ESPN *The NBA offseason is cooling down, but the takes at OTG aren't. This month, we are hitting you with the Hot Take Marathon. Check back every day for a spicy NBA take!* You’ve gotta feel for the Houston Rockets. They were a healthy Chris Paul away from genuinely competing for last season’s Larry O’Brien Trophy. The timing couldn’t have been worse, and with their offseason being from spectacular, their window of opportunity continues to close. Meanwhile, one of their main

The Houston Rockets have evened the Western Conference Finals at 1-1. After a lackluster Game 1 in which the Golden State Warriors made it look easy, the Rockets came back with firepower and showed why we were excited for this series in the first place. Whether they admit it or not, Houston made some adjustments that the Warriors were not prepared for, resulting in a 127-105 blowout win for “Clutch City.” Here are some of the important things to takeaway as the series shifts

Is there a player in today’s NBA that has moved around the spectrum of overrated to underrated more than Los Angeles Clippers’ forward, Blake Griffin? Maybe Russell Westbrook, but unlike Griffin, Westbrook’s game has remained relatively consistent throughout his career barring the astronomical statistics we saw last year. Like Westbrook last year, Griffin has seen the departure of a franchise superstar and seen his game skyrocket in ways that not many saw possible. Paul leavi

There is a famous quote about growth that goes something like this, “You’re either growing or dying and there is no in between.” While I am sure we can debate this meaning, in the NBA I feel that this is true. This is the reason that the Golden State Warriors despite cruising to the title last year went out and got players like Omri Casspi and Nick Young, this is why the Houston Rockets traded for Chris Paul. Teams have to find ways to get better and that is often at the cost

DeMarcus Cousins’ has a reputation for undermining team chemistry by recurrently clashing with referees and coaches instead of focusing his efforts on winning. In Sacramento, he was characterized as a malcontent, blamed as the scapegoat for a perpetually toxic environment. Fair or not, it was obvious by February that Boogie was available via trade, but GM’s were terrified of what he might do to disrupt locker room cohesion. If you’re a small market team, you have to make some

Sacramento Kings Guaranteed Cap Space: $55.7 Million Maximum Cap Space: $58.6 Million The Kings have some nice young pieces in Skal Labissiere, Buddy Heild, and Willie Cauley-Stien. Hoiwever, although each of those players have a promising future, Sacramento lack players who have the talent to win now. As an organization, the Kings need to get their act together and figure out a plan and vision for the franchise. Look for the Kings to target one of Jason Tatum, De’Aaron Fo

The Western Conference is interesting to say the least. The Jazz are the 4th seed, the Rockets are back to the 3rd seed, and the Grizzlies are still doing their best Spurs impression by staying relevant. Perhaps the most surprising thing is the fact that there are only 7.5 games between the 8th seed Nuggets and the 15th seed Suns. Right now every team is as follows: Nuggets, Blazers, Kings, Mavericks, Pelicans, Timberwolves, Lakers, and finally the Suns. I’m aware that this i

Last week, TNT revealed the starters for the 2016-2017 NBA All-Star game. There were some disappointments for obvious reasons. But quite frankly, it happens almost every year. I guess I can understand why some would vote for Steph Curry over Russell Westbrook. Curry is the more popular player. Chef Curry shoots long 3-pointers, with a pretty release and when it goes in, it looks awesome. He’s on a great team, with a better record. It just doesn’t justify the season that Russe