November 1, 2025 • 31 mins
Saturday’s ClutchFans Live postgame show breaks down Houston’s dominant 128-101 victory in Boston. The Rockets (3-2) have now won three straight games, overall, all by a margin of at least 18 points.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Feel good now about the Rockets being three and two
and moving their way up.
Speaker 3 (00:05):
Yeah. Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
This entire week reminded me of the old Gerald Morey quote.
Good teams don't win close games, they avoid them. They've
won their last three games all by at least eighteen points,
average margin close to twenty five. So it's not just
that they're winning, it's how they're winning, going out and
taking care of business. And let's be clear off the top,
they had a rest advantage tonight. One thing they needed
(00:27):
to do this week was take advantage of these situations
where teams like the Nets and the Celtics were on
night two of a back to back. The Rockets don't
actually have that many throughout the season, so these were
two of I believe only seven, which is I think
tied for the fewest in the NBA. So they won't
have too many huge rest advantages throughout the season. They
did this week, and they went out and took care
(00:48):
of business. And I think I don't care who you play.
When you win three straight games by an average margin
more than twenty per game, you're doing a lot right.
And to me, what was most fulfilling tonight is that
it was a two way performance. The first three quarters
of that game. They gave up just seventy two points.
And Boston's a team, you know, they try and get
to the three point edge as much as they can.
Through the first three quarters, they shot just ten to
(01:09):
thirty from three, So the Rockets denied the volume, they
denied the accuracy. Javaris Smith Junior was fantastic with four blocks.
I just think this was a Rockets team that was
better on paper, and they went out and took care
of business. And one other stat I want to point out,
the per quarter stats have not updated yet at NBA
dot Com, but going into tonight, the Rockets were actually
third in the NBA and net rating in the third quarter,
(01:31):
a ridiculous margin of like plus twenty eight per game
in net rating. I don't think that's going to be
hurt tonight because they were up I think sixteen or
eighteen at the half, and they were up I believe
twenty five at the end of the third quarter. And
this is what good teams do, like they don't let
an outman team or a fatigue team, whatever the case
may be, hang around. The Rockets took care of business
out of the half, and they were able to play
(01:52):
the end of the bench in the fourth quarter because
of it. So I thought this was just a very
workmanlike professional win. It helps when shots go in.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
Look.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
Reed Shepherd made or five threes, Charny Easton made four
of six, Joshua Koge made three to five.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
If your role players are.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
Putting in threes at that extent, you're gonna have a
good night pretty much no matter who you play. But
I just think the Rockets going out and taking care
of business the way they did. By the way that
third quarter stat the two teams ahead of the Rockets
going into tonight I mentioned they were plus twenty eight.
Somehow two teams are slightly better. It's the Nuggets and
the Warriors. The Warriors for years we talked about how
(02:25):
dominant they are in the third quarters. The Nuggets, I
think have a lot of similarities and that both of
these teams are very Vetteran laden. They're good at adjusting
midway through a game. They sort of feel their way
through the first couple of quarters, and then you know,
they know that putting away weaker opponents early is what
good teams do. That's what the Rockets did tonight, And
I feel really good about this one.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Yeah, this looked like a really good team. I think,
you know, we talked about, you know, the offense coming
into this game, Rockets number one in the league in
offensive rating. It's been four games, so you have to,
you know, take that with a grain of salt. But
at the same time, it's very very encouraging sign and
tonight they come in and the defense has been kind
of slipping, you know, falling to the nineteenth on the
(03:06):
year in you know, defensive raiding. Tonight, like you as
you said, well, this was on both ends of the floor.
Rockets really play well. We'll kind of dissect both of
the both ends of it there. But nineteen of twenty
nine from three point range. Rockets now number one in
the league. Again, it's early in three point shooting. I
think there were people out there that predicted the Rockets
(03:27):
would struggle from three this year hasn't happened so far.
Jabari has been good. Shangon has added that element to
his game, although I think tonight he's just won for three.
Same with Jabari, but Kadi is now starting to come around.
Read Shepherd. Tonight hit four triples. As you pointed out,
Rockets just on both ends of the floor were great,
and it started with Kevin Durant tonight he hit seven
(03:48):
of eight to start the game, and just it felt
like a wave had hit Boston. And Rockets defensively, oh why,
as you pointed out, were really good. I mean they
Boston is a team that isn't super efficient from three
point range, but they are number one in volume. They
shoot the most threes in the league, and Rockets contain them,
(04:08):
I believe. Tonight they were fourteen of forty four from
three point range, just thirty one point eight percent.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
And fourteen of those attempts came in the fourth quarter
when it was basically garbage time and Jordan Wall shit
a couple of threes at the end of the game
that nobody cares about.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
Yeah. Absolutely, And in fact, you know, I put together a
few clips tonight just of the defense. I was really impressed.
And you mentioned Jabari. We're going to talk about Jabari
as well in this game. But you know, here he
just shut down Jalen Brown drive, forced her to pick
up his dribble, forced him into a turnover. This block
was something else, I mean, you know, and of course
(04:40):
it helped with Hollins and Ackerman with their reactions but
leading to the amends slam off the shnggun feed this
defense here. Look at the perimeter defense, the way the
Rockets contain these guys. They break it eventually and Shangun
comes over for a week's side block. Like really impressive
defensively there as well. Just so the defense tonight, like
(05:01):
I said, was very encouraging. Another block here from Jabari,
four blocks from Jabari Smith Junior tonight. Defensively, the Rockets
just had it going on and it was just it
was a blowout. It was never close. We're going to
see some better tests, but these are getting better the
last three games. Rocket is now on a three game
win streak, and.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
I think the rem protection of Jabari is so important
with this new look starting lineup because we mentioned the
concept of attacking the weak link in the chain. Well,
they haven't started the Double Big and any of these
three consecutive wins, and I think tonight that was especially
important because if you start the Double Big, that's going
to be something that Joe Mizula and the Celtics will target.
(05:41):
Knowing it's Night Tuba back to back, they will just
try and spam you with as many threes as possible
and hope that it's a night that they're hitting. We
saw on that win over the Cavs the other night
they hit twenty one to fifty seven. So the Rockets
couldn't afford, as much as I love Steven Adams to
go double big tonight and risk this being a night
where the Celtics catch fire and before you know it
sort of spiral in a good way for them.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
So they had to.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
Go with Josha Kogi in the starting five, and to
Joshua's credit, look he made three or five threes. Josh
shot thirty five percent on threes last season, and I said,
basically all summer ever since the Rocket signed him. If
that is sustainable, if he is a thirty five percent
plus or better shooter from three, he's going to play
way more than people think because that perimeter defense is
just so valuable. And so if you're not starting a
(06:24):
double big and you're instead starting Josha Koge, who is
a fantastic perimeter defender, then I guess the only areas
that you can sort of attack. And I'm not calling
these guys' weaknesses, but I guess they're the weakest among
the starting five would be Shanoon and KD because Kde
sort of functions as a big defender. So I guess,
you know, the easiest matchup you can get, and it's
(06:46):
certainly not easy, would be trying to, you know, attack
KD or Shangoon on a switch some sort of ball
screen action. And in that case, if you have one
of your other three guys, you certainly don't want to
attack a men Thompson, Kogi or Javari Smith. And so
if one or more of those other three guys, which
Shavari certainly is and a man can as well, if
(07:07):
they're capable of defending the rim, I don't know what
you're supposed to do, because the best thing a team
like the Celtics could get going for then maybe you
pull Shagoon or Kde away from the basket and try
to get a three or beat them off the dribble
and you know, make that trouble penetration issue here.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
It's our ugly head again.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
I mean, if Javari is capable of rotating over and
protecting the rim the way he did tonight, then that's
starting five with a Koge as your ace defender on
the wing.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
I don't know what you can do.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
I mean, Aman Thompson's capable of the rim protector as
well if he needs to slide over. It's just I
don't know what the Celtics could have done to me.
