This hasn’t been the best week for the Houston Rockets. Starting with the moment Chandler Parsons signed an offer sheet in a nightclub to the moment the Rockets declined to match that offer, everything that could go wrong seemingly went wrong. What at first looked like risky but positive moves have now culminated in what can only be called a step backwards. It may be in the interest of taking a much larger step forward, but there’s a gap between this Rockets team and the one that stepped off the court in April. There’s a void.
The natural response is to shy from it, to turn away from that void and pretend it doesn’t exist. It’s easy to view this week through any number of lenses that ameliorate the unhappy knowledge that there’s a gap. That gap is there whether we look or not, and depending on the outcome of this summer, the void may spread out and negate the entire season. Unless a major move is made, the Rockets have stepped back from even the marginal contention they were at before. There’s no use in ignoring it. The only option left is to acknowledge this void, to embrace it.
There will be thousands of words spent explaining why the choices made were the right ones. We’ll talk ourselves into Trevor Ariza again, and we won’t be wrong. There will be fun wins and there will be talk of making a move to contend and there will be unfounded hope. People plus sports will always bring us this. What this roster won’t bring is a Finals berth, but that’s also true for the majority of teams. Only a few ever have a legitimate shot at it. For a few hours, the Rockets seemed to be one of those elite teams, but then reality set in. Now we have the void.
The narrative of the Rockets this season pivoted at about five p.m. central time on Friday. Instead of the world in which Bosh joined the most terrifying five-man unit in the league, the Rockets are instead a living embodiment of Icarus. The perception in Houston, the feeling in the organization and the world of the more level-headed pundits may be that the Rockets made the right moves and happened to miss out. In a broader sense, general manager Daryl Morey tried to fly to the sun and his rocket ship melted on the way. In some other universe, perhaps most universes, Morey and Bosh are planning their press conference together. In the one we’re forced to live in there’s no Bosh. There’s just an empty spot where he could have been, and another void where Parsons used to be.
It’s almost too much to comprehend. It would be one thing for the Rockets to swing and miss. Lots of teams swing and miss. Most do, in fact. Each superstar can only be on one team, and some teams have a few of them. That’s not what defies reason. The amazing part of the Daryl Morey Rockets is how they miss. Apart from his major home runs in acquiring James Harden and Dwight Howard, Houston’s failures have been memorable and improbable.
When the 2009 Rockets pushed the Lakers to seven games without Yao Ming or Tracy McGrady, a brutal run of bad luck in losing two stars turned into a rush of hope. The Rockets would have been a dangerous up and comer… except that their stars were aging, they were in win-now mode and they didn’t know yet that they had seen the last meaningful minutes from their stars. After losing in the first round again and again, at least the Rockets had lost in the second. But even that scant hope would be dashed as Yao Ming’s attempted recovery drew out Houston’s period of irrelevance lottery picks out from 2010 to 2012.
As insult to injury, the Rockets managed to miss the playoffs with a winning record three years in a row. They did the impossible, however, and blasted back to relevance and potential contention by trading for James Harden without ever tanking out. The Rockets somehow made the playoffs in 2013 against all expectations and even pushed the Thunder to six games before losing in round one. They barely lost two of those games and even looked like they had a shot at coming back from the dreaded 0-3 hole. It was, of course, not to be. This is, of course, to say nothing of the improbable way the Rockets managed, through the hardest of efforts and the most amazing of circumstances, to lose to the Portland Trail Blazers in six games in the first round. Lillard’s .9 second shot in game six of that series is yet another item in the vault for Houston.
This was only after having a seemingly-completed trade for Pau Gasol go down in flames the year before, and having Dwight Howard summarily turn them down in his first free agency hoopla. The infamous “basketball reasons” struck from nowhere to blindside the Rockets. This time, it was Pat Riley. Chris Bosh, who had spurred Moreys advances (and, famously, his iPad) before, was reportedly in the final stages of working out the finances of his contract when Riley and the Miami HEAT struck. Riley’s supermax offer to Bosh was reportedly a last-ditch attempt to keep him, and it worked. Contrary to endless reports and indications that Bosh was moving to Houston, the deal was shattered. Jeremy Lin and a draft pick were even traded to make way for it.
What began as an off-season in which the Rockets planned to either gain a star or tweak the roster, the Rockets lost two starter caliber players in Asik and Parsons, lost their own draft pick along with a rotation player in Jeremy Lin and ended with Trevor Ariza and Alonzo Gee. When most teams swing, they either get a base hit or a strike. When Morey’s Rockets step up to bat, every hit is a home run. On the other had, Houston doesn’t seem to be able to get a simple strike. Instead, the ball explodes on contact with the bat and somehow kills the catcher. It’s impossible to ignore this narrative any longer, if Houston ever wants to move past it.
