The Rockets brass seems comfortable with running back, but also said "no one is untouchable."
Payne & Pendergast react to the idea of the Rockets running it back with this same group.
Payne & Pendergast react to the idea of the Rockets running it back with this same group.
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00:00Between the draft lottery on Monday and then the upcoming offseason, this will, I would say this will easily be the most dialed in Rocket fans and fans around Houston, you know, just even casual fans will be on the Rockets offseason this year.
00:14You know, they're at the top of the list of teams that could be looking to make a move to bring in a big star.
00:20They're certainly at or near the top of the list in terms of resources to go get that big star.
00:25But do they have the stomach for it? Do they want to do it or do they feel like this is the group they want to move forward with?
00:30Raphael Stone and Emeo Doka met with the media yesterday for their postseason, you know, final, their press conference heading into the offseason here.
00:39And Raphael Stone did not seem all that hepped up to go make a big deal.
00:46He said bet on continuity.
00:48If I will give you an inside betting tip that I think continuity is somewhere we didn't make changes because we were really comfortable with where we were and we'd seen really good things from our team in terms of kind of a good progression.
01:05And I think we saw more of the same this year.
01:07So I think the bar to make changes is very high.
01:09Okay, so it is kind of funny that he says an inside betting tip because these are actually things you can bet on.
01:15Whether Kevin Durant will go to the Rockets, whether Giannis Antetokounmpo, like that's what I need to see.
01:20The Rockets are in the top three for Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
01:25I'm anxious to see if this inside betting tip moves the numbers at all for this.
01:29I wish there was a way to short a futures bet.
01:31Right.
01:32Because I like with Dak, okay, so I figure as soon as I hear about the George Pickens trade, I'm thinking, okay, Dak Prescott's odds for MVP just went up.
01:38So at least you could, if you could get them before the odds go up, that's a good play.
01:42But for something to, for the odds to go down, there's no really way to, to, to, you know, to sell short on that.
01:49No.
01:50Damn it.
01:50Yeah.
01:51So betting, unless I duped somebody into it.
01:53Right, right, right.
01:54So betting, betting aside, what's your gut reaction when you hear the GM saying probably going to be in his own way, probably going to be this group coming back.
02:02They're going to run it back.
02:03It wouldn't surprise me.
02:04I would imagine that there's probably more faith within the building on Jalen Green than there is in the public at large right now.
02:11I think that, um, I, I don't, some of our listeners are convinced that I have somehow been demanding that they trade Jalen Green, which that is not one bit true.
02:19I've never once said that at all.
02:20I'm, I'm open to Jalen Green still, yes, being a very valuable part of the team.
02:26As long as you just kind of relinquish, relinquish any kind of realistic hope that he's going to be a superstar.
02:33So the old thinking, the standard way of thinking that, okay, well, it's, if you have two superstars on a team, you got a much better chance of winning a championship.
02:42Then it becomes, okay, are Amon Thompson and Elprin Schengen, those guys, if, if you're not going to really, so, and that's possible.
02:51That's in the realm of possibilities.
02:53You know, obviously both those guys need to continue growing, but they're also both very, very young.
02:58Um, then if, if what they're doing is continuity plus some actual shooters, how much are they just leaning on Reed Shepard being one of those shooters and other guys from within versus our, you know, okay.
03:12Listen, you don't have to do a blockbuster trade or a blockbuster free agency acquisition, but at the very least go out and get some guys who can shoot the basket.
03:19Yeah.
03:19Maybe that lottery pick you up from Phoenix is a, is a shoot.
03:22You know, maybe they've got some shooters earmarked in the top 10 in the draft.
03:25Who knows? They've certainly got enough draft capital to maneuver. If they, if they do choose to make it a young guy, they've got enough draft capital to maneuver within the draft.
03:33If they want to go, yeah, they were, look, they gave their defensively. They feel a little bit like the Texans, you know, okay.
03:40The Texans get to the playoffs. You look at the defense and say, okay, that defense is good enough to be a super bowl championship defense, you know, without, you don't have to be the best defense in the league, but they're, that's very much a super bowl caliber defense.
03:50The Rockets have a, they have a championship caliber defense. They gave golden state fits. It's just, could you, can you shoot the ball?
03:59Can you guys just be better at scoring? It's one of the most, one of the most important things of basketball. You know, you only know this. If you really know ball getting the ball in the hoop.
04:08Yeah. Well, it helps a lot. And I think similar, I think similar to the Texans, it is, it is weird between the two franchises.
04:15I mean, honestly, literally going back to when they both started their descent into the rebuild, like they, like I brought this up many times, James Harden and Deshaun Watson requested their trades within days of each other back in January of 2021.
04:30It is remarkable up to, and including what you just said, that they're both teams that the, you feel great about the foundation they're built on defensively.
04:38You feel really good about the culture of both places. I think there's similarities with the two head coaches in terms of how they value those things.
