Speaker 1: What is up, Fellasikos? I am Dan FAVALLEI coming at
you with the start of the twenty twenty five twenty
twenty six NBA Season look Ahead series where we speak
to a guest who covers an expert who covers every
single team in the NBA, and I get to ask questions,
they get to give me answers. We all learn a ton.
As a quick reminder, subscribe because this is a lot
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So we begin with the Houston Rockets, which means we
get to talk with Red Nation Hoops is Salmon Ali.
Follow him on the social machine at Salmon Ali NBA
at SA l m A n l A l I
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get your podcast including YouTube. The link to his socials
and his podcasts will be in the YouTube and podcast description. Salman,
we spoke recently, But how the heck are you doing?
Speaker 2: I'm doing all right, man, How are you?
Speaker 1: I'm doing fantastic? I am. I'm a little bit upset
because the Rockets didn't give us anything to talk about
this offseason, so just don't like, well, where are we
going to discuss here?
Speaker 2: I mean, you know, we could just talk about like
Josh Kogi in depth. I guess if you want to
do it that way, like.
Speaker 1: Like do you think he ends up being like I
don't know, averaging thirty five thirty seven minutes per game?
Like where do we think that ends up?
Speaker 2: You know, I would lean a little bit more conservatives.
I would say on the thirty four minute you know,
it would even go lower than low. Yeah, that's low.
Speaker 1: I don't they don't have anyone else on this team
who could defend, so like, who are you going to
play other than Josh Kogy?
Speaker 2: I mean I guess, you know, like you can use
like I guess, like anybody, anybody from the coaching staff,
because they have some you know, real they have some
real guys.
Speaker 1: Can you Dontka check himself in?
Speaker 2: Like yeah, I mean I think I think you could try. Yeah,
why not?
Speaker 1: We do have to start with well, I want to
ask you just the off season question at large, it's
anchored by the Kevin Durant there's other things that happened.
What did you think of their off season overall? I
think more I think everyone agrees that the cost they
gave up for Kevin Durant was fine, But did you
agree that this was the time to make such a move?
Was he the right player to capitalize on and go
after at this time too?
Speaker 2: That was the right price to pay for a player
like that? And if and if that, if you're getting
that price that player on that price, then if it
is the right time, right And I think when you
look at what the Rockets are financially, uh and where
you when you look at where the Rockets are like
talent wise, with their young core, what development stage they're at,
it does feel like they needed just a little bit
more on the scoring side to push them over the
hump to get into that you know, title mix with
the likes of the Denver Nuggets in the Oklahoma city
is under in the Western Conference. So yeah, I think
I gave them an a. I I really liked what
they did. I thought they killed it. I on my
last podcast, I said, if there's someone in the if
any one is saying that anybody had a better off
season in the Houston Rockets. They are talking out of
their ass, right, Like I think I said that right Like,
I said that verbatim, and I was like, listen, I
think it's cute that people are saying that that Oklahoma
City Thunder had the best off seas in the NBA
because they re signed their guys. It's like, okay, cool, right,
Like so they didn't mess it up, right like that,
Like that's basically what you're giving them credit for. You
didn't mess it up. But if you're saying someone other
than the than the Houston Rockets had had the best
offices in the NBA, I think you're full of it.
I think I just think there's a there's you're you're
you're full of it. I think that's that.
Speaker 1: So we haven't done our grades for the offseason yet here,
but I will say two things. One that aj Mitchell
contract and okayc is gonna hit like cocaine. So they
clearly had the best offseason in the league. Okay, but
for real, I want to I just want to ask you,
because I don't I'm not gonna get my opinion on this.
Do you think that there's any team that you'd be
willing to listen to and I think a lot of
people might cite the Clippers perhaps as a team Clippers.
Speaker 2: These are good off seasons, right Like, the Clippers had
a good off season, the Never Nuggets had a good
off and that's the Hawks had a good off season.
These are all good off seasons. But none of these
teams got better to the extent that Houston did and
achieved the long and short term goals better than Houston did. Right,
Like I I'm cognizant of the fact that there are
rebuilding teams that had good off seasons for what they
are trying to accomplish, right, But when you look at
it's just isolated down to the contenders, right like the
teams that actually think they have a chance. I don't
know if there's a team that got better to the
extent that Houston did without sacrificing a lot of their future.
Speaker 1: Well, I think that's a big part of it is
Orlando getting Desmond Bane home run edition. I think sure
they gave it wasn't a steal. And I think you
can make the case that even with Kevin Durant's age,
even with whatever extension or his next deal ends up being,
even if he shortens the window the price they paid
to get him, and I've seen some of the pushback,
not to me specifically, that I've seen is that people
wanted to see what Jalen Green would look like after
going through the playoffs. All due respect, he's super young.
I think like we've just seen enough to know that,
like he wasn't worth holding on to and passing on
for this opportunity. That deal was not treated as a
net positive asset. In the deal, it was not viewed
around the league. I can say it's a net positive asset.
And so I am with you in saying I think
I just off rip because I haven't given a consideration.
I would think the Houston had the best offseason real
I mean, the Dorian Finney Smith contract is stupid. Two
guarantee years. That is stupid, like that as stupid awesome,
to be clear, So I would agree with you. I
don't think there's I'm and I'm also probably not as
high on Denver or the Clippers off seasons as most.
I think the Clippers probably have the best case to
get in there. But I think you're absolutely right. This
team was the second best team in the Western Conference
during the regular season last year. They added Kevin Durant
without like obliterating their draft assets. And I think the
one move that you could quibble over, and you and
I both lamented it a little bit, was the can't
wait more trade to Wah that dude had no path
to be mccam whitmore that you want to see while
he was in Houston. There was just no path when
you look at the depth and talent on this team,
And that's ultimately like a harbinger of like that's a
great problem to have. Maybe it's not ideal, but that's
an excellent problem for Houston to have to grapple with.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and like they needed to they needed to like
finalize on who they're going to pick right to build
the score around right, And they narrowed it down to five. Right,
they trade aways Young and they trade away Cam right,
and I don't know if if the if all five
are going to stay around, right, it's.
Speaker 1: Just funny that the number is still that high. They
tried away Jail and Green and Camp where it's like, yea,
they narrowed it down to.
Speaker 2: Five, right, one from seven to five, and like the
they but the point is like they couldn't pay these guys, right,
They couldn't pay all these guys. We kept saying it
for years. It's like, listen, it's great that they have
all these guys. I understand Rockets fans are building out
their future with all these with these seven guys. It's like, oh,
this is going to be their team. Why why can't
they pay all these guys. It's like, well, there are
real restrictions here, right, Like, I don't think you're being
realistic if you think that they can pay all these guys.
I think Cam was one of the guys that personally
I might have tried to keep. But if you look
at what they did, the calculation that they made, right, Emo,
Duka was not gonna play him next season? Okay, fair consideration.
His value was not high to begin with. He fell
to twenty in the draft and they could not nab
a first round pick when they tried to trade him
this year. Right, that's a fair consideration. His value was
only going to go down from here, especially if he
wasn't going to play. That's a fair consideration. They couldn't
pay him, right, They couldn't. They couldn't. They couldn't possibly
pay him. That's another fair consideration. And I guess the
biggest one is Dorian Finney Smith was like someone they
felt they had to go get right, especially for that contract.
They felt like they had to go use their mid
level exception and go get that guy on that contract.
And if if the cost of Cam Whitmore is of
the cost of getting Dorry Finishsmith on that contract, is
having to trade away Cam Whitmore because there's not a
role for him anymore, I think it's I think it's reasonable.
It's a reasonable trade off. The only the only point
where it's not a reasonable trade off is is if
Cammore makes an All NBA team. I think if he
makes an All Star team, I think it's fine. I think,
I honestly think if he makes an All Star team
next year, yes it stings. I think it's still fine.
If he makes an All NBA team, that's that's that's
the voter base saying he's one of the top fifteen
players in basketball, and it's hard to stomach.
Speaker 1: That I would agree, except this could be a James
Harden isn't a good analog. But James Harden never would
have been James Harden in Oklahoma City had he stayed there.
And if Cam Witmore becomes an All NBA player. I
don't think he hit any pathway in Houston with or
without Dorry and Finney Smith to becoming that player, because
there would have been other players with the ball in
their hands first, and that's how Cam Wentmore is could
have become an All NBA player.
Speaker 2: Well, I think there's there's a case to be made
that his role would have been increased if if Dorrian
Spinny Smith wasn't here, and he could have proven himself.
But but like I'm with you, I'm with you, like
he probably would not have been able to show star,
you know, potential here right. I think it would have
been very difficult for him to break into the rotation
on that kind of level. Uh, and the and the
organization when you account for Emai Udoka believed in other
guys more and I'm talking Reed Shepherd, I'm talking Jabari
Smith Jr. I'm talking Tarr Easton, I'm talking like that,
they just were not there. Ever there with Cam Wentmore.
You could disagree with it, but if the organization just
is not there, what can you really do? Right like
that that they're making an evaluation that's not too dissimilar
from the rest of the league. I may disagree with
your with the organization and the rest of the league.
Where it's kind of where I'm at, right, Like, I
think Cam is really really good and worth investing in.
But I don't think I never projected him to have
all NBA level play, right, I never been p I
never thought he was gonna get to that level. So
if he's not going to get to that level, I
think I think they did a reasonable thing. And if
that's if that's your one nitpick, right, which I think
it's most people nitpick with the Rockets off season. I
think they had an a off season. Like I think
the one thing I'm still waiting on, like to give
it like an A plus, right is like Atar Eastern
extension or a Kevin Durant extension. We need to see
what those numbers are and we need to see if
that happens, right to really like, you know, give this
like a like a home run off season. In terms
of process, like, who knows what happens in the NBA season,
injuries happened whatever, Right, In terms of process, the Rockets
had the best process out of any team in the NBA,
and that that that's the case I'm making.