We can’t pretend everything’s fine in Houston. We can only embrace the void and come out the other side.
View this discussion from the forum.
{ 0 comments… add one }
Login to leave a comment.You will be prompted to login with your forum username. Please login and return to this page to leave a comment.
Total comments: 73I'm in on "Trey" Daniels FC. I like the kid's approach to the game and definitely his shooting touch!
@slick shoes
that's 2 years away...............my magic 8 ball won't give me any information that far out. however it hasn't been working good lately anyway .....it said we would get Bosh :lol:
The more I read about the KD to Washington scenario, the sadder my day gets. I feel like I live in Mudville and the mighty Casey just ended his at bat.
After this off-season, I think I'm done with assuming anyone goes anywhere. My guess is DC, but who knows--it's two years away. Lots will change by then.
don't underestimate Hardens pull on Durrant
This is something I think is very likely (sorry FSS). Durant is from DC and That Wizards team will be primed for him (assuming Wall and Beal continue to develop and Gortat is still going strong.
Here is their salary page
Even after Gortat's deal goes through, they should be able to offer a max to Durant. That would give them a starting 5 of Wall, Beal, Durant, Nene/Webster (depending on if they want to go small), and Gortat. That is scary good. Lebron's window is closing fast--he better hope his new friends in Cleveland are studs.
After seeing LeBron go home one has to imagine that appeals to KD. He has been away since 2006...by the time his contract is up it will have been 10 years...That will be tough to beat when trying to get him here. Add to that the Wiz have Otto Porter and Glen Rice Jr. developing....that team could be tailor made for Durant.
Hey, you can't win 'em all.
On another note, Marc Stein Reports that the Wizards have hired on of KD's high school coaches:
"Who else sees Wizards' hire of one of Kevin Durant's HS coaches (David Adkins) as another sign Wiz are already prepping for 2016 run at KD?" -Marc Stein
Do they have the financial flex to be able to offer him a max?
This would be the same guy who predicted the Heat to win the Finals, right? :P
Until then, we will only flirt with him this way...
I'd also like to add that KD endorsed LBJ testing the waters of free agency saying:
"I don’t know what the big deal is. You know, as a player, I think that’s the best way to go about it. You can have all your options. It’s better for you as a player to opt-out, because you can get a market deal, you can get more years. You never know what will happen if you pass up on that. So I didn’t know what the big deal was. I’m sure it was a decision he made — something he was thinking about — for him and his family."
He goes on to say that:
"I don’t think anything that you guys criticize LeBron [about> is fair. He switched teams; he’s not the first guy to do it. He decided to opt out; he’s not the first guy to do it. Sometimes a lot of people criticize him a little bit too much for doing normal things, doing stuff that everybody has done. [Even> Tim Duncan went into free agency before. He got courted by quite a few teams. We’ll see what happens with me, but everybody’s done the same thing. He’s not the first."
This is not to say that I am interpreting his statements as hints that he wants to leave, but that he is willing and will more than likely see what else is out there once it is time for his re up giving us a chance to court him. It may or may not happen, but you never know until you try.
I did as a matter of fact. I also saw him praise Caron Butler's leadership and he is no longer with the team. Who is to say that if James were on the team, KD would've gone on and on singing his praises the way he did 'Brook? Maybe even more so. Who knows? I just get the feeling that after so many years of hitting the same wall with the same team, he might start looking for other/new places to chase his dream.
This has probably been posted before, but I'll conclude with the following:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-_K3gWqaBk
EDIT: DING!!!
Vegas still has our team, the Rockets, as one of the top 6-7 Teams in the upcoming season even after what has occurred over the past 10 days or so. Money talks, BS walks............
Vegas still has our team, the Rockets, as one of the top 6-7 Teams in the upcoming season even after what has occurred over the past 10 days or so. Money talks, BS walks............
Count me in as Treasurer of the Trey Daniels Fan Club going forward---------if I receive enough votes.
@Journeymany
I don't think it's as bad as you think
1. I do consider Ariza aside-grade. a player comparable to Parsons. you're right....a little better defense, a little less offense. actually Parsons PER was 15.9 last year and Ariza's was 15.8........that's how close they are. however we paid 8 instead of 15 mil for that service. a player with a PER under 20 should not be making star money. it's just that simple. yeah we're paying7 mil more for the starting lineup, but about 30 mil less for the bench
2.I keep hearing posters talk about how Lin's production needs to be replaced. we weren't sure we were going to get that production when Lin was here he was so inconsistent. that'sa problem we needed to address anyway. the way I see it we got rid of the money clogging the team. now we can look at some of these youngsters we been grooming.
