Zach Lowe was the only major analyst to understand the Rockets' situation

There seems to be a lot of confusion surrounding the Houston Rockets.

Much of that confusion surrounds Alperen Sengun's extension. He's been (almost inarguably) better than Franz Wagner. He's been on par with Scottie Barnes. Why doesn't he have his extension yet?

These are apples-to-oranges comparisons. Those of us who are chronically obsessed with the Rockets understand. We know that, unlike those other teams, the Rockets can create cap space next summer by withholding Sengun's extension. This is a matter of practicality.

Plenty of analysts seem to be missing this mark. They're wringing their hands over this (mis)perceived slight.

At least Zach Lowe understood it. That's no surprise. Lowe seems to understand everything.

Zach Lowe defends Rockets' front office

If you weren't aware, here were Lowe's thoughts about the situation

"A lot of front office people are like, ‘Have we forgotten what the point of restricted free agency is?’ The point is, it’s a hammer, and we have the leverage. On top of that, there’s not going to be much cap space in free agency. As things stand now, there are maybe two teams… that have a real ability to go big-game hunting. Houston, by the way, could be one"

-Zach Lowe

Thank you, Mr. Lowe. In fact, thank you for everything. Lowe has always been a voice of reason in NBA circles. Beyond understanding contractual situations, he's been among the most sophisticated NBA analysts for quite some time. Lowe understands the game on a cerebral level.

So why did ESPN let him go?

How Low(e) can ESPN go?

Listen. There's plenty of debate to be had here. We'll try to lay out both sides - we suspect that's what Lowe himself would want anyone to do.

It feels likely that ESPN let Lowe go because they're interested in the lowest common denominator. Casual NBA fans don't want to listen to Lowe break down the Xs and Os. They want talking heads and narratives.

Is that ESPN's fault? It's a difficult discussion to have. One could make the case that they're simply responding to market dynamics. If Lowe wasn't helping their bottom line, what are they supposed to do?

On the other hand, one could argue that they have a responsibility to uphold the integrity of their company. Perhaps ESPN should be providing in-depth NBA coverage simply because it's good for the game.

Either way, we're wishing Lowe the best - not that he needs our help. We're confident that he'll land on his feet. Lowe may focus on the podcast sphere, where analysis is still valued. No matter what he chooses to do, we're confident that he'll find success:

He's the only major name to prove he understands the Rockets' situation.