The Houston Rockets have managed their rebuild about as responsibly as possible. They’ve hoarded draft picks, and thus far done relatively well with them. They’ve pursued veteran free agents, but have always managed to do so with an eye on value. They got Dillon Brooks when his reputation was in tatters, and gave other free agents like Fred VanVleet and Jock Landale team options to maximize their own flexibility. Most importantly, they haven’t rushed. General manager Rafael Stone has been pretty straightforward on that point. When the Jimmy Butler rumor cycle started last week, he went on SiriusXM NBA Radio to tell the world he doesn’t intend to make a blockbuster move any time soon.
“We like this team. We definitely do not intend to change anything, and I would be shocked if something changes this season,” Stone said. “We like where we’re at. We want to continue to develop our guys, full stop. Will I listen to other teams? Of course I will, that’s my job. But again, no, there’s no part of me, there’s no part of our decision-making process that suggests that we’re looking to do anything big now or in the near term.”
It’s a noble sentiment, not exactly dissimilar to Sam Presti’s “we have to finish our breakfast before we start acting like we’re on the cusp of something,” quote from roughly a year ago. Slow, methodical rebuilds tend to be the most effective ones, and Houston saw firsthand just how effective Oklahoma City’s approach to rebuilding has been on Saturday, when the Thunder knocked the Rockets out of the NBA Cup. Oklahoma City never rushed. It now has probably the most envious overall roster and asset outlook in basketball. The Rockets are gunning for something similar. But Saturday’s loss, and Houston’s overall NBA Cup performance, point toward a subtle difference that the Rockets need to be cognizant of: The Thunder have an MVP candidate and they do not.
That wasn’t the only difference between the Rockets and Thunder on Saturday, but it was the pertinent one. In the rock fight to end all rock fights, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander…
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