3. would we have been contenders with Parsons, Lin and Asik? with Parsons, Lin and Asik plus scraps we get from FA (because they are eating up our cap space) market put us past OKC?.......the Clippers? Portland? when something isn't working you take steps to change it.
4. we already have youngsters we need to look at. before we start just signing someone from desperation we need to find out what we need
5. I agree I hope Harden is listening to the growingrumble of his critics
overall it was a rough 2 weeks, but what don't kill you will make you stronger. I think in the end we will be stronger. sometimes you have to purge the impurities out to make the metal hard
Err... did you not see KD's MVP acceptance and his crying while saying Westbrook was 'his brother' and so on? Optimism is great, but this is just random clutching at straws. Having Harden should give us a slight edge over the other teams in the league, but the way KD always goes on about Westbrook, defending him from critics and praising him shows absolutely no reason for your statement!
Anyway, back on topic... well, I've recovered from being totally depressed over the weekend. Letting Parsons go was the right move after Bosh didn't sign. On the current running debate:
1) I consider Ariza more or less a straight sidegrade. Better D. Worse handle. We basically have the same starting 5 as last season, BUT costing $8 million more.
2) Whatever your views on he-who-shall-not-be-named, his 13 & 4 off the bench need replacing. There is no evidence that Canaan is the answer to date and I would expect Morey to sign a cheap guard or playmaker. Johnson looks more likely than Canaan right now, but Summer League really doesn't mean zip.
3) Whatever you want to call it, we're probably not contenders this year.
4) Morey will be trying to find some hidden gems from somewhere, possibly Europe I guess. But agree that there isn't anyone 'known' left and we are at 'prospect' level now.
5) Agree. When it becomes common that people call him 'James Haren', you have to hope he gets motivated to do something about that.....
@kdo
first it was......no stars want to come to Houston
then it was....no stars want to play with Harden
now it's no stars want to play with Harden and Howard..............where will it end.........when we have an allstar team?
just because we missed out on a couple of stars does not mean none want to come here. sometimes in the NBA timing is everything
KD isn't going to Houston. We really should stop shooting for the moon. We're lucky to hit twice, though I'd argue that it's only 1.5...if Harden can fix his gaps, and if we don't waste Howard's time, then I'll be pleased.
It just seems like no other "star" really wants to play with Howard and Harden, at least not at any discount.
@slick shoes
FSS has already propose that plan and it seems to be gaining followers. I'm starting to lean that way myself. it would be the bomb wouldn't it?
The Thunder have always been my #2 team but I kind of don't want them to win anything so that KD will decide it's time to take his talents to the 3rd coast.
@SDrake
1. Steven already pointed it out. Parsons shot 37% on threes last year Ariza shot 40%
2. are you saying even though we knew Lin wasn't the answer we should have still retained him? he wasn't cutting it so we will try something else
3. not rebuild........regroup
4. lets see what these youngsters got. I'm sure someone will surprise us
@bladad
you're kidding right? :unsure:
2. Canaan is the answer.
3. You don't rebuild, but it is time to find out how good they are.
4. Rockets are done. No one else out there is an upgrade.
5. What he said.
GO MAVS!?!?!?!
1. What stats are you looking at? Career from 3pt... Parsons = 37.0%, Ariza=34.7%
2. Lin may have not been living up to expectations, but Beverley isn't the answer either.
3. Growth/youngsters... so 2014/15 is a rebuilding year?
4. But the number of available quality players is decreasing every day. And the Rockets don't exactly have any good candidates of value to trade for a quality player in return, just a bunch of prospect-level players.
5. I agree.
Please god let someone else win the title so we can stop hearing about the freaking spurs!
Look at Popovich at San Antonio. There's no doubt the Spurs are a better team because of his coaching. To say that coaches don't win games is basically saying that it's not relevant who the coach is. Coaches put the players in to the strategy and positions to win games. There's no doubt that McHale's coaching has lost games (i.e. the overly-predictable Harden ISO during any final seconds situation).
Sure, Harden loves playing for McHale. McHale lets Harden do his thing and basically run the show. Harden could become a much better player if he had a coach who would actually coach Harden and require Harden to play defense.
Harden frustrates me because if he'd only focus more on his defense, the team would be much better. But McHale lets him get away with a poor defense effort.
Carmelo and Bosh... It's money. But it's also ego. Both chose to be where they'll be the focus of the team rather than needing to share the spotlight with Harden and Howard. There's a tremendous amount of ego with professional athletes. Both Carmelo and Bosh could have gone to any number of teams (at a lower pay) and put themselves in a prime situation for a championship. But I'm not convinced that either coming to the Rockets would have put them in a prime opportunity for a championship. Team chemistry and coaching would remain a problem. McHale and the egos. Harden has a massive ego. Howard has an ego. The Spurs... Popovich has a team that plays without egos.
