What is krackowhacking Hardwin Knox listeners, I am Damp Valley coming at you without my fantabulous co host Adam Brammel. I am, however, pleased and excited it as always to keep our season look ahead train rolling. We have the Houston Rockets up next, so I've brought on my good friends Salmon Ali. He covers the MBA and the Houston Rockets for Clutch Points. He also hosts the Red Nation Hoops podcast for Blue Iron Podcast. We are also with the Blue Iron Network. Fantastic people over there. Follow Salmon on Twitter at Salmon Ali MBA. That's at SA l m A n A l I MBA. We get into all things Rockets. Wanted to do a special quick note here. I'm gonna be doing a lot of prerecorded intros moving forward. We asked that we will still be publishing from a lot of national content during this time the lead up to the season. We'll be attaching them to some team previews in front of it. We do ask, though, look, if your fans the general MBA download these podcasts anyway, if this is your first time listening to us because you saw us from Solomon or your Raka spend, give us a chance, look at our national coverage, rate review, and subscribe to us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, wherever you get your podcasts. This time of year is weird because a lot of people don't necessarily like to chop her in and talk about specific teams. I think it's very useful to try and do a deep dive into as many teams as possible. We're basically going to be going seven days a week now through the start of the season if the schedule works out as planned, so we appreciate everyone who goes on these journeys with us. I love talking to people who cover specific teams having to my knowledge of those squads as we get ready for the start of the year. I think it's a lot of fun and an instructive and informative exercise. I will not waste any more of your time, though, other than to say remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel, YouTube dot com s or Hardwood Knox will pop up, follow us on Twitter at Hardwood Knox, and again, if this is your first time listening, please pretty please with trigger on top describe to us download all our episodes that goes for long time listeners to download all our episodes help us continue to deduce those numbers. Let's talk some Houston Rockets now with Sam and Ali from the Red Nation Hoops Podcast. Then welcome back to the Hardwoodknos podcast. It felt weird not recording with you eight times over the offseason like we did last year when the Russell Westbrook James Harden stuff was happening. But there is still stuff happening in Houston Rockets land, to the point that there's a chance, you know, which will be on brand for us, that this podcast gets dated after it goes up, because maybe the Rockets get rid of John Wall. Maybe maybe they don't. They've been mentioned tangentially in the Bench With Simmons Sweepstakes. I think every team at this point has been mentioned in the Ben Simmon sweep steaks first and foremost, though, how the hell are you? I'm doing all right. I'm doing all right. The weather is pretty, you know, pretty good in Houston. No more tropical storms for the time being. You know, you never know what that stuff you can form at any time. But I think I'm doing all right Rightdow the Rockets, though they've undergone kind of a facelift over the past year really to get us started before we get into the nuts and bolts of of everything. What were just your impressions takeaways from what they've done this offseason. I guess which I should put the asterisk of so far, any prevailing themes or any moves that surprised you that that you liked, and anything along those lines. Well, it's pretty clear that they're really leaning into the youth movement, like as a as an indicator, like before the off season they had two players twenty one years or younger. Now they have six, right, and uh I, and you know they're they're having John Wall kind of scurry away, so they can, you know, have have their young players have more playing time, more usage, all that stuff. So it's it's pretty clear that they're leaning into that stuff and they're taking they're taking a lot of stabs at like high high level talent, right, which I which I think is good. I think if you're a Rockets fan, like the fact that they're taking these kinds of swings, you know, maybe maybe they don't hit all the time like they they were in the conversation for Damian Lillard. Apparently according to Brian Winhurst, so and obviously they probably weren't going to him, but the fact that they're in those conversations, I think that's pretty good you have. You still have a very aggressive front office after Daryl Morey. Yeah, and I mean they do have assets to move if they really wanted to go all in. But I think, you know, as I would agree with everything you said there. And given the John Wall news that he's just he's gonna be at training camp and show him to media day, it sounds like, but he's not going to be with the team. I'm curious as to why they would do that. Maybe it's because they value his infut with the locker room, or does he want to give interviews and say, hey, I'm one hundred and fifty percent on the player whatever he has. This isn't a hot take and it's no offense to John Wall. I'm glad he got paid. He has the worst contract in the two years and ninety one million dollars. What's the most likely outcome here? And I really I'm asking you, one, can they actually find a move for him? And two if they or can they find a move for him? Or is this going to inevitably end in a buy out even though they say that's not gonna happen, even though he probably doesn't want to give up money. And if you do see it ending, have you even I know you've given thought to this. Are there any teams that you've talked yourself into as okay, they could be actually willing to take on John Wall. So let's backtrack a little bit. So they're they're having him coming into coming into training camp because they wanted to stay in shape. Do they want John Wall to be ready to go if they find that suitor? Will they find that suitor is the real question though, right, I don't think they're you know, I wrote about this a little bit, right. I think there's two teams that I think I could see a John Wall trade with, like and that's pretty much the Clippers or the Mavericks. And I'm not sure I'm one hundred percent sold the Mavericks. Really it's the Clippers. If you're going to find a team, it's probably the Clippers. That the Rockets don't have to surrender multiple first round picks to give up the last contract. That's probably the one team where you don't have to do that with because they have a bunch of aggregatable contracts. And you know, you're really only talking about taking on fifteen million dollars of salary in twenty twenty three and twenty twenty four in terms of Luke Kennard. If they were to do a trade and like that's a significant chunk of money, I'm not going to pretend like that's not nothing. But that also gets you in the door. And like you don't have to give a first round pick, you're taking on that extra money. So in exchange, you're not giving up that first round pick. They are in need of point guard play. They've been in need of point guard play. Kawhi Leonard's entire tenure there. I think, you know, it's pretty clear that if Kawhi Leonard is your best passer, you have a problem offensively, Like they have a bunch of well fitting pieces. It's you just can't have Patrick Beverley's during the drink or Reggie Jackson or Eric Letzo, like you have to have someone better there. I think eventually that's probably going to have to be something that they're going to address. Maybe Eric Letzo is that guy for them, you know, maybe they decide Reggie, Reggie Jackson, Eric Letzo, that's the combo we're gonna go with and we're just gonna depend on our ForWords for playmaking. I don't I'm not sure if that's a long term recipe to really contend with the Bucks and the Lakers of the world. That's the only team, And to be honest, I don't buy that either. I think this has headed towards a buyout. This this really unraveled faster than I thought it was going to be. I thought this would all this stuff would happen next summer, and it's happening now, which kind of indicates I think the buyout will happen sooner rather than later. I think you're talking probably in February, after the trade deadline. That's usually when the high profile buyots happen every year. And I think what you're looking at is like the Rockets are gonna do their best to find a suitor. They're gonna, you know, they're gonna work with you know, Clutch and Rich Paul, and you know they're gonna come to the conclusion together. I think the Rockets probably already knew this, but you know, to kind of sell it to Clutch, like, listen, there's not a suitor here. You're you're you're following us. You're following us along and every step of the process, like look around the market, you see a suitor, and at that point you can sell it to them, like you can give up, Like if you can give up a few million dollars here or there, you know, we can come to an agreement on a buy out. I'm not sure if they're willing to do a buyout, but I think that's probably their only that's probably the only course of resolution. Where else, what else could they possibly do, is you know, unless they want to wait till next summer when he becomes an expiring contract and you know, maybe he's more valuable in trades. But at that point, like I still think that's a long time for John Wall to be on the bench. And you're talking about a player that was out of the NBA for two years, didn't play basketball for two years. I didn't like. I don't think he wants to do that again. So it's it's going to be it's probably gonna result in a buy out. I don't think they're gonna find a trade suitor. We'll see. You know, the Rockets are pretty aggressive with this stuff, but I don't think they want to give up any first round picks. That's probably what it comes down to. I don't think, like, first of all, their first round picks are pretty valuable, right, Like, if they were going to trade their own first first round pick for twenty twenty three, that's probably gonna be a lottery pick. And other than that, you're probably talking in the Milwaukee he