I think we agree that this is first and foremost a coaching issue. Where we see things differently is in how coachable Scoot is. From his days in college, to Cleveland, to documented issues in Houston - he has been difficult for coaches to get through to. His heavily protected contract lend further merit to him not being trustable. I'd go so far as to say they gave him the contract hoping it would eliminate the distraction of him being in a contract season. When you have a young team you need to be able to coach hard. That's something this young generation doesn't take well to and Scoot flat out doesn't accept it. One rotten egg spoils the bunch. Stone drafted too much youth that he's hoping to develop concurrently (no GM in their right mind makes four first round selections in one year, much less follows it up with three in the second) Silas is too weak and can't discipline. (it's not shocking that the team exhibits more effort when he misses games and Lucas takes the reins) The disciplinarian assistant coaches are hamstrung by having a point guard that doesn't take criticism. I firmly believe that firing Silas now would allow Lucas and Hollins to "coach". And if/when Scoot blows up - so be it. You'd have the balance of the year to develop - see if Green can play the one while using real point guards to run an offense that gets others involved. To me, it's multi-layered. KPJ isn't evil. He's young, dumb, full of c*m and was given the keys to his mom's ferrari while still on a sippy cup. Put him around more vets and I'm not sure he's patient enough to develop - but he'd have a better chance at unlocking upside. There's a reason two teams have moved on from him. There's a reason why Mobley was vocal in not wanting to come to Houston due to Porter. He's already seen the circus show.
I 100% agree with your take @studogg At some point you got to find out who is real and who is a pretender. We need a disciplinarian coach to weed out the chaffe. DD
Good take. I think the writing in on the wall for KPJ in Houston. It is not going to be a long-term fit. He is a very talented young player, but him and green are not going to be a successful combination.
And that right there is what we need to find out - and I don't believe we can answer that question - with Silas as coach. DD
How are you going to know what a person can do or become (KPJ) if he is not being instructed properly? And to me, that's what I am seeing. I think Silas is a very good person and I root for him to succeed but after looking at these last two games, it's become evident that he just does not have it as a Head Coach.
Tari Eason is my Favorite Player. Excellent All Around Player. Just need to trade some guys and add him as a Starter.
Monte Ellis and Stephen Curry all over again. What is odd is the Stephen Silas was the Warriors Assistant Coach. Training Curry in Drills as a Rookie. Silas helped Curry and Doncic. Is Silas helping the Young guys, not sure. Lucas no doubt is helping out Green watching and doing drills is helping.
One phrase I really miss hearing is Daryl Morey repeating that "we are always looking to improve the roster" he had his flaws, but you can tell the guy was super hard working, he looked like he hadnt gotten sleep in days before trade deadlines or after a draft press conference. You could see bags under his eyes, he was never content. This new front office just seems content with everything and everyone. Getting tired of this loser mentality coming from up top. We use to be rumored in every single star trade, it was a running joke. Even without winning, you felt like you had something to look forward to as a fan because you knew the team was doing everything they could to be competitive or make upgrades. Morey would have probably traded Eric Gordon last year, got him back, and traded him again by now.
No playoff team will want KPJ, he isn’t a player that helps you win. Maybe a bottom feeder team would take him on.
KPJ is lucky he went and signed that mostly unguaranteed contract…he at least gets 16 mil in year 1 if he had waited until next offseason…
Call me ole’ fashioned but I remember when young guys were expected shut up, listen, put your head down and work. I hate the player cater culture and the sense of entitlement that is pervasive these days. I straight up reject Stone’s approach to the team. You can’t be friends with these guys. You’ve got to do what’s right for the team. You want to make the Rockets an org players want to play for? Put us on a path to winning.
But he doesn't want to win. He doesn't want to improve the productivity in any way. So why would he change the culture or how well the team is organized? Like this is exactly what Stone wants, for the team to be a mess but continue to try to win. I don't believe the whole friendship story. I believe Stone has manufactured it and KPJ believes it. Stone will trade KPJ if he has to and I don't think KPJ understands that he's somewhat of a pawn in this game. Of course for KPJ this is a great situation, he runs a team with an organization that wants him to run a team with a very long leash, where else on earth would he get that? The human condition will make KPJ believe the organization loves him for his performance, and that others unfairly don't believe in him because they don't know him. That's not to say I don't think KPJ will develop. I think he will. However, if you look at the contract he signed, neither the org is truly a big believer in him nor is he a big believer in himself. The contract essentially caps him at $15m for 4 years and if he's ever worth more than that he's not getting more money. Also, if he messes up or a trade comes up or an FA is coming up, they can waive/trade him as an expiring for 4 years straight. He's f*cked if he underperforms when we're trying to win, no guarantees past the one season. Frankly, I think Stone is acting stupid but he knows exactly what he's doing to lose as many games as possible. Which is what I thought everyone wants? But I keep hearing they want a chance at Wemby but for the team to be organized and managed better. Those two things cannot happen simultaneously, all the tanking teams look horrible if you watch all 48 minutes of all their games. The Spurs have taken almost 3 years with an excellent coach to train up this batch of youngsters and they're still a mess.
You might be giving Stone a bit too much credit here but I do think you are right that KPJ would be unwise to think that Stone wouldn’t flip him for an extra buck the moment it was available to do so. However, per the subject of this thread, I don’t think his contract really has much appeal to trade for until a year from now. I do think teams will be interested in him as a 6th man type of isolation scorer. I could see the Lakers giving up one of their two picks for him if they had a chance.
Even the bottom team brackets, if kpj goes there he likely won't start over there existing guards or be their main ball handler. Magic: Fultz and Franz at the guards / (and Paolo as a ball handler) Hornets: LaMelo Pistons: Ivey / Killian. (Cade is out this year). Spurs: Jones/Langford (can argue this except Spurs just recently beat us twice with their backcourt). Hierarchy shot attempts...KPJ would not be ahead of Keldon Johnson. "Holidays and lack of energy"... etc. If KPJ goes to another team (even bad teams), he's likely not be the main ball handler, or get amount of shots. He might not start. The bad teams have their own mystery boxes to unravel. Same goes for KJ, if he's looking for starter significant minutes. There's only a handful of teams where KJ could actually start. When our next draft class come in... the current spots (could...should) shift.
Yeah I think he can thrive in the Westbrook role better than Westbrook for example. He could even start for them if Lebron is running the show and AD gets the most shots, I bet Ham/Lebron/Contention would convince him to play better defense again.
