How Are We Feeling About the Rockets Right Now?

Summary

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Payne & Pendergast – Episode Summary

Episode Title: How Are We Feeling About the Rockets Right Now?
Original Air Date: July 14, 2026
Hosts: Seth Payne (B), Chris Partee (A, sitting in for Sean Pendergast)
Podcast: Payne & Pendergast by Audacy

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Overview

This episode revolves around the state of the Houston Rockets as they exit the offseason and prepare for the new NBA season. Seth Payne and guest host Chris Partee dissect the Rockets' relatively quiet offseason moves, assess pressing questions about roster construction and player health, scrutinize management decisions, and set expectations for both the team and individual contributors—particularly ahead of a season that could prove pivotal for several key stakeholders in the organization.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Offseason Moves: Underwhelming or Sufficient?

• Payne’s optimism: Seth posits that much of last year’s disappointment stemmed from Fred VanVleet’s absence and the failure to secure a reliable point guard. He feels this issue may have been overcomplicated by fans and analysts.

  • “It really was as simple as Fred Van Vliet not being there and then Raphael Stone’s complete, just negligence in getting any kind of an actual point guard in there last year...” (00:18)

• Partee’s skepticism: Chris is less enthusiastic, questioning whether additions like Marcus Smart (who he views as more of a combo guard and notes his aging profile) and Bogdan Bogdanović are truly enough to elevate the team.

  • “I don’t know if that’s enough to get them over the hump.” (02:35)

• Impact of having a real distributor: Both hosts agree a competent point guard makes a huge difference, especially for maximizing the talents of players like Alperen Şengün.

  • “Fred Van Vliet doesn’t have to be a top 10 point guard for it to make a big difference.” (01:55, Payne)
  • “Van Vliet doesn’t have to be a top 10 point guard for them to be successful…” (02:03, Partee)

2. Concerns: Health & Defensive Issues

• VanVleet’s Knee: Payne articulates worries about VanVleet’s lingering knee issues and advancing age, given their implications for defensive lineups.
  • “The thing I’m worried about with Fred VanVliet, more so than anything coming off of his injury… is that, you know, made it sound like that knee injury was way worse than it was initially described.” (03:28)
  • “When you’ve got lineups with Fred VanVliet and Reed Shepherd on the floor, that gets a little dicier defensively if Fred VanVliet’s taking a step back in that regard.” (03:36)
• Guard size and defensive matchups: Partee points out that a number of the Rockets’ backcourt options are undersized, leading to potential defensive mismatches.
  • “Quite a few of their guards are smaller guards… They don’t have any... six, seven guards that can play the wing.” (03:51)

3. Betting on Health (Durant & Adams)

• Cascading effects of injuries: Payne draws analogies to the Texans’ season, emphasizing how thin margins are for success when health is uncertain. Losses of Kevin Durant, VanVliet, and Stephen Adams, especially in the playoffs, could be catastrophic.
  • “It’s not a foregone conclusion that… Kevin Durant, Fred VanVliet and Stephen Adams are all going to be 100% healthy for the duration of the playoffs, like, that’s a dicey proposition.” (05:50)
  • Partee adds: “That sounds like a tall order to hope that they’re all going to be healthy by the time you get to the postseason.” (05:50)

4. Pressure on Management: Is This a Make-or-Break Year?

• Accountability for GM & Coach: When asked if it’s a make-or-break year for GM Raphael Stone or Coach Ime Udoka, Payne says Stone’s seat is hotter. He views Udoka as "more bulletproof," partly due to reputation—and references a Seinfeld analogy to describe the hesitation to move on from such a strong-willed coach.
  • “I think at the time, I ranked Udoka as more bulletproof than Raphael Stone, partly just because I think people would be afraid to fire Udoka… Like the crazy mail room guy [in Seinfeld] that Elaine was gonna fire but ended up promoting.” (07:54)
  • “Raphael Stone made a decision to not do anything aggressive in trying to replace Fred VanVliet… you have a head coach who is not going to be the guy… reimagining that offense… you shouldn’t expect that… with Udoka who’s a defensive minded specialist.” (09:44)
• On Stone’s job security: Payne places Stone behind Astros GM Dana Brown (in the “hot water” rankings) but ahead of Udoka.
  • “For me, yeah, it’s Rafael Stone… I think Dana Brown’s in the most hot water, followed by Rafael Stone.” (10:58)