Speaker 1: Also, you could make the case that Phoenix comes across
looking worse from the camp wait more situation because they
preferred second round compensation. Getting that was weird to me too.
Yeah yeah, So I want to ask you about Kevin Durrant,
one of the most scalable superstars in NBA history. Like
we've seen him change teams enough to know this never
spends like too much time I'm off the ball relative
to what you might think, but a spot of frequency
in Phoenix the past two years hit career highs each season,
I believe. How should we expect him to be incorporated
into the offense. How do you see the offense changing
with him this coming year?
Speaker 2: I kind of think the office, the offense is gonna
look very similar to what it was last year. Uh,
you're in terms of like the Jalen Green Green roll
is being filled like filled by Kevin Durant, Right, They're
just gonna make a lot more shots, right, Like they're
gonna make a lot more shots. Offense might be a
little bit more slow, right, but in a methodical sense,
I don't think it's gonna be a bad kind of slow.
That they're gonna be more deliberate, right in terms of
what they do. I think they're gonna try to make
it egalitarian, you just just based on how it's looked
like last couple of years, like they've they've tried to.
They're not they're not fans of the homogeneous offense offense,
right that. They don't want everything to revolve around one guy.
I use the wrong word homogeous. Homogeneous is the right word.
They don't want it to be he occentric, all right, Like,
from from what I can.
Speaker 1: Tell, he's also not that player anymore, to be fair, yeah.
Speaker 2: Well not, And what I mean is like not in
terms of not just him. I don't think they wanted
to be heal centered with anybody on the roster, h
from what I can tell. So I think they're gonna
try and do a kind of their best effectimily of
a ball movement player movement offense with Kevin Durant kind
of slotting in where Jalen Green was last season, and
they're gonna try And I mean, they were twelfth in
offense last year for playoff teams. That's pretty bad. For
regular team that's pretty okay. So I think they're gonna
try and get to be like a top seven offense
and I think that they have improved shooting, they have
improved half court decision making, and I think what strikes
me the most is that they have reached the point
where they are ready to put all their chips in
in terms of like, this is the core we want
to build an offense around, and this is the core
we want to try and play with. And I think
we're gonna we're gonna have to see how it develops.
So offensively, like the this is gonna be he made
Ioka's first year really like no one's really graded him
on the offense until this year. We haven't really seen
what he can do with real pieces. Like everyone's kind
of given him slack because we understood what he was
working with. Now it's like all right, man, Like you
got the big coach money this year, Right now it's
time to have a big coach offense.
Speaker 1: There's I think I'm most excited to see, uh one,
what you're right about. Their offense is just Kevin Durant.
The way his efficiency is. Their first chance offense was
not great last year. It was like close to the
bottom ten. You just put someone in there who's probably
gonna be and let's say the seventy fifth percentile of
effective field goal percentage. That helps your first chance offense
a ton. I'm also excited to see and I don't
know if you would fall in the same wavelengths. I
just hope we at an extensive look at like the
Kevin Durant Alprin Shangun two man game, because I think
that Al Prince Shangun and will get him in a
minute just hasn't had a lot of space to work with,
and now he's gonna see fewer double teams if teams
go to double or trap Kevin Durant like him operating
after setting a screen out of the short role, Like
the things he can do on the move as a
score as a passer are kind of terrifying. And I
think Kevin Durant, I think there's a case maybe that
Kevin Durrant might augment him more than anybody else on
the team.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think that's true. I also think he augments
a man Thompson pretty well, Like you know, the guys
who really like don't have a jump shot yet, like
he's and are you know, very talented players, but like
you know, they they don't they can't shoot, And like
Kevin Durant is just a much more He's just a
much bigger magnet than Jalen Green, right, like in terms
of getting defenders to actually close out and close out
hard on him, double him sometimes. Like, I think there's
gonna be a much more focus on him from defenses
and there was Jalen Green. I think that's gonna help
everybody on the floor. I think you're right. Upper Schengun
hasn't really had a floor spacer like this right in
his defense, Like Fred Vanvleet's a pretty good shooter, right like,
I think, sure, yeah, I think I think he's like
a real deal, Like okay, like I can count on
him a hit spot up threes. Jabari Smith is getting better.
He's you know, kind of rounding into the prospect that
Houston visionally first drafted. Means really well in the playoffs,
but he shot like forty something percent on threes in
the playoffs.
Speaker 1: Him just turning into like on offense, like a floor
spacing wing. It's just like that's.
Speaker 2: Huge for them, sure yeah, And I but I do
think they're still going to be spacing concerns because Houston
is leaning into double bigs again, right, But it's something
that they are. They are pricing again. It's something they
want to do themselves. They want Steven Adams and Alprin
Chengun looks. They want Clint Cappella on the off night
to take Steve Adams spot and and and you know,
play double big. So there's still gonna be a little
bit of a cramped floor for shan Gun, but definitely
less so than in past seasons. And honestly, I think
when you look at who is going to be like
the biggest, the best distributor for this team, I think
it should be they should finally give the keys to
al Pera and Shingun. It doesn't have to be herealiocentric,
but they should try and give him more of a
featured hub look. And so we'll see if they can
do that next season. Especially with Kevin Durant, I think
that it looked really nice he's played. Kevin Duran's played
with great passing center Zaza Pachulia was a pretty good
passing center into Golden State. And I mean, no no
offense to Zaza, but Alpern Schangun's is much better right
at that.
Speaker 1: Yeah, you mentioned Reed Shepherd before. I also kind of
took their offseason I know they brought back Aaron Holliday
and Fred Vanzliet is still here, but I took their
offseason as kind of a vote of confidence in him,
and I think from what we saw in summer league,
that was the smart bet to make. What type of
a role do you expect him to have out of
the gate, and like what type of I think even
just as important as what type of latitude do you
think they're going to give him to develop on a
team that has such lofty goals.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean to start last season, he was in
the rotation right like, which is crazy, Like I was
surprised that he was in the rotation to start. Now.
They eventually went away from that and went more towards
Aaron Holiday, but he went to the G League for
a very small stretch and never came back because they're like, oh,
he's just too good for this, right, Like, we can't
do this right And so, yeah, he's going to be
their backup point guard. He's going to be one of
their core like eight, right like the at least they
planned to make him one of their their featured eight.
So we'll see if like he is up to task
this season to really stay there. For the entirety of
the season. But that's their plan, rafel Stone said at
a press conference. I think it'd be the last months
that yeah, he has to be really good for us
because we are going to be leaning on him. I
mean after Fred van Vliet and after yeah, after Fred
van Vliet and after You're a holiday. There's really not
much point guard depth on this team, and that's by design, right,
Like they want they want reach Eppard to be that.
Speaker 1: What do you think is going to be the especially
when you look at the context of this team, what
do you think is going to be the swing skill
or contribution from him that either cements his places Okay,
they can use him as the backup point guard, or
they're even thinking about, oh do we need to increase
his profile on this team.
Speaker 2: Off the dribble creation. I think that that has to
be the swing skill for him. I mean, like, we
know he's a great shooter, right, Like we know he
should be able to provide that. But if he is
like a talented off the dribble creator not only for
other players but for himself, right, if he is a
real score off the dribble, off the bounce, they don't
have much of that on the perimeter other than Van
Vliet and Durant, right like, I think they need someone
else to step into that, and that role is right
there for Reid if he can take it.
Speaker 1: I think he's gonna make you know, I'm high on
reach upard. I think he's gonna make multiple all NBA
teams when all said and done. I think the key
for him all teams. I think he's gonna be a
better defender than people think. I think that the after
dribble scoring is gonna be there. My questions would be
on this version of the rockets specifically. I think the
passing is going to be there. I mean, I think
in certain lineups he's just gonna have the space to
wreak havoc and create for everybody else. My two questions
would kind of be is or I guess it's a
singular question. You did mention that there still are concerns
about the spacing, and so if you're putting him in
lineups that don't have one or both of Kevin Durant
and Fred van Fleet in there, can he do anything
to continue putting defenses in rotation, getting his teammates open
or they hitting those open threes. Then maybe even in
bigger part is like Kevin Durant quietly like he's just
not drawn as many shooting fouls as he did before.
It's like, I'm and Thompson is such just like this
nuclear athlete. He will draw fouls, but they need like
someone like his van Fleet and Durant probably aren't gonna
do this, who can put real pressure on the basket
or like operate from the outside in and get those
like looks at the charity stripe that hasn't necessarily been
a strength of his or at least a isn't noted
as one. And so I'm very curious to see if
he again. I don't know what to make of the
rim pressure of it all when you look at the
space and he's gonna work in. But is he someone
who can I don't want to see him boged down
the offense, But is he someone that can get them
those easier scoring opportunities by working through contact getting to
the foul line.
Speaker 2: In terms of who amend or.
Speaker 1: No, no Shepherd, I men can get to the I'm
and thoms can get that. But like Jalen Green was, like,
that's someone who could like they kind of going from Green,
Kevin Durant, you lose that element a little a little
bit now.
Speaker 2: In terms of collapsing the defense you're asking.
Speaker 1: Right and getting all the way to the basket. And
just like because Kevin Durant doesn't get to the ram
as much as he did, like anywhere near as much.
And he's just when you look at the percentage of
like his foul rate or shooting fouls drawn that's been
going down and look, he could still do it and
he makes difficult shots. I think he's a fantastic player.
But that's an element that I could see this offense
missing a little bit, and I wonder if Reed Shepherd
is able to fill it.
Speaker 2: I wonder too, I mean I I think listen like
in terms of like what he was scouted to be, Yeah,
I think he very much what has the capability of
being that guy? I wonder if he's strong enough now?
