|
Right today?
In what way has the last three years been better for Houston than for us?
Fun fact: while everyone is roasting the Lakers for failing to land free agents over the last few years on a rebuilding team with a declining Kobe whose health was in serious question …. EVERYONE ALSO PASSED ON THE ROCKETS.
They passed on James Harden, who is in his prime, and Dwight, who should have been in his prime.
It makes perfect sense for players to pass on the combination of circumstances surrounding the Lakers and says very little other than the organization from top to bottom is in a state that isn’t really in the best interest of other superstars.
It makes considerably less sense to see those same superstars pass on a Rockets team that should have been just about the most attractive destination at the time and it says a hell of a lot more about Harden and Dwight than it does to pass on the Lakers.
Houston has Harden which is a hell of a head start, but are they really in a great position going forward?
Is their current state of mediocrity really better than the relatively blank slate the Lakers have with a massive amount of money to spend and four very good young players AND a potential top three pick on the wings? Much as people want to shit on the Lakers situation and talk about what a mess we are, we’re actually in as close to an ideal situation for a rebuilding team as you can get. Good young prospects who show significant promise, 2/3 of the salary cap available to spend, and the possibility of a top three draft pick. Yeah, we’re really in disarray. Lol. Every rebuilding team in the league would kill for our positioning and timing.
We could (COULD, let’s be clear) conceivably land the #1, flip it for an established star, (Jimmy Butler perhaps?) and suddenly it’s not a huge stretch to land someone like Durant. Add a guy like Pau and we’d have ourselves a team once you consider Russell and Randle should definitely be better next year.
Or, hey… just draft Ingram, resign JC, and sign whatever quality veterans we can to 1-2 year deals while the kids develop and in three years we’d have a real NBA team through the draft and flipping pieces.
Or, for those of you who will be dense and act like we're unaware of the possibility that things could potentially implode, we lose the pick, nobody signs in the off season, and none of our young players pan out and we’re in the dark ages for the next decade.
The point is we’re in a healthy position despite our front office issues.
We are, along with the Sixers, arguably in the best position in the NBA outside of the Warriors, Spurs, or Cavs because it’s better to be at the bottom with a blank slate if you’re not at the top. Meanwhile Houston is mired in mediocrity and aren’t exactly teaming with attractive assets, which is an unenviable position in the NBA.
|