It's Time for Bill Simmons to stop hating on the Houston Rockets
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If you know a thing or two about Bill Simmons, it's that he seems to have a kink for slandering the Houston Rockets. Ok, so maybe kink might be strong but it seems like it's one of his fantasies.
Simmons recently trashed the Rockets after they traded Eric Gordon to the Clippers, essentially saying the Rockets didn't get anything of value for the 34-year-old Gordon. Although, the trade gave them the ability to swap the Milwaukee Bucks' first-round pick with the LA Clippers, a move that could see the Rockets potentially get a lottery pick, as opposed to a pick in the late 20s.
Simmons also made it very clear that he wasn't a fan of the Harden-led Houston Rockets, so again, it seems to be in his job description to throw shade in the Rockets' direction.
His latest jab against the franchise involves the decision to draft Jalen Green over Evan Mobley in the 2021 NBA Draft.
Bill Simmons says he's very close to calling the #Rockets decision to draft Jalen Green over Evan Mobley a "borderline draft catastrophe." pic.twitter.com/2fHBgAHZFY
— ClutchFans (@clutchfans) March 8, 2023
If you recall, he's taken a shot at Green before, in an attempt to praise Herb Jones during the 2021-22 NBA season. Which was not only unneccessary, as it's entirely possible to credit one player without bashing the other, but also hilarious one year later, because not many would say such a thing about Green and Jones at this juncture.
Simmons went so far as to say "f- Jalen Green", although he later claimed to be joking.
Why does Bill Simmons to continue to hate on the Houston Rockets?
Now on to the decision to draft Green over Mobley. First off, it's entirely too early to write Green off as a bad draft selection, as we're not even two full years into his career, and we know it takes time for young wings to develop (see Kobe Bryant, for example).
Also, why isn't there any criticism thrown toward the Detroit Pistons, as they too passed on Mobley? Also, we have to keep in mind that Mobley is on a much better team, as he played alongside two All-Stars, Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen. How much different does he look as a rookie without those two?
How much different does Green look alongside other All-Stars? Then there's the Alperen Sengun factor. Do the Rockets draft him if they nab their center in Evan Mobley?
In addition, did the Cavaliers not just empty their treasure trove of assets to get a scoring guard in Donovan Mitchell? Do Mitchell and Green not have the same skillset?
Sure, Mitchell is much further along in his career and has become a premier scorer, averaging a career best 27.6 points per game on 38.6 percent from distance, but you get the point, both are smaller scoring guards who are professional scorers in their own right.
So although it may be fun (for Simmons) to throw shade at the Rockets, this latest attempt is futile, as it's far too early to make a determination one way or another. And truthfully, both Green and Mobley have proven to be capable of playing in this league and have certainly both been worthy of a top 3 draft selection.