Salman Ali

Wemby is disgusting.

Your best bet on defense is prayer, but at 7’4”, he’s got better cell reception to God.

Also…. I’d give this a few more games, but I’m tempted to break the in-case-of-emergency Aaron Holiday minutes.

Only 1 game so there’s time for him to catch his bearings, but it felt like too big a role for Reed Sheppard tonight.

That one stings, but I’m actually encouraged at the FVV-less squad.

A clear big three has emerged. They need some more chemistry and a healthy DFS.

Thanks for clearing this up. I actually forgot about this.

And did not receive the timeout.

So again… what’s the anger about? Lmao

I’m trying to understand what OKC is complaining about here.

That they got confused and stopped playing? lol

Sometimes I think about how Stephen Silas used to play Daniel Theis over Alperen Sengun.

I’m holding back tears, Dan.

It’s S3ngun season now? Oh man.

…Is the shot clock a circle now?

I've said it before, but this signing reinforces it:

The Rockets have a lot of institutional faith in Reed Sheppard. Instead of using their 14th spot on a ball handler who can shoot, they doubled down on wing defense.

the journalist in me would like to tease this by saying we had a spirited debate about how much kd can do for the rockets offense.

the masterclickbaiter in me would like all the aggregating teenagers to know the "kd isn't worth a minimum contract" talk starts at the 15:18 mark.

Where do the Rockets stack up in the West? w/ Dan Favale Podcast muscles are still rusty

New @rednationhoops.bsky.social episode:

Where do the Rockets stack up in the West? w/ @danfavale.bsky.social
www.rednationhoops.com/p/where-do-t...

The Rockets have managed to keep a large sum of non-essential salaries on their roster throughout their entire rebuild (last year they had $45 million).

This has given them a ton of flexibility in trade negotiations for potential star trades should opportunities come up.

By February, the Rockets will have over $40 million in tradable salary that doesn't include Fred VanVleet, Kevin Durant, or any of their young pieces.

Incredible work by Rafael Stone.

Okay this DFS contract takes A LOT of the sting out of the Cam Whitmore trade.

It's incredibly team-friendly and will likely turn into a valuable trade piece down the road for Houston.

If the price of this deal was Cam's place on the team, I'm more okay with how it went down.

Pros for HOU moving Cam:

-No path for minutes/can't be showcased
-Makes the long-term financials easier
-He doesn't want to be here

Cons for HOU moving Cam:

-If he becomes an All-NBA talent, the above points are irrelevant

If he tops out as an All-Star, it stings a lot less.

So the Rockets have essentially locked in on the young core they want to keep (for now):

Alperen Sengun
Amen Thompson
Jabari Smith
Reed Sheppard
Tari Eason

Said it on @rednationhoops.bsky.social:

While I understand the logic, I hate that Houston is giving up on Whitmore. This price in particular, feels meager.

I think he's going to blow up in Washington.

Can the Rockets compete with the Thunder now? w/ Forrest Walker What a summer

New @rednationhoops.bsky.social episode w/ @dunots.voidsent.com:

Rockets free agency wrap up
www.rednationhoops.com/p/can-the-ro...

Unless something changes, it seems clear that the Rockets have a great deal of faith in Reed Sheppard and intend to rocket him up to 15-20 minutes per game next season.

I don’t understand the panic from Rockets fans about guard depth. They’re fine.

To me, the clear need is wing shooting - especially if Cam gets traded.

Starters:

Fred VanVleet
Amen Thompson
Kevin Durant
Jabari Smith Jr.
Alperen Sengun

Bench:

Reed Sheppard
Cam Whitmore (?)
Tari Eason
Steven Adams

Deep Bench:

Aaron Holiday
Jae'Sean Tate
Jeff Green

Jabari Smith opted against betting on himself for financial security.

I totally get it, but if he held out and had an All-Star season, he could've demanded a $250 million contract next summer.

Wow. Less than 18% of the salary cap for a 3rd overall pick with still a lot of upside.

That's a hell of a deal for Houston.

Short term for Houston on FVV extension: Great

Long-term for Houston on FVV extension: We’ll see

Although Rafael Stone and his front office deserve the benefit of the doubt. They’ve been pitch-perfect in the long-term planning department.

Hmm, I love the number and hate the player option.

Solid piece of financial work for the Rockets. Opens up financial instruments to use in free agency.

My hope is KD gives at least two years of team control to Houston in his extension.

Reacting to the KD Trade w/ Forrest Walker Who would've predicted this 6 months ago?

New @rednationhoops.bsky.social episode w/ @dunots.voidsent.com: Reacting to the Kevin Durant trade

www.rednationhoops.com/p/reacting-t...

What's up rockets fans do you wanna see what I look like and hear me be really positive well that's what we got for you baby

Reacting to the KD Trade w/ Forrest Walker Who would've predicted this 6 months ago?

New @rednationhoops.bsky.social episode w/ @dunots.voidsent.com: Reacting to the Kevin Durant trade

www.rednationhoops.com/p/reacting-t...