That was a really encouraging defensive performance. And then the
macro look. This team entered tonight ranked first in offense
and nineteenth in defense. We figured there was some small
sample sized theater to it. It's not what ima Udoka
will put up with for that long. The stats have
(07:59):
not updated. They're going to be They're going to be
hired in nineteenth after tonight. I promise you that.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
Yeah, no question. And it's funny brah Lee and the
live chat had asked you know this question, and it's
actually in my notes. Is he says, you know, does
a kogi deserve to start? Even after DFS gets back?
My point or what I noted down wasn't does he
deserve to start? Is he feels like a permanent rotation fixture.
He has played his way into Emo Doka's rotation. He
(08:25):
earned his trust right away. We saw that in the
preseason and right out of the gate. End of the season.
I don't know who is going to lose time maybe
some of Reed, maybe somebody else. I don't know, but
I don't think a Kogi's going to be sitting and watching.
I think he's become an important player for him. Now
DFS is really good. We'll see what ends up happening,
(08:45):
but Josha Kogi has made it difficult as for opposing players.
He's a really good on ball point of attack defender
and he's knocking down threes. What did he end up
hitting tonight?
Speaker 3 (08:57):
Three?
Speaker 1 (08:57):
Five? Yeah, And I was it's just like wow, you
know they were Shangoon finding him a men finding him
a kadi tonight was like in a Kogi night for me, Like,
I think there was a vision of like he's gonna
play even after DFS gets back. I don't know about
to start, but I think he's going to keep playing.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
Yeah, and I think it makes so much sense for
him to start at least until DFS gets back. Now,
even when DFS gets back, I don't know if he's
going to be one hundred percent right away, but I
just think that a Kogi gives you the highest floor
like the other options that you have. Right now, I
don't think they want to start try Easton and let's
(09:37):
get Tarri his flowers.
Speaker 3 (09:38):
He's been really, really good this week.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
I think it's clear that they like his spark coming
off the bench, and he can plug multiple holes. If
somebody gets in early foul trouble, then that's a starting
level player you can put in. And so your other
two options are either Steven Adams and going double big,
or Reed Shepherd and going with more floors facing more
ball handling. But in both of those there's a trade off.
You might have more shooting, you might have more re
(10:00):
but how is the defense going to hold up? Josha
Koge gives you a really high floor. And when you
have a big four. We talked about this during the game, Dave,
they're make up a point that it's not a big three,
it's a big four. Where this real as Shabari has
played this week, and if you already have the four,
that it's important at the other spot to have a
really high floor. And that doesn't mean that Steven or
(10:21):
Reid that they're not going to play, but when you
bring them off the bench, it's easier to limit the minutes.
If it's a bad matchup, whoever you start is going
to have a very high floor of minutes. Especially alongside
those other four starters that are entrenched. And so I
think Josha Koge, if he is shooting threes at a
passable level, it's almost impossible for him to give you
(10:42):
negative minutes. Like worst case, he's going to be pretty good.
And if he makes threes the way he did tonight,
he's going to be very good. And so because of that, yeah,
for the foreseeable future, and really even when DFS comes back,
I think the goal is going to be having him
in peak form by the playoffs. So I would guess
they want him to start off the bench just to
sort of ease his way back in from a minute's total.
(11:03):
So yeah, I could see. You know, I doubt Imo
Udoka is gonna say he has an in trench starting five.
They'll say what they've been saying, that it's matchup dependent.
They could change, but I think as long as Joshua
Koge is shooting thirty five percent plus from three, and
right now he's way about that, it's going to be
hard to take him out of the lineup when you
consider how good the other four starters are.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
Yeah, and you you kind of mentioned what I wanted
to talk about next, because I jotted this down to Jabari,
was was good enough tonight. You look at the box
and there's impressive things in it, but it's not like
this overwhelming thing. But I kind of feel like he
the way that Jabari is impacting the game is this
is kind of becoming a big four. I don't want
to jump way ahead of it, but it feels that way.
(11:44):
I mean, he even got pulled and kind of rested
when they you know, before Shangun and a man, now
Shangoon and a Man were kind of, you know, cranking
up the numbers and they were going for a triple double.
Both of them were quite close tonight. I think Shangun
was one assist Shy and Men was two assists in
a board, a rebound Shy of a triple double.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
By the way, it's crazy how even on a team
with Kevin Durant, it feels like opposing defenses they are
treating all for in Shangoon like he's the top guy
on the scouting report. Like at least in this three
game winning streak, it feels like every team has come
out trying to limit him as a scorer, and he's
just sort of been like, okay, then let's get the
other guys better shots and they've made those, So kudost Alpi,
(12:27):
he's not forcing the issue. If he's drawing multiple defenders
and other guys are getting open shots and making them.
I mean, that's the sign of a mature star level player.
He doesn't need to get stats, at least in this case,
scoring stats for the sake of his own vanity. No,
if his teammates are getting good shots and the team
is winning, that's all that matters.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
Yeah, Shingun was really good tonight finding the open guy.
He did have some turnovers on four I guess, but
nine assists and you know he was very inefficient, not
effective scoring tonight. It's funny you mentioned that because I
do see some of what you're saying there times where
the defenders the opposing team doubles Shngun away from the basket,
(13:06):
leaving somebody like Katie or whatever. But my point is
tonight sheng Gun was really good finding the open guy.
There was that stretch I think late third might have
been early fourth where they put him in without Katie
and he just rattled off three assists I think on
three straight possessions. It was very much a point Shnghun,
not shen Hub type of moment. He was very very
effective there. But you know, on Jabbari, I just feel
(13:29):
like he's he's kind of even deeper in that circle
of trust. He's become one of the most valuable players
for Emao Udoka. I don't know if he's you know,
superstar level potential like you know, say Katie or Man
type of thing, but I think he's playing his way
into that, you know, top very top players for the Rockets.
Speaker 3 (13:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
Absolutely, I think he is in that innermost circle of trust.
And even last year it felt like there were games
and shoot in the playoffs the average I think about
twenty minutes per game, so there was a question of
just how much he.
Speaker 3 (14:03):
May trusted him.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
I think it's pretty clear that and he may said
all off season that that he had seen really good
things from Jabari, and I think the leash that he's
gotten to start this year, you know, Jabari has started
to see the ball go through the bucket a little
bit more the last couple of games. But even when
he wasn't scoring at a high level, he was still
playing a ton of minutes. And I think that speaks
(14:26):
to well, first, the defense that he provides, but also
the trust that he has accrued and emy Udoka that
even if he's not shooting the ball well, And you know,
the one question you can have with this team. The
two games they lost, I know they were to good teams,
but there was this theme of can they execute in
the half court late in a close game against a
good defense. They don't have a traditional point guard, and
(14:48):
I think it's noteworthy that in both of those games,
Jabari hit a huge three when it looked like the
Rockets were done in I think it was the first
overtime in Oklahoma City and then late in the Pistons
game as well, when they were down five with I
think two minutes to go, and he brought him back
within a possession. So Jabari hit some big shots late
in games, and it felt like the Rockets were on
(15:09):
the ropes. And so the fact that he did that,
on top of all of his other gifts as a defender,
as a team player, I think you're right that's putting
him in that innermost circle of trust. I don't know
if he's Polo Benkiro or Chud Holmgren in terms of
other top three picks from that same twenty two draft class.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
But he's he's on track to be a really good player,
and at the end of the day, that's all it
really matters.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
Yeah, and it's funny you mentioned that. It's one of
the things I really loved about Jabari. I had Auburn
and really liked for the Rockets season. I kind of
envisioned him being that big shot maker. There was a
play another tonight. We've only seen it a few times
this year, but we're seeing it more. There was a
play with Shnggoon out and Jabari kind of becomes the
Shngoon in a way of like being the post presence
(15:49):
and players playing around him. And I think it was
Katie kind of trying to find him quick pass to
Adams over to the right, Adams dumped in and Jabbari
he turns around, fires from ten to eleven feet. It's
a clip I posted on Twitter. You know, we're seeing
more of that, and that's what I want to see
out of Jabari is kind of the go to score.
