What is up, fellow thermonuclear a efforts. I am Dana Valley coming at you with another two thousand and twenty two two twenty three NBA season look ahead, not preview, not primer, but a look ahead because they're fancy and better. That's why they're called look aheads. We're going to dive into the Rockets, which means I had to bring on good friend of the podcast, Salmon Ali. Follow him on Twitter at Salmon Ali MBA. He covers the Houston Rockets for Red Nation Hoops, which is a podcast. It's the name of his substack and newsletter that he puts out. I would highly recommend that follow Red Nation Hoops on Twitter spelled exactly as it sounds at Red Nation Hoops Salmon. The most important question I'm going to ask you on this podcast comes right now. How the hell are you? I'm doing all right? You know, I just realize how kind of scarred I am from covering a team for so long, Like so before we started recording, I was actually wearing so like I mean, you you notice, like when you cover the NBA, you cover a team, you get a bunch of free shit. Right. I'm sorry, I'm gonna swear on this podcast. Yeah oh yeah, yeah, Okay, So you get a bunch of free shit, right, like whether whether you ask for it or you don't, right, you just get it. And so like I had, I was wearing a very comfortable rocket shirt around the house, right, And I like whenever I get in front of a camera or anything, it's just like I instantly, like I change into something else because I'm so I'm so scared about appearing as a homer. Right, It's it's just it's just instinctual. And I caught myself doing it today and I realized I'd been doing that for a while and I didn't even realize that I was doing it, or like you just changed the shirt and you go into like pretending to be like a professional, right, And it's it's wild, like how like that that just happens over time and you don't even notice. I've never been like a big like even before I was in the business of wearing sports shirts. But now the only like free swag I'll wear is I've had like podcasts, send me podcasts or like radio shows or stations or TV stations send me stuff or coming on or doing something, and I'll wear those but I honestly don't care about you know, I think people don't realize I'm a Knicks fan anyway, with the host of this podcast. I think our listeners now like longtime listeners know, but people on Twitter and new listeners sometimes are surprised to find out I'm a Knicks fan. So I must be doing something probably lots wrong with something, right, But I totally get that mindset. If I were you, and if I was gonna do like a TV spot or a video podcast spot, I would consider taking off. But I feel like at this point I probably might also not care enough to take it off if I was wearing it right, And like again, like it dawned on me that I just don't have to write, like I don't have to protect any sort of image right, like like there's nothing I'm not gonna like, no one's gonna confuse me with being a home where I don't think and like I just think, I just think it's it's dumb that I continue to do it. But like I turned, I took off a very comfortable T shirt. I mean this, this T shirt is pretty comfortable too, Like you go put it back on. No, no, I'm good. But but but I'm tempting. I'm tempted, as you said that, Like here's the thing, Like the shirts when they're super comfortable and they're great to wear it to the gym. Oh my god, don't even get me like they're they're they're awesome to wear to the gym. Like you're gonna you're gonna wear them, right, you just you're not gonna have like a I love oversized gym shirts. So yeah, you're like oversized too, like they only they just sent you an XL for no reason or something that's can cut off the sleeves or whatever. Yeah, you can do it. You can do a bunch of stuff with it. And like the when it has utility, I'm gonna wear it, and especially that it's especially because it's free. It's just, you know, I just I'm just paranoid about that image thing, and I guess I probably shouldn't be anymore. No, I wouldn't be avour you, especially in the media climate now, I think it's better to have opinions. I'm not even saying allegiances, but they can tell that just because you're wearing a shirt or because you cover a certain team doesn't mean that you are rooting for that team, or even if you are, doesn't mean that you are incredibly biased towards that team, right and ironically enough, I'm trying to get to the point where I'm I want to root for the Rockets again. I do. I want to get to that point where I was, like four years ago, I was healthily like a diehard Rockets fan, and I want to get back to that. But I've actually placed a win total bet on the Rockets with the first boilt because we get to that at the end of the podcast. Okay, yeah, yeah, we can get there. But like, but that's gonna give me incentive to actually root for the Rockets again, and like, I want that to be kind of like my primer to get back into it. You know, it's this is just the Alpah and Shane gun effect running him up right now. He's brought single headedly brought it. So I went only back to the Rockets. Speaking of the Rockets, the subject of this podcast, I'll start here. Generally their off season they move Christian would but pretty uneventful outside of the actual draft. Do you have any strong thoughts about their off season that you need to fire off or do you sense any prevailing themes about what I would call is relative inaction to mild action. Do you think the off season puts more or less pressure on pressure on Stephen Silas heading into next year? Just any just overarching thoughts on where the Rockets are at and what they did over the offseason. So are you asking me for like a take you just you just want, like if you don't even have one, like I said, I'm not indifferent. No, we're gonna have one. I have one. I have one, like I just thought of one as you were speaking. I was wondering if I if you were if this was like when you wanted me to fire it off. I think you know you mentioned his name. I think the Rockets have positioned elper in Shingoon to have a breakout season, and I think by the end of the year he will become a household name for NBA fans, right I'm not and does not be saying he's gonna make the All Star team or anything, but I think your general NBA fan will know his name by the end of the year. That's my prediction. So I have a question about him later on, and we will jump to that right now, because I know he's a favorite of yours. The passing value is obviously up scene. Why else are you so high on him aside from the past, Like, what is it about his offensive package or just his game in general, aside from just the playmaking, or is there something you're expecting him to do this year, either defensively or to add as part of his offensive scoring package that makes you believe he's going to become this household name. Well, I mean what else about his game? I mean his scoring, right, Like, he's just a really really good efficient score like he like even at six to nine, he manages to get even the tallest opponents and more athletic opponents with just how crafty he is with his footwork, and like I think when he has space, he's going to look awesome. And the Rockets did a good job of surrounding him with three point shooting and defense, so he doesn't have to be this anchor, right Like we always think of the center position as like that has to be an anchor defensively And I never subscribe to that. I've never subscribed to any actually has player X has to be this in the NBA. I think what's cool about the NBA's you can form a bunch of different team structures and win. And I think the Rockets have done a good job at like really packing that front cord in with defense. You look at their draft, I mean Tri Easton, Jabari Smith junior, and you look at the players they already had on the roster. They had Jayshon Tate, kJ Martin, like loads of length, athleticism and defense to surround Shangoon. So he doesn't have to be that anchor type. He can just be Shangoon. And of course he's gonna have to get better defensively, right, Like, no matter what team structure you're trying to form, your center can't be a sieve. But I think he can get there. I think he can get to lead average. In my notes, I said that some of his footwork, like anticipation and just movement seemed a little bit better in the half court than I was really expecting from him. And so you think there's hope for him to be, like, you know, maybe a Nurkic level defender type where you can maybe play him in some drop and he'll be Yeah. I think Nurk has been paid as a really good defender at points. I don't know if I've thought he's overrated there, but like let's just say the use of Nurkic of last season or two seasons ago or something or like so bonus right, like so bonus is like like if you surround Sabonus with quality defenders, I mean, he's proven that he will be serviceable for you. I think still thinking like because Sabonis had a Turner safety net, you're seeing that, but he still needs like in the front court with him, it's not having the right guys in front of him. Okay, absolutely, he still needs a safety net. Yeah, of course. Yeah. I don't think he can ever be he need he can never be like the best front court defender's I'm not there's no confusion there on my end. But if whether apologies for insulting use of nurk Kich then like comparing him now for in Shangun and how uninventive of me just spitting out two Caucasians there, Shame on me, But please carry on. I apologize. No, it's fine, listen, Like it's tough to make these comps. And just because you know, the first thing we think of is like a Caucasian guy, It's like, it doesn't mean like the comparison's not good. Sometimes the comparison's good. Like here's the confusion, Like sometimes when you compare a white guy to another white guy, it fits. I'm sorry, it's just sometimes it fits right, And like I get that. It's like you know, we're we're conditioned to try to not do that, but some if there's a good comparison sitting there, you should make it. I actually the first guy that pops in my head before Nerks was John Collins as someone who could need to say. But John Collins is just like has so much more popped his game than Changuin. But anyway, this went off the rails. So I feel like we're very much on the rails, but go ahead far for us. But so shanegu And being a house on name, do you like his fit overall? If Jabari Smith, then like that is the Rockets just in your estimation should be the Rockets front court of the future. Love it, love it. I mean, like, here's the thing. Did I think Jabari Smith Junior was the most talented player in the draft. No, I certainly didn't think so. I thought, you know, Chet Home Grin and Paula Bunk Carol were more talented than him, and we're deserving of one and two wherever you chose to put them, right, like whether you thought Chet was better, whether you thought Paulo was better. And I thought Jabari was the guy I would take at three reluctantly because I was really tempted to put Ivy there. But but after that, after those two, there's no obvious third guy. So if there was, if I was to say there was an obvious third guy for the Rockets, it was clearly Jabari because of their team structure, because Changon is there specifically, right, Like, if Schangun wasn't there, I might have been tempted to mock Jay n Ivy to the Rockets at number three, but because yeah, I mean, but you know, because Shangon is there, it's like, well, it's really hard to find someone who is as good of a three point shooter and defender as Smith, right, at least prospect wise, right, you know, he hasn't played an NBA game yet, but like, you know, what he projects to be is an awesome three point shooter and an awesome help defender