I assume your definition of marquee free agents include Carmelo and Bosh. Neither are going to be in position to win a ring anytime soon. They just took the money and are hoping their GM's can eventually build a contending roster.
Coach McHale is known throughout the league as a player's coach. Sure he's not the greatest X's and O's guy, that's why I expect the Rockets will bring in another strong Assistant Coach before the start of the season. Players around the league want to play for coaches like McHale, not drill sergeants.
By the way, when does an NBA Head Coach ever win games? Coaches coach and it's the players that eventually make or miss shots, fail to rebound, play effective defense, miss or make key free throws, etc. Kevin Durant has made a number of game winning shots in the final second of a game, not his Coach.
@SDrake
WELCOME TO THE FORUM :)I disagree with most of your assessment
1. Ariza shoots better from 3 pt. land than Parsons by 3 % pt.
2. Lin was addition by subtraction. it's time to look for other answers there because Lin wasn't getting the job done
3. it's called growth. we expect our youngsters to improve. if not we are in great position to improve later on
4. again we are not through building this team yet
5. I agree Harden's defense needs addressing. lets hope we add to the coaching staff with someone who can light a fire under his butt
I think it's a very good article by Forrest Walker. I think the Rockets have several issues in building a championship team.
1). Credibility. Marquee free agents want to go somewhere they believe can win. The Rockets still have Kevin McHale as head coach. That hurts the team's credibility. Everyone knows he's not a great strategist who hurts the team in close games. Look at Game 6 last season against the Blazers to see one of many examples of McHale being ineffective as a strategist.
2). Chemistry. Morey seems more interested in wanting the big-name free agents rather than building a team that has good cohesion to play well. Is he trying to build an NBA All-Star team or a championship team? Harden, Howard, the big names missed the past week. Remember that when Lin signed, he was a big name.
The current Rockets' team has many holes and little depth.
1). Trading Parsons for Ariza will hurt the offense. Ariza isn't a good outside shooter.
2). Trading away Lin... Where's the depth at point guard? Beverley wouldn't be starting on almost all NBA teams. Canaan as a backup has almost no NBA experience. I think last season Beverley got a free pass on many of his short-comings because he was caught in the middle of the Beverley vs. Lin stuff by the fans. This season it's going to be Beverley or no one. His short-comings will be there for all to see.
3). There's still a big hole at PF. D-Mo? The guy can't play 10 minutes without being in foul trouble? Terrance Jones isn't consistent.
4). No real backup for the 10-12 minutes that Howard is out of the game.
5). Defense. I still don't see Harden as being an elite player until he becomes willing to play defense. I say "willing" because I believe he's fully capable of playing good defense, he just chooses not to because he's always trying to stay in position to get down the court for offense. Until Harden decides to start valuing a championship more than his personal offensive stats, he won't choose to play defense.
And people need to stop dreaming about acquiring Love or Rondo. The Rockets have nothing of value to trade back to the Wolves or Celtics.
Plus, Howard has a history of being unhappy with his teams. I expect by Christmas, he'll be asking for a trade.
....Mike Jones?
6'9" wing, 23. Played for FC Barcelona last season.
LOL...
WHO?
Hoping to see Johnson signed relatively soon. I like this guy as a combo guard depending on the match up.
I may be nit picking here but I would also like to see less nae-nae/whatever else tomfoolery in the pregame and more focus on the task at hand. winning games. I understand that you can't win them all, but lets at least put away the teams that we SHOULD beat and do our best to compete with the teams that we COULD beat.
EDIT: I will also acknowledge that this is in fact a game. It should be fun. But it is also a profession which necessitates a degree of seriousness when it comes to earning the paychecks that you demanded.
If I'm correct--only some. Capella would since he is a first-rounder. Not sure about Johnson or Gentile (have they signed actual contracts yet?).
The ones on Rockets contracts do..Which is usually no more than one or two at a time..
I wouldn't call getting arguably the best 3 & D player available (something 99% of us clamored for all last season) "whiffing".
We have debated Bosh's merits ad nauseum, but let's not forget that his addition was not a golden ticket to the finals. It could have been a disaster. Nobody knows. Morey, like a great chef, knows you have to shop for the best ingredients. Even then, it doesn't always come out the way you intended. If we assume McHale is doing the cooking then don't we have to presume (at least, those of you who think he is no better than the gunk on the bottom of your shoes) that this was never going to work until he was gone? We're wasting years of Dwight's prime! (...is what they shout from the rooftops).
