2018-19 Houston Rockets Thread of running it back (mainly)

[Murfdogg21 4,412]

I think I’d feel better about this if we didn’t further drop our pants and give them two first rounders. Obviously I value draft picks more than Morey, who feels like they are burning a hole in his pocket. 

[HtownHorn 14,486]

Shit at this point go sign Dwight to back up Capela.

[UDontKnow 10,439]

This may allow Gordon to return to the bench because there are 2 bonafide scorers in the starting lineup. Unless of course D'antoni fucks that up too.

[UDontKnow 10,439]

2 minutes ago, HtownHorn said:

Shit at this point go sign Dwight to back up Capela.

Dwert still combustible. Can he rebound and shoot FTs better than Tyson Chandler?

[HtownHorn 14,486]

14 minutes ago, Murfdogg21 said:

I think I’d feel better about this if we didn’t further drop our pants and give them two first rounders. Obviously I value draft picks more than Morey, who feels like they are burning a hole in his pocket. 

There is a slight chance none of those picks actually get conveyed to the Thunder. The 1st one is a 2021 swap, which is likely not going to be made. If anything it forces the Rockets to keep the pick going into the draft. All the rest are Top 4 protected, unlike the Clipper picks that have no protections.

[HtownHorn 14,486]

5 minutes ago, UDontKnow said:

Dwert still combustible. Can he rebound and shoot FTs better than Tyson Chandler?

Yes and yes.

Also, Chandler's friend on the Rockets just got traded to the Thunder.

[UDontKnow 10,439]

31 minutes ago, ChickenSandwich said:

It’s like a bad high

More like bad sex. At least you're doing the sex even if it's not fully satisfying. 

[UDontKnow 10,439]

6 minutes ago, HtownHorn said:

Yes and yes.

Also, Chandler's friend on the Rockets just got traded to the Thunder.

Meh. The friends thing is always overrated. 

I don't think Dwert can coexist with D'antoni. I would happy to be proven wrong. 

[HtownHorn 14,486]

6 minutes ago, UDontKnow said:

Meh. The friends thing is always overrated. 

I don't think Dwert can coexist with D'antoni. I would happy to be proven wrong. 

I completely forgot he was the coach of the Lakers when Dwight was traded there.

[Zavala 1,384]

Well, I wish CP3 would've worked, but this is an insane deal. Dude is uncoachable, bad teammate, ball hog, chucks horrible 3s especially late in games. But, he's really, really athletic and good on the break. He isn't scared to get all up in people's shit. He also plays hard as fuck. I don't know what other pieces move before the season, but damn this team had to be ahead of the LA teams now.

Morey is an absolute madman. I love it.

[KingBobo81 526]

So CP has gone from living in LA to Houston to Oklahomasux.  Dude is going to end up in the slums of Calcutta. 

Well, he has previous experience with OKC, having played there during the New Orleans Hornets displacement year.


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[Brothahorn 10,085]

No CP3 and Steven Adams for State Farm?

[Brothahorn 10,085]

Well, I wish CP3 would've worked, but this is an insane deal. Dude is uncoachable, bad teammate, ball hog, chucks horrible 3s especially late in games. But, he's really, really athletic and good on the break. He isn't scared to get all up in people's shit. He also plays hard as fuck. I don't know what other pieces move before the season, but damn this team had to be ahead of the LA teams now.
Morey is an absolute madman. I love it.

Ahead of the LA teams? The starting backcourt is comprised defenseless stat stuffers.

[goatsaag 279]

27 minutes ago, Zavala said:

Well, I wish CP3 would've worked, but this is an insane deal. Dude is uncoachable, bad teammate, ball hog, chucks horrible 3s especially late in games. But, he's really, really athletic and good on the break. He isn't scared to get all up in people's shit. He also plays hard as fuck. I don't know what other pieces move before the season, but damn this team had to be ahead of the LA teams now.

Morey is an absolute madman. I love it.

CP3 did work. The Rockets won 65 games even though "there aren't enough balls to go around for Harden and Paul" and were the only team to legitimately challenge the Warriors. And the Rockets should have beaten the Warriors even though it didn't end up happening.

Anyone who says Chris Paul didn't work out for the Rockets is not providing an accurate assessment of what happened (which to be fair, will probably be 90% of people who comment about basketball).

[goatsaag 279]

Just now, Brothahorn said:

Ahead of the LA teams? The starting backcourt is comprised defenseless stat stuffers.

