The waiting is the hardest part

With apologies to Tom Petty (RIP) the waiting really might be the hardest part for the Rockets. A rough analysis of NBA trade deadline deals seems, appears, unscientifically, to show that teams that do their business early get better bargains.

Nobody seems to believe that, however, they think some team will be desperate to sell, and they’ll get a deal. They don’t seem to account for teams desperate to buy. So there aren’t that many deals, but there are a few legendary bargains, stories told around the bar at VSL. That’s why people go fishing, or in The Before Times, to meat-market bars. Fair value seems to be found early, even at those places, though.

Too early, when it comes to fishing. You can pretty much keep anything that happens at 5am as far as I’m concerned. The bars are far ago and long away.

The best buyout candidates tend to go to the teams with the easiest post-season path, or most money in the off-season. Unless you’re sure that’s your team, it’s a bad risk.

Meanwhile, we’re waiting. You can tell a child “Don’t wait until the last minute! It’ll all be harder!” Apparently you can’t tell an NBA GM.

It’s one thing to tank with a team of the future, with a team that wants to get good together, grow together as players and competitors, and be, at worst, a great bench unit for a contender.

It’s another entirely to tank with guys who don’t want to be Rockets, and who, moreover, Rockets FANS don’t want to be Rockets.

Keep it up Victor Oladipo, more of last night. I’d admonish you to not take days off for “maintenance” or whatever (and if you hadn’t, just one time, we might have David Nwaba around). But do not get hurt. Whatever you do, don’t get hurt.

Score, Victor, look good, I don’t care if it’s the real you, or illusion, or you haven’t been trying, but are trying now, because you want a trade. None of the possibilities concerning your play are good ones from a Rockets perspective. There’s no way an older, gutless, player like you is part of the next good Rockets team. THAT you have clearly demonstrated. Don’t let the door, etc.

Also, Victor, a heartfelt thanks, a sincerely grateful thanks, for not signing a contract with the Rockets. “Worse Eric Gordon But With Less Heart” isn’t a player the Rockets need long term.

PJ Tucker - BRAVO. Not playing is probably the best thing you could have done, given the way you actually were playing. People will remember the good times, not the fear of shooting (justified!) or that you may have found The Cliff. Honestly, I think for 24 minutes a night, PJ Tucker will absolutely bring value, and needed toughness, to several teams with aspirations.

EDIT - Well, that turned out well. I had just finished writing this when the PJ Tucker news came across The Twitter. This seems like a good deal, given Tucker’s age and production this season. Who knows? Maybe DJ Wilson will be helpful. DJ Augustin is at least an actual point guard, who can do point guard things.

Eric Gordon, the Quantum Player. Is he good? Is he bad? Is he healthy? Is he injured? Is he part of the future? Is he someone to trade? Is he eager to play for the Rockets? Does he hate everything, even fishing? No one ever knows. It’s possible that no one can know.

There are only two states we’re sure of with Eric Gordon - The Eric Gordon Face, and The Eric Gordon Scream (but even this is contingent on Healthy). Whichever version of Eric Gordon you get, and you’ll never know at any given moment which it is, you can be sure you will get The Face, and The Scream. Are those two absolute enough to build a cosmology? Certainly not.

So as much as we’d like Good, Healthy, Future, Eager, Face, Scream Gordon, it’s just as likely you’ll get Bad, Hurt, Tradable, Hate, Face, Scream Gordon. Either way, you won’t know beforehand, or even at the time. Only in retrospect. His contract is in a decaying state, though, so it will end at some point. Somewhere, perhaps far away.

There’s also Ben McLemore and Rodions Kurucs who might go away.

EDIT - And Kurucs did!

So there are the three main players that might be waiting on trades, waiting for the Rockets future to start.