and a guy who could really switch on the perimeter. And what really surprised me impressed me, rather was how good he did at defending the rim and at the summer league, because you remember Uspan grew, but your guy he was he was out, he was out, he was injured, right, and so he had to Jabari had to slide down the center. And I was, you know, skeptical, is how as to how he had fair there because you know, watching his film, I never thought he was like this amazing rim protector. But again, he had a really strong defensive center next to him at the college level. But again I was, you know, watching him at summer league. I mean, he seemed like he did a pretty decent job on that, like just rim protecting the basket, right, Because I never thought of him as like he can do everything on the floor defensive, like he can do very specific things defensive, like he can switch, he can help defend. I never thought he could be a guy who could protect the rim like you could slide down to center, right, I never thought. I thought he was very much like a one or two position defender. Right, he can defend threes and fours. I never thought, you know, you could slide him down to five in some lineups. And I thought watching him at the Summer League, I'm like, yeah, I think that's possible. I'm not saying that's probable, but I think watching him now in the Summer League, it's like, I think that's possible. Now do you think that the Rockets will one do that? And more like to the larger point, how do you think that, Like, what is his best role or how do you think he's gonna be used on offense? Do you think there's gonna be a lot of two man stuff between him and Jalen Green? Do you like that combination? Could we see just sort of like dual big picking rolls with Dang goon and and Jabari Smith? What should the offensive expectations be for who? By the way, I agree with you with what you said defensively, and I just came away so high on his defense after Summer League, where it felt like when I was watching Evan Mobley earlier in the regular season last year and I was like, oh shit, that guy is everywhere. I got that same vibe from Jabari Smith Junior. And I might even argue that if he's gonna be able to slide down and play more five and be very effective brim protector while doing it, he'll be better suited for that role than Evan Mobley, not better than Evin Mobley in general, who's basically like a point of attack defensive like big man, which you just don't ever see. But I came away from Summer League just blown away, frankly by how good he was defensively. But do you expect him to play five with Houston? And what do you see for sort of his offensive role in year one? And what should what should we be watching for in terms of his offensive development? Yeah, do I expect him to play five? I think he'll play five in backup units, right or if Shane Goon isn't that guy that I think he is, I think he can be. You know, he might be asked to be the closing unit guy, right Like if s truly doesn't get good enough defensively to close games for Houston, if he's truly that much of a liability, then that that's an instance where you might see the Rockets have to play him at five. You know, I haven't seen enough to say definitively one way or the other yet on that end as far as his role offensively in the NBA. So the way I you know, when I was writing about him. The way I framed it was like there's really three levels to how you see Jabari Smith junior. Right, And I think this informs on you know, how high you are on him in the draft, right if you think, you know, if you think where I had him in the draft, which is like I had him third, you know, kind of leaning perhaps put him forth. You know, you're thinking Richard Lewis, that's his floor, right, that's kind of where more where I reside, That's kind of where I think he ends up in the bay being a really good spacey guy who can really you know, defend. And if you look at median outcomes, you're thinking like LaMarcus Aldridge, right, like a guy who can really really shoot the three, shoot the two and the three ball. LaMarcus never really actually shot three pointers until it was too late into his career, which is like what might make him different than LaMarcus, Right, Like, Jabari's going to shoot threes, like six or seven threes right off the bat, right, And what's interesting is he started off as this long range shooter at the high school level and then he stretched out to three at college, right, Like three point shooting wasn't his game until very recently and he became excellent at it, right, Like he to the point to where like we're putting him at some on some boards as number one, and so I think he if he's like that guy, guy who can actually create for himself a little bit off the dribble, you know, create some separation with that mid range two, LaMarcus Allar is the kind of median outcome and highest outcome. I just I do not believe in this, but like the guy, the people who were projecting him at number one, they did believe this, right Like, they did believe this was possible. And you know, in some respects, there are some similarities here, and when I say the name, I'll get into those similarities. Paul George, that's the highest highest end, right, Like he peeks out defensively and offensively. He really develops a ball handler, right Like Paul George for those who don't remember coming out of the coming out of the draft, was not a good ball handler, like one of his weaknesses. Right. I mean, he won Most Improved Player for a reason. He became a much better ball handler. And I think that's kind of like if you are super super high on Jabari Spith Jr. I think that's gotta be your ceiling outcome, right, that's gotta be what you're trying to envision. I don't quite see that because I think he's so far like first of all, that Paul George is an example of outlier development. I'm never comfortable projecting outlier development. It's not something I like to do right, even like in the limited time I've done draft stuff like that's the that's the stuff that makes me really uncomfortable. I've seen a lot of people do it, and that's that's something I should typically shy away from. But like projecting outlier development is something like you really got to believe in somebody to do right. I'm doing that with Shinguon to be fair, I'm doing that with shing right, But but with with Jabari, I just don't see the shot creation Like that's gonna be something that's gonna take a lot of time for him to develop. And so I'm more like Richard Lewis or you know, somewhere between Richard Lewis and LaMarcus Older. I think he's gonna better than Richard Lewis. I don't think he's gonna be as good as La Marcus Sauders, right. I think he's gonna be like you, your like on a championship team. I think he's gonna be like your third best player, maybe fourth. Wow. See, I would think just after watching his defense, Like I get what I totally get everything you're saying. But like, even with what you mentioned defensively, if he ends up being Richard Lewis on offense, you don't think that could be the second best player on the title team or Idol cood tender, whoever you want to frame it. Yeah, that's a good point because Richard Lewis was actually pretty decent as shot creation as a as a young player. Right when when when he really got into his really came into his own when teams actually started playing at power forward, which I'm surprised it took into like his thirties, so teams were like, oh, he's really good at playing power forward, right, which is just an example of how behind we were in the NBA. Like it took like Kevin Garnette playing like shooting guard or small forward when he first enters the league to like stuff was all warped. Yeah, it was just so weird. But but I mean it's easy to say in Hinset, Right, It's everybody at the time was thinking this these kinds of things, Right, we all thought of positions differently ten, ten to fifteen years ago. But you look at like what Orlando, how Orlando was using Richard Lewis, Like that took until like his thirties. It took into until like literally late twenties, early thirties for teams to realize, oh, this is how we should use him. And now that we kind of have that blueprint of Richard Lewis, teams know already how to use Jabaris MD junior coming into the league. Like he's going to be asked to play power forward immediately. He's going to be asked to space the floor immediately. Right, There's not gonna be any fooling around about playing him at small forward or trying to have him shoot like one or two three pointers of the game. That's not gonna happen. He's going to be taking a pretty high volume of those, and he's going to play his optimal position defensively. So like in that respect, I think he'll be better than Rachard. But you know, LaMarcus, I mean, you guys have to go back and watch like Prime LaMarcus Aldred's. That guy was a beast man. That guy was awesome. I I think I'm not I'm not ready to say he's gonna be that, and I'm certainly not ready to say he's gonna be Paul George Kalen Green. We're moving at a banner pace for you and I. Right now, this is just trademark trademark slow rolling here. Jalen Green was a monster after the All Star break last year. Shot forty two point one percent on off the dribble threes after the trade deadline, which is incredible. He feels like he is that guy on offense as a score. My two questions for him is what are you most looking to see from him in year two this season? And then this probably steps on the toes of that, do you think he can be the primary playmaking engine based off what you've seen or hints of what you've seen for a really good to great offense. I don't think he can be the primary playmaker for a great offense. But I think I think he showed enough last season to give me, you know, like reservations about ruling that out, like ruling that out completely right like before I might have ruled it out completely before the season, but I think he showed enough just specifically as a playmaker, right, Like, as a guy who actually keeps his head up on offense. Right, he's not just esowing and not looking to pass. He is looking to pass, just not very good at it, right, Like his passes just aren't on point. Yet, he is very good at actually finding guys inside the paint, or like he's at least making a strong effort to find guys when he gets into the paint looking forward the kick the kickout passes. They're just not there yet, right, That's gonna be something that's gonna take some time from develop. But the ball handling, it's pretty damn advanced. I'm not sure if it's advanced enough for him to be running like twenty pick and rolls yet, Like that's gonna take some time, you know. Like I think as of now, I think he's probably most suited to be a secondary, slash tertiary guy on offense, and as he develops in those areas, he can become that guy. And his rate of improvement, by the way last season was really phenomenal. You talked about how good he played after the All Star break I have his stats right here from the restricted area before January before February, excuse me, fifty six percent after February sixty six percent, mid range before February twenty nine percent after February forty eight percent, three point range before February twenty nine percent after February forty percent, right, Like, yeah, overall true shooting fifty percent before February, after February sixty percent. Like, he just became a dramatically more efficient player after the All Star Break, and I think a lot of that was due to this confidence. He just seemed more comfortable in his role and like, you know, he realized, like I don't know, somebody must have told him that he was Jalen Green or something like before, Like I don't know