• Re-signing: Aaron Holiday, Nate Williams
• Additions: AJ Griffin (trade)
• Draft: Reed Sheppard (No. 3 pick)
• Departures: None
• Unsigned Free Agents: Reggie Bullock, Nate Hinton, Boban Marjanovic, Jermaine Samuels Jr.

AG@RICE said:

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Instead of dragging the discussion back to last years thread, I thought we would talk about the extension here.

Sengun's was a not doubter and great deal. He is probably going to put up 20/10/4 this year and we probably saved a good chunk of money by doing the deal now.

Green's extension is more polarizing. I'll admit, in the preseason his defense still looks below average and he is still a high-volume chucker that doesn't seem to grasp the concept of team basketball.

That said, you can clearly see the potential in his game: He is getting stronger, so he should be able to finish better in the lane and grab more rebounds this year. Based on the preseason, he may have become a better shooter. Most importantly, Udoka should be able to make him a better defender and team player by seasons end.

I personally don't think that Jalen is currently an elite player worthy of a max deal, but I still think this is a good move by Stone. If he makes a huge leap this year, his potential extension was going to be the max. In that case, we saved a good chunk of money. If he doesn't make a huge leap but gets noticeably better, there will still be plenty of teams willing to pay premium price for a promising youngster on a non-max contract. The contract will fit perfectly in a trade for a max player that is disgruntled or looking for a team on the rise. The shorter contract also incentives Jalen to continue to improve by giving him a pathway to a future max deal if we keep him. Lastly, If the worst case scenario materializes and he regresses, we can bail on him in 3 years before we need to extend the next crop of talented prospects.

The deal is more money than any of us think he is currently worth, but it is short, flexible and attractive as a trade chip. I think Stone made a good move here.

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Woods Ag said:

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I watched part of the last preseason game and Green looked great during that time.

I was a huge Green hater and thought he needed to be dealt last year, but late in the season he was really good. I want to play it out with the current young guys and lets see how they develop. Much like OKC and ORL felt the past year.

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The Porkchop Express said:

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I can't promise I'll do this every game, but trying to get back into Rockets' fandom makes this easier as a little writing exercise. And I'm sure they will get shorter as the season goes on. I'm also going to miss a lot of stuff, so be gentle.


Hornets (0-0) @ Rockets (0-0), Toyota Center, 7:30 p.m.
Line: Rockets by 7.5

What's up with the Hornets?
The Hornets have the extreme benefit of playing in the NBA's crappiest division, a division won by Orlando with a sizzling 47-35 record last year. That record would have made them 8th in the West last year. Charlotte went a godawful 21-61 last season, getting outscored by 10 points a game and going 10-31 on the road compared to a dominant 11-30 at home. The Hornets haven't made the playoffs in 9 years and Michael Jordan finally said "**** this" and sold the team last year. They were incredibly bad during December (1-12), January (3-13), and March (3-12).

Who Are These Guys?
They drafted Brandon Miller from Alabama with the #2 pick in the draft and he successfully navigated the season without driving any murderers to the place where they were going to kill someone, so big improvement from his college days.
Miller led the team in games played (74) and steals (66) while averaging 17.3 points per game. The team's best player last year was either Miles Bridges, who averaged 21.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game or Terry Rozier who averaged 23.2 points and 6.6 assists per game. They also have LaMelo Ball back after he missed 60 games hurt last year. When healthy, he averaged 23.9 points and assists per game.

What's New?
They have a new coach this year in Charles Lee, who was born when I was already 10 years old, which infuriates me. He was a Celtics' assistant last year. The Hornets drafted some French guy who has a name that my keyboard doesn't have all the symbols for - Tidjane Salaun. He's only 19 and is 6-8, 207 pounds, so expect him to snap in half at any time.

In the off-season they were involved in a crazy whack 6-team trade that saw them get Josh Green from the Mavericks and Mr. October himself, Reggie Jackson, rom Denver, along with two second round Denver picks. That was the Klay Thompson deal. They then waived Reggie Jackson a few days later.

A few weeks ago, they were part of the Towns/Randle deal, Charlie Brown Jr., DaQuan Jeffries, and Duane Washington Jr., plus three second-round draft picks. It sort of feels like the Hornets are just really bored and when two teams need a trade partner, they bully the Hornets into helping.

What Have They Done Lately?
Well, they went 2-3 in the preseason, so that's saying something. They had 5 guys average in double digits in the preseason, led by Miller's 17.4. Tre Mann, who the got in a trade from the Thunder last year, averaged 16 points per game in the preseason, and LaMelo was at 14.8 and 5.5 assists.

The Last Time They Played
On January 26, 2024, the Rockets beat the **** out of Charlotte 138-104 on the road. Jalen Green had 36 points and 10 rebounds and the team shot 56.2% from the floor.

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Head Ninja In Charge said:

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Do these every Sunday evening please. Start the week off right for the rest of us.

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