Official Game Thread: Rockets at Hawks -- The (Regular) Season Finale!

[lethalweapon3]

“I’m feelin’ good! I just thought you should kno-ooow!”

 

Ahhh, the joie de vivre of one Mr. Tilman Fertitta. He never knew Lottery Love like this.

“I never thought I could feel this good after winning only 16 games,” Fertitta shared with Tim McMahon of ESPN, his team a win short of its current total. “…when I look at all the draft picks that we have and the future, I’m just happy.” Clap along if you know that sucking is what you wanna do.

“I know it’s unusual to feel this good with your coach and your general manager, but I do.” Happy to oblige, says Stephen Silas and Rafael Stone, respectively.

Beginning with the end of Jeff Van Gundy’s coaching run of T-Mac and Yao in 2007, through the next decade of ownership under Leslie Alexander, to the oversight of Fertitta from 2017 through last season, teardowns weren’t something Houston liked to do. Through the Rick Adelman, Kevin McHale, and Mike D’Antoni coaching eras, the Rockets haven’t fallen below .500 in a season. Not until this one.

The constant up until this season was Moneyball Morey, the analytics guru and offseason sultan of swat. Daryl Morey had a good thing going, swinging for the fences in deals for fellows like James Harden and Chris Paul, and Russell Westbrook, until his Hong Kong Oopsie tweet at the outset of the 2019-20 season had Tilman tap-dancing, and Morey unsure, with just two Conference Finals trips over the course of his lengthy tenure, whether he could be Fertitta’s No. 1 super guy for much longer.

In the midst of this uncertainty swooped Atlanta PBO Travis Schlenk. Swinging a four-way deal at 2020’s Trade Deadline with Minnesota and Denver, the Hawks sent out what was left of Evan Turner and Brooklyn’s first rounder to the T’Wolves, and a 2026 second-rounder to Houston. What Atlanta got back for their trouble was a handshake with Nene, and this season’s leading rebounder and third-leading shot blocker, Clint Capela (14.3 RPG; 1^st in NBA for both O-Reb% and D-Reb%, per bball-ref).

Without much argument the Hawks’ Southeast Division-winning season MVP, Capela could get to take one last dig at his old employer as the Rockets pay Atlanta a visit (7 PM Eastern, Bally Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, AT&T SportsNet in HTX) to close out their season. Atlanta (40-31) may not have much left to play for – first-round homecourt depends on what our first-round opponent, the Knicks, do this afternoon – so hopefully Capela won’t have to make an imprint on this game for terribly long.

Drafted as a raw 20-year-old in the lower end of the first round by Houston back in 2014, Clint had been the only thing resembling a homegrown Rockets product, as Morey swore off developing his own draft picks, or even taking them, while going for the gusto. Olivia’s hubby (she works for MGM Sportsbooks now) Sam Dekker, selected the next year in 2015, was the last selection the Rockets took with their own first-rounder. The last Houston draftee to actually play, just a little bit, for this team? 2017 second-rounder Isaiah Hartenstein, who was cut before the team made it to the 2020 Bubble.

I will suggest here that, while there were worthy questions about the Swiss center’s health heading into the 2020 Playoffs, the Capela deal was probably the first warning to the rest of the organization – to D’Antoni, Harden, Westbrook, P.J. Tucker – that it was finally time to get out while the getting’s good.

Scratch that… we can maybe go back a few months more, to Eric Gordon’s four-year, $76 million extension in August 2019, for the first sign. Capela’s expulsion, excused with the D’Antonian desire to go all-out with the so-called “small ball” in a playoff run that almost ended prematurely against Westbrook’s former club, was probably just the loudest clarion call.

“I’m still p*ssed,” tweeted Eric Gordon, in reply to McMahon highlighting Capela’s blocks triple-double in one of this past January’s wins over the T’Wolves. Gordo knows that Capela, when healthy and playing to his strengths, is among the more efficient bigs in the league, and his presence at both ends of the hardwood makes otherwise good guards look great.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/HOU/

As an example, look at bball-ref’s list of Houston’s “Top 12 All-Time Players”, based on cumulative Win Shares, a nearly elite list of Hall of Famers and NBA notables. Look who is sitting there, in Hawks gear, at #12 (Atlanta’s “#12” is Atlanta’s Own, Josh Smith, pictured in Rockets gear. Life is a circle).