I wonder if he has uh developed that handle to
the point where he is ready to actually like dribble
through traffic like that, right like that that that is
a skill that is hard to develop. Jalen Green really
struggled with that part. It's part of the reason that
he never became that guy, but he you know, did
collapse defenses, right, And so I wonder if he is
able to get to the point as a ball handler
this season to actually do that. I suspect that that role,
You're right, that role is gonna be there for him.
And when you look at how he's built out his
body over the summer, the Rockets certainly want him. Uh,
They're they're aiming for him to be a kind of
a collapser of defenses in that second unit. I wonder if,
like role wise, once we get into the teeth of
the season, like if there's gonna be if there's gonna
be opportunities for him to be that guy because there
are there are a lot of talented players on this team, right,
Like it's it's gonna be a case of like, are
the Rockets committed to giving usage to him? Right? And
I think when you look at just from a ball
handling perspective, they should aim to right because you can't
exhaust Van Vliet like that right.
Speaker 1: Right.
Speaker 2: As much as I like Aaron Howdy, I think air
Haldy is pretty good. He's a good backup point guard.
I I don't want to give that to him because
I don't think he's capable of collapsing defenses like that.
So if we yeah, I think I think they're gonna try.
They're gonna at least try to do that. He's gonna
He's gonn at least try to do that. He's capable.
I don't know, nobody really knows yet.
Speaker 1: I think he's gonna be able to do it. But
that's just something I'm kind of clocking. I meant to
ask you this about Kevin.
Speaker 2: By the way, I just want to say this, Like,
I know, I like kind of scoffed a little bit
at the All NBA teams. That's not to say that
I'm dismissing that he can do that. It's just like, wow,
that's that's that's early to say that now, right.
Speaker 1: It's I guess coming off the rookie season relative to
what he did in the NBA, that's probably even spicy.
But I've seen enough in Summer League watching some of
the It's I'm there if I end up dying on
that hill. Honestly, I've died. I've died on worse sales.
Speaker 2: So listen, there are a lot of people that are
really high on Reach Sheepherd, in whom the Rockets, so
I don't I don't think you're wrong to pick this hill.
Speaker 1: I wanted to ask you this about Kevin Durant. I
don't want to spend too much time because this part
of the podcast could become dated. Do you like read
into anything of him not having an extension yet just
because or do you because the difference of him waiting
six months is like a couple million bucks, And I
had kind of just operated under the assumption that he
wasn't going to get the max and I think that's
obviously better for the Rockets, And the longer we go
without hearing extension makes me think that he's just gonna
get the full two year freight, which, to be clear,
would not be the end of the world. But I
kind of just thought that they were gonna come out
of this looking even better by like, oh, Kevin Durant
took a two year, ninety five million dollar deal or
something like that.
Speaker 2: I actually it's interesting. I actually I had the exact
opposite opinion. I thought, OK, when he first came here,
he was gonna get like the two year freight, right,
like two or three year frate, and like the longer
this goes on, like Okay, so there's negotiating going on, right,
like there has to be right, Like, that's interesting. Yeah,
So there must be some element of this contract they
haven't ironed out yet, and I suspect it's gonna be something.
This might be like a mutual option type of deal, right,
Like if I'm thinking ahead of what other teams are
doing around the NBA, right or where they're giving you know,
these player options and a team option or a guarantee dates,
like they're doing it in a way where you can
you're giving both sides and option out the option to
get out, right. I think there's a possibility we see that.
That's like, that's like optimistic. Maybe they're they're debating player
option versus team option. Maybe they're debating non guarantees like
they did with James Harden's contract in Los Angeles. Like
I I suspect it's something along those lines. I think
the number. I don't think the number is max because
if it was max, I feel like it's an easier
negotiat like those details about the non guarantees that's much
faster than this is taken. Right. I feel like it's
gonna be less than max and just the the verbiage
that you're starting to that's starting to come out. I
feel like it's I don't think it's gonna be a
max I suspect we're gonna see a team friendly ish deal,
but not maybe not a team friendly deal.
Speaker 1: That's it. I like that read. I'm gonna choose to, Uh,
you've now converted me, that's what I'm gonna look. I
almost thought, just like you know how you say, rookie
extensions just get done when everyone's back at training camp.
I just assume that siations were largely on hold until
like Kevin ran Is probably like jet setting all over
like the world at this point for brand obligations or whatever,
and so that they haven't really had too many extent
negotiations yet. But I like your read on it better.
So I'm gonna do just because it aligns with my
my priors of where I was at at the trade.
Speaker 2: Yeah. I mean, like with Luca, like a lot of
people are watching why the Luca trade, Lucas Sais, you
didn't have it. I mean that was more of like
I'm sure they had that extension negotiated, but they're waiting
for them.
Speaker 1: To actually be legal.
Speaker 2: Yeah yeah, yeah, So like people were wondering, like, is
it because Luca's in Europe. It's like, no, man, he
doesn't have to be here for the extension to get done,
like he like it's twice twenty five. You think he
actually has to be in LA or Chicago or New York. Right, No,
he could be wherever the hell and signed the extension.
Speaker 1: Well with with KG it could be different because they
haven't had like an intro presser or anything with him yet, right.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's strange. I think the Rockets I don't know why,
to be honest, I don't know why the Rockets didn't
do any sort of intro pressor but they put his
name on billboards and like they like he's they're generating
fan excitement for him, like they're you know, the jersey
are selling like hotcakes, right, Like, I think it's more
of a Okay, this is something, this is like something
we don't want to do because of either you know,
Kevin Durant obligations with you know, as you said, the
brand stuff, or like we're so close to this season
at this point, let's just wait, let's just go in
and let's just wait till media day and he can
get the full presser then.
Speaker 1: So the double big stuff is or it's like I mean,
depending on when you look at how some of their
non bigs actually play, it could be like three four
big stuff. However you want to say it. What surprised
you most about those kind of looks last year?
Speaker 2: No, the fact that they did it in the first place.
Like it's and I don't mean that to be as
a pejorative, like it does feel like the NBA is
kind of going in the opposite direction with this, with
this with the bigs, right like, like it I felt
like for a while, power forwards that can't shoot, Like, no,
we're not doing that anymore, right, it's gonna be at
least four out And now we're getting to the point
where like, okay, like bigs are extremely important because you
look at the best players in the NBA, Jannis Jokic
embid right like, like these are Wembin Yama, right Like,
these are all massive human beings, and you need bigs
that can defend them. And if you don't have biggs
that can defend them, you need multiple pigs to throw
at them. And some of the contenders in the Western
Conference are going double big. So there's also that reaction
to the contenders, right, like, uh, you get the thunder
with home Grin and Hardenstein, right, Like the Rockets are
reacting almost to these other teams, right or like that
that would be kind of my read Like they're preparing,
they're preparing to play the other team to deepen the playoffs.
So like in twenty eighteen when they went after PJ.
Tucker and Luke ba Mout, like they were preparing for
a specific assign They were prepared for the Warriors. Right
this summer, it feels like they're loading up for what
the West looks like now in twenty twenty five. So
I think that's what's what's surprising, the fact that they
did it now it makes more sense. It's effective for them. Sure,
it's surprising that it's working. Sure, but maybe it shouldn't
be because other teams are doing it as well.
Speaker 1: Well. I think what's interesting about what they're doing is
so it's actually two things on that is, so last
year they like they played three hundred and thirty possessions
with Adams and Shngun on the floor, and so like
that's more party trick volume. Then like this is going
to be our identity and the fact that they brought
in Clint Coppela, I just found i'd't have a problem
with whatever. I found it interesting that it felt like,
oh okay, like Jabari Smith Junior is gonna have to
like we were talking about last year, like should he
play more five? And now it's like, well, how much
three will he have to play? So I just found
that interesting because my other point on that is a
lot of the teams you mentioned and it's not like
this everywhere, like Dallas is trying to do something similar
where both of their bigs are basically non shooters, and
Alprin Shang Gun has some touch, but like between him,
Steven Adams and Clin Copela, there's not a floor spacer there.
And like even Evan Mobley like developed more of a
three point shot last year to play along right Miles
Turner playing next to Giannis Attentakompo. So I find that
to be I don't we the numbers on to be clear,
the numbers if anyone hasn't looked at the line up data,
and I'm talking about even with Ahma and Thompson on
the floor, they are gaga, they are insane. But I
just found it. I find it interesting and will continue
to be monitoring it. Where Okay, Adams and Capella, neither
of them are high minute bigs now, so there's still
gonna be time to you know, navigate these lineups in
a different way. But I'm just I'm very interested to
see how this pans out, if they make it more
of a regular thing over the course of it in
an entire season, because yes, it is. I agree with
you that it is like a reaction to maybe what's
happening around the league, but they're also kind of zagging
where everyone else is singing.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's very much stan Van Gundy. We're gonna form
a fucking wall like around the rim, right, like with
all the lent that we have, right and we're gonna
we're gonna crash the glass hard. And last year it
felt like they had to do that because they didn't
have the level of offensive creators that they have this season,
But like now they don't, right like that now they
don't have to go hard on the offensive class anymore,
but they still want to because they they're like, oh,
I mean, the Rockets, the organization have always chased advantages
that the rest of the league wasn't chasing, right, like
three point volume was something they did early, right, wings
was something they did early.
Speaker 1: Right.
Speaker 2: Now they're they're going after the offensive rebounds, which have
always been there, right, Like it's always been there for
someone to take. But the rockets are like, oh, like,
we're gonna We're gonna be the team that takes it,
right cause Steven Adams. It's not just that these guys
are good rebounders, right, because there are a lot of
good big second rebound right, these are good offensive rebounding bigs.
In particular, Clint Cappella's also a good offensive rebounding big.
Speaker 1: Right.
Speaker 2: So these guys, these are guys who crashed the glass, right,
They're not just ending the deventsive possessions. They're going hard
at the at the glass Tarry Easton as well, a
Men Thompson like like, So they're they're going after a
certain character of guys that does this. And you know,
I think I think it's an interesting strategy. I mean,
it's certainly a way to make up for the fact
that maybe you don't have as much floor spacing, but
it also is a very now it is a very
deliberate tragedy. Whereas last year maybe by necessity, this year
it's like, okay, by choice.