 

The Rockets should have been ahead of the LA teams with Paul. Westbrook is better, so the Rockets should be even better though the fit is more questionable since it isn't proven.

[ChickenSandwich 9,798]

Put money that we move Gordon

[ChickenSandwich 9,798]

Call me crazy but Russ can have a positive effect on the game without the ball moreso than Paul. 

[CurlyDumps 4,439]

3 hours ago, APMP said:

CP3, two firsts, two swaps.

 

I'm so excited. I'm so scared.

Obligatory 

 

[aggie08 21,432]

14 minutes ago, ChickenSandwich said:

Call me crazy but Russ can have a positive effect on the game without the ball moreso than Paul. 

You're fucking crazy. Russ is one of the most useless players in the league--along with Harden, comically enough--without the ball on offense. He stands 30 feet from the basket like a statue and waits. Always has. You think he's going to start setting screens and back-cutting at this stage of his career? At least you have to guard Harden out there. CP3 is way more active than Russ and an actual shooting threat.

Edited July 12, 2019 by aggie08

[GHOSTUSER 361]

Fuck yes. Htown. Championship in 2020. D’Antoni should be on a short ass leash if we start slow. 

 

Edited July 12, 2019 by Iconoclast Texan

[ChiTownDoc 21,101]

2 hours ago, billfromlaketravis said:

Please elaborate on the Rockets gave up in the Melo trade.

Let’s say I gave you cancer.  And you give me a bag of chips.  It’s really not about what you gave up.  

[ChiTownDoc 21,101]

3 hours ago, billfromlaketravis said:

If the Spurs had this trade, their fans would beating their chests harder than the Aggys after signing Jimbo. 

I don’t know.  The spurs fans have experienced winning.  Not sure how you get off on comparing anyone, who wins anything, with aggy.  

[Murfdogg21 4,412]

How do “protected” picks work? I assumed if you got someone’s pick that was “top 4 protected” and they ended up with a top 4 pick, it would just defer to the next year. Am I wrong, and if they land in the top 4 you are just SOL and don’t get any pick?

I ask because this trade had two protected firsts and two pick swap options, and HtownHorn mentioned that we may not transfer any picks. 

[Slacks 6,791]

I wonder what the spreadsheet says about guys wanting to play stand around the 3FG line, watching a player dribble and then shoot or pass with 3 secs left in the shot clock. it's not fun to play or watch even if it's effective. 

SNACKS IS A WITCH WIZARD JEDI
Only two teams play like this... both have a ball dominating superstar scorer... and neither can figure out why players won't come/stay there... 
/KILLHIM


There are only a few PJ Tucker types...  there's a reason there are 'rumors' of that every ball handler on the team is frustrated...
Kevin McHale might not have been a good coach, but he was right about the ball getting "sticky". 

no one man should have all that power, snacks.

[Murfdogg21 4,412]

17 minutes ago, Snacks said:

 

 

no one man should have all that power, snacks.

 

NBA minimum to sit in the corner and chuck threes as the shot clock expires? I volunteer as tribute. 

[Eskimohorn 5,615]

If the Spurs had this trade, their fans would beating their chests harder than the Aggys after signing Jimbo. 

I’d trade DeRozan and Murray for Westbrook, then that would be an upgrade. Westbrook with DeRozan and Aldridge? That’s a lot of mid-range, ball-centric players.

Westbrook and Harden? Try it, see it blow up, trade Westbrook is one of the best scenarios. Other scenario is winning a battle of attrition in the West. Westbrook is much more fit than Paul to play 100 games.

[Zavala 1,384]

9 hours ago, goatsaag said:

CP3 did work. The Rockets won 65 games even though "there aren't enough balls to go around for Harden and Paul" and were the only team to legitimately challenge the Warriors. And the Rockets should have beaten the Warriors even though it didn't end up happening.

Anyone who says Chris Paul didn't work out for the Rockets is not providing an accurate assessment of what happened (which to be fair, will probably be 90% of people who comment about basketball).

Well I liked him, I'm measuring "did he work" by did he get us through the fucking Warriors into the Finals. He didn't. First try he got injured and they lost in 7. Second try, they lost that first game and just seemed to give up. They had all the reason in the world to beat the Durant-less Warriors and they didn't. Got to make a major change. 

I fucking hate Westbrook, but it is good to try something different, because an aging CP3 just couldn't get it done.

[Zavala 1,384]

9 hours ago, Brothahorn said:

 

Ahead of the LA teams? The starting backcourt is comprised defenseless stat stuffers.

