2023-24 Houston Rockets Thread - Climbing out of the Gutter?

[ChickenSandwich 9760]

Whitmore had a great game. His 25 was effortless and didn’t force anything. Also was a leader out there on the floor. Impressive. 
 

I know it is Summer league but Reed has chance to be one of the best players in this draft class. Huge bonus keeping him from San Antonio and Wemby. 

AJ Griffin showed some life and decent play.  Perfect project to stash in the G league and see if you can get something from him  

Have yourself a game Oscar Robinson. 
 

Rockets should shut Cam and Reed down

Edited July 15 by ChickenSandwich

[TonyTexas 10406]

 

[Macklemore 2850]

OKC and the Rockets are going to be battling for Western supremacy the 2nd half of this decade.

[Hank Kingsley 19998]

nm Macklemore beat me to it 

Edited July 15 by Hank Kingsley

[Hank Kingsley 19998]

20 minutes ago, ChickenSandwich said:

Rockets should shut Cam and Reed down

Cam, definitely. Reed, maybe another game or two. But your point is correct, and I'd be fine with it. We've seen enough. 

 

 

[ChickenSandwich 9760]

 

[HtownHorn 14320]

Rockets should be taking calls on Jalen Green right now, he has no spot on this team anymore, no sense in keeping him around and watching him pout as he is passed by Whitmore and Sheppard during this season.

Sheppard-Whitmore-Thompson-Smith-Sengun that is the future. Whitemore and Thompson are interchangable at the 2/3 spots.

Edited July 15 by HtownHorn

[Hank Kingsley 19998]

I don't want to pile on Jalen, but I feel fairly comfortable in saying Sheppard is already better than him (even with context of RS only playing 2 summer league games, lol). 

Reed is so good at so many things. 

 

 

[HtownHorn 14320]

I'd love to package Green and Brooks for salary relief and sign Trent Jr. to a short term deal. Sheppard can back up Van Vleet for a season before taking over the starting role in 2025.

[Fud 9522]

Keep green until you get a proper return for him 

[ChickenSandwich 9760]

Green for Durant at the deadline. Avoids having to pay Green. 
 

Max Alpi

Let FVV option expire and resign to team friendly. 
 

Bari and Tari are not yet max guys.   Get them on a team friendly extensions. 

Trade Brooks if possible

Play it out on Reed, Thompson and Whitmore rookie deals. 

Edited July 15 by ChickenSandwich

[Fud 9522]

Guys, at least consult the trade machine with these ideas 

[HtownHorn 14320]

1 hour ago, Fud said:

Keep green until you get a proper return for him 

If you can get rid of Brooks at the cost of Green you do it. Another season of Green and you are losing him in FA because you aren't matching any offer he gets.

[Fastbreak 3890]

Rockets would get rid of Brooks and save 11.9m over 2 years and clear 22.2m on next years cap. They pick up a young PF who may have potential.  Rockets would cut or buyout Simmons immediately. 

Nets would get the best player in the trade, but take on 105m in salary over 3 years.  MPJ is losing his luster in Denver and may need a change on scenery.

Nuggets would get a player to replace KCPs defense at the expense of the shooting of MPJ.  Pick up a few random picks and a swap from the Nets.

[tx 3 putt 75230]

 

[Fud 9522]

8 hours ago, HtownHorn said:

If you can get rid of Brooks at the cost of Green you do it. Another season of Green and you are losing him in FA because you aren't matching any offer he gets.

What's the hurry to get off Brooks, and why are we talking about his contract like it's a Jordan Poole type of negative contract? 

[A-Tex Devil 2412]

Reed is still a rookie and ninja hands notwithstanding he is going to be on a learning curve defensively which may make it tough to close games with him if he is getting routinely hunted.   I am super pumped about his prospects but let’s remember the words of Winston Wolf when it comes to summer league.  
 

