Starting with Lakers-Clippers of course, this one is not on national tv but Sunday is on ESPN.

National TV games today are Rockets-Bulls on NBA TV and Kings-Blazers on ESPN...

Otto Porter will definitely start, but Billy Donovan has already said they're going to watch/limit his minutes.
Denzel is already hurt.
Nobody knows what Hutchison will do.
COVID knocked out Temple, and who knows who else.
Looks like Williams will get some playing time this season.

Means little, but videos of his 5v5 runs this summer with other pros were eye opening. I knew nothing about the kid aside from his love for horticulture but those videos had my attention.

Do not blame AD and Lebron one bit for sitting out.

>Do not blame AD and Lebron one bit for sitting out.

From an organizational standpoint with the money we have invested in those guys it makes sense not to rush them back out there.

Assuming they are in decent playoff position.

He probably woulda started late if not for the early xmas game.

will likely lead of a $100k fine for the team under new league office rules.

it's basically the "lebron can skip any game that's not nationally televised to make sure he's ready for nationally televised games" rule

www.engadgethd.com - the other stuff i'm looking at

.

Still hasn’t developed a jumper

0-5!

Frank, come get this bum ass nigga...I played him fantasy tonight.

TRASH ..

I did get some points, and it’s only preseason. But that shit was not fun to watch.

He looks the same. He still doesn’t have a consistent jump shot.

season. Luke Walton even having a head coaching job is a joke.

They could be like Denver with Nurkic and Kanter,Dame and CJ, Derrick Jones, Gary Trent Rodney Hood and Retro Melo coming off the bench...I think they will be more problematic for the Lakers than the Clips.

Yeah, off the bench, no pressure, and he can learn from Melo. Great situation for him.

John Wall and Cousins looked good. Their movement looked natural and healthy, and both played with confidence. If harden dials in, they could be a problem. I’m rooting for them. That Kentucky duo could do some damage. Houston moved the ball extremely well.

Obi Toppin is real. That kid is always on the attack, and he his handles in the paint. He looks comfortable and hungry.

I like what I saw from Patrick Williams. He is very active, and might be a underrated scorer.

buys more stock

Last year only bron could really get to the rim at will I didn’t see anybody on the clippers keep THT from getting where he wanted to go

Schroder too

be good

0-5, 0-3 from 3. We know he can rebound and pass. But this Dude will not be able to score. He cannot shoot. He will struggle badly in that area. He is really bad.

Jordan should fire himself. Hornets will be trash again.

Graham- Rozier- Hayward- Washington-Zeller. That’s their projected starting lineup. I still can’t believe he gave Hayward all that money.


Milwaukee has zero bench. Portis,Augustine,Forbes,Connaughton, Craig... yeah,okay. Either Harden comes. Or Giannis is out of there.

I know it’s the preseason, but even at this elementary stage the lineups for these teams look horrible.

Those who I know that watched were RAVING about his passing.

Go re-read my first sentence.

Yes , I watched. But obviously you didn’t. You heard? Smh

Clearly, I stated that we know he can pass and rebound, but offensively he was shit.
Just like Lonzo.

That’s all we see from Lonzo is passing and rebounding. We know they can do that. But they can’t shoot or score.

It seems like Liangelo is the only one who can shoot, but he can’t get any interest.

In the NBA you have to be able to shoot and score, or teams will just play off you. And that’s what they did.

They will be very entertaining, but a shit team. You need more than electrifying passes to excel in the NBA. If you can’t shoot, not even a focking mid range or tear drop shot as a PG, the team ain’t going nowhere.

You know, from people I talk to. About basketball.

just confirming that you watched, and it wasn’t just a figure of speech. They were more impressed with him than you. I’m looking forward to watching him to see how he looks.

Maybe they really have gotten better at fixing these achilles

Maybe they really have gotten better at fixing these achilles

I hope they manage his minutes. He looked great.

THT playing the best on the court rn w/ Kawhi and PG

kawhi and pg couldnt do a thing w/ him in the first half.

Just turned 20 and better than most of these young scrubs that the media keeps trying to force feed to us.

LAL = got better, given good health, they going back to back.
DEN = MPJ makes it a big 3
POR = F’N love this roster, easily the deepest team in the league

Other than Lou Will, F the clippers

Will they finish in the top 4 in the WC?