picked up. They own the twenty twenty three Milwaukee first round pick, and I don't think they even want to give up that because they're a rebuilding team. Why would you give up assets as a rebuilding team when you don't have to, You know, when it's you're really in the driver's seat here. And that's kind of the unique thing here with Clutch, right, they're usually always in the driver's seat of these situations. This is one where they're not. Because he's clearly a really bad contract and everybody recognizes that, and he clearly needs to play more than the Rockets need him to play. And I think I think this is probably gonna end up being a buyout, as if I were to guess, Yeah, Like it really comes down to whether they would be giving willing to give up assets to actually get him off, And I don't think it would have to be more than just that Milwaukee pick, which is why if you're them, you shouldn't want to do it. You're not at that stage of your development to do it. Not when people mention the Thunder, it's just they're not doing that for free, and they're not doing that based off how they've executed others, not similar trades, but salary dumps that they've taken on. They're not accepting a low end first for the remainder of John Wall's contract. It's just not happening. Yeah, And like when when you talk about you know, I've I've heard the trades of like what about Kevin Love for John Walls Wall, We're like, why would John Wall want to do that? Right? Like I would still want to do that. Like, yeah, Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio, I guess is the movie, but you have Colin Sexton and Darius Garland there. But if you're not trading Ricky Rubio, then now you have John Wall, Ricky Rubio, Darius Garland and Collin Sexton there. And if you're the Rockets, I guess breaking up John Wall in the smaller contracts has value. But Kevin Love might be the second worst contract in the NBA. If not, he's probably one of the top five, top seven worst right now. So yeah, it's the Clippers. I guess an ideal scenario for the Rockets would be maybe the Clippers start off slow, their picks already going to Oklahoma City this year, even though they don't have Kawhi Leonard, there is an incentive to win. Perhaps there there's a sense of urgency to hey, we need to do something to swing for the fences. Eric Bletso has been bad. You could then make that trade with Mucanard, which the contract isn't good. But if you're gonna overpass someone or take on the longer term salary, it might as well just be a motion shooter who can literally just plug and play beside whatever type of offense you want to run. And there are defensive limitations to him, but you can use him on the ball a little bit and he'll shoot. His knees are in question. I get it. That's far from the worst case scenario for me. And if you break up John Wall into smaller contracts, even if one of them is longer, there's still value in that you can use those in other trades or Luke Nard isn't necessarily ancient. You can look at that, so that might be. That's sort of the one scenario I see as possible otherwise. And the thing. The thing with Luke Kennard is like, if you really want cap space in twenty twenty three and you feel like you're gonna get like a star player in that summer, well you can dump him right at that point. If you really feel like you're gonna get that level of player because you have you have that much cap space right now, well then it's not that hard to move a fifteen million dollars contract. Yeah, that's what I was gonna say. I'm very much of the mind too. When you're using the capspace argument, make it when you need it. There's no point the way we've seen extensions unfold or stars just not really leaving in free agency, there's no point. And even the Nick kind of made this decision where they've and I think correctly, the deals they signed this summer showed. Say what you will about some of them. I wasn't a fan of all of them. They've decided that the next star is coming via trade instead of free agency. I'm not saying those contracts are assets. But they want to be good without giving up flexibility for later and for any team that wants to sign a free agent, great, you will create the money, and I think we've seen Miami doing the past. They'll they'll make the money up here if they need it. So I'm definitely with you there. I would normally save this for the end of this whole segment, but because we're into the John Wall territory of it, it does seem that the Rockets might be Maybe it's just this case specifically, but they might be sort of thinking about the next moves unloading veterans sooner than we've expected. Two names that I think are actually going to be semi covetedt is Daniel House if he's healthy on his expiring deal, and then Eric Gordon has two guaranteed years left on his contract with this season. Do you think that they'll look at moving one of them? Is there one you expect is going to be more likely to move than the other? Would you predict that both of them would be gone before last season? Where do you sort of stand on that whole situation with two of them? Eric Gordon's absolutely going to be gone by this point in February it's it's just like he's too useful of a player, and his contract really isn't that bad. I know there are a lot of people that think that's a bad contract. I don't think it's that bad of a contract when you look at like the amount of high level playoff games that guy has been in and how useful he's been in those high level playoff games. Like, I'm sure there's a contender out there that could use his services. I've actually written about some landing spots with him. I think I think Eric Gordon will be gone by this point Daniel House. You know, players like that usually expire all the time and go to different teams. It's I don't think there's that much of an urgency to move him. I mean, his value isn't that high. You might be able to get like a second round pick for him, but like you know, it's whatever, it's not that big of a deal you can I think, I see Daniel House is more of an aggregatable contract, where like you can really combine his salary with others, Like, you know, let's just say the Rockets want to move David to Wabba, or they want to move they just signed Dante Exam, you know, if they want to, if they want to aggregate Dante Exam's contract with Daniel House, that is just the most rockets thing I've ever heard of. Like I've never heard of a net rating. It's like like the Rockets did I'm not sure if you remember Clinton Pelas contract. They had a defensive rebounding rate in the in in his contract. That's so nerdy, it's it's next level nerdy. And you know, it's encouraging that they're still doing stuff like that under the new regime because like it shows they're still thinking out of the box. But uh, yeah, it's such a rockets thing to do. Yeah, But like you know, I see back to Daniel House. I see his contract as more of something you could aggregate with other smaller deals and perhaps, you know, if whether you're looking to acquire an expiring contract or whether you're looking to acquire a better salary, I think that's probably where look, that's probably where you're looking with Danuel House. I don't think it's possible that they you know, they just move him for a second round pick. It's not out of question at all. But I think Eric Gordon is definitely going to be moved. I think Daniel House is absolutely gonna be moved just because the salary is so small and the positional mauability he gives you on defense is it's valuables, like a team like Utah that really just needs more optionality on the wings aside from Roys O'Neil, when you just look at how slow their wing defenders are. If that's his price leading into the trade deadlines, especially if he's not shooting threes as well as he was given what happened last year. But Eric Gordon's interesting because I honestly don't know, but I would agree with you that he should be viewed as valuable. People probably worried about his age, about his health history, but last year, before he was injured, he shot fifty eight point two percent on drives, which was the sixth best mark among one hundred and forty three players who averaged at least five drives per game. And so the only players in front of him Roluca, Jalen Brunson, Joe Angels, Lebron and Janice. He gives you real downhill jet fuel and those super deep threes. Even when he's not hitting them, Defenses still respect him. So he's spacing the floor and so he's opening pockets of space for everyone else. And the other thing is you've mentioned it with the playoffs, he's like held up defensively against Winks, and I know he's getting older. I know there's the injury history. But if you're looking for like the non blockbuster move, a gettable guy who shouldn't cost you too much draft equity, because I do think if you're the Rockets, there's probably you want something for him at this point unless he completely flops this year, but like you're probably just as interested in getting his money. If you can get an expiring contract for him, that opens up things that you can do moving forward as well. So I think he should be moved. It's just the number that's left on his deal. I still think it's prohibitive, but it's you know, you mentioned the incentives. His incentive is also funny, where it's like that third year ever coomes guaranteed if they win the title, he makes an All Star team. Whatever it was, like the Rockets contract incentives remain undefeated. They're hysterical. Yeah, and like in twenty nineteen, just that we're talking just two years ago. Aim like seven better role players in the NBA than Eric Gordon. That guy was really really freaking good. And I do think, you know, the money, I don't think. I really don't think it's as prohibitive as like a lot of people think it is. And I think I would venture to guess that they get a first back for him. I do, Yeah, I think they get a first back for him. It may not be a good first. I mean, it's probably not gonna be a good first because they're gonna be trading with a contender, because a rebuilding team is not going to acquire recording. But here's the thing with Houston, Like, if you look at what their salary cap situation is John Wall and Eric