Not the number one or the number two for this
team necessarily, but having that ability when some of those
(16:11):
guys do sit out. So love what I'm seeing from
Jabari early on All of these guys are shngun Jabari
a man. All have really improved.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
Go ahead, Yeah, and I was just going to point
out a men. He made six or twelve shots tonight
and had what seventeen points, nine rebounds, eight assists and
fifty percent shooting. The plus minus has been there all
season long for a men in terms of how he's
impacted each game. But from the standpoint he hadn't delivered tonight.
He did, and he also made at least one three.
(16:40):
Did he make a second? I think he made a second.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
I think he only shot one is one of the
box shows.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
But oh okay, I thought he might take it some reason. No,
you're right, one of one, but.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
His first of the year, by the way.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
Yeah, but yeah, he finally got the results. And sometimes
even if the plus minus is there, you need to
have a fifty percent plus shooting night to feel good
about yourself, especially when you know the big concern that
people have about you on the scouting report is can
you shoot well enoughful? This is this was a reminder
that yes he can finish, and yes, if he's wide
open from the corner, he can shoot and knock down
(17:10):
that shot.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
Yeah, tari As you mentioned hit four three's four to six,
and then I got to play the clip just a
couple of these, but reed Shepherd, tonight was four for four,
ended up go ended up going four for five, but
hit his first four triples, looking a little bit Matt
Malonious out there finding the open space, catch and shoot
quick fire. You know, I I that was a nice
(17:34):
night for Reach Shepherd. Granted it wasn't necessarily like he
you know, changed the game or anything, but he really
knocked him down tonight.
Speaker 2 (17:41):
And I mean, it's exactly what we were saying on
the post game following the Toronto one where he shot
two of seven. If he makes four of seven and
tonight he made four five, it's an entirely different conversation.
Whatever issues there are with his size and defensive mobility
and propensity for fouls, if he's knocking down three and
the scouting report out of Kentucky suggests that he should.
(18:04):
This is a guy going into the twenty four draft
that was billed as a generational level shooting prospect. If
he's knocking down threes at this clip, he's going to play,
and he's going to play a lot, even at twenty
one years old, especially for this particular scene that has
a deficiency in terms of ball Hendley, he just needs
to knock down shots, and you know it's not all him.
To the credit of the Rockets, I thought, what was
(18:25):
their overall total tonight, Dave, we mentioned it earlier, but
they nine, Yeah, nineteen to twenty nine, So that speaks
to the quality of looks they were generating. I saw
Nathan Fogg over on Blue Sky saying that he guessed
this was the most open corner threes the Rockets had
generated since the Hardened years. He's probably right on that,
Like these were really really good looks up and down
the roster, and it speaks to how well they were
(18:46):
playing collectively. But yeah, like Reeds had I mentioned several
in the Toronto game, they didn't hit to night. He
did good for him. If he shoots like that, he's
going to be fine. And the Rockets as a team,
with how good they are defensively at every other spot,
are going to have enough to easily sustain it.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
Yeah. And I will say as a small little thing
I'll just throw out there to cause trouble if you
are pursuing Derek White down the line, which you know
they love him. He's the hot and very high priced tag,
so I can't see it happening. Certainly didn't hurt that
Reid played well. Others, I mean, everybody played exceptionally well
for the Rockets, So on a showcase level, all of
that was really good tonight. But I mean, you just
(19:24):
I came away so encouraged from this game because I
did expect this to be a little bit closer. I
expected Boston to play well. Boston had just beaten Philly
in a close one. They had won three straight after
a really rough start. Yeah, they don't have Porzingis, they
don't have Horford anymore, Jason Tatum's out. It's not the
same Boston Celtics team. But you have Jalen Brown. Pritchard
(19:45):
has played very well. You know, it's a better test.
There will be tougher tests, but this was a good
win for the Rockets to get on the road and
to knock out both of these games. Now you've got
you come back home for Dallas, I believe.
Speaker 3 (19:58):
And then without Anthony Davis. Oh okay, that's right, Anthony Davis, and.
Speaker 1 (20:04):
Then I think it's Memphis and John Morant will be
coming back from a one game suspension, I believe for
that game. But those are just the warm ups for
what we're really excited about, and that's on November seventh,
Rockets versus Spurs, the first NBA Cup game. I believe
for the Rockets. I can't wait for that game. You know,
on the backdrop of Reid Shepherd, you know, it's Reid
(20:28):
has to prove to be a starting level point guard
and a guy who can knock down shots to ever
really be proven better than Steph Castle. I mean, I
think it's just it's very early. It's very early. I'm
saying that's what he needs to prove to be to
be that, and Steph Castle hasn't you know, he's advanced
a little bit further, but he hasn't proven necessarily anything
at this point yet either. But you know, it's it's
(20:51):
a great test on so many levels. This is going
to become a huge rivalry. I mean he always was
in the past, right, the old David Robinson a keeaen days,
But now I think it's going to be it's going
to be serious for the Wemby thing in Houston and
of course everything, you know, the whole Sohan and young
Jeremy Sohn you know what he said about Houston. I
(21:12):
think this is going to be a great, great game.
I'm really looking forward to that one. Not to jump ahead, but.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
NBA Cup twenty twenty five fever, everybody has it come
on day.
Speaker 1 (21:23):
Yeah, I'm still not. I mean, I'm enjoying the hype
around it, but I'm still not into this. Like, Okay,
you win the Cup, it's cool. What does it necessarily
mean if you don't win the NBA Finals?
Speaker 2 (21:32):
I will say I think that's an Amazon exclusive game,
so unfortunately we won't have Craig Ryan and Vanessa. I
could be wrong on that, but I'm pretty sure it's
Amazon exclusive, so that'll be a little bit of a downer.
A couple other things I wanted to address from the
chat before we wrap up. Totally agree with you on
the Spurs being a huge early season litmus test. Not
much else to say beyond that until we actually see them,
(21:54):
you know, roll the ball out next Friday night. A
couple of questions about roster scenarios moveing forward. Someone was
asking about the Fred then Fleet injury exception. So if
they do get the injury exception, it doesn't mean anything
in terms of his availability to return. All it means
is that an NBA designated physician says it's more likely
(22:15):
than not that he'll still be out when the season
ends at its latest point, meaning when the NBA Finals
end next June. It doesn't mean he can't come back.
It just means that, more likely than not, the average
player would not make it back from his injury by
that time, and I think that's reasonable. The average ACL
return in the NBA is between nine and ten months,
and that would take you into next July. So I
(22:37):
think it's I think it's pretty clear that the Rockets
will get that injury exception and no the money. To
answer the questions on the screen now, it would not
go back to Tilman Pritida because they're not actually getting
the money. It's it's like a trade exception that they
have the ability to use. However, they can't right now
because it doesn't move them off of the first apron.
(22:58):
When they use the non taxpayerm level to sign Dory
and Phony Smith, they became hardcapped at the first apron
and even if you get the injury exception, it doesn't
make you not hardcapped.
Speaker 3 (23:09):
So from that standpoint, it doesn't really.
Speaker 2 (23:12):
Help them However, where it could be beneficial down the line,
if they are able to shed salary, they can use
the injured exception not just to sign someone, but to
trade for someone. And where that's really helpful is if
someone's trying to offload a salary. Let's say a nice,
you know, eight to ten million dollar player on a
team that's going nowhere, and so if they can save
(23:34):
a few bucks, they might as well. Maybe the Rockets
can toss in, you know, cover your ears, David Wiener,
but a second round pick or two. The Rockets wouldn't
be able to take in that player now, but you
wouldn't necessarily have to give them, say Clint Capella, Aaron Holliday,
Jay Sean Tate, Jeff Green, some combination of those guys.