Really? How about Dwight figures out what an up-and-under-move is. For goodness sake, he has the two best up-and-under guys ever sitting next to him. That's not even advanced basketball. It's almost like Dwight's personality prevents him from things like this. He's too genuine of a person to want to "fake" anyone out. Obviously, my armchair psychology is in jest, but seriously, Dwight, throw some fakes in there, please.
Getting back to Bosh, his addition solely won us the "best roster on paper" trophy. Previous winners include last year's Clippers (in my opinion), the Thunder, the Mavericks, the Suns, and others. (Yes, it is subjective, but the point is clear). Plenty of teams with super-rosters don't make it to that ultimate goal. Stop reacting like Bosh took our championship trophy away.
Who here would place a bet on Bosh staying healthy for the next 4 years versus turning into Dwyane Wade over the next 4 years? He has tons of mileage on those legs. Remember, he came out after one year of college. He is an old "30" with 11 seasons and 28,600 minutes played plus international ball as well.
Let's also not ignore that Bosh only mustered 2 playoff berths with the Raptors in 7 tries (both first round exits). I'm not trying to trash him here--I'm trying to remind people that this is only significant because of how the mind perceives it. Step back and breathe. No one knows how it would have ended, but it seems most are standing on a championship podium, handing back the trophy, weeping, and looking back at what could have been.
Getting back to the "whiffing" (which sounds like some strange, new variation ofhuffing). We also managed to move up in the first round from our slotted pick to New Orleans' spot. Now, some of you seem to think NO is making the playoffs this season. It's possible, but very unlikely.
Odds of winning this year's title:
Houston Rockets: 10/1
NO Pelicans: 66/1
Vegas has the Lakers at 50/1....which is strange to me. Still, it's Cavs, Spurs, Bulls, Thunder and then Rockets.
So we got the lottery pick. Nice. That will get traded, and Morey has made no illusions about that, referring to it more than once as being "just like the pick that netted us Harden". It's value lies in the unknown.
Consider, that the Jazz are stuck paying Hayward $63M and the Mavs are paying Parsons $46M while we are paying Ariza $32M. Which contract would you rather have?
The fact that we haven't gone ahead and added the missing pieces to fill out our bench is interesting to me....methinks Morey's at the store shopping for more high end groceries.... :ph34r:
Do players on our D-League squad count against the cap? Still trying to navigate the minefield that is the CBA.
With Parsons gone, I fully expect Beverley to assume the role of team captain. Whereas Chandler led the team with a pep rally type of enthusiasm, complete with Shaolin handshakes, little chants, flashing the "3" symbol, etc.. I expect Beverley will be the opposite, more of a drill sergeant type leadership. I think he will hold his teammates accountable for their mistakes and facilitate them getting pissed off when they are not playing well. Rather than looking like the "Super-best-friends" team, he will bring these guys out ready for battle and "tough" will be the word used to describe next season's Rockets rather than "fun to watch". I don't think the "tough" approach would have worked with Parsons and Lin on the roster.
As constructed now, and filling in the roster spots with young guys like Daniels, Covington, Capela, etc., I can see us a couple wins better than last season. Contenders? NO. We are still missing that one significant piece, and while Love is a very long shot, I think Rondo is obtainable and can push us over the top.
Keep in mind also, that with the exits of Lin, Asik and even Parsons, we, also, are exiting the beta stage of the Rockets' Harden-Howard years, as those players were drafted and accumulated to fit different roles than the ones assumed once we got our stars. Now Morey is putting in complementary players for his stars, however significant, and finding round pegs to fill his round holes. A flexible coach is in place to usher in the changes as they come. I think we will be better next year.
The only void that has me concerned, as always, is the one until the start of the season. while I'm disappointed it's been 20 years since a finals berth, I'm a Houston professional sports fan, so I'm used to it. I just want to see some Rockets games whatever the result.
I'll say this...Miketheodio is right. This could be a blessing in disguise. All you Sprockets fans out there should be rejoicing. We were fiscally responsible in free agency, are about to have to develop quite a bit of young talent, have been quietly snagging more and more European players, are focusing on improving through defense, and are starting to get a little continuity with the core of the roster (a little bit). Now, there is no Popovich to speak of, but outside of Hollins (who hasn't exactly proven himself to the standards of this board despite the excitement over him) who was out there to replace McHale? Curiously, we still have not added an asst. coach.
Still, you all know what time it is......
I've elaborated all over this forum, go read it.
Care to elaborate?
He talks about the strengths of the squad, the perceived weakness of a thin bench, the possibility that draft picks might not pan out, and possibilities of stunted development of important players.