You’ve still got good teams on the come up like Utah and DAL

That shit in HOU might could work

Steph back in GSW

I’m expecting the meltdown in LAC to continue this season

Fok em’.

..granted, its only preseason.

Can't wait to see how the rotation settles.

Props to Kuz and THT for putting on a show.


*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

This dude sitting criss-cross apple sauce talking about I need 9 post-ups a game.

These dudes are weird bruh.

into whatever the deal is and get this done.
https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1338469547255459840?s=20

but the initial report was they the teams had spoken and Miami was not willing to include Tyler in any deal.

That's the thing with Harden and star players "demanding" trades, the team that trades for them is probably going to have to gut their roster and not be as good any more.

We saw this with Melo forcing the trade to the Knicks.

Is there a single person in here who thought Tyler for Harden works as a straight up swap, under any circumstances?

I honestly dont see what's so special about him. There's a handful of guys like that in the league.

https://twitter.com/TheHoopCentral/status/1338295580217335811?s=20

>https://twitter.com/TheHoopCentral/status/1338295580217335811?s=20

I don’t get it. He is the best shooter out all the Balls, but he can’t get the time of day.

If you're the best shooter in a poor shooting family, that's not a mark in your favor, lol.

He's not an NBA caliber athlete.
He's a bad passer.
He's a bad ball handler.
He's a dreadful defender, worse than Zo at UCLA or Melo in HS.
He's just not a good player at the next level. He'd need to develop a lot of skills in a lot of ways. College would have done him well, tbh.

There's a reason Zo and Melo were five star recruits, and LiAngelo was a 3 star, lol. He could try to work really hard and make a career overseas, or in his dad's league if that's still running. And there's nothing wrong with that-- that'd be more than most 3 star HS recruits do.

He has NFL pedigree MORE than NBA pedigree

Nvm

NVM

>I’m winning, so I ain’t complaining. A high scoring
>ground and pound game, where all TDs came from run plays.
>
>This has got to be A NFL record.

Meant for the NFL thread.

they will be a basement dweller. way too many good teams in the East.

but I think they will be "Good Bad" like ATL was now.

I love what I see from Okoro. I knew he was the guy but I see a guy that is more than ready.

This guy they got from the Knicks, Dotson? He's pretty tight. Cavs have 5011 guards, so I don't know if he even makes the roster.

No Sexton yet. I'm curious to see how this team moves with him in the offense. He and Garland won't be playing together unless Sexton commits to off ball.

there are some moments where I miss Tristan's GIT-R-DONE inside game, but I also do like having bigs that pass in the modern way.

gonna be entertaining this season.

He is kinda like KCP. Just was in a bad situation where the Knicks kept bringing in higher profile folks (Dennis Smith, drafting Frank Ntilikina, etc) so Dotson would get limited spells where he would start or get extended minutes, and he would do pretty well....but he was never in the Knicks long term plans.

Can't wait for this season to start.

I think he builds on last season and stays consistent. Next year, after a year of getting comfortable with Zion, he ascends.

As with last year...I'm all in on the Pels for any game that isn't against the Lakers.

Harden looks FAT. Houston’s gonna be so much comedy.

they got pics of him yesterday looking skinny as shit.

massive steal by webster and masai late 1st round

It was great to see
I imagine with more conditioning, he'll be back to form soon
GSW are the biggest question mark for me
Oubre and Wiggins are pretty redundant
I can't believe more of these role/veteran players didn't sign with GSW after Klay was ruled out for the season
Looks like the plan is to let Steph chuck every night
...and I'm here for it...

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/30528130/james-harden-houston-rockets-breaking-point

James Harden and the Houston Rockets are at a breaking point
play
5:48 AM CT
Tim MacMahon
ESPN Staff Writer

THE HOUSTON ROCKETS' culture in the James Harden era, which bridges two owners and now four head coaches, might be best summed up by a former staffer's three words:

"Whatever James wants."

Unless they were on the front end of a back-to-back set, it was essentially a sure thing that the Rockets stayed overnight -- or even an extra day -- after games in Los Angeles, Phoenix and other road cities that rank among Harden's favorite stops.

If the Rockets had two or three days between games, it was a good bet Harden would call for an off day and charter a private jet to party in Las Vegas or another city. He always gets an excused absence from the first practice after the All-Star break for the same reason.

