Media day, more Ben Simmons, Garuba
Media Day
(Monday, 9/27/21, 8:10 PM): Media day felt kind of like a snooze-fest in Rocketsland from the quotes I caught. I guess that’s a good thing given the circus that was last season when the organization did not know whether it’s most valuable employee would be receiving a W-2 for that calendar year.
Kevin Porter Jr. expressed gratitude for the trade that potentially “saved [his] life.” It also jump-started his career as he slots in this season as the unquestioned starter at point guard when games begin on October 5.
John Wall appeared on-stage with Rafael Stone in what can only be described as one of the most pleasantly bizarre arrangements in recent memory, with both men emphasizing the star point guard’s importance to the team despite the decision that he would not actually play. Wall becomes the highest paid man to ever hold a clipboard in the history of north american sports.
And Danuel House Jr. shared some platitudes about learning from past mistakes or something or the other and instilling that newfound wisdom to the younger players. Hopefully Stone can fetch a draft pick for his expiring contract closer to the deadline.
All of the Rockets are vaccinated. That was nice to hear.
More Ben Simmons thoughts
(Tuesday, 9/28/21, 7:21AM): Ironically, I think that if the Rockets had landed Cade Cunningham, either by way of trade or directly from winning the first pick, there might have been a more compelling argument for a Simmons trade. That's because while it's debatable who has the higher upside between Cunningham and Jalen Green, almost everyone agrees that Cunningham is the more NBA-ready prospect. A Cunningham-led Rockets team, with Christian Wood, could realistically have playoff aspirations this year. It would make more sense to push in future chips to add the final building block. Additionally, Porter Jr. would likely be out of the picture altogether as his skillset could not be maximized next to Cunningham.
Thus, two of the major drawbacks to a Simmons trade—the impact upon the Rockets’ 2022 draft pick and the marginalization of Porter Jr.—would not exist in a Cunningham counterfactual. Of course, none of this addresses Simmons’ inability and total unwillingness to shoot a basketball.
Nets Picks
It felt just a month ago like extensions for James Harden and Kyrie Irving were all but inevitable when Brooklyn Nets GM Sean Marks all but said the same in a discussion regarding the matter. Now, Harden is merely paying lip service while Irving’s status for the season is uncertain. I do think the Nets will get it done just because they figure to be so dominant. It’s possible they could win the title with just Kevin Durant and Harden alone - I am certain they would have last season had the latter not been hampered.
Still, the uncertainty, at least for now, provides for a ray of hope with regards to the value of the draft picks owed to Houston. It may make sense for Stone to cash in now while that uncertainty at least still exists. The second James Harden signs on the dotted line, that value completely plummets.
Different kind of shooting guard
A point Jackson Gatlin made on the most recent episode of Locked on Rockets reminded me of an observation of mine during summer league: the stark contrast in playing style between James Harden and Jalen Green. After becoming accustomed to watching Harden control the game and obtain all of his points through isolation, it was almost visually jarring to see a new (future) star play the same position in such a profoundly different way. It's almost like we (I) became conditioned to believe that a star guard could only play basketball in a certain manner. Gatlin compared Green's playing style to that of Richard Hamilton, a comparison I myself was afraid to make after watching Green play in fear that it would be taken as pejorative. Off-ball scoring doesn’t carry the same prestige.
It’s really going to be a different experience for Rockets fans seeing their star player operate off the ball. While there is a negative connotation associated to ball-dominant isolation scoring—at least amongst purists—I don’t think either playing style is necessarily comparatively superior. It’s just different. However, as I said around the time of the draft, after Harden’s lack of off-ball willingness contributed to the break-up of the Chris Paul-Harden marriage, Green’s on-court traits leave me optimistic about his fit with Porter Jr.
Russ on the Lakers
(Wednesday, 9/29/21, 7:15 AM): After thinking about it, I think the Lakers will win the NBA title this year and Russell Westbrook will win the MVP. Or maybe I've come around to this line of thinking because Lakers media day was yesterday and I follow too many Lakers beat writers.
Either way, I came around on the fit of Westbrook on the Lakers about an hour or so after the trade was officially announced (around the same timeline for my conversion upon his trade to Houston) and I believe the underpinnings are philosophically sound. He can carry the team to respectability in the dog months if the season, through inevitable injuries to Lebron James and Anthony Davis. The playoffs are when his warts are magnified and become a concern, but I'm not sure anyone in the current West is enough of a threat for that to matter. To the extent a viable threat does emerge, I guess it will be in-season. Have I mentioned before that the Rockets would completely be in the picture right now if Harden had stuck around?
2023 free agency
With the flurry of credible reports in recent days/weeks regarding the imminent "death" of restricted free agency, or at least in the form we have come to know and love(?) and revere(?), predictions regarding the Rockets' future planning should be formulated accordingly. That is to say, it might not be wise to mold the project plan for rebuilding with an eye towards a free agency splurge in 2023.
If that's the case, the Rockets' best bet might be to use their existing tradable salary in a trade for a large contract. And that's exactly where the Wall for Simmons interest makes sense. If free agency is out, the question is really whether you think a better player than Simmons will shake free in the next few years that you'll have a shot at obtaining. Karl Anthony Towns? Zion? Maybe Simmons is just the bird in hand and you work around the shooting issues?
Garuba!!!
I remain skeptical just because, as anyone who lived through the Bostjan Nachbar era knows, hitting 3s in practice is very different from hitting them in a game. Still, that the accuracy is there from NBA range is nothing but encouraging given that offense is the side of the ball that projects to hold Garuba back from contributing at the NBA level; the defense is already there.
Interestingly, other than Green, Garuba was the most ballyhooed of the team’s remaining three draft picks (Sengun, Christopher) following draft night. However, due to his late arrival to summer league, and the impressive play of the other rooks, the big man has sort of become forgotten. This was a pleasant reminder.