Losers Houston Rockets It seemed inevitable the Rockets would face a rebuilding project after trading Russell Westbrook and James Harden. But the Rockets have little to show for it since then. Beyond John Wall, the Rockets have random spare parts. They dealt Oladipo – a key piece as part of the Harden deal – to Miami after he declined to a two-year extension offer. The Rockets received two role players (Avery Bradley, Kelly Olynyk) and a draft pick (2022 first-round swap rights). The Rockets have four first-round picks and five pick swaps. But this hardly matches what the Rockets could have received after originally trading a generational talent in Harden. In related news, the Rockets (12-31) have lost 21 of their past 22 games and also experienced a 20-game losing streak. https://www.usatoday.com/story/spor...-among-winners-nba-trade-deadline/7005047002/ Loser: Houston Rockets It's incredibly puzzling that Houston couldn't get a better return for Oladipo, who despite an inconsistent return from several injuries, is still averaging near career highs this season. To not get any of Miami's young guys, or a better package from any other suitors is surprising. Houston was cornered with a tough choice to make, with Oladipo set for unrestricted free agency and free to sign with any contender in the summer. That said, it feels like the Heat just swindled them in this deal. To make matters worse, way back when the Rockets traded James Hardento Brooklyn earlier this season, instead of including other teams in the deal. Houston could've just kept Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen. LeVert is under contract until 2023, and while Oladipo has the better resume, the Rockets would likely still have LeVert today if they didn't include other teams in that deal. Here's how the Harden trade ultimately worked out for Houston: Rockets trade: James Harden Rockets get: Avery Bradley, Kelly Olynyk, Dante Exum, Rodions Kurucs, late first round picks, pick swaps https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/...hort-heat-finesse-rockets-for-victor-oladipo/ Rockets Get Roasted for Being Biggest Losers of James Harden Trade Feigen: Rockets go from James Harden to Victor Oladipo to ... what, praytell The Failure Of The James Harden Trade Will Set The Rockets Back For Years Of all the superstar trades we’ve seen in recent years, somehow, the Rockets ended up with what looks like the worst return for arguably the best player of the bunch — and the player under contract for the longest, meaning the price couldn’t even get driven down from fears of him leaving after a year. For a Rockets fan in search of something positive, it’s possible this all works out by winning the lottery after bottoming out this year, allowing them to draft Cade Cunningham, who becomes the generational talent he appears to be and lifts the Rockets from the morass. But if they don’t land that top pick — especially if they fall out of the top-4 and the pick conveys to Oklahoma City — it’s quite possible that the Harden trade will have set this franchise back for years. Even in a Draft with tremendous talent at the top, they won’t have added players or assets to assist in building around them for the future. They failed to get a quality draft pick for the first four-plus years of the trade, failed to get a young player that provides any promise, and failed to get a veteran that could be a core piece of a swift reload rather than rebuild.
Everyone keeps talking rebuilding and picks and trades blah blah But the above is exactly what needs to happen to get the Rockets out of this cluster****. NBA needs to force TIlman to sell because not only is he an incompetent owner but also because he does not have the capability to run the franchise. Our best rebuilding solution is to get this clown booted. As long as he is here, this franchise is going to remain a disaster.
I drifted away after the dumb "Give him a chance!" and "That damn smile." delusion posts. Sucks that we suck but hopefully the delusional people have finally given up and now we can embrace the tank.
Exactly, the light is finally being shed and uncovering what has been fundamentally wrong from the start. Yet CF spent pages upon pages bickering over internal narratives and chasing red herrings.
The only way to fix the problem is to get rid of the cause, Fertitta is not capable of owning this franchise. He has to sell, he is going to treat our new players the same way and whatever staff is remaining.