You can’t convince me that, had he ridden out most of the five-year, $90 million deal he inked from Morey and Fertitta in the summer of 2018, and had he again been playing to his strengths, that Clint (13^th in Win Shares this season) wouldn’t be sitting there to the left of Otis Thorpe by the time he left Houston. Thorpe played in that town from age 26 until his age-32 season. Capela doesn’t hit 32 until 2026, coincidentally, the year Atlanta’s second-rounder to Houston comes due.

Building a little more wisely around the All-NBA talent they reeled in, the Rockets could very well have kept going at title runs for the better part of the next half-decade. Instead, everyone, from the GM and coach to the stars, either jumped ship or demanded a life raft. Left behind, Fertitta is determined to convince us he’s on the Good Ship Lollipop.

How else can Fertitta feel? That I-just-threw-up feeling after overindulging for too long can come with an odd touch of relief. Stone and Silas are providing the right amounts of plop-plop-fizz-fizz until Fertitta is capable of saddling back up to the table.

With a combined $63.5 million in guaranteed cash due next year, John Wall and Gordon get to sit out the back half of this season with injuries. Joining them on the shelf, today, are as many as nine other players, including Booby Trapper Sterling Brown, Bubble buster Danuel House, 2020 offseason prize Christian Wood, and Harden consolation prize David Nwaba.

That leaves Kelly Olynyk, out to pump up his 2021 free agency profile, and D.J. Augustin as the sole recognizable veterans in the season finale on Silas’ roster. Otherwise, it’s been plug-and-play for Silas with a host of two-way players, ten-day dudes, can-tank-erous castaways, other teams’ second-rounders, hardship pickups and unsigned free agents.

Here’s the thing, though. No one who plays is encumbered with the unspoken obligation of losing ballgames. Thanks largely to a 20-game midseason freefall after starting out 11-10, Houston (17-54) has secured the #1 pre-Lottery slot, and nothing they do today imperils or improves their Top-4 Lottery odds. Everyone on the floor is encouraged to go for the 20-and-10 boxscore line of their choosing.

The Clippers, who sat virtually all of their starters on Friday while satisfied with their Top-4 playoff standing, learned this the hard way as Kelly Olynyk went almost Westbrook (20 points, 11 ASSISTS, 9 rebounds) on Jay Scrubb and the Clipper scrubs in Houston’s home finale. Our old friend Khyri Thomas (that Snell-Dedmon deal still looks pretty good, btw) got snatched up recently on a ten-day deal, and has averaged 16.4 PPG, including 17 in the 122-115 win over the Clips.

Brown’s Booby Trap buddy Kevin Porter, Jr. (22 points and 8 assists vs. ATL on Mar. 16) is having himself a ball. Milwaukee lost Giannis less than a minute into their game in Houston just a couple weeks ago, and KPJ decided to assert himself as the star of the game, pouring on an obvious career-high 50 points and 11 assists as Tucker’s Bucks found themselves fresh out of answers. The Rockets won that game, too. Silas has his Rockets dousing the net with three-point attempts early and attacking the rim late. If they can find hot hands at the outset, they then hope to get enough and-1’s and foul calls to break opponents’ will.

The show hasn’t translated well on the road, with Orlando and Minnesota being their sole away-game wins since February 4, and a lack of quality defensive communication (119.2 road D-Rating post-All-Star-Break, worst in NBA) is a big factor. But whether it’s fireplug forward Jae’Sean Tate (20 points, 3-for-5 3FGs vs. LAC), highlight hunter KJ Martin (career highs of 27 points and 10 boards @ UTA on May 8; 26 points the night before @ MIL), or April pickup Armoni Brooks (18.5 PPG in last six games), you can’t know who is going to show up to State Farm Arena feeling dangerous.

