this means next to nothing. the rockets don't sell through stubhub. the rox have flashseats for their resale market and even then its not even an accurate measure of fan loyalty rockets were top 10 in attendance last year. a much more accurate measure, so they're selling just fine
Can't speak for everyone but I just don't care. He didn't miss 27 3s, he didn't get old and lose a step, he doesn't refuse to play defense. Yes he's annoying AF but so what, he's gone over and skirted the full cap each year so he's done his part in that regard imo.
Landry's suck just like the Owner. Their food is garbage to mediocre at most. His hotels suck! Now the Suckiness has spread to the Rockets.
I wouldn’t count on that. They are all but guaranteed to be over the luxury tax and has left open the possibility of resigning Gerrit Cole if the Astros bring in the extra revenue of a World Series championship. Jim Crane has never b****ed and complained about over paying a star player like Fertitta did last year with Chris Paul. Jim Crane has signed his coach and front office people to extensions to keep them from being lame ducks. Jim Crane has never b****ed about the cost of good assistant coaches and settled for cheaper mediocre ones. Jim Crane has never said “Ill pay the tax” and then use important assets to get under the tax line. Jim Crane doesn’t need to constantly talk about how expensive his rotation is like Tilman does with his backcourt. Jim Crane has always encouraged his GM to be maximize the competitive window and expanded the budget to make the team better. Jim Crane is a professional and a really good owner and Tilman hasn’t been. I am good friends with one regent at UH and someone high up in administration that praised Fertitta’s involvement at UH and the athletic program. I supported him purchasing the team. However he has been a BAD owner... from the involvement of his son (who runs his mouth about Rockets discussions), to his lying about the luxury tax last year, to his complete mishandling of MDA and the search for assistant coaches, to his vacillating to his own front office on spending into the luxury tax this summer.
He doesn’t want to pay the tax, then he should have said it at the beginning and there would have been some grumbling and that would be it. He didn’t do that though and he won’t, he wants people think he will spend the money but doesn’t want to spend it. What isn’t acceptable is not paying your head coach or balking at the demands of potential assistants. This isn’t the restaurant business; there aren’t 10 guys that can all do the same quality job coaching the Rockets or running the defense. That type of cheap comes back to bite you. Tilman thinks there are shortcuts and their aren’t. All the marketing and promises and bait and switch doesn’t work on the court or the standings.
Yeah... because he hasn’t been fired doesn’t mean it was a real possibility discussed internally. Once the decision was made he would stay (for now) of course the Rockets denied it and told reporters it was never a possibility. There is friction there and there was before China-gate.
Trailer park rich guy. Classier people have won the lottery going into the convenience store for a pack of smokes.
I dont know why you praise Jim Crane so much when the Astros ran almost zero payroll for so long and essentially subsidized by the rest of MLB. He never paid for prospects by taking on overpaid veterans. He has reduced the Astros minor league system and scouting staff. He didnt go on the huge international signing binges that other teams did, such as Moncada. And no, there is no chance the Astros keep Cole. They'll make the same half hearted offer they did with Randy Johnson to show they tried as PR to fans but when they arent even running right at the luxury tax line with a WS team, it's pretty clear about Jim Crane's priorities. That said he is still a good owner because he let's his smart front office do their stuff, he just isnt an owner that spends
Cheap is too harsh. The team made some cost cutting moves, but working the cap is part of the game. Some owners don't let their teams go anywhere near the cap to begin with. The biggest problem is letting his son run the show basically. I think it's rubbing some people in the FO the wrong way. Similar situation going on in Golden State.
Why should he spend on free agents when the entire intent was to bottom out and get the highest draft pick possible? Those were also the seasons when the revenue was lowest as well. He didn’t spend money on international free agents? He finished second in the bidding for José Abreu and he signed Yuli Gurriel, so he was very active in spending money on international free agents, he also spent all the money allowed in the domestic draft. The Astros did not cut their affiliates because of money, it was an organizational change several other franchises made as well. Other teams have followed suit and the league as a whole is adopting what the Astros did. He is paying his scouts more than he was. He has fewer scouts but increased people within the front office and that work in metrics; which is what Luhnow wanted. He also took on the contract of Zach Greinke knowing it would push him into the tax. The Astros payroll is likely going to be in the 210-220 million dollar range which will likely be one of the 2-3 highest in baseball. He has financial limitations not being in LA or NY and didn’t get one of the bloated television contracts but he has certainly spent money and has shown he will spend money for a winner based on his contract extensions and trades. There is no one in his market tier that had shown more of a willingness to spend money.