what happened before that, you know, was preventing that disc that was causing that disconnect. But like he definitely seemed to understand why he was drafted where he was drafted. After the All Star break, and he and he had that swagger about him. He was playing fun and free and you could just see it, and like the Rockets were embracing it, and it was really fun basketball to watch. I mean, if he played if he played how he played after February, he'd be vying for an All Star position. That's how good he played after February. Now, going into next season, I'm curious to see how he develops in the following areas. Defense, Right, I think that's always going to be something that he's going to have to work on, right, especially going into the draft, that was something he was never projected to be a good defender. He's not like he has great length to begin with, right, He's like he's like six six with like you know, just a six six wingspan, Right, He's not He's not this great like lengthy guy strength that that's something he has. He has to build out his body, right, Like he has to be more than skin and bones. And that's kind of what he looked like to start the year. I Mean there were plays where I thought he was getting the ball ripped from him, but just because he was weak, right, just because like it was so easy for the defender to actually go out and go reach their arm in and steal the basketball, right, And I think that was a direct relation to his strength, Like you and you wouldn't think that, right, ball handling and strength, Like what does one have to do with the other. They're they're more related than you would think. And you know, obviously he has to get better at playmaking now he what what he showed last season, you know, it made me more optimistic about his prospects as a playmaker. I think he can actually become you know, that Devin Booker kind of playmaker, right, A guy who can be you know, your six and a half assist game guy per game. Right. I'm not sure if I'm ever gonna buy into him being your seven and a half eight nine assist a game guy. I just don't think. I don't see that in his future. But if he can get to that, I mean like this is that's enough to be a foundational talent, right, and that's that's all the Rockets are asking to be. When you draft at number two, you're looking for your very first foundational talent. I think the Rockets found that guy. I'd be with you on that. And if you don't buy into him sort of being that primary playmaker, how is the I guess this is the better way to frame this is We've talked about Kevin Porter Junior at length. He is not that floor general type either. I think we're both fairly confident in saying that based off what's happened in Houston, what's his role on this team? What's his ideal role? And do do you think he gets an extension or do you in your mind do you have a walk away number knowing the cap is gonna go up if you're the Rockets when you're in extension, talks to him or even interested in keeping him around long term. So you know, I'm gonna correct myself here because I nodded while you're saying I think we're both comfortable saying that he can't be that guy. I nodded. I'm gonna take that nod back. I'm resending the I'm resending that nod because I'm never confident about anything with twenty two year olds. It's just it's they're so young and I and we've seen so many cases of outler player development make us look foolish on a player, right, Jamal Murray's a great example of a guy who exhibited outler player development to such an extent to where he became someone we would have never imagined him becoming. Right, the nugget to believe at all? Right, the Nuggets were like all in on Jamal Murray internally, and they were like they were so confident they're building out their roster that we're like where we don't have to go out and get a point guard because this is our point guard, this is our guy. Right, the Rockets are doing kind of the same thing, right, other teams have done it. You look at the Grizzlies with my early year Mike Conley's right, Like, Mike Conley was not never that guy to start his career. He became that guy. So I don't want to really anything out. He does have a lot of great physical tools, you know, really really long, really strong, great athlete, and I think he can be a good pastor, like a good pastor for a point guard. I think right now he's a good pastor for a shooting guard. That's kind of how I view him. He feels like and this is a because I'm not an existent notices about the way I can describe is he feels very much like a reactive pastor rather than someone who's anticipating passing guys open something like that. No, I that's a great way to describe it. That's exactly what I believe too. And I think you know when you you put what he is great at right now and what he is weak at right now, which is you know what he's great at right now is he gets buckets. And what he's what he's not good at right now is defense and facilitating and efficiency. Right we're like not facilitating. He's good at efficiency, He's good at facilitating, he's just not great at it. Right So, like, I think when you when you take all those positive and negative qualities out, you punch out like a really strong sixth man in the NBA. That's what you like project, right Like, That's what I kind of project for him. I think he's gonna be a guy who's gonna play in significant playoff games, just probably not as a starter. That's kind of what I see for him right now. Which, by the way, I know I started this by saying we don't think that he's their point guard of the future. That's not an insult if you're the sixth man on a really good team that has inherently absurd value. Look at Jordan Pool and Golden State Tyler Hero in Miami. I mean, they're all different players, and I think KPJ is not sure about Jordan Pool, but like he's longer than both of them. He should be better defensively than both of them, even though he's definitely not worse than both of them out But the outcome you're laying out is not an insult. I think Rockets fans in our YouTube comments a lot of time get insulted when I say I don't view Kevin Porter juniors the point guard of the future, maybe even necessarily is like one of their three to four most important players moving forward. I think, I mean three you get to right away with Green, Shanguon and Jabari Smith. But I might consider a Tait or a Tari Eason just more important to the future, and we don't have to have that discussion. But it's it's not an insult, was my point. But please, I'm sorry to interject to carry off. No, no, I mean that's something I constantly try to say. It's like, it's not an insult to call this guy a sixth man or a seventh man like these guys. Like think about an NBA rotation, right, Like an NBA roster is seventeen players, right, like fifteen players two two way contracts. Right you get into the season, you you're you're trimming that roster down to nine guys, nine to ten guys that actually play, right, those other four to five guys are in the G League, and then you get to like late in the season, you're trimming that down to like eight or nine. When you get to the postseason, and as the rounds extend, you're getting down to seven guys. So what I'm saying is Kevin Porter Junior is good enough to be one of those seven guys, be seven out of seventeen guys on an NBA roster. That is a deep level complimentary, especially when you consider only fifteen or sorry, fourteen teams make the playoffs every year. Right, what's seven times fourteen like eight, let me do the math right now, seven times fourteen eighty eight ninety eight divided by what four to fifty NBA players in the NBA. That's that's that's a twenty two percent outcome. Like that's awesome. I don't know, I don't know how else to describe that. Like that's way to frame it. Yeah, I mean it is. It is great, Like to say you were one of the twenty two percent of the NBA, Like, that's that's awesome, and you're probably gonna have a ten to fifteen year NBA career, which is unheard of, not not unheard of, but it's very rare. Right. The average NBA career is four seasons I think last time I checked, Yeah, so slightly under four. So yeah, it might be over for by now, who knows. Yeah. So so I'm saying he's gonna have double or triple that, you know, like that's I don't know, you know, like you have to frame I guess you have to really adjust your framing of what is the successful NBA player because if you think it's all star Robust, I think you and I could not be more in disagreement, right right, And I do not think that obviously talking talking to fans. Yes, sorry, So KPJ is will, let's say he's will. I'm not throwing it. He's willing to sign for as an extension for four years and seventy million. Do you do it if you're the Rockets four years and seventy million? Mhm, so about seventeen and a half a year. Uh, I'd consider it because of how much the cap is going up, but I wouldn't do it. I think what my cutoff point with KPJ is about close to the mid level exception, which is not that right now, which is like it's like where I'm talking like ten to fifteen mil a year. Yeah, so you're in like ten to twelve million range more so over the mid level exception, then, is what you be loading right right? Well, well, I'm willing to go above the mid level exception. But but like if if if it were me, I would not go significantly above, like significantly. When I mean significant, I mean like I'm not willing to go six seven eight million above mid level exception. Okay, I'd want to waiver around that territory, you know, at least a five million gap under or over. And when I'm negotiating this, if if Kevin Porter Junior's camp is asking for more, which I imagine they are, I'm I'm loading that contract with a crap ton of incentives, right I'm talking games played. I'm talking like efficiency standards, like so like you have to shoot a certain percentage from three, or shooting certain percentage from the you know at the rim, uh, from the free throw line. You know it's not a reliable free throw shooter. Right now, you have to not turn the ball over x amount of taps whatever. Like I'm I'm loading it with incentives to guarantee I don't walk out with a bad contract. Yeah, what I mean, you can go up till I think fifteen percent of the contract can be an unlikely incentives. So right, So fifteen percent on a twenty million dollars a year deal is like what, let me see, it's like two and a half million dollars. Yeah, so it's like three mill I'm loading it up with like three million dollars in incentives per year, right, Like that's that's That's what I'd be willing to do if he's asking for twenty million dollars a year. Now, what you say based on how the Rockets acted this offseason or whatever they did, and also what you say about KPJ. They're showing faith in KPJ and Jalen Green as not just self creators but creators for other and this could also be a photo confidence. And now Prin Shane Gun, I still think that eventually finding a even if you want to call it a point guard, just a floor general of the future is important. Do you think for that reason does Thai Taiwa Washington intrigue at all or do you expect him to have not a guaranteed role, but a good shot at a meeting for a role with this team in year one, ty tit Washington was a decent pick where they took him. They took him at twenty six. I thought, I thought there was a compelling case to draft him higher. I had him in my top twenty. See why he fell because he's not huge, but he's not like the tiniest player, and he plays. He's got good size for a point guard, and he plays bigger on defense. It feels like at times, maybe not consistently, I'm just basing this off some re league. No, he was an intriguing prospect. One