Gordon at this current point, they expire in twenty twenty three. In twenty twenty three, they're going to have two max cap spots and that's it. The cap space is gone because they're gonna have to worry about the extensions of Jalen Green, Kevin Porter Junior. A lot of the draft picks they just drafted are gonna be good. I'm not sure if all of them are gonna are going to require extensions, But you know, maybe I'll pernschen go and get it required an extension. Those guys are gonna get paid, So you're only gonna have one summer to use all that cap space. So you know, what incentive is there to move Eric Goren for a non favorable deal if you're taking back really bad money, or if you're taking back a salary that doesn't expire by that point, we should rather keep him because because you're set up in a such a way where you're opening up again two MAX cap spots in twenty twenty three. I think that's probably what Houston's rebuilt timeline is actually. I think they want to get attractive by that point, to where you start trying to recruit free agents and maybe try to do what the Hawks did even last year. Even if you can't land like a Max caliber free agent, acquire the best possible world players in the market and become good. Make that your timeline, because you only again, you only have one summer to use up all this money. Two years, thirty seven point eight million is what's left on his deal. That's if they get a first that'll be impressive. I guess a lot depends on I agree that they won't and shouldn't take on salary that extends noticeably. Past Or passed his two year guarantees, and that definitely you don't one of more expensive but if if you can just get one of the larger one of these larger expiring contracts room, I wonder if that starts the conversation for them. I guess a lot though, just depends on how what he looks like to start the season. That I didn't list this when I sending to the outline, but it's been popping up. What is the Ben Simmons to Houston stuff is just I know, people sort of made it a joke. I'm more fascinating in the sense like I don't understand it because I don't see the pathway to Ben Simmons ending up in Houston at this point. Yeah. When I did my John Wall Trade Destination column, I put I put the Sixers in there as kind of a throw in, and even in the paircraft where I talked the little blurb I put next to the Sixers, like, I was like, I don't see this happening. I like, if they're going to trade for Ben Simmons, it's going to require multiple first round pick because Ben Simmons is one of the best defensive players in the NBA. In the fast break, He's an absolute He's an absolute menace. He's still really, really valuable. I think you know, what you see on Twitter is not his actual trade value. I think when you when you look at what his turn is gonna be, when when the six Ers do eventually move him, I think it's going to be better than what most people expect right now. I think right now his consensus value is probably too low. I think general managers probably see that better than you know, your average Joshmo on Twitter. I think he's if he gets traded for John Wall, I'm drastically undervaluing what he is. Is what I'm saying, right And I even thought about it in the context of, well, what if it's like a three team deal for the other team doesn't want Ben Simmons and they're facilitating it, like the players they're sending out are Christian Wood, Eric Gordon, Daniel House and then other stuff. But it's also like, why are you giving up? I would do that for Ben Simmons. I think he's fantastic. He's, like you said, he's an amazing defensive player. He has some playmaking ability. I don't know that Houston's roster is the best fit for him, but if you surround him with enough shooting. I know people said Philly did that last year, but Joel Embiat and Ben Simmons, like, they're just not a utopian fit right now. I just I don't see. I can understand the logic of the interest. And of course if his value bottomed up, but you're not trading John Wall and getting Ben Zimmons. That's not happening in the same transaction. That's just absolutely not that. No, if that happens, like the Sixers should get creep unless they're getting like an insane amount of draft equity, that the Sixers should get killed for that in the media. And even then that would represent a pivot because they're then deciding we're taking draft equity rather than actual talent back when we have a title Winno to win now with Joel and b that would be that would be fascinating if that happens. Where are your thoughts on Christian Wood leading into this year. There's increasing and experience around him. I would say, you're also removing I don't know that John Wall change your fortunes a bunch, but he does. They're not like flush with point guard options right now, and so that's someone who might have been able to simplify the game a little bit for him. Wood was fantastic when he was healthy last year. Do you think playing within this roster could hurt him at all? And I think the bigger question for me is, and We've talked about this before, is this sort of an under the radar trade candidate to watch because he has two years left on his deal. And I'm not of the mind that, oh, you need to trade all these guys instead of paying them when you're a team like the Rockets. He's extension eligible after this season. Because of the two years being done, You're he's on probably one of the best contracts in the league right now. When you look at his pay grade relative to performance last season. Why are you shelling out what could be a ton of money to keep him when you're just so obviously not going to be at that point in your development where you are ready to win. Here's what I always stay with this conversation. At this point next season, right till the start of next season, Christian Wood is going to be twenty seven years old and on an expiring contract, and the rest of the Rockets roster or the rest of the Rockets core rather is going to be still on their rookie deals with several years remaining. So like, I just it's hard for me to envision a long term future for him in Houston. I will say this, they have so much money coming up in twenty twenty three, where like if they if they swing in on all their intended targets, Christian Wood's not like the worst Consolidation Prize, you know, to use up all that money. So they they're not in any rush to move him right now, but I think they really need to start having that conversation if they haven't already at this point next summer, do you think that he'll be fine playing with him this roster, that he'll be able to give deliver an adequate encore or what he was doing last season. Yeah, he's a he's a good player, man, Like I like Christian Wood. He's he's got his words, you know, not the best playmaker, not the best defender. But you know that's not what the Rockets are asking of him, right Like the Rockets are asking him to be a pick and pop threat, you know, and be whatever he can be whenever he gets the basketball in his hands. I think as far as what the Rockets envisioned for him next year, I may actually disagree with that vision. I get the sense that they're going to start Daniel Tice at center and start Christian Wood at power forward next year. Yeah, I think that was the whole impetus behind the tie signing. I don't agree with that vision. I think Christian Woods a center, I think, yeah, I think. You know, it's it's really hard to find the ideal power forward to place next to him. It's just because of his defensive limitations. But I'd rather work on trying to find that now than misplaced where he is, you know, long term, because I just I don't think he's mobile enough to play power forward, and the Rockets in general are going to be pretty immobile in their starting lineup. Uh So, I I don't, I don't. You know, I don't. I don't like that fit. I actually liked what he was playing before. I liked Jayshon Tate starting next to Christian Wood. And you know, it makes sense to me because you know, Jayshawn Tate's not the best shooter right now, and you know, when you're not the best shooter. Downsizing you was not the worst idea. I like. I like the idea of Jayson Tata as a power forward until he figures the shooting stuff out, and it just makes a lot of sense. I like that fit better than Tyson Wooden next starting next to each other. But the Rockets really liked what they saw with Kelly Kelly Olynic next to Christian Wood. I guess this is kind of like their advancement of that. They think, you know, Tys is a better defender than Olynic. He can make up for whatever Christian Wood is it as a un protector. And you know, some of that's true. I just don't agree with that offensive vision. Yeah, and look the luxury of Christian would and he you know, we mentioned everything about him on offense. His floor game is really nice too, and so he can play the four on offense because he gives you the range and there is the level of stuff that you can do with the Balmus hands. But it's like you said, it creates issues on defense, and it also seems like, yeah, you do you have the factor, think about how you're flushing out the front court rotation around him. And so some minutes with Daniel Tye, Fine, but you do have Jason say, like you mentioned, you also on Garuba there now too, who could be a defensive monster. I know he's a rookie, but those are still two guys that I would think you can put it the four play next to Wood and that's something to watch. And the other issue I would say there is like, then you're sort of fitting out unnecessarily your center rotation at this point, because Wood enticed to me, when you look at the roster, are your centers like who else are you playing Shane Goon downsizing to like the upteenth degree and playing Garuba? They're like what happens with the backup five minutes if you're playing tights next to Wood? Yeah, I think Shangoon's gonna play back up five next season. Like the way they are the rotations, you know, squaring out right now, I think that's what they intend for him next season. I think he's probably going to be the rookie with the second most minutes on the roster next season because of the role he's going to be asked to play. I'm not sure how he's how they're going to