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2021-22 Houston Rockets Season Thread: Sucking with a Purpose


BigOrange1

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23 hours ago, Snacks said:

Yeah, if you're drafting outside of 3 (2, really), you get a deal going with a couple of top 15 teams for a draft day trade of whomever they want for one of the remaining centers and a 1st rd pick next year...

Or just trade the pick to 12 or whatever and grab a center.

just want to be clear that this is a horrible idea.

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1 hour ago, Murfdogg21 said:

It’s all a crap shoot, unless the Nets pick was lotto that hit top 4, but then that means 25% chance (or more) that it was the Rockets that got knocked out of the top 4. Hopefully we end up in the top 3, and take best talent available at 17. 

yeah, but that only meant we'd drop to 5. So having 2 Top 5 picks in this draft would have been a good thing.

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Anyone else catch "Rockets twitter" throw a hissy fit about Bill Simmons saying "fuck Jalen Green" and saying that he won't vote for him on his all rookie team ballot because his team sucks? 

Bill is being an idiot, but Rockets twitter is coming off as pretty whiney here 

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11 minutes ago, Fud said:

Anyone else catch "Rockets twitter" throw a hissy fit about Bill Simmons saying "fuck Jalen Green" and saying that he won't vote for him on his all rookie team ballot because his team sucks? 

Bill is being an idiot, but Rockets twitter is coming off as pretty whiney here 

But he’ll vote for Cunningham and Wagner?  

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53 minutes ago, Fud said:

Anyone else catch "Rockets twitter" throw a hissy fit about Bill Simmons saying "fuck Jalen Green" and saying that he won't vote for him on his all rookie team ballot because his team sucks? 

Bill is being an idiot, but Rockets twitter is coming off as pretty whiney here 

they can be extremely cringey.  i feel bad for following most of them a lot of the time.

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Just now, BigOrange1 said:

they can be extremely cringey.  i feel bad for following most of them a lot of the time.

I can't watch the Rockets at home, so I follow a bunch of them to keep up with the games live that way because they'll post clips of plays and such 

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It’s a really ducking stupid line in the sand to draw for Simmons and it’s self serving bullshit. Rookies aren’t ever judged on winning or losing except in extreme situations. The best of the rookies go to the shittiest of the teams and very very few rookies are going to transform a shitty team to a good team. 
dropping 30 point games on a shitty team at 19 years old is incredibly impressive. Much more so than being a role guy on a good team. It’s a dumb fucking argument as applied to rookies and that motherfucker should no better. 
He hates Tilman and he hates Houston. Period. End of story. 

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12 minutes ago, Serak The Preparer said:

Spider-Man Reaction GIF

I mean- I hate Ferntits too bc I’m a fan of the Rockets and he’s a disaster for us as well as a buffoon, but that’s not going to make me not see things as they really are or look for reasons to shit on people who don’t deserve it. 

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1 hour ago, Wulaw Horn said:

It’s a really ducking stupid line in the sand to draw for Simmons and it’s self serving bullshit. Rookies aren’t ever judged on winning or losing except in extreme situations. The best of the rookies go to the shittiest of the teams and very very few rookies are going to transform a shitty team to a good team. 
dropping 30 point games on a shitty team at 19 years old is incredibly impressive. Much more so than being a role guy on a good team. It’s a dumb fucking argument as applied to rookies and that motherfucker should no better. 
He hates Tilman and he hates Houston. Period. End of story. 

and "good" is used very, very loosely in this case.  

it's definitely a dumb argument, i just don't understand getting all up in arms about it.  "rockets twitter" gets all up in arms about everything which is why i called them cringey.  they are in the right here, i just don't think its all that important.  and bill's take on it is going to look especially foolish 2-3 years from now.

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19 minutes ago, BigOrange1 said:

and "good" is used very, very loosely in this case.  

it's definitely a dumb argument, i just don't understand getting all up in arms about it.  "rockets twitter" gets all up in arms about everything which is why i called them cringey.  they are in the right here, i just don't think its all that important.  and bill's take on it is going to look especially foolish 2-3 years from now.