could argue he was the best point guard prospect available in the draft outside of Ja Nivy, right like, I I whatever whatever position you consider Jay Nivy to be, right like, I think like he was a really compelling prospect to me. But I didn't see significant upside there. I kind of saw similar to ken Bord Junior. I saw playoff rotation player upside there. Like I thought he's gonna be a guy, gonna be one of year your four rotation guards. I'm not sure where in that pecking order he would lie. I would tend to believe he's gonna be a bench guy, a bench guard, and if anything, it just provides some safety net to Let's just say you decide to move on from Kevin Porter Junior one day, you have someone that can step in and be that at least temporarily for you. And I think I think you know he's decent. I just would not put too many eggs on him. You know, the tay Tay Washington starting point guard basket. I just wouldn't do that yet, and without seeing significantly more in being minutes, you know, right now he's at zero fair. There are other rookie who I think I'm I'm obviously intrigued by Jabbar Smith, but I remained very intrigued by Taris And after going back and watching some of his college footage, he might be someone who's like, among non bigs, is probably gonna be in like the top five or tenant feels like a block jump shots or something along those lines. But what are you sort of envisioned for him, or what's most impressed you about him? What if you if you? What are just your general impressions of his game so far? So the Rockets drafted him at seventeen and I had him at seventeen, right, so, like I wasn't particularly high or low one him. I was like, oh, that's that's kind of where I would have taken him, right, And watching him in the Summer League, I'm like, oh, this guy can like self create a little bit like more than I thought would like. Like, so I watched him at the college level, obviously, and when I was watching him, like, none of the stuff's gonna translate, right, Like he's not gonna be able to do half of this in the NBA. And he at least did it in the summer League against NBA level athletticism, right, not NBA level players yet obviously, but he did against NBA level athletticism, which surprised me. I was like, oh, that's something I didn't see from him. Like if he can like achieve some level of success on that level, we're talking like Jeremy grant Ish territory. I'm not saying he's gonna become Jeremy Grant, but I think that's on the table, right because of how well he was playing offensively. Just a guy who can really self create himself shoot off, sorry, shoot catch and shoot threes and obviously super defender, and so like I I think he's really integral to what they're gonna do, because again I think Alpa and Shngoon is going to be integral to what they do. So when you have a guy like that playing center for you, having guys like Torri Eason is immensely valuable because you need to surround him with as much athleticism and like just high level intelligence and anticipation, Like he has great anticipation, like especially for passing lanes, very Corey Brewer esque in that he always seems to have his hands in passing lanes, and he's always seeming to run the fast break right like like once he gets that hand handle the basketball, he's off and he's really fast. Again, like much better athlete than you know one might expect. So I think he's your prototypical three and D guy who can play three or four for you in today's NBA, And those guys are immensely valuable if they hit. Yeah, and the other thing that I agree with everything you said and I went back can watch some of like the tape from him when he was at LSU. He think can make some nifty plays on the baseline too, if he's really kind of like forced that way. And so if you need someone to stand in the corner or to turn a corner with the ball in his hands and work within tight spaces going away almost from the basket or from the you know, the teeth of the defense of the court, that's huge too. And so he feels like he could end up being just sort of this superstar complimentary player, where like that's one of the guys that just contributes to winning at an absurdly high level. And I think I'm probably most excited to watch him this year then a lot of other guys on the road like Jalen Green and even Alpren Shang Gun and then Jabari Smith. Yes, of course Tardiason might be like the guy who intrigues me most on this roster after them, even more so than thank KPJ. And maybe that's just because I'm I've been overexposed to KPJ so far, But that's not an insult either. Just Eason feels like he could end up being a home run pick. Can I can I have a take here on the podcat another take? I know, I know, I started with with one pretty hot. I have another one for you I would not at all be surprised if Tari Easton has the best rookie year of this class Rockets guy, he would be like, I think you could take even just there's a pathway in my opinion, maybe an injury happens, or just KP. Gay's a bust. There's a pathway to ty Ty Washington playing enough. And I know when you look at the makeup of this roster, Easton should play enough that if he wanted to throw money on either of their Rookie of the Year odds and you're just looking to invest in someone outside the top four, I totally understand it. Like those are just I would totally understand it. Yeah, I's that's probably one step too far from me Rookie of the Year. But I but in terms of like best rookie season on the Rockets in particular, which is basically saying, I would not dismiss the idea of him having a bad rookie year than than Jabari spid Jr. Right, I'm not saying again, this is not me saying I think he's a better prospect than Jabaris. He's a bust already. That is done done. Get him out of the NBA get him out of the NBA. No, But what I was saying is I think he could have a stronger start because I think he's just more ready, you know, it just seems more confident already in what he is. I fell in love with Josh Christopher towards the end of last season in part because you and I talked about him, and it made me go back and watch him a little more closely. And just in watching him he hit. The percentages weren't great, but he looked very comfortable taking step back threes, which is huge in today's MBA. And then also just like when you look at the depth and the angles of his drives and the difficulty level on some of his finishes, and then even some of the stuff he's doing from the mid range, this is a much more dynamic offensive player than I thought they were getting. What most impressed you about him? Or how do you project him going forward for this team? Who look, if you haven't caught on now the Rockets have and Rockets fans who were listening to know this, But if you haven't caught on and you're not a Rockets fanning and watched a ton of the Rockets last year, they are just brimming teaming with like tantalizing young players at this point. It's it's a fantastic position for them to be in. Right, So Josh Christopher like, so no player on the Rockets has made me second guess my own decision making than him, just because like just start to finish. Like so he starts off the Rockets take him at twenty four and like, I don't understand this pick. Like I was like, there are other guys like I would have taken here, Like Quentin Grimes was a guy I really liked. I'm biased you of H guy. I went to you of H. He's really good though, he's good releas with his off the dribble stuff this year. Holy hell, right, like Donovan Mitchell trade talks. Apparently it's actually not true, but he was painted as touch by some I'm sorry, carry on, no, no, okay, So, like I really liked him, and I was like, oh man, they might end up regretting taking Josh Christopher over Quentin Grimes. I'm like, oh, now, it looks kind of like, oh, they might have regret. They might regret taking Usman Garuba over Quentin Grimes. Like the way it looks right now, right because Josh Christopher looks like a really really strong selection there. And what we're really surprised me is like when you watch he's so different when you watch him and when you look at his stats, right, like when you watch him, he is brimming with swagger and confidence and like he brings the rockets back in the games a lot, like a lot, like it happened several times throughout the season last year, and like you look at his number, it's like, oh, he's like what fifty two percent you're shooting? Like what am I watching? Like, Like why is this so different from what I was just watching on the screen? And I don't know how to describe it other than like I guess I just think he's gonna be a strong NBA defender, right, Like no, not like a like a you know, first or second team All NBA All Defense guy, you know, but I think he's gonna be a plus defender in the NBA. I think he's gonna be a guy who can be like you're what's what's what's after tertiary? Well, like is like your was it fourtiary? I don't know, I don't know what it is, Like I Maye. Did I make up a word there? What is it? Like? You think he's gonna be your fourth best defender is what you're trying to say? Well? Handler, ball handler? Right like, tertiary is probably the right word, Like secondary would be two three for me, then tertiary is kind of like after for me. Okay, Yeah, that's kind of what I see from him as a ball handler, right Like, I just think he he can be that kind of situational. Maybe that's the way to go. Yeah, right right, And like you know, I hate to keep leaning on this crutch of like six man guy, but he you know, screams to me like, oh, this guy's gonna be like a six man guy in the NBA, right just because I just the energy he brings to the floor is so infectious. And again it's you look at his stats and it's like, what is Salmon even talking about? This guy is barely good? Right, And I just I just would encourage you to do it, Dan did and go watch him because I'm never one of these eye test guys. I'm never I'm like I'm I'm I think they're both value equally valuable. Look the data and the and the film in this case, I think the film would be more valuable to watch you could. I will say his I looked up his finishing at the rim after watching more of him. He shot sixty two percent at the rim last year, which is like it was in the sixty fourth percentile of first position. And when you look at the level of difficulty on some of his shots around the basket, I was wildly impressed. And so if that goes up, that's a plus plus plus. Can I interject here, because like I remember making a statement on the on the podcast on my show, like I think midway through the season, uh, and and like I knew it was gonna sound silly, and I prefaced it like this is gonna sound really dumb, but like what it is, because I bet you you said it on this podcast when we sank up during the middle of the year. Perhaps like I remember saying that when he finishes at the basket and he gets fouled, he doesn't flex right like like you know, you see you see rookie year players right like guards, like when they finished when they get like an and one at the basket, like they're like flexing and they're like and what what what's stunning about Josh Christopher. It's like, even though he has all this confidence in swagger, it's like he doesn't seem surprised that he's that he's making these difficult finishes at the basket. He's just like, Okay, I'm gonna go to the free throw line, like okay, here's your dap, here's your dab. I'm gonna go to the free like you if you've ever seen like Lebron finished through contact, it's kind of similar to that, right, Like, again, not at all comparing the Lebron James and Josh freaking Christopher. I'm just talking about in this specific instance, like when you see high level NBA players finish at