in the last year of his deal.)

And who cares if they brought someone in if the r****d head coach wouldn’t play him?

Amen-Tari-Jabari-Durant-Sengun-Reed-DFS-Adams
Capela-Limited Okogie-DNP Holiday-DNP Tate-DNP Green-DNP Davison-DNP Crawford-DNP Newton-DNP

They have no bench. Why do they have no bench? Because they filled it out with Ime players lol. Just giving the head coach what he wants! And Reed is hit or miss.

Stone gave Ime a 6-year extension, fire him! lol be for real. Non-player contract extensions are handled by ownership, not the GM. You think Stone willy-nilly just handed him a fat 6-year extension?


What is Ime even good at?

We don’t even need to talk offense.
I’m sorry, if you need 5 defensive forwards to have a good defense, you’re not a “defensive guru”.
“Vibes” & “culture” walked out the door to Phoenix.
You like his short rotations, random lineups & substitutions?
Think he makes good in-game adjustments?
Think he makes timely timeouts? (Go ahead, laugh. We’ve all seen it. Teams go on 18-4 runs, 15-0 runs, nothing.)
Think he gets best out of his guys? Think he lifts them up, encourages them? Or just scowls? Think he puts guys in position to succeed? Think he gets guys easy looks? Or do they have to work hard for everything?
Think he’s a good development coach? Who has he developed? (NOT due to an increase in playing time or usage)

1960s basketball ain’t gonna work in 2027.

And the answer to everything is “more physicality”, “more toughness”, “more rebounding”. “We were soft.” “We didn’t come ready to play, something something lesser teams…”

“Always them (their fault), never me.” — Ime

 

I think I'm calling it as well for the year. I don't even look forward to watching this team anymore. Feel bad for Sengun, Jabari, Reed and Amen. I do. I hope everyone but them is gone next year. Tired of complaining about any of those four guys individually. I want them all back next year. Sengun has looked "himself" the last few games which is nice to see.

I don't even want to worry about saying what should or should not happen. I'm not going to care about offseason moves or anything, I'll look back into it in September to see what the Rockets look like and whether or not next year's version is even worth my time.

 

Which loss is more disgusting?

This game or that loss to NBDL Warriors?

 

“Trade for KD. Rockets just need a closer”

 

To be fair, Reed did go over to give Sengun a tap.

 

The worst thing about this loss is that we can't even blame the devil Scott Foster.

 

we earned this one all on our own

 

Ironically that mentality is the worst thing that could've happened to this team. Now Ime's entire approach is basically "hand it to KD" and sit back and expect him(along with Alpi and occasionally Amen) to win the game.

 

Oh yeah, let's trade for the guy who up and walked out on your team and who just walked out on the Clippers. By all means let's bring THAT guy back so he can walk out on the Rockets again.

 

He’s never going to help us out ever again after this. Probably ruined his parlay

 

Tha ts the issue and I’ve been saying it he’s overall a net negative

 

sucks to be us rockets fans now but damn this comment made my day hahahaha. nice one

 

Should be allowed to go up there and beat the **** out of people like that, no suspension. Jabari wanted to.

 

This is 2016 drunk Lawson Rockets bad. These dues hate each other and hate the coach.

 

I should have known better. Super sturdy comeback followed by historic meltdown. Yay rockets

 

All I know is that I was watching and the Rockets were up 11 in OT --- I go to grab the door dash and take a piss and they lost..... literally 5 minutes of time passed and they blew a double digit lead in OT and lost... game over.... you don't pass go.... you lose....

If there was one picture for the 2025-2026 Houston Rockets, this is it.......


The problem isn't as simple as "Stone" or "Udoka".

One goes with the other ...... if there is a **** roach in your spaghetti, you throw the whole pot of pasta out.

The organizational structure and the view of how to run an NBA teams is EXTREMELY dated.

The organization lacks any real depth - they lack people that deeply understand the details of basketball.

The organization has a weak coaching staff - a decent analytics department and a terrible scouting department.

The GM isn't qualified to be the GM - the head coach is basically substance less if he isn't threating to beat someone in the parking lot with a tire iron.

 

WOW -- even at a pick up game there is more emotion.

 

Waiting for @hlmbasketball to jump in and say Reed and Sengun were awful as usual and everyone else is great.

Subtext, people. Subtext.