I don’t have a Twitter account so I don’t know what’s going on there. I limit my take to Simmons being an idiot about this. 
I’m not anti Simmons either. I listen to him when he has RR on, when he has Lowe on, KOC or any other interesting guest. So probably half his podcasts. 

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37 minutes ago, Fud said:

It was expected, but Houston's worst case scenario with their first pick just got much better

 

That's nice. I really want Ivey though if we don't end up top 2.  I think I like him more than other people, so maybe this could push him down to 5?  Right now the most probably spot for Ivey seems like 4- any way Sharpe can jump him?

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2 minutes ago, Wulaw Horn said:

That's nice. I really want Ivey though if we don't end up top 2.  I think I like him more than other people, so maybe this could push him down to 5?  Right now the most probably spot for Ivey seems like 4- any way Sharpe can jump him?

Maybe Sharpe blows out workouts he can sneak into the top four, but I bet he's viewed as the most likely pick at #5

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18 minutes ago, Fud said:

Maybe Sharpe blows out workouts he can sneak into the top four, but I bet he's viewed as the most likely pick at #5

Well, he's going to have to blow away with his workouts, he hasn't played in a year. He's likely outside the Top 10 right now. The Rockets have enough guards. You shouldn't be drafting players that play the same position year after year. You will never develop them. Ivey at least can play PG, Sharpe plays the same position as Green. I hate Banchero, but would easily take him over Sharpe.

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1 minute ago, HtownHorn said:

Well, he's going to have to blow away with his workouts, he hasn't played in a year. He's likely outside the Top 10 right now. The Rockets have enough guards. You shouldn't be drafting players that play the same position year after year. You will never develop them. Ivey at least can play PG, Sharpe plays the same position as Green. I hate Banchero, but would easily take him over Sharpe.

You draft on upside in the NBA draft, and the workouts could show that he's an elite athlete compared to who he's working out against 

Also, I strongly disagree with the bolded. He's probably 7th or 8th at worse, and most likely 5th at this point

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ESPN's writeup on Sharpe

Spoiler

Pre-Draft Analysis



February 28, 2022: Along with several NBA scouts and executives, I was able to watch projected top-10 pick Shaedon Sharpe practice recently, which was my first live evaluation of the 6-6 Canadian wing since Peach Jam in July. Here's my quick scout on the highly touted 18-year-old:

Strengths:

-- Impressive physical profile for a perimeter prospect standing around 6-6 with super long arms, big hands and a proportionate frame. Even more impressive than the sheer measurements is the way Sharpe moves. His balance and body control are elite as he can play low to the ground with ease before exploding off the floor. He has an excellent base and some of the best physical literacy you'll see from a prospect. Because of all that, he's more than capable of defending his position and making plays off the ball when engage thanks to his solid all-around instincts, anticipation and hand-eye coordination.

-- Sharpe's best NBA-ready skill is his shooting. He sports compact mechanics that starts with excellent shot preparation. The ball comes out of his hands cleanly and he doesn't need to be perfectly on balance or set to knock down shots, which is a big part of what gives him so much upside as a scorer. He doesn't always need a ball dip to generate rhythm off the catch. He showed the ability to make shots off the dribble as well, even if he looks better on pull-up 3s than mid-range at this stage.

-- Maybe the most encouraging takeaway from this evaluation was the growth Sharpe showed as a passer. He made several impressive reads during live action, including a transition bounce pass through traffic right to the rim-runner that led to an open finish. He made heady kickouts after getting a piece of the paint and even showed the ability to make some left handed deliveries. He's really comfortable as a ball handler, which is pretty rare for a player with his athletic profile. The game comes incredibly easy for Sharpe, and if he can continue tapping into his playmaking potential, his offensive ceiling is high.

