Jalen Green’s frustration clear in the building - Iko

he didn’t even get Mobley in for a workout. That’s incompetence.

 

As far as I remember, Mobley's dad did NOT want his son anywhere near KPJ.

Stone however had committed to KPJ...

 

yes, and that’s still Stone’s fault. You don’t blow an opportunity at the 2nd best player in the draft because you’ve fallen in love with a women beater. Not the judgement we want to see from our GM.

 

The only thing that would redeem any value would be for im to have an extended hot streak for the rest of the season shooting in the upper 40% range overall and upper 30% range from deep. He is incapaple of such a streak. He is sunk cost for which we will never recoup anywhere close to the value of a #2 pick.

 

Jalen's 2 assists and 4 turnovers don't matter. Taking a ton of shots makes him look better if he gets a lucky streak. He finally got his 3PT ave up to 26% to end the month of Feb. He got a bunch of PTS in a game. Who cares if nobody else shot much? Oh wait, we lost .

 

Were they?

Guess you didn't see my post before the season where I said I would pack the paint vs Houston
with 4 defenders (with exception on who guards Jabari). 29 wins. I may be wrong but Vegas
31.5 wins will probably get it right. Suspiciously, they tend to almost always get real
close (yes it's rigged)

Yes leaving wide open shots !!

Why would I do that?

Because we have no true perimeter shooters.

The type of players we have are slashers that need to drive......get fouled....see the ball go
through the basket......feel good about themselves.....start making their outside shots.

If you deprive the Rockets of those paint drive layups, dunks......and force the Rockets to
be predominantly a jump shooting team. Opponents have it in the bag.
Yes even while leaving wide open shots.

Dwight Howard could make free throws in practice but struggled to make free throws during
the game. Players can make wide open threes in practice, but most would tell you the wide
open 3 is one of the toughest 3 to make (because there's no excuse.....press a little).

I've been eating, drinking, sleeping basketball since I was 4 which is over 50 years. I know a
little something something about basketball. Teams were letting the Rockets do whatever
they wanted in the beginning of the season, now teams are packing the
paint better and leaving select Rockets wide open. Don't confuse our players for Steph Curry
or Klay Thompson as players that walk off the bus shooting 3's and bury them for a living.

I predicted the Rockets would be close to last in 3P% before the season started. Rockets are currently 28th.

No crystal ball, I just know. Just 0.1 off from being tied for last at 34.6% with about 20 games left.
I said the Rockets would be around 9th in DRtg..... currently 8th (just 0.2 off from being 9th)

 

He doesn't posses anything more than athleticism. He's nowhere near Kobe. Kobe actually had work ethic. Jalen doesn't seem to care about anything

 

KPJ was a huge problem too. He's a trash person. Jalen is his own problem but hanging around that idiot probably didn't help

 

A good GM doesn’t care about what someone’s helicopter parent thinks.

DD

 

Are you actually comparing Jalen to MJ and Iverson? Jalen can't even make a widen open jumper. No system will help him

 

A good GM would have gotten rid of KPJ

 

Yes - BUT, like I said at the time, there is a lot of pressure on the future of your rebuild when you hitch your wagon so early on a player that isn't a great passing guard and is undersized on the defensive end. Which, he guards point guards better than shooting guards. While the upsize was fascinating, the safer and more likely move to payoff was to take Evan Mobley or Scottie Barnes. Why? Because they both had length and size, could play multiple positions and they defensively were all but guaranteed to defend well in the NBA. To be clear - it isn't like Mobley has really expanded his game. He doesn't handle the ball as much as it looks like he was capable of, and he hasn't developed range on his shot... some of that is the Cavs wanting him to just defend and some of that id a lack of development.

Still - right now, a post of Mobley and Sengun sounds pretty damn good.

I don't think it is fair to beat up Stone too badly - TF wanted Green as well, and you will not usually hit on every single high lottery pick,

 

Mobley's father is very well known and respected in basketball circles and is involved - he made it very clear to the Rockets that his son would not workout and did not want to be drafted by the Rockets because the culture was toxic.

Think about that.... he wanted his son to be drafted by the Cavs over the Rockets....... and the Barnes camp wasn't exactly gung-ho for the Rockets either.

The thing is - a smart GM would start to question if maybe his teams culture is bad........ with so many people in the game saying it. Instead TF and Stone knew best and they doubled down and extended KPJ, kept Wood all year.... kept Gordon who told Stone he wasn't mentoring anyone.... then had Wall on the team...

 

Is it helicopter parenting?

Mobley's dad kept him away from the toxic culture around the Rockets at the time........ and Green, who grew up in that culture looks lost and entitled.

Meanwhile, Mobley is a starter on a team that is high up in the Eastern Conference.

The situation around the Rockets for 2-3 years when Stone first took over was extremely toxic and we are still seeing the damage done.

 

Part of the difference in the standings is the Rockets passing on guys like Mobley and selecting draft busts though....

 

I mean stone first took over a "toxic' situation because the owner decided to dismantle what he was gifted and decided not to maximize it's worth after year 1 and it's historic season. Then the train wreck of a long list of Rockets personnel wanted to get out of from this trash owner and his dumb ways. His cost cutting moves and big mouth transitioned into being a shitty roster having to settle for players like Wood, Theis, kpj and continuing years later. The reason the situation is what it is starts with him. and Stone is merely a puppet of his.

Lets not act like the situation is an excuse. They brought it upon themselves. You don't get excused for that. They made it that way and they have to deal with everything that comes with it.

 

To be clear - it isn't an excuse.

The blame goes all the way to ownership, who didn't pay the tax to keep the best Rockets team in 20-25 years together..... who then ran off his excellent GM because he engendered a toxic workplace - who then hired the rookie GM that would do whatever he wanted........ and then allowed and supported signing guys like Wood, KPJ and keeping Gordon long after he stopped caring.

This all starts with ownership - but the GM hasn't helped the situation either. The only reason KPJ isn't on the Rockets is because he beat his girlfriend in a hotel and the police showed up.

The only real hope is to have a GM that can convince the owner to do the right things.

 

A smart and proactive owner would have fired Stone after this, unloaded KPJ for whatever he could get and tried to convince Mobley’s father that he is committed to changing the Rockets’ culture effective immediately.

Fertitta wasn’t that owner.

 

'
Mobley refused to workout for us because of KPJ (USC) I believe.