In almost any draft you can find two franchise players. Those two players are rarely placed neatly as the #1 and #2 pick. So you are trading away a chance at a great player even at #4. You can start a rebuild with the #4 pick. It's a great asset. I would trade it though. I think I'm willing to trade it because I'm 99% sure 2 of Green/Sengun/Jabari will be all stars at minimum. If I wasn't sure of that, I wouldn't trade the pick.
Threeway with Charlotte, Bk,Houston 4 pick , Bridges to Charlotte 2nd pick,Claxton to Houston BK all their picks back ,Kmj , Tate, PJ Washington
I'm not counting Harden at all currently, more looking at Siakim only situation. Based on recent reporting it seems; Harden may have overplayed his leverage card with Philly, but I digress. Under the new rules, teams can only spend so much on max number of super contracts. I can see Siakim not getting a pay raise in his next contract, maybe even a downgrade. He's getting paid a lot right now, because he has that hometown boost. Taking Rockets out of the picture for a moment, if Raptors keep him, or another team want to sign him, do you he'll still be offered $37 mil per year or greater? Mid - upper 20 mil might be more realistic; factor in things like age. We are at a disadvantage when negotiating with win now teams because we don't have win now players. Stone loves his valued contract, if he can actually work his magic and lower the number to be a positive asset, then we'll be in the mix when actually bargaining with a superstar. Problem is right now we don't have good players. --- Using a draft pick does cost something: TIME. Time is money. If we draft another guy, "time" is spent on the investment. That's fans / org waiting for that player to be good. And literal sense of 'playing time'. Even then it's still a gamble vs a more proven commodity. I get it; Pascal is not a sexy pick. It doesn't have to be Siakim. But if we bring more ready players and winning more games; value of guys like Green/Bari/Sengun (as perceived) by the league will also go up. Which allow you to also move off of them and trade for better pieces if needed. Using to the pick to draft an Amen is not going to add wins for us next couple years. Siakim expiring is a concern, but so will Jaylen Brown, if teams go after him next year. And Dallas for example also put their chips in for Irving. Could be a mistake, but some teams do it. For Siakim, I'd at least consider for a lower number. To me, the 4th pick when used is not valuable, especially with our development infrastructure. In the last 3 years with Silas/Lucas, whose 3pt shot can we say actually improved? (kpj?) The pick is valuable because GMs overvalues it. If not Siakim, they should still consider using 4th on a non-rookie player. Or trade down for couple picks, so chances of misses is diversified. If people think the 4th is more valuable than I, will Raptors give up an OG, or some deal with OG + Siakim? I'm open to suggestions. Note: This is why I've started to advocate a different front office; because leading up to this point Stone has not done well at with accumulating assets and winning at the margins. So when we're bidding, we don't have good pieces to go to the table with. As soon as we didn't get the top 2 pick, Rockets likely would have to overpay in some regard.
Before the ping pongs, remember how no one begged for Amen? Folks have really talked themselves into it.
How do you get more top 5 picks (Jabari & 4th pick) after Green unless you lose though? I am confused. Besides those 3 players they now have 5 1st round picks on the team and the Clippers pick next year. Also all of the Nets assets. You accumulate all of that through trades and losing. Now you consolidate and do as you said bring the value up of those players with vets from cap space. That was not available to Stone until Wall was gone. What Stone did is exactly how I would have done with a few exceptions like Oladipo. You can also argue over who should have been drafted as well. Otherwise though I dont understand what could have been done differently unless you think after drafting Green and Sengun you should have started increasing the average age of the team and finishing with a better record. I suppose it is all debatable but it seemed be a clear course that should have been taken. Starting this offseason though it's not so clear any longer. You could go a 1,000 different ways.