(23:54):
You could actually send them to some other team. And
there's tons of tiny exceptions that you can offload those
type players into around the league. So the bottom line
is what that injury exception will allow you to do.
You won't have to trade salary necessarily to the team
you are getting a player from. You would need to
trade salary somewhere, but it could be any of the
(24:15):
other you know, twenty eight teams around the league, so
it could potentially expand your options. It's not so much
that that Tilman would get the money if they don't
spend it.
Speaker 3 (24:25):
No, it's not that.
Speaker 2 (24:25):
It's just it's sort of conditional on other scenarios and
other moves. But it's a it's a nice tool, and
there's nothing there's no reason not to pursue it. There's
no downside, there's only upside, so you might as.
Speaker 3 (24:37):
Well get it.
Speaker 2 (24:38):
And if you're a Felstone, just have it in your
back pocket just in case as we get you know,
beyond December fifteenth and THENTO the start of NBA trade
season when guys who signed new contracts in the offseason
can become trade eligible.
Speaker 3 (24:48):
And then a few other.
Speaker 2 (24:50):
Comments from the chat about the potential of trading Fred
van Fleet. I really don't think the issue is it's
going to be his willingness to be traded. He has
the implied no trade because he signed the one plus one.
But I think the bigger issue is going to be valuation.
Like Fred's not playing this year and if he doesn't
(25:12):
like where he goes, he can become a free agent
next summer day. So if the Rockets basically say we
don't want you here. He has the ability to become
a free agent next summer if he doesn't like where
he's going, and.
Speaker 1 (25:28):
And maybe he can get more than twenty five million.
That's the harder part.
Speaker 3 (25:30):
But yeah, yeah, I mean that's what I was thinking.
Speaker 2 (25:32):
Like the player option does complicate it a little bit,
but I just I don't see a world in which
that is the impediment.
Speaker 3 (25:41):
What I think would be the problem.
Speaker 2 (25:44):
The Rockets are not going to treat Fred like he's
a neutral too bad asset. The Rockets really believe in
Fred Ventleiet is a player. They really like him as
a player, and so him coming back a year from
now is not the worst case scenario to rafel Stone,
Like he would be a valued offseason edition even if
he doesn't play this year. He just stays on your books.
(26:05):
The Rockets aren't gonna use him as you know, salary
filler that's considered neutral too even negative because he's not
playing to go out and make an upgrade for twenty
twenty five. Like that's just not the way Forfelstone and
Patrick Furtie to look at value. And so like I saw,
I forget what publication it was, but somebody had like
fredn Fleet in three or four first round picks and
(26:26):
one of the young core guys for Diaron Fox. There
is no way in hell that's not like the Rockets
are not going to go all in for twenty twenty
five because Fred's gonna be back next year and they
think he's gonna be a good player next year. Like
he's not the shiftiest guy to begin with, he's not
the most explosive, Like they genuinely believe, be it late
this season or next season, they are gonna have Fredunfleet
back and he is eventually going to be a good
(26:48):
part of this team. So they're they're not averse like
if you can bring in Derek White, great, but like
it would basically be a one season upgrade. Would they
pay a little bit of a premium. Yes, we saw
in the Kevin Durant talks like they're not going to
mortgage everything for one season, maybe half of a season,
which is the delta between the player you bring in
(27:10):
and when fredm Leet comes back. So the question becomes
what team around the NBA would value Fred at a
positive level. I'm just not sure it all comes into
alignment because you look at from the other teams perfective.
Look like, if I doesn't fit on a lot of teams,
the player option gives him leverage. If he doesn't like
the situation, you know, he could he could ask out,
(27:32):
or not to ask out, he could just leave.
Speaker 1 (27:34):
And you know, Ben, to add to this, I see
a lot of talk, and I know we're off on
the on the trade thing for just a second, but
I see a lot of people saying, you know, John
Morant and Houston just perfect because you know, I do
think Jie is heading his way out. You know, I
could see the Pelicans or something like that really going
hard for him. But I don't think Houston would be
(27:55):
seeking John Morant, although you know, maybe a year or
two ago I would have thought differently. But I don't
think that's at all what they would be looking for now,
even if they did cobble together the salary after December.
I just I don't know this for a fact. I
just don't think he is who they would look for now.
Derek White, I think that's different, Like Derek White is
the less is more, do lots of things off the ball,
all of that kind of stuff. You know, it very
(28:18):
hasn't basically a relationship with email. Doka. Great for the
culture and all of that stuff. I just don't think
the joh thing will happen and just one of the things.
And this is really more your point then, but you
have a good one. We're talking about the rougets Needa
point guard. They're also the number one offense in the
NBA at least as of this moment exactly, so you know,
like they're doing pretty well. Now, there are going to
(28:39):
be tougher tests. We'll see a lot of this was
inflated by the you know, the Raptor games and the
Brooklyn games. But tonight they did it against Boston. Let's
see how this plays out before we you know, say
for sure they need something because their offense.
Speaker 3 (28:52):
Right now is not an issue right absolutely.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
Where they misspread is on the defensive end, and that's
where someone like Derek White potentially could makes sense. It's
just tough for the value to line up unless the
Celtics like Fred and these other names that get thrown
out like dearon Fox, like John Moran. It's not that
they're bad players, but this is the Rockets team that
already has plenty of firepower. What they need is not
a ballhandler at least at this point in time. Now,
(29:15):
maybe we learn more over the next couple of months,
and if they start struggling defensively, then we can have
a different conversation in December or January. But based on
what we're seeing right now, No, I don't think getting
a point guard just for the sake of getting a
name point guard is something that rafel Stone is trying
to do. Like, they're playing well right now, they like
the offense, they were very good defensively tonight. I think
(29:38):
the ideal is just to run with the status quo
and welcome Fred back, ideally by the end of this season.
Speaker 3 (29:42):
Worst case, in the off season. He wants to be here.
Speaker 2 (29:45):
The Rockets value him, and so that to me is
it would be the difficulty in getting a Fred deal done.
I mean, I still think that in a world where
if the Rockets wanted to move him, he has the
flexibility to become a free agent. I think there's a
deal that could get done and he's someone where, you know,
(30:06):
even if the player option becomes a factor, I mean,
he could easily leverage a buyout in that final year,
you know, basically a one year expiring guys in Fred
situation get buyouts all the time and can get to
a contender of his choice midway through the year. Like,
I just don't see Fred's willingness to be traded as
the big problem here. I think it's more is a
(30:27):
deal gonna make sense to where the value would line
up for the Rockets to think it's worthwhile, And then
these trade hypotheticals that are going out right now with
the Rockets basically using Fred as just like a trade exception. No,
the Rockets still like Fred dempleat the player. You can
disagree with them if you know, more power to you.
But they really like it.
Speaker 1 (30:44):
Yeah and yeah really, says Drew hollidayd Perfect, I mean,
yeah he would. He's also doing really well for Portland,
and Portland's looking quite good at the moment as well.
They're they're kind of like the Spurs are quite the
surprise team. I'll just throw out there that, you know,
if you did get Derek White, it would certainly be
one more wrinkle to add to a Rocket Spurs rivalry
(31:05):
if you brought him here, it would be kind of
kind of fun as well. But yeah, man, great win
tonight absolutely took care of business in Boston. Ben appreciate
you doing this, anything you want to say before we
wrap up tonight.
Speaker 2 (31:18):
Three more olets, Blue Jays, please, I am watching, but
I chose to record live tonight. You know why because
we recorded live during Game seven of the Blue Jays
Seattle series with Springer hit.
Speaker 3 (31:31):
The three run home run. So for the sake of vibes,
he's up again.
Speaker 2 (31:35):
Let's hope we can get one more big win for
the Blue Jays to eliminate all of the astros hated robbers.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
Absolutely, we're all Canadians tonight, Let's go Blue Jays. Thanks everybody.