Improvement Areas:

-- It's clear Sharpe is still very much learning the ins and outs of playing within a system on both ends of the floor. He's still picking up sets, learning spacing, and understanding where to be off the ball defensively, which will likely be his biggest hurdle early on in his NBA career. As we've outlined in previous pieces, Sharpe simply doesn't have all that much high-level experience outside of AAU, high school basketball, and a six-game FIBA stint with the Canadian Youth national team at the 2019 U16 Americas, where he averaged an impressive 13 points and 2.3 assists in just 21.4 minutes.

-- Sharpe is still learning how to best utilize his talents, sometimes not always getting all the way to the rim when he could, especially when he's on his left hand, as he'll settle for floaters or pull ups rather than initiating contact. He would benefit from adding more advanced finishes when he does get all the way to the cup.

-- For as easily as he shoots the ball, Sharpe can be a little bit streakier than you'd hope given his natural touch and mechanics. According to our database he's a career 34.6% from 3 on 107 attempts.

-- Scouts will continue to dig more on Sharpe's competitive ticker and what he's like as a person, as he's not going to show you much of his emotion on the floor. He's relatively stoic by nature, and scouts will want to know whether that's in a quiet competitor, Kawhi Leonard type of way or more in line with a player like Cam Reddish, who also didn't show much personality on the floor yet didn't always have a consistent impact either.

Outlook: This latest viewing was a reminder of just how physically talented and skilled Sharpe truly is, and there's a real argument to be made that he's the best perimeter prospect in this 2022 class, should he opt to enter and stay in the draft. Depending on what you think of prospects like Jabari Smith, Chet Holmgren, Paolo Banchero and Jaden Ivey, you could make a case that he has as much long-term upside as anyone, especially with NBA teams clamoring for perimeter players who can create offense for themselves and others at all 3 levels. While I mentioned players like Anthony Edwards and Jalen Green in our Sharpe deep dive, Paul George is a name that came to mind when watching Sharpe practice. While George is clearly much taller (6-9 to Sharpe's 6-6) and more wing than guard, Sharpe is that smooth and skilled of a scorer with the potential to develop into a reliable playmaker and defender like George has. They also have a similar on-court demeanor. With all that in mind, Sharpe is truly one of the most fascinating prospects in this draft because of his immense talent yet the act that we've never truly seen him in a competitive setting with several do-or-die possessions. Even so, I wouldn't be surprised to see Sharpe ultimately go in the top-5 of the 2022 NBA draft should he opt to stay in as it'll be incredibly difficult for teams who have seen him in person to pass on his combination of physical tools and talent on the perimeter. -- Mike Schmitz

 

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1 minute ago, Fud said:

You draft on upside in the NBA draft, and the workouts could show that he's an elite athlete compared to who he's working out against 

Also, I strongly disagree with the bolded. He's probably 7th or 8th at worse, and most likely 5th at this point

If you draft on upside without any thought to team building you end up like Philly during the process and OKC now. If you want the Rockets to be a shitty team for the next decade then take a player already over represented on your current roster.

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3 minutes ago, HtownHorn said:

If you draft on upside without any thought to team building you end up like Philly during the process and OKC now. If you want the Rockets to be a shitty team for the next decade then take a player already over represented on your current roster.

Ok "Sharpe is likely going outside of the top ten" guy 

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Do you want the best talent available to align with need? Yes

But if we're sitting at #5 and the top four go off the board as expected, you take Sharpe because he's a much better overall prospect than the rest of these guys who normally wouldn't go in the lottery, except this is a weak draft class

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3 hours ago, HtownHorn said:

Well, he's going to have to blow away with his workouts, he hasn't played in a year. He's likely outside the Top 10 right now. The Rockets have enough guards. You shouldn't be drafting players that play the same position year after year. You will never develop them. Ivey at least can play PG, Sharpe plays the same position as Green. I hate Banchero, but would easily take him over Sharpe.

Portland once thought as you do. They had Clyde Drexler, so they passed on this Jordan guy because they already had their guard and Bowie was a big man. Portland may have found a way to make them co-exist, but who needs the best talent available in a league dominated by teams who have the most all stars?

