Post by The Athletic on Oct 10, 2022 18:40:50 GMT -5
Wow free thank you for taking some time to chat about the squad. Let’s get into it
There’s been a lot of talk about both Victor and Scoot and rightfully so… How are the rockets approaching this season? I guess what I’m asking is Is landing one of them a priority or do you wanna build a culture and grab some wins this year?
Man, if it was any other year maybe this would be the year I would try and make some moves to be a bit more competitive, but in a year with a draft class like this? I think it's safe to say that landing someone like Victor or Scoot is 100% the priority here in Houston. In one of the most stacked draft classes in recent memory landing a top lottery pick is going to be so vital to the franchise. And with how young in general the team is having multiple 1st/2nd year guys, I think we’re in a good position to be able to get that coveted 1st overall pick and even if we don’t get that we’ll still be in a good position in the high lotto.
Expectations for Tyler Herro this year? Can be in the form of fantasy points or just in general
Herro feels like such a polarizing player not just in BBall 26 but in the general NBA community also it’s crazy. Feel like people are either extremely low on him or extremely high with very few people that are in between. I think he’s a very good player now with a lot of room for improvements, not just on the defensive end but also with his playmaking abilities and his consistency. Last year he showed a lot of flashes with his playmaking, and I think he continues to improve on that. I legitimately think 28 fppg is feasible for him this year. He probably still comes off the bench more but I think he’ll have more control of the offense this year and expect his assists numbers to go up with Jimmy and Lowry taking more of a backseat during the regular season. Hoping to see a lot of Herro/Bam Pick and Rolls.
Okay we have to talk about Marvin Bagley… Some GMs have gone on record and called it “the worst overpay in bball 26 history” Why did you cash him out the way that you did? Have you learned anything from this situation?
Oh my, Mr. Marvin Bagley the Third. Honestly at the time I thought Kev would match, seeing as he traded a stud in Franz Wagner for him. But I also saw it as a low risk type move. If he doesn’t perform this year it doesn’t hurt much since my team isn’t making much money at the moment with most of my players on their rookies contracts and I think every player is tradeable no matter how bad the contract is. And if he performs and exceeds expectations then he can be a slightly overpaid guy that still produces well. I’ve learned though not to try and fuck over other people in RFA though. The reward isn’t high enough to offset the risks involved.
Jalen Green and Paolo are exceptional young talents what are your hopes from them this year?
My two favorite players, the two faces of the franchise.. Starting with Jalen I just hope to see him keep his aggressiveness from the end of last year going and just to use his athleticism to open up the court not just for him but for his teammates also. He has potential to be a really good playmaker and if he can capitalize on that the sky is the limit for him. He’s already a dangerous 3-level scorer. His efficiency to end the year was good especially for a rookie guard and I believe he will continue that trend. With Christian Wood gone (thank god), he’s going to ball out this year and be on the same level as Cade, Mobley, and Barnes. He's going to be the best scorer in the league in a couple years and this up coming year is gonna be a big step towards that. As for Paolo I fully expect him to win Rookie of the Year this year and come out with a bang. He’s going to be a future superstar in the league, and I expect him to show signs of that through out the season. He has the size and build to keep up with most guys in the league already and he’s only 19 years old. He's already a very talented playmaker and I expect Orlando to let him showcase that this year.
Can we expect Klay to remain a rocket by seasons end?
Klay might be packing his bags soon, as soon as he signed the contract he knew he wouldn’t be staying in Houston the entire time. To where he goes to? Who knows.
How short is Killians leash for you this year?
The leash isn’t very long to say the least. I think coming off the bench will help him a bit but I really really need to see improvements in his shot to have a lot of faith in him. His playmaking and defensive abilities are already really good but he really needs that shot to come in to be able to utilize his playmaking skills to the fullest and so that defenses actually have to respect him.
Would you rather have Wemby or Scoot and pick 10?
I’d take Wemby easily even though I love Scoot and he’s personally my favorite player in the draft. Scoot can be someone who puts up 40 fppg in here and then having a shot at another lottery pick in a great class would be amazing but when you have someone as talented as Wembayama I think you have to take him every time especially in this league. Wemby could feasibly be a guy that consistently hits 55 fppg and is a threat to even average 60 fppg in his prime which is just absurd. The only concerns with him are potential injuries risk with his size but I think that’s a risk worth taking every time for a guy with that amount of talent.
If you could eliminate one team in the playoffs this year.. who would it be and why?
EASY I would 100% want to eliminate Jacob. Think if he got eliminated by me it would humble him a little bit and let him know that he might need more than a 6 1/2 man roster to be able to win the title. Also if he three peats he leaves and that'd be kinda sad. If not Jacob then Chuck i guess would be kinda cool but not really. Maybe Royce just cause he a Christian Wood fan and I don't like Wood at all think hes kinda bummy for a team.