It's not like Dwight hasn't given up on a team before (Lakers). People referred to Parsons as the "glue guy" as well. As good as Beverly is, the PG position is a toss up at this point depending on the development of Canaan or other signings (none of which look earth shattering). The Rockets settled on Ariza and whiffed in free agency. I think there is more than enough reason to express a slight bit of concern.
Looks like one of the more unreasonable posts I have seen.
Doomsday scenario, but this is the most reasonable post i've seen in a while.
At this time last offseason, we were solid at the 2,3, and 5 and pretty comfortable with the point guard situation. We had hopes at the 4 and that turned out to be ok. Are benched looked like it would be good with Asik and Lin plus up and coming players.
Now, this offseason, we are solid the 2, 3, and 5, a little less comfortable at the PG (without Lin), and comfortable at the 4 (though we know we'll be outgunned in some match ups). We have no bench to speak of.
The offseason isn't over, that's for sure, but it's difficult to see how the holes in the lineup are going to be filled, without overestimating the potential of our numerous 2nd round picks, or that Morey finds a FA that everyone managed to overlook.
I can accept the logic of all the moves we had to make, but the hope was to see that top 5 lineup with Jones moving to the bench, or having 2 starting caliber wings with one playing 6th man. We could be better this year, but it's hard to see right now.
And one thing I am a little concerned about, is that both our stars are more then capable of giving up on the Rockets and requesting a trade. Howard has done it before, and Harden seems like the kind of guy who would if things aren't going well. They do understand it's a business, but I do think that Parsons went a long way in the locker room. If things don't go back positive as far as outlook goes, everything could collapse before Howard goes too far past his prime.
At the end of the day, it's not a bad situation. It's just that it could have been better if we had not gotten hooked up with Bosh to begin with. Different decisions would definitely have been made. What would have happened (Lowry?), who knows. This team will still contend, although I'd prefer to see McHale bumped upstairs.
On the bright side, Houston had a better free agency than the Lakers. . . .
I think we came out better for the big picture. Lin was mediocre and overpaid. Asik was unhappy and his impact on the team outside of the Portland series in the playoffs is being overblown. lets spend a little time breaking down what happened. Houston signed both Lin and Asik on poison pill contracts, used both players during the cheap years then traded both before the balloon payments kicked in. that sounds smart check. while Lin cost them a late 1st rounder and a later 2nd rounder they were able to turn Asik into a possible lottery pick. so in quick review they turned a couple of gambles from 2 years ago into a lottery pick after using the cheap years and cleared 16 mil from their cap. as for Parsons they let a 2nd rounder go who wanted max money. I like Parsons, but he is no where near worth that much. looking back on the decision to let him out of the contract now was the right thing to do. at least it allowed us to control the situation. whether Parsons left this year or next the effect would have been the same......we need a SF. the blessing is we found one at a cost to our liking who can also man the position with very little if any falloff. during the hold process we maintained the necessary flexibility to acquire a star when the chance presents itself. we lost 3 players and2 mediocre draft picks.......two playerswho where of no use to us in Lin and Asik and got Ariza and a lottery pick. not to bad in my book
It's being overused for my liking, but "it'll take time for the new roster to gel" is my concern.
Parsons was a proven cog, and gelled fine, so they'd only have to refine their plays over the summer. I can do without Asik and Lin, as they were role players, but having your starters "gel" is often difficult.
In any case, they've shown to gel pretty fast last year, but it's possible the reason may be because they're friends (Parsons being one of the "glue"). I'm just crosssing my fingers that with the musical chairs we're playing for various positions that it won't disrupt us much.
However, if the Rockets had matched and kept Parsons that very likely would have ended worse for D12's and the Rockets goals of NBA Titles. Instead, as Morey puts it, there are literally hundreds of ways the Rockets can make moves without being tied to that despicable Parsons contract that gives them a better probability of winning NBA Titles.
And that's precisely why D12 chose to come to Houston.
Despite my...discomfort...with this off-season, I too will embrace the void.
In hindsight, we have more cap space, hence be more proactive or (flexibly) reactive whenever opportunities present themselves.
But Howard isn't getting any younger and that point pisses me off the most <_<
That's what Jonathan Feigen has reported, that Capella is going to be signed by the Rockets. He may end up in the D-League for a good part of the season, but I am fine with bringing him over. If nothing else, he could become a valuable trade piece or, if he blossoms very quickly, a key rotation player for the Rockets. I look forward to seeing how he does in pre-season, etc. then will have a better feel for him then.
Willk has mentioned Jermaine O'Neal....I think I'm on board with that signing. He did good work for GSW last year.
You may be right about the fantasy sports thing.