"Just James being James," those currently within the franchise say. But these circumstances are drastically different than at any previous point of the perennial All-Star's eight-year Houston tenure.

And the Rockets considered it good business to do what Harden wanted to keep a historically elite player happy. But when Harden tried to rush the Rockets to trade him in recent weeks despite the lack of an offer that they considered fair value, it wasn't the annual ultimatum for improvement. It was something more.

By leaving the Rockets twisting in the wind while camp opened with little communication, Harden made his absence the focus of rookie head coach Stephen Silas' first days of practice. And by blowing off the NBA's COVID-19 protocols, partying maskless during the pandemic and boasting about it on Instagram, Harden revealed what could come if he doesn't get his way.

"Yeah, he's going to act up," a former Rockets staffer said.

"He's never heard 'no' before."


After eight All-Star seasons with the Rockets, James Harden is pushing for a trade out of Houston. Michael Reaves/Getty Images
MULTIPLE ROCKETS OFFICIALS acknowledge that the entire organization has been "complicit" in the culture that has been created over the past eight years.

"We knew who the boss of the organization was," a former Rockets assistant coach said. "That's just part of what the deal was when you go to Houston. The players, coaches, GM, owner all know.

"I don't blame James. I blame the organization. It's not his fault. He did what they allowed him to do."

Yet there is not a consensus among current and former Rockets officials and staffers that empowering Harden to such extremes was the wrong path. The Rockets were trending toward NBA irrelevancy before Harden's arrival in Houston, missing the playoffs each of the previous three seasons.

Former Rockets general manager Daryl Morey took a calculated risk in projecting that the reigning Sixth Man of the Year would become a bona fide superstar when he shipped Kevin Martin, then-rookie lottery pick Jeremy Lamb and a package of NBA draft picks to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Harden. The Rockets haven't missed the playoffs since, the only franchise that can make that claim.

"If they have multiple days off, everybody knows: James is going to fly somewhere else and party. But he's going to come back and have a 50-point triple-double, so they're OK with it."
Member of Houston's 2019-20 coaching staff
Houston hasn't accomplished its ultimate goal during its run with Harden, advancing to the Western Conference finals twice but never past that point. But the brilliance of Harden, the 2017-18 MVP and a top-three finisher in the balloting four other times over the past six years, provided Houston realistic hope of contending that only a handful of teams have each season.

He's also one of the sport's most durable stars, routinely ranking among the league leaders in minutes and often playing through injuries such as sprained ankles and shoulder bruises that would cause other players to rest. All these things made it easy for the Rockets to look the other way when it came to Harden's hard-living lifestyle.

But the lack of discipline and attention to detail hasn't been OK with Paul and Russell Westbrook, ultimately leading to breakups between Harden and those two stars.

The peak of the franchise's Harden era came during Paul's first season in Houston, when the Rockets had a league-best 65 wins during the regular season and built a 3-2 lead over the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference finals. But the Rockets lost the last two games of that series with Paul sidelined -- "a hamstring away" is a phrase that will forever haunt Houston fans -- and the chemistry between the ball-dominant co-stars blew up the following season.

One of Paul's biggest beefs, sources said, was that Harden basically opted not to participate in the Rockets' offense when the ball wasn't in his hands, sometimes barely stepping over half court while spectating when Paul had the ball. Harden quickly tired of Paul barking about his concerns, which included lobbying coach Mike D'Antoni to implement more structure and movement in an offensive system that revolved around Harden's isolations, sources said.

Rockets management believed those issues could be ironed out and wanted to run it back with the Harden-Paul duo last season. Those plans changed as soon as Westbrook became available.

Harden insisted the Rockets get the deal done, saying he'd demand a trade if they didn't find a way to bring his childhood friend and former OKC teammate to Houston, sources said. The Rockets paid a price that was considered steep at the time -- Paul, 2024 and 2026 first-round picks, and swap rights in 2021 and 2025.

Sources said Westbrook frequently expressed his displeasure during the season with not being able to "play my game," as he put it. There were questions about the Harden-Westbrook fit when they were pushing to play together again, including D'Antoni privately expressing his concerns, sources said.

