From the players up to management I don't recognize this team. JVG has single handedly dismantled the team in a very short period of time. And I am not saying some of it wasn't warranted. I mean who can argue that McGrady isn't a major aquisition. But the fact is I have been a Rocket's fan for a long time, during that time I have come to know and care for many of the Rocket's players as individuals. I was a big fan of Hakeem and Mario and even MadMax, I also was grateful for management and the coaching staff that earned us our championships. I hated to see Horry and Cassell go and Hakeem retire. So it wasn't like I just rooted for the team as a whole but rather as a group of individuals and enjoyed the fact that were friends and got along so well. Well this team under JVG maybe the new and improved Rockets and I am still a Rocket fan but where is the connection with the fans. I'm sorry but I don't feel it, at least not like the days of Moses and Rudy, and Sampson and Hakeem, and Drexler and Smith. The Players are all new and maybe gone tomorrow if the piss off MR. BIG. In the past I've always felt that the Rockets weren't only Les' team or the Maloofs team but that they were my team and Houston's team as well. The only players that I have any connection with now are Yao and Mo T. And if JVG gets his way MoT will be gone as well. So in spite of what JVG might think winning is not everything. Building a team of good guys who the fans support and feel a connection with and who seem to care about their fans as well is very important to me. Maybe it's just me but right now I just don't feel that connection.
JVG = Old Lady Your Rockets = Baby Sorry Clutch, this will be the last time I post this at least for a while. Pugs
Hate JVG if you want to - that's certainly understandable - but what in the world are you babbling about? This group of players has been together all of 30 games. Do you think a 'connection' just comes overnight? We're all getting used to new players. Guys get old, guys get moved, guys retire. This isn't anything out of the blue. You do realize that teams change in the NBA, right? And BTW - winning is a big part of sports and teams and creating that 'connection'. IF we were a top team in the league right now, best in the West, and championship contenders, you'd have a lot less people rallying with you about our current management.
Now that the team isn't looking like complete dog**** out on the floor, I suspect they'll start to grow on you. Plus dude, Tmac rulz.
We do need to give these new guys time to make a connection, but I hear what you're saying. Even during the win streak I overheard a guy in an elevator talk about how he has season tickets but doesn't care about the team anymore. Old Man Rock is definitely identifying a real phenomenon.
I wish we could have players that stay around for years, but because of poor drafts or even worse, no draft we haven't really had our players. T-Mac and Yao will be around a long time and we will probably gain a couple of other players who will be around for a while like horry and elie.
I feel for you Old Man I do. And even though I'm an out-of-towner, who never saw the Rox out together or anything, our older teams just were fun to watch. But hey, we hit a 5 year drought and didn't make the playoffs. Yeah, we made the playoffs last year, but that team was just going to be a playoff team. THIS team is built to WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS. and that's what I want from my ROX.
Yes, what ARE you talking about? You seem to wish and hope guys play on this team until they're 50. The guys you speak of are gone because they were done. You don't feel a connection to the new guys because they're new. If you had spoken of Francis and Cat, at least that would *somewhat* make sense. Without them mentioned, I assume you weren't too unhappy to see them go. So much to point out flawed in your logic: Elie, whom you are so fond of, came here as a FA out of Portland (and GS before that)--he was "new" in what, '92? I'm just guessing, so don't get upset if the year is wrong. You want a team of "good guys" and yet you want MoT, the ultimate pothead and refuse-to-work-on-weaknesses player who is never living up to his contract or potential. Be a fan of the NBA. Wesley is one of the good guys, and has been for a long time. Which is one of the reasons I've loved the acquisition from the moment it happened. I think I already feel that "fan connection" with him.
OMR, Get a grip. I've been a Rox fan maybe longer than anyone on this board - since they were the San Diego Rockets. I love 'em no matter who the cast of characters are. There aren't many "lifers" in the NBA these days. What I do know is that last year's team did not have the makeup to get to the elite level. Give management props for having the guts to dismantle the "inmates" and trade for a superstar who, with Yao, can serve as a foundation for something potentially great. Now it's about putting the support pieces in place and toughening up Yao. D R
I have been a Rockets fan all my life. No matter who puts that Uniform on I will cheer, good or bad, for them to the end. I love players from our past teams but now we have this group of player and they are my players. Rox fan since 1979
And let me add, this is what you MUST go through in order to build towards a championship. You call Drexler having a connection? We got him in a trade for a short period of time. But anyway, in the years before the championships...people probably weren't happy with the loss of guys (Sleepy, Scotty Brooks soon after #1, Buck Johnson--ok I guess ppl didn't mind him going). I mean really, it was Hakeem and OT...eventually Kenny and Vernon were added and stayed. But you don't just put 12 guys together and say SIT..we're gonna win