Rockets aren’t winning a title this year.  You are aiming to get to the 6th seed and avoid the play in, but will take a home play in game. You see if you can figure out how to get the best of Green (who inarguably was a fucking stud during that end of year stretch - even advanced metrics loved him) and Sengun together and if it can’t work, you flip one of them (probably Green) at the trade deadline.  
 

But if Green and Sengun can figure out how to open and close games together, and then you stagger them throughout game to optimize things, and both are 90% of their peaks from last year, there is a real fun team here.  

[Fud 9522]

The issue with Green is most of his best stretches in his career have happened over the last month or so of the seasons when a lot of teams are either tanking or not trying 

I don't see the rush in trading anyone unless you're getting surplus value. Keep kicking the can down the road to get as much data as possible on which of these guys have the best chance on panning out as winning players. If a consolidation opportunity for a star who's not over the hill materializes, then pounce, but don't force it and over pay for a guy who won't actually make you that much closer to being a contender 

[Fastbreak 3890]

What's the hurry to get off Brooks, and why are we talking about his contract like it's a Jordan Poole type of negative contract? 

It’s not a terrible contract. But 3 years and 70 million with potentially blocking younger/better guys.

[Fud 9522]

Just now, Fastbreak said:

It’s not a terrible contract. But 3 years and 70 million with potentially blocking younger/better guys.

If this was being directed by the OKC ownership/brain trust from two years ago who had all the patience in the world it would make sense, but Tildo and Ime want to be as competitive as possible right now, and while you can say what you want about Brooks, playing him makes this team more competitive than not 

It'll probably make more sense after the season when you're one year deeper into the contract and as it takes up less % of the cap, and the young guys are more ready to be winning players 

[Hank Kingsley 19998]

3 hours ago, Fud said:

What's the hurry to get off Brooks, and why are we talking about his contract like it's a Jordan Poole type of negative contract? 

For me it's due the fact that he was pretty much worthless after the first 15 games last season. 

He came in and showed is tough defense and attitude early, which this young team really needed and why they signed him to a big contract. And then it just kinda disappeared for the rest of the season. His defense wasn't that great, he didn't get into any opposing players' heads, and offensively he's just a terrible player with a terrible handle and a terribly inconsistent three point shot. 

With Amen's emergence on defense, Tari coming back, and Sheppard/Cam clearly needing significant minutes, the odd man out should be Dillon Brooks. 

I don't even care if we move him. I just don't want him to play very much. 

 

 

[Hank Kingsley 19998]

This is awesome 

 

[Fud 9522]

 

[tx 3 putt 75230]

13 hours ago, Fud said:

What's the hurry to get off Brooks, and why are we talking about his contract like it's a Jordan Poole type of negative contract? 

There are only so many minutes every night 

[ChickenSandwich 9760]

Looked gassed all night. 3 games in 4 nights is dumb, and dumb of them to play Reed and Cam. 
 

Griffin had a good game, and the Dollar store Big O played well and should get a contract from someone. 

[HtownHorn 14320]

35 minutes ago, ChickenSandwich said:

Looked gassed all night. 3 games in 4 nights is dumb, and dumb of them to play Reed and Cam. 
 

Griffin had a good game, and the Dollar store Big O played well and should get a contract from someone. 

Griffin was looking at the DLeague assignment with his poor performace in the SL, but tonight's game he finally showed promised. This is why we need to clear out some of the older veterans that are blocking are younger guys from getting real minutes. Robinson needs a two-way.

[billfromlaketravis 11286]

1 hour ago, ChickenSandwich said:

Looked gassed all night. 3 games in 4 nights is dumb, and dumb of them to play Reed and Cam. 
 

Griffin had a good game, and the Dollar store Big O played well and should get a contract from someone. 

It’s malfeasance to keep playing Whitmore. I wonder if the idea was to use the additional minutes for Cam to work on his defense? Not sure that’s working out. 

Probably should have sat Reed as well given his previous 2 games and the quick turnarounds. 

