#IMHO: Rockets reboot? Plus, throwbacks in Brooklyn, and a new coach in Indy
Lang WhitakerGrind City Media’s Lang Whitaker and Kelcey Wright Johnson weigh in on the most pertinent news from around the NBA. What’s lit? What’s lame? Find out each week right here.
From: Lang Whitaker
Sent: Monday, October 19, 2020 9:02 AM
To: Kelcey Wright Johnson
Subject: IMHO
The season only ended a week ago, and already things are fundamentally changing all over the NBA. Let’s start this week in Houston, where the Rockets not only lost in the Western Conference Semifinals, but seem to have completely fallen apart. First head coach Mike D’Antoni announced that he was dunzo, and then GM Daryl Morey joined D’Antoni and caught a ride out of town.
So if you’re the Houston Rockets, what next? You were so committed to D’Antoni’s smallball idea that you traded your best and most promising big man Clint Capela. You’ve got Westbrook and Harden each making over $40 million a season for the next few years, and Houston has so many future draft picks promised or tied up in possible pick swaps that I couldn’t even figure out what picks belong to which teams.
So, Kelcey, what do you do? Trade Harden? Trade Westbrook? Keep the both of them? How do you keep the Rockets in the mix out West and make them better than they were last year?
From: Kelcey Wright Johnson
Sent: Monday, October 19, 2020 10:17 PM
To: Lang Whitaker
Subject: Re: IMHO
Hey Lang,
I had mentioned in a previous exchange with you that I didn’t think the Rockets can afford to stay doing what they were doing with D’Antoni out, and that sediment is just echoed with Daryl Morey skipping dodge too. I think small ball needs to be gone from Houston and they need to trade Westbrook. BUT (and this is a big but), tanking and rebuilding isn’t really an option because they don’t have very many guaranteed draft picks of their own in the next few years (yes, some are tied up and you should get a pretty penny for Russ).
I still like the idea of bringing in a player like Steven Adams, JaVale McGee or Brook Lopez, and then also a big who can space the floor like Kevin Love or Kyle Korver. But if the goal is for the Rockets to be championship contenders in the next 3 or 4 years (Russ will be 32 this year), things will need to change drastically. Clearly the small ball approach will only take that team so far — it was a fun experiment to try, but it’s got to be over. Obviously that was D’Antoni’s baby and you’d think if he’s gone, of course the idea of small ball is too… but without some huge roster moves, the team is built so specifically to run it.
I saw a trade rumor the other day that had a three-way deal with Houston, New York and Minnesota that landed Russ with the Knicks (imagine how wild his game day fits would be if he lived in NYC), and Karl-Anthony Towns in Houston (with some other moves as well, obviously. Like Eric Gordon and Julius Randle ending up with the Wolves). I really like the idea of Harden and KAT together though.
I just rambled for three paragraphs, honestly, because I am just as confused as the Rockets head office right now. I don’t even know where to start… well, that’s not true: start by trading Russ and brining in some size.
Let me move to the other side of the NBA. I have been anxiously waiting to see a full-strength Brooklyn Nets team in action next season — what’s your prediction on how well KD and Kyrie will do in the East in the 20-21 season (in their new red and blue uniforms)?
From: Lang Whitaker
Sent: Tuesday, October 20, 2020 9:39 AM
To: Kelcey Wright Johnson
Subject: Re: IMHO
First of all, I am all-in on the Nets’ new alternate uniforms. The sky blue/red/tie dye fits gave me serious flashbacks to the Kenny Anderson/Derrick Coleman/Drazen Petrovic days playing in the swamps in Jersey. And with tie dye being really on trend these days, it just feels like something a dude like Kyrie Irving (or a hipster who helped price out everyone in Bushwick) would actually wear.
As far as basketball, there’s a lot of if’s with the Nets, to me. I think the biggest if is health. Can Kyrie and KD stay healthy for an entire season and postseason? Because if so, they can be a better duo than anyone else in the East can run out there. I’m already on record as being a huge Steve Nash fan, and I think he’ll do a good job, at least a not bad job. And then there are all the role players around the big two. Can Caris LeVert and Spencer Dinwiddie score when KD and Kyrie are resting? Does DeAndre Jordan have anything left in the tank? Which other players will step up and be major parts of what the Nets are doing?
Sean Marks has done such a good job of rebuilding a roster that was decimated and bereft of assets. Now all the rebuilding is over. It’s time for the Nets to take that next step. And I think they’re ready.
Let’s stay in the Eastern Conference and bounce over to Indiana, where the Pacers are in an interesting spot. They don’t have a coach, as of now (though I’ve seen longtime assistant Chris Finch’s name thrown around, and he’s an awesome dude), and their star player, Victor Oladipo, is returning from injury while entering a contract year. Kelcey, if you were running the Pacers, what would you do with Victor Oladipo?
From: Kelcey Wright Johnson
Sent: Tuesday, October 20, 2020 1:32 PM
To: Lang Whitaker
Subject: Re: IMHO
Lang,
Five seconds after you pressed send on that email the news broke: Nate Bjorkgren is the new head coach of the Indiana Pacers.
I’ll get back to this hire, but first let me answer your question.
Honestly, I’m not sure it’s going to be a decision that the Pacers get to make. I think it’s going to be a decision of where Oladipo wants to go; looks like Miami and Boston are the front runners (although in this week’s IMHO video, Jon Roser says he thinks Oladipo is headed to the Warriors). I mean *technically* it’s in the Pacers hands but do they decide to trade him now rather than have him walk and get nothing in return? Who knows.
His impending free agency gives him major leverage in trade talk negotiations, so I’ll be interested in what city he wants to land in OR if a new head coach will sway him to stay put in Indiana.
I don’t even think I answered your question… I say trade him and get something good in return while you still can.
What do you think about the Pacers’ new coach? Will he be able to entice Olapido to stay? I remember you telling me that you know him a bit.
From: Lang Whitaker
Sent: Tuesday, October 20, 2020 5:13 PM
To: Kelcey Wright Johnson
Subject: Re: IMHO
My timing was impeccable. What was funny was that just before I sent you that email, I was looking around on the interwebs at possible head coaching candidates for the Pacers, and none of them mentioned Nate, which kinda surprised me. He’s been a head coach in the G-League, then an assistant in the NBA in Phoenix, then later in Toronto, where he’s helped Nick Nurse make the Raptors one of the best teams in the NBA the last two seasons.
Back when I was at NBA.com, I had the idea of doing a G-League story where I would go and spend a weekend on a G-League coaching staff, and bringing along a camera crew to document the whole thing. I reached out to the G-League and was told the Iowa Energy would love to have me on staff for a weekend. So I hopped a plane outta NYC and flew to Des Moines, where I met the then-head coach of the Energy, Nate Bjorkgren.
I spent the weekend basically shadowing Nate, sitting in all his coach’s meetings, watching him make pregame and in-game adjustments, and hearing him get the team fired up at halftime. I was immediately impressed by his ability to connect to the players, and how prepared and organized he was. I’d never heard of him when I got there, and when I left I knew he was going to be an NBA head coach one day. The best part was that we were down like 15 at the half, and we managed to come back and win the game. Which makes my G-League coaching record 1-0.
I don’t know what the Pacers are gonna do in terms of roster construction, but I know Nate is going to have a team that plays hard, that executes well, and that will leave it all out on the court.
And if Nate needs any game planning advice, he knows who to text.
Published on Oct 21, 2020
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