It'll NEVER happen, but I would like to see Westbrook come off the bench. Let him be the Harden of the #2s. You could pretty much never not have one of the floor.

Solid addition

Tyson Chandler hasn't been a relevant player in 3-4 years but he will bring some valuable intangibles

Nice 10-15 minute per night guy, gives Hartenstein one more year to adjust to the speed of the NBA before becoming the full time backup.

LOVE Tyson Chandler. I've wanted him on our team for the last 7 years. This is great.

Bottom line is that the team prior to the trade wasn't better than the LA teams and GS. This move, if it works out, puts us right on the mix with them imo. It's a gamble but the way the previous team was structured wasn't winning a title

NoahAg said:

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ghostofthebanned said:

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this move only makes Houston basketball slightly more tolerable to watch.

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Man, I don't get that at all. I'm a Mavs fan living in Houston, and I think this makes the Rockets favorites to win the west (or win it all).

This isn't signing Melo or even trying to make Harden-Howard work. Looking at the 3 big duos in the west, some might pick Lebron-Davis or Leonard-George, but I don't see anyone having the complete team that the Rockets have now.

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Agree with mostly what you said but from top to bottom i think the Clippers have the better TEAM. They're legit 8 deep (maybe 10 depending on what they do with some of their Gleague guys they have stashed away who actually can ball).

But I do think this move puts Houston right in the mix with any duo/team. I wouldn't argue with anyone who said Houston could play in WCF and beat whoever they face.

I'd start :

G - Westbrook
G - Harden
F - House
F - Tucker
C - Capela

That's a pretty salty starting lineup who can play great defense if they want to.

zooguy96 said:

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I'd start :

G - Westbrook
G - Harden
F - House
F - Tucker
C - Capela

That's a pretty salty starting lineup who can play great defense if they want to.

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Kind of what i was thinking

I don't get all the criticism on radio/tv today. They keep asking if Harden and Westbrook can share the ball and play together.... .the only question that matters is are the Rockets better today than yesterday and that answer is YES. On defense alone, Westbrook will be a huge help.

Gordon, Shumpert, Rivers, Green, Tyson Chandler, Faried (assuming he comes back) , and Gary Clark are a pretty damn good and deep bench as well.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/27173938/are-rockets-better-pressure-russ-harden-now

CFTXAG10 said:

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Quote:

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I get it but he's utilized draft picks like bullets. Take the Lowry for the pick that conveyed to OKC for Harden. I get that it is hard to build thru the draft... but at the same time... don't sleep on how Morey has leveraged picks in the past to actually stay pretty competitive.

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No argument here. Morey doesn't like to build through the draft. He can occasionally hit on a second round pick or late 1st, but he is on the record saying he thinks its a crap shoot.

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I think what's different with this trade is it is categorically mortgaging the future to be competitive right now. Again, I don't mind it and now is the right time to take a shot. But Free Agents aren't going to magically appear in Houston if the cupboard is bare.

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I just don't agree. A combination of 2 pick swaps and 2 first round picks isn't going to mortgage the future of the Rockets. We have't been building through the draft for quite some time now and a lot of other competitive teams in the league aren't doing it either. The league has turned into a free agent frenzy. Collect a bunch of assets/picks then cash in for a superstar, or don't even bother collecting assets just keep a revolving door of free agents until it hits.

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Read the Lowe article amongst other things. I'm not worried about the 2021 pick swap, but it is really telling that by all indications Morey pushed like crazy to give up first rounders in 2020 and 2021 and the Thunder wouldn't do the deal until the Rockets relented and gave up the compensation way down the line. It's reassuring that the picks are top 4 protected, but that compensation has the potential to be massive.

And I do agree... contenders are built via free agency rather than the draft... but big FA's are going to places they can win now. You have to have some cheaper pieces on the team that are contributors and locked in for a while to either yield a superstar in a trade or attract a superstar to come to your franchise and try to win. Morey has leveraged decent draft picks to keep those options open for the Rockets for years prior to landing Harden. He knows giving those picks up will make it hard for him to do that for a while in a few seasons.