Speaker 1: The other thing that I'll be watching with it, And
I'm just curious your thoughts on it is they actually did.
I was surprised a good job of getting out in
transition with those double big lineups. I think a lot
of that had to do with the personnel they could
surround them with. They were better at forcing turnovers because
you could take more gambles and like they actually weren't
getting out and transition a ton off of the rebounds
because if like Steven Adams grabs a rebound on the defensive,
like he's maybe not gonna be a skill that getting
the ball out of his hands as quickly or down
the floor as another person would do. You worry about
now putting Kevin Durant in some of those lineups at all,
losing that aspect of the identity because Kevin Durant is
not like a hardwired transition type player either.
Speaker 2: Yeah, certainly not at this stage of his career, right,
And like I think here's my thing, and I had
this conversation on my last podcast. The deflections are still
going to be there, right, like like like tar Easton,
Amen Thompson Jabbari, like these guys are so long and active,
they are not going to stop trying to get deflections.
So do I think the fast breaks are gonna slow down? Maybe,
but like the transition opportunities wrong, if that makes sense,
they may just go into a half court because you know,
not everybody gets back. Like, so they're still going to
force transition, They're still going to force turnovers, but they
may not finish the position the way that they did
last season. The conversion rate may be different or the
way they convert may be different.
Speaker 1: Next thing I want to talk about is can we
go through just some of their younger players, younger on
quotes because some of them aren't super young and just
like what are you watching the most or monitoring with
them for next year? And we will begin with you
might have heard of him everybody.
Speaker 2: I'm Men Thompson, So I said this also something I
said on my last podcast. I think for Houston to
I painted the picture right, gatorades being poured on Ema Doka.
Fred Avlietz on on the bench asking his fiance like, Hey,
what fingers should I put this ring on?
Speaker 1: Right?
Speaker 2: Like? Like if that's happening right, like if the Rockets
get to that point, if they're actually, you know, winning
the title. What happened likely is that one of these
guys became an All NBA player, right, somebody else other
than Kevin Durant, And the two most likely candidates for
that are a Men Thompson and al Perynching. One of
those two still have that ability to make that lead.
They have other opportunities to improve their game that have
not been explored. Shooting for both of them haven't been explored, right,
Being a hub hasn't been explored for either of them.
Playmaking has some explored for a Men, right, like, like
just having the ball in his hands and being asked
to create, right like, that has not been explored for him.
So there are ways that these guys can become real guys,
right like championship level guys. We're just gonna have to
see if, like if it happens for one of them,
and I suspect they have that kind of talent, But
is it gonna happen next year?
Speaker 1: Right? Like?
Speaker 2: Is it gonna happen for these guys next year? And
if it happens next year with the Men specifically, because
you asked me about him, listen, like he's no, there's
no it's not secret anyway. He's one of the best
defensive wings in the NBA. Right, He's just he's awesome.
I think the next step that everybody's looking for is, Okay,
put the ball in his hands. What is going to
happen there?
Speaker 1: Right?
Speaker 2: Like, it's not like him scoring messy buckets anymore. Okay,
we know you can do that, right, we know you can.
You're very good at clean up. You're very good at
at finishing dump offs, You're very good at finishing lobs.
You're like, we know you can finish at the basket, right,
what can what do you What can you do when
we put the ball in your hands and ask and
ask you to do something? That's what I'm looking for
with them, Man, if they ask him to do that,
that's what I'm looking for.
Speaker 1: What do you see the I guess, like the volume
at which they would ask him to do that. When
you have Durant van Fleet and if the plan is
to have Reed Shepherd in there.
Speaker 2: I think Durant, you know, like when he speaks about basketball,
I'm not sure if he's the most articulate basketball player, right,
Like when he talks about the game, but when he
plays the game, I think he's smarter than a lot
of people give him credit for. And I think like
a lot of the pressure that that comes from creation
actually comes from other players, right like, hey, we need
we need to feed this guy, We need to give
this guy the ball a little bit more. I think
bring Kevin Durant in could actually bring pressure to give
balls to guys that actually deserve it, right Like I
think having Alprin Shangoon get it get more looks, or
having a mentems to get more looks at the ball
in hands. I think that comes from the players more
more or less. Right there, the most talented players on
your team force those conversations, and I think that's kind
of where that emphasis, that that inclination would come from
the players. Kevin Durant, I think Kevin Durant recognizing that
talent when he comes in. I think that's kind of
what I would what I would look at as for
like an initiation, like and you know, the coaching staff
listen like it's they've done a very good job offensively.
I haven't seen much from their like what other than
the offensive rebounding thing, Like I want to see if
they can start that conversation themselves but I tend to
believe this conversation comes from the player. So yeah, I
mean what forced that conversation. I think Kevin Durant. I
think Kevin Durant coming in and saying, hey, we got
to give this guy the ball more.
Speaker 1: I that's a really good point that I thought of.
And I also think what helps I'm man is so
many people will be focused on just like the jump
shot of it all. But he did shoot over fifty
percent on floaters last year, and so if he can
have more and we saw some like fadeaway stuff, but
if you can just have more counters or maybe operate
at different cadences as he's getting downhill from dead stops,
I think like that, to me, is easier for him
to integrate than Oh, hey, can you hit like these
long mid range jumpers or these set three pointers.
Speaker 2: If I could. I there's a quality about him that
I'm gonna mention a name here.
Speaker 1: I'm not.
Speaker 2: Let me just be very very very clear, I am
not at all making the comparison in terms of what
the end product will be or I'm excited.
Speaker 1: I'm officially excited.
Speaker 2: When Lebron came into the league, he was not talent
to shooter. Listen, listen, hear me out. Hear me out,
hear me out. It's not he was not a talented shooter, right,
but he just made shots in that like twelve foot
area off of instinct almost like not like when he
wasn't trying to shoot, right, Like, just like making instinctual
basketball plays. And a man seems to be pretty good
at making instinctual basketball plays, right with the floater, with
the bedaway mid range jumper, right, Like, it's like he
has that kind of smart right, It's not people talk
about a men smarts in terms of, oh, he's a
really smart cutter, really good defender, really good you know, passer, right, Like, yeah, yeah,
he's all those things. But also like in terms of
knowing when to attack and kind of how to attack,
Like he's pretty smart at that too, Like when he's
rolling downhill, like Jalen would get scared right when the
basket got walled off, right, and he would kind of
make a panic pass. A man does do that, right,
Like a man figures it out right. He's good at
figuring it out right. It's a very like the last
time the reason I mentioned Lebron is the last time.
The first name that comes to my mind in terms
of like a player that would like instinctually figure it
out even though innately, like, yeah, Lebron wasn't like a
good three point shoot coming into the NDABA, that was
not something we expected from him, right, but like he
figured it out right in terms like he figured like
he when he would go into the when he would
go to the basket, we knew he would make something happen,
even if that wasn't at the basket itself. So a
man that that's kind of what gives me confidence that
a man can figure it out. Is he has a
smart about him in terms of like he very creative
in terms of like instinctally knowing what to do, right,
he has a he's a basketball he's a basketball players,
basketball player, right, Like he's very very smart on the
offensive end.
Speaker 1: Where are you at? I know you kind of mentioned
this a little bit. What would you be watching for
with Alpah and Shangun this year?
Speaker 2: Some some of that hub stuff. Also, like he took
a dip in efficiency inexplicitly last year, Like he went
from like a sixty percent shooting guy or like a
fifty nine percent you shooting guy to like a fifty
four percent shooting guy. It's very random, very random. I
think he had a season ending injury the season before.
If I were to guess what happened, I guess that
was what happened. Like maybe there was the injury. I
was slung him down. We're gonna finally find out if
that was an albatross season or not, right, like like
like the efficiency if that comes back. That's number one,
Go ahead?
Speaker 1: Yeah, oh no, go ahead? No. Number two.
Speaker 2: Number two is like will the team make him a hub?
Speaker 1: Right? Like?
Speaker 2: Will the team make him more of a hub?
Speaker 1: Will?
Speaker 2: Will they? Will they drive offense through him? Right? Will
they ask him to play make for others? Will they?
Will they do some of the slick cut actions if
they did in Golden State? Actually, I think the Rockets
are pretty well adapt adapted. They have great cutters, great
a lot less, a lot of shooting with Kevin Durant
on the wings as well. Like, I think it's a
lot smart players all that stuff. Like, I think they
can do a lot of click cut stuffs that they
didn't go in State. So I'd like to see him
do more of that.
Speaker 1: My reductive answer would be I would like to see
if he could become like even a the domas a
bonus level three point shooter, like get up three attempts
per game and knock them down. I think would be
big for the offense. But I'm actually more curious to
see We mentioned this a little bit with Durant. I
just want to see what the interplay looks like between
him and Durant, but also maybe him and Red Shepherd,
if those two are gonna get minutes together. So that's
what I'm kind because I know you're talking about the
O and look, this is a guy who already play
makes for his teammates, so I get what you're saying
about the hub stuff. I'm just very curious to see
what the type of synergy they attempt to carve out between.
I'm just most fat there's other players on the team,
a'm and Thompson, Fred van Fleet. Sure, I'm most fascinated
to see what the interplay looks like between him and
Read Shepherd and Kevin Durant, because they're both like they're
the new pieces here technically, even though Shepard was there
last year.
Speaker 2: No, for sure, I mean, like I want to see
pick and roll with it with these guys, right, Like
I want to see more like Jay again like this.