5. Lack of Inaction at Point Guard (Last Season)

• Chris and Seth both question why the Rockets didn’t pursue a point guard after VanVleet’s injury, despite ample time before the trade deadline.
  • “It’s one thing if it takes time for it to come together… but you had a half a calendar year before the trade deadline. Never happened.” (11:16, Payne)

6. New Blood: Bruce Thornton’s Summer League Performance

• Early returns on rookie Bruce Thornton: Partee notes excitedly that Thornton, the No. 31 pick, impressed with 27 points in his first Summer League game and a solid all-around second game.
  • Stats: “Scored 27 in his first game… 17 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds, 5 steals, and shot 50% from three [in his second game].” (11:24)
• How much should we care about Summer League?
  • Payne cautions against overreacting but encourages enjoying the positive development now:
    • “I do [care], only… sometimes it works out that, oh no, he’s just definitely that good… but at some point, everybody catches up to him. That was what was so impressive about Yordan [Alvarez].” (12:58)
  • Partee tempers expectations, noting most Summer League standouts spend significant time in the G League before making an impact.
  • Payne jokes about player measurements: “He’s six foot tall… which means he’s what, five eleven? … Are they measuring without shoes now?” (13:34)
  • Concludes with tongue-in-cheek hype: “As of now, he’s a future, you know, at least second team All-NBA player based on current results.” (13:49)

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On overcomplicating analysis:
  • “I think in an effort to overly complicate things, we’ve almost talked ourselves into that it can’t be as simple as Fred VanVliet comes back and then you get the better version of everybody else…” (00:18, Payne)
• On GM job security:
  • “Rafael Stone… I think Dana Brown’s in the most hot water, followed by Rafael Stone.” (10:58, Payne)
• On Udoka’s intimidating aura:
  • “Udoka feels a little bit like that [Seinfeld mail room guy]… ended up giving him a pay raise. Just sheer intimidation.” (07:54–08:17, Payne)
• On rookie Bruce Thornton:
  • “Let’s focus on the positive at this point. And as of now, he’s a future… at least second team All-NBA player based on current results.” (13:49, Payne)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:18 – Fred VanVliet’s absence analyzed as main reason for 2025 struggles
• 01:55–02:03 – Importance of a true point guard
• 03:28–03:51 – Concerns over Fred VanVliet’s health/defensive ability post-injury
• 05:50 – Risks of relying on health of Durant, Adams, VanVliet
• 06:06 – Make-or-break year for Stone/Udoka?
• 07:54–08:17 – Seinfeld analogy on Udoka’s job security
• 09:44–11:01 – Critique of front office’s handling of VanVliet injury
• 11:24–13:49 – Bruce Thornton’s Summer League performance and its significance

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Summary & Tone

The episode blends analytical depth with signature Houston sports banter and dry humor. Payne is cautiously optimistic that the Rockets’ primary fixes are more straightforward than some believe (just get and keep a real point guard!), while Partee urges more skepticism, especially considering aging/health and the lack of impactful offseason moves. Both hosts stress the precariousness of counting on health and roster continuity, while also casting a critical eye on the front office’s recent passiveness. The tone remains accessible, blending relatable fan dialogue with frequent jokes and pop culture references (notably Seinfeld).

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In sum:
For Rockets fans wondering if the offseason should feel like “enough”—this episode provides perspective, context, and both hope and realism about what could lie ahead for Houston hoops.

Transcript

[A]

Payne and Pender Pendergast back on the air, he Seth Payne. I'm Chris Partee in for Sean Pendergast. All right, Seth, let's talk about the Rockets.

[B]

Yes, let's do this. Where.