Rockets get a big win tonight. We will see all
Monday after the Rockets take on Cooper Flag and the
Dallas Mavericks. Have a great night, everybody,
Feel good now about the Rockets being three and two
and moving their way up.
Speaker 3 (00:05):
Yeah. Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
This entire week reminded me of the old Gerald Morey quote.
Good teams don't win close games, they avoid them. They've
won their last three games all by at least eighteen points,
average margin close to twenty five. So it's not just
that they're winning, it's how they're winning, going out and
taking care of business. And let's be clear off the top,
they had a rest advantage tonight. One thing they needed
(00:27):
to do this week was take advantage of these situations
where teams like the Nets and the Celtics were on
night two of a back to back. The Rockets don't
actually have that many throughout the season, so these were
two of I believe only seven, which is I think
tied for the fewest in the NBA. So they won't
have too many huge rest advantages throughout the season. They
did this week, and they went out and took care
(00:48):
of business. And I think I don't care who you play.
When you win three straight games by an average margin
more than twenty per game, you're doing a lot right.
And to me, what was most fulfilling tonight is that
it was a two way performance. The first three quarters
of that game. They gave up just seventy two points.
And Boston's a team, you know, they try and get
to the three point edge as much as they can.
Through the first three quarters, they shot just ten to
(01:09):
thirty from three, So the Rockets denied the volume, they
denied the accuracy. Javaris Smith Junior was fantastic with four blocks.
I just think this was a Rockets team that was
better on paper, and they went out and took care
of business. And one other stat I want to point out,
the per quarter stats have not updated yet at NBA
dot Com, but going into tonight, the Rockets were actually
third in the NBA and net rating in the third quarter,
(01:31):
a ridiculous margin of like plus twenty eight per game
in net rating. I don't think that's going to be
hurt tonight because they were up I think sixteen or
eighteen at the half, and they were up I believe
twenty five at the end of the third quarter. And
this is what good teams do, like they don't let
an outman team or a fatigue team, whatever the case
may be, hang around. The Rockets took care of business
out of the half, and they were able to play
(01:52):
the end of the bench in the fourth quarter because
of it. So I thought this was just a very
workmanlike professional win. It helps when shots go in.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
Look.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
Reed Shepherd made or five threes, Charny Easton made four
of six, Joshua Koge made three to five.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
If your role players are.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
Putting in threes at that extent, you're gonna have a
good night pretty much no matter who you play. But
I just think the Rockets going out and taking care
of business the way they did. By the way that
third quarter stat the two teams ahead of the Rockets
going into tonight I mentioned they were plus twenty eight.
Somehow two teams are slightly better. It's the Nuggets and
the Warriors. The Warriors for years we talked about how
(02:25):
dominant they are in the third quarters. The Nuggets, I
think have a lot of similarities and that both of
these teams are very Vetteran laden. They're good at adjusting
midway through a game. They sort of feel their way
through the first couple of quarters, and then you know,
they know that putting away weaker opponents early is what
good teams do. That's what the Rockets did tonight, And
I feel really good about this one.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Yeah, this looked like a really good team. I think,
you know, we talked about, you know, the offense coming
into this game, Rockets number one in the league in
offensive rating. It's been four games, so you have to,
you know, take that with a grain of salt. But
at the same time, it's very very encouraging sign and
tonight they come in and the defense has been kind
of slipping, you know, falling to the nineteenth on the
(03:06):
year in you know, defensive raiding. Tonight, like you as
you said, well, this was on both ends of the floor.
Rockets really play well. We'll kind of dissect both of
the both ends of it there. But nineteen of twenty
nine from three point range. Rockets now number one in
the league. Again, it's early in three point shooting. I
think there were people out there that predicted the Rockets
(03:27):
would struggle from three this year hasn't happened so far.
Jabari has been good. Shangon has added that element to
his game, although I think tonight he's just won for three.
Same with Jabari, but Kadi is now starting to come around.
Read Shepherd. Tonight hit four triples. As you pointed out,
Rockets just on both ends of the floor were great,
and it started with Kevin Durant tonight he hit seven
(03:48):
of eight to start the game, and just it felt
like a wave had hit Boston. And Rockets defensively, oh why,
as you pointed out, were really good. I mean they
Boston is a team that isn't super efficient from three
point range, but they are number one in volume. They
shoot the most threes in the league, and Rockets contain them,
(04:08):
I believe. Tonight they were fourteen of forty four from
three point range, just thirty one point eight percent.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
And fourteen of those attempts came in the fourth quarter
when it was basically garbage time and Jordan Wall shit
a couple of threes at the end of the game
that nobody cares about.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
Yeah. Absolutely, And in fact, you know, I put together a
few clips tonight just of the defense. I was really impressed.
And you mentioned Jabari. We're going to talk about Jabari
as well in this game. But you know, here he
just shut down Jalen Brown drive, forced her to pick
up his dribble, forced him into a turnover. This block
was something else, I mean, you know, and of course
(04:40):
it helped with Hollins and Ackerman with their reactions but
leading to the amends slam off the shnggun feed this
defense here. Look at the perimeter defense, the way the
Rockets contain these guys. They break it eventually and Shangun
comes over for a week's side block. Like really impressive
defensively there as well. Just so the defense tonight, like
(05:01):
I said, was very encouraging. Another block here from Jabari,
four blocks from Jabari Smith Junior tonight. Defensively, the Rockets
just had it going on and it was just it
was a blowout. It was never close. We're going to
see some better tests, but these are getting better the
last three games. Rocket is now on a three game
win streak, and.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
I think the rem protection of Jabari is so important
with this new look starting lineup because we mentioned the
concept of attacking the weak link in the chain. Well,
they haven't started the Double Big and any of these
three consecutive wins, and I think tonight that was especially
important because if you start the Double Big, that's going
to be something that Joe Mizula and the Celtics will target.
(05:41):
Knowing it's Night Tuba back to back, they will just
try and spam you with as many threes as possible
and hope that it's a night that they're hitting. We
saw on that win over the Cavs the other night
they hit twenty one to fifty seven. So the Rockets
couldn't afford, as much as I love Steven Adams to
go double big tonight and risk this being a night
where the Celtics catch fire and before you know it
sort of spiral in a good way for them.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
So they had to.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
Go with Josha Kogi in the starting five, and to
Joshua's credit, look he made three or five threes. Josh
shot thirty five percent on threes last season, and I said,
basically all summer ever since the Rocket signed him. If
that is sustainable, if he is a thirty five percent
plus or better shooter from three, he's going to play
way more than people think because that perimeter defense is
just so valuable. And so if you're not starting a
(06:24):
double big and you're instead starting Josha Koge, who is
a fantastic perimeter defender, then I guess the only areas
that you can sort of attack. And I'm not calling
these guys' weaknesses, but I guess they're the weakest among
the starting five would be Shanoon and KD because Kde
sort of functions as a big defender. So I guess,
you know, the easiest matchup you can get, and it's
(06:46):
certainly not easy, would be trying to, you know, attack
KD or Shangoon on a switch some sort of ball
screen action. And in that case, if you have one
of your other three guys, you certainly don't want to
attack a men Thompson, Kogi or Javari Smith. And so
if one or more of those other three guys, which
Shavari certainly is and a man can as well, if
(07:07):
they're capable of defending the rim, I don't know what
you're supposed to do, because the best thing a team
like the Celtics could get going for then maybe you
pull Shagoon or Kde away from the basket and try
to get a three or beat them off the dribble
and you know, make that trouble penetration issue here.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
It's our ugly head again.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
I mean, if Javari is capable of rotating over and
protecting the rim the way he did tonight, then that's
starting five with a Koge as your ace defender on
the wing.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
I don't know what you can do.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
I mean, Aman Thompson's capable of the rim protector as
well if he needs to slide over. It's just I
don't know what the Celtics could have done to me.