I don't mean to keep rigging them up, but like
the Jay. One of the biggest frustrations about Jalen Green
and and Alprin Shangun working together is that they didn't
do it as often as they should have, and that
their games could have worked together right, like if if
Jalen was making shots at the level that he you know, was,
you know, could potentially make right like, I think it
could have worked out really well. And if the team
was more deliberate about giving those guys looks like in
terms of pick and roll looks, I think they they
went down like a lot last year between the two players,
so I want to see more of that this year
between Alprin Shingun and other guys like he he is
good at rolling to the basket, like I think people
don't think of him that way, but he dunks, he
finishes at the basket with both hands. He's he's creative,
crafty like all that. So he's good at finishing. I
mean last year he wasn't good at finishing, but traditionally
he's good at finishing, right, Like, usually he is good
at finishing at the basket, so I'd like to see
him get more picking roll looks next year. I think
that's definitely something that would be that should be explored
along with the high low you know stuff obviously, but
I think this is something that everyone's going to be
watching em Udoka and like what he can do as
an offensive. I think the guy who has the most
pressure on him this season on the Rockets is actually
the head coach.
Speaker 1: Right.
Speaker 2: I think people get are gonna say, are gonna say
it's Reach Shepherd. I don't think it's Reach Eppid because
I don't think like even if Recheperd can't fill that
role this year, I think it's like the Rocket season
isn't hinging on him filling that role this year, right,
they could just slot an airon holiday and be fine.
I think what the Rocket season is hinging on is
im Udoka, like his offensive chops. I think that's kind
of what I'm looking for more than anything, the usage
of these guys in a creative way.
Speaker 1: And I think that's why. So if you said, if
you said, right now, like who's the one player this
team couldn't afford to lose out Knowing more about Yudoka's
offensive philosophy. You could say Kevin Durant if you really
want to, but the real answer is probably like they're
less equipped to navigate a Fred van Fleet absence right now.
Like when you look at how the structure their offense
is gonna go, you can maybe make you make the
case for Shangun too. So yeah, I'm curious see how
their offensive identity is gonna change. One of the most
fascinating players in the entire league to me is Jabari
Smith Junior. Though so in the context of this team,
I thought it was cool he definitely played within his
role more last year, but like, what are you really
locking in on with him this season? And I'm assuming
it's gonna be on the offensive end because he feels
like we we just know that, Like we kind of
know what a lot of these guys are on defense
for the Rockets, and your bar Smith Junior feels like
one of them.
Speaker 2: I'm still interested to see if you can get to
another level defensively, to be honest, Like, I think he's
he's gotten to the point where we know he's gonna
be a good defender, but how good I'd like to
I'd like to see there's still some stuff there, but
offensively for sure, Yeah, you're right, Like I think, I mean,
can he carry over the level of making that he
had in the playoffs the regular season, right? Like, it
does seem like confidence wise, he got to a point
where he's like, Okay, like I'm I'm just being asked
to be this guy. So I'm just gonna be that guy, right,
Like I am that guy. Right, That's where I was
rafted to be. And so if he can be like
that dead eye shooter and they're in the regular season,
like that's a great starting point man, right, Like He's
already a good enough shooter to still be worth playing,
right because of what everything he does on the boards
and as a defensive player. But can he be someone
who's asked to be like a dead eye shooter. I
never believed in, like, you know, people made the Paul
George comparisons. I was never like someone that's like his
high end like outcome. But I don't believe like that's
something that I should expect from him. LaMarcus is someone
I was like, more LaMarcus with a three point shot.
It's like someone I compared him to a lot. And
LaMarcus obviously played on these really talented Portland teams where
he kind of didn't have to be like the fulcrum
of the offense until like actually quite late, like like
into like his late twenties, right because like that's when
Brandon Roy was injured and then like like like the
options opened up for him. And so I think, I
think I suspect that's kind of what's gonna happen with Jabbari.
Like he's not gonna be asked to do those mid
range fadeaways. They may be there for him, but I
don't think the Rockets are gonna ask him to do that.
So I think later on, once the roster thins out
a little bit, which will it's gonna think, right now,
this is the deepest it's ever gonna look. Right, It's
gonna thin out over time as financial constraints come into play,
as they as guys get older. I think that's when
you look to him as an offensive player. But right now,
I'm not really interested to see like him being force
fed looks. I don't think that's something that even he
wants to do right now.
Speaker 1: I agree with you on all those accounts. I actually
probably have fewer questions about can he be a knock
I just think he's going to be, especially with some
of the looks he might get teed up with if
Shephard is who I think he is, and now having
Durant on this team, my question is does he get
to a point where like the handle is good enough
to where he can attack. But I don't know he
was he was, don't think in eighty eighth in drives
per game last year.
Speaker 2: I don't know the hand it was that bad, Like
I'm not gonna lie.
Speaker 1: Like confidence then to put it on because the turnover
rate on drives actually wasn't too bad last year, but
the volume even for his offensive role to be like
basically like three hundredth it was like two hundred and
eighty eight or whatever, and drives per game like there
should be for someone of his caliber. Can he put
the ball on the floor get all the way to
the basket. That's another way that maybe the Rockets could
increase their their free throw attempt rate as well. I
think that's actually my biggest question with him.
Speaker 2: So like going coming into them, but he did have
a very shaky handle. But I have seen that year
after year improved, and last year I just thought we
saw a reduction in like the usage of him as
a ball handler, right, And a lot of that is
like you know, he's he wasn't a starter anymore, right,
Like that's that's some of it. Like towards the season
he was coming off the bench. Some of that is
a men Thompson coming into his own. Some of that
is just like, listen, we want Jalen Green to be
more of that guy and like you don't really need
to be like like that was some of that. I
think that's gonna kind of carry over a little bit
more next year. But to be honest, open court, like
I saw him go end to end right like like
the year before last, Like I saw him do that
and credibly like finish right, which is like, like that's
a real step that like up from where he was
coming out of college. So I'm I'm not as concerned
about this handle, to be honest, I think it's I
think he's gonna be He's never gonna have a very
tight or like very crisp. He's not gonna be a
guard with a He's not gonna have the guard level handles.
Speaker 1: Right.
Speaker 2: If you're asking whether or not he'll ever have perimeter
level handle, I don't know. To be honest, I don't know,
but can he have above average big handle? Yeah, I
think that potential is still out there. If you're like,
I think that potential is still.
Speaker 1: Out there, do you think that he can be the
like attacking clothes out type of because you know, first
of all, I mentioned the handle, but like you probably
don't even need a spectacular handle to do that, and
like I'm probably just I still more questions about the finishing,
especially if he's gonna get contact than you do. Like
I understand the context of the offense last year, but
like his RIM percentage dropping a little bit isn't great,
and I think like adding that dynamic to I mean,
he could be the player he is right now, and
that extension is still just great business by the Rockets.
So I want to make that clear. But I think
that I'm with you that he doesn't need to be
force fed those touches. Like maybe he gets to a
point in a career where he can do that or
the Rockets need him to do that. It's not right now,
but I think it opens up a lot more of
the Rockets half court offense and then his game just
in general. If he is someone that defenses have to
worry about like attacking more of those closeouts, because that
attacking closeout rate just wasn't there last season. I think
it look it to me, it does go beyond the handles,
like do you trust that guy to finish through contact
or to follow through on his drives all the way
to the basket. And I still just I don't want
to say distrust, It's just something I still have a
question about.
Speaker 2: I think I would suspect he's going to be more
of like a pull up mid range guy, like like
like in terms of like wonderable pull up off a closeout,
which I think that that seems to be what he's
more comfortable with next year, next season, I mean in general,
and like next season, I think like there's the paint's
gonna be kind of sneaky, cramped for right, like like
I think, like especially for someone who's still like like
he was never never had the strongest like finishing slash
ball hailing ability, I don't know if he's going to
have the confidence to go into that kind of a
packed paint. And I think I think it's fine for
him to like wait until the rosters thinned out and
he has more room to operate coming out, you know,
coming out of closeouts right, Like, which is why I
bring up the LaMarcus Alders thing, Like LaMarcus was given
those looks later on into his career, like his prime was,
like what it was he twenty five when he first
started getting really force fed the ball, right, and like
that's kind of what I would see with Jabbari, Like
I don't I don't see at least these next couple
of years. Like, yeah, he may, he may get better
at attack and close outs. He may do more than
just do the pull up mid range jay. But that's
kind of what I expect from him right now. If
and if he does more, okay, great, But like right now,
Rockets don't need it. He doesn't really want to do it.
The paint's gonna be too crowd for him to do
it at a good level, So it's not gonna be
It's not gonna happen that much. That's what I'm trying,
as I would guess.
Speaker 1: What are you looking for from Tari Easton?
Speaker 2: I wonder what Tarry Easton's looking for over to Tar
Easton because he is the most interesting Twitter follower. Did
you see what he tweeted the other day about being
an eighth man. No, I didn't somebody he either he
was responding to someone saying he's not gonna be an
eighth man next year or something, or like he thought
like he heard it from somewhere, but he was like
upset at the notion of like him being an eighth man.
It's like, okay, okay. Tari's like like what what like
what's what's the what's the role for you? Like what
you want to be a seventh man, a sixth man,
like like you think you're and start next year? Like
like what what? What do you see for yourself? Tar Easton?
I think what what? I what I'm looking forward for?
What I'm looking forward to with Tar Easton is kind
of more of the same, right, like more of like
like him being tenacious, chaotic defender. I don't think like
I think a lot of people look at Taria's like
he's an elite like discipline textbook. He's not that right
like he's he reminds me, and you know, it's not
a perfect comparison, but like Robert Covington kind of vibes
a little bit right. I like him more as like
a weak side defender, and I like him more like
like when I saw him on the perimeter against guys
on Golden States, like okay, like I he's not equipped
to do this, right, like he's or like he's not
there yet, right, We'll see if he ever gets there yet.
