again, just putting it out there before my posts are taken further out of context. All I said is that Stone is currently performing at a subpar level and that is just my own standard which nobody cares about. I am not calling for him to be fired or whatever so we can all agree to that. I would rather see Ime be replaced first because for me to call on Stone's removal would mean that one of the top folks like Sam Presti is available
Dfs and steven adams are being paid 13 million each to provide a combined 2 points per game for the rest of the season
You're missing the key distinction here: trajectory vs expectations. The Spurs are ahead of schedule in their rebuild. They drafted really well and are building intelligently around their timeline. Nobody expected them in the playoffs yet they're exceeding their rebuild plan similar to our last year's team. The Rockets are underperforming relative to their own stated goals and asset position. We achieved the 2 seed then regressed despite having multiple first round picks to work with, a young core that should be ascending and a superstar near the end of his prime. My critique here is not "no deep playoff run" = bad GM. It's that Stone made specific roster decisions that directly undermined the team's goals for this year. I am sure he will make the right decisions this offseason but all I am saying is that for this year, he performed subpar of expectations.
So you know last year Adams would get a season ending injury? Not sure what this has to do with those 5 guards you are complaining about
You are the one wrong because we didnt regress we have injuries this year we didnt have last year. Last year the Rox were 11-11 without FVV. Would they be second seed without FVV for the whole season? So how is that regression? Stone cant control injuries in fact when everyone was healthy Rox were 15-5 and thats also without FVV. Adams was a big part of our winning formula and he also went down. Rox are down 35M in salary due to injuries yet still have around the same win total as last year at this point of the season. How is that regression? Your regression analysis is just "they were 2nd last year they are 3rd now they regressed" without any context or any actual analysis done.
Im talking about THIS trade deadline. Where we are a top 3 seed in the western conference and were one of the only teams that punted and did nothing Off the top of my head James harden Garland Dosumo Coby white Jared mccain Were all available for a reasonable price to a serious contender. Okc went ahead and got one of them
that's a revisionist history you have there. Stone led the coaching search and publicly endorsed Ime when he was hired back in 2023. Tilman doesn't sit in on coaching interviews because that's the GM's job. The extension and FVV signing doesn't prove that Ime has more power than Stone. They prove that Stone made bad decisions under pressure. If anything, giving Ime a 6 year deal and overpaying FVV shows Stone has weak leverage management, not that he lacks authority. Your argument actually strengthens my point that a good GM doesn't lose control of his own coaching staff and roster decisions. If Stone cannot push back on unnecessary coaching extensions, refuse overpaying a point guard that doesn't fit our timeline, hire an offensive coordinator despite knowing it's needed, then he's either complicit in bad decisions or too weak to execute his vision. Either way, that's subpar GM performance in my books. Remember, Tilman signs the checks but Rafael builds the roster and hires the coach. You can't credit Stone for the playoffs appearance then absolve him when those same decisions backfire. He owns both
Do you know how salary cap works? We are 1M below the apron we cant add anyone unless he makes below 1M
You are the one blaming Stone for the playoff appearance not me right? You are the one saying Stone is subpar not me. Not sure why you suddenly turn it around. You are saying Stone is a subpar GM but also telling me Stone should be the one credited for 2nd seed, 3rd seed and playoff appearance in just 4 yrs from being worst team in the league while dealing with various injuries to major players? If you wanna argue Stone is ultimately responsible for everything then why are you saying he is subpar? Rox are 3rd best record in the West but he is subpar? Thats literally wrong by the definition of subpar. You dont decide the definition of words you dont look at a billionaire and call him poor. You cant say the GN is responsible for everything for the 3rd rank team and then turn around and say he is subpar. Being top 3 is subpar? Man just stop.
Dawg are you a ****ing moron? WE TRADE OUR PLAYERS FOR THEIR PLAYERS LIKE WHAT 27 other teams did at the deadline
Omg I didnt realise you can just trade players for players. Like Harden for Holiday? My bad bruh I didnt realize you had 2K with override on and salary cap off.
Its like I didnt just tell you we have 26 million in dead salary between dfs and adams. And fvvs albatross to throw in Dennis shroder was seen as a negative asset and I see this man just dropped 15 and 5 to beat the pistons
Injuries are part of the game. Good GMs build rosters with depth to withstand them. Stone didn't Again, you're proving my point: we're paying 12m to an injured and has since recovered DFS who can't stay on the floor with his bad performance, extended non-contributors like Tate, Holiday and Unc Jeff instead of roster spots that could absorb injuries and have zero backup plan when FVV went down because Stone didn't prioritize guard depth. Adams getting injured hurts but we still have Clint. The real issue here is that Stone is struggling with his resource allocations. He's tying up money and roster spots n the wrong places instead of building actual depth where we need it. Let's talk about regression: we got exposed last year during the playoffs, Stone refused to hire an offensive coordinator and now we have the same predictable offense. We also have less flexibility now with Jabari's poison pill contract, dead money extension with FVV and returning a premium pick to BKN. Our win trajectory also regressed. "Around the same win total" despite another year of development for our young core is regression. Sengun, Jabari, Amen should be better. If we're treading water then that's a problem. The 15-5 start actually makes it worse. It proves that the talent is there but Stone's roster decisions (no shooting, no offensive system, injury prone signings) are limiting the ceiling. Injuries explain some variance but they don't explain systematically bad roster construction and coaching staff decisions.
Who would take dead salary when they are trying to dump salary? Schroder was traded for a player who could play (before he got season ending injury). FVV has a no trade clause. Adams and DFS are have contract till end of next year. Again why will Clippers trade James Harden for Adams and DFS when they can get Garland?
Remember, we really don’t know much about who makes many of these decisions for the Rockets. On draft night Stone calls the newly drafted player and then hands the phone to MR. PATRICK FERTITTA.
Are we not withstanding injuries? Rox have around the same wins as last year without injuries. Can you quantify what you mean by Rox are not withstanding injuries? You are saying the Rox should be immune to any and all injuries which is not possible. Even OKC which started out with one loss have had more losses due to injuries. You are just pulling **** outta ass now to defend an absurd position
he was a negative asset that was offloaded with keon ellis. A 40% shooter who (surprise) we could also use
You're confusing process with results. Stone inherited a war chest of assets and a clear tanking timeline. Turning that into playoff contention isn't genius, it's the baseline expectation. Subpar = below potential, not bad. Stone has more draft capital than almost any GM in recent history, an all star caliber center, cap flexibility and an owner willing to spend. He is actively limiting his ceiling by adding a $12M contract with DFS instead of real shooting, no offensive coordinator, dead money extensions, returning a premium 2026 pick in a loaded draft. Being 3rd in the west with THIS much talent and assets should be the floor, not the achievement. A top tier GM would've closed the gap between competitive and contending. Stone is settling at this point. He got us here and he deserves credit for that. But making the playoffs does not equal maximizing championship equity. That gap is what makes him subpar relative to the opportunity, not other GMs.
all these players Harden Garland Dosumo Coby Mccain Schroder Ellis Were traded for a combined 1 first round pick. But sure. Keep sipping the koolaid that there were no trades to be made