There’s been a lot of talk about both Victor and Scoot and rightfully so… How are the rockets approaching this season? I guess what I’m asking is Is landing one of them a priority or do you wanna build a culture and grab some wins this year?
Man, if it was any other year maybe this would be the year I would try and make some moves to be a bit more competitive, but in a year with a draft class like this? I think it's safe to say that landing someone like Victor or Scoot is 100% the priority here in Houston. In one of the most stacked draft classes in recent memory landing a top lottery pick is going to be so vital to the franchise. And with how young in general the team is having multiple 1st/2nd year guys, I think we’re in a good position to be able to get that coveted 1st overall pick and even if we don’t get that we’ll still be in a good position in the high lotto.
Expectations for Tyler Herro this year? Can be in the form of fantasy points or just in general
Herro feels like such a polarizing player not just in BBall 26 but in the general NBA community also it’s crazy. Feel like people are either extremely low on him or extremely high with very few people that are in between. I think he’s a very good player now with a lot of room for improvements, not just on the defensive end but also with his playmaking abilities and his consistency. Last year he showed a lot of flashes with his playmaking, and I think he continues to improve on that. I legitimately think 28 fppg is feasible for him this year. He probably still comes off the bench more but I think he’ll have more control of the offense this year and expect his assists numbers to go up with Jimmy and Lowry taking more of a backseat during the regular season. Hoping to see a lot of Herro/Bam Pick and Rolls.
Okay we have to talk about Marvin Bagley… Some GMs have gone on record and called it “the worst overpay in bball 26 history” Why did you cash him out the way that you did? Have you learned anything from this situation?
Oh my, Mr. Marvin Bagley the Third. Honestly at the time I thought Kev would match, seeing as he traded a stud in Franz Wagner for him. But I also saw it as a low risk type move. If he doesn’t perform this year it doesn’t hurt much since my team isn’t making much money at the moment with most of my players on their rookies contracts and I think every player is tradeable no matter how bad the contract is. And if he performs and exceeds expectations then he can be a slightly overpaid guy that still produces well. I’ve learned though not to try and fuck over other people in RFA though. The reward isn’t high enough to offset the risks involved.
Jalen Green and Paolo are exceptional young talents what are your hopes from them this year?
My two favorite players, the two faces of the franchise.. Starting with Jalen I just hope to see him keep his aggressiveness from the end of last year going and just to use his athleticism to open up the court not just for him but for his teammates also. He has potential to be a really good playmaker and if he can capitalize on that the sky is the limit for him. He’s already a dangerous 3-level scorer. His efficiency to end the year was good especially for a rookie guard and I believe he will continue that trend. With Christian Wood gone (thank god), he’s going to ball out this year and be on the same level as Cade, Mobley, and Barnes. He's going to be the best scorer in the league in a couple years and this up coming year is gonna be a big step towards that. As for Paolo I fully expect him to win Rookie of the Year this year and come out with a bang. He’s going to be a future superstar in the league, and I expect him to show signs of that through out the season. He has the size and build to keep up with most guys in the league already and he’s only 19 years old. He's already a very talented playmaker and I expect Orlando to let him showcase that this year.
Can we expect Klay to remain a rocket by seasons end?
Klay might be packing his bags soon, as soon as he signed the contract he knew he wouldn’t be staying in Houston the entire time. To where he goes to? Who knows.
How short is Killians leash for you this year?
The leash isn’t very long to say the least. I think coming off the bench will help him a bit but I really really need to see improvements in his shot to have a lot of faith in him. His playmaking and defensive abilities are already really good but he really needs that shot to come in to be able to utilize his playmaking skills to the fullest and so that defenses actually have to respect him.
Would you rather have Wemby or Scoot and pick 10?
I’d take Wemby easily even though I love Scoot and he’s personally my favorite player in the draft. Scoot can be someone who puts up 40 fppg in here and then having a shot at another lottery pick in a great class would be amazing but when you have someone as talented as Wembayama I think you have to take him every time especially in this league. Wemby could feasibly be a guy that consistently hits 55 fppg and is a threat to even average 60 fppg in his prime which is just absurd. The only concerns with him are potential injuries risk with his size but I think that’s a risk worth taking every time for a guy with that amount of talent.
If you could eliminate one team in the playoffs this year.. who would it be and why?
EASY I would 100% want to eliminate Jacob. Think if he got eliminated by me it would humble him a little bit and let him know that he might need more than a 6 1/2 man roster to be able to win the title. Also if he three peats he leaves and that'd be kinda sad. If not Jacob then Chuck i guess would be kinda cool but not really. Maybe Royce just cause he a Christian Wood fan and I don't like Wood at all think hes kinda bummy for a team.