Rafael Stone on the Houston Rockets offseason moves

Rafael Stone on the Houston Rockets offseason moves

Rafel Stone is general manager of the Houston Rockets. Yesterday, he did a press conference and talked about some of the moves that the Rockets made this off season. Here he is talking about what they’re getting in Kevin Durant. Offensively, he’s still dynamic. He’s super efficient. Um he’s he’s a high volume scorer, you know, at that high level of efficiency. and hopefully he just makes us a better offensive team while at the same time being another really long very capable wing defender. And so um yeah, so we again we just hope he adds him the the player that he’s been for the last the player he’s been he said for the last two decades and he said it rather cocky at the end too. He’s feeling himself and I respect him for feeling himself. He’s like yeah I mean we just acquired a guy who’s been like this for the past two decades. Yeah, [Laughter] listen, he deserves to do it. It’s just funny to hear him do it. He was asking about the championship window for the Houston Rockets potentially being open. I think Big S Sports asked this question and this one a little bit more measured, less cockiness, understandably so given the looming Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference. I mean, our our goal is definitely to win a championship, but it I don’t know about the window opening or closing or whatever else. The in order to be a champion, you have to beat them. OK Oklahoma City had just an amazing year last year, an amazing run in the playoffs. That’s extremely high bar. And there’s other really great teams all around the NBA. So, I I think it’s way too early to to talk about championships other than for obvious reasons, that’s that’s our goal. every team’s goal. You can, I think, call them a championship contender going into this season, but it is going to be tough against Oklahoma City. And having Kevin Durant, it’s a it’s a huge addition defensively. We know the Rockets are going to be good. We know the length of size that they have. The double big lineup potentially be a headache for Oklahoma City. I mean, Oklahoma City does have some size, but not a lot of size. Not exactly the biggest guy in Chad Homegr in terms of his actual, you know, weight and such. Yeah. tall, not big, right? So, we’ll see that that might be where they try to beat him just by bullying him, but that is a very difficult team to take over. I I I think that the idea of a championship window for the Rockets. I think a lot of us have to look past Kevin Durant’s tenure with the Rockets, however long. Like, I I don’t think that Durant leaving or Durant retiring ends it. And I I know some I think are I I don’t think that’s true. I I think that he legitimizes them. This window stays open assuming development from Amen Thompson and Alpin Shenun which I think are safe assumptions to make especially with Thompson and with with Shenun too. Yeah. I I think that KD like levels you up as far as a contender in the West. But I think like actually winning a title, I think it happens when Kevin Durant isn’t the best player on the team at this point. I think it it the hope is that it’s, you know, Amin Thompson really rounding into form or Alparentun becoming the best guy on the team and having at that point, you know, 38-year-old Kevin Durant helping him out, being a a piece on this. But, you know, Kevin Durant actually being the number one guy on the Rockets winning the title, I think that to me is more of a uh more of a stretch. Yeah, that makes sense. Like, if you tell me they win, I I’m like then Thompson must have been freaking amazing. Or Shenon, right? One or one or the other. I I’m I’m with you there. I I think he’ll have games for I think he can be the two, but I don’t think he can be the one. much better to look at him to rely on as opposed to hoping on Green or whoever. Yeah, exactly. Or Fred Van Vleet. Yeah, Fred Van. Yeah. Crunch time. It’s like, okay, we know we know where they’re going with this. We know who’s getting the ball. Uh this is Raphael Stone talking about Dylan Brooks. He’s very excited about bringing in Dorian Finny Smith to replace Brooks, but he’s thankful for Brooks’s time here in Houston. L Dylan. Well, I talked earlier about Jay Jaylen, but Dylan, you know, we is was everything we could have asked in terms of being a a great person on and off the court and with and we felt like he his defense and intensity were things we really were really important to us and we uniquely thought Dorian has some of those same um traits and so he was a target for us going in because we were worried about about losing him. behanning comments. He’s a nice guy, too. Felstone thinks everyone that was in the Rockets organization was a nice guy. Dylan Brooks, baby mama, maybe not a nice girl. No, Dylan Brooks, nice guy. I actually think cuz he says nice guy on and off the court. I believe you that he’s a nice guy off the court. I don’t know if he’s a nice guy on the court. I actually don’t think he’s that nice on the court. I think he’s kind of mean. I think he’s kind of mean. Pulls a lot of crap. Yeah. Pulls a lot of crap. There’s no denying it. I think some of it gets like people are so on edge when he when he’s around them that it’s like he instigates just by walking in the room at this point. So, I think he gets a little bit of a bad rap as as far as like him being dirty or whatever. Yeah. I would say he’s a great guy on the court though. I wouldn’t say he’s a great guy. He’s not helping the other guys up the up off the floor. He’s more likely to take someone’s shoe and throw it into the stands than he is to help them get up or find their shoe and hand it to them. Yeah. Uh more from Rafel Stone. This is a very interesting answer when asks about Reed Shepard who played sparingly this past season. The third overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft. Where do you hope to see Reed Shepard growing next season? I mean, Re is going to have to be really good for us like period. Damn. Well, I agree. We’ll see. I like the I like the straight talk. That’s what kind of makes me believe Rafel Stone is that he’ll just say stuff like that where normally a GM would be like, you know, we don’t want to put it all on Reach Shepard and we have Aaron Holiday here and da da da da da. It’s like, no, he’s got to be good. He’s got to be good for us. Especially when you combine that with what he had said about Cam Whitmore. We’re not giving out developmental minutes anymore. We’re done. Like, we’ve stopped doing that. He said that they’ve stopped doing that two years ago. I I would say it’s probably been like since halfway through this past season, but I I am with him in that they are not a developmental team anymore. So, Shephardd’s got to have a great offseason. He wants to get on the court, period. It’s And it during the season, it’s produce or not. Produce or don’t play. Exactly. like the only because the only way you’re going to get in is probably if an injury happens I would say at this moment in time, you know, like in terms of just getting regular over 10 minutes a game like I think right now like that’s that’s what I’m looking at with him. And I mean well I think it’s a camp battle. I think it’s like yeah I think it’s a you know NFL style camp battle of like who’s going to break camp as the backup point guard. I I think it’s been if Reed Shepard doesn’t actually prove it on the on the practice court, I think he’ll be Aaron Holidayiday. I think if Reese Shepard does develop like has gotten better and is better than Aaron Holidayiday, he will be the backup point guard, but I I don’t think that’s written it written in stone at it in by any means right now. Sean M is behind the glass. I’m Paul Golan. We’ll see what happens this coming season with your Houston Rockets. the state of the Rockets Union courtesy of general manager Rafel Stone.

Rockets GM Rafael Stone explained why the Rockets got Kevin Durant, traded Jalen Green, and more! @GallantRockets #Rockets #HoustonRockets #NBA #JalenGreen #KevinDurant #Durant #fy #fyp #fypツ #fypシ゚viral #fypage #fyppppppppppppppppppppppp #foryou #foryoupage #foryourpage #fypviralシ
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