interchange, like as far as their rotations go, Like which guys play which player is the best. But my guess is that's what they see. Again, if it were me, I probably would have Here's the thing that the Daniel Tys contract is so good, so I understand why they would sign it, right. It's just a great value and it's something you can you can get a return for him in the future. So I understand, Like like in free agency, these are kind of moves that Houston should be doing basketball wise. It's not the best fit right now. Before I sort of get into the youngsters, how do you think them sort of I want they giving up on their wall, which is design that John Wall is not a part of this team. What does that do to the primary playmaker pecking order for a roster that, even with John Wall was sort of hard up for. Yeah, there are guys who could generate their own shots, but who can elevate the play of the teammates around them with their cable setting. They just don't have a ton of options. Are they going to default to leaning hard on a veteran like DJ Augustine or do we see KPJ get more reps at point guard this year? What is what is the impact of now not having John Wall there on their sort of floor general vision. Yeah, the Rockets are sending a pretty clear message here and that they they viewed Kevin Porter Junior as their point guard in the future, right like they think they think he is the guy at that at that at that position for them. And listen, I really like his playmaking, Like like what he did last season when he came to Houston as as a passer, I just thought was really the impressive. And I did. I didn't know he had that in his game, to be honest, I I you know, he got the James Harden comparisons in college. I just thought that was weird. I know, I didn't see that with him, But in terms of the passing, I definitely do see his position in the NBA headed in that direction. He you know, he was viewed as the shooting guard small forward prospect and that's kind of what Cleveland used him as. And I thought I thought that was kind of the wrong way to use him. I thought they put that was kind of putting him in a box. He played zero percent of his minutes in twenty nineteen at point guard. Like you're not gonna try it, Like I get you got contexton and Darius Garland there, but you gotta at least, you know, see what he can do with the ball in his hands. And I like that Houston right away when he got to when when he got there, like he obviously he spent his time in the G League with the Vipers. Then when it became pretty clear that he was an NBA player, Uh, they made him a starting point guard. And I think that's kind of what they envisioned for him. I think Jalen Green is again like I think Jaylen Green as a playmaker has a lot of room to grow. So the Rockets really need to figure out, like what kind of what kind of playmaker do we put next to him? And I'm guessing that this is kind of their first stab at, like can this guy be our solution to the playmaking? We'll see he's his assistant. Turnover racial last year was god awful. He's really bad defensively and the shoot the shooting efficiency is actually not as good as many people think, right, he has a lot of various to improve as a basketball player. Like he shot like fifty three percent true shooting last season. He was like he turned the ball over like four times for thirty six minutes and that was again like on seven assists for thirty six minutes. It's not great. But if he, if he can, if he put in the work this summer, I am intrigued to see it. Like I think, you know, he does deserve a spot in the early betting Most Improved Conversation because of the role with the Rockets are gonna give him and the amount of minutes he's gonna play. I think as far as playmaking on the roster, I mean, who else is a playmaker on the roster besides Kevin Porter Junior In DJ Augustine, I don't see it like it's you know, I you know, I don't think they're gonna ask Dante x him to do it. I don't think they're gonna ask Alper and Changoon to do it. You know, it's it's gonna be It's gonna be him. It's gonna be him in DJ Augustine. And we'll see how that works out for them. It could be pretty row effects year for Houston, and he showed KPJ. Showed more flair for passing than I ever thought that he would have last year. And just like even so, I'm making the quick decisions some of his passes just felt like pure anarchy where he was. It was just after a ton of dribbling, but there was also just like you know, some two handed no look stuff, and it was it felt like the field might be there, and so I'm very interested to see it. But then you look at sort of the offensive talent around him, and you wonder if you're putting him at a little you'd be putting anyone. I guess it a little bit of the service there. I'm also wondering how this sort of then informs and you kind of already touched upon this what happens with Jalen Green. He did play a lot off the ball last year in the G League. Do you think he's given carte Blanc from day one? Because he was so fun to watch in Summer League? And I try not to make see Summer League is too instructive, but I was in on Jellen Green to begin with, and I'm just so far and on him now because I do think for someone who didn't necessarily have the ungoverned agency to create at will last year, that aspect of his game might actually be there. And if you can toggle between playing on or off the ball, like that that ends up being huge, But for a Rockets team that also needs someone to then direct everyone else and provide some resemblance of an offensive identity to the players around them, I don't know if that's overstretching him right away in that role. Yeah, I have concerns about the playmaking with Jalen Green, Like I think that's going to be a long term thing with him that he's going to have to grow and work on. But his ability in the pick and roll in Summer League was really impressive. But I did not think that He's just much more polished than anybody could have imagined already. But again, he hasn't played be a minute yet, so you know, we'll see how that works out. But yeah, I think he is going to be given carte blanche. He's gonna have an insanely high usage next season. I mean, there's a reason he is. I think he's co favorites a Rookie of the Year with Kid cunning him. I'm not I'm not sure. I haven't checked the odds as of recently, but there's a reason he's pretty high up there. He's going to have the ball a lot, and this wall decision only only gives him more of that. So I think, I think when when you're talking about building around a long term, you're going to have to figure out a long term playmaking option unless he suddenly surprises people and becomes like a seven eight assists a game guy, which I don't see for him, But you know, if he surprises people that I guess. I guess you know you don't have to do that. But I do think when you when you talk about building around him, I look at last year's sons as a model of like, if you can find like a veteran guard like Chris Paul to play next to him. Obviously not now, it's gonna be a long time until they get to that position where they where they're actually attractive enough to trade for that kind of a player. But if you can get to a point where you can find a player like that, or even someone in the front court to do some of the playmaking, my point is he's not going to be that guy. At least that's what I see for it see from watching him not only in the G League, but some of the summer league stuff. I'm with you on the pick and roll he threw. I can't remember who he threw it too, because it's it's the summer league roster, but he he I think it was against the Calves and he just threw a bounce pass between two defenders out of the pick and roll to find a you know, the roller, and I think that's something that he could certainly handle him. When you're working with Christian Wood and Daniel Tis, they're not necessarily those like explosive guys towards the rim, but if they're gonna pick and pop, you can work the same one of the same stuff with I'm even Christian Wood, who has natural floor gaming, can put the ball on the floor. They might be able to do some interesting two men things with them, but it's sort of your I am with you in the sense that I don't know if he can be your top assist guy. I don't want to measure justin assist, but your top playmaker. Still, I might be more inclined. I might more of a believe earned him now after watching him in Summer League doing some of that stuff than I was beforehand. Yeah, My point is I just don't see him as like the heliocentric offensive guy right now, like I think I think I see him more as you know your your zach Lavine type, which is good. You know, if you can get to five or six assists per game, that's that's pretty good. It's not where you need to be as the lead playmaker. That's that's kind of where I think you know you have this in your rundown when you talk about players at Houston should target long term. I think playmakers are definitely something I would put high up on the total bowl born alprenschangu guy. We've actually talked about this in DMS about how how you are and how I am not? Can you one where you comfortable with the price that they paid to get him? And two? Can you sell me on Alfrenschangun who just feels like too much of a throwback player where he's gonna end up being like a wanna be to MafA sa bonis that I don't think it's as good as a bonus? What am I missing here about him? So I hear what you're saying, right, I think a lot of people look at Sean Good and think this guy's just been his Canter part two, right? And I don't see that, right, Like, I think he's more than the post post player, right, He's an awesome post player, right, Like he has all he has great touch around the rim, all the counters, all that stuff, right, But he's a great screen and dive guy at a guy that can actually run the floor. And I think a lot of people, you know, just don't see that with him, but in Turkey that's certainly what he did a lot and efficient efficiency wise. He gets to the free throw line like crazy, like he's a monster foul bater. And you know, we'll see how the NBA roles, the new NBA roles impact that, but I do think he's going to be able to get to the free throw