Those concerns were quieted, internally and externally, when Westbrook thrived after the Rockets' switch to small ball opened up the floor. He averaged 32.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game while shooting 53.1% from the floor over a two-month span before the coronavirus pandemic halted the season.

HOUSTON'S CASUAL CULTURE appalled Westbrook. In Oklahoma City, despite the fact that he enjoyed the same sort of superstar privileges as Harden has had in Houston, the Thunder operated with the discipline of a military unit under Westbrook's watch. The Rockets were a stark contrast, especially last season under D'Antoni, who was never known as a disciplinarian and who was a lame duck in the last year of his contract after extension negotiations infamously fizzled twice over the summer.

Westbrook didn't tolerate tardiness. With the Rockets, scheduled departure times were treated as mere suggestions by Harden and others.

"Nothing ever starts on time," a former Rockets staffer said. "The plane is always late. The bus is never on time. ... It's just an organized AAU team."

On one occasion in the Florida bubble, Harden waited to get his daily COVID-19 testing until just before the Rockets' film session was scheduled to start. When he wasn't on time, Westbrook barked, "Start the film! Start without him!" D'Antoni explained that they'd just have to start over when Harden arrived, which didn't do much to calm Westbrook.

Whether Westbrook or Harden wanted out first isn't clear, but they no longer wanted to play together, a season after the Rockets mortgaged their draft future to make it happen.

Morey, the man who negotiated that deal with owner Tilman Fertitta's approval, made his exit before either star asked to be traded. Rafael Stone, who was promoted to general manager after Morey's resignation and move to become president of basketball operations for the Philadelphia 76ers, was left to deal with the messy aftermath.

As one high-ranking Rockets source told ESPN in November, the franchise was "willing to get uncomfortable" by going into the season with disgruntled superstars on the roster. The Rockets ended up trading Westbrook just before camp opened, sending him to the Washington Wizards for John Wall (fresh off a two-year injury layoff) and a protected future first-round pick, an admission that the previous offseason's deal to acquire Westbrook was a disastrous decision.

But Houston has its heels dug in regarding Harden, refusing at this point to consider an offer unless it includes a young franchise cornerstone and a bundle of first-round picks and/or promising players on rookie deals. Sources say Harden, who had been singularly focused on trying to force his way to the Brooklyn Nets, has indicated to the Rockets that he would be agreeable to a trade to the 76ers or other select contenders.

After the Rockets let it be known they would not be swayed by unhappiness, Harden delayed his arrival to camp, instead choosing to hang out with rapper Lil Baby -- gifting his friend a Prada bag stuffed with honey buns, a $100,000 brick of cash (aka a "Honey Bun") and a Richard Mille watch worth well into six figures for Lil Baby's birthday -- while leaving Silas hanging.

Harden reported to the Rockets on Dec. 8, a week after his teammates, tested negative for the coronavirus for an NBA-mandated six consecutive days and finally practiced with the team on Monday. He had a "good conversation" about basketball strategy with Silas, according to the coach, who had minimal communication with his point guard until that point. But Harden has yet to speak to the media since his late arrival to training camp, a violation of NBA rules.

The Rockets hope Harden, who played 21 minutes in Tuesday's preseason victory over the San Antonio Spurs, will be professional as they patiently explore the trade market, searching for a deal that wouldn't doom the franchise to a long, painful rebuild.

"You can't get mad at your kid if you let him eat candy every night and then suddenly one night you don't and they throw a tantrum," an ex-Houston assistant coach said. "You're the one who let them eat candy every night.

"The Rockets turned the organization over to James, and now they have to live with the fallout."

Powerful subject line! Haha

As for Harden, it is okay if it is over in Houston. We all should know that they aren't gonna win with him as the best player.

I thought the initial deal to bring him to Houston was a bad one. I thought he was unfit to any team's best player. I'll accept that he ended up being a lot better scorer than I thought he would be.

Outside of that? Dude is a joke superstar. He ain't winning as the best player on a team. I don't trust him to be the template for a team culture...*looks around*.

I don't want him being the guy who has to play lights out every night to win cuz he went to Houston already having 'come up lame when it matters most' on his record with his 6th man role with OKC. And then he's just added onto that legacy repeatedly since then. How man dog performances has he laid down only to seem totally fine to be out and about chillin just after? I want some Lil Mac lost 3 times on PunchOut sad music for at least a little while!

