Jonathan Feigen: Rockets turn attention to centers in free agency

I don't want him. Orlando fans hate him. They speak about his lack of IQ. Apparently he does various things well, he just doesn't play basketball well. There is definitely a reason they are just letting him walk. I'm much more interested in Hartenstein or Claxton.

 

Ill be fine with whichever one they pick up. It's a backup C, but we still need some quality in that position so it will cost a lil money. It will not eat into our free cap money next summer that much where it prevents us from getting a good player. We need to have a guy that protects the paint pretty well and can finish (dunks) in the paint when he gets it. Anything more than that will be a bonus. I'd prefer a younger guy so he can grow with the young guys. Maybe Bamba didnt get the coaching he needed in ORL, and that hampered his development. I'd imagine we would give him more attn here and that could be the difference to bring out more of his game. Im sure Stone and his people have done their due diligence and analytics on these guys so they have a good idea who they are getting and how they will help further develop him. And we do have Dream to help out a lil bit on the project.

 

Now is the perfect time to get a backup center. There are 3 decent flier options available in Bamba, Hartenstein, and Claxton. The rockets don't need a total of 80 million dollars available for next year. Free agency class next year looks like it is going to be weak. These centers look much better than the ones that will be available in 2023 so get someone now that could still possibly be rotation worthy over the next few years.

Order of preference

1a Claxton
1b Hartenstein
3 Bamba

I would like the rockets to have more matchup versatility and be able to go big at times.

 

What is your opinion on him?

When he came out I was a big fan of his game and fit in the modern NBA.

He is a legitimate 7'0" with an amazing 7'10" wingspan and fairly mobile with a 9'8" standing reach with 6% body fat but 240 lbs.

He can really shoot it from 3 with volume too. He should be an amazing PNR guy.

I have watched a lot of him in the NBA because I was convinced he would at least be an above average starter.

A couple of things I think have held him back....

First, although he is very smart, he doesn't seem to have great basketball instincts on the defensive end. He takes awhile to process things and is slow coming over. He also isn't very quick, I would say he is above average for a man his size, but not fast enough to overcome his hesitation on the defensive end.

As a rebounder, he gets a lot of easy ones because he is so massive and has huge hands. However, he doesn't do as well in contested situations.

He doesn't handle bumping of physical contact as well as he should. He can be boxed out or pinned down by big defenders.

The positives are .....

His instincts are better on the offensive side. He knows where to go to get open on 3's and he makes them.

He does a fairly good job of limiting fg% once someone tries to score in the paint.

He isn't a bad passer.

I heard a lot of people say he improved last year. I didn't really see that, but I saw they gave him more minutes and he performed similar but showed he can handle more minutes.

He also likely can likely play a similar role to the one that Capela played....

 

I like his length and 3pt shooting. I think he shies away from contact a bit and that hurts him defensively in the post. Not sure about his work ethic. BUT, I do think he wasn't brought along well in ORL with Clifford basically not playing him.

He is a good 2nd draft roll of the dice. We are in asset acquisition mode, and taking a flyer and hoping he pops might be worth it.

Nothing is guaranteed but sometimes you gotta take some strategic chances on talent.

 

Hartenstein is probably a better cultural fit for a rebuilding team just because he really hustles and works hard.

To be clear, Bamba has the reputation of being very bright and a very good person but he doesn't have a passion for basketball.

From an upside perspective and a talent perspective, I would take Bamba.

People know Bamba is long..... but he is longer in person..... for example, Tacko Fall has a standing reach of 10'2" ..... Bamba is 9'8".... Bamba has a longer standing reach and a longer wingspan that Rudy Gobert.

 

I’m waiting for the 4-point line. So are Steph and Trey.

 

If the Rockets are going to take a strategic risk on a center, he is likely the best bet.

 

Frankly curious about the cultural fit.

 

IHart the first time around was nothing more than a LTS casualty. Now with that no where near a concern, the rockets are interested in bringing him back again.

 

Ideally the Rockets get someone that shows up when healthy, plays and practices hard and isn't an *******.

That was not a given last year with the Rockets.

 

true, true. I was actually wondering how personalities might fit.

Ex 1: the report recently from Perk about OKC back in the day.

Ex 2: Wood getting his attitude apparently affected by being signed as a 3rd option then ass-cending to #1, certainly in his mind. It was at the core of his failure with Theis first then Alpi. It coulda worked.

Silas in all this? Unknown. Yet, hamstrung by a situation beyond his control. Or most anyone else.

 

in my experience, those without a passion for basketball almost never works out in the NBA no matter what physical potential. I am not high on Bamba, I feel like if he were to breakout, he would have done so years ago.

I would rather have Hartenstein back who has proven to work his way into a legit NBA player

 

Depends on the market for Bamba, I definitely wouldn't overpay for a backup center. Particularly being at least a year away from competing for the play in.

 

Rockets really need to invest in a quality defensive coach.

Bamba like Sengun is better in drop coverage, slow feet and struggles moving laterally. Also slow to recognize rotations.

But Sengun (or Bamba) can not be liability in switch as to be unplayable.

This requires a good defensive mind with sound system and ability to adjust.

 

Bamba is very high IQ, well read and articulate.

Just has not translated to the BB court.

Loved his potential when he came out. Maybe he is a late bloomer similar to Timelord.

 

John Lucas' gots to go

Are you hearing anything about KJ? Was he throwing a fit last year, are we worried about that for this year?

 

idk if this is posted in part or in whole elsewhere...

mostly just a regurgitation of tweets - with a bit of context...

https://rocketswire.usatoday.com/20...n-mo-bamba-isaiah-hartenstein-in-free-agency/



imo... if Bamba wants to sign a reasonable 3 or 4 year deal - cool... id invest seeing if he can grow with the group...

but i wouldnt bother as a 1 year stop gap - just unnecessary until we're planning on making a real run...