October 23, 2024 • 10 mins
Ben DuBose, editor of The Rockets Wire, joins Next Up to preview the Houston Rockets season opener against the Charlotte Hornets. The Rockets have the majority of their 2023-24 roster returning for the upcoming season, and the lineup's core is locked in for years to come after Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun both agreed to contract extensions Monday. "The Rockets know what they have," and Wednesday's season premiere is a chance "to prove that it was worth while," DuBose said. The Rockets finished last season 41-41 after going 22-60 in 2022-23 and have a legitimate chance to make the playoffs, especially with an easier start to the season. "They know they need to take advantage of...the softer part of the schedule."
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
We go to the guest line, where we will get
Rockets analysts here at seven ninety does a great job
on USA Today's The Rockets Wire, which I follow on social.
He also contributed to the Logger Line podcast as well.
If you would come okay now mine, I can do
it on my end, were welcome in. Ben Dubo's on
the guest Line. Ben that time a year again. I'm
(00:21):
happy as hell. I'm over at the TC tonight. The
awful Charlotte Hornets are in town. No Mark Williams playing
for them. Who knows what we did for LaMelo ball.
But I'm mostly excited about another season of Rockets basketball,
a top six seed. I can feel it, and I'm
calling it to the God right now, good morning.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Yeah, it's possible, and I think, especially after the contract
extensions the other day for Jalen Green and all French Shandon, Well,
if the biggest takeaway from those is that this administration
sees a path to where the status quo could work out.
You don't lock yourself in for three to five years
if you have serious doubts. You don't take away your
(01:00):
financial flexibility next summer if you have serious doubts. If
not a guarantee that it's going to work out. But
they have seen enough. They have watched these guys throughout
the off season and training camp and the preseason. Those
deals were a bet on the status quo and so
they see, you know, a lot to like and for
Jalen Green, Alprin from Goon and the rest of those guys,
tonight when they can start to prove that it was worthwhile.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
Yeah, it was so interesting Ben looking at the seaham As.
I mean, they've got so many dudes, it's it's crazy,
like you've you've drafted well, you did well for agency.
Fred van Vliet and Dylan Brooks both look to be,
you know, solid center, foundational pieces to build around. But
I was still with somebody yesterday was saying, well, I
mean they can't play them all right, And I said,
(01:44):
you know, maybe you're hung up in the days of
Mike D'Antoni, where he played seven guys sometimes in a game,
Like I'm looking back through the games last year and
I may doga played ten. I mean, they would rotate
guys off the bench. So I guess my question is
how do you make it work with all these guys?
But it seems like they're going to do their best
to get as many guys touches and playing time as
I can.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
Yeah, definitely, And honestly, this is where the NBA is heading.
If you look at the championship teams for this decade,
they're not nearly as top heavy as they were for
a lot of the two thousands and the twenty tens.
You know, the model of put two or three superstars
together and then a bunch of role players. You're not
really seeing the super teams anymore. You're seeing a lot
more depth and being able to sort of mix and match.
(02:28):
And so today it's a good example. Look, Charlotte's not
a good team, but LaMelo Ball is sort of a
unique matchup at point guard. He's pretty big, super admiral,
certainly for a thirty year old Fred van Vleet, So
this may be a matchup where you want to sort
of flank him with somebody that's a little bit bigger
and longer and more athletic like and Amn Thompson coming
in off the bench. And so you're seeing more of
(02:48):
that around the NBA. It's more customized, I would say,
and that's what having depth allows you to do. And
you look at teams like Denver, like Boston that have
won championships in recent years. Sure, there are all star
level players and in Nicole Jochicra's case, a multi time MVP,
but it's not nearly, as you know, top heavy as
(03:10):
what fans saw for a lot of the twentyds and
the twenty ten. So I think the way the Rockets
are building their team, even if they don't necessarily have
that guy right now, that you can and say, Okay,
this is clearly going to be an MVP candidate. I
think that's okay because the NBA is going to a
model that's a little bit more you know about depth, continuity, chemistry,
those types of factors.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Anyway, Ben, I think about what you just said, and
because I wanted to do this yesterday and I thought, well,
we'll get you on Wednesday. Did Jalen Green Apronshin Gun extensions?