the basket through contact, and when they aren't surprised by it. I don't know if just some part of me feels like, Okay, they feel like they belong here, right, they feel like they believe I'm not surprised like that I should be doing this, I should be making these difficult shots of the basket. I'm sorry when you ment you mentioned rim finishing that came to mind immediately because again it sounds silly, but again, I think this is one of those cases where go watch the film and I think you might see what I'm talking about. Uh, that was not the take he got off on this podcast. That TAKEI was, you compared him to Drew Holiday, said Josh. Christopher reminds me a lot of Drew Holiday. Oh okay, yeah, I I did so. The strength inside the arc I get if he's gonna ever, if he ever hits his like Drew Holiday shot a trillion percent on step backs last year, I don't see the same level of passing or even I don't think I made that comparison. I think I mentioned that Raphel Stone made that comparison on Draft. I think I mentioned on your show. But I did bring the comparison up. I just want to give him credit, because again, I'm not gonna say that I came that came up with that. I didn't hear him saying I'm attributing it to you until the end of the day. Sure enough, fair enough. I have to ask this question. I was heartbroken when he suffered the ankle injury that kept him out of Summer League. I did go back and watch a bunch of Usman Gruba's regular season minutes. I didn't watch G League Usman Gruba. I didn't go rewatch. That's gonna make me sad. What does he need to do to get minutes on this team? And I will preface this by saying watching him, and it has to be on offense. He set some like I don't know if it's just because he built like a slab of marble, but he set some really nice hard screens. Then everything after that is kind of just like an adventure in the wrong way. I will say though, that the people that hyped him up on defense, I'm just I'm he's like a gnat on steroids when you watch him defend. And so what does Osmon Grubin need to do to see the floor regularly with the big club this year? And do you think that they'll even give him a chance to do so? Exactly what you think he needs to do, right, which is just do something offensively right like just do something like be either be a strong uh you know, pick and roll guy like screen and dive guy, or be a be a three point shooter right like do like well, I think in particular, one of those two things needs to happen, right, just become have some sort of value on the offensive end, and then you'll see playing time. I think It's really that simple, right, Like you ask Rockets guys about this and then they skate around that issue, but you can tell that's what they're trying to say, right, It's like, oh, like he just needs to, you know, like show some value there, right, and then you'll and then you'll see more playing time with the Rockets. Yeah, I think I would go with it. He looks more like a natural screener and diver you're gonna need. I think that's where the value of Shane Goon or Jabari Smith playing next to one of them comes in, if you think they both are gonna stretch the floor. I will say, if he's gonna stick in the NBA, it probably just looking at his size, it might need to be like can he at least hit corner threes or something? And I don't know if he'll ever get there, but I just I want him to play so because he is a defensive capslock menace, right Like he got Sergibacca comparisons coming out of the draft, right, Like, I think that that's that's kind of what I see for him as a ceiling. But I don't think he's gonna reach that ceiling because he just doesn't seem to have anything like Sergei Baka was a good offensive player, like at the at the peak of his power, is he provided something for you offensively, right Patrick Patterson was a good offensive player at the peak of his powers, he provided something for you offensively. Uspon Gruba does not provide anything for you offensively right now. He might set good heart screens, but he doesn't follow through with popping or diving. Like it's just it just stops there, you know, No, I mean that makes that makes total sense. This sort of leads into my question of what does a ten man rotation for this team look like? Beginning with the starting five? And I'll say you can correct me if I'm wrong, but the starters are probably not etched in stone. But you have Jail and Jabari, Shanegon and then probably Tate and KPJ at this point would be my picks unless you think that Gordon's gonna be there instead of Tate. I would probably slide in Gordon over take, and I think that that's gonna be something that's gonna be interesting to watch because I don't think I think the Rockets maybe leaning what you just said with that lineup, because I just think if you have Gordon here, you might as well utilize him in his most optimal position. And I don't think this is Tate's most optimal position. In fact, I think this is the least most optable position putting him out there. I think having him play the three when he is so clearly a four in the NBA, Like, I can't see him playing the three. I just can't. I can see him defending threes. I can never see him playing the three at the NBA level, just because he's not a good enough and like three point shooter. He's just not And I think put it's putting him at the three as a disservice. And and if you're unless your plan is to play Jabari Smith Junior at the three, which I certainly think it's the deservice to him as well, I don't. I don't see the viability there. I see a lot of viability there defensively. But like again, like you have Eric Gordon, use him right until until you can figure out who that three is gonna be, right, like who that starting small Ford of the future is going to be? Like utilize Eric Gordon like like squeeze every bit of playing time out of him. And floor spacing and viability and like you know, veteran leadership and all that hoopla out of him until you find a home a new home for him, and hopefully by that point one of year, young guys figure has proven to you that he can be that starting small forward to the future. Maybe it is Tarison right, maybe maybe it is him, but we don't know that yet. So I would probably go with Eric Gordon. But that's just me. I have a feeling the rockets. Judging by some of the interviews that Stephen Sawce has has given, I think he might he maybe leanings towards starting Tate because he likes the look of Tate next to Shangoon. I. You know, I get it defensively. I don't get it offensively at all. It's very much like similar to starting Daniel Tye next to Christian Wood, Like I don't like I get it on one end of the floor. I don't get it on the other end of the floor. It just it doesn't make any sense. A big part of that could also be though, do you want to have Gordon at the three when KPJ and Jalen Green or your backcourt? That could be something The other thing. Gordon's better defensively than he probably gets credit for. But Kate is just gonna be by far better suited to elevate or at least cover up for a lot of the shortcomans you're gonna get from that backcourt. Yeah. Perhaps, but again, like I don't think you need to be worried about like forming your lineup of the future right now, right like long term. Yeah, this is a very viable issue. You're you're posing right going into the playoffs, you should not be starting that lineup. But we'll get to the regular season. That's probably the only lineup you can possibly start. So who would be So we'll say the other four guys that you think if we're gonna say go with a ten man rotation, like we'll we'll just look at the ten most played players for next year, because we have Jail and Jabari, Shangoon, Gordon, KPJ, and Tate. Those are locks. I think Josh Christopher needs to be in there for sure. kJ Martin is still there. That would bring us to eight. And then I would think Easton's there. That's nine. And so where do you get that tenth spot from? Is it like Washington? Is it Garuba. Are they gonna use one of these just like? And that's gonna be a question that I have coming after this, But it's gonna be like one of those holdovers from the Christian Wood trade. I think I think Garrison Matthews is probably gonna get a spot for about him. Yeah, he needs one after the way he played last year. Yeah, I think I think he would probably earn like that eighth spot is you got to eight, right? I got to nine. You got to nine, Okay, So who is who is sweet eight for? You have Jalen Jabari, Shanguon, Gordon KPJ. Tate, I have Josh Christopher, kJ Martin and try Eason And that's how I got to nine. Okay? Yeah, then then I would probably say Garrison's probably where I'd start, I'd stop it, and I probably the odd band out there is probably gonna be either Garrison or kJ. Like in terms of like if there's a night where someone doesn't play, I think it's probably gonna be one of those two players that doesn't play, And unfortunately that's going to really piss off Kenyan Martin. I'm not talking about kJ Martin. I'm talking about Kenyan Martin. Senior. You know, like I think I think that's gonna be something that you know, it's probably the reason he demanded a trade. I suspect, you know, I think everybody kind of suspects that, like Kenyan Martin Senior got a little aggravated that his son wasn't isn't gonna play, that he wasn't playing, Sorry, he was good. And I have a question on that, is that do you think I mean, the two things are we know about Kj's trade request, which you said might have been sort of spearheaded by Kenyon Martin Senior from we know, but will if like this team stays the same. You've already kind of allude to that maybe kJ Martin isn't guaranteed playing time. Is this someone then that you think you could flip for a low end first round pick on the trade market, or conversely, could you see the Rockets sort of getting weird with their lineups when you're looking at the non Shanguon, non Jabbari bigs where you don't necessarily have any allegiances to Guruba at this point, or just like other bigs on the roster and fuxing and filling with some smaller looks just to make room for all these I feel like they just have all these combo forwards on their team, at least three, primarily in easing kJ and Tate. Can I flip that question back onto you? Do you think they can get a low end first? So if you're gonna tell me you believe in kJ Martin shooting like thirty five thirty six percent from three on most, if you believe in that looking at the defensive malluability in the downhill pressure he provides you. If I'm the heat I would give up. Like if you need the top twenty protective, top twenty two protective, fine, but he could be a great fit as sort of like a I consider him more. Am I wrong here? I consider more of like a four than a wing, But like if you need someone to play it like combo three four minutes. If I'm a team who's a contender, and like you're not, if that pick doesn't need to be protected until Kingdom come, and if I'm the Rockets, I'm thinking, well, I know he's cheap this season and next, but like, if we have a chance to just get a flyer first round where maybe it turns into two seconds right away and he's not playing a bunch anyway. I could see that making sense for certain select contenders. I think you're probably outlying what his market value should be. I don't think that's what his market value is. I think it's gonna hurt if he's not playing or not playing well to start the year because of sort of this personnel logjam that they have and the fact that he demanded to trade in the first place, and everybody out of there, right, like I think, which he might be the like, that's just no, he's not the lowest profile to do that. But it's just funny when it's like, oh, kJ Martin's demand