But like you know, I think he is very He's
obviously very talented. He's very long and athletic and crazy
and like like I, I I think he's a he's
a he's a mystery. He's a mystery box because like
the analytics love Taristan, right, the of the analytics love
love Tarisan even coming out of college. The Rockets love
Tarisan like read Shepherd and Taristan like those are the
hills that they're willing to die on. Right. So I
don't know what what they see for him, Like maybe
they see more of like him becoming a guy, like
not not not when I mean not by a guy,
I mean not like a rotation level guy. I mean
like more than that. I don't know. I don't see
that for him right now. We'll just like he's a
mystery box to me, Like I I guess if you
ask me, what am I looking forward to? More the same,
He's still he's gonna get a lot of not a
lot of deflections. He's gonna be super athletic, make a
lot of hard dunks. Uh, he's gonna be very exciting
for Rockets fans. Crap stop fense to glass all that.
What beyond that we'll see.
Speaker 1: I do think that for him, and by the way,
you're right that he's a chaos agent what I've always
appreciated with him, and like sometimes there can be like
these stretches of being too foul happy, but like his
permanent foul rage would be so much higher for the
way that he defends. Yeah, and I would Losing Dylan
Brooks I think is a little bit of a bummer
in the sense that okay, now it has to be.
But getting Doran Phinny Smith offsets this is you don't
trust Tarry Eastan. You mentioned this to be the one
on one guy that you like as much, and so
now you do have am and Thompson who could do that,
and you also have Dorian Phinney Smith's You've backstopped him
and in the dual big lineups he can take as
many chances as he pleases. I'm just wondering if when
you maybe look at I think you see this more
and maybe on offense, do you have a better chance
of him playing with continuing to play within himself if
his extension is just done and he doesn't have to
think about that. I feel like I'll say this about myself,
but I think collectively we might underrate how like people
going into a contract year that aren't necessarily assured of
any certain type a payday where they're not a star,
they're not even like a marquee name. So if they
hammer out an extension with him, that almost might be better
than like, oh, let's see what he still has and
we'll figure out what we'll pay him when he gets
the restricted free agency.
Speaker 2: Yeah maybe, Yeah, that's that's possible. Like the contract stuff
may be in his head a little bit, right, and
I think that's possible, like that he slots in more
to he's more comfortable slotting into a role if he
gets the contract right extension this summer. But as of now,
I mean, I can just ask you, do you think
there's unexplored real real estate with taries offensively, Like I
I'm not. I'm not even saying there's not. I I
don't know.
Speaker 1: There might be like more, I mean, like I don't
know what it means like to explore. I just don't
you're not gonna want to put the ball in his
hands or maybe have him work in the short role. No,
it's could he maybe do more driving? Would you like
to see him get his three point attempt rate above
four point seven per third thirty six minutes? Sure? But
like it's all play Like I don't think that Tory
Easan's a feature, Like I don't even think he could be.
And some of this has been born from necessity. So
I don't mean to like call this player out, but
I don't even think he could be an og Anobi
on ball type of level player.
Speaker 2: I was gonna say, I was actually gonna suggest, like
the most I ever saw for him from him was like,
can he be like Jeremy Grant, right, like.
Speaker 1: Coming out of the draft like that that's like the
most signing with bad teams so that he could operate
And I saw a bunch more yeah, like like that
That's the most I ever saw from him offensively. I
never saw like you know, people like people are weird, right,
Like they see measurements and they make superficial comparisons.
Speaker 2: Right, Oh, he has the same size hands as Kawhi.
Is he gonna be like no, like stop right like that.
It's never been him right like even at LSU, it's
never been him right like that. Like, that's not that's
not what he That's not what he's gonna be in
the NBA. He's probably not gonna be that. I never
want to say never. It's with guys, they are young.
But like, he's no like I I think more or
like Jeremy Grant, like a ceiling. But do I think
he's gonna reach that ceiling here in Houston? Probably not.
I mean I I don't know. We'll see. Like he's
a mystery box to me. He's so he is so
far farther down to the rotation that he thinks he
is that I mean, like I he might be the
eighth man, Like it's it's not crazy to suggest he's
the eighth man. He why does he think? Why does
he think it's crazy?
Speaker 1: Well, yeah, you're right. Just we're gonna get into the
rotation in a second. So yeah'll wait for that very quickly.
What's the number that you would pounce on extending him
versus waiting, Like, if it's I'll throw one out there.
If it's twenty two million a year, Are you waiting
or pouncing? Was that a good number to throw out? No?
Speaker 2: I read no, I mean that's the I think I'd
probably what were the years four.
Speaker 1: Years, let's say four and eighty four and eighty eight.
Speaker 2: Four and eighty I might do. Yeah, for foreign eighty
I might do. But that's probably like like the top end.
Speaker 1: I think I would go higher if you if you
trust that he could stay healthy. I go higher for
one reason. I think there would be a team if
you needed to move that contract you're trying to make
another trade, they would look at him as unexplored real
estate on the offensive end and talk themselves into being
to get this this B plus to a minus level
defender who we think can do a little bit more
on the offensive end. And so I think as long
as you're at like twenty five million a year under,
I think that deal, as long as he stays healthy,
would always be viewed as a net positive.
Speaker 2: And maybe maybe the unexplored real estate is defensively right,
like maybe he can become like you know, you and
I are kind of talking about him as like the
same level of defender like B plus a minus level, Right,
maybe he becomes a A plus. Right, he hasn't. He
has not shown the level of discipline yet to be
that guy. He's again he's been more so chaos agent.
But like maybe that's the unexplored real estate that he
should aim to explore. Right, it's not I don't want
to talk disparaging about tar Reisan. It's not like he's
chunking up shots or anything. Right, it's not like he's
right when he plays. He's not trying to be that,
but he's that that That tweet just stuck out to me.
It's like, okay, dude, like what what's going on here?
Like like do we need to stop and like assess
this really good? So this email? Duk, I need to
sit you down and like really talk about what this
is next year, like because like the starting lineup is
the starting lineup. He's probably not gonna be it off
the bench. You know, he may be the sixth man, right,
like a fair but like saying, if you're the sixth
man and someone says you're the eighth man, that shouldn't
be like you shouldn't be like offended by it, right,
you shouldn't be like oh right, like like I maybe
like I don't know.
Speaker 1: No, you're right, You're right. So I want to ask
you this, and this actually dovetails nicely with what you
kind of mentioned with Tarisan. When you look at it's
not just about Kevin Durant. I think it's just about
how deep this team is in general. Do you look
at any one player and have a concern or worry
about either them not fitting it as well or perhaps
getting lost in the shuffle relative to how deep they are.
Speaker 2: So Cam would have been the obvious answer before he
got trade, right, it would have been obviously Cam. I
think the obvious answer this year.
Speaker 1: Is there an I'll throw it out. Is there a
chance if it's if they still have to be maybe
hyper fo pit focused excuse me? On the offensive end?
Is there a chance that it's like Tari Eastent a
little bit to where he's never gonna vacate the rotation,
but if you want him playing noticeably over I don't
know what was he at last year? He did fourteen,
one hundred and twenty minutes, which was what per game
for him? He was a twenty four point nine. Like,
is there a chance that those especially with Dorian Finney Smith,
there if he comes a little bit more of a
three point if he proves to be the more consistent
three point shooter. Does does Tari have to deal with
like twenty minutes a game or something like that.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think DFS is a good like he's gonna
take He's gonna get into his minutes, right, And I
also think, like, you know, there are guys who are
just not gonna play night tonight? Though, do we count
those as as Like is Jayshaun Tate lost in the no?
Speaker 1: I mean, first of all, shame on the rest of
the league for letting the Rockets cat Chashan and tape
back at the minimum as well, say, but Josh right, Yeah,
I mean yeah, like those I meant like like even
would be pushing it. Yeah, even just you could say
Clint Capella, but that would feel like a cop out too.
Speaker 2: It's like, okay, yeah, who's gonna get lost in the rotation?
Speaker 1: I'm not even saying they will, is there just.
Speaker 2: Who has the potential to be Yeah, you're right, So
last year Jabbari kind of got got a little bit lost, right,
and that might be a good place to look. I
would also say there's a lot more competition at his position,
So if I'm tempted to say that someone gets lost
in the rotation. I would say it's probably one of
the wings, right, So it may be Jabbari or Tari, right,
it may be someone from the center rotation, but I
don't think you know Clin Cappella. As you said, we
can't really define that as lost in the rotation. So
I think it's probably more like someone from that wing
rotation that gets lost in rotation in the chuffle read Shepherd.
I just think there's gonna be such a big wanting
to him. I want for him to fill that role,
So I don't think he's gonna get lost. More like
he may not play up to it like that, but
that's not lost, right, So I would say, well, I agree.
Speaker 1: Would he would be a fair answer because like, if
it doesn't, you could still have confidence in him moving forward.
But like they have set up this team to where
they think that Reed Shepherd can and will play some
type of prominent reserve role. And if he can, if
he winds up getting lost in the shuffle because either
he's not ready or not playing well enough, I won't
predict it because you know what my brand is by
this point, but I think he if you wanted to
give him as the answer, I think that that's a
totally reasonable answer.
Speaker 2: No, I think you're right, then Atari is probably a
good name. Though, like I think I'm I I have
more confidence in read being a rotation player, so I
would probably say like Tari, like Tatari's probably the guy
I would probably especially since like he hasn't got his
extension yet, there are more question marks about his role
than everybody else, Like Jabari is locked in stone for
five years, like the team is invested in him, right,
Like I I guess, I guess it's Haari, But like
you know, I think it's gonna be hard not to
use him, right, It's gonna be hard not to use.
What he is is different than Dory Phinney Smith. He's
much more freakish and athletic and chaotic than Dorry Facemith,
and like that is something that the Rockets want to use.
So yeah, but if I had to pick one, if
I can't pick the guys who you can't pick Josh,
Who's if I can't pick Aaron Holliday, if I can't
you know, if I can't pick those guys, right, then
I'm gonna pick someone from the rotation. I guess it
would be Tarry.