line a lot if he has the ball in his hands. I think he's more than just that post up guy offensively, but as a floor spacer, that's going to be an area of growth for him. Like he is not a good three point shooter right now, I do think he has that jump shot in his repertoire. Right He's a good mid range shooter and a good free throw shooter, so I think he can eventually become a good three point shooter. It's not there yet, So I I like having him as a backup center or even playing in the G League for a season, you know, to work on that kind of stuff and NBA defense, Listen, like that's going to be a problem for him. I'm not going to pretend like it's not. I'm not going to pretend like he's he's a great defender. But it's it's one of those things where like he is so positive in all these other areas. And again, he was the MVP for the third best league in the world up like at nineteen years old, and you look at guys who have done that, it's a pretty small list, and at the number eighteen position, if you can get players of that caliber, you can't be upset. Obviously, they paid a decent price tag for him. Those picks are pretty heavily protected. The Washington pick and the Detroit pick are forever. Yeah, they're they're they're pretty far to the future, their mystery box. They're not going to say they're not good picks. Like nobody knows if they're good picks. Yet. Nobody knows how Detroit or Washington are going to be for the next few years. Right, It's it's just hard to it's hard to kind of peg that. But they could be lottery picks. And if you're talking about trading two lottery picks for Shanon That's that's that's pretty happy price tag. But he's one of the guys in the draft where like I think he I think he has like Kevin Love upside, like keV Love and his prime prime upside. And if you're talking about getting that, like trading two lottery pecks for the potential for drafting that kind of guy, I think it's worth it. Like I thought, on my board, he was number seven, and I think in any of the draft he could have been top four, top five. So I'm really high on the guy. I think he has all star potential at his absolute ceiling. I think his medium range of outcomes is a really really productive NBA player. Uh that is probably a starter eventually, not now. I don't think he's ready for that now, but I think I think in his medium range of outcomes, he is a starter. He was good in Summer League too, to his credit. I just his foot speed with the ball in his hands. I feel like I'm watching something on bold and slow motion, and I'm curious how that translates. I'm sorry I forgot to add great passer awesome. Yeah, like great great passers sees things develop on the court better than most bigs. And he also has a he's gonna throw at least one to five nifty bounce passes a game. It looks like, based off what I saw from him something league. I didn't know much about him until I did the crash course before the draft, but his foot speed on the ball, it feels like I'm watching it. So I guess if you're gonna be a five is much for a problem. But then the defense that you mentioned, it is sort of slow footed, especially laterally on defense there. I just thought the way I looked at it was I see those first round picks that they gave up from Detroit and Washington respectively, as first round picks that are eventually going to convey. I don't maybe they're lottery picks, maybe they're not. I viewed it as picks that are that you gave up two first round picks over the next you know, I guess half decade for they're gonna convey at some point over the next half decade for Roper Ruin, Shaneguon. And if you thought they were going to convey imminently, when you kind of have like the nets stuff conveying and you have your own picks for the next two years. I would have gotten it more, but those also seemed like the kind of picks that are probably gonna convey little bit distantly. It's it's impossible to know, I will say, because it's so far into the future, so we have to wait years to see how this plays out. I just thought it was It was one of those deals that I hated for both sides, by the way, because I just thought, Okay, see, even as bad as they're trying to be, just needed an infusion of talent. Uh. And then with Houston, it's like, given we're at in your development, consolidating anything just felt bizarre. I don't hate it. I just felt a little bit something about it feels off. But if you're that, if Shane Goon turns out to be one of the ten best players in this draft, then you probably ended up making the right decision. Yeah, And I think I think as a room protector, he's probably better than than a lot of people expected him. He's he's again the footspeed stuff and the switching like, that's that's probably never going to come for him, right. I think I think you're probably going to have to, Taylor make a defense around him, but as a room protector, he's got pretty decent instincts. He knows where to be. Uh. He communicates obviously that communication has to get better. He didn't speak English quite well. Ye right now, but at that at some point he'll get there. Yeah, I'm just high on the guy. I really, I'm really high on the guy. And the Rockets have an incentive to get good in the next few years because they have these picks going Oklahoma City, and if those picks are really good, like that could be devastating towards their rebuild. Right like that. It's it's not just like a pr thing. That's an opportunity cost and I think I think that they made this move with that in mind. This was definitely a swing. I'm not gonna pretend like he was in a swing. This was one of their big swings, but I like the swing. See, so they have two other first round picks in the roster. Josh Pristopher responded Rubat, I could not believe that group of fell to twenty four. I think the biggest thing there was teams weren't sure that he was going to come over. He ended up being able to broke her a buyout and is coming over. I am not someone who has watched him like hours upon hours, but I have seen him, watched highlights and watch film of him. I am in love with him. I think he's gonna bring so much defensive valuability to the NBA, and I thought that was a fantastic pick by them. Do you have any strong impressions of him or opinions of him or Josh Christopher? Can we expect? I think it's pretty clear. And the other thing I'll add, by the way, quickly, on Shane Good. If you're what they're doing with Tyson Wood while neither of us are in love with I think it might ultimately end up benefiting Shane Good because I do think he should be at five in the NBA based off how he plays, and that's gonna make it easier for them to play him at the five and backup minutes. So there's a benefit to that. But it's clear that he's going again minutes. It's clear that obviously Joleen Green is going to get minutes. How much do you anticipate the Rockets relying on Garuba and Josh Christopher in their those guys aren't playing, they're going to be playing for the Vipers, Okay, I mean, I mean, if you look at it, I mean they have nine players on their roster they are twenty five years or older. So they have a ton of vets. It's hard to envisit Houston as that kind of team, but they are that kind of team. They have to unload some of these vets at some point to get some actual, you know, draft capital back. But until until they get there, they're they're not gonna be playing a whole lot. I think there there may be time for Christopher at some point when they trade Eric Gordon, I think there may be time for him. But Garuba I don't think. I think he's gonna be spending the bulk of his time with the Vipers next year. Uh. And you know the Tyson Wood thing, Like I think a big, a big part of that is like this also relieves some pressure to like make him that guy, right, Like, he doesn't have to play, he doesn't have to have a lot of usage, he doesn't have to have he doesn't have to play a bunch of minutes. He's the backup center for this team. And it's a bad team. So there's not there's not there's not this this you know high, this high amount of pressure for him to succeed right away. But I think those guys are you know, Sangoon. I think was probably the best defensive player outside of the NBA. I don't think that's crazy. I think he's really really good and really really like laterally, moves his feet really well, great communicator, all that stuff. Can play a few different positions. I like, I didn't. I was like you, I didn't think you would fall to twenty three. That was insane. That was insane that that many teams let him let him fall that much. But it is kind of worrying that the shooting is something he has to work on, right I think that's going that's probably why he fell. They're probably NBA front office. They didn't have confidence in his confidence in his jumper, and that's probably going to be something that's probably going to be something has to work on with the vipers and the rockets aren't exactually built to give him extra space, like they just have someone on the floor who's maybe not even playing the five and can't shoot. I get that. I will say, I hope you're wrong that they don't use him because look, his crunch time block in the Summer League game against the Blazers. That's just about I'm alway, responded Toubot. I'm just absolutely sold on his defensive potential. Jay Shawn Tate all of a sudden, basically like one of just the veterans on this team. Basically everyone knows how valuable he is on defense. What do the Rockets need to see more of from him in year two? Is it really as simple as us saying, oh, we need to hit more of his threes? Do you intestate him getting even more responsibility on the ball where he showed that he could be really like sort of a bully. His handle feels a little bit loose at time, but he does. I think for people who maybe didn't watch him as often as you did, he really does do more with the provide you more. He's really good with moving without the ball, too, because seems like he finds sort of these you know, space vacuums. But he could overpower some guys if he's near the rim or even when he's kind of going downhill. I'm just I don't know what I envisioned for him necessarily offensively moving forward. That's just a guy that knows how to