that the trade. We're in the midst of talking about Kevin Durant and Donovan Joel and Rudy Gobert. It's like, oh, kJ Martin has requested Cam Reddish has requested a trade as well, and it's just like, which is why I think it came from the father, because who else would be dumb enough to leak it, right, Like, I don't think I don't think his agent leaked it. I don't think he leaked it because he's being advised by his agent. I think his dad did it, right. I think that's the guy I would think would leak it, like if it didn't get out, like and if it just happened, it's believable, but if but the fact that it got out leads me to believe that his father leaked it because he's pissed that his son's not playing. Right. Yeah, I mean, I think I think it's It's one of those things where I would probably if I were Houston, the way I would salvage this is they're clearly trying to get a really good first three recording, right, because they they've had multiple offers for first round picks and they just keep turning them down, like one by one by one, they keep turning them down. IM I would if they're really if they're really trying to get a premium first round pick, I would throw kJ Martin in the deal with the right. And what I'm thinking here is like, hey, Lakers, you still haven't traded Russ yet, right, And it's gonna be really difficult to salary match. By the way, like this is almost certainly going to require a third team now that John wall is gone. It's almost certainly going to require a third team to to pull this off. But if you want to throw a slew of role players and include kJ Morten among those YO euro players and Eric Gordon and you know whoever, whoever else you want to throw in there. David Nuaba, I'm just looking at like their like Trey Burke is probably in there at that point. All the Dallas guys, right, all all the Dallas guys have to be in there. kJ Martin has to be in there, David Nwaba has to be in there. Air Gordon certainly has to be in there. And you're still You're still not close enough to get it done. That's why I'm saying you need that third team. But that's the kind of off right I try to I would, I would try to sneak him into right, I try to get that kind of premium pick, right, So instead of trying to get an individual asset, you're more like throw him into a deal, Throw him into a deal and try to make an ass make an appending asset even sweeter, right, Like make Eric Gordon more attractive by placing him next to kJ Morton as like a package deal. Who's more likely to finish this season on another team? Gordon or kJ Air Gordon? Absolutely, I mean, and if he doesn't like that. That's gonna warrant a serious amount of criticism with the Rockets, like like this is this is like the final year that can actually do it and get a first round pick. Right, I'm still skeptical that they're gonna get the high end first that they're seeking. But can they get a first that's probably still on the table just because that last year is non is basically a team option, Like effectively you can turn that, you can guarantee it. So he has two more years left on his contract and two more playoff appearances for the team he goes to, right, so then he's worth the first round pick. So like, yes, this is the last season you can get a first round pick. So I think Eric Gordon is more likely to be off the roster. As to how you figure out a way to make kJ Morden happy, I don't know. I think you probably have to trade off players right or make one of these consolidation trades and make the roster a little bit thinner but a little bit more high end and effectively make room for him. And I think that's more likely than the Rockets not trading Eric Gordon. So as of right now, they have eighteen players under guaranteed contract who are going to be you know, whether it's a consolidation trade or they're waving guys. Who do you think are the most likely roster spot casualties when they need to get down to their regular season number. I think Sterling Brown and Trey Burke are definitely there. But here's the thing, Like, I think they just signed I'm forgetting the name of center Willie cally Stein. Yes, they just signed Willie cally Stein, which I didn't know that. I thought you were pointed someone that I didn't know that they signed. Yeah, they signed Willie cally Stein, which is like, so they they clearly want to keep Bruno Fernando because they also signed him, and I'm confused as to what the logic is there. So I'm guessing they're gonna send Bruno Fernando the G League, which means I think he's gonna be get He's gonna be one of those two way guys, and I think they're probably gonna reserve the other two way guy. And I don't know at that point who you would cut, and I would just this is who I would cut. I am not I'm not a big fan of I mean, I think you could go like Burke no no, I dash Nix like, so I would not like again, I would not outright cut him. But I am not as high on him as I think the general public seems to be. I don't really see him like being a stone cold lock to make the NBA, and I know it's gonna piss some people off. I just I don't know what he's doing right now at the NBA level well enough to warrant it, and even at the Summer League like he had, Yes, he had his right moments, but it's not like he was like first team All Summer League right and like this is like a second or third year NBA player. It's like he should probably be first or second team All Summer League. And you know, I'm losing faith in him. And again, I just think it's probably going to be the Dallas guys. I think they're probably holding out on cutting the Dallas guys until they are certain that they can't do a consolidation trade for like Russell Westbrook. So what is your biggest concern for this roster being a player, archetype, specific position or functional void? Just like, what is the big single, biggest need for them heading into the season point guard. Yeah, fairly obvious. So my father, I knew you. I'm fairly confident you're gonna say that. So my follow up to it is, are they at the point where they would consider not actively trying to mortgage part of their future to find one, but they would be open to acquiring run in the middle of the season or is this a roster that it's. Yeah, there'll be some fine tuning where they're gonna right away some vets and they have to consolidate here, but they're not going to be looking to actually address any needs for the roster via trade. Yeah, there's no urgency to go and go out and find one like mortgage the future or anything like that, but there is an urgency to try and like, okay, like this is this is really if if if KPJA doesn't have that breakout year for you, Like, first of all, he's you know you're not you're not going to give him an extension, right, You're gonna let him go toot fre agency. And second of all, like I think at that point you probably start looking at the top of the draft next year. It's like, okay, you're looking at that point guards, right, like Scoot Henderson is a guy I would really really want. If KPJ isn't your guy, and that that that's that's just more of a long term issue, right, you're talking about issues for the Rockets going into the season. I don't think a team like the Rockets really has those kinds of issues to worry about. I think those are more playoff team questions. But in terms of like long term questions, like in term to building out the team questions, Yeah, like point guard, like they need to find someone who can be a plus defender and a plus three point shooter for next to next to Jalen Green, right, and if they if one of their guys develops into being that plus playmaker, you know, let's just say it's Alpa and Shangoon, maybe that guy, maybe that point guard doesn't have to be a facilitator. Maybe you can just go be you know, you're Patrick Beverley type, right, like the ultimate version of that. But as things stand, they don't have that guy, so they that guy would probably go out and have to be a strong facilitator as well. So you're looking at like the archetype I would target. It's like Lonzo Ball, right, Like Lonzo Ball is like he would make such perfect sense next to Jalen Green long term, ironically, Like, you know, we we spent a lot of time comparing uh, Jalen Green to Chicago Chicago Bulls shooting guard. I'm I'm really zac Lavine. We spent a lot of time comparing Jalen Green to shit Jalen Green. And they went out and they got Lonzo Ball, right, So it is funny how like that that's kind of exactly who I would go out and target, like someone like that, you know, someone like like again, I'm the names today, I'm so terrible San Antonio Spurs guards got traded Jane Murray like de Jontay Murray, I'd go out and try to go target de jean Ta Murray. I'd go out and try and target the Lonzo ball, right, Like, you're very strong defensive guys who can also shoot the three ball and facilitate at high level, right, And I think that's that's the kind of player archetype I would I would target long term, especially if if Alpern Shingoon isn't that level facilitator that he could potentially become. I'm not saying he'll be he'll be for sure become that, but I think that's a ceiling, right. His ceiling is for sure best facilitator on a team, right, not saying best player on a team, but best facilitator on a team. If he is not that guy, you have to go find someone who can be that guy and put him next to jail and Green because I don't think Jalen Green could be that guy. Maybe you, maybe you believe he can be that guy. I think he Again, we started the podcast talking about how I thought he impressed me with his playmaking shops to start the season. I'm still I'm definitely not at the level where I'm like, yeah, I'm confident just playing steaking with Patrick Beverley type next to him. You know, yeah, I'm probably higher on him being able to be like the Paul George type than you are a level facilitator. I mean, not Paul George exactly, but that type of a Kauai or like Kevin Durant and his peak, or even I think maybe a Tatum of this year, someone who throws more complicated passes, which I would say Durant that's not something he's ever done. But are those guys good enough to be the best facilitator or a team like I think Kauai has shown even I mean Tatum, I guess when you look at how he was performing against the Warriors defense. My point is I would still have point guard as the biggest need. I don't know that it needs to be like this. It could be another secondary playmaker to me, someone who's higher end than Kevin Porter Junior, but to where they're almost you know, like to set up in Law Angeles right now with Kawai and Paul George, like it could go like that. I know they just got John Wall so that kind of ruins that comp a little bit. Yeah, I mean it's it's definitely the most obvious glaring need for them long term if Kevin Porter Junior doesn't work out and they don't have to address it right now, but if KPJ doesn't have you know, that year that they think that he can have, right because again they believe in him. But in order to like justify continuing on with that belief, he has to at least you know, show some of what that what they think he can be. Like, if he can become you know, that kind of lead playmaker, then this conversation's mood. They have that guy, if he's not. If he's if he has the same exact season in this season that he had last season, then they have to go out and go find that guy, whether it's on the trade market or in the draft. And I look at the draft next year, I only see one guy that's clearly that guy. Otherwise you're gonna have to go find You're gonna have to go scour the trade market, and I think a lot of those guys have already been scooped up. This question is to some extent matchup dependent, and it assumes the Rockets are gonna