I think you are overrating their talent in regards to what they will be later in the next few seasons and not what they will be this season. While underestimating the sheer inexperience of what the players in the rotation will have. I also really think the Rockets want to lose for one more season while maximizing the assets they have on the team now. If the Rockets are playing .500 ball close to the all star break I lean that they will trade Wood and Gordon for whatever makes the most sense. This is supposed to be one more draft with strong players at the top. Especially players with size which is exactly what the Rockets would likely draft a non guard.
I think you are underestimating the young players on the team. Garuba / Sengun we're playing in pro leagues last season and will have to get use to the length and speed of the game; but for the most part will fair as Tate did last season. Adequate but we needed starter minutes out of Tate because House was in looney land and Kenyon was more raw than Tate. Kenyon lacked 3-pt threat initially. Rockets don't need starter minutes out of Sengun or Garuba because Wood/Theis are vets, & ready. Tate was Thicc last season coming from Australia.....expected extra mass to help vs the strength of players in the NBA.....found out speed is needed more from him. Someone posted a video of Tate today. Looks thinner and was showcasing his release. Tate found out what he needed to work on and hopefully has improved. At least I'm expecting that. House spent more time flirting with himself in the camera and posting weird stuff on Instagram or Twitter....ended up losing his starting job and got pushed to 3rd string. He is one quirky social media posting from being out of the league. I'm hoping he got his wake up call and studied the play book and gets his act together. Rockets had no defensive inside presence last season.....Theis is much better than you realize, plays within himself and knows his role. Fight for position, make the opposing bigs work for the points and rebounds, allow Wood to be free from most of that physicality......fresher throughout the game especially finishing. Skills for running the high pick and role are their similar to Olynyk. Olynyk will end up the better offensive player in this Silas system but Theis gives us the defensive presence Olynyk could only dream about. Wall, Wood, Eric Gordon each missed over 30 games. I don't expect them to be held out 6 weeks for a mild sprained ankle like last season. Wall/Gortat were two of the most efficient PnR combos while in Washington. I expect Theis to give Wall some of those qualities here this season. Harden-Tucker did not want to win last season. They made it clear as they missed preseason that they wanted out. Harden admits to wearing a fat suit. They both set a bad mindset with the team from the get go. This season everybody on the team wants to test the game against the best. Green, Porter, Garuba, Sengun, JC, Kenyon, Tate think they are as good as every other player. They won't be holding back this season. Stone wants to prove he is better than rookie GM status. Silas wants to prove that black coaches are every bit as good as other race coaches. Remove the rookie coach label and bust that some have categorized him in. Now that he has screeners.....full play book gets run. Wall has something to prove. I don't think these young players give a d*** about future players that may or may not be joining this team. Chet or Banchero might tear an ACL or Achilles and push back their draft date a year. The current Rockets are going all out this season. Let the chips fall where they may. Someone stated yesterday that Sengun, Garuba, Green, JC are just picks.....high chance that they don't pan out. So I'm suppose to deliberately lose for a Chance at the same possible bust material in Banchero or Chet? See Fultz and Anthony Bennett who were both can't miss. Screw that. Rockets just need to ball out with last year's Tate/Kenyon along side Kevin Porter.....added to Green, JC, Garuba and Sengun. Get that play off experience. These are not vets that will be stuck in NBA purgatory as perennial 8th seed.....they are rooks that should be around 9th in the West and get some play in experience. Improving on that in preparation for next seasons playoff run. Looking for 4th seed. No team does it all by the draft. Warriors added Iggy, Harrison Barnes, Bogut, Durant. Lakers added LeBron and AD. Bucks did not draft Holiday, Tucker, Portis. My point is that the Rockets have the young core of Porter, Sengun, Garuba, Green, JC, Tate, Kenyon......they will probably need to get those free agents to get them over the top as CP3 has done for the Sun's. Edited: and I don't think Tilman can afford another season like last year. Will have to sell all his casinos and restaurants
Is there a schedule for when Rockets are going to be training? Playing practice games? Much exciting....
If the Rockets are playing all of Sengun, Garuba, KMJ, and Green heavy minutes they are going to lose a whole lot of games. The ages of those players are 19, 19, 19, and 20. I'm not sure there is a team in the past 20 years that has been anything but terrible with that many young guys in their rotation.
I'm not saying they will be playing a ton of minutes. The vets of Eric Gordon, Wall, Theis, Wood, House (of the past), Nwaba, Augustin alone get you 28 wins.....I've never mentioned counting on these rookies so much. I'm just saying that as backups they present enough athleticism, length and pose if their young ages........don't be surprised for better than expected outcomes. Especially with about 14 teams completely outright tanking like the Rockets did last season. They are more desperate than the Rockets are now. Last season that wasn't the case after losing Harden and Westbrook. Bulls players / experience (38-44) finished 3rd in NBA Central division (85/86) 1) Michael Jordan (rookie age 21) 2) Quintin Daily (2 yr) 3) Chris Engler (2 yrs) 4) Sidney Green (1 yr) 5) Rod Higgins (2 yrs) 6) Steve Jones (3 yr) 7) Charles Jones (1 yr) 8) Ennis Whatley (1 yr) 9) Wes Matthews (4 yrs) 10) Orlando Woodridge (3 yrs) 11) Jawann Oldham (4 yrs) Again you might be fixated on winning the championship with your statement or going to the Superbowl with 4 rookies starting on defense like the Atlanta Falcons did. No I'm talking starting our push for success. It starts gradually. Jordan had trouble getting past the Pistons at first, he didn't start off by winning championships immediately. Helped when MJ when he got a young Pippin, Luc Longley, Toni Kukoc , BJ Armstrong. Again key word is young. They didn't say let's keep losing until another star comes out of highschool. You could be wasting years and end up getting Kawme Brown in the process. Great in highschool but not so much in the NBA. Body of Tarzan but plays like Jane. The following year the Bulls got Charles Oakley-rookie (after Jordan rookie season) The young players have to get playoff experience before even thinking of winning it all. Start learning the opposing players, their go to moves, opposing teams favorite plays/sets, Does a player always go right or always goes left, is the opponents left handed or right handed, and so on and so on. Right now, if I'm correct and the Rockets win about 39 games, I believe the Rockets draft picks next season may end up like: #13 pk 1st Rd (Our own pick) #25 pk 1st Rd (Miami.....Miami will be good with addition of Lowry, Tucker, M Morris,) #30 pk 1st Rd (Nets) Deep draft supposedly.....meaning Rockets add good player at all 3 slots. Not sure about 2nd Rd.
I don't think those vets get you at least 28 wins. Most of them can't even stay healthy. i don't think you can rely on them to be consistently good players. I am talking about regular season games and not championships. It takes young guys a few years to learn how to play winning NBA basketball. The Rockets are very likely to have Green, KPJ, and Sengun playing heavy minutes. KMJ, Garuba, and Christopher might also see a decent amount of playing time. You aren't going to win in the NBA like that. Jordan was a 21 year old that had played 3 years at UNC with one of the best college coaches of all time. And Jordan was absolutely ridiculous as a rookie. He averaged 28/6/6 while playing good defense. If Green can get close to that while being a good defender I will concede that they will be better than a bottom 5 team. I don't think the Rockets are going to try to be bad. I think they are going to try to develop young players. When you do that you lose a lot. OKC lost a lot doing the same thing.
Ok, chalk you up for one "we ain't winning s*** this year!" But when I'm right, please acknowledge it. I don't know much about life; but one thing I know is bass-skeet-ball. Yule C (in tribute to the 'Holic may he R.I.P.)