Let's do a deeper dive there. I think if this
was the deal that was on the table last year,
(03:50):
wouldn't both guys have signed this last year? So the
time is interesting to me. Also, the structure of the
deals are interesting to me. We played a SoundBite from
Shams where he says, Jalen is the first ever in
the NBA to get a two plus one player option,
and he's essentially going to bet on himself and go
back to the market. What have you learned about the
(04:12):
structure of these deals along with the timing.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
Yeah, I think with Shangoon it was simply you know,
all piece camp waiting to see if they could leverage
the Rockets for every last time because at face value,
he is a MAX level player. When you compare it
to other guys in the draft class, other young guys
around the NBA that have got BAX deals, Shangoon is
as good or better. What the Rockets knew was they
(04:38):
had a lot of leverage in these negotiations because it
was a bit first round pick, his cap pull next
summer with a little lower and or a lot lower
than a lot of these other guys that he's being
compared to. So the Rockets did not have to do
this deal a year early. That was their leverage, and
ultimately they ended up meeting in the middle. You know,
it's below the max, it's not a ton below the MAC,
(05:00):
and so I think it's one of those drug out
to the deadline just to make sure you know, both
parties wanted to know or feel like they knew that
the other side was giving as much as they absolutely would.
I think you know Shingoon clearly, it's a home run
to get a guy of his production and ability on
a sub back deal. You know, no injury concerns. That's
a definite win with Jalen. The structure of that deal,
(05:23):
it's really interesting because you know, the money in terms
of average annual value is in the same neighborhood as Shingoon,
but where it was a lot more difficult for the Rockets. Look,
Houston has no concerns giving a five year deal to
Shangoon because he has already proven enough that that's going
to be a positive value deal no matter what. Even
(05:43):
if you never know what's going to happen down the
line in terms of trade opportunities or you know, rising
payrolls and salaries and business decisions, you've already seen enough
from Shangoon that you will give him the deal he
got and you don't have to worry about it at all.
With Jalen, there are flashes, there are glos. There's a
world where things could work out, but there's more uncertainty,
(06:04):
and so that's why the Rockets were, you know, drawing
a little bit of a harder line in terms of
we'll give you the money, but we'll do it for
two three years rather than five because there is more
uncertainty with regards to, you know, how Jalen's career would
pan out, and it was to the Rockets benefit to
do this deal a year early. A lot of people
will hear me say that and reply, look, why don't
(06:26):
you just take it to restricted creagency in twenty twenty five.
Here's the deal. If you take it to twenty twenty five,
all it takes is one team like the Brooklyn Nets,
to put a full max in front of Jalen Green,
and then you have no choice but to you match
it if you want to retain him. Get so to
get him on a shorter deal, they had to do
something now.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
So essentially Shingoon gets his money now, but he plays
nice and prevents the Rockets from basically having the price
driven up on them and wasting some cap space by
doing it next year. So it's a little bit of
a win when I get that, that makes sense to me. Gordon, Right, Yeah,
it's so interesting.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
Been looking at this, you know, watch him in the preseason,
it felt like he may really wanted that core to
play a good a good bit of time together. And
we saw them play and it was funny. I think
we were at the first preseason home game and we
saw Ree Shepperd get in in the in the first half,
and we go to the entire third quarter and they
don't put him in.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
They played the starters.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
It felt like the whole almost the entire third quarter.
It tells you you got a unit here, and they
want them to get into rhythm and gel even more.
And what's so exciting about them was as improved as
they were last year, it feels like they could be
even more improved this year as a starting unit. And
I just go back to last.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
Year too, Ben.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
They started the season, they lose their first three, and
then they go in that six game run. The way
this schedule sets up with seeing the Spurs twice, seeing Charlotte,
like they should get off to a hot start here.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
What say you? Can I jump in real quick, guys,
because I like, well, yeah, I'm sorry, Be And I
just want to ask what starting five are we talking about? Exactly,
because a lot of people, if you haven't been keeping
up with the Rockets. Some people may think Steven Adams
is in the starting five, right, bro, what starting five exactly?
Speaker 3 (08:07):
Are we and Shingoon at the five?
Speaker 1 (08:09):
Right?
Speaker 2 (08:11):
Yeah, they'll use the same starting five they had last
year with Fred Jalen Hill and Jabari and Shingoon. I
do think you'll see at least one guy off the bench,
probably a men Thompson, playing starters sinnets and maybe closing
games from time to time. But I think you'll still
see the same starters. They've proven enough, they've won enough.
