[Vecenie] Lots of people complained in the offseason about the Rockets’ signing guys like FVV, Brooks, Landale. But this team that won 22 games last year is now already at 35 with 12 left, and it didn’t hold any of the kids’ development back. Having vets helps.
Will also just say: Lot of people complained in the offseason about the Rockets' signing guys like FVV, Brooks, Landale, etc. But this team that won 22 games last year is now already at 35 with 12 left, and it didn't hold any of the kids' development back.
Having vets helps.
— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) March 24, 2024
by KryptoNike21
32 Comments
This is why Detroit’s going to be a cap space player.
The thing wasn’t about signing vets, the thing people complained about was the contrat that FVV and Brooks got, especially Brooks because it kinda felt like the Rockets were the only ones really interested in signing him because of what the Grizzlies did to his value.
I don’t think anybody was thinking that they weren’t gonna be HUGE upgrades over KPJ and KJ Martin (I hope so at least). It shouldn’t be a big surprise that guys who have been solid starters on playoffs teams (more than that for Fred) make a team better.
They were also trying to sign Brook Lopez to play over Sengun btw, so not sure the “plan” was that flawless
The key with a young team is having the right vets in the right positions. Not too few or too many vets, but the right number doing the right things. Paul Millsap going to the Nuggets in the 2018-19 season was the right vet to put that team on a championship path. He wasn’t taking minutes away from young guys who needed to develop. He was helping those guys develop the right habits on and off the court.
>[Vecenie] Lots of people complained in the offseason about the Rockets’ signing guys like FVV, Brooks, Landale.
Should’ve just stopped at FVV and Brooks.
This is what having a top 5 coach will do
It was more about their contracts than the idea of actually signing vets
So many people think you can just rebuild with nothing but young players. But that is very rare and difficult. You need guys that have been there and that also are professionals. Also helps they brought in a coach that has more than 2 brain cells.
Why they were complaining about a young team with cap space overpaying for Vets? What they gonna do with cap space anyway?
You can’t just draft rookies and call it a team. You need vets to teach these kids how to be professionals and the tricks of the trade.
People act like all your players need to be the same age as your young cornerstone guys for the sake of timeline and it never makes sense
Fred makes teams better
The people who complained about their offseason moves were idiots or people who didn’t understand the position they were in cap wise
They had to spend money to get over the floor and they paid for vets that fixed issues they had with their young roster, which was a PG and defensive pieces. Add that up with a great coach signing and you got a young team headed in the right direction.
Also helps when your vets are fringe star caliber players and you pay them 100m+ each letting them know they’re here for development
Well, they also have Ime Udoka who is a championship-caliber coach
It’s about the type of vets. Freddie is a guy who came from being undrafted to huge contract. He’s perfect for the big ego young guys.
This is disingenuous.
Few if any complained about brining in FVV and Brooks, both known for being hard-nosed “culture” guys (even with Dillon acting a fool vs LeBron, he was still seen as a guy who would bring tenacity to the Rockets, whether or not he also brought his “fuck it and Chuck it” offensive style as well).
The complaints were the max deal for Fred (only free agent max deal this offseason) and 4/80 for Brooks when it felt like Houston was negotiating against themselves.
The truth is that, in both cases, Houston – recognizing that they had to get to the salary floor after finally getting the Paul-Westbrook-Wall max money off the books – chose to pay a premium for flexibility, signing them both to deals that were overpays but with cap-friendly mechanics (Fred’s being 2 years plus a club option for a third; Dillon’s being front-loaded to where in a couple years he’s at worst a great salary match). It wasn’t about “no one wants to play in Houston”, it was about “we need y’all to ball for 1.5-3 years while your replacements develop, but here’s a fat bag to make up for not having long-term stability”.
And Landale doesn’t belong in this discussion at all. 4/32 with no guaranteed money is a steal for a good backup big and the only reason anyone talked trash was because he was playing like garbage earlier in the year but he’s doing a lot better now.
This is misleading. Rockets don’t have their pick this year, they’re trying to win, thats why they signed vets. If the Rockets signed vets last season, they probably wouldn’t have got the 4th pick and drafted Amen. If they signed vets the year before, they wouldn’t have drafted Jabari.
You need development, but you also need talents to develop. Signing vets too early will hurt your drafts, it’s about signing vets at the right time. If you feel like you got enough young talents on the team, then ok maybe you sign vets and try to win. But it’s not like every team with young players should just sign vets, because it doesn’t always work.
it also helps that the faced the spurs (2x), wizards (2x), jazz, and bulls in their last 9 win stretch
Raptors missed FVV so badly this season.
They’ve done a masterful job building that roster. The fact that Sengun is injured and they haven’t missed a beat is testament to that. Bringing in Udoka (issues aside) was the final stroke to bring it all together, I rate him as an elite coach and totally necessary to tame all that youth they have. Jeff Green is incredibly frustrating to watch play, but there isn’t a better guy to Uncle a locker room into joyous submission.
In 2-3 years they should be solidly contending.
Only team complaining now is Golden State as Houston wins a dozen straight games to finish the season with a 20 game win streak, stealing their play-in spot.
Agree with the post, but, didn’t we come to this conclusion a while back?
Also helps when you have a dude as good as Sengun and realize that he’s probably the dude to build around instead of Jalen Green (tho seems like he’s hopping again finally)
it would be crazy if the 11th placed team in the West had a winning record. There was “winning record and failing to make the playoffs” and there is “winning record and not even making the play-in”
No one said these signings would cause less wins
The criticism was overpayments would set back the rebuild in the long term, which still hasn’t been disproven (since we haven’t seen the long term team)
While I think there’s value in having those vets on the floor, the current Thunder is a counterpoint. They don’t have vet leaders that I see.
I’ve been having this argument with people all offseason. It’s funny that the people who most defend having no vets on the roster are teams who have been in the doldrums for a half decade +. You don’t get out of that w a roster of exclusively 22 year olds and a place holder coach. Shoutout Houston.
> and it didn’t hold any of the kids’ development back.
I mean that was never the complaint.
The complaint was the contracts…Giving FVV $40m+ for 3 years. And Brooks at $20m+ over 4. Not that vets don’t help.
Who ever said vets don’t help?
Those vets were overpaid was the complaint.
I’d still agree those guys are overpaid.
Not that vets don’t help.
https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/s/w40jK3UKl7
I had this argument so many times last summer. People dont understand the cap, they don’t understand that you need to spend that money, and they dont understand development or leadership
“Lots of people complained”
Tbh wasn’t the consensus these were solid moves since they had cap space to use + didn’t limit any long term financials + didn’t inhibit young guys growth + they needed vets?
Houston did a lot of accounting tricks on those contracts. Brooks has a declining contract value. Landales not fully guaranteed. Van fleets is team option final year. They maintained flexibility and recognized the new CBA set a higher floor for spending. I also bet they went all in on Sengun.