play basketball. Whenever I watched hit that that's just what I think of and like he knows where to be on the floor. He's he's a good ball handler. I mean a lot of people don't know this. He was playing shooting guard overseas before he came to Rougets and then he became essentially a forward for Houston and it's it's probably his natural fit. He is a bit undersized, but I think he makes up for it, and I think he's probably going to play small starting small forward for Houston next season. But the shooting definitely has to come along. That's that is a concern. Uh, he's twenty five years old, you know, I think a lot of a lot of people think of him as like this twenty two year old that the Rockets just got last year. Yeah, he's he's twenty five and shooting is something that it's a hit or miss in terms of development in the NBA. I think people view this as like something that's very really easy to catch on. Like, No, that's probably ball handling. It's more easier to become a better ball handler than it is to become a better shooter in the NBA. Uh, that's going to be something that I'm going to watch four with him next year. Other than that, guy's a stud defensively, man, He's he's just awesome. Like I did not think he was going to be that good. I didn't think he was going to play as much. And you know, during the preseason he got the starting spot on one of their preseason games. I'm like, really, like he's that he's doing that well in training camp and apparently he was because that starting spot and ever went away. Look, he's he's absolutely fantastic. You just you need him to hit more than he did shoot almost sixty percent, which definitely helps his case, But you need him to shoot better than thirty point eight percent from three. I don't I'm a believer in Yeah, shooting is difficult to come along, but if you get if defense aren't, they're gonna leave him open. And if you can hit set threes, that's doable. I just don't know who's teeing him up for set threes on this roster, if it's not Green or KPJ, and like it's gonna be able to with an issue. I am interested to see just based off how I think he moves off the ball. May free to disagree. And if you're gonna play Shangun, there might be if some Shangoon passes to Jayshan Tate might become like a league pass guilty pleasure for some basketball nerds. And I could seem I can envision myself falling in love with with a play like that. Yeah, and I think I think KPJ will find him too, Like I think that's a guy who knows where guys are on the floor. You may not always make the right basketball decision, may turn the ball over a lot. The thing with KPJ is he doesn't quite have a tight enough handle yet, Like he loses the ball far too much for a point where what is going to be a point guard next season? If you remember his fifty point game, his fifty point twelve is this game he he almost turned the ball over by just dribbling too high on one of those possessions and he eventually got to step back three out of it. Like cool, but like like that that that kind of stuff is definitely going to be something that he needs to work on. Yeah, it's gonna be. The playmaking is going to be an issue. I actually viewed Tate as more of a power four in the NBA, and if I think it's a mistake to start him into three but please yeah, yeah, And I think I think you know, have the idea of him next to Gruba or not next up next to Shangun. I think that's pretty appealing as you as you work on Gruba's development in the background. I think that's not the worst idea. And I think it's it's he's he's just a good player. He's just a good player. I think the shooting is he needs to hit like thirty four percent from three and on catch and shoots, he needs to hit like thirty six thirty seven percent, And it'll be if again, if he does do that, he just becomes one of the best. Didn't even call him three D because I think he provides more value on offense than that. Away from the ball, inside the ark and all that stuff, he just becomes like one of the single most valuable. Yeah. Role I feel like role players people take as an insult but complimentary players in the NBA. If he ends up hitting his catch and shoot threes at a league average or slightly better clip and have you seen his contract, it's it's it's the Hinky Special. It's the Hinky Special. They gave him the Hinky Special, uh, And I think that's because he was just undervalued by the by the league. It was. It's a huge hit for rafall Stone, you know, like it's like he was he was hyping him up a lot going into the season, and you know a lot of people were just kind of like shrugging, like okay, we'll see, like nobody knows, nobody had ever seen this guy play in the NBA. And he he was right like that's that's that's an that's an arrow he has in his quiver that he got that pick right, and the Kenyan Martin Junior pick, which Kenyan Martin Junior was a guy that probably wasn't supposed to be drafted last season and he got drafted and he now it looks like he probably should have been drafted higher. That guy is like legitimately a freak athlete, Like he tries to dunk on somebody every single game and he always misses. But it's always entertained to see him attempted, like he always tries to dunk on somebody off of a rebound. And defensively, like I do see the versatility there and the shooting with him developed so quickly came out of nowhere. He shot thirty seven percent from three last year or something like that. It might have been thirty six and a half percent or something like that. And that's that was an area of concern for him coming out of the draft. The fact that he was that good coming out of the coming out of you know, his first season in the NBA. It's it's pretty impressive to me. Again, like the I'm just mentioning like these are arrows and with fell stones Quiver as a general manager and as a talent evaluator, like I'm still trying to gather, you know, data on him because again he's only been a general manager for like what sixteen months or something, but like this, this is it's pretty impress But he's been able to find on the scrap you. Yeah, and look, Keny Martin Junior showed some I was gonna ask you about him or give you the option to talk about So you're assuming he will play a role, like a regular role on this team. He's gonna play the backup power forward. Uh, and yeah, I think which he's not. By the way, he's not all that big. He just jumps like he is someone who could like he could he can legitimately, you know, be a help, be a help rim protector. At where's he sixty six six five whatever he is right now? Yeah, it's not hard to tell who his dad was, you know, like like it's it's uh, he he doesn't make it that that subtle, but yeah, it's it's an exciting young group and I think Kenyan Martin Junior is one of those guys are like, I want to see how he does a second year in the NBA. See if the shooting holds up, And if shooting holds up, that's uh. You know. John Lucas is like a really heralded guy in the NBA as a player development coach, and you know that's that's that's a success story. If he can get Kenyan Martin to be a good three point shoot in the NBA. This team is gonna be bad on offense, and I think the expectations that they're gonna be bad on defense too because of I guess just the sheer youth. But I kind of look at this roster and I'm like, are you already said Gruba might not play and he is a rookie, so fine, but you if David Nwaba is healthy. You have Daniel Tice, now you have Jay Shawn Tate. If Kenyan Martin Junior is going to play, Like, is there a chance that this team surprises people on defense or do we just assume that they're going to be absolutely terrible on that meant the floor? Okay, so you said surprise and I was ready to shut you down because what you put in the rundown you said that they were going to be an above average defense. No way. First of all, I asked you, I never would have picked that. But if I gave you an over under of twenty third in points a lout point possession, I'd probably still say. You know what I'll say, I'll say they're like twenty seconds. I'll take the I'll take the under. I guess, yeah, I'll take the under. I don't even know how your joe about that. Yeah, what you'll say? That's fine? Yeah? Yeah, yeah, I think they'll be I think they're still gonna be bottom ten, but I think they'll be better than last year. But but here's the thing, Like, I mean, and you know this defense in the NBA is it's really simply like how many good defenders are on your main rotation and how many good defenders are in your starting lineup. The Rockets have two of those guys in their starting lineup, like Daniel Tye and jay Sean Tait. Outside of that, they have some of the worst defenders in basketball Kevin Porter Junior, Jalen Green's are rookie Christian Would like It's it's not great, and those like I'm not sure Tys is going to be able to make up for all all of them. There was like worst O KPJ. Sharbert, are you living in Christian Would or even Jaalen Green? Just based off shows like are those gonna be some of the worst defenders in the league? That feels like a bit strong. I think Jalen Green will be one of the worst offers in the league. Maybe Christian Would, you know can get to average or if he's five, I think he'll be okay. But you did just say that he's gonna play a bunch of Daniel Tis, so yeah, so I think he's probably he can probably get to slightly below average or average. So maybe I'm being too harsh on him. I think Jalen Green, like I wasn't high on his defense going into the NBA, and he is a rookie as well, so I think I think I think he's gonna be pretty bad next season as a defensive player. But yeah, I don't have that much confidence in them being a good defense. I think they'll be better because they have a lot more health this season. You know, they had a ton of injury last year and they had a bunch of COVID missuses, and like, I think this season's gonna be better for that. But still it's not's not great. It's it's not great when like Jay Shawn Tad is like your best defender, like he's very good, but like he's not good enough to carry what this is going to be next year. It's also tough to know because if you end up moving Gordon or Danuel House like, then there's a chance you just get worse