[A]

Where are you on the Rockets in their off season or which, in my opinion, a lack thereof.

[B]

I look, I think part of the problem is I, I'm a little too. I think I'm a little too easily convinced that, listen, it really was as simple as Fred Van Vliet not being there and then Raphael Stone's complete, complete, just negligence in getting any kind of an actual point guard in there last year to play the point guard position as opposed to trying to cobble it together that I feel like we've kind of, I think in an effort to overly complicate things, we've almost talked ourselves into that. It can't be as simple as Fred Van Vliet comes back and then you get the better version of everybody else because we just talked about it for so long and it just. You get bored of talking about the same thing. I think there's a. I think there's a case for, look, this team by and large is pretty much the same team that people had ranked as one of the contenders going into last season. And you lose Fred Van Vliet and everything falls apart in so many ways. But you can always go back and, and tie to the lack of a point guard. Yeah, look, Shane Goon isn't. Shane Goon's not the same guy and can't do all of the things he's actually good at when you're trying to run the offense through him. Kevin Durant, when, when he's trying to, when he's trying to distribute the ball is not always making the best decisions. The spacing issues that come up, like all of these things, I don't want to make it sound like it's just as simple as, hey, having an actual point guard in there like, is matters. But it's a big, big, big deal.

[A]

Oh, it's huge.

[B]

And Fred Van Vliet doesn't have to be a top 10 point guard for it to make a big difference.

[A]

No.

[B]

So I'm, I think I'm more optimistic than most Rockets fans right this moment.

[A]

Yeah, I agree. He doesn't have. Van Vliet, doesn't have to be a top 10 point guard for them to be successful, but it is important to have that point guard. They also picked up Marcus smarter, I guess, is more of a. I would call him more of. I Guess a combo guard. Not necessarily a true point guard, but a, A shooting guard. But the only thing with me and Marcus Smart is he's a little older now. Right, He's a little older. You know, he won defensive player the year about four years ago now. He's still a pretty good defender, but I just. Him. And then they also signed with Bogdan Bogdanovich.

[B]

Bogdanovich.

[A]

Bogdanovich. I don't, I don't know if that's enough really to get them over the hump.

[B]

I think the, I think adding a couple of shooters, that. And that's the other thing it goes into. If you add shooters or add any shooting, it's hard to take advantage of it if the entire offense is so janky to begin with. So the catch and shoot guys, you know, whatever Reed shepherd might be as a catch and shoot guy, shot almost 40% of his threes last year. Like there's just. When they're not in position to even be catch and shoot guys, then, yeah, certainly you're not going to get the benefit of that. So, like, just having a distributor there makes a big, big difference. The thing I'm worried about with Fred Van Vliet, more so than anything coming off of his injury, because I guess that's the other big wild card, is that, you know, made it sound like that knee injury was way worse than it was initially described. We'll see.

[A]

That sounded horrible.

[B]

The way if he's healthy, he's still two years older now than the last time we saw him.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

And coming off of a knee injury, how much does that hurt him defensively? Because it's hard to think about putting, you know, like when you've got lineups with Fred Van Vliet and Reed shepherd on the floor, like that gets a little dicier defensively if Fred Van Vliet's taking a step back in that regard.

[A]

And that's the other thing that worries me is a few of their, like quite a few of their guards are smaller guards.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I mean, you're talking about Van Vliet. I think he's 6 foot, maybe 6 1. Reed shepherd is listed as 6 3. Marcus Smart is about 6 3. I believe he might be 6 4. But they don't have any, any of these, you know, six, seven guards that can play the wing.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know, mostly I'm, I guess if you want to count, I'm in. Amen Thompson. But he's not really a two guard. He's not a point guard. He's more of a, you know, A wing. He's more of a small forward, really.

[C]

You need.

[A]

You got Tari Eason as well. He shot the three pretty well for a majority of the season last year. But it just seems like a lot of the guards back there for the Rockets are really small.

[D]

Yes.

