[ESPN/MacMahon] 'There's too much damn turmoil': An unsettling vibe surrounds these Rockets

We started last year 11-14. It was a messy season. With all of this "turmoil" We took a mostly healthy Warriors team to 6 games. The last time we had a disastrous season we went .500 and got destroyed by the Warriors in the first round as the 8th seed. This is just runoff from last year. I'm 80% + sure that these issues will be resolved in one way or another by October.

 

Harden and CP3’s pov are both understandable, but it’s concerning that Harden refused to budge and MDA didn’t coach. If one of your stars wants more set plays then give him that. CP3 is right for not letting stuff go and should push Harden.

 

Precisely, one important task of bringing CP3 in was to improve leadership and push Harden in the playoffs.

 

It really is on the coach to manage his star players and keep this all under control.

Kerr does it with multiple all-stars.

Either that or these guys just don't mesh, which is a huge problem. I don't think this just goes away. Maybe if the Rockets can add Butler (highly unlikely) he'll knock both guys up the head but this looks like a huge issue that both guys were squabbling about things and weren't willing to sacrifice to make the team better.

 

Since we lost in the first round in '16 and managed to make it to the semis this past playoffs we should make it back to the WCF next season a year early.

 

Warriors got these boys shook.

 

Playing basketball is hard. There are ups and downs. The Warriors have 5 or 6 all stars on their team and it makes it easier to overcome this stuff. They go on bad streaks and that's when the stuff comes out. If the Rockets can add 1 more, we'll see winning help cure these issues.

 

Spoken like a guy who is pissed he got called out.

 

Dream didn't. So yea. There is precedence.

 

I agree that we need a coach who can Soften Harden when needed.

 

this is what you think about at 9 am?

 

Well then:

 

Funny that the primary line that will point to Harden/Paul friction is:

....note that is a quote that doesn't come from either player but rather an anonymous source trying to put words into both player's mouth. Honestly it's journalistically shady to even include a quote like that which leads me to believe the writer(who was it again?) has a motive because a real journalist wouldn't include a quote like that in the first place.

I believe the rest of it is just common sense - OF COURSE CP3(a highly competitive person) doesn't want to hang around after a bitter loss that they should have won in a series that he generally didn't play well in but to imply that it is BECAUSE of friction with Harden is misleading at best and likely deliberately trying to paint a narrative that suits the writer. OF COURSE D'Antoni is at odds with a team that just let go of half his staff(this is the only legit point of friction here that I can see). OF COURSE the staff is divided on how to proceed - this is just the every day of any org trying to get better.

I'm not even sure if the "Tillman is too cheap to pay for a contender" thing is true - lost in the "why didn't he pay for them to retain Luc/Ariza?" talk is the real story that both Luc and Trev had really bad years and likely wouldn't have significantly helped push us over the edge yet they would have been a financial burden. You could EASILY argue that while not perfect, adding Rivers, House, Clark, Schump, and Farried were much more impactful to the roster than what Ariza and Luc were able to offer other teams last year. I believe Houston wanted to sign a starting level SF but they balked at the deal for Luc/Ariza because of how much they were and what little value they thought they were going to get out of those deals and then nothing else reasonable materialized that they could pursue forcing them to gamble of D-league guys(who did an admirable job all things considered).

 

CP wore on the Clippers after a while as well.

Bottom line here, the initial onus is on MDA to sort out the offense so both Harden and CP are happy with their roles. And both Harden and CP need self awareness to adjust. Like a good marriage, they have to compromise. I think they will.

 

I'll probably get flamed on here but I like this answer. I like that the owner is repeatedly saying that he's going to go into the tax (for the right player) and getting pissed about this. It's better than the alternative of staying in a hole and leaving the fans going rabid. He's setting himself up to either put his money where his mouth is, or get the neutral fans (myself) to turn on him if he doesn't deliver.

 

This is not factual, though. Or it if is, it fails to be specific enough to be valid. There is not a divide between D'Antoni and "the Rockets". There is a divide between D'Antoni & agent and Tilman Fertitta. By accounts we've seen he is still on good terms with the players (most important) and the GM (important). The friction is primarily with the owner (also important) and the agent (meh.)

It's a pet peeve of mine when people include the word 'fact' in a speculatory article.

 

Yep this is why strong coaching is needed. Sometimes it’s more than X’s & O’s it’s about managing egos. Also it’s worth mentioning that Paul has a history of rubbing teammates the wrong way. It’s one thing to be abrasive when you are an elite player but it’s something completely different when you are just an above average player.