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3 hours ago, HtownHorn said:

Nice ad hominem.

I think it's funny that you think your own take was so terrible that someone pointing out you said it is considered a personal attack.

That said, teams should definitely not conduct every draft as if they are afraid of missing on the next Jordan. If they do they will miss on several Pippens. Bonus that they will likely continue to be in position to draft the next Jordan next year though.

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14 minutes ago, Llogg said:

I think it's funny that you think your own take was so terrible that someone pointing out you said it is considered a personal attack.

That said, teams should definitely not conduct every draft as if they are afraid of missing on the next Jordan. If they do they will miss on several Pippens. Bonus that they will likely continue to be in position to draft the next Jordan next year though.

I don't disagree that it can be worth taking a potentially elite role player at that spot over a high upside player who isn't a good positional fit with the core roster, like say if Wagner or Barnes from last year were sitting there, but it seems like most of these guys would be going closer to the back of the lotto in past years and have some warts, and so I think on the balance it's probably worth rolling the dice on Sharpe at #5 if that's where we're picking 

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26 minutes ago, Fud said:

I don't disagree that it can be worth taking a potentially elite role player at that spot over a high upside player who isn't a good positional fit with the core roster, like say if Wagner or Barnes from last year were sitting there, but it seems like most of these guys would be going closer to the back of the lotto in past years and have some warts, and so I think on the balance it's probably worth rolling the dice on Sharpe at #5 if that's where we're picking 

Yeah- we are way too early in this rebuild to be too concerned about duplicating position, this year should be best available talent. That said, I really really really like the idea of Ivey or Chet as not being duplicative of Jalen Green or Seguin, who I think can absolutely be a starting player on a championship team (4th or 5th wheel). Basically we need a PG, Wing and Center.  My order based upon talent/upside is Chet/Ivey (I'm way higher on him than everyone else- I know that- but he's just the kind of guy that screams- better in the NBA than college) Smith/Pancho then I don't care I sure hope we aren't drafting 5th.  It happens to work out that any of those guys in the top 4 slot at a position we don't already have locked down.  

This team just needs to tank one more year and get everyone off the books that is due to expire.  Then you have 4 of the 5 positions covered with acceptable talent and you have the resources to go get at least 1 max level guy plus 3 or 4 quality rotation players.  Just need to make 2 more good draft choices this year and next year and from that point in time only rank incompetence or horrible luck could screw it up.

No extensions.  No money that goes past next year.  Pick in the top 4 and get any of those guys. Hope you get lucky at 17. If you don't land in the top 4 try to trade #5 and #17 for #4 so you get one of those guys.  Profit. 

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In a 3 point shooting league, are the Rockets sitting on so many great guards that they shouldn’t draft another one regardless of talent? We have Green and Christopher. Hopefully they sell on KPJ before his stock value craters. We have Sengun and KMJ as good bigs. I could go either way on Tate and some people like Bruno. Wood, Wall, and Gordon will all be gone soon. If an elite guard or wing is the best player on their board when they pick, they should grab them and figure out minutes and lineups between them, Green, and Christopher. It’s not like the Rockets are one good PF or C away from being a dynasty. 

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14 minutes ago, Murfdogg21 said:

In a 3 point shooting league, are the Rockets sitting on so many great guards that they shouldn’t draft another one regardless of talent? We have Green and Christopher. Hopefully they sell on KPJ before his stock value craters. We have Sengun and KMJ as good bigs. I could go either way on Tate and some people like Bruno. Wood, Wall, and Gordon will all be gone soon. If an elite guard or wing is the best player on their board when they pick, they should grab them and figure out minutes and lineups between them, Green, and Christopher. It’s not like the Rockets are one good PF or C away from being a dynasty. 

KMJ is not a big. KPJ's stock is not going to crater and he is more than capable of playing as a guard. 

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33 minutes ago, Wulaw Horn said:

Helps us win in 2024. We need to pick high again in 23. It will suck. It’s really necessary to have a shot at a championship level team. 