defensively, especially if House is playing and you're moving him. So I don't know what I would pick, but I just look at the talent. I do feel like if they're going to be better than expected on one end of the floor, I think it's defense because I don't see the pathway to it necessarily for them. On offense, I think they'll have more shooting. Then last year, you know, Eric Gordon's going to be healthy for the I mean, we'll see, I mean, knock on wood, I guess Eric Gordon is coming back. Uh. And I think that was a big reason they were one of the worst three point shooters in basket three point shooting teams in basketball last year, like he is. If you look at what the Rockets have been in the James are And era, it's always there's always a strong correlation to one Eric Gordon is playing and their team's three point shooting. So I think that I think I think there'll be a better three point shooting team. A lot of those attempts were just going to like awful, awful three point shooters. Also, I think Jina hard to be worse than twenty nine and three point accuracy. So yeah, there's nobody but up almost for them. And they this is a team that shoots like what forty five three is a game or something like, I don't I don't remember what it was, but they shoot a ton of three pointers per games. They were still in the top three of the percentage of their total shot at times that came from from three point range last year. So they're they're gonna get him up. Yeah, and Jalen Green's a good shooter, you know, Like I think I think he'll be a positive on that end. Yeah, it's it's not great. Like I'm not gonna pretend like they're gonna be h the twenty eighteen Rockets by any means, but like they're they're gonna I think they'll be better as far as three point shooting. But you're right, I think defense is definitely probably a better area of the group. We kind of already tackled this really quickly. The biggest one in the team is that they still need that guy that you're gonna look at and say, he is our primary playmaker. He is our offensive engine. And maybe it could be kapj but you're still on shore they are. And ditto for Jolen Green, who might just end up being more in like the I'm not comparing me to directly, but when you think of a Kawhi Leonard or Paul George Riven, Kevin Durant as a playmaker where they might get there, maybe he gets to the point where's four or five assists a game one. Is that gonna happen next season? I don't know, but two, you probably don't want him running your offense. And so that's still what this team is needs most, right, Yeah, this team first and foremost needs a star. And like yeah, and like like I know, I know we're kind of assuming in this exercise that Jalen Green will be that guy. But I just want to put it out there. No, he hasn't played a minute of NBA basket. We don't We don't know if he's going to be a star. I think it helps that they at least have that tent pole prospect. There are some teams that you know, and yeah, I'm with you, they still need a star, but like when you're looking at specific archetype, it would be the primary playmaker. Yeah, assuming it's his potential, I agree with you. Yeah, they need playmakers and defenders. That's what they need for the like long term like building out theoretically this team. That's that's what I would target if I were Houston the like again, I look at the I look at the Sun's last season. I'm like, that's the archetype man like that. You gotta you gotta build a team like that. This is a tough question for this team. What do you think is going to be the most effective or most used closing lineup for them. We're operating under the assumption that they're going to be close games that they want to win, which is always one. Those lineups are definitely a lot matchup based, but two, they might fuck around towards the end of the year because there is the or even during the entire year, because there is the market. What they're doing right now, which is smart by leaning into sort of the rebuilding mode right now, is there is a market inefficiency. When you look at the rest of the NBA of teams that aren't actively trying to win a bunch right now, it feels like they're only between like four or five teams that are only care about later. The Rockets are one of them. So it makes it tough to judge not only how many close games they'll be in, but like, what are they going to actually try and field the best talent down those stretches pander more so too. We want to just generate more experience. We're gonna see all the youngsters in crunch time. But if you had to guess what would be the best crunch time lineup for this team down the stretch of close games, So One difference between this front office and this coaching staff and the last front office and the last coaching staff is they're much more traditional as far as positions go, right, Like they like Eric Gordon played all of his minutes to shooting our last year, whereas under Mike D'Antoni played a ton of small forward so like, and that goes on down the line, like, they really wanted to get a center before, you know, when they thought they were going to keep Harding, they really wanted to pair a traditional center with him. So I think they're going to They're not going to play a small ball line up in closing in crunch time next season. If I were to guess, I would say Kevin Porter Jr. Jalen Green, Daniel House and Jayshawn Tate and Christian Wood. That's probably who I would I would pay as their as their closing lineup. Right now, you're the coach or GM, this isn't what quirky lineup do you think they're going to try? But you have the option of telling them you have to test out this lineup. What is an offbeat, unconventional five man unit you want to see them play? I want I want to see them play Eric Gordon a small Ford, Okay, I want to I want to see them play Kevin Porter Junior, Jalen Green, Eric Gordon and Jayshawn Tate and Christian Wood. It's not that different, actually, not that different from what I think they're gonna do. I don't think they're gonna play small like I think their lineup. Actually, their roster actually suits well at a Christian Wood playing center in crunch time. So I'm going a little bit more off the walls here. Offvide an answer to this, because this is my favorite question of every single team podcast that I ask. I'm I'm sort of along the same lines as you. I want to see It's basically just all youth for them with the except I want to see Jason, I want to see KPJ. I want to see Jalen Green, I want to see Josh Christopher, and then I want to see Usman Garubo at the five. Make it happen. That's your small ball lineup. I would argue, again, this was supposed to be an off the walls question, and like you said, based off I'm not very off the walls. To be fair, I'm very conservative with this kind of stuff so like, but you're also basing it off of your saying that this front office has a put put more value and maybe traditional lineup setups than the previous regime. I'm just wondering it was like when the Hawks were not very good yet, but you wanted to see the all youth lineup. Give me the all putting youth in quotes, because I know Jashon tad Is, you know the age of a veteran, but just lead into that. And I am such a big Gruba fan, and I think that down the line, given what he does defensively and then the roles he probably needs to play on offense unless he develops into a good shooter, putting him as a small ball five wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. No, I don't advocate towards not having Christian Wood on the floor for long stretches. I just want to I want to see them get a little Kokie with that lineup. Yeah, okay, So if I were to go all youth and this goes against everything I want to build the best lineup I can possibly be, I think this lineup is gonna be terrible. But let me just say, let me, let me just say with what I think it could be, Kevin Porter Junior, Jalen Green, Josh Christopher, I think at small forward. Uh, I'm gonna put Tate to the side. I'm I'm gonna start Kenyan Martin Jr. I'm gonna go even crazier, Okay, And and I'm gonna start Shangoon. I love get Yeah, I love Shangoon Man. I I can't quit him. I want I want to see him in the NBA so badly, but probably more than I want to see Jalen Green because I want to be right about him. I do hope they try like some it can be any I don't care which players it is, even if they don't fit. Let's run the all youth lineup like this is the like Hey, yours is? It seems like it could be some realistic when you're thinking about the personnel, especially if you think Kenyan Martin Junior is gonna get the backup for some of the backup formautes anyway, what would be really stopping you from and Kevin Porter Junior is already basically your point guard. What's stopping you from trying that lineup? No? Nothing, and you're playing You're putting a bunch of athletes next to sengu, which I like. I like the idea of long term just surrounding Schenggun with a bunch of versatile athletes aside from Kevin ken Ward Junior. Like I think, I think that's that's that's fun. Like that's fun good think about. So, as of this recording, because I know these things are subject to change, they're over under is set at twenty seven point five for next under under taking the under under under I want to put money on that right now after we've done recording this podcast, I'm taking the under on that. Wow, so you're that it's I guess the West is stuff. So where do you envision They won seventeen games last year? They won seventeen games like this, this was a really bad team last year, and they added six I mean, they added four rookies. They're gonna be really bad, Like and I get that a lot of these rookies are talented, so theoretically, like they're adding talent to the roster. I get it, But young players turn the ball over a lot, they suck at defense, and they and they're not very efficient. So like all those three like it's it's it's not great. I think I think they're gonna be better than they were last years because they're gonna have better health. I think they're gonna make more sense because John wall is not there. But I think I think they're still gonna be Like if I were to Peggett, I probably say twenty five twenty four wins. That's