04:45I think the energy level is different. I think D'Amico has got a higher energy level to him.
04:49Emeo Doka is more of a serial killer, I think.
04:52But in a good way, in a good way, in a good way. Yeah, yeah, yeah. In a good way.
04:57And then, but, but offensively, that's the issue. And with both teams, you can see, yeah, there's pieces offensively, you know what I mean?
05:05Like with the Texans, there are definitely pieces there. There's the makings of potentially a good offense.
05:10And the, and the Rockets have, and Alperen Shingun is a good offensive player. You know, Jalen Green is a good offensive player.
05:16There's others on there that have good traits. As a team, it's almost like outside shooting is to the Rockets what offensive line play is to the Texans.
05:24You know, they get this one Achilles heel and they can get that fixed. So, yeah, I, and it's funny too yesterday, Seth, because they,
05:32Raphael Stone in this press conference kind of went out of his way to say, you know, that we're, and I'm paraphrasing here,
05:38but like we're not a team that's built on one star having to go do something. It's all about like, it could be a different guy every night.
05:45Whoever's getting the double teams thrown at them, they're the sacrificial lamb.
05:48Um, and it's up to the other guys to get the job done, you know?
05:53Yeah.
05:54So that's, they view Jalen versus how the public views Jalen is spot on because they clearly, they, they, I mean,
05:59they obviously think there's a whole lot. They're still untapped with Jalen Green.
06:03Well, and that's the whole big thing with, look, uh, a genuine star and what maybe you had hoped Jalen Green would turn into.
06:10It doesn't matter if they're getting blitzed and doubled, they're still going to produce.
06:13Jalen so far doesn't look like that guy, but at the very least, can it be a guy that doesn't freeze up and turn the ball over and just buckle, buckle under that kind of pressure that that's all he needs to be.
06:25He doesn't have to, he doesn't have to put in an MVP caliber performance.
06:28He's just got to be a guy who's a little bit more calm, cool, collected, and patient in the clutch like that and get, get, keep the ball from going to the other team.
06:37All right, let's keep looking at the checklist here.
06:39Raphael Stone, is anyone untouchable?
06:40And what are you going to do with all those picks that you've got?
06:43The business we're in, nobody, myself included, nobody's untouchable, you know, and so, um, you know, I, I, I wouldn't, I wouldn't want to say that.
06:53Um, but, but, but everybody on our roster, we deeply value and, um, and so, um, so, so, so, you know, I think, I think you have to be careful with your words there.
07:05Um, I have to be careful with my words, you can do whatever you want with yours, um, uh, in terms of, yeah, like we, we have those picks, um, we accumulated them, um, so that we could either draft guys in the future or upgrade our current roster.
07:22Um, the, the, the, you know, it, time will tell what we, what we do with it or, or, or flip them into the future, which we've done a couple of times.
07:31And, um, we'll, we'll see what makes the most sense at the time.
07:37Okay.
07:37So, um, you know, like, uh, the Celtics forever kicked the can, uh, just, uh, got a lot of picks, not going to use them.
07:44Yeah.
07:44Yeah.
07:44Remember that with Danny Ainge?
07:46Yeah.
07:46I mean, it is, and it is true.
07:47It's just cause you have the money doesn't mean you have to spend it.
07:51It's the, you know, the first, the first round picks don't, uh, they don't lose value over time.
07:57There's not deflation.
07:58And it's that you can keep, you can keep kicking it down the road until the opportunity is right.
08:04No, but I, I, I am hesitant to add another young player into this mix.
08:10Who's not going to get on the floor, you know, like they just got, no, I mean, that's where it did like it's at some point though.
08:17It doesn't mean you just cause you have the pick doesn't mean you have to draft the younger player.
08:21It's that you wait until the right trade opportunity.
08:24You wait until the right moment in the draft.
08:26That's what I'm saying.
08:26Like I'm, I'm, I'm, yeah.
08:28Yeah.
08:28Yeah.
08:28I'm hesitant for them to use this lottery pick on a young player is all I'm saying.
08:33Yeah.
08:33Yeah.
08:33Yeah.
08:34Yeah.
08:34Um, so, uh, and nobody's untouchable.
08:37I don't believe that.
08:38I don't buy that.
08:39You don't buy that.
08:40Nobody's untouchable.
08:41I don't buy that.
08:42I'm in Thompson would, that they would trade.
08:43I'm in Thompson for any reasonable deal that's out.
08:46I don't think there's always a right.
08:48A reasonable deal is the whole thing.
08:49So untouchable would be no, no way, no how we're not trading them for anybody at all.
08:53Yeah.
08:53Yeah.
08:54Yeah.
08:54But for any of the guys that are being discussed right now, you know, Giannis and Katie and guys
08:58like, yeah.
08:58I mean, like if, you know, um, you know, if Jokic becomes available, who might, who he might
09:04with the nuggets, who the hell knows?