[Fud 9522]

9 hours ago, HtownHorn said:

This is why we need to clear out some of the older veterans that are blocking are younger guys from getting real minutes

This makes sense for building for the future, but it's not what ownership wants, and it's probably not what the head coach, who has a lot of power, wants either

[Planet Houston 4918]

16 hours ago, billfromlaketravis said:

It’s malfeasance to keep playing Whitmore. I wonder if the idea was to use the additional minutes for Cam to work on his defense? Not sure that’s working out. 

Probably should have sat Reed as well given his previous 2 games and the quick turnarounds. 

I saw Jabari Smith at the airport last night about 1:15am - he had just gotten back from SL clearly, as he was getting his bags from a Vegas flight was at our carousel. /csb/

[tx 3 putt 75230]

 

[HtownHorn 14320]

Big loss. Congrats to him.

[tx 3 putt 75230]

solid numbers 

[billfromlaketravis 11286]

So who needs to get moved out to give Reed more minutes in his training year before replacing FVV? I don’t think back up point guard minutes are going to be enough, and he can play off ball.

Edited July 21 by billfromlaketravis

[UDontKnow 10439]

Peripherally Rockets related, but damn what a hell of a job Royal Ivey did coaching up South Sudan against our boys. Hook 'Em Royal and please do the same on the Rockets coaching staff.

[HtownHorn 14320]

3 hours ago, billfromlaketravis said:

So who needs to get moved out to give Reed more minutes in his training year before replacing FVV? I don’t think back up point guard minutes are going to be enough, and he can play off ball.

The obvious choice is Jalen Green.

[Fud 9522]

Talking Reed Sheppard at the 50:20 mark

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nba-summer-league-rookie-breakdown-reed-bronny-sarr/id1054081827?i=1000662960178

[A-Tex Devil 2412]

Saw Trevor Keels went off last night.  Loved that guy at Duke.  Would love to see him sneak in there for a roster spot - presuming he earns it in camp, of course.

Edited July 22 by A-Tex Devil

[billfromlaketravis 11286]

13 hours ago, Fud said:

Talking Reed Sheppard at the 50:20 mark

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nba-summer-league-rookie-breakdown-reed-bronny-sarr/id1054081827?i=1000662960178

Thanks Fud. The Game Theory fellas already think Reed has the highest swing guard upside on the team. That includes Jalen Green. 
 

I’m not sure I’m there yet. If Jalen plays defense every night, and can add something on nights when his shot isn’t falling, I think he has higher upside than Reed.

They love Amen. Think he has the best number 1, the guy, potential on the team. 

[Fud 9522]

Talking Sheppard at about the 36:30 mark

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/duncd-on-basketball-nba-podcast/id986901174?i=1000663025165

[Slacks 6691]

15 hours ago, billfromlaketravis said:

They love Amen. Think he has the best number 1, the guy, potential on the team. 

Because he does. Whitmore is probably next.

[Rip76 4880]

[Macklemore 2850]

27 minutes ago, Rip76 said:

Huge loss. A piece of my childhood has died. Y’all remember the screw job by the refs on the last game of the season in San Antonio in 1993 that cost us playoff seeding and he flipped out so bad that the radio broadcast was knocked off air. Classic Gene-o. My favorite all time announcer. Remember Kuppenheimer’s? He did the commercials for them too.

[Macklemore 2850]

Gene Peterson, legendary voice of the Houston Rockets, dies at 83

Jonathan Feigen

 

 

Gene Peterson one of the radio voices for the Houston Rockets sits on the Rockets' bench during early warm-ups called "shoot around" before the playoff game five against the Utah Jazz Tuesday, April 29, 2008, in Houston. He said it is his tradition to come down to the floor and watch the early warm ups. He and his broadcast partner, Jim Foley, are retiring. Foley is recovering from bladder and prostate surgery and did his last broadcast March 18. ( Melissa Phillip / Chronicle )

Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle

 

Gene Peterson, the legendary voice of the Rockets for more than three decades as the team’s radio play-by-play announcer, died Wednesday. He was 83.