I d@mn sure don't want him being a fake GM that some team has to consult on free agents and trades. And if a teammate says 'hey mane, wassup on that bullshiiiid' when he's not being a pro, he's gonna go in a back office somewhere and cry to get that dude out of town? Lame.

And now that the team is basically done contending, I damn sure don't care about Houston trying to trade him to some team where he could win and then act like the Rox organization was the problem with his career the whole time.

>https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/30528130/james-harden-houston-rockets-breaking-point
>
>James Harden and the Houston Rockets are at a breaking point
>play
>5:48 AM CT
>Tim MacMahon
>ESPN Staff Writer
>
>THE HOUSTON ROCKETS' culture in the James Harden era, which
>bridges two owners and now four head coaches, might be best
>summed up by a former staffer's three words:
>
>"Whatever James wants."
>
>Unless they were on the front end of a back-to-back set, it
>was essentially a sure thing that the Rockets stayed overnight
>-- or even an extra day -- after games in Los Angeles, Phoenix
>and other road cities that rank among Harden's favorite
>stops.
>
>If the Rockets had two or three days between games, it was a
>good bet Harden would call for an off day and charter a
>private jet to party in Las Vegas or another city. He always
>gets an excused absence from the first practice after the
>All-Star break for the same reason.
>
>"Just James being James," those currently within the franchise
>say. But these circumstances are drastically different than at
>any previous point of the perennial All-Star's eight-year
>Houston tenure.
>
>And the Rockets considered it good business to do what Harden
>wanted to keep a historically elite player happy. But when
>Harden tried to rush the Rockets to trade him in recent weeks
>despite the lack of an offer that they considered fair value,
>it wasn't the annual ultimatum for improvement. It was
>something more.
>
>By leaving the Rockets twisting in the wind while camp opened
>with little communication, Harden made his absence the focus
>of rookie head coach Stephen Silas' first days of practice.
>And by blowing off the NBA's COVID-19 protocols, partying
>maskless during the pandemic and boasting about it on
>Instagram, Harden revealed what could come if he doesn't get
>his way.
>
>"Yeah, he's going to act up," a former Rockets staffer said.
>
>"He's never heard 'no' before."
>
>
>After eight All-Star seasons with the Rockets, James Harden is
>pushing for a trade out of Houston. Michael Reaves/Getty
>Images
>MULTIPLE ROCKETS OFFICIALS acknowledge that the entire
>organization has been "complicit" in the culture that has been
>created over the past eight years.
>
>"We knew who the boss of the organization was," a former
>Rockets assistant coach said. "That's just part of what the
>deal was when you go to Houston. The players, coaches, GM,
>owner all know.
>
>"I don't blame James. I blame the organization. It's not his
>fault. He did what they allowed him to do."
>
>Yet there is not a consensus among current and former Rockets
>officials and staffers that empowering Harden to such extremes
>was the wrong path. The Rockets were trending toward NBA
>irrelevancy before Harden's arrival in Houston, missing the
>playoffs each of the previous three seasons.
>
>Former Rockets general manager Daryl Morey took a calculated
>risk in projecting that the reigning Sixth Man of the Year
>would become a bona fide superstar when he shipped Kevin
>Martin, then-rookie lottery pick Jeremy Lamb and a package of
>NBA draft picks to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Harden. The
>Rockets haven't missed the playoffs since, the only franchise
>that can make that claim.
>
>"If they have multiple days off, everybody knows: James is
>going to fly somewhere else and party. But he's going to come
>back and have a 50-point triple-double, so they're OK with
>it."
>Member of Houston's 2019-20 coaching staff
>Houston hasn't accomplished its ultimate goal during its run
>with Harden, advancing to the Western Conference finals twice
>but never past that point. But the brilliance of Harden, the
>2017-18 MVP and a top-three finisher in the balloting four
>other times over the past six years, provided Houston
>realistic hope of contending that only a handful of teams have
>each season.
>
>He's also one of the sport's most durable stars, routinely
>ranking among the league leaders in minutes and often playing
>through injuries such as sprained ankles and shoulder bruises
>that would cause other players to rest. All these things made
>it easy for the Rockets to look the other way when it came to
>Harden's hard-living lifestyle.
>
>But the lack of discipline and attention to detail hasn't been
>OK with Paul and Russell Westbrook, ultimately leading to
>breakups between Harden and those two stars.
>
>The peak of the franchise's Harden era came during Paul's
>first season in Houston, when the Rockets had a league-best 65
>wins during the regular season and built a 3-2 lead over the
>Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference finals. But
>the Rockets lost the last two games of that series with Paul
>sidelined -- "a hamstring away" is a phrase that will forever
>haunt Houston fans -- and the chemistry between the
>ball-dominant co-stars blew up the following season.
>
>One of Paul's biggest beefs, sources said, was that Harden
>basically opted not to participate in the Rockets' offense