Look to Gordy's point, I think the reason you saw
(08:31):
e may lean on his guys a lot in the preseason.
They know that they need to take advantage of this
early portion of the schedule. This is not a year
where if they lose tonight, you say it's October whatever.
It's a long season.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
No.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
The way the schedule steps up, You've got in the
first eight games, You've got Charlotte tonight, you'll be favored
a decent bits. You've got the Spurs three times. You've
got in early to mid November, you've got the Pistons,
the Wizards, a couple of games against the Clippers at
home in which they probably won't have Leonard, they've lost
Paul George. You got back to back against the Trailblazers,
who are bad. So this is the softer part of
(09:06):
the schedule. So they need to take advantage of these games,
especially because the biggest advantage for this Rockets team compared
to others around the NBA, they bring back pretty much
everybody from last year. So whereas a lot of teams
are sort of getting used and integrated with all these
new people that they're trying to get used to in
their rotations, the Rockets know what they have and so
(09:30):
that continuity and the softer schedule means that they need
to sort of fatten up their record early in the year.
And so that's why a game like tonight, it's not
just one out of eighty two. Oh, if they lose whatever,
it's October, you know, get back to me in February
of March. No, this is the part of the schedule
that they need to take advantage of. And so that's
why I think you've seen emay, you know, get these
guys ready to hit the ground running, all.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
Right, Ben do Bows Rockets analysts here at seven ninety
jo Hooma Rockets Basketball does a great job calling the
shots there for the USA Today's the Rockets wire log
and logger line pop heard ill Sports seven ninety dot
com the scene seven ninety as well if you go
to the site, appreciate him chiming in Rockets favorite tonight
(10:13):
by seven and a half. Real quick thought from you
to wrap up. I can't imagine you think the Rockets
are going to struggle with the Hornets. This one should
be pretty much as advertised, correct.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
I think, especially with the Hornets missing Mark Williams Brooks.
Shangoon got his new contracts. He's the story going into
this game. The Hornets don't have their starting Big Ben. Yeah.
To me, this screams the field. Good story of get
Shangoon involved and you know, let him take the victory
laugh after getting his near mix contract earlier in the week.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
There it is the voice of Ben. Do bows follow
him on social at b E N d U b
O s E. Ben. I see you over at the TC.
Thank you so much, friend, Looking forward to a great
twenty four to twenty five for the Rockets. A playoff team,
damn near playing.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
Tournament, Yes, sir see in a few minutes time.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Take care, brother,
We go to the guest line, where we will get
Rockets analysts here at seven ninety does a great job
on USA Today's The Rockets Wire, which I follow on social.
He also contributed to the Logger Line podcast as well.
If you would come okay now mine, I can do
it on my end, were welcome in. Ben Dubo's on
the guest Line. Ben that time a year again. I'm
(00:21):
happy as hell. I'm over at the TC tonight. The
awful Charlotte Hornets are in town. No Mark Williams playing
for them. Who knows what we did for LaMelo ball.
But I'm mostly excited about another season of Rockets basketball,
a top six seed. I can feel it, and I'm
calling it to the God right now, good morning.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Yeah, it's possible, and I think, especially after the contract
extensions the other day for Jalen Green and all French Shandon, Well,
if the biggest takeaway from those is that this administration
sees a path to where the status quo could work out.
You don't lock yourself in for three to five years
if you have serious doubts. You don't take away your
(01:00):
financial flexibility next summer if you have serious doubts. If
not a guarantee that it's going to work out. But
they have seen enough. They have watched these guys throughout
the off season and training camp and the preseason. Those
deals were a bet on the status quo and so
they see, you know, a lot to like and for
Jalen Green, Alprin from Goon and the rest of those guys,
tonight when they can start to prove that it was worthwhile.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
Yeah, it was so interesting Ben looking at the seaham As.
I mean, they've got so many dudes, it's it's crazy,
like you've you've drafted well, you did well for agency.
Fred van Vliet and Dylan Brooks both look to be,
you know, solid center, foundational pieces to build around. But
I was still with somebody yesterday was saying, well, I
mean they can't play them all right, And I said,
(01:44):
you know, maybe you're hung up in the days of
Mike D'Antoni, where he played seven guys sometimes in a game,
Like I'm looking back through the games last year and
I may doga played ten. I mean, they would rotate
guys off the bench. So I guess my question is
how do you make it work with all these guys?