That was a really encouraging defensive performance. And then the
macro look. This team entered tonight ranked first in offense
and nineteenth in defense. We figured there was some small
sample sized theater to it. It's not what ima Udoka
will put up with for that long. The stats have
(07:59):
not updated. They're going to be They're going to be
hired in nineteenth after tonight. I promise you that.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
Yeah, no question. And it's funny brah Lee and the
live chat had asked you know this question, and it's
actually in my notes. Is he says, you know, does
a kogi deserve to start? Even after DFS gets back?
My point or what I noted down wasn't does he
deserve to start? Is he feels like a permanent rotation fixture.
He has played his way into Emo Doka's rotation. He
(08:25):
earned his trust right away. We saw that in the
preseason and right out of the gate. End of the season.
I don't know who is going to lose time maybe
some of Reed, maybe somebody else. I don't know, but
I don't think a Kogi's going to be sitting and watching.
I think he's become an important player for him. Now
DFS is really good. We'll see what ends up happening,
(08:45):
but Josha Kogi has made it difficult as for opposing players.
He's a really good on ball point of attack defender
and he's knocking down threes. What did he end up
hitting tonight?
Speaker 3 (08:57):
Three?
Speaker 1 (08:57):
Five? Yeah, And I was it's just like wow, you
know they were Shangoon finding him a men finding him
a kadi tonight was like in a Kogi night for me, Like,
I think there was a vision of like he's gonna
play even after DFS gets back. I don't know about
to start, but I think he's going to keep playing.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
Yeah, and I think it makes so much sense for
him to start at least until DFS gets back. Now,
even when DFS gets back, I don't know if he's
going to be one hundred percent right away, but I
just think that a Kogi gives you the highest floor
like the other options that you have. Right now, I
don't think they want to start try Easton and let's
(09:37):
get Tarri his flowers.
Speaker 3 (09:38):
He's been really, really good this week.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
I think it's clear that they like his spark coming
off the bench, and he can plug multiple holes. If
somebody gets in early foul trouble, then that's a starting
level player you can put in. And so your other
two options are either Steven Adams and going double big,
or Reed Shepherd and going with more floors facing more
ball handling. But in both of those there's a trade off.
You might have more shooting, you might have more re
(10:00):
but how is the defense going to hold up? Josha
Koge gives you a really high floor. And when you
have a big four. We talked about this during the game, Dave,
they're make up a point that it's not a big three,
it's a big four. Where this real as Shabari has
played this week, and if you already have the four,
that it's important at the other spot to have a
really high floor. And that doesn't mean that Steven or
(10:21):
Reid that they're not going to play, but when you
bring them off the bench, it's easier to limit the minutes.
If it's a bad matchup, whoever you start is going
to have a very high floor of minutes. Especially alongside
those other four starters that are entrenched. And so I
think Josha Koge, if he is shooting threes at a
passable level, it's almost impossible for him to give you
(10:42):
negative minutes. Like worst case, he's going to be pretty good.
And if he makes threes the way he did tonight,
he's going to be very good. And so because of that, yeah,
for the foreseeable future, and really even when DFS comes back,
I think the goal is going to be having him
in peak form by the playoffs. So I would guess
they want him to start off the bench just to
sort of ease his way back in from a minute's total.
(11:03):
So yeah, I could see. You know, I doubt Imo
Udoka is gonna say he has an in trench starting five.
They'll say what they've been saying, that it's matchup dependent.
They could change, but I think as long as Joshua
Koge is shooting thirty five percent plus from three, and
right now he's way about that, it's going to be
hard to take him out of the lineup when you
consider how good the other four starters are.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
Yeah, and you you kind of mentioned what I wanted
to talk about next, because I jotted this down to Jabari,
was was good enough tonight. You look at the box
and there's impressive things in it, but it's not like
this overwhelming thing. But I kind of feel like he
the way that Jabari is impacting the game is this
is kind of becoming a big four. I don't want
to jump way ahead of it, but it feels that way.
(11:44):
I mean, he even got pulled and kind of rested
when they you know, before Shangun and a man, now
Shangoon and a Man were kind of, you know, cranking
up the numbers and they were going for a triple double.
Both of them were quite close tonight. I think Shangun
was one assist Shy and Men was two assists in
a board, a rebound Shy of a triple double.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
By the way, it's crazy how even on a team
with Kevin Durant, it feels like opposing defenses they are
treating all for in Shangoon like he's the top guy
on the scouting report. Like at least in this three
game winning streak, it feels like every team has come
out trying to limit him as a scorer, and he's
just sort of been like, okay, then let's get the
other guys better shots and they've made those, So kudost Alpi,
(12:27):
he's not forcing the issue. If he's drawing multiple defenders
and other guys are getting open shots and making them.
I mean, that's the sign of a mature star level player.
He doesn't need to get stats, at least in this case,
scoring stats for the sake of his own vanity. No,
if his teammates are getting good shots and the team
is winning, that's all that matters.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
Yeah, Shingun was really good tonight finding the open guy.
He did have some turnovers on four I guess, but
nine assists and you know he was very inefficient, not
effective scoring tonight. It's funny you mentioned that because I
do see some of what you're saying there times where
the defenders the opposing team doubles Shngun away from the basket,
(13:06):
leaving somebody like Katie or whatever. But my point is
tonight sheng Gun was really good finding the open guy.
There was that stretch I think late third might have
been early fourth where they put him in without Katie
and he just rattled off three assists I think on
three straight possessions. It was very much a point Shnghun,
not shen Hub type of moment. He was very very
effective there. But you know, on Jabbari, I just feel
(13:29):
like he's he's kind of even deeper in that circle
of trust. He's become one of the most valuable players
for Emao Udoka. I don't know if he's you know,
superstar level potential like you know, say Katie or Man
type of thing, but I think he's playing his way
into that, you know, top very top players for the Rockets.
Speaker 3 (13:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
Absolutely, I think he is in that innermost circle of trust.
And even last year it felt like there were games
and shoot in the playoffs the average I think about
twenty minutes per game, so there was a question of
just how much he.
Speaker 3 (14:03):
May trusted him.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
I think it's pretty clear that and he may said
all off season that that he had seen really good
things from Jabari, and I think the leash that he's
gotten to start this year, you know, Jabari has started
to see the ball go through the bucket a little
bit more the last couple of games. But even when
he wasn't scoring at a high level, he was still
playing a ton of minutes. And I think that speaks
(14:26):
to well, first, the defense that he provides, but also
the trust that he has accrued and emy Udoka that
even if he's not shooting the ball well, And you know,
the one question you can have with this team. The
two games they lost, I know they were to good teams,
but there was this theme of can they execute in
the half court late in a close game against a
good defense. They don't have a traditional point guard, and
(14:48):
I think it's noteworthy that in both of those games,
Jabari hit a huge three when it looked like the
Rockets were done in I think it was the first
overtime in Oklahoma City and then late in the Pistons
game as well, when they were down five with I
think two minutes to go, and he brought him back
within a possession. So Jabari hit some big shots late
in games, and it felt like the Rockets were on
(15:09):
the ropes. And so the fact that he did that,
on top of all of his other gifts as a defender,
as a team player, I think you're right that's putting
him in that innermost circle of trust. I don't know
if he's Polo Benkiro or Chud Holmgren in terms of
other top three picks from that same twenty two draft class.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
But he's he's on track to be a really good player,
and at the end of the day, that's all it
really matters.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
Yeah, and it's funny you mentioned that. It's one of
the things I really loved about Jabari. I had Auburn
and really liked for the Rockets season. I kind of
envisioned him being that big shot maker. There was a
play another tonight. We've only seen it a few times
this year, but we're seeing it more. There was a
play with Shnggoon out and Jabari kind of becomes the
Shngoon in a way of like being the post presence
(15:49):
and players playing around him. And I think it was
Katie kind of trying to find him quick pass to
Adams over to the right, Adams dumped in and Jabbari
he turns around, fires from ten to eleven feet. It's
a clip I posted on Twitter. You know, we're seeing
more of that, and that's what I want to see
out of Jabari is kind of the go to score.