>when the ball wasn't in his hands, sometimes barely stepping
>over half court while spectating when Paul had the ball.
>Harden quickly tired of Paul barking about his concerns, which
>included lobbying coach Mike D'Antoni to implement more
>structure and movement in an offensive system that revolved
>around Harden's isolations, sources said.
>
>Rockets management believed those issues could be ironed out
>and wanted to run it back with the Harden-Paul duo last
>season. Those plans changed as soon as Westbrook became
>available.
>
>Harden insisted the Rockets get the deal done, saying he'd
>demand a trade if they didn't find a way to bring his
>childhood friend and former OKC teammate to Houston, sources
>said. The Rockets paid a price that was considered steep at
>the time -- Paul, 2024 and 2026 first-round picks, and swap
>rights in 2021 and 2025.
>
>Sources said Westbrook frequently expressed his displeasure
>during the season with not being able to "play my game," as he
>put it. There were questions about the Harden-Westbrook fit
>when they were pushing to play together again, including
>D'Antoni privately expressing his concerns, sources said.
>
>Those concerns were quieted, internally and externally, when
>Westbrook thrived after the Rockets' switch to small ball
>opened up the floor. He averaged 32.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and
>7.0 assists per game while shooting 53.1% from the floor over
>a two-month span before the coronavirus pandemic halted the
>season.
>
>HOUSTON'S CASUAL CULTURE appalled Westbrook. In Oklahoma City,
>despite the fact that he enjoyed the same sort of superstar
>privileges as Harden has had in Houston, the Thunder operated
>with the discipline of a military unit under Westbrook's
>watch. The Rockets were a stark contrast, especially last
>season under D'Antoni, who was never known as a disciplinarian
>and who was a lame duck in the last year of his contract after
>extension negotiations infamously fizzled twice over the
>summer.
>
>Westbrook didn't tolerate tardiness. With the Rockets,
>scheduled departure times were treated as mere suggestions by
>Harden and others.
>
>"Nothing ever starts on time," a former Rockets staffer said.
>"The plane is always late. The bus is never on time. ... It's
>just an organized AAU team."
>
>On one occasion in the Florida bubble, Harden waited to get
>his daily COVID-19 testing until just before the Rockets' film
>session was scheduled to start. When he wasn't on time,
>Westbrook barked, "Start the film! Start without him!"
>D'Antoni explained that they'd just have to start over when
>Harden arrived, which didn't do much to calm Westbrook.
>
>Whether Westbrook or Harden wanted out first isn't clear, but
>they no longer wanted to play together, a season after the
>Rockets mortgaged their draft future to make it happen.
>
>Morey, the man who negotiated that deal with owner Tilman
>Fertitta's approval, made his exit before either star asked to
>be traded. Rafael Stone, who was promoted to general manager
>after Morey's resignation and move to become president of
>basketball operations for the Philadelphia 76ers, was left to
>deal with the messy aftermath.
>
>As one high-ranking Rockets source told ESPN in November, the
>franchise was "willing to get uncomfortable" by going into the
>season with disgruntled superstars on the roster. The Rockets
>ended up trading Westbrook just before camp opened, sending
>him to the Washington Wizards for John Wall (fresh off a
>two-year injury layoff) and a protected future first-round
>pick, an admission that the previous offseason's deal to
>acquire Westbrook was a disastrous decision.
>
>But Houston has its heels dug in regarding Harden, refusing at
>this point to consider an offer unless it includes a young
>franchise cornerstone and a bundle of first-round picks and/or
>promising players on rookie deals. Sources say Harden, who had
>been singularly focused on trying to force his way to the
>Brooklyn Nets, has indicated to the Rockets that he would be
>agreeable to a trade to the 76ers or other select contenders.
>
>After the Rockets let it be known they would not be swayed by
>unhappiness, Harden delayed his arrival to camp, instead
>choosing to hang out with rapper Lil Baby -- gifting his
>friend a Prada bag stuffed with honey buns, a $100,000 brick
>of cash (aka a "Honey Bun") and a Richard Mille watch worth
>well into six figures for Lil Baby's birthday -- while leaving
>Silas hanging.
>
>Harden reported to the Rockets on Dec. 8, a week after his
>teammates, tested negative for the coronavirus for an
>NBA-mandated six consecutive days and finally practiced with
>the team on Monday. He had a "good conversation" about
>basketball strategy with Silas, according to the coach, who
>had minimal communication with his point guard until that
>point. But Harden has yet to speak to the media since his late
>arrival to training camp, a violation of NBA rules.
>
>The Rockets hope Harden, who played 21 minutes in Tuesday's
>preseason victory over the San Antonio Spurs, will be
>professional as they patiently explore the trade market,
>searching for a deal that wouldn't doom the franchise to a
>long, painful rebuild.
>
>"You can't get mad at your kid if you let him eat candy every
>night and then suddenly one night you don't and they throw a
>tantrum," an ex-Houston assistant coach said. "You're the one
>who let them eat candy every night.
>
>"The Rockets turned the organization over to James, and now
>they have to live with the fallout."
>
>

