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Rockets owner pleased with start and charitable efforts

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by Stormy1234, Dec 22, 2016.

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  1. Stormy1234

    Stormy1234 Member

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    • [​IMG]
      Calvin WatkinsESPN Staff Writer
    HOUSTON -- Rockets owner Leslie Alexander isn't surprised by the team's 22-8 record, good for third in the Western Conference.

    "The team is playing exactly the way I wanted it to," Alexander said during a conference call with reporters earlier this week to announce a plan to help eight charities. "Guys are really coming through, especially in the clutch. The injury is going to hurt. How much it will impact us, I have no idea."

    The injury is to starting center Clint Capela, out four to six weeks with a small fracture in his left fibula, near the knee. The fracture doesn't require surgery; after four weeks, Capela will be evaluated by team doctors.

    While the Rockets have played well on the court, including a victory Wednesday in Phoenix, Alexander and the team are doing other positive things.

    Owner Leslie Alexander has had plenty to cheer about, as the Rockets are off to a 22-8 start. Erik Williams/USA TODAY Sports
    Alexander announced he will donate $4 million to eight charitable organizations through the Clutch City Foundation. Alexander will announce which charities receive the money in January.

    "When I brought the team, I said we'll try and do two things: give back to the community and win," he said. "We keep trying to do that. I think it's very important, if you're lucky enough in society, having done well, you should have an obligation in your own mind to constantly give back. You want to help people in need."

    Over the years, the Clutch City Foundation has donated more than $25 million to Houston-area charities.

    Last April, Alexander donated $500,000 to Houston mayor Sylvester Turner's Greater Houston Storm Relief Fund. Several parts of the city were hit by severe flooding.

    "I wanted to give back to the community and Houston has been very kind to me and it was my chance, again, to give back," Alexander said.
     
    #1 Stormy1234, Dec 22, 2016
  2. LosPollosHermanos

    LosPollosHermanos Houston only fan
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    "Playing exactly the way I wanted to"

    Les is such a clown sometimes.
     
    #2 LosPollosHermanos, Dec 22, 2016
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  3. napalm06

    napalm06 Huge Flopping Fan

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    I can't hate on a guy who is giving $4M to charity causes. Good job for that, Mr Les. Happy holidays.
     
    #3 napalm06, Dec 22, 2016
    Jayzers_100, RocketWalta, Emtenndo and 4 others like this.
  4. Mathloom

    Mathloom Shameless Optimist
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    Everything else aside, he got trashed on this board for allegedly pushing for MDA. In hindsight, he was absolutely right, even if it might have been by mistake.
     
    #4 Mathloom, Dec 22, 2016
    Patience, Ramo$e, OldYelllowDog and 2 others like this.
  5. RudyTBag

    RudyTBag Contributing Member
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    Les kicks ass...
     
    #5 RudyTBag, Dec 22, 2016
  6. TMac'n

    TMac'n Contributing Member

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    Only team owner I can call a winner in Houston. McNair and Crane are trash in comparison.

    Be thankful Rockets fans
     
    #6 TMac'n, Dec 22, 2016
    ricardo1979 and Stormy1234 like this.
  7. hakeemthagreat

    hakeemthagreat Member

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    He deserves more credit. Remember when ppl were saying "MDA is a signing Les wanted. Should've listened to Morey and got JVG". Well apparently ALL of you were incorrect. I knew MDA was a good signing. Kudos to Les
     
    #7 hakeemthagreat, Dec 22, 2016
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  8. JayZ750

    JayZ750 Contributing Member

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    I didn't think MDA made sense...
    ... and still am not 100% sold.
    Mind you, I am 90% sold, just still not 100%. My goal is rings, so we'll see how it works in the playoffs.

    But I am increasingly convinced that you can compete with great offense... with great offense. Meaning, I think you can compete/beat GSW, or SAS, by being really really good offensively every night, even if you are not a top 5 or top 10 defensive team. And I'm becoming increasingly convinced, with the right personnel to fill out the role players, they can also get sneaky good defensively.

    I'm not sure if Les had some great epiphany or relied on crazy DM and staff analytics. I think he just said "see those guys over in GSW. they're super fun to watch, AND they win. And they do it the way we want to, anyway. Let's do that!" and so he chose MDA.

    And it's worked... so props to him.

    My #1 choice early on was Luke Walton. After that, I wasn't really enamored with anyone.
     
    #8 JayZ750, Dec 22, 2016
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  9. BAHAMIANFAN

    BAHAMIANFAN Contributing Member

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    Get it straight. It's not Les, Mr. Les, or Alexander. It's Mr. Alexander LOL.

    Even Hakeem calls him that. Now if only Parsons treated his Dallas boss with that much respect, he might have gotten another max deal.
     
    #9 BAHAMIANFAN, Dec 22, 2016
  10. napalm06

    napalm06 Huge Flopping Fan

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    And here I thought all along that the owner's name was Alex Lesander.
     
    #10 napalm06, Dec 22, 2016
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  11. MystikArkitect

    MystikArkitect Member

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    Crane, Khator and Les are all good owners who care about winning (calling Khator one). Astros play a fun brand of baseball and should be relevant for years. Coogs made a lot of noise this year and the Rockets don't stay down for long.

    McNair is a choad who couldn't sell the Texans fast enough. Dude probably still wonders why he can't legally own the players.
     
    #11 MystikArkitect, Dec 22, 2016
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  12. lionaire

    lionaire Member

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    $25 million! Great job Les!
     
    #12 lionaire, Dec 22, 2016
  13. Carl Herrera

    Carl Herrera Contributing Member

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    $4 million under the old salary cap might have been substantial. Under the new salary cap, his donation needs to be at least 3 times bigger than this.
     
    #13 Carl Herrera, Dec 22, 2016
  14. OldYelllowDog

    OldYelllowDog Contributing Member

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    Why belittle a generous offer. He was under no obligation to donate. I too am happy with the team record. I was against MDA for head coach, but believe with the right assistants, we have some incredibly called offense plays off time outs, and our defense is improved. Team chemistry is at all time high. That might change, but for now ---- Happy Holidays!
     
    #14 OldYelllowDog, Dec 22, 2016
  15. napalm06

    napalm06 Huge Flopping Fan

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    [​IMG]
     
    #15 napalm06, Dec 22, 2016
  16. ThatBoyNick

    ThatBoyNick Member

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    I'm glad Les is pleased with his charitable efforts.
     
    #16 ThatBoyNick, Dec 22, 2016
  17. Nivos

    Nivos Member

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    Not to say anything against Alexander. I think he's a great owner. Always wants his team to be successful and always chasing that ring, never letting GMs to have it easy and tank for a few seasons.
    However the donation headlines part from all these rich guys I don't like.
    You want to donate? Good on you. Do it quietly. Other than that it's just public relations and tax avoidance money.
     
    #17 Nivos, Dec 23, 2016
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  18. Downtown Sniper

    Downtown Sniper Contributing Member

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    When do you get sworn in as the new Rockets GM?
     
    #18 Downtown Sniper, Dec 23, 2016
  19. Shroopy2

    Shroopy2 Contributing Member

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    (Has to happen organically not forced...but some potential "Darrelle Maurey" type perjorative usage there)
     
    #19 Shroopy2, Dec 23, 2016
  20. hakeemthagreat

    hakeemthagreat Member

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    As soon as they cut the check
     
    #20 hakeemthagreat, Dec 24, 2016
    cheke64 likes this.
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