Ben DuBose

They are 4-1 in their last five games.

And guys like DFS and Capella are playing better and could be even more important in the coming weeks and months given roster constraints.

And so that could make it more likely for you to stay the course.

And typically discussions don't pick up until the last week anyway.

You know, there's some exploratory calls being made right now, but it's just it's a constant game of chicken.

And front offices are just waiting for the other sides to to give in.

And it takes deadline pressure to see just how far each is willing to go.

So because discussions probably aren't going to pick up until a week or so.

at the earliest, and because there's going to be a lot of interesting data points collected over the next week.

Have the Rockets truly figured this out?

Or with the schedule getting more difficult, are they going to fall off again?

Is this going to undercut my narrative that they figured it out against good teams?

There's just a lot to be learned.

So in terms of the trade deadline implications, there's definitely some fascinating conversations to be had, but let's pick that up in a week or so.

For now, I think this is a good roundup of where the Rockets are at, and then we'll learn more information over the next four games and reflect accordingly.

Anyway, for today, we've talked enough.

Hopefully the audio works out.

Knock on wood.

Until next time, if you want more insight from Paolo and myself, the best place to get it is on social media.

You can follow Paolo at PaoloAlvesNBA, me at Ben DuBose, and then the show, the Rockets LaunchPod, presented by Clutch Fans.