that's probably where I have it. I think I'm with you now that I'm thinking about this. It doesn't feel like and they've had time to do this because I only looked this up before we recorded this podcast, that they have an account for the fact that John wall isn't gonna be with this team. I know he wouldn't have made the marginally better, but he's the best point were driving the roster. And if they do decide to trade Eric Gordon, so I'm gonna take the under here too. And there's also when you look at the West, as I already mentioned, most of the teams there, even if you don't believe in that as actual play in candidates Minnesota, even Sacramentos of right now unless they voted like those squads are trying to win. Okay, see in Houston are kind of the only teams that are not unless I'm missing one there. I'm trying to think of what other team in the West is not actively trying to win, and so that kind of benefits Houston. And I think what also benefits them is even if they are more talented because of the rookies they brought in, should you commit yourself to playing all four, which you've questioned whether they actually will, you are probably just organically going to be worse by virtue of that added youth. Yeah, and listen, like, I actually do think they have a lot of good role players. The problem is who's stirring the drink, right, Like a lot of young young a lot of young talent, and I don't think there's I don't like I think Kemp were junior is going to surprise some people. I think you'll be I think you'll actually have a decent season next year. But I don't think he's good enough to carry this team to the play in tournament. Like I just I just don't like it's that's that's too ambitious for his first year as a starting player in the NBA. Yeah. I look, if you look at even the teams that let's say they're caught between trying to win and not caring about it. San Antonio, Sacramento, Minnesota, Memphis. Given what they did this offseason, they're all still just they should be clearly better than both used in Oklahoma City. Yeah, And it's interesting because they also haven't torn the roster down to shreds yet, Like there's they still have a crap ton of vets. And I think they're gonna be trading some of these vets bid season, like we talked about our right, They're gonna trade Air Cordon, they might trade Daniel House, they might trade like some of the Freds they signed this summer, like I think they're gonna do. When you trade those vets, you're gonna get worse too. And if you do end up trading christian Wood, because there's an offer at the trade deadline that blows you away that you need to slam the under if you think, if you don't think Christian Wood is going to fish the season on the Rockets, you need to slam the under on the twenty seven point five. Where do you think they are in the West, bottom two, bottom three. The only team, the only team that I could see is as as worse than them, is Oklahoma City. I think Oklahoma City has got off. Uh, they're they're They're really bad. They're if Oklahoma City is even within sniffing distance of five hundred ten games into the season, they're shutting Shaxander down for the next half decade and trading literally everybody else on the roster around him. They are so clearly not interested in doing and winning any basketball games right now. Yeah, and if they are that they should give that guy who does they Mark day Noo. Yeah, they gotta they gotta throw like they have to throw a bunch of money at him to retain him for like a ten year extension, to fire him because he roomed in the tank. Yeah, yeah, yeah, because like like their their rosters. Just so, here's the thing, Shake, I don't want to be disrespectful. He's really really good, but everybody else is so bad and they're so young. And they also took a bunch of rookies in this draft. I think people forget like they had a ton of draft picks in this draft, and they're gonna be leaning on a lot of those rookies, are gonna be leaning a lot of poku. I'm not sure I feel I feel confident enough in in that roster. I think, I think that that's gonna be a really bad team. Oh it's built to be and I this is not no Colma City Thunder podcast. Let's just leave at that. Their roster is is wolf and I I I question a lot of their draft is to Josh Giddiot. I didn't under the you look at this and their second best player is very clearly gonna be lu Dort, which I think is a problem if he's your second best player. Their biggest issue is where they're ahead of the curve because they have Shane gil just Alexander, but where Houston has a tent pole prospect, they still to me, don't have a tent pole prospect. Like they're trying to build around Shay. It's I don't Josh Giddy doesn't want to score. It doesn't look like when you watch him play, and it's not lu Dort, it's not you know, Jeremiah Robinson Earl. I couldn't believe they traded number thirty two and thirty four or whatever they did for him, just to trade up to get him. Just bizarre. But the question I wanted, it just felt like their whole draft just felt like franchise Hubris like like like they they they curved at every possible direction, like, okay, so they're gonna take what was it who was available at number six? Was cominga available? Yeah he was. He wanted number seven. So they pass They passed on Cominga, they passed. They passed on Shangun who was supposed to be like a top ten pick on a lot of people's boards, and then they traded him to Houston for two first round picks and convey for like I would argue, the first time one of those picks is gonna convey, I think you your best bet is probably I don't even know. I'm looking at the protections right now, and it's because Washington in twenty and twenty three, I don't think Bradley Beal is still there. Personally, I guess Detroit might be, like the first of these picks might not convey to two thousand and twenty four, is my point? If that, Yeah, yeah, it's gonna be a while. It's it's it's draft Hubers, That's what that is. But to be fair, we didn't know. We only got to see what was it, three minutes of Josh Kitty in the Summer League. He had he had and I was dunk and he looked. That was the other thing is he scored, which was just so out of character for him. So maybe we're all just completely wrong. Yeah, maybe he's the hidden Jim that like you know. But here's the thing. He was in an exposed league. It's not like Jannis playing over in Greece where nobody got to see him. Like he was in a pretty well documented league that It's not like people weren't watching Josh Giddy. It was just such a curb bot Toby. I would have taken comingga. But we'll see. We'll see what he is with regard to the Rockets. Is there anything about them that I didn't we didn't touch upon, I didn't ask you that you think really needs to be talked about before we wrap up? No, I think we covered everything. Uh, to me, the most compelling storyline, and I'm not sure if I made it clear enough. I really want to see Kevin Borders junior man like I because they're they're clearly putting the keys of that position. Day they're giving him the keys, and I'm not. I'm you know, we'll see if that's a smart decision. He was really intriguing and they got him for absolutely nothing, you know, so I guess it can't hurt to just see what he has. And like, if he doesn't work out, you can trade him, you can wave him whatever like it, but it's it is. It is one of those things where like it surprised me, It really did surprise me that the John walting and unfolded as quickly as it did. And look, the offense when he was at point guard was not good. It was in the twenty six percent tile of efficiency one way point four offensive rating per cleaning the glass. That's still better than what their overall offensive rating was. And so if you're not going to play John Wall, he's your he's clearly your best next highest swing there to run unless you're gonna acquire someone else, because it's it's not Djograsty and it's not Dante Exam and his little net rating contract incentive, and I don't even know who you could realistically think about pivoting too after that, Like it's you know it, what are they going to put in their next contract? Is it gonna be like warp? Are they gonna put a warp in their next contract? It's there's such an insane stat to put into a contract negotiations. I will say that I thought it was wild. People's reaction was why would they Why would the agent negotiate like a team dependent incentive like that? And I was like, it is kind of done all the time because if you make it to the X round of the playoffs from the title, that's not on the show of player y anyway. So but yes, that was we need I need them to get even more specific where it's like if they finish in the top like seven of steel percentage in top ten of block percentage in the same like, let's get super just granular whatever. But that was I think that's my favorite. Maybe not my favorite, but it's clearly the best contract incentive to come out of the off season. Yeah, what are we going to use next? Like John Hollinger's board metric and how how deep are we going to get with this? It's just we need to if your average ranking in all the top fifteen catch all metrics is like in the top fifty or like that's it should be something like that. Incorporate all these metrics, average out your rank and that should be the next incentive. SALMONA League covers the Houston Rockets and the NBA at Large for Clutch Points. He's also the Hope host of the Red Nation Hoops podcast. Are you able to tell our listeners where they can find you and your work? Salmon? Yeah, for the podcast, iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, stitch, you're all those top platforms. I'm there clutchpoints dot com. You'll find my work there under the Rockets section. Yeah, and you can follow me on Twitter at Sawmali NBA. I'm gonna tweet all my work obviously, definitely follow him on Twitter. He will sometimes publish polls that Rockets fans are overwhelmingly against, and those are just fun to respond to. Yeah, I like pissing off the fan base that I covered. It's it's always fun. Thank you so much for doing the solominos. A blast is always and I think you know by now, I'll be pasturing you again in the future. I'm looking forward to it.