 

Yeah, two league MVPs in the back court sucks because they are defenseless. 

Rockets odds got better with the trade, and the team is going to be fun to watch - either for the implosion or the greatness.

[Zavala 1,384]

I hope he 'do they' with D'Antoni

 

[BigOrange1 6,422]

one thing that should be good about it, because harden and russ are both so durable, both should only play about 65-70 regular season games each.  There can be several nights where only one of the 2 plays and the team should still be competitive.  it should keep them both fresh for the playoffs.

again, if russ never shoots 3's (or those ridiculous long 2's he loves to take), and only drives and distributes...it could work.

a small lineup of russ, harden, gordon, rivers and tucker could really space the floor and allow russ to attack and dish. 

i dunno, fuck it right?  it'll definitely be interesting to see how this all plays out.

[NowThis 931]

if CP3 gets an open look for a 3, i have a lot of confidence it's good. Zero confidence with RW.  

If RW can play the 2, this could work. Bring in his UCLA coach as a personal prison guard to contain this wild man. 

[Mitch Cumsteen 18,523]

CP3 has fallen off a cliff. He's never been able to stay healthy and it's only getting worse. That contract is one of the worst in the league. The idea that you could land a former mvp who still has quite a bit of juice left for him is a borderline miracle. Westbrook certainly has his warts and his contract is an abortion too but now that he actually has shooters around him, I'm not sure how you can guard him on the pick and roll. Morey fleeced OKC again. 

The best part about this is going to be watching all you rocket fans back track on all your Westbrook bashing from mvp races past. Why do I have this strange feeling that triple doubles are going to mean something special again?

[Machinator 32,097]

3 minutes ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

Morey fleeced OKC again. 

I was with you until here. How did Morey fleece OKC when Westbrook's contract was one of the biggest negative-value assets in the league for a team that was clearly not going to contend? At worst, it's a win-win.

[mycox 582]

1 hour ago, Zavala said:

I fucking hate Westbrook, but it is good to try something different, because an aging CP3 just couldn't get it done.

CP3 isn't the reason the Rockets didn't go to the finals this year. D'antoni 's offensive scheme, Capella disappearing, and the usual Harden ball cost the series.

[Rockethorn1978 6,061]

For me if it doesn’t work Westbrook and his contract are trade able.

[BigOrange1 6,422]

8 minutes ago, mycox said:

CP3 isn't the reason the Rockets didn't go to the finals this year. D'antoni 's offensive scheme, Capella disappearing, and the usual Harden ball cost the series.

you realize cp3 shot 39% from the field and 27.5% from 3 during games 1-5 of the series against the warriors right?

[Murfdogg21 4,412]

OKC wanted to dump the contract. A little more patience to bring in a third team like Miami might have saved the Rockets their draft picks. 

HOU gets RW 

MIA gets CP3

OKC gets a pick or two from MIA and some expiring contracts

[Zavala 1,384]

14 minutes ago, mycox said:

CP3 isn't the reason the Rockets didn't go to the finals this year. D'antoni 's offensive scheme, Capella disappearing, and the usual Harden ball cost the series.

What big orange 1 said above - also, wasn't CP3 supposed to be the vet leader that "coaches on the court", keeps the young guys engaged, keeps Harden efficient? I'm not saying it's all CP3's fault, but after that first game, they looked like the gave up. He doesn't have the killer instinct. 

Westbrook has the killer instinct. It may take over his game and turn him into a dumbass late in games taking 3s, but it's possible he will feel like he doesn't have to do it all anymore with Harden out there. I think his problem in OKC was that he didn't trust his teammates. Why? Because they weren't as great offensively as him. Maybe Harden can change that. Maybe not, maybe they will fight eachother over the ball on the court. Still, this will be fun to watch, better than watching CP3 get old.

[Pasken 1,309]

7 minutes ago, Murfdogg21 said:

OKC wanted to dump the contract. A little more patience to bring in a third team like Miami might have saved the Rockets their draft picks. 

HOU gets RW 

MIA gets CP3

OKC gets a pick or two from MIA and some expiring contracts

If it was just about dumping the contract then they wouldn't have taken Paul whose contract expires just 1 year before Westbrook and they make identical money. He's a vet that can help sell tickets and maybe help your young guys.

[CurlyDumps 4,439]

34 minutes ago, mycox said:

CP3 isn't the reason the Rockets didn't go to the finals this year. D'antoni 's offensive scheme, Capella disappearing, and the usual Harden ball cost the series.