bron = goku
ad = vegeta
tht & kuzma = goten and trunks
caruso = krillin
trezz = piccolo
schroder = gohan

it aint really a good match for marc lol

and win that game? I turned it off in the 3rd quarter and we were down and half the team was on the bench icing their knees, I guess THT came in and went ham lol

tht really took over. he's real good at creating angles out of a dead end drive.

I'm reserving judgement on Gotenks until I see that they can do this throughout the season though.

Word is Quickley is winning over the fan base.

The game is played with smaller players these days, so I don't mind all of the guards.

What I do mind is the test of my patience that I'll have to exercise watching this squad. I hope there's some improvement from the younger guys this season. Loses I don't mind; lack of progression from some of the younger core will kill me though.

I want them to keep Myles Powell with the team too, but he'll be in the G League for now.

Man Quick is our starting PG opening night...pretty sure of that now.

https://twitter.com/Sportsnet/status/1339716308196352000?s=20

https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1339730860107554816

I mean, who knows? It's the only trade that would really be feasible and not screw up either team. But I certainly understand if Morey/Rivers would rather keep Simmons.

If this is on the table, Rockets would be crazy not to take it. This is as good as they'll get and Ben is locked up for a few years.

Like you said, who knows. Maybe they got a strong feeling that he’s heading to Miami and don’t want Ben to be pissed. I personally feel he’s going to end up in Miami. The Heat were really angling for Giannis and Jimmy loves James.

...knowing what we know now...

Fat Harden being a thing

One commentator said he’s trying to eat his way out of HOU

Obviously wouldn’t work with Embiid for multiple reasons

+ MY SQUAD IS NICE!!!

We running 10 deep...easy

#1 D in da league.

a contender, why gut their squad for a guy they may not fit with their other 2 stars?

Houston is not going to give up Harden for Tobias Harris.

Who does Miami have to trade not named Jimmy & Bam?

Now Ben & Wall will be an interesting fit.

it ain’t gonna be Jimmy, doe.

you gotta think...Bam, Tyler, picks, to start.

they're not trading him. This is about him. I don't see who else could be involved.

his prime yet. Jimmy probably only has a few more years left in his.

they don't look at them the same. They committed to Jimmy when he came, that this wasn't done. The plan was to put another star next to him. They wanted Giannis SO bad. Spoelstra said, like a few days ago, "“We feel a great responsibility for Jimmy to win now, instead of pushing this thing down the line.” They want it FOR him, lol. Bam will be on the next plane to Houston, if it will help them land Harden.

I'm saying they are NOT TRADING JIMMY. So...unless Houston wants like Duncan Robinson, Herro, picks, a lifetime supply of Armani suits for the entire staff...I guess a deal won't get done.

