FALCON POINTS
How the Texans hiring of Nick Caserio impacts the coaching search, Deshaun Watson
Jan 6, 2021, 10:03 am
Here we go again. Composite image by Brandon Strange
Texans pull the trigger and hire a new GM
Let's start with this: Nick Caserio may turn out to be a fine GM for the Texans. There's a chance he winds up being the right guy, the one person from the Patriots organization that turns out not to be a disaster. Of course, the odds are against it. So far, Dolphins coach Brian Flores is the one former Bill Belichick sycophant who has proven to be successful.
The bigger issue is that the Texans have learned nothing. Jesus Jack Easterby - the Kenneth Copeland of the NFL - got his man. Easterby, the man who thought it was a good idea to trade DeAndre Hopkins, has his fingers all over this.
Deshaun Watson maybe said it best in his cryptic tweet. "Some things never change..."
Of course, Watson has no real beef. He signed a contract extension and got paid. But his point is well taken. The Texans will never change as long as Cal McNair is in charge and entrusting Easterby.
The Texans are basically like my dog. The dog eats grass. The dog throws up. The dog then starts lapping up its own throw up. What do you think is going to happen when you eat the same thing that just made you sick?
So here the Texans are, lapping up their own vomit once again. What do we think will happen next?
The more important hire will be head coach. Chances are, that decision is already made. Much as with the GM "search," the interviews they have done so far have been a dog and pony show, with dog vomit all over it.
Reportedly, Caserio wasn't on the list of five finalists suggested by Korn Ferry, a firm the team needlessly hired to consult. If you are going to spend the money on consultants, why not listen to them? Unless, of course, Easterby thinks he is smarter than them.
Maybe Caserio will make the right call at head coach. But does anyone believe that? Speculation immediately turned to - wait for it - Patriots assistant Josh McDaniels, yet another Belichick protege who failed as a head coach before returning to the fold. McDaniels would be a disaster hire. But he would fit the Texans culture of lapping up the same gruel.
Brian Daboll, yet another Patriots refugee, might also be a possibility. At least Daboll has been a few other places since and the work he has done with the Buffalo offense is terrific. So that might actually work. But it would also be just a continuation of a culture that has proven time and time again to be an abject failure.
Houston fans had hope when the team finally axed Bill O'Brien. Since then, the Texans have quietly sucked the life out of that hope. Now all that is left is the head coach. And if this is what Easterby is going to do at GM, is there any real hope they get the coaching hire right?
I picture Easterby and Caserio strolling hand in hand through NRG, walking their poodles and staring lovingly into each other's eyes. Meanwhile, Texans fan is left to watch those dogs lap up the same old crap. And yet the fans will endure, because who doesn't love their dog?
No matter how stupid it may be.
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Astros keep doing this, and it’s getting hard to ignore
Jun 25, 2025, 10:01 pm
While the rolling Astros have a week of possible World Series preview matchups against the Phillies and Cubs, it’s the Rockets who made the biggest local sports headline with their acquisition of Kevin Durant. What a move! Of course there is risk involved in trading for a guy soon to turn 37 years old and who carries an injury history, but balancing risk vs. reward is a part of the game. This is a fabulous move for the Rockets. It’s understood that there are dissenters to this view. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, including people with the wrong opinion! Let’s dig in.
The Rockets had a wonderful season in winning 52 games before their disappointing first-round playoff loss to the Warriors, but like everyone else in the Western Conference, they were nowhere close to Oklahoma City’s caliber. While they finished second in the West, the Rockets only finished four games ahead of the play-in. That letting the stew simmer with further growth among their young players would yield true championship contention was no given for 2025-26 or beyond.
Kevin Durant is one of the 10 greatest offensive players the NBA has ever seen. Among his current contemporaries only Stephen Curry and Nikola Jokic make that list. For instance, Durant offensively has clearly been better than the late and legendary Kobe Bryant. To view it from a Houston perspective, Durant has been an indisputably greater offensive force than the amazing Hakeem Olajuwon. But this is not a nostalgia trip in which the Rockets are trading for a guy based on what he used to be. While Durant could hit the wall at any point, living in fear that it’s about to happen is no way to live because KD, approaching his 18th NBA season, is still an elite offensive player.
As to the durability concern, Durant played more games (62) this past season than did Fred VanVleet, Jabari Smith, and Tari Eason. The season before he played more games (75) than did VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, and Alperen Sengun. In each of the last two seasons Durant averaged more minutes per game (36.9) than any Rocket. That was stupid and/or desperate of the Suns, the Rockets will be smarter. Not that the workload eroded Durant’s production or efficiency. Over the two seasons he averaged almost 27 points per game while shooting 52 percent from the floor, 42 percent from behind the three-point line, and 85 percent from the free throw line. Awesomeness. The Rockets made the leap to being a very good team despite a frankly crummy half-court offense. The Rockets ranked 21st among the 30 NBA teams in three-point percentage, and dead last in free throw percentage. Amen Thompson has an array of skills and looks poised to be a unique star. Alas, Thompson has no credible jump shot. VanVleet is not a creator, Smith has limited handle. Adding Durant directly addresses the Rockets’ most glaring weakness.
The price the Rockets paid was in the big picture, minimal, unless you think Jalen Green is going to become a bonafide star. Green is still just 23 years old and spectacular athletically, but nothing he has done over four pro seasons suggests he’s on the cusp of greatness. In no season has Green even shot the league average from the floor or from three. His defense has never been as good as it should be given his athleticism. Compared to some other two-guards who made the NBA move one year removed from high school, four seasons into his career Green is waaaaaay behind where Shae Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, and Devin Booker were four seasons in, and now well behind his draft classmate Cade Cunningham. Dillon Brooks was a solid pro in two seasons here and shot a career-best from three in 2024-2025, but he’s being replaced by Kevin Durant! In terms of the draft pick capital sent to Phoenix, five second round picks are essentially meaningless. The Rockets have multiple extra first round picks in the coming years. As for the sole first-rounder dealt away, whichever player the Rockets would have taken 10th Wednesday night would have been rather unlikely to crack the playing rotation.
VanVleet signs extension
Re-signing Fred VanVleet to a two-year, 50 million dollar guarantee is sensible. In a vacuum, VanVleet was substantially overpaid at the over 40 mil he made per season the last two. He’s a middle-of-the-pack starting point guard. But his professionalism and headiness brought major value to the Rockets’ kiddie corps while their payroll was otherwise very low. Ideally, Reed Sheppard makes a leap to look like an NBA lead guard in his second season, after a pretty much zippo of a rookie campaign. Sheppard is supposed to be a lights-out shooter. For the Rockets to max out, they need two sharpshooters on the court to balance Thompson’s presence.
For Astro-centric conversation, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
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