Not the number one or the number two for this
team necessarily, but having that ability when some of those
(16:11):
guys do sit out. So love what I'm seeing from
Jabari early on All of these guys are shngun Jabari
a man. All have really improved.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
Go ahead, Yeah, and I was just going to point
out a men. He made six or twelve shots tonight
and had what seventeen points, nine rebounds, eight assists and
fifty percent shooting. The plus minus has been there all
season long for a men in terms of how he's
impacted each game. But from the standpoint he hadn't delivered tonight.
He did, and he also made at least one three.
(16:40):
Did he make a second? I think he made a second.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
I think he only shot one is one of the
box shows.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
But oh okay, I thought he might take it some reason. No,
you're right, one of one, but.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
His first of the year, by the way.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
Yeah, but yeah, he finally got the results. And sometimes
even if the plus minus is there, you need to
have a fifty percent plus shooting night to feel good
about yourself, especially when you know the big concern that
people have about you on the scouting report is can
you shoot well enoughful? This is this was a reminder
that yes he can finish, and yes, if he's wide
open from the corner, he can shoot and knock down
(17:10):
that shot.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
Yeah, tari As you mentioned hit four three's four to six,
and then I got to play the clip just a
couple of these, but reed Shepherd, tonight was four for four,
ended up go ended up going four for five, but
hit his first four triples, looking a little bit Matt
Malonious out there finding the open space, catch and shoot
quick fire. You know, I I that was a nice
(17:34):
night for Reach Shepherd. Granted it wasn't necessarily like he
you know, changed the game or anything, but he really
knocked him down tonight.
Speaker 2 (17:41):
And I mean, it's exactly what we were saying on
the post game following the Toronto one where he shot
two of seven. If he makes four of seven and
tonight he made four five, it's an entirely different conversation.
Whatever issues there are with his size and defensive mobility
and propensity for fouls, if he's knocking down three and
the scouting report out of Kentucky suggests that he should.
(18:04):
This is a guy going into the twenty four draft
that was billed as a generational level shooting prospect. If
he's knocking down threes at this clip, he's going to play,
and he's going to play a lot, even at twenty
one years old, especially for this particular scene that has
a deficiency in terms of ball Hendley, he just needs
to knock down shots, and you know it's not all him.
To the credit of the Rockets, I thought, what was
(18:25):
their overall total tonight, Dave, we mentioned it earlier, but
they nine, Yeah, nineteen to twenty nine, So that speaks
to the quality of looks they were generating. I saw
Nathan Fogg over on Blue Sky saying that he guessed
this was the most open corner threes the Rockets had
generated since the Hardened years. He's probably right on that,
Like these were really really good looks up and down
the roster, and it speaks to how well they were
(18:46):
playing collectively. But yeah, like Reeds had I mentioned several
in the Toronto game, they didn't hit to night. He
did good for him. If he shoots like that, he's
going to be fine. And the Rockets as a team,
with how good they are defensively at every other spot,
are going to have enough to easily sustain it.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
Yeah. And I will say as a small little thing
I'll just throw out there to cause trouble if you
are pursuing Derek White down the line, which you know
they love him. He's the hot and very high priced tag,
so I can't see it happening. Certainly didn't hurt that
Reid played well. Others, I mean, everybody played exceptionally well
for the Rockets, So on a showcase level, all of
that was really good tonight. But I mean, you just
(19:24):
I came away so encouraged from this game because I
did expect this to be a little bit closer. I
expected Boston to play well. Boston had just beaten Philly
in a close one. They had won three straight after
a really rough start. Yeah, they don't have Porzingis, they
don't have Horford anymore, Jason Tatum's out. It's not the
same Boston Celtics team. But you have Jalen Brown. Pritchard
(19:45):
has played very well. You know, it's a better test.
There will be tougher tests, but this was a good
win for the Rockets to get on the road and
to knock out both of these games. Now you've got
you come back home for Dallas, I believe.
Speaker 3 (19:58):
And then without Anthony Davis. Oh okay, that's right, Anthony Davis, and.
Speaker 1 (20:04):
Then I think it's Memphis and John Morant will be
coming back from a one game suspension, I believe for
that game. But those are just the warm ups for
what we're really excited about, and that's on November seventh,
Rockets versus Spurs, the first NBA Cup game. I believe
for the Rockets. I can't wait for that game. You know,
on the backdrop of Reid Shepherd, you know, it's Reid
(20:28):
has to prove to be a starting level point guard
and a guy who can knock down shots to ever
really be proven better than Steph Castle. I mean, I
think it's just it's very early. It's very early. I'm
saying that's what he needs to prove to be to
be that, and Steph Castle hasn't you know, he's advanced
a little bit further, but he hasn't proven necessarily anything
at this point yet either. But you know, it's it's
(20:51):
a great test on so many levels. This is going
to become a huge rivalry. I mean he always was
in the past, right, the old David Robinson a keeaen days,
But now I think it's going to be it's going
to be serious for the Wemby thing in Houston and
of course everything, you know, the whole Sohan and young
Jeremy Sohn you know what he said about Houston. I
(21:12):
think this is going to be a great, great game.
I'm really looking forward to that one. Not to jump ahead, but.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
NBA Cup twenty twenty five fever, everybody has it come
on day.
Speaker 1 (21:23):
Yeah, I'm still not. I mean, I'm enjoying the hype
around it, but I'm still not into this. Like, Okay,
you win the Cup, it's cool. What does it necessarily
mean if you don't win the NBA Finals?
Speaker 2 (21:32):
I will say I think that's an Amazon exclusive game,
so unfortunately we won't have Craig Ryan and Vanessa. I
could be wrong on that, but I'm pretty sure it's
Amazon exclusive, so that'll be a little bit of a downer.
A couple other things I wanted to address from the
chat before we wrap up. Totally agree with you on
the Spurs being a huge early season litmus test. Not
much else to say beyond that until we actually see them,
(21:54):
you know, roll the ball out next Friday night. A
couple of questions about roster scenarios moveing forward. Someone was
asking about the Fred then Fleet injury exception. So if
they do get the injury exception, it doesn't mean anything
in terms of his availability to return. All it means
is that an NBA designated physician says it's more likely
(22:15):
than not that he'll still be out when the season
ends at its latest point, meaning when the NBA Finals
end next June. It doesn't mean he can't come back.
It just means that, more likely than not, the average
player would not make it back from his injury by
that time, and I think that's reasonable. The average ACL
return in the NBA is between nine and ten months,
and that would take you into next July. So I
(22:37):
think it's I think it's pretty clear that the Rockets
will get that injury exception and no the money. To
answer the questions on the screen now, it would not
go back to Tilman Pritida because they're not actually getting
the money. It's it's like a trade exception that they
have the ability to use. However, they can't right now
because it doesn't move them off of the first apron.
(22:58):
When they use the non taxpayerm level to sign Dory
and Phony Smith, they became hardcapped at the first apron
and even if you get the injury exception, it doesn't
make you not hardcapped.
Speaker 3 (23:09):
So from that standpoint, it doesn't really.
Speaker 2 (23:12):
Help them However, where it could be beneficial down the line,
if they are able to shed salary, they can use
the injured exception not just to sign someone, but to
trade for someone. And where that's really helpful is if
someone's trying to offload a salary. Let's say a nice,
you know, eight to ten million dollar player on a
team that's going nowhere, and so if they can save
(23:34):
a few bucks, they might as well. Maybe the Rockets
can toss in, you know, cover your ears, David Wiener,
but a second round pick or two. The Rockets wouldn't
be able to take in that player now, but you
wouldn't necessarily have to give them, say Clint Capella, Aaron Holliday,
Jay Sean Tate, Jeff Green, some combination of those guys.
(23:54):
You could actually send them to some other team. And
there's tons of tiny exceptions that you can offload those
type players into around the league. So the bottom line
is what that injury exception will allow you to do.