[B]

The other, the other thing too is just when you, whether you're talking about height or age, I mean, it's, you're kind of in a precarious position where the, like I say all those things about what they were and were not last year because of injuries, including the Stephen Adams, it's that also Kevin Durant gets injured in the playoffs. And like, that was kind of a big deal. You know, we're doing with the Rockets to a certain extent what we did with, with, with C.J. stroud when, which is like, all right, let's like, can we please remember that with CJ Stroud, Nico Collins wasn't there for the final game. The offensive line got, you know, Trent Brown wasn't there. I'm not making that. That's no excuse for throwing for four interceptions in one half, but it is, it is part of the story. And it also makes you forget everything that happened in the regular season. I mean, I like Kevin Durant not being there and, or even when he was there, not being healthy in the playoffs is kind of, kind of a big deal when you're already a janky offense that's trying to make it work, but then you lose the one guy that's the biggest impact on all of those people. But having said all that, yeah, it's not a foregone conclusion that, you know, do I have to. If I had to bet that Kevin Durant, Fred Van Vliet and Stephen Adams are all going to be 100% healthy for the duration of the playoffs, like, that's a, that's a dicey proposition at

[A]

the tall order right there. That sounds like a tall order to hope that they're all going to be healthy by the time you get to the postseason. Let me ask you this real quick, Seth. Is it a make or break year for Raphael Stone and or IME Udoka?

[B]

I think that I would like if we did this, we did this a few weeks ago, and I wonder how to think if it's changed, if I've changed at all. Because we did it with the Astros. We did those four key, those four key the coach and the gm with the Astros and the Rockets. And I feel like at the time, and this might have been before the Rockets kind of made their little mini Surge here to where they're now in contention for the playoffs. I think at the time, I feel like Espada. Espada is expendable just because I can make a boatload of excuses for him, valid ones. But at the same time, you know, it's also like, the arguments I would make for him are like, hey, man, look at the resiliency they've shown in the past few years when they got off the super slow starts. All right, cool. But they did get the. He was also the manager when they got off to those super slow starts. The injuries are the biggest excuse I'd make for him with. But with Dana Brown, my. My thought was, all right, this is a guy that was brought in to kind of just stem the tide of all of the bleeding in the farm system, and you still look up, and the Astros are one of the worst farm systems in the league. So that's where I wonder, what exactly have you done, you know, given what we were hoping you were going to do with the Rockets? I think Udoka. I think at the time, I ranked Udoka as more bulletproof than Raphael Stone, partly just because I think people would be afraid to fire Udoka. I don't think Tom and Fertitta scared of nobody, but I think he might be a little scared to fire Udoka. You know what I mean? That whole. I better imagine when you, like, hire and fire people your entire life. It's no big deal or anything, but every now and then you're kind of like, ah, I don't know about this guy. Did you ever watch Seinfeld?

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Remember the one with the. The mail room? The crazy mail room guy.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

That Elaine was gonna fire but ended up promoting. Yeah. Udoka feels a little bit like that.

[A]

Oh, wow.

[B]

I see myself punking out with army fatigues. Yeah. I'm gonna go. I'm. I'll tell you what I'm gonna tell. I'm gonna give. I'm gonna give Udoka the what for on this one and ended up giving him a pay raise. Yeah.

[A]

Wow. Hey, that. Hey, if that's what keeps your job, then, hey, more power to you.

[B]

Just sheer intimidation.

[A]

More power to you.

[B]

Can you grab one more thing?

[A]

I'll come back up for you.

[E]

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[A]

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[B]

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[A]

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[B]

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[A]

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[B]

And I'm Mark Sessler. Oh, hi Mark. And we're the hosts of Heed the Call, the NFL podcast you've been waiting your whole life for. He the Call covers every game, every storyline, everything that matters. And we do it all with a touch of mirth.

[A]

Football is fun. Why shouldn't your football podcast be the same?