Under interim coach Nate McMillan, the Hawks reached the .500 plateau with a 119-107 win in H-Town on March 16, and never looked back. They fended off a third-quarter charge from Tate 25 points, 4-for-7 3FGs vs. ATL), a showcased Victor Oladipo, and momentary Rocket Mason Jones to pull away in the final frame.

Leading the charge off the bench on that evening was rookie big Nathan Knight (season-high 6 FGs), his 15 points one off of the season-high he tallied two nights before in Cleveland. One more productive outing from Knight can help Atlanta give Capela and Onyeka Okongwu (questionable, sore shoulder) a breather before the Hawks barrel into the NBA Playoffs for the first time in four years.

Has it only been four years? The Hawks’ “Recess”, under Schlenk’s watch, wasn’t all that painful, especially compared to other NBA so-called rebuilds, like the one Houston has initiated. While there was a lot of stress over mantras like “Play Badly for Bagley!”, “Stop Tryin’ for Zion!”, and “Fall ‘til you Ball!”, Atlanta dipped their toe intentionally into Lottery waters on three occasions, failed to finish Top-2 in any of them, and basically came away with Trae Young, Cam Reddish, De’Andre Hunter, and Okongwu. Not quite a Murderer’s Row of certified future All-Stars, but a solid Pickpockets’.

While not all had gone perfect with these young Hawks’ development from the jump, with one-time All-Star Trae by far the closest to instant stardom, the aforementioned panaceas on the Pelicans and Kings, as of today, are still looking forward to clinching their first playoff trips, while guys like Ball and Ja Morant still have a lot of work to do on that front this week. Thanks to some ownership-encouraged expedition on the Recess, smart additions like Capela, and a well-timed coaching shift, Atlanta has already built themselves back better than they were when Coach Bud was stuck with the GM duties.

This is already a more comprehensive, cohesive, and competitive collective than the crew Bud endured in 2017, Atlanta’s final postseason go-round to date. Whether it proves to be any more successful at playoff-time than when Dwight and Dennis’ goofball goonie gang bowed out to Wall’s Wizards will depend on how things play out, today and in the coming weeks.

Fertitta, who has never gone the Recess route before, is taking a much longer tack, echoing management views held by one of Morey’s predecessors in Philly. “I can tell you this: I’m going to be patient,” he vowed to McMahon. “We’re not going to go do something stupid to try to get into the playoffs next year,” (are you writing this down, Messrs. Gordon and Wall?), “that then will prevent us from competing for a championship in a couple years.”

Houston’s got a 52.1 percent shot at keeping their pick in the Top 4 this year, otherwise it heads to OKC as part of Morey’s Westbrook rental scheme. For the same reason, they’ll get to play that game again in 2024 and 2026. But they’ll get their hands on Portland and Brooklyn’s first-rounders this year, and possibly the Nets, Pistons, Wizards and Bucks in future ones. What’s the rush?

“It could be 2027,” Fertitta exclaims, “that we get a Top-5 pick that ends up being the next greatest player.” This is true. He could also end up being the next Kris Dunn. Either way, you rising 7^th Graders in AAU and tweens around the world, consider yourself put on notice. Work on Your Game. Because, let’s face it, there’s a chance you’re already on some Rocket scout’s Top-50 watch list.

 

Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3

[JayBirdHawk]

Thanks to Houston for gifting us Capela and special shout out to Brooklyn for the 2019 and 2020 1st round picks, the 2019 1st we used to trade up for Hunter, the 2020 1st got us Cap.

Now let's end rhis season with a win.

Go Hawks!

[NBASupes]

I don't want to see one key player in this game playing. 

Starting lineup

Goodwin

Mays

Solo

Knight 

Bruno

[JayBirdHawk]

3 minutes ago, NBASupes said:

I don't want to see one key player in this game playing. 

Starting lineup

Goodwin

Mays

Solo

Knight 

Bruno

So if the Knicks lose vs Boston we shouldn't try to win?

And is the intention to play these guys the full 48 minutes.