Speaker 1: Are you ready to enter the cookie cutter portion of
the podcast? What do you think the ten man rotation
ends up being doesn't have to be in order, but
just like the ten guys that you would have locked
into stone on a nightly basis.
Speaker 2: I think you have to include Kevin Durant there. That's
just me personally. Other people may not, you know.
Speaker 1: Well controversial. Let's spend a few minutes on packing.
Speaker 2: Uh no, uh, Kadie Aman Shengoon Van Vliet Jabbari. That's
the five I would say off the bench, Reid, Dorian, Phinney,
Smith Tari. Yeah. The Steven Adams, I would say, is
probably gonna be in their regular rocasion when he's available.
And that ninth guy, it's interesting, you know that.
Speaker 1: Hmm.
Speaker 2: I would guess that's probably gonna be taken by one
of the three. But when I say one of the three,
I mean a Kogi Tate or holiday like and that's
gonna be kind of a rotating depending on what they
need that night.
Speaker 1: So Clint Capello would be on the outskirts then.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think, But but he plays when Adams is
doesn't play. Yeah, I would say, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1: Do you think that there's any chance that they're tempted?
I there's I'll say double center, Like, do you think
there's any chance that Steven Adams becomes a default for
the starting lineup? Or think it'll be Jabbari shangoun kd
uh he shouldn't.
Speaker 2: She certainly she certainly shouldn't. That's that's uh. That would
be crazy for him to to start. It's just my opinion.
I think that'd be crazy. It's an interesting look great
like use it as a look. I don't that's not
the starting lineup? But yeah, no, I don't. I don't
think you should.
Speaker 1: What do you think is going to be? I know
this is to some extent matchup dependent, but they're most
used closing line up. A lot of teams with pencil
in they're starting five. But I've seen a lot of talk.
I think some people believe that dor Ephony Smith could
maybe wind up closing games over a Jabbari or maybe
you're throwing Tarisan in there. But do you or do
you think it will just be the starting five closing
most of the games.
Speaker 2: It feels weird to say I'm nostalgic for the days
where you can put in like five shooters or like
one non like but like it would be nice to
see like like like a line up with Jabbari at center,
uh and like and like everybody else is a wing
right much like. I think that would be nice. But
I think what we're most likely going to see is
Van Vleet's gonna close, Kevin Durant is gonna close. I
think Chev Shangun is gonna close. I think a man
is going to close. So really that fourth spot, like
Jabbari is probably someone It's probably the most likely fifth starter,
but you could see Tari, you could see someone else
in that, like Doring Finney Smith, like, I think that's
probably the four are locked in. I think the fifth
is probably more interchangeable. But I would say the starting
lineup is probably a closing lineup.
Speaker 1: Is there a weird or funky lineup that you want
to see? May Udoka try this wee.
Speaker 2: Let's go three bigs and now I'm kidding. Oh let's
see watch there. Yeah yeah, bring bring Londale back, let's see.
I would say I would say probably I would like
to see a lineup without Van Vliet and Shane Goon
and like four wings and and Jabari a tenor to
be honest, right, like, I would like to see a
Jabbari at Tener lineup next season. And I guess, I
guess you can have vample play in that. That's fine,
but like I guess I would like to see a
lineup where it's just Jabbari at center and four wings,
or a lineup where it's a men at center and no,
I mean not a men at center. Excuse me, Shanghun
at center and like no, a men right, So it's
like all shooting right where you're not. You'd seldom get
that with the Rockets, there's always like two non shooters.
I like to see one non shooter.
Speaker 1: It's funny because the Rockets is weird. Old lineup would
probably be more like a default lineup structure for other
teams the way that the Rockets play now. I want
to see Reed Shepherd with a bunch of like they're
wings but they're also basically big. So give me Dfs, Jabbari,
Aman Thompson, and I think Easan over Kevin Durant, like,
let's make this weird and then let's put Read Shepherd
in there, and you know that he's gonna have the
keys to that offense, and so that's what I want
to say.
Speaker 2: Yeah, this will be interesting to see more Katie at
the four, right, Like, I think that that's something they
could do. I mean, god knows what they plan on
doing with with Is he gonna be a three full time?
Like because of the roster makeup? Is he gonna be?
Is he gonna have an opportunity to play four? If
he plays four, who's playing five? Right? Like, that's gonna
be That's gonna be interesting to see, Like I think definitely,
like seeing one of the two young studs with spacing
is definitely or I lean that's where my heart's at, right.
I like to see a lineup with a men and
shooting or shng goon and shooting. We just seldom get it,
and I would like to see it.
Speaker 1: So in theory, the five big lineup I would call
it would be like without actually having centers, would be Adams, Shangon, Thompson, Eason,
and DFS right like, that would be the closest to
Oh that's a realistic just five big lineup because none
of DFS is the best or Easton. They're not like
capslock shooters and they kind of just Easan specifically can
defend and rebound like a big too, So maybe that's
four bigs plus Dorian Phiney Smith basically at that point,
give Thompson the keys and I like that lineup too, And.
Speaker 2: I don't know about you, Like, I still like I've
viewed DFS as kind of like a he's a better
defender of wings and more specifically forwards than I would
say guards nowadays. Uh, like you know, he it's not
he can't guard guards, right, but like, I think I'm
more comfortable with him guarding bigger forwards, right, Like, I
think that's kind of like what I've seen him do
more like better over the years, and in Dallas he
was a very good guy who can do jack about trades.
I'm not sure if I want him doing all that
right now, right. I want to see him do more PJ.
Tucker type stuff now, right, Like, I think that's kind
of where I feel more comfortable with him. So yeah,
i'd say i'd say that's five big, So I would
say I would say that's like, yeah, personally, I would
label him like five bigs.
Speaker 1: Let's see that line up then, So before we get
into predictions, is there anything else that I haven't asked
you about or we haven't touched upon that you think
he's discussed.
Speaker 2: No, I I want to hear what. I want to
hear what you're gonna ask me for the predictions.
Speaker 1: Though, Okay, well, let's make this very straightforward. How many
games is this team winning in the regular season and
where do you see them landing in the Western Conference standings?
Speaker 2: Fifty eight wins, it's high, it's high. I feel like
they're gonna I feel like they're gonna get there. Though
where in the Western Conference standings? I want to cheat
and change my answer to fifty nine wins and say
they're gonna be the second seed, but I'll say fifty
eight and third seed. But like, if.
Speaker 1: Fifty eight games is the third seed in the West,
that's insane.
Speaker 2: I think it's gonna be a little bit more spread
out this year. I really do so. I would say, yeah,
that's why, that's where I'm well.
Speaker 1: You think it's gonna be spread out? I was fifty
eight wins? Is the third seed really.
Speaker 2: Well spread out between the top, Like, okay, all right, yeah,
I'm more saying I think I think the thunder are
gonna share the wealth a little bit this year with
the wins, I just I just think they're gonna be
They're gonna be like a lower sixty win team, not
like they're not gonna be a fifty win team. I
don't think. I suspect they're still getting me the sixties,
but I think they're gonna be like a sixty two,
you know, a win team. And I think that opens
the room for like Denver and Houston to be like
right there under tails a little bit. So I guess
fifty eight to sixties kind of if a range of wins,
fifty eight to sixty twos, would I have Houston at
in terms of seeding two to four? And I only
say four because the injuries.
Speaker 1: Four feels like they're floor. Because what's interesting about your wins, Soltal,
I haven't done mine yet, but I'm asking I'm not
asking you for wins before giving our guest the over
under they're fifty five and a half. So you did
go over No, I saw that.
Speaker 2: Yeah, okay, I thought that was low. I would jump
on that.
Speaker 1: I think what's interesting about that is there's really as
of right now, it depends on what Reed Shepherd looks like.
Shanghun looks like it feels like they can navigate an
injury for like twenty to thirty games to literally anyone
except maybe Fred van Fleet, and maybe even that's overstating
his importance, that that's why your win total specifically, or
even saying their floor is the fourth seed. I think
that's accurate.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think their their depth is going to carry them.
That's why I have them with so many Like I think,
like you know, you can talk about them as a
playoff team or whatever, but like I think in the
regular season they're going to be so awesome because they
can just fill in gaps easy.
Speaker 1: Now, is there any contender you can take it whichever
way you want that you think they match up particularly
well against relative to consensus, or maybe even one that
you're more worried about how they match up with relative
to consensus.
Speaker 2: One that I'm I'm maybe worried about my relative to consensus,
I guess would be. It pains me to say it
because I'm not I'm really not a believer in them.
So it's just this just more like their match up
with Houston Minnesota, because I think they have a lot
of size. I think they like you know, they have
on the perimeter. The Rockets have guys, right, the Rockets
like Amn's going to be like their new lockdown guy, right,
but like they have enough to be worried about. We're like, okay,
Like that's that's something I would be slightly worded. I
still to pick Houston. To be clear, I would still
pick Houston against the consensus who I don't they're gonna
better against I mean, I mean, is a cliche to
just say the Thunder. I mean I think there's gonna
better than the better against the Thunder than people suspect.
Speaker 1: With you know, if the Thunder's offense can still bog
down at points, Yeah, that would be a that would
certainly be a matchup. I'm interested, I don't have a
strong opinion on it, to see how they match up
with against Denver and like what is Denver when Houston
rolls out its staple lineups, Like what is Denver's staple
lineup gonna be? Is it gonna be the one we
just all assume, or they try and make a little
bit more counters Because Houston feels like the typical team
might be the team in the West, maybe more so
than anybody, including the Thunder, that would force other teams
to make lineup adjustments that maybe they wouldn't in other instances.
That might be hyperbole, but it's at least close to
being true.
