The young and rebuilding Houston Rockets finished with the NBA’s worst record in each of the past two seasons, and they enter 2023 with eight losses over their past nine games and tied for the fewest wins (10) of any team in the league during the 2022-23 campaign.
That’s a tough spot to be in for one of the team’s lone veterans, Eric Gordon, who turned 34 years old a week ago and could certainly offer value to a team looking to compete in the 2023 playoffs.
While Gordon is clearly a candidate to be traded by this season’s Feb. 9 trade deadline, he enters 2023 still on Houston’s roster. And after Saturday’s lifeless New Year’s Eve loss to the visiting New York Knicks, some frustrations seemed to boil over postgame.
“There’s no improvement,” Gordon said when asked if the team had improved on its weaknesses since the season started last October.
“Same old thing all year,” Gordon elaborated. We have a small margin for error. … It’s a lot of things. It’s mindset. You got to play for one another. Do what’s right by your teammates. If you do that, it’d be more fun. You give yourself a better chance to win.”
To say the least, that blunt assessment raised eyebrows from many observers around the league. Here’s a look at some of the responses.
I knew something was off watching him play in Dallas the other day. That’s when I posted that tweet somebody free him. You could tell the joy was gone while he was playing, just going through the motion. https://t.co/oRgKVPm9VY
— Landon Thomas (@sixfivelando) January 1, 2023
This is what you have to deal with when you go full “tank” mode. Rockets have all this perceived “talent”. And yet, they still have a lonnnnng way to go..
Mainly, you have to get lucky in some ways when you draft high. Rockets still don’t have a Franchise Star. It takes time. https://t.co/ZYSMnwA7iq
— JD SportsTalk (@JDSportsTalkNY) January 1, 2023
I mean statistically players are improving individually. The team however, is not.
I think one can figure out the common denominator here. https://t.co/Y3peVQZjnQ
— Michael (Rockets Optimist) (@DrewsNBA) January 1, 2023
I understand this young man’s frustration. Truthfully he should’ve been traded by now.
This is the last guaranteed year on his contract though https://t.co/vsHiNT3UaW
— Anthony Duckett (@a_duckett) January 1, 2023