But it seems like they're going to do their best
to get as many guys touches and playing time as
I can.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
Yeah, definitely, And honestly, this is where the NBA is heading.
If you look at the championship teams for this decade,
they're not nearly as top heavy as they were for
a lot of the two thousands and the twenty tens.
You know, the model of put two or three superstars
together and then a bunch of role players. You're not
really seeing the super teams anymore. You're seeing a lot
more depth and being able to sort of mix and match.
(02:28):
And so today it's a good example. Look, Charlotte's not
a good team, but LaMelo Ball is sort of a
unique matchup at point guard. He's pretty big, super admiral,
certainly for a thirty year old Fred van Vleet, So
this may be a matchup where you want to sort
of flank him with somebody that's a little bit bigger
and longer and more athletic like and Amn Thompson coming
in off the bench. And so you're seeing more of
(02:48):
that around the NBA. It's more customized, I would say,
and that's what having depth allows you to do. And
you look at teams like Denver, like Boston that have
won championships in recent years. Sure, there are all star
level players and in Nicole Jochicra's case, a multi time MVP,
but it's not nearly, as you know, top heavy as
(03:10):
what fans saw for a lot of the twentyds and
the twenty ten. So I think the way the Rockets
are building their team, even if they don't necessarily have
that guy right now, that you can and say, Okay,
this is clearly going to be an MVP candidate. I
think that's okay because the NBA is going to a
model that's a little bit more you know about depth, continuity, chemistry,
those types of factors.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Anyway, Ben, I think about what you just said, and
because I wanted to do this yesterday and I thought, well,
we'll get you on Wednesday. Did Jalen Green Apronshin Gun extensions?
Let's do a deeper dive there. I think if this
was the deal that was on the table last year,
(03:50):
wouldn't both guys have signed this last year? So the
time is interesting to me. Also, the structure of the
deals are interesting to me. We played a SoundBite from
Shams where he says, Jalen is the first ever in
the NBA to get a two plus one player option,
and he's essentially going to bet on himself and go
back to the market. What have you learned about the
(04:12):
structure of these deals along with the timing.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
Yeah, I think with Shangoon it was simply you know,
all piece camp waiting to see if they could leverage
the Rockets for every last time because at face value,
he is a MAX level player. When you compare it
to other guys in the draft class, other young guys
around the NBA that have got BAX deals, Shangoon is
as good or better. What the Rockets knew was they
(04:38):
had a lot of leverage in these negotiations because it
was a bit first round pick, his cap pull next
summer with a little lower and or a lot lower
than a lot of these other guys that he's being
compared to. So the Rockets did not have to do
this deal a year early. That was their leverage, and
ultimately they ended up meeting in the middle. You know,
it's below the max, it's not a ton below the MAC,
(05:00):
and so I think it's one of those drug out
to the deadline just to make sure you know, both
parties wanted to know or feel like they knew that
the other side was giving as much as they absolutely would.
I think you know Shingoon clearly, it's a home run
to get a guy of his production and ability on
a sub back deal. You know, no injury concerns. That's
a definite win with Jalen. The structure of that deal,
(05:23):
it's really interesting because you know, the money in terms
of average annual value is in the same neighborhood as Shingoon,
but where it was a lot more difficult for the Rockets. Look,
Houston has no concerns giving a five year deal to
Shangoon because he has already proven enough that that's going
to be a positive value deal no matter what. Even
(05:43):
if you never know what's going to happen down the
line in terms of trade opportunities or you know, rising
payrolls and salaries and business decisions, you've already seen enough
from Shangoon that you will give him the deal he
got and you don't have to worry about it at all.
With Jalen, there are flashes, there are glos. There's a
world where things could work out, but there's more uncertainty,
(06:04):
and so that's why the Rockets were, you know, drawing
a little bit of a harder line in terms of
we'll give you the money, but we'll do it for
two three years rather than five because there is more
uncertainty with regards to, you know, how Jalen's career would
pan out, and it was to the Rockets benefit to
do this deal a year early. A lot of people
will hear me say that and reply, look, why don't
(06:26):
you just take it to restricted creagency in twenty twenty five.