be trying to win games. But what do you think will be their best crunch time unit or should be their go to crunch time unit. I think their best crunch time unit is probably gonna be the starting unit. I mean, that's that sounds like a really dumb uh. It's simplistic, Waight. I just think I Otherwise, if it's kind of going back to the Schengoon thing, if Shangoon is not that guy, defensively, maybe you knock down Yeah. Maybe does it make sense to go with like Tate Gordon, Jalen Green, Kevin Porter, junior Jabari Smith during those crunch time minutes, at that point, at that point, if San not that guy, and then yeah, and you know, perhaps next season he's not that guy, you know, defensively, but I think I think he will be good enough with with the with the amount of surrounding defensive talent that they have acquired this offseason to justify closing games for them. There's is interesting. Do you remember that game they played the Bucks and they were like really neck and neck with them and they almost won. But steven Sally has decided to pull out Puer in Shangoon while he was having like one of the best games of his life, like he was he was cooking, like he was absolutely cooking, And it was such an explicable, inexplicable substitution that I was just like, I don't know, like what the gift here is on Shingoon, Like I don't get it, Like there's seems to be a disconnectant in terms of what I'm seeing and what the coaching staff internally believes. They never fully bought into him. I feel like going into this season, I'm curious if they would have even considered starting Shangoon had the Christian Wood trade now have happened, I would suspect no. And so like I think there's a reservation on the coaching staff end to close games with him because I don't think they're fully locked in. Maybe they might say they are, and they may you know, you know, they uc seng go and have a great game. You ask steven sask about it. He's gonna he's gonna praise him, right, But in terms of like when it comes down to it, like closing lineups, I'm not sure the start the you know, the coaching staff is all the way in on him closing games. So there's a possibility that he is the closing time center he should be, but he's not because the coaching staff is not bought in so it is. It's gonna be interesting to see what they decide to do there, especially the games where he gets into foul trouble, because if he gets into foul trouble, and he has a lot last season, right like per thirty six minutes, he generates a ton of fouls, and if he if he if he's at that point where he just cannot play fourth quarters, that I think the coaching staff has some justification in bending him Otherwise you have to play him, I mean, because if otherwise, If anything, it's just to see is this guy like a cornerstone, right is it? Can he actually be someone that you're building around alongside Jalen Green, alongside Jabari Spid Junior, right, if anything, just just to go see if he's that guy. What are some or what is one weird old lineup you would like to see from this team during the season. Weird old line up. So I'd like to see them go big. And when I say i'd like to see them go big, I'd like to see them play Jalen Green at point guard, and I'd like to see them play Eric Gordon at shooting guard. I'd like to see them upsize. And in that respect, I think, you know, it's justifiable to play Jabari Spid Junior at small forward and slide Jayshawn Tate to you know, to power forward. And I'd want to see with those reps how Jalen does as a primary facilitator for like a ten minute stretch right with that level of floor spacing still around him and a lot of plenty of space, you know, perhaps actually swap out Tate and put in tar yuson right, so I'd love to see that same exact lineup I just listed with watar Yeason because that's a ton of length and I as a ton of lentth that can all shoot, that can all defend, and I'd love to see, if you know, Jalen with the ball in his hands, does he get lost or can he actually orchestrate somewhat of a secondary offense, because if he's able to do secondary offense, maybe you trust him enough to start doing more primary offensive stuff. Mine would be, insofar as you care, Jalen Green and then Jabari with Eason Gordon and my god, who's the other one I have in my notes here? Eason Gordon and Josh Christopher would be the lineup that I would really just love to see this team run out, just all wings that can defend in space basically right, and then just you have Jalen Green out there creating ship for himself and for everybody. And it seems like that line of might have just enough shooting. It's probably I go back and forth on whether it's light on creation, because if one of Jabari Easan or Josh Christopher hit is and then Eric Gordon's in there, I had him in there, so like that that's a pretty big or that'd be a pretty i think complimentary lineup at both ends of the floor. It's interesting, like you've managed to put the ball more into Jalen Green's line hands than my lineup, because in my line up, at least shangoons still there to help assotate, but you've taken shangoon out. So it's like all on Jalen. I'm a big Jaalen believer, but I'm also a sucker for those types of lineup. No, no, no, but it is interesting. I'd want to see it too, because like that's like really pushing the boundaries. It's like, okay, kid, can you do this? Like like can you be like our long term like guy right, like not not like Devin Booker like guy, I'm talking like Tatum, right, can you be that guy? And if you know, if he shows that in spurs the lot again, the coaching staff is gonna trust him to do it more when he's in the game with kem Border Jr. And he's when he's in the game with you with upper inching Gillen. So you know, these kinds of lineups they maybe you know, people might think we're just we're just throwing out lineups that we think would be fun, but it's it's they serve a purpose because you can use that information to form, you know, decisions in the future. That's why I was a big believer and I'm probably higher on Devin Booker's passing than you are that I think they should be running him at point guard without Chris Paul Moore, because I do think he's that type of playmaker. But if you're the Rockets specifically, and we both have questions about what is Jalen Green's pinnacle as a playmaker for others, you do need to experiment and get that information. Now. Now is the time to do it, not when you're trying to be a super competitive team. And speaking of being a competitive team, they're over under a set at twenty three point five. Take the over, Take the over, take hammer the over. The bet that I took was that I thought the Rockets could win thirty games this year, right, and that that might be a shock to you because I came on this podcast last year the over under was twenty five. I told you to hammer the under, and this year I think they're to make a substantive, substantive leaf because again, at what point do you continue to draft impact players in the draft and they don't make an impact? Right? Like they at some point, one of these guys has to be a cornerstone talent that can drive winning, not just a cornerstone talent, right, because there are plenty of guys that are cornerstone talents, but they can't drive winning. Like Radley Beale is one of those guys, right, Like Bradley Beale's definitely someone that would I would want in my championship corps, but definitely not you know, a guy that can actually buy himself with his presence drive winning. And the Rockets have taken enough swings in the draft where I'm like, I'm confident at one of these guys is that guy, right that can actually drive winning? And I think, you know, I think that guy is Changoon and Green. I think those two guys can drive winning in a way that you know, perhaps you know, maybe you don't believe that. I think. I'm I want to see if Jalen can do what he did to end last season for at least eighty percent of this season, right, I'm not saying to do what could do it for a full season that's impossible. I think that's an impossible ask for second year player. But when you make second year jumps, like when second year jumps usually indicate that like you're you have like serious superstar potential, right, Like the most famous second year jumps in NBA history like Derrick Ross Jah Moran, right, like really really jumping off the page, right, Because it's really hard unless you're going from a bench roll to a starting role to make a second year jump. More often you see that jump in the third year, like more often than not, that happens third or fourth year. So if if Jalen can be can make that second year jump, and if Schanoon is that guy, right, and I think he's gonna have a second year jump just simply because he's having more minutes, not because I think he's gotten like a ton better over the offseason. All he probably got a little bit better. But because he's playing more minutes, he's gonna have a second year jump. So I think those guys, I mean, you look at what Schangoon was and Winshare is last year among rookies, I think he was second. You know who was first? You want to guess who is who is first? Rookie rookie rookie Win Shares, Uh, Scotty Bines, Evan Mobley, Right, Okay, soshangun like drove winning to that extent in a bench role, right, and like, I just imagine imagining him in a starting role. I mean, it's I just I think it's gonna it's gonna get to the point where, like the Rockets are gonna make a decent enough jump to where they're not They're not gonna have the best record in basketball. They're not gonna have They're not gonna be a playoff team. They might not even be a playing team. But they're not gonna be the worst record in basketball. Again, I don't. I don't think they're gonna be in contented for that anymore. I think they're gonna be out of that conversation. I think they're gonna be so I wouldn't say I'll be floored if they're in the play in discussion. But twenty three. We both went under on their twenty five and a half last year and we were correct. Obviously, this one's harder because I do think they're feels like there's gonna be fewer wins in the West to go around just looking at the Clippers and Nuggets being healthier, the Pelicans being healthier, Uh, the Timberwolves getting gobet, but the Jazz should be worse, I would think than the Rockets by design. Oklahoma City without Chet is a little iffy, but they're they're over unders the same as the Rockets. I would might lean over at this point just because I feel like they're not gonna be worse, but I guess there's things that could happen. It's their line is tougher this year. It felt like it was easier last year than it is this year. Even though the Western Conference is, it feels like appreciably more dangerous than it was last year. And I don't mean to curse again on this podcast, but this year they just have less weird shit going on. Right, Like, you're not going into the season with Daniel Tye starting next to Christian Wood. You don't. You're not going into the season with Christian Wood for that for that matter, right, Like you're going into the season with lineups that makes sense, with the roster that makes sense, with like less of a cloud of like are they gonna trade this player or is this guy gonna stay around long term? Right? Like the only guy that that exists there is like Eric Gordon or kJ Morton. That's not gonna that's not gonna put a large cloud of the Rockets season right right. And I also, if you go very you're basically saying they won't be the worst team in the West, which is a reasonable gamble to make, because I do think it's gonna be okay See Houston or Utah. I do think you're gonna end up throwing Sacramento in there. I have zero faith in them, but I would bet on