Speaker 2: No, because of the it's not necessarily because they have
a player per se that's forcing it. It's it's the
roster makeup that's forcing it. Right, Like Harden forced teams
to like really adjust the way they guard him, and
like like the Utah Jazz is weird like guarding like
they they forced him one way and they let him
go like left all game. I mean they let him
go right all game like that that was that was weird.
Or they defended it from behind that one time, like
that was strange. They don't have a player like that,
right that that's forcing that. But like I think because
they're so big and they like they have so much
forward depth, they may force teams to go up. Like
I think Golden State can't play normal go and State basketball.
Speaker 1: Against they're so tiny compared.
Speaker 2: They have to scale up as much as they can, right,
as much as they can other teams, I would say
the same thing, right, Like like teams that are smaller
on the smaller end, they really have to scale up.
And like the Spurs. I would say, is going to
be a team that I'm you know, I should have
I should have named this as a team. I'm like
a little worried about compared to content, Okay, I would
I would be worried about a matchup against the Spurs.
I would be I would worry about about a match
up against the Spurs for sure.
Speaker 1: I think he might be like a year or two
early on that I don't not worry too much.
Speaker 2: I think I think Wemby is like I mean, I'm
not breaking any news he is. I don't know how
how you defend that. I guess it's just like he
does everything everything good, everything well, and he's so big
and like you have to throw a double team at him.
Speaker 1: You do, but their spacing is still pretty shaky around
him unless Dylan Harper and Door Fox and or Steph
Castl are gonna end up being lights out. So I
think that gives you, as Houston specifically, a lot of options,
is that you could throw bodies at him and maybe
not worry about as many other guys punishing you. Maybe
I'm maybe I'm like to not remembering what the Aaron
Fox was like pre injury, like before he bowed out
last season and they didn't have a ton of time
working together. But the Spurs feel like a year away
from being a year away.
Speaker 2: But that's also part of it. They have so many
quick guards, right, and like Houston can defend probably like
two quick guards competently well, right like amen, And I
would say after that, I would probably trust DFS right
like as like the quick guard defender right or I
guess van Vliet, but like van Vleet's like I wouldn't
trust again. So yeah, that's that's that's what gives me
a lot of pauses as well, Like it's it's there's
a lot of when there's a lot of perimeter options,
I get nervous.
Speaker 1: Mister Salmon Ali of Red Nation Hoops, could I get
one non win, non seating related prediction from you about
this team for next season?
Speaker 2: They're gonna make the conference finals.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's fair. I mean that's not maybe that's not
the expectation yet, but that's like, that's why you put
this team together, is to put yourself in that position.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think they're gonna make the conference finals. And
I think I'm tempted to say somebody makes an All
NBA team but I'm just so scared to make that prediction.
So I'm gonna say conference finals because that like basically
implies that somebody is going to make an All NBA
team without saying it.
Speaker 1: Who do you think is the most likely candidate aside
from Kevin duran or do you even view him as
the most likely candidate?
Speaker 2: Well, I mean somebody else. I think he is the
most likely. I think somebody else makes an All NBA team. Right.
Speaker 1: If I had to pick one, that's not going to
be Kevin Durant, I think it's Read Shepherd. I'm just kidding.
I think it's Albert Schangu. I'm just kidding. I think
it's not yet he's not gonna make it playing twenty
minutes a game or whatever. I think it's Alpern Shangun.
I could see people making Hi the case for Amen Thompson,
but I don't really know who the options would be
after those three if you're trying to come up with
anybody else.
Speaker 2: No, it's pretty much just a mend or upright, And
like I I mean, like Read, I just I need
to see more before I make that kind of prediction.
Speaker 1: But like, he's not gonna play the minutes threshold on
I know if he'll hit it.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, well I'm talking about long term, like I
want to see more if I even put that kind
of stealing on him, like I I I'm tempted to
just leave it at Like those two, it's like they
will make All NBA. They have the potential make all
NBA teams in the future, and if they're making the
conference finals, chances are one of them played at all
NBA level. Yeah.
Speaker 1: What's interesting is that because aman Thompson will be in
the all defense discussion discussion excuse me, that gives him
like a boost that Shang Gun won't have, And so
it really that conversation really could hinge on. You mentioned
this with some of the stuff you want to see
from shang Gun on offense, like what does how are
they going to use him on offense with this new
look roster, because that is gonna dictate even if look,
he defended incredibly well last year, that is never gonna
be something. It won't hurt his All NBA case, but
like it'll never make his All NBA case. And like
with aman Thompson, you have the built in argument of
like that's one of the ten best player defenders in basketball.
And so that's why I think the way that they
deploy Shang Gun on offense with this roster is going
to be like super important to that type of accolade
for him.
Speaker 2: Yeah yeah, I mean I I I feel like we
haven't really like everyone one's initial reaction to the Kevin
Durant trade is like, Okay, this is the biggest threat
to the clones he's under. And it's like ever since then,
we've had like this cute stuff come in. Right, It's like, Okay,
it's like some like cute doubt come in for Houston
or cute not not.
Speaker 1: I wouldn't even thinking that he's like the second man, second.
Speaker 2: Not internal external, right, Like I'm I'm gonna sound like such.
I've been sounding like such a homer this offseason. I
got a comment on it. I'm like, yeah, you're right,
I do sound like that. But can't you tell me
I'm wrong?
Speaker 1: Right?
Speaker 2: Can you tell me I'm wrong on my optimism on
how good they're gonna be next year?
Speaker 1: Right?
Speaker 2: And it's like I feel like saying that they're gonna
make the conference finals and saying that they're gonna be
the biggest threat to oplos Under is a controversial take
from where we started the off season. Where we started
the off season, that was like the that would have
been the consensus, but as we've had time to let
the off season shower over us, it's like now the like,
I think people will probably pick the field it's like
the biggest threat to the Thunder.
Speaker 1: Statistically, that might just because there are a lot of
good teams.
Speaker 2: I mean think a team from the field, like, I
think more likely it's like, yeah, I.
Speaker 1: Mean there, I'm probably like give the slight edge to
the Nuggets, but that's more about having maybe watched the
Nuggets than look the ceiling on the Rockets. I don't
think anyone this shouldn't be a debate. Is winning the championship.
That's how good this team is. Yeah, so I don't
I would say on a scale of you saying they
were the biggest threat to the Thunder, if we were
doing a Spice scale, like that's maybe a five, like
just because if it's not them, it's it's between them
or the Nuggets. I guess you could feel some type
of way about the Clippers, right or the Timberwolves, but
I don't think that's super controverts. It'll be it'll be
controversial among a few fan bases.
Speaker 2: Yeah I I yeah, I. And a lot of this
is maybe I am listening to too many podcasts and
I'm hearing way too much like about like like I
just feel like like the energy that everyone had at
the Australia it feels very similar to twenty eighteen, right,
where like the Rockets traded for Paul it's like, Okay,
this is the threat to Golden State, right right, and
then Oklahoma City trades for Paul George. It's like, actually,
like this is the this is like the kind of
cute everyone the everyone's kind of you know surrounding Like
Oklahoma City is like, oh they had they actually had
the best offseason and they're actually the biggest threat to
the Golden State Warriors, And like people forgot what their
instinctual reaction was at the beginning of the summer, which
is like, yeah, it's it's the Rockets, right. So I
feel like everyone's like as time has passed from the
Kevin Durant trade, like you you have.
Speaker 1: The problem is is that then you have time to
overthink it. It's like, even if I don't agree that
they're the biggest threat to the Thunder. If you have
them like fifth in the West or something like weird,
that's just like, Okay, you had too much time. You
overthought this. I if I just said, I think their
floor is probably three, but like their absolute floors maybe four.
If you want to bacon in um or something.
Speaker 2: I'm with you though, Yeah, yeah, like that's that's how
good I think that. I think. I don't think it's
crazy to say that Denver is the biggest thriftitor. I
don't think it's crazy.
Speaker 1: Jail pickets that good. We're high on him. What's the
problem with everybody?
Speaker 2: No, listen, I I love with the Thunder. The the
Nuggets did this offseason right, like like I think they are.
There's a tier of teams that I think aren't at
the same level and I have it's okay, see I
think Houston and Denver, right, we had this discussion, right,
I think Denver absolutely deserves to be in that conversation.
But I think a lot of people are doing that
in a kind of a cute story kind of way, right.
They're they they're.
Speaker 1: Doing it happy to be here type deal.
Speaker 2: Well not even a happy to be here type deal
or it's like, Okay, now now we're like, do what
we're doing this thing, or we pretend like the best
offseason wasn't the best off season, or we pretend like
what your instinct was at the beginning of the summer
is like you know what, let's let's like, let's really
think about it. Has Houston hasn't been there before? Kevin
Durant already shortens their window, he gets hurt, blah blah blah. Dude,
you can say these questions about every team in the NBA,
like what are we talking about? Like, I feel like
we're overthinking this. They're gonna rack up where this season wins,
and I think they're gonna be the biggest threat toocal
in the season under the Denver Nuggets have a case
that I will listen to as well, which is why
I have them the same tier when we're doing this
thing where we're overthinking that the Rockets. And my hope
is that twenty games into the season, just like twenty
games in the season in twenty eighteen, we were past
that feeling of like that cute story feeling. I hope
we're past that twenty games of the season when people
actually see what they're gonna be. I think they're gonna
like rail through teams.
Speaker 1: Mister Salman ali one, I think we should both pour
one out because this was under ninety minutes, which I
don't think we've ever done before. But more more importantly,
can you tell our fine listeners and subscribers where they
can find you and all the great work that.
Speaker 2: You do at somon El, the NBA, pretty much everywhere
on YouTube, Red Nation Hoops is the podcast, and on
iTunes the same thing.
Speaker 1: I will include the links to his social handles and
his YouTube channel in the podcast and YouTube descriptions, so
go check that out. Thank you so much for your time.
As always, man, this was great and as you know
by now, I'm going to be pest here. You have
to come back down the line for sure.
Speaker 2: Thanks for having me on