Bam is to the Heat what Draymond was for the Warriors-- except Bam is honestly better. Which is crazy considering it's not impossible that Draymond makes the Hall of Fame.

Bam is one of the very few elite defenders of all positions, 1 through 5. Like, maybe the fastest PGs in the world can get by him, but other than that, Bam can stop them. Everything they run on defense doesn't work without Bam. Dragic, Herro, and Robinson are all net negative defenders... but they're nearly a top 10 defense in the NBA because of Jimmy and Bam.

I'd absolutely rather have Bam than Harden... and I don't just mean going forward, I mean this season. Boston is switchable. Milwaukee is switchable. Let's say you lose just Bam, so you're starting Harden, Herro, Robinson, Butler, and Olynyk? That's a bottom half of the NBA defense, easily. The Heat don't need more scoring. The Heat need their team defense to work.

Besides, all of this is moot to some extent, because the Heat culture is about intensely hard team-based work, and that's not Harden's vibe. Harden is an incredibly skilled basketball player, a future Hall of Famer... but he does not fit in with that culture at all. Butler is the perfect leader for that organization, and Bam is the future of that organization.

If you think you can make the money work and part with Herro, Kendrick Nunn, a couple picks, maybe Dragic too? Okay. Do that deal. But I would not trade Bam. This isn't some "don't trade for Kobe, we need Luol" stuff. I firmly think Bam is, in terms of trade chips and in terms of who you want to build your team around in the year 2020, like... if not a Top 10 asset, then a Top 15 one.

Bam's gonna do 18/11/5/1/2 this year, All-Star and All-Defense... and he's 23. I don't care what Harden brings on offense, I can't pull that trigger. I have Jimmy/Bam/Herro through 2023. They all fit my system, they play beautifully together. I'm more interested in free agents than I am in dealing any of those assets.

with everything. My point was only really in regards to Jimmy and how they view him.

Toss Herro, Robinson (who's walking this offseason anyway), Precious Achiuwa, Iguodala and Meyers Leonard to make the money work, and multiple picks. It's a better offer than the Rockets will get from the Nets, or from most any team that isn't the Sixers if the Sixers offer Simmons (which they shouldn't).

I agree that the Heat should try to get Harden. A starting 5 of Dragic, Harden, Jimmy, Bam, and whoever is the best team in the East, easily.

You just can't deal Bam and actually contend.

Lazy ass Embid and Harden on the same team with Doc?

Yeah, okay. And we already know how Lax Doc is as a coach.

A lazy Embid. Plus a late Harden. Plus a relaxed Doc.

Comedy.

SIGN ME UP.

at all. Jimmy finally found a home and ain't for no games.

If i’m Houston, Don’t trade. Play that shit out. You don’t have to trade him.

Wall- Gordon- Harden - Wood - Boogie

That is a potent ass squad. Inside and out.

https://twitter.com/NBCSCeltics/status/1340059893798232064

Dude is out here thinking he's got it all figured out, as do most in their 20's. Usually this would be kinda funny (or sad), but I'm gonna go ahead and appreciate an athlete for thinking differently. We'll see how long this phase keeps up and what direction it heads in. But I got $$$ on him snapping out of it by like 30.

Partly bc I sage

unlike james partying in multiple cities during the height of a pandemic.

decent this year. and by decent i mean good.

if wiseman pans out they can be nice. gonna be very different.


peace & blessings,

x.

www.twitter.com/poetx

=========================================
I'm an advocate for working smarter, not harder. If you just
focus on working hard you end up making someone else rich and
not having much to show for it. (c) mad

And not necessarily challenging for the division, but they will be the 8th seed no one wants to play.

aw man the shit we would do to them defensively shouldn’t be televised

Thibs better keep that line up.... Quickley, Barrett, Randle, Robinson and Bullock...Bench mob: Noels, Knox, Rivers, Burks and Toppin.

They moved the ball, played D with energy and it translated to their confidence on offense.

Thibs can throw all that 'win now' bull out the window and let this cook. THEN the stars will show up.

Said in the truth and justivity thread that he's point that can shoot.

..talk about a horrible start. Lakers were down double digits early, but managed to chip away at that lead over the next 2 qtrs.




*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

getting blown out early and you think it’s a wrap and turn it off and look at the scores the next day and THT and the subs walked them down lol