Can have good players and still lose. Cav's year with Jarret Allen where they got Evan, or Thunder sitting SGA with a bottom record and got Chet. For Rockets, lot of the vets either didn't pan out (Oladipo, Theis), or got traded too late... Wood and Gordon. Net's asset look good on paper, but if they're a playin team next year with 35 wins... how good are these picks, as they're actually mid-lottery picks in draft class like Bronny's. Just as we have Net's picks, Nets have Sun's picks. Sun's picks looks like trash right now; but who knows; could say the same when Nets had the big 3. Rocket fans (including myself) was hoping for top 2 pick, but now we don't. And folks including ourselves are in this thread; try to figure if there's a way to trade up... but can't. Stone doesn't have lady luck on his side this time to make the decision for him. --- As far as simulation: Locked on Rockets, for example, spoke to Locked ON Nets on if they want their picks back for Cam or Mikal, the feedback seems to be NO. On CF, are Rocket fans throwing ideas out to give something valuable to OKC to get our picks/swaps back. I don't see that either. --- The 4th and net's picks look good right now; but as time passes, they become less valuable. Like Wood and Gordon, where Rockets take too long and sit on the assets then expire like spoiled milk.
I need to think about what you wrote at the beginning. One thing though I watched that Nets/Rockets vid or at listened to it. The Nets assets are fine in my opinion even if it was a pick around 8-15. It could give you chance to fill specialized roles on the team. A player like Dick this year or Lively. A chance at a sharpshooter, or a center like Kessler. Which sure get yourself a pick as high as possible. But high level specialized roleplayers are need on this team as well to add to Green/Jabari.
Nah dude I always liked him, long before the the lottery. I've had him above Miller for months. Seems like there's a chance he could go as high as #2; we'll see!
They aren't. Quoting morons doesn't make it true. Did they give you the criteria? OG is 3 years younger, just made all defense team, and has a ring as a rotation player in his second season. Grant is similar on offense but completely opposite spectrum on defense almost. A lot of media types ignore defense in rankings so that's why I ask what they base on. Do they consider age or is it for one season? Are they looking at points per game and ignoring efficiency? Mikal Bridges is a closer comp and the Suns and Nets both turned down multiple picks for him... A much closer comp for Grant may be more like Christian Wood who is miscast as a 5... similar age, size, shooting, and defense... wood slightly better rebounder... defense might go either way from year to year... there's data to suggest either could be better.
That's fine. But you know as well as I. There was a tank for Scoot and a tank for Wemby thread long ago... many many pages. It's less about being right or wrong. Because once he puts on the Rockets uniform, many of us will have to root for him. And if he has a slow start or showing bust potential, i'll have to defend him and play mental gymnastics that he might later turn out good. It'll be exhausting. People say you can't choose your family. For Rockets right now, they do have a choice.
Check the dates on the threads. I made the Amen thread over a month ago because I already believed he was better than Miller. I was saying he was better in other threads before that too. I could be wrong, if the Rockets end up with Miller I'll be more than fine with being wrong. But don't act like it's some crazy outlier to be high on Amen. Some analysts have had him at #3 as early as a month or two into this season.
I'm not high on Miller either. It's scoot/wemby or bust for me. There are good players in the top 10 i'm sure, but issue is no one really knows. This is supposed to be pivot year. For me it's trade up or trade out (for a proven)
I will trade #4 and non core players guys like Tate, KMJ, Josh Christopher etc for 6 and 11. People keep saying we have enough young guys but we don't, really. We only have Jalen, Jabari and Sengun as the core of this team and each of these aren't exactly franchise players in fact I'd trade any 2 of them for Paolo Banchero. The draft is a crap shoot and esp in this draft after top 2 it's anyone's guess so getting more picks is better than a non top 1 pick imo. Ausar Thompson, Cam Whitmore, Walker, Wallace, Hendrix, Black etc these guys at 6 just as good as pick 4 and at 11 someone good is bound to drop. Personally I'd go Ausar/Whitemore at 6, Wallace at 11 and call it a day. 20 for me is for good role players with potential like Lively or Prosper.
I gotta say it, OG Anunoby is a media plant they were reporting that Masai was seeking a Donovan Mitchell level trade package for OG with a straight face, when it should’ve been met with snickering and eye rolls I don’t buy his 2nd Team All-Defense selection either then Iko comes with this nonsense they’re trying to manufacture this dude into a star…I refuse to be catfished
For all those categories OG does awful in... he still finds a way to be an above league average efficiency player. Yes he likely has a pretty set ceiling as an elite role player and not a star due to his inability to create, but a floor spacer with his defense is damn valuable, he's just about to turn 26* which isn't bad. If the FO isn't in love with who is at #4, and if OG agrees to an extension, I'd think OG + #13 for #4 is worth some consideration.
