Rockets News: It's all about Giannis Antetokounmpo

The Houston Rockets. Giannis Antetokounmpo. Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Houston Rockets.

That's an apt summary of several SpaceCityScoop articles lately. It seems like one way or another, we end up discussing the Greek Freak.

It makes sense. Antetokounmpo is one of the best players in the NBA. He's widely expected to be available for trade soon. The Rockets have one of the best collections of assets in the NBA.

Recent reports suggest that they're not going to use those assets on Antetokounmpo.

Rockets rebuke Antetokounmpo rumors

Kelly Iko of The Athletic is reporting that the Rockets aren't interested in breaking up their young core for Antetokounmpo. They're focused on developing the players who are already on the roster. That makes sense:

For now.

The Rockets' 11-5 start should not be taken lightly. There's a remarkable collection of young talent on this roster.

Still, it's fair to suggest that the Rockets don't have "the guy". Alperen Sengun has certainly established himself as "a guy". Is he the type of guy who can lead a team to an NBA championship? That's a remarkably high bar.

For now, it's a moot point. That's why it makes sense for the Rockets to hold off on Antetokounmpo. He's a suboptimal fit with the current core, and the current core is playing very well. The Rockets should wait to see if they're playing above their heads - plus, Antetokounmpo likely isn't moved until the offseason anyway - or if their 11-5 record is legitimate.

Besides -

They're supposed to be 12-4.

Officials concede error in Rockets loss to Bucks

Giannis Antetokounmpo is inescapable. At this point, I could spell his name in my sleep.

The Rockets suffered a 101-100 loss to his Bucks recently. It was a frustrating, winnable game.

As it turns it, it's a game the Rockets should have won.

That's not to say the Rockets didn't execute. Although they could have played better, I'm saying they "should have won" in a literal sense.

The proof is in the pudding.

Everyone's level of basketball understanding is different. You might be a cap wizard or an Xs and Os person. Most people with even a passing understanding of the game know that when your foot is outside of the out-of-bounds line, you confer possession to the other team.

It seems the officials in this game missed the memo on that one.

Jokes aside, these things happen. Official are human, and thus subject to human error. Still, this was an egregious mistake. Antetokounmpo was clearly out of bounds, and if the refs had noticed, the Rockets would have almost certainly sewed this one up.

Hopefully, he gets an equally generous whistle if he ever ends up on the Rockets.