Peterson was moved to home hospice care Tuesday, his son Todd said, following two weeks in the hospital after a fall.

He suffered from lung cancer that metastasized in his liver and gall bladder, Todd Peterson said.

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“He loved his job, the Rockets, he was fiercely loyal to his family,” Todd Peterson said. “He loved golf, and his later years, fell in love with the Astros. Even in the hospital, they put it on for him. He really fell in love with them. He watched every game.”

Peterson described Rockets games for 33 of his 45 years in broadcasting. His call of Rockets games had become so familiar that games on any rec center or public outdoor court in Houston would feature someone describing a player “backing it in, backing it in, backing it in” in an imitation of Peterson’s perfect baritone, or punctuate a made shot with a shout of “Bingo!”

Rockets wins could not be considered complete before Peterson declared, “How sweet it is!”

“It is a gigantic loss,” Rockets president of business operations Gretchen Sheirr said. “I don’t think anyone that is a Rockets fan has a memory of the Rockets without Gene’s voice attached to it.”

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Craig Ackerman, the Rockets’ television play-by-play announcer, succeeded Peterson on the radio broadcasts after Peterson retired in 2008 and spoke often about Peterson helping with the transition.

“First and foremost, he should be in the Hall of Fame. I’m frankly surprised that he and Jim (Foley, Peterson’s longtime broadcast partner) are not at this point,” Ackerman said. “Gene had the quintessential voice for broadcasting, deep, baritone, everything you put in a textbook, he checked all those boxes.

“I grew up listening to Jim and Gene. They were part of my life as a fan growing up in the city. A lot of my memories are associated with those two. Working with the Rockets as an intern, after listening to those guys and being fans of their work, getting to know them professionally and personally and to learn from them is something I’ll always cherish.

“He will definitely be missed. He was the voice of the Rockets, to me. He’ll always be voice of the Rockets to me.”

Peterson began his broadcasting career moving from station to station, team to team, from the South Dakota State Jackrabbits and on to Eau Claire, Wis., Albuquerque, N.M. and Kansas City, Mo. before he moved to Houston as the sports director at KPRC.

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A year later, former Rockets general manager Ray Patterson called and offered the last job Peterson would hold.

“He was a big reason that people listened to the Rockets,” said Bill Worrell, the Rockets’ longtime television play-by-play broadcaster who retired in 2021. “His voice, I’d put it right up with Milo Hamilton as voices you knew immediately who they were. He was a joy to work with, he and Jim. We were kind of the three musketeers out on the road. We traveled the world together.

“He was just a good friend. And he helped me when I first came in. He had been with KPRC. When I left Channel 2 in 1980, he welcomed me and … was a perfect gentleman. He was a Rocket through and through. I’m going to miss him.”

Foley called Peterson “one of a kind.”

“He was a wonderful friend and a great broadcaster, as people who heard him would know,” Foley said. “As he always said, it was family, God and Rockets. And he lived by all of those.”

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When Peterson and Foley retired, the media dining and work rooms at Toyota Center were named the Peterson-Foley media center,

Peterson is survived by his wife of 61 years, Marsha, their children Todd, Paul and Jennifer and seven grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

[Macklemore 2850]

Classic Gene-o

Gene-o was my  🐐 broadcaster without question. This sucks 

Edited July 24 by Macklemore

[TonyTexas 10406]

How sweet it was!

[billfromlaketravis 11286]

RIP Gene. 
 

I was sad when he retired. I’m sadder now. 

[tx 3 putt 75230]

He had a the voice for radio basketball 

Edited July 25 by tx 3 putt

[Macklemore 2850]

 

Edited July 25 by Macklemore

[Macklemore 2850]

RIP Gene-o loved listening to him. 

[Macklemore 2850]