I am not on board with this anti-asset wave that has been rolling through and getting bigger and bigger over the last year. Look, once the first team traded players (in whatever sport it was) back in the day all players became assets. Once money got invoved and you weren't just playing for the pride of yourselves and your city all players became assets. Once GM's jobs were constantly on the line trying to please belligerent and largely ignorant fan bases that have but one warped view of what success means all players became assets.
The players know it. They've been saying it since I can remember. "It's a business". That's the sound of their inner child dying a little. That grim realization that you're not "just playing" anymore. Surely, no one likes that aspect of being a pro athlete.
It's still their choice. No one is holding a gun to their heads. If they don't like doing business with the big boys they need to find another vocation. Our own government sees humans as nothing more than numbers. As an NBA player, you have to understand that it is the nature of the business you are in. Unless you are in that elite tier of players, you are a cog in the machine and are subject to the whims of your coach and GM.
Saying that Morey is a culprit for doing what every other single GM does is very myopic. Stop yourselves before telling me about the beautiful, utopian Spurs. Really, RC Buford and Popovich don't play the game? Oh, I see....George Hill might disagree with you. So would Sean Elliot (who was traded by Pop for one Dennis Rodman), Bob Hill (the coach who was fired and replaced by Pop), Brent Barry, Malik Rose, Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas, Fabricio Oberto, Richard Jefferson, or the entire squad that tanked their way to the Tim Duncan draft pick. All of this and more was done under Pop's watch. "Assets".
Sorry, I'm not directing this rant at you, or anyone in particular. I just keep reading it over and over and over. People, this is the deal. Stop coddling grown men while vilifying another for doing his job.
I hope so man. Having an active, energetic bench would go a long way toward making the season more fun. Better than watching a mopey Asik anchor the D and an erratic Lin lead the O of the second unit at least.
We need a rim protector that plays 10-15 mpg and a veteran playmaking PG still. It'll be interesting to see what Morey is able to do with the money that he has left.
For one, the Rockets will have better role players around Harden and D12. Let's face it, Lin and Asik were just square pieces being forced into round holes. I would have preferred not losing Parsons, but I am fine with the Rockets decision. Ariza will take over Parsons minutes and provide better defense on the wings, one of the Rockets glaring weaknesses last season.
Parsons 37.6 minutes per game
Lin 28.9 minutes per game
Asik 20.2 minutes per game
Casspi 18.1 minutes per game
Total 105/240 minutes per game
Keep in mind Parsons, Lin's and Asik's mpg increased during the playoffs while Casspi received 0. In fact, 108/240 minutes per game during the playoffs.
So a lot of minutes available for other players. Ariza will get most of Parsons minutes, TJones will probably get about the same minutes more or less. Same with D12 and Harden and Beverley.
Still, about 68 minutes per game to slot with other players. I would expect the Rockets will have much better role players around D12 and Harden and those minutes could turn into better production and overall better play for the Rockets. Most importantly, find role players that can make a difference on the defensive end of the court as well.
In summary, I look forward to what the new season brings with this team. For sure, there will be some missteps as new players get comfortable with their teammates and vice-versa. I also like the youngsters that we have and I expect 1 or 2 to become legitimate NBA rotation players.
It will be fun to watch this team grow and improve during the season and let's see if we can do some damage in the Playoffs while we wait for that final piece to be discovered that can possibly put us over the top!
@RudyT1995
I'm sure we are in a better place today to build a better team
Honestly, I'd settle for a team that is likable and fun to watch. I'm not sure if this team will be either of those this upcoming season.
What if winning a championship isn't necessary to be happy with your team?
All is lost...all is not lost.
Consider this, were we ever going to win a championship with the three best players being Harden, Howard and then the drop off to, but still paying max money to, Parsons? No No No.
So people should really let that sink in.
Were we really going to win a championship with Lin as our starting PG or even 6th man. Maybe, but not at 8MM cap hit a year. He just wasn't consistent enough.
Asik, is a different story in my book, he is a great defensive center, "when engaged" he brought it every game and even out D'd Dwight many times.
But when you can't win with a core three that involves a max paid Parsons, then you have to swing for the fences if you really care about winning a championship. that involves trading Lin and Asik and whoever else isn't core to winning that championship.
That is why really only Harden and Dwight (until they become non-allstar caliber) are the only players worth keeping.
If complainers really want something to complain about I guess it is releasing Chandler early. That is what really people should be angry about but that isn't a totally irrational move.
Basically, life sucks and you can't always win....so when you lose you adjust.
We didn't win Bosh (much better fit and player than Melo for this team) so we had to adjust. That means staying as flexible as possible to make a run for a real game changer. A real game changer is not Parsons.