09:05Maybe then all that Thompson is in a deal like that.
09:07I don't know.
09:08I blame the Astros for the untouchable conversation.
09:10That was, uh, I don't have to, I feel like it was Tucker and people were wondering why
09:16he was untouchable and then he was untouchable and then it made sense that he was untouchable
09:20and then they touched him and then they touched him.
09:22They fondled his ass up to Chicago.
09:24They did.
09:24They did.
09:25And he's enjoying himself up there right now.
09:27All right.
09:28The two players that get talked about the most in terms of bringing, are we bringing them
09:31back?
09:31Cause most of these guys are under contract.
09:33Uh, Steven Adams, you bring him back.
09:35Steven Adams, Raphael Stone.
09:36I think Steven was the player we, and person that we, that we thought we were trading for.
09:42He, he, he's, he's been that, um, and he's a really important part of the group.
09:47Um, and, um, and kind of the continuity I talked about and value earlier.
09:53He's, he's an important part of that.
09:55Um, it's a two way street.
09:57And so, uh, uh, he has to want to be here.
10:01Um, every indication we have is he, as he does.
10:05And so if he wants to be here and we want him back and both those things are true, which
10:10I, I know it's true from my perspective, then, then I'm sure we'll work something out.
10:13He made $12 million in the final year of his deal.
10:16He is, uh, he is only 31 years old.
10:20Um, so I, that boy, I thought Steven Adams was older than 31 years old.
10:25He was drafted.
10:25He's got the Lawrence Fishburne thing going.
10:27Yeah.
10:27He's just, uh, he's got a unique look to him that is always, when he was 22 years old,
10:32you thought he was 31 years old.
10:34He was drafted with the pick that the Rockets sent to Oklahoma city for James Harden.
10:38So that feels like so long ago, you know, like, uh, that he was, I would have guessed 35
10:43for Steven Adams, but so he's 31 years old.
10:45Now he has dealt with injuries.
10:46He needed to be load managed.
10:48Um, I wonder what the market's going to be for Steven Adams, the Rockets can, it might
10:55be one of those classic situations where he's, he's more valuable to the Rockets with this
11:00team, these younger players, everything that goes along with it.
11:03Then, then he is to a lot of other double big lineup with Shen Goon.
11:07That's a very specific lineup that really enhanced his value out there.
11:11Right.
11:11Him and Shen Goon.
11:12Yeah.
11:12And the one that would be really nice if they could add a shooter to the mix.
11:15Yes.
11:16Well, yes.
11:17If they could do something out on the perimeter.
11:19Steven Adams could develop a jump shot.
11:21That would be amazing.
11:22Um, all right.
11:23Last one here.
11:24Um, bringing back Fred Van Vliet.
11:26I definitely don't speak about contractual situations.
11:29So no, I won't, but I will echo that.
11:32I think Fred's been great, kind of similar to Steven, but with a, but with a much longer
11:37timeframe, he's been the, the person and the player that we, we hoped we were getting.
11:43And I think, uh, I'm very optimistic that he'll be with us for the foreseeable future.
11:48Yeah.
11:48I mean, both sides have been public about that.
11:50Fred wants to be back.
11:51The team wants him back.
11:52What it comes down to.
11:53And the reason why Raphael Stone was referring to contracts at the, not, I'm not going to
11:58talk about contracts at the beginning of that answer was the part of the question was, are
12:02you going to exercise this 43 or $45 million, whatever it is team option, or do you decline
12:09the team option and work out a different deal with Fred where maybe the, it's a longer term
12:13deal, but the average annual value is, is a little bit lower.
12:15And either way, it's, he's only going to make a million and a half or 2 million more than
12:20he did last year.
12:21So it's not like it affects their math all that much, unless it, unless as it feels less
12:27and less likely, uh, unless they traded for Kevin Durant and they had to, yeah, that long
12:31term deal.
12:34Um, I think he's, he'll be back a hundred percent.
12:37I think he's 30.
12:38He's also 31 years old, but feels much more like a, the normal 31.
12:42Yeah.
12:42The, yeah.
12:43Steven Adams 30.
12:44Correct.
12:44Correct.
12:45So, um, so yeah, so that was, uh, that was Raphael.
12:48So we'll have more from Raphael stone later in the show and email Doka as well.
12:52Um, some interesting stuff yesterday, but if you're somebody, if, Hey, look, if you're
12:55one of the people that's been texting in saying no KD, we want, I want to see what they do
13:00with one more year, at least with this group.
13:03Um, that was good news for you yesterday, at least outwardly, you know, who knows, maybe
13:07Raphael stones posturing a little bit.
13:08Maybe he's trying to get Phoenix or Milwaukee to, to, uh, you know, once, once the trade talk
13:13start to, uh, ease up on what exactly it is they want, we'll see.