[B]

Follow and listen to Heed the Call NFL podcast wherever you get your podcasts. No, with, with Udoka, I think part of it is again going back to last year. All right. Raphael Stone made a decision to not do anything aggressive in trying to replace Fred Van Vliet. That's a decision and there's, there's justification for it if you look at it through a certain lens. But the reality of the situation was you have a head coach who is not going to be the guy that, like, that's not his forte. Him somehow, you know, reimagining that offense and coming up with an elegant solution to not having a point guard with a bunch of young players and an aging superstar like, you shouldn't expect that that's what Udoka is going to be able to do for you. And then, then getting down to like. And it was clear that Udoka. It didn't look Udoka wasn't playing Reed shepherd like he expected him to be. No, to be the point guard by the end of the season. That, that's the part where I think you got to manage the team. You're on philosophically, I can see why you might have thought you could cobble together a point guard, but not, not with Udoka who's a defensive minded specialist. Head coach. Just that part of it. So for me, yeah, it's Rafael Stone is. I think Dana Brown's in the most hot water followed by Rafael Stone.

[A]

Okay. Yeah, I mean I, you know, when Van Vliet went down, you Know, I guess right before the season last year, I thought it was. I thought it was a little odd that the Rockets did not make a move or it really even attempt to make a move to bring someone in like it.

[B]

And I look, you know, it's one thing if it takes time for it to come together or something, but you had a half. You had a half a calendar year before the trade deadline. Never happened.

[A]

It just never happened. Said, let me ask you this real quick before we hit the break here. Rockets Summer League. Bruce Norton, their number one pick this year, the number 31 overall pick this year. He's actually played pretty well his first two games of, you know, I guess, summer league, NBA action, but still some, you know, NBA action. He scored 27 in his first game. They won, they lost over the weekend. I believe it was on Saturday to the Toronto raptors. He scored 17 points at six assists, six rebounds, five steals, and shot 50% from three. Do you care at all?

[C]

I do.

[B]

I do. I do. Only this is. Look, Reed shepherd did the same thing, and then defenses started paying attention to him, and it kind of. It wasn't as impressive in the second half of summer league. But no, there's so many stories where, yeah, like, a lot of. You hear a lot of stories about guys who have an auspicious beginning and then it doesn't flame out. But, like, sometimes it works out that, oh, no, he's just definitely that good. I think this is an extreme version of it, but remember Jordan's first year? I just, you kept thinking, like, okay, well, at some point, you know, pitchers are going to make the adjustment to the adjustment. So. So let's not get to. We've seen in sports in the actual regular season, you see these, these really promising debuts. Gardner, Minshew, you know, like, all these guys, they do something as rookies, but at some point, everybody catches up to him. That was what was so impressive about Yordon. It was just, it was an unblemished stretch of just really good baseball out of him. And, like, pitchers adjusted and he adjusted to the adjustments. So, no, I think it's very fair to get excited about Thornton and, And, like, look at this as a sign of all right? There's something to him. He's got. We'll see. You know, if he continues to dominate throughout summer league, then that's definitely notable. But I'm going to enjoy it for what it is right this moment.

[A]

Yeah, I kind of take this, you know, I, I guess, like, what you see. I enjoy it for what it is. I Kind of take these things as far as summer league with a grain of salt because a lot of these guys in summer league, we're not going to see him for a while.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know what I mean? Like, we're not. Thornton could be on the roster later in the season, but early on he's probably going to be down in the G league.

[B]

Yeah, you're right. And I also think, like, because for some of his, you know, he's six foot tall.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Which means he's what, five' eleven? And they're. Are they measuring without the shoes now at the combine or what are they doing? They changed it. Whatever it should be.

[A]

Without the shoes.

[B]

Yeah. Like, so, like, okay, how much is he actually going to get targeted and how much are you going to see the downside of that? And especially the guys that aren't as capable of exploring exploiting that. You just, you know. But yeah, let's focus on the positive at this point. And as of now, he's a future, you know, at least second team all NBA player is based on current results.

[A]

Hey, you can't ask for much more than that. All right, on the other side, we'll wrap up the show and we'll do a little crosstalk with the in the loop guys.

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