Endgame: Rockets Lose Oladipo, Tucker, and Possibly all Hope in Jarring 101-94 Defeat to the Heat
Let Him Go. Handicapped to the End. Slowing Wagon.
“Sometimes that’s all life is, a list of the thing’s we’ve lost,” Kevin Costner tells Diane Lane in his latest Western thriller, Let Him Go. And after the tale couldn’t seem to get any worse for the Rockets, Houston lost Victor Oladipo and P.J. Tucker to injuries in the third quarter. A period which saw the Rockets score only ten points, after they had managed to build a ten-point first-quarter cushion. After Oladipo and Tucker went down, the Heat took full control of the momentum, and despite having chances late, the Rockets couldn’t rebound (literally), and Miami held on for a 101-94 victory, their 4th straight win, and Houston’s 4th straight loss. Jimmy Butler led the Heat with 27 points and Max Strus played the latest surprise role star for the opposition, doing his best Steph Curry impression, nailing 5 of his 8 shots from three, racking up 21 points in the process. The Rockets were already short-handed with Christian Wood still sidelined, and now Victor Oladipo and P.J. Tucker, both who’ve been swirling in trade rumors, went down early in the third quarter in Houston. It was too much for the Rockets to overcome, despite getting within two points late, Houston couldn’t rebound to save their lives, as the Rockets lack of big bodies was overpowered by a stronger Miami team. Houston was truly handicapped to the final buzzer in another torrid, sufferable game this season for the Rockets.
Monitoring Oladipo, it only makes his impending free-agency, and as the trade deadline approaches, his time in Houston, more uncertain. If Vic is seen as injury-prone, he’s damaged his value in his short time in Houston, and the Rockets don’t even know if he truly wants to play in Houston. The squad has a tricky situation on their hands. If they can trade Oladipo for respectable assets, it might be worth looking into, if it looks like he’s headed elsewhere after the season anyway, which appears to be the situation to me. As for P.J. Tucker, that’s another story.
Tuck arrived in Houston at the beginning of the 2017 season, at the start of the Chris Paul experiment. And in his time in H-Town, Tucker’s embodied everything we love about our favorite athletes. P.J.’s played his heart out on every play, relentlessly sacrificed for his teammates in pursuit of the team’s betterment, and never, never, missed a game in a Rockets uniform. That streak, the NBA’s longest current consecutive games-played streak, could be in jeopardy Saturday night in New York. Tucker is questionable, and knowing the heart he has, if P.J. can walk, he’s going to suit up on Saturday night. But Thursday’s injury was a simple crack in the process, and sign towards the future. Despite playing with a pinched nerve in his neck for nearly a year and a half, Tucker’s never missed a game in Houston. But, time’s undefeated, and it looks like it may be finally catching up with P.J. Maybe the Rockets should do the right thing, and let Tucker go to a contender. P.J.’s still reliable enough to be a solid role player that could add a dimension of toughness that could put a contender over-the-top. I’m the last person that wants to see P.J. go. No one in the NBA plays harder than P.J. Tucker. I didn’t want to see Daryl Morey leave. Or Mike D’Antoni… Russell Westbrook. And James Harden. And if we really want to delve deep into the insufferable nightmare that has become Houston professional sports… DeAndre Hopkins, George Springer, J.J. Watt… and soon, likely… Deshaun Watson. It seems kind of like a sick joke, how one town could go from having three competitive teams contending for Championships, to three teams rebuilding, and while it didn’t happen overnight. Looking back.. it all just seems like a terrible nightmare. But welcome to reality. Houston and the Rockets were fortunate for years… James Harden took the squad to the playoffs every year, and in his last few seasons built the Rockets into serious title contenders. The Astros won a World Series (tainted as it may be in the eyes of many, many don’t realize how commonplace corruption is, and always has been in the MLB when it comes to “cheating,” something every club’s taken part in since before the Rockets moved to Houston. And then there’s the burning building that is the Texans. Taken in the middle of the night, strangled by a preacher, who’s never let go of his evil grasp, Jack Easterby. The man responsible for the Texans’ overhaul from contenders, to worst team in the NFL, all in the matter of a year. As bad as Tilman Fertitta has been aa the Rocket’s owner, he hasn’t completely torn the team apart like Easterby’s done to the Texans. Regardless, hard times have hit Houston’s sports teams, and this period of uncertainty and rebuilding, could last a while. With the men in charge of their respective organizations, competitive pro sports in Houston just got taken off the map. But, we still have the Rockets, Astros, and Texans.. or whatever’s left of them. Despite all the unfamiliarity and injuries, the Rockets are still probably in the best position moving forward. But enjoy these rough times while you can. It’s only going to get rougher.
P.J. Tucker will likely be traded before the trade deadline, on March 25th, nearing closer each day. Tuck expressed his desire to be somewhere where he “felt wanted,” and while he hasn’t demanded a trade, he’s made it clear he’s not completely happy in Houston. And while P.J.’s such a key piece to the Rockets’ defense, veteran leadership, and intensity, it’s time to let him go elsewhere. Tucker’s been nothing short of a class-act since he arrived in 2017. It’s not a matter of if anymore, just when. So enjoy all the hustle plays and hard screens, even the missed corner threes, because P.J., just like Harden, Westbrook, Watt, Hopkins, and Springer… is on his way out of town. The Rockets just haven’t made their decision yet on where to send him. Even though it only gave the city a title many raise an eyebrow to, the last few years in Houston sports have been amazing. Even though the Rockets didn’t win anything major, they produced a boatload of exciting players and changed the style of the game.. forever. Moreyball’s long-gone. No more Beard. And the wheels on the Tuckwagon are slowly coming to a stop. And that’s ok. Sometimes that’s all life is… a list of the things we’ve lost.