You won't have to trade salary necessarily to the team
you are getting a player from. You would need to
trade salary somewhere, but it could be any of the
(24:15):
other you know, twenty eight teams around the league, so
it could potentially expand your options. It's not so much
that that Tilman would get the money if they don't
spend it.
Speaker 3 (24:25):
No, it's not that.
Speaker 2 (24:25):
It's just it's sort of conditional on other scenarios and
other moves. But it's a it's a nice tool, and
there's nothing there's no reason not to pursue it. There's
no downside, there's only upside, so you might as.
Speaker 3 (24:37):
Well get it.
Speaker 2 (24:38):
And if you're a Felstone, just have it in your
back pocket just in case as we get you know,
beyond December fifteenth and THENTO the start of NBA trade
season when guys who signed new contracts in the offseason
can become trade eligible.
Speaker 3 (24:48):
And then a few other.
Speaker 2 (24:50):
Comments from the chat about the potential of trading Fred
van Fleet. I really don't think the issue is it's
going to be his willingness to be traded. He has
the implied no trade because he signed the one plus one.
But I think the bigger issue is going to be valuation.
Like Fred's not playing this year and if he doesn't
(25:12):
like where he goes, he can become a free agent
next summer day. So if the Rockets basically say we
don't want you here. He has the ability to become
a free agent next summer if he doesn't like where
he's going, and.
Speaker 1 (25:28):
And maybe he can get more than twenty five million.
That's the harder part.
Speaker 3 (25:30):
But yeah, yeah, I mean that's what I was thinking.
Speaker 2 (25:32):
Like the player option does complicate it a little bit,
but I just I don't see a world in which
that is the impediment.
Speaker 3 (25:41):
What I think would be the problem.
Speaker 2 (25:44):
The Rockets are not going to treat Fred like he's
a neutral too bad asset. The Rockets really believe in
Fred Ventleiet is a player. They really like him as
a player, and so him coming back a year from
now is not the worst case scenario to rafel Stone,
Like he would be a valued offseason edition even if
he doesn't play this year. He just stays on your books.
(26:05):
The Rockets aren't gonna use him as you know, salary
filler that's considered neutral too even negative because he's not
playing to go out and make an upgrade for twenty
twenty five. Like that's just not the way Forfelstone and
Patrick Furtie to look at value. And so like I saw,
I forget what publication it was, but somebody had like
fredn Fleet in three or four first round picks and
(26:26):
one of the young core guys for Diaron Fox. There
is no way in hell that's not like the Rockets
are not going to go all in for twenty twenty
five because Fred's gonna be back next year and they
think he's gonna be a good player next year. Like
he's not the shiftiest guy to begin with, he's not
the most explosive, Like they genuinely believe, be it late
this season or next season, they are gonna have Fredunfleet
back and he is eventually going to be a good
(26:48):
part of this team. So they're they're not averse like
if you can bring in Derek White, great, but like
it would basically be a one season upgrade. Would they
pay a little bit of a premium. Yes, we saw
in the Kevin Durant talks like they're not going to
mortgage everything for one season, maybe half of a season,
which is the delta between the player you bring in
(27:10):
and when fredm Leet comes back. So the question becomes
what team around the NBA would value Fred at a
positive level. I'm just not sure it all comes into
alignment because you look at from the other teams perfective.
Look like, if I doesn't fit on a lot of teams,
the player option gives him leverage. If he doesn't like
the situation, you know, he could he could ask out,
(27:32):
or not to ask out, he could just leave.
Speaker 1 (27:34):
And you know, Ben, to add to this, I see
a lot of talk, and I know we're off on
the on the trade thing for just a second, but
I see a lot of people saying, you know, John
Morant and Houston just perfect because you know, I do
think Jie is heading his way out. You know, I
could see the Pelicans or something like that really going
hard for him. But I don't think Houston would be
(27:55):
seeking John Morant, although you know, maybe a year or
two ago I would have thought differently. But I don't
think that's at all what they would be looking for now,
even if they did cobble together the salary after December.
I just I don't know this for a fact. I
just don't think he is who they would look for now.
Derek White, I think that's different, Like Derek White is
the less is more, do lots of things off the ball,
all of that kind of stuff. You know, it very
(28:18):
hasn't basically a relationship with email. Doka. Great for the
culture and all of that stuff. I just don't think
the joh thing will happen and just one of the things.
And this is really more your point then, but you
have a good one. We're talking about the rougets Needa
point guard. They're also the number one offense in the
NBA at least as of this moment exactly, so you know,
like they're doing pretty well. Now, there are going to
(28:39):
be tougher tests. We'll see a lot of this was
inflated by the you know, the Raptor games and the
Brooklyn games. But tonight they did it against Boston. Let's
see how this plays out before we you know, say
for sure they need something because their offense.
Speaker 3 (28:52):
Right now is not an issue right absolutely.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
Where they misspread is on the defensive end, and that's
where someone like Derek White potentially could makes sense. It's
just tough for the value to line up unless the
Celtics like Fred and these other names that get thrown
out like dearon Fox, like John Moran. It's not that
they're bad players, but this is the Rockets team that
already has plenty of firepower. What they need is not
a ballhandler at least at this point in time. Now,
(29:15):
maybe we learn more over the next couple of months,
and if they start struggling defensively, then we can have
a different conversation in December or January. But based on
what we're seeing right now, No, I don't think getting
a point guard just for the sake of getting a
name point guard is something that rafel Stone is trying
to do. Like, they're playing well right now, they like
the offense, they were very good defensively tonight. I think
(29:38):
the ideal is just to run with the status quo
and welcome Fred back, ideally by the end of this season.
Speaker 3 (29:42):
Worst case, in the off season. He wants to be here.
Speaker 2 (29:45):
The Rockets value him, and so that to me is
it would be the difficulty in getting a Fred deal done.
I mean, I still think that in a world where
if the Rockets wanted to move him, he has the
flexibility to become a free agent. I think there's a
deal that could get done and he's someone where, you know,
(30:06):
even if the player option becomes a factor, I mean,
he could easily leverage a buyout in that final year,
you know, basically a one year expiring guys in Fred
situation get buyouts all the time and can get to
a contender of his choice midway through the year. Like,
I just don't see Fred's willingness to be traded as
the big problem here. I think it's more is a
(30:27):
deal gonna make sense to where the value would line
up for the Rockets to think it's worthwhile, And then
these trade hypotheticals that are going out right now with
the Rockets basically using Fred as just like a trade exception. No,
the Rockets still like Fred dempleat the player. You can
disagree with them if you know, more power to you.
But they really like it.
Speaker 1 (30:44):
Yeah and yeah really, says Drew hollidayd Perfect, I mean,
yeah he would. He's also doing really well for Portland,
and Portland's looking quite good at the moment as well.
They're they're kind of like the Spurs are quite the
surprise team. I'll just throw out there that, you know,
if you did get Derek White, it would certainly be
one more wrinkle to add to a Rocket Spurs rivalry
(31:05):
if you brought him here, it would be kind of
kind of fun as well. But yeah, man, great win
tonight absolutely took care of business in Boston. Ben appreciate
you doing this, anything you want to say before we
wrap up tonight.
Speaker 2 (31:18):
Three more olets, Blue Jays, please, I am watching, but
I chose to record live tonight. You know why because
we recorded live during Game seven of the Blue Jays
Seattle series with Springer hit.
Speaker 3 (31:31):
The three run home run. So for the sake of vibes,
he's up again.
Speaker 2 (31:35):
Let's hope we can get one more big win for
the Blue Jays to eliminate all of the astros hated robbers.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
Absolutely, we're all Canadians tonight, Let's go Blue Jays. Thanks everybody.
Rockets get a big win tonight. We will see all
Monday after the Rockets take on Cooper Flag and the
Dallas Mavericks. Have a great night, everybody,
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