So Ariza, gives us help at our biggest need from last season, wing D, and shoots better 3s than Parsons (less athletic though but with Harden and Dwight you need better 3s than anything). that is at least 75% of Parson's worth at 1/2 the cost. Thats getting a BMW for the price of a Ford. I will take it and live to fight, and trade for top talent, another day.
Also, Love, Rondo and lots of others players will be moved before the deadline, all of which can help us.
Hang in there.
I've been noticing a growing trend toward that kind of thinking too. It's become a disease, and I think it's a by-product of fantasy football.
You can't treat people like assets in real life. Real people have feelings and memories. They will hold a grudge.
@FSS/rocketrick
I agree embracing the void is the best plan. people seem to think this team as built last year was ready to win a championship when nothing could be further from the truth. WE NEED CHANGE
It just occurred to me that a lot of fans view talent acquisition as the game--not the game itself. Interesting....
Count me as one of the people who does not feel the same way--not even a little bit.
I am pleased with our team going forward.
I have read in multiple places posts tallying up the Rockets' offseason and then mocking/scorning the team/front office for it.
I could not disagree more.
It goes something like this:
Gone: Asik, Lin, Parsons, multiple 1st + 2nd rounders (which is not accurate), no Bosh, no Melo, no James...all you got was Ariza and Gee.
Sure, if you do math like this where each piece has a simple +1 value then we came out poorly. But that's not what we're dealing with here.
First, it must be noted that I 100% agree with Rahat's stance that Morey swinging for the fences, and the moves associated with it, were solid and I'd be fine with him doing that 10 times out of 10. So, when he....
Moved Asik, who was never going to stay and play back up for another season, and his large cap hit and larger salary for a 3&D wing (who we can simply waive if we like) which we need more of....it was a good move.
When he traded Lin, whose value can be widely debated, and our first for next season (which at the time was presumed to be 30 or 31 in the draft) and his same big cap hit and bigger salary for some euro dude....it was a good move. We lost a player who didn't fit in, was only good about a third of the time, and ate up too much cap space for that kind of contribution. We only have so many roster spots and are already up to our eyeballs in prospects. What on Earth are we going to do with another guaranteed contract next year for, essentially, a second round talent? It's all addition by subtraction there (as RBF has noted elsewhere).
Parsons...so much second-guessing here. I feel like, if these were older times, the villagers would be storming the castle calling for Morey's head. Time will show that Morey made the right call here. Nothing I can say now will dissuade those who feel differently. All I can say is we are on the right side of this deal. Parsons got his, and good for him, but there is no way we could match that offer without already having a 3rd star inked to a deal....(and that would be egregiously over-committing to a title run, but I believe that is what would have happened)
Which brings us to the free agent "whiffs". I don't understand the perspective so many have here. So much hyperbole has come out about how terrible this is for us. You know what's worse? Being one of the 24 or so other teams in the league who weren't even worth considering. Sure, Bosh said no. Melo said no. It doesn't have to be personal (we don't know their reasons) despite haters and fans alike making it seem so. There was no guarantee that Melo coming won us anything except more air time on TV. Bosh, while perceived as the panacea for our team, also guaranteed us nothing and may have faded even further into the background not having James' elite play making anymore.
I just don't see the big deal here. I think it's a little sad to view the season as a failure already. Apparently, we can't do better now. We can't make it to the finals. We can't beat anyone in the playoffs. What?!?!?!!? I guess I'm more of a Tigger than an Eeyore.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a pragmatist. However, when it comes to sports, it's all about the joy of the game and the vicarious pleasure of watching others do their best. Remember, they're just playing. It's supposed to be fun, not what's the point of it all if we don't win a championship.
Much has already been said on Ariza. That was this season's version of Atlanta signing Paul Millsap. Our team is significantly better with him at SF than Parsons. Again, most won't believe me--we'll just have to wait and see.
Believe it or not, there are still lots of quality players available. After signing them, I think we will have ourselves a very exciting, young team next season that is hungry and ready to take down some of these juggernauts who have already been anointed as better than us.
I choose to embrace the void rather than be locked into a team that is good, but not good enough to compete forTtitles.
You made my morning!
For me if it's a choice between last years team both how it fit together and it's best case scenario expectations versus what is shaping up to be next years roster, the unknown of how it will fit and it's best case scenario expectations then I will definitely take the latter.
Let's look big picture. Knowing what we know now, I think last years team wasn't going to work going as far back to the acquisitions of Asik and Lin (which didn't really fit entirely for different reasons) plus the fact that Parsons was going to get overpaid, the Rockets desperately needed Bosh to sign with them to even seriously consider keeping an overpaid Parsons with that dangerous contract.
Or we can get Rondo.