Here's the deal. If you take it to twenty twenty five,
all it takes is one team like the Brooklyn Nets,
to put a full max in front of Jalen Green,
and then you have no choice but to you match
it if you want to retain him. Get so to
get him on a shorter deal, they had to do
something now.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
So essentially Shingoon gets his money now, but he plays
nice and prevents the Rockets from basically having the price
driven up on them and wasting some cap space by
doing it next year. So it's a little bit of
a win when I get that, that makes sense to me. Gordon, Right, Yeah,
it's so interesting.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
Been looking at this, you know, watch him in the preseason,
it felt like he may really wanted that core to
play a good a good bit of time together. And
we saw them play and it was funny. I think
we were at the first preseason home game and we
saw Ree Shepperd get in in the in the first half,
and we go to the entire third quarter and they
don't put him in.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
They played the starters.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
It felt like the whole almost the entire third quarter.
It tells you you got a unit here, and they
want them to get into rhythm and gel even more.
And what's so exciting about them was as improved as
they were last year, it feels like they could be
even more improved this year as a starting unit. And
I just go back to last.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
Year too, Ben.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
They started the season, they lose their first three, and
then they go in that six game run. The way
this schedule sets up with seeing the Spurs twice, seeing Charlotte,
like they should get off to a hot start here.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
What say you? Can I jump in real quick, guys,
because I like, well, yeah, I'm sorry, Be And I
just want to ask what starting five are we talking about? Exactly,
because a lot of people, if you haven't been keeping
up with the Rockets. Some people may think Steven Adams
is in the starting five, right, bro, what starting five exactly?
Speaker 3 (08:07):
Are we and Shingoon at the five?
Speaker 1 (08:09):
Right?
Speaker 2 (08:11):
Yeah, they'll use the same starting five they had last
year with Fred Jalen Hill and Jabari and Shingoon. I
do think you'll see at least one guy off the bench,
probably a men Thompson, playing starters sinnets and maybe closing
games from time to time. But I think you'll still
see the same starters. They've proven enough, they've won enough.
Look to Gordy's point, I think the reason you saw
(08:31):
e may lean on his guys a lot in the preseason.
They know that they need to take advantage of this
early portion of the schedule. This is not a year
where if they lose tonight, you say it's October whatever.
It's a long season.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
No.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
The way the schedule steps up, You've got in the
first eight games, You've got Charlotte tonight, you'll be favored
a decent bits. You've got the Spurs three times. You've
got in early to mid November, you've got the Pistons,
the Wizards, a couple of games against the Clippers at
home in which they probably won't have Leonard, they've lost
Paul George. You got back to back against the Trailblazers,
who are bad. So this is the softer part of
(09:06):
the schedule. So they need to take advantage of these games,
especially because the biggest advantage for this Rockets team compared
to others around the NBA, they bring back pretty much
everybody from last year. So whereas a lot of teams
are sort of getting used and integrated with all these
new people that they're trying to get used to in
their rotations, the Rockets know what they have and so
(09:30):
that continuity and the softer schedule means that they need
to sort of fatten up their record early in the year.
And so that's why a game like tonight, it's not
just one out of eighty two. Oh, if they lose whatever,
it's October, you know, get back to me in February
of March. No, this is the part of the schedule
that they need to take advantage of. And so that's
why I think you've seen emay, you know, get these
guys ready to hit the ground running, all.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
Right, Ben do Bows Rockets analysts here at seven ninety
jo Hooma Rockets Basketball does a great job calling the
shots there for the USA Today's the Rockets wire log
and logger line pop heard ill Sports seven ninety dot
com the scene seven ninety as well if you go
to the site, appreciate him chiming in Rockets favorite tonight
(10:13):
by seven and a half. Real quick thought from you
to wrap up. I can't imagine you think the Rockets
are going to struggle with the Hornets. This one should
be pretty much as advertised, correct.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
I think, especially with the Hornets missing Mark Williams Brooks.
Shangoon got his new contracts. He's the story going into
this game. The Hornets don't have their starting Big Ben. Yeah.
To me, this screams the field. Good story of get
Shangoon involved and you know, let him take the victory
laugh after getting his near mix contract earlier in the week.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
There it is the voice of Ben. Do bows follow
him on social at b E N d U b
O s E. Ben. I see you over at the TC.
Thank you so much, friend, Looking forward to a great
twenty four to twenty five for the Rockets. A playoff team,
damn near playing.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
Tournament, Yes, sir see in a few minutes time.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Take care, brother,
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