Watching the games the last few nights, watching the mix of players we have, it is starting to give me a very 1998 vibe again, when we were just grabbing at straws, and were very lost as a franchise. I dunno, maybe it's just over-reaction, but you know, we get kind of caught-up in our team, we see these guys as 'our players', but really, the uniforms being worn on our team today just seem to me to feel like generic 'dudes', whom we will not miss and hardly remember when they are gone. Not all of them, but more than makes me happy. Why does it feel this way now, when it didn't feel that way so many times before? And then it dawned on me to ask myself: Which of our players do I think 'Bleed Rockets Red' as much as I do, as much as most of you all do? And thinking about it, that was a kind of scary thought. Sadly (VERY sadly), I strongly suspect that the one player in the NBA who (at least used to) Bleeds Rockets Red more than any other was Chuck. Such a blow losing him, and maybe the single biggest reason to permanently hate on Stern for his evildoings. But apart from the Chuckster, who else currently on the team bleeds like that? I have a really really hard time thinking that any very recent addition could possibly qualify. Therefore, I disqualify Dalembert, rookies and first-year guys. So SamDam, no Parsons, no Morris, no Patterson, no Flynn. No Adrien, no Hill, no Thabeet. So who does that leave? Scola and Martin would be the obvious first choices. CLee then too, and Bud. TWill. And of course Lowry. Dragic should be in that group now I think. Six guys you could legitimately ask yourself the question.. and I will go ahead and toss PPat in there, as well as Parsons, simply because it seems we can see the hope for something real there. Of those guys then, which of them do we get that 'this guy is part of our *family*' feeling, like we used to have with Dream and Clyde, even then with SF3 and Cat, and then with Yao? (Did we ever truly feel that way with TMac? Hard to say) My vote would be with Scola and Lowry, head and shoulders above everyone else. I would love to see Patterson and Budinger grow into become Houston 'family' like that too.. I just... don't see it with the other guys, at least not yet. And a *team* really needs to have more than that. Oh well, like I said, it's probably just me, but what do you guys think? Who on this team either already feels like family now, or at least feel like the potential is there? Remember how much we all loved Landry? I want to feel that way about guys on our team again.. It's just hard to really embrace 'just a bunch of guys'.
I kinda get that vibe from Lee. I love rooting for him. Its a bit too early to tell right now, but I got a good feeling about Donuts...
None of them. Blame Daryl. It's Daryl's fault. Who wants to bleed Rockets Red when they're treated like assets and not human beings?!
Exactly, who will bleed for us now after they see how Morey treated Shane? Morey has turned Shane into a cynical ring-chaser who uses his team as an asset:
Lowry. Scola. Parsons might. Patterson might. T-will might. Morris might. First and foremost you much bleed and have the passion before you can bleed Rockets red. Will you dive on the floor? Will you take the charge? Will you go get a rebound when we have to have it? Does the name on the front as much to you as it does us? If so... Bleed Red Rockets Red. Fierguard Bleed Red Rockets Red
Everybody one the team is fairly new except lowry an scola, and lowry just recently became a starter so luis gets my vote.
If Daryl could bring in a superstar he would. The guy was thrown in with a terrible situation with Yao and TMac. Then he finally made a trade for an elite big man in the NBA who, even though I'm not a fan of, would have made our team a playoff team without question. That's even without the signing of Nene that was supposedly coming after. Basically, David Stern threw the Rockets under the bus. Now, we are stuck with a lot of role players who play really hard. It's going to take a superstar in Houston to turn this thing around. If there is no superstar by trade this year, prepare yourself for a lottery pick where we can hopefully snag one there. Don't blame Morey. The guy is giving it his all. I can promise you that.
Yeah, Scola especially. Outside of the rookies and Pat, he's the only who's played his entire career here if I'm not mistaken.
Nearly all of that 08-09 lineup exuded a certain energy, shared a similar goal, played with a passion. Yao, Scola, Battier, Lowry, Artest, Landry, Hayes, Mutombo. Even Brooks and Wafer (mostly) at the time. Although I liked much of the talent brought in by Morey in the past years, its hard to build a culture when a trade is always immanent, and the young talent brought in isn't properly developed. I think its unfair to knock the current group for "not bleeding Rocket red," as we're clearly in a transition period, and much of our roster has recently been brought in.
