It's nothing we haven't heard before, but after https://bbs.clutchfans.net/threads/...more-f-villanova.320128/page-11#post-14692498 @Codman basically outright stating that we have a culture problem - from front office to the locker room - and that a lot of veterans don't want to play here, is there more merit to all the negativity surrounding the Rockets? Is our image really this ****? Basically every the past 2 drafts in particular is where we've heard picks being wasted on us, that we're the worst possible place for a lot of guys, Wemby so happy we weren't #1. Granted we've had Silas hurting us and Fertitta with a lot of questions surrounding the family dynamics, general ownership, ego, IQ and the right intentions - winning or profits. But this has turned from maybe having a point - esp with Silas at the helm and Fertitta's early decisions, e.g. CP3 - to actually being right and some deeper issues at hand? Here's a recent example of on the surface being just about a team full of young guys who just had a bad coach to people not trusting the Rockets organization to do anything right as has been the sentiment recently: So what's the story here?
No I don't believe that at all. Codman states pretty clearly where his bias lies and which parts of that post are just his opinion - I think you should read him more carefully, he is very good at not mixing his opinion with insider info. It's clear for example he just personally doesn't believe in JG. The only insider info there appears to be: vets are unsure about playing for Houston. Is this really a surprise? Good or bad culture, that would be the attitude of a veteran towards a team that forced 3 consecutive seasons of 20ish wins. How do you force losses that heavily and reliably? By gutting the team of elements like veteran experience, rim protection and floor general. This is a recipe for being a bottom 10 defense and bottom 10 offense, which would automatically result in a very high pick. The lesson we should take from this is that we shouldn't sign or acquire players who are OK with a losing culture. We shouldn't say "well this guy is willing to sign here when no one else is willing, so let's sign him". No I think we should either collect players worth their contract or we should wait for Udoka and this roster (with a few lower priced vets) to show the league what the core is made of. We can roll half the cap space over to next summer, and in that one season change people's minds about the culture here just like Memphis did once upon a time, just like OKC did last season, etc. It's really an odd fringe opinion to believe that if we don't make MAJOR EXPENSIVE signings that we can't win more games with Ime coaching and with Stone actually acquiring veterans that are a net benefit to culture and production. There's no chance we'll lose just as much as when Stone suffocated the defense, offense, depth and experience of the team. Last season's record was artificially manufactured. Even a 19 year old Michael Jordan would not have changed the shitty attitudes and terrible record last season and he probably would have gotten into a lot of fights with his teammates or opponents. That's what competitors are like. This 2023 season is the season where a player with star potential will have had enough, because that player will now have allies in the coaching staff and front office. We're too close to the situation sometimes. Take a step back and see what an incredible core and future we have. These players have 10+ year windows. We just need to practice patience. The first step is setting up a winning championship calibre set of standards and rules for the roster (culture). That happens with repeated games/experiences, it doesn't happen in a film session or with a speech. After that is established, we will have a platform for stars to form and losers to fall. Being one year late to the playoffs in a 10 year window is meaningless in the grand scheme of things. Having said that, I believe we will make the playins this coming season and we will see at least 2 stars emerge from this roster. Two team-controlled stars, cap space, future picks and a boatload of young team-controlled role players is a dream place to be in. Give Udoka 6 months. You can't be judging the players on how they did under the artificial conditions of the past two seasons, you're not giving yourself a chance to know what you drafted. Players show themselves in a winning culture. Winning players can TOTALLY lose motivation during tanking and that's just how a competitor's mind works sometimes. Jamal Murray looks bad in the regular season and would look like garbage in a tanking season, but that's only because you would not have seen him tested in a winning culture.
If you keep winning,you must get very good culture If you keep losing,you must get very bad culture Winning is fixing everything
Stone says the culture is great in the locker room. He makes a mistake to think that just because the guys are playing 2K together and having a good time, that means the culture is good. The issue is the mindset and approach towards improvement and high consistent effort, not giving up on plays or even mentally checking out of entire games - which we have seen for sure. This is a truly bad basketball culture that I hope Udoka makes big strides in.
One great coach, if the front office supports him, can easily change the culture. But yes, we've heard it a million different ways from a multitude of sources that the Rockets locker room was a dumpster fire of poor leadership, attitudes and habits with zero accountability.
This team needs a clear pecking order, with Sengun as the established hub, like Jokic in Denver. If someone pulls faces like KPJ and Jalen did - you're out. If someone pulls a stunt like Jabari did with his "take him out" crap - you're out.
Pffft. Sengun is not at that mvp level yet where everybody has to tiptoe around his feeling or fear being moved to the bench. What u are suggesting is just coddling the favorite player, which folks on here btch since it cause harden to become a diva and made our culture suck With a new coach, he should b the one disciplining folks
I think Nook had extremely similar statements about the Rox culture this season, based on what he can gather. So it doesn't seem to be just bias.
Wasn't disputing that. I said that's the only part that's not his opinion. I don't think it's a revelation that veteran players don't want to join a team that has won 20-25 games for 3 seasons running. Spurs allegedly had great culture, no one was running to join them before Wemby either. It's just what it means to lose a lot. Vets won't want to join. Also important: culture is easy and quick to change. Give Udoka 20-30 games and you'll start hearing about how the Rockets turned it around and play the right way now. Here's what's NOT going to happen: Ime Udoka allows this team to have poor culture on or off the court. We're so good. There's nothing to be upset or desperate about. More players will want to join the Houston Rockets the more we wait i.e. progress.
Loser culture under Silas, but as I understand it runs deeper. So, yeah, the reputation is pretty bad.
I want to believe that the Rockets pivoted when they hired coach Ime. No way a guy like him will not demand to have the authority he needs to get this roster winning. This may be especially true if Stone is on the hot seat.
The bad culture narrative comes from having so many young guys on the team without veterans to mentor rookies, enforce the coach’s game-plan on the court and provide competition to make the young guys earn their spot. Stone wanted it this way to tank for 3 years and we did not once get the #1 pick. There is no such thing as a graceful tank and Silas was Stone’s scapegoat throughout that process. We’ll get to see how well he does now when he has to add quality vets through trade or free agency. Stone targeting Harden so hard makes sense now if Harden was the only veteran that wanted to come play for Houston.
I believe the culture had issues under one of the worst coaches in NBA history who was kept for the sole purpose of losing. I expect the culture to improve dramatically this year under a real coach. The team will not challenge for a playoff spot this year but I expect them to grow exponentially this year to the point they will be in the playoff hunt the following year.
Most of our culture reputation is based around one player if we're being honest. KPJ will always be the elephant in "culture" room unless IME can help change his perception or he's traded.
Ja Morant got caught waving guns ON CAMERA several times, yet the Rockets have a culture problem? Why aren't you guys holding the Grizzlies coach accountable like you did Silas? The Rockets are fine
Bingo! Somehow this is now a KPJ PROBLEM, but if you ask "them" if they would like Ja Morant or Brandon Miller on this team they would whip out their dicks and start beating in unison. The subjective bias on how support is spread among the ROX is laughable at best.