[JayBirdHawk]

Then there's this:

 

 

[NBASupes]

11 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

So if the Knicks lose vs Boston we shouldn't try to win?

And is the intention to play these guys the full 48 minutes.

Did you see who's out for Boston today. Everyone 

[Lurker]

If they do still start/play I'd only have guys like Young/Bogdanovic/Huerter/Collins/Capela/Gallo/Lou play some to tune up.

Hunter needs to play for as long as he can though since he's been out of commission for so long.

Really hope he can get to where he can play a decent amount of minutes next week.

[hawkzlova123]

Obviously u hawks will be looking at the outcome of the knicks game. If they win we should not play the starters at all

[bleachkit]

47 minutes ago, NBASupes said:

I don't want to see one key player in this game playing. 

Starting lineup

Goodwin

Mays

Solo

Knight 

Bruno

No Dunn? I think it's time he got some minutes.

[lethalweapon3]

Last night's 8:30 PM injury report had Gwu Tang questionable (sore shoulder), with Snellvet (sore Achilles) and Velvet (sore ankle) both probable. Today's 5:30 boo-boo report has a good chance of looking very different.

Scrubbed like the Black Brant XII from the final Rockets' launch... Avery Bradley, Sterling Brown, Dante Exum, Eric Gordon, Danuel House, David Nwaba, Kevin Porter, Khyri Thomas, and of course John Wall and Christian Wood.

 

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

OT: That's grrrrrrrreat!

 

~lw3

[NBASupes]

31 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

OT: That's grrrrrrrreat!

 

~lw3

Thank goodness, I didn't do my walks all week because of this BS

[Spud2nique]

Awesome thread to end our regular season. Thanks for slaying us for 72 games this season @lethalweapon3. 

Go Hawks! 

1 hour ago, JayBirdHawk said:

So if the Knicks lose vs Boston we shouldn't try to win?

And is the intention to play these guys the full 48 minutes.

You wanna nail that prediction award huh? 

[JayBirdHawk]

49 minutes ago, Spud2nique said:

Awesome thread to end our regular season. Thanks for slaying us for 72 games this season @lethalweapon3. 

Go Hawks! 

You wanna nail that prediction award huh? 

Yes Dammit - I want my participation trophy! I already have the perfect spot picked out for it, Lol!

[JayBirdHawk]

For those curious about Dunn's absence:

 

I'm guessing, depending on the outcome of the Knicks game - questionables may sit.

[bleachkit]

3 hours ago, NBASupes said:

Thank goodness, I didn't do my walks all week because of this BS

You're scared of the tiger, but the little girl in the video is hugging the tiger. You getting soft Supes?

[Lurker]

Sarah K. Spencer on Twitter: "Trae Young (right big toe soreness) will be a game-time decision, Nate McMillan says. Bogdan Bogdanovic (left hamstring soreness), Clint Capela (left Achilles soreness), Danilo Gallinari (low back soreness) and Kevin Huerter (left ankle soreness) are out." / Twitter

Hey! Does anything ache for you Trae? We need to know just in case the Knicks win and we decide to pull the plug on the game...

Right big toe soreness?

Perfect!

Maybe let him get a few minutes if he wants, but he shouldn't play a lot (and that seems to be the plan).

[ATLHawks3]

The guys that will play tonight should treat this game like its an audition to earn/earn more rotation minutes in the playoffs. More specifically looking at Gwu, Kris Dunn, Knight, and maybe Mays and Bruno. We need to know who's gonna be useful and who isn't, win or lose.

Edited May 16, 2021 by ATLHawks3

[JayBirdHawk]

3 minutes ago, ATLHawks3 said:

The guys that will play tonight should treat this game like its an audition to earn/earn more rotation minutes in the playoffs. More specifically looking at Gwu, Kris Dunn, Knight, and maybe Mays and Bruno. We need to know who's gonna be useful and who isn't, win or lose.

Dunn is OUT - left ankle impingement.

[ATLHawks3]

5 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Dunn is OUT - left ankle impingement.

Damn. Well the rest of the guys should.