it being Utah and maybe even Okay See more at this point because the Chet home Grin injury. But I'm in love with Jay Gil just Alexander and Leu Dort. Is there anything else that we haven't Oh, I'm sorry, I do want to finish my point up that you know what you just mentioned that was a big part of my wind put the little prediction is like, I just see a lot of teams that are definitely going to be worse than them. And I thought, okay See was gonna be worse than Houston before Chet's injury. I certainly still believe that now right I think Sacramento is gonna be a playoff team, right, So I don't include them in the equation at all. Utah is down like they are going to be terrible next purpose. Yeah for sure, Yeah, for sure, they're gonna be terrible. And I think obviously I'm by saying they're gonna win thirty games, I'm not saying they're gonna be like what like they're gonna finish with like a tenth seed, Like no, I'm just saying they're not going to finish with the top with the bottom three record. I'm just saying they're gonna be like the sixth or seventh worst record in the NBA as opposed to first. Like, I don't think that's crazy when you look at the grand scope of thing, grand scheme of things, like I don't you look at other teams and where they stack up talent wise with the Rockets right now? And we and you just mentioned yourself that the Rockets have a lot of really tantalizing young talent on the roster. You know, at some point talent produces, right, Like, you keep on drafting good talent, good young talent, it's gonna build to something. And you and I have watched the NBA for a very long time. These things don't happen gradually, right, It's not. It's not like you go from twenty to twenty five to thirty. It's like, no, more often than that, you go from like twenty to like, okay, now you're at thirty two. Okay, now you're now you're like a forty five one team. Okay, now now you're in your you're a contender. Right, Like, It's like it's really drastic jumps like the Grizzlies last year. Right, I'm not saying they're gonna make a Grizzlies level jump, but I think they're gonna make a drastic jump. Yeah. I do think there's some combustibility just because they are there. Their most critical players are so young that if you either don't get as big leaps from Shane Goon or Jellen Green, or if you just have rookies like who struggle, Like if Jabarr Smith Junior is a pitoal part of your team, you have to play maybe he maybe he's bad. Maybe you see Eason play a bunch and he's bad. So I do think there's combustibility, But I would agree with you that this is not the worst. I don't think they'll be in the worst team in the NBA. Discussion again, is there anything any one else on or about this team that I didn't ask you about that you think needs to be discussed? Yeah, Steven salis right, Like, so he's about him at the top. You just dign me. I actually he thought he was under more pressure entering this year. Yeah. I feel like he kind of has to be. If you go, if you finished this season with the worst record in basketball again, right, like some point, it's like how much how much rope are we gonna give you? Right? You can't, you know, like first year, okay, sympathy Silast year right like that that seemed to be like the narrative national League for Silence, right, like, oh, poor Silast. He got stuck with He went into coach Harden Westbrook and Christian Wood and this really good team, and he got and he got dumped. He got this all dumped in his lap as if he didn't know as some of this stuff was going on. Like I just that that that narrative rub me the wrong way, by the way. Uh. And then the following year he finishes with the worst record in basketball again, It's like, okay, now you know it's his first year coaching and a real NBA team first year with continuity, and it's like, okay, now if you do that again, Like the Rockets aren't going to renew your contract after that fourth year. They're just not. They're not gonna give you an extension. They're not gonna, they're not gonna. They're gonna be out on the market for a new head coach because it's not it's not so much that they have internal pressure to win, but they're gonna have an external pressure to make a move because you just can't be that bad for consecutive seasons, like three consecutive seasons of the worst record in basketball. That's you know, he to me is really what makes me the most nervous about betting on the Rockets winning thirty games. I don't have a lot of confidence in him. I just don't. His lineups are weird, his like what he asks of the front office to do to go get for him. I think a lot of that stuff's weird. Or like he was a driving force in the Daniel Tie signing. Okay, that was yeah, like that was that was weird. And you know, if if, if he indeed decides to start Tice, I think that's again another strange move. So I think I don't have a lot of confidence in him, and I think this is a real prove it year for him. I would probably agree, just because mostly I'm probably more sympathetic towards this first season. But you can't be that bad three years in a row and probably hope to to keep your job unless we're talking about I don't even know what, like if there's like a major injury, then yeah, I guess there's context that matters. But I would agree that I think the I would frame it this way. I think the microscope on the job he's doing, now that you have Jabari, now that you have Jalen Green, now that I think there are a lot of other players on this team that people are collectively intrigued by, With Shane Goon, with the way Josh Josh Christopher closed the year. Excuse me, people really seem to like Tarason. The microscope on the rockets. It feels like it's going to be a little bit more magnified, and I think by virtue of that, you're gonna see Stephen Silas. And of course we're talking about how much for a grace period do you give him post James Harden trade, He's going to be someone who's just then put under that microscope more than he has been thus far. Yeah, and I'm not This is not even so much me advocating for them to make a move. This is just me telling you how the NBA works, Right, Like the at some you can't have so this many bad seasons in a row. It just usually the front office or someone in the organization doesn't even have to be the head guy doesn't have to be refel Stone doesn't even have to be Eli who is second in command, right, ownership gets itchy fingers, right Like I Like when when the Rockets were going on their second twenty game losing streak in a row last season, I was like, oh no, I do not feel good about this. Like I was just waiting every morning to wake up to an Adrian Rodronowski report that he lost his job, right like, because that's just how it works when you lose that much. For like, like it's it's it's really it's really underrated how much the Rockets have lost, right Like, Like it's it's like like we know that the Rockets have been a bad team, but I don't think people are really understood how bad they've been, right, I don't think people have really watched them and like, oh this, this decision doesn't make that much sense. I don't know why they're doing this, right, And because Steven Size is such a likable figure, right, it's not like Sam Mitchell right where they're where they're bad, and Sam Mitchell's like the most like like curmudgeon old man NBA figurehead that you could think of, right, and it's it's easy to be like, Okay, like at some point you have to make a decision on Sam because he's hurting your player development. Like Stephen Size is not that guy. Stephen Size is like an awesome dude smart. NBA media loves him, right, and I like him. I like him a lot, right, I think he you know, I think he's certainly deserves to be in the NBA coaching ranks. Yeah, I'm not sure if you know a head coach as of right now, but like, I think he deserves to have an NBA coaching job because I think I think he's that bright. But it's it's one of those things where likability only gets you so far. And it's I just I just know I've seen it happen, so you know, it happens all the time, like Earl Watson, right like like or why did Earl Watson get fired? We we still don't know why he got fired. Right. We have a lot of incendiary reporting coming out of Phoenix, reporting that still hasn't come to a head, and a lot of in a lot of areas, But we still don't know what the driving reason for his firing was, right Like, stuff like that happens all the time, just because owners get impatient. So yeah, I think I would. I'm very curious to see how this year plays out for him. Obviously, we talked a lot about Kevin Porter Junior being the most compelling storyline for the Rockets pointed in season, so number two might be silas. I will say the offense needs to be better, a lot better than thirtieth in transition frequency. I was very disappointed that that's where they ended up finishing the season last year. On that their their offense sometimes feels like it lacks any sort of recognizable form or just like I don't want to say structure, because we understood the pecking order, I think more as a season went on, but just like, there's nothing like discernible about them on offense outside of Jalen Green, I feel like and maybe a little bit of Shane Gou. But my point is I would like to see them be more opportunistic of getting up and down the floor. I know some of their lineups aren't neslie built to do that, but now that you have like Esan and Jalen Green is there, and you have Kevin Porter Junior or ty Ty Washington, I would just like to see them make more of a concerted effort to push. Yeah, I'm you know after that what I just that last ran, I feel like I'm gonna get in trouble, but but I'm good. I think I think I'll be fine. I think I'll be fine. Uh No, so I I yeah, I mean we we pretty much covered it. I mean like, as far as the Rockets going into this season, there's really not that much pressure to win, even though I think they should win more. And I think it just makes sense that some of these young talents are gonna make leaps, and I think there's there's certainly a lot of things to watch for, especially Kevin Border Junior and Steven Salace, and those guys might might have pressure on them, but as a whole. This is kind of a more more of the same from last year. It's a feel good season. You know, just do what you can, right, just do what you can. Just don't just don't do something dumb, right, don't get hurt, right, like, don't don't don't don't go for charges, right, just just like just conserve your future, and you know, don't make winning trades, right, like like don't don't mortgage your future. Right. I think that's all. That's what the model for the Rocket season should be. Don't fuck this up, right, That's all. That's all. That's all you have to think about when you think of the Rockets this year, the twenty twenty two, two twenty three Rockets. Don't fuck this up. You heard it here first, somebody you're able to tell our listeners where they can find you and all the great work that you do. Yeah. Yeah, at Salmon Elite NBA on Twitter. The website slash newsletter is Red Nationhoops dot com. Podcast is also the same Red Nation Hoops and yeah, it's pretty much it. I had a lot of fun and I'm worried now because like our podcast was so good and our conversation was so good. And I'm pulling it back to back right now, and I feel like I'm gonna be drained for the second one. I don't know. I'm worried about that now. I did not anticipate in going almost ninety minutes, which is why I need to get you out of here. Thank you so much for coming on and it's always a pleasure to speak with you. And I'm sure, as you know by now, i'll be pestering you again in the future, So until next time, thanks again. Man, for sure, absolutely