Olsen said:

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Well allllllllrighty then

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And I do agree... contenders are built via free agency rather than the draft

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Every Championship team in recent memory has had at least one of their top 3 players from the draft.

Toronto - #2 scorer (Siakam) and the player that came in 2nd for Finals MVP (VanVleet) came in the draft.
GSW: 3 of their top 4 players were drafted.
Cleveland: Bron and Kyrie were drafted, Bron obviously left and was resigned.
Spurs 14: Top 4 players drafted
Heat 12/13: #2 player drafted
Mavs 11: Top played drafted, #3 player drafted, left and brought back
Lakers: Kobe drafted
Celtics: Pierce drafted
Spurs 03/05/07: Top three drafted
Heat 06: Wade drafted


I think most teams have a mix of drafting well(lucky), good cap management, and pulling the right FA/trade at the right time.

ahh nvm

Guitarsoup said:

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Quote:

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And I do agree... contenders are built via free agency rather than the draft

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Every Championship team in recent memory has had at least one of their top 3 players from the draft.

Toronto - #2 scorer (Siakam) and the player that came in 2nd for Finals MVP (VanVleet) came in the draft.
GSW: 3 of their top 4 players were drafted.
Cleveland: Bron and Kyrie were drafted, Bron obviously left and was resigned.
Spurs 14: Top 4 players drafted
Heat 12/13: #2 player drafted
Mavs 11: Top played drafted, #3 player drafted, left and brought back
Lakers: Kobe drafted
Celtics: Pierce drafted
Spurs 03/05/07: Top three drafted
Heat 06: Wade drafted


I think most teams have a mix of drafting well(lucky), good cap management, and pulling the right FA/trade at the right time.

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The crux of my argument is you need a healthy mix of solid contributors who are cheap and locked in for a while and probably 2 superstars. That's how you get into title contention. The easiest way to get cheap assets locked in for a extended period is thru the draft. And let's be real here, on your list, 6 of the teams after 12/13, their best player (the one that team for sure couldn't lose and still win the title) came via free agency. The most talented players are all coming in at 19 or 20 years old, spending their first 8 years or so learning the game with the team that drafted them... but then they are going where they want to in their prime which is almost always the place they will have the best window to win in and becoming a contender.

I'm totally fine with the trade and think it was worth the risk, but my point isn't far off from yours: let's not pretend picks aren't worth much... look at the landscape of how free agent and player movement occurs then look at the Rockets situation they are locked into for the next 2-3 years... I think it is a stretch to believe Morey will have the bullets to keep them in contention.

I think we are on the same page.

I think Westbrook is definitely worth the risk. They hit their ceiling with Paul and Westbrook is younger, has less games and is more durable.

I don't think any team would take Paul without major pieces with him except for maybe some teams like the Lakers that can't take him.

But the way to land the stars is to get young guys on good contracts that are major contributors, manage the cap well, and be able to have some bullets to fire to get the deal done. Miami did that to get Bron/Bosh with Wade/Chalmers/Haslem. Clippers had guys on good contracts like Bev, Shamet, Lou.

This is the year to win with Klay and Durant out, the Lakers and Clippers may have some adjusting to get used to and the Pelicans aren't ready yet. Like with Paul, give them two seasons and if the Rockets don't have a title yet by 2021, it's probably time to move on.

Russ is still one of the most explosive players, but his game will age poorly because it relies on that explosiveness. Tucker is older than Chris Paul and Gordon will be 31 later this year. It's time for all these parts to come together now.

Whatever happens, it's going to be entertaining AF.

https://www.theringer.com/nba/2019/7/12/20691856/russell-westbrook-james-harden-houston-fit

Ringer article on what Brodie and James need to do to work together.

Watch until the end.

Im waiting for Zdogs reaction.