I agree, should have more cap space next summer too after another hopefully top 5 pick. Next years team probably won’t suck as bad though, especially if green keeps playing like he was the last 15 games.

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On 4/21/2022 at 2:20 PM, Murfdogg21 said:

Portland once thought as you do. They had Clyde Drexler, so they passed on this Jordan guy because they already had their guard and Bowie was a big man. Portland may have found a way to make them co-exist, but who needs the best talent available in a league dominated by teams who have the most all stars?

I was way off in my thoughts on Sharpe, but no one thinks he is fucking Michael Jordan. Cmon, Jordan had dominated at the college level for 3 seasons before getting drafted, and as stupid as the Blazers were, the Rockets turned down the chance to have Clyde, Olajuwon, and Jordan for Sampson and McCray.

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On 4/21/2022 at 3:50 PM, Wulaw Horn said:

Yeah- we are way too early in this rebuild to be too concerned about duplicating position, this year should be best available talent. That said, I really really really like the idea of Ivey or Chet as not being duplicative of Jalen Green or Seguin, who I think can absolutely be a starting player on a championship team (4th or 5th wheel). Basically we need a PG, Wing and Center.  My order based upon talent/upside is Chet/Ivey (I'm way higher on him than everyone else- I know that- but he's just the kind of guy that screams- better in the NBA than college) Smith/Pancho then I don't care I sure hope we aren't drafting 5th.  It happens to work out that any of those guys in the top 4 slot at a position we don't already have locked down.  

This team just needs to tank one more year and get everyone off the books that is due to expire.  Then you have 4 of the 5 positions covered with acceptable talent and you have the resources to go get at least 1 max level guy plus 3 or 4 quality rotation players.  Just need to make 2 more good draft choices this year and next year and from that point in time only rank incompetence or horrible luck could screw it up.

No extensions.  No money that goes past next year.  Pick in the top 4 and get any of those guys. Hope you get lucky at 17. If you don't land in the top 4 try to trade #5 and #17 for #4 so you get one of those guys.  Profit. 

I don't think Wall, Gordon, or Wood are on the books by the time training camp rolls around. You need to let the young guys play and figure it out and live with the results.

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12 minutes ago, HtownHorn said:

I don't think Wall, Gordon, or Wood are on the books by the time training camp rolls around. You need to let the young guys play and figure it out and live with the results.

Cool. As long as they aren’t taking on any salary past next year to get rid of those guys. They should not commit to anything salary wise beyond next year. Keep a clean cap sheet and have 80 - 100 million to spend and 6 or 7 guys on the roster- all on rookie deals. 

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6 hours ago, HtownHorn said:

I was way off in my thoughts on Sharpe, but no one thinks he is fucking Michael Jordan. Cmon, Jordan had dominated at the college level for 3 seasons before getting drafted, and as stupid as the Blazers were, the Rockets turned down the chance to have Clyde, Olajuwon, and Jordan for Sampson and McCray.

Agree, my point was more that if the Rockets think Ivey has the most star potential, or if they pick 3 and Chet and Smith are off the board, they shouldn’t avoid Ivey or another guard because of position and take a “good role player” PF or C. 

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53 minutes ago, Murfdogg21 said:

Agree, my point was more that if the Rockets think Ivey has the most star potential, or if they pick 3 and Chet and Smith are off the board, they shouldn’t avoid Ivey or another guard because of position and take a “good role player” PF or C. 

This also runs the risk of neither fully developing before the end of their rookie deal. Houston unfortunately is not a destination spot for the NBA

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5 hours ago, ChickenSandwich said:

This also runs the risk of neither fully developing before the end of their rookie deal. Houston unfortunately is not a destination spot for the NBA

It’s also not not a destination spot. I think we are in the top half of desireability for the nba unless Tilman has just ruined that. 
nowhere near Lakers, Warriors, Heat etc. but much better than Midwest rust belt or charlotte NO, OKC etc 

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