It was painful to watch the Rockets melt down near the end of the season, and the below average and expectation performance carried over to the past 3 games in playoffs (except for the comeback lastnight). However, let's not lose the big picture. The highest goal is always the championship, but before you can even dream about that, you need to reach several important milestones: establish a base - young and lean team, add important pieces - starting from an alpha dog, let the team grow and gain experience, add veteran leadership to become a contender, and finally add another superstar/or grow from within to reach the ultimate goal. In this season alone, as a team, we have accomplished a lot - we built the youngest team with some real talents and a true all star, no bad contracts, enough room for any roster maneuver, and we reached playoffs, a milestone NO ONE including all the "I told you so" fans here, gave us a chance for. I can understand the frustration watching bad plays and bad games, because I share the same feelings. But let's keep it in perspective, are we in the right direction with a few road bumps and traffic lights, or our GPS is corrupted and our car is dysfunctional? We are ahead of our timelines, and we want better and faster. That's human nature, but is that reason to smash our GPS or even our car, to get a new set from scratch? To criticize a play, or a player, or coach, doesn't mean you have to replace everything after every single game. Kicking everyone out, except for 3 or 4 players (feel free to insert your own name list), and getting better ones, sounds like a great plan, but is it feasible? How do you get better ones, and how do you know they are indeed better? If the youngest team overachieving than everyone's expectation, makes you give up hope of their further growth and development, and want to start over every single month, how do you work towards that ultimate goal? Casual fans or ESPN are holding so tight on Kevin Durant's joy-stick, or the young amazing OKC team, but please don't forget that KD's first season had only 20 wins. The second season with Durant, Westbrook, Sefolosha, Collison, and some other quality veterans, OKC was 23-59. I wonder whether OKC/SuperSonic fans wanted to get rid of everyone except for Durant after each year. This is no video game, and those players are real humans. They do need time to learn and grow. Lessons are always learned the hard way, so there will be more frustrations and failures on their way up. Let's keep cheering for good games and continue to criticize or curse bad plays, games, or players with pathetic performances (everyone included), but let's not lose the big picture and give them time. That being said, OKC without WB is exposed, and we are taking game 4.
Nice thread. Perspective is important at a time like this for the Rockets. Youngest team in the NBA in years and experience. They are learning how to play high intensity play-off games but now they need to learn how to close those games. The experience this team is getting right now is priceless. There is no need for panic. We just need to know that they will be better next year just by taking the next step in the profesional evolution. I'm still hoping for one win but I'm extreamly happy with this team.
this series really shows our inexperience. every team needs to be humbled and I believe these games will be very good in our future development in learning how to win the playoffs. onward and upwards, we have a lot of years ahead with this core.
Yeah, this offseason and next season our players will start thinking that having a record of 45-37 just isn't good enough. The playoffs were a good experience because other young and rising teams like the t-wolves or portland will come into next season having a goal of trying to make the playoffs, while we're aiming for a playoff series win.
I feel that this team is not stable...every position is suspicious and lacking beside the SG (Harden) position. PG (LIN) is not good enough and get dominate by elite PG penetrating due to lacking ability to play one on one D. His strength is distributing the ball and create open shots for teammates. SF (PARSON) is not consistent. One day he shoots great, the next day missing a lot of shots. He doesn't fear anybody. Play good D but not the most athletic. We need someone that shoot great and fear of leaving open like NOVAK. I am not saying NOVAK have everything but from the shooting perspective, it is someone that you want on the team. The reason Durant is great is because of his incredible shooting touch. Never mind about his athleticism and long arms and legs. If you don't shoot great, you suck. PF (GREG SMITH) is not strong enough....can't shoot from 10ft away....doesn't spread the floor...so it doesn't seem to fit the type of player we need for Hardin and Lin to penetrate. Because teams can just leave him wide open 10 ft away cuz they know he can't shoot. His strength is dunk and some post up moves. Not a perfect fit. C (ASIK) is not a offensive guy, not good at FT. Can't shoot, can't catch and drive and make easy layups. EXCELLENT defender and that's what we need for interior defense but offensively is lacking. In the offseason, i will keep Delfino (he is the one guy you can't leave wide open....has great shooting touch and perfectly complement Harden game of attack and pass out). Every other players can be traded..YES that include Parson. They can go after Josh Smith (ideal PF so we don't have to play DELFINO as the PF and getting owned on the glass lol...now i understand McHale not to play Greg Smith at PF because he can't shoot from 10ft away and so when Harden penetrate, his man can come in and double him), Iguadala (way way better and more athletic than Chandler Parson...attack above the rim and can shoot...also can defend), Corey Brewer (awesome shooter).
Inexperienced or unstable or inconsistent are the nature of young players. Considering Harden is the only guy who has significant playoff experience, but as a 6th man, most of players are first time starters, best paid 3 players are all included. What else do you expect? On most teams, every single player can be traded, with exception of one or two super stars. Even the Miami Heat, and yes I would even trade Wade and Bosh, if the price is right. But there isn't much point of such discussion, because of feasibility and necessity. This young Rockets team will get better, much better, as it is. If the right trade comes, Morey would certainly grab it, but there is no point of actively shopping everyone all the time. Because you are seriously running into the risk of a. distracting the team b. affecting players' focus and performance c. getting nothing back. You can always make the right trade at any time, but that doesn't stop you to further develop your young players. As they get better, they become better "assets".
Nobody in their right mind would trade Wade so I don't now what you're talking about lol. The Rockets from what i seen....need consistent shooters. They need to sign JJ REDICK, KYLE KORVER...those type of players that you just can't leave wide open. So if they can't get Howard, they should maybe sign Milsap (and maybe forget Josh Smith...dude can't shoot FT lol) at a lower price and go after more better shooters like Reddick and Kyle Korver.
All these guys are going to be better with experience. And its funny how you separated Harden from the group and yet one could argue that ultimately Harden cost the Rox last night's game with the multiple mistakes he made in the closing minutes (but he too will get better with experience)
I appreciate the theme of this thread, and in the OP's words: "This is no video game, and those players are real humans. They do need time to learn and grow. Lessons are always learned the hard way, so there will be more frustrations and failures on their way up."
For the right price you trade Wade. If it is for a young player you definitely do. Also I really disagree that they should sign Milsap over Smith. Rockets NEED a guy that can play defense down there and block some shots. Milsap is literally a better version of Patrick Patterson. Josh Smith would give them a lot more flexibility and might be just perfect for when they want to go small for when they want to do that. Smith would match up much better with the PFs of the west than Millsap would... I want Millsap at no price. He can play incredibly small at times and at times unmotivated.
The big picture is that while this team has a good young core (particularly Harden) and cap room, it is far from being on the path to title contention. This isn't because that the front office failed or that the coaching staff is bad, it is simply because that going from "good" to "title contender" is really really hard. The Rockets were diligent in collecting assets and had to get lucky with the Harden situation after failing with multiple prior efforts over several years. Becoming a contender will require a similar level of favorable circumstances outside of the team's control plus numerous intelligent moves on the part of the Rockets (stay away from T-Will trades) and perhaps multiple more failed attempts at acquiring a second elite player. While the team has cap space, signing an actual max-level player in free agency will likely require the guy turning down extra money that the CBA allows his own team to offer him. A disgruntled player currently under contract (like Melo with Denver) is another route and Houston will be more attractive to the "next Melo" than it was a couple years back, but there is no obvious "next Melo" candidate on the market in the foreseeable future and it will still require the cooperation of the player's own team. The team is also unlikely to obtain an elite player via the draft, given that it is too talented to have a high draft position unless it suffers multiple injuries. It is a lot easier in the NBA to go from "bad" to "decent" than it is to go from "decent" to "contender."
There were very very good players drafted in the 2nd round, like Boozer or Manu. It's really too early for Rockets to talk about contending now. They need to grow first, become a solid playoff team, then we will see more about potentials from players and the team. No matter how high of a standard we set for Rockets team, from this season alone, and what they have accomplished, nobody can claim that they are on the wrong way. It remains to be seen, whether they will get to the next level.