CP3 was bad in the GS series. He didn’t show up until game 6.  Missed big shots (game 5 comes to mind). Eric Gordon outplayed him.  CP3 was absolutely a contributing factor.  And yet, they still had opportunities to win every road game. 

Apparently the only thing CP3 succeeded at in that series is annoying Harden.

Edited July 12, 2019 by CurlyDumps

[Rockethorn1978 6,061]

I hope WB works out but I’m not optimistic but I’m getting confused as to why the narrative on the nba thread is “rockets fans think they will win it all”? It’s polar opposite and like we have a say in front office decisions so you just kinda have to go with it. I get the rockets hate so I’m assuming it’s just that.

[HtownHorn 14,486]

3 hours ago, Murfdogg21 said:

How do “protected” picks work? I assumed if you got someone’s pick that was “top 4 protected” and they ended up with a top 4 pick, it would just defer to the next year. Am I wrong, and if they land in the top 4 you are just SOL and don’t get any pick?

I ask because this trade had two protected firsts and two pick swap options, and HtownHorn mentioned that we may not transfer any picks. 

Picks that are protected usually have language that defer them to other years where the protection is lessened to the point they are unprotected. I did not see that language in the trade. I just saw that OKC has the 2024 and 2026 picks that are Top 4 protected.

[ChickenSandwich 9,798]

16 minutes ago, CurlyDumps said:

CP3 was bad in the GS series. He didn’t show up until game 6.  Missed big shots (game 5 comes to mind). Eric Gordon outplayed him.  CP3 was absolutely a contributing factor.  And yet, they still had opportunities to win every road game. 

Apparently the only thing CP3 succeeded at in that series is annoying Harden.

This. 

Maybe it works maybe it doesn’t, but I don’t think you can claim we got “worse” in the off-season. Better is highly debatable, but I’d like to see how we fill out the rest of the roster or if another move is going to be made. 

[ChickenSandwich 9,798]

1 hour ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

CP3 has fallen off a cliff. He's never been able to stay healthy and it's only getting worse. That contract is one of the worst in the league. The idea that you could land a former mvp who still has quite a bit of juice left for him is a borderline miracle. Westbrook certainly has his warts and his contract is an abortion too but now that he actually has shooters around him, I'm not sure how you can guard him on the pick and roll. Morey fleeced OKC again. 

The best part about this is going to be watching all you rocket fans back track on all your Westbrook bashing from mvp races past. Why do I have this strange feeling that triple doubles are going to mean something special again?

I don’t think Rockets fans will suddenly flip flop and be pushing the RW MVP campaign this season. 

It is literally impossible for RW to play the way he did in OKC as he will alongside Harden. It’s Harden’s team and RW will be gone if it doesn’t work. 

If the can get rid of CP3 for a 2 yr removed MVP, they can move RW. 

Hell the Knicks would take him if need be. 

Edited July 12, 2019 by ChickenSandwich

[ChiTownDoc 21,101]

21 minutes ago, HtownHorn said:

Picks that are protected usually have language that defer them to other years where the protection is lessened to the point they are unprotected. I did not see that language in the trade. I just saw that OKC has the 2024 and 2026 picks that are Top 4 protected.

The language wasn’t there in media reports but they certainly get first round picks in other years.  

[ChiTownDoc 21,101]

I think Russ catches way too much shit, so does playoff Harden.  It’s just funny how hard Houston shit on WB and now half their fans are like this is fantastic.  Not as much on this site as Reddit etc.  

Anyways, I’ll be a fan.  Fuck everything in LA.  

[Sbbruin 21,733]

7 minutes ago, ChiTownDoc said:

Fuck everything in LA.  

Edited July 12, 2019 by Sbbruin

[HtownHorn 14,486]

9 minutes ago, ChiTownDoc said:

The language wasn’t there in media reports but they certainly get first round picks in other years.  

Not likely. There are 2 pick swaps and 2 top 4 protected picks with no offset language should the Rockets have a Top 4 pick in 2024 and 2026. The 1st swap is in 2021, so it's not likely conveyed. The other swap is in 2025, maybe that one actually conveys. But there is a chance that none of the picks are used by OKC.

[maninblack 7,974]

Welp at least we won't be boring. I'll give Morey credit for that.

[ChiTownDoc 21,101]

8 minutes ago, Sbbruin said:

Well, the girls are smoke.  So definitely fuck them.  And you?  Yeah, fuck you.  

I mean that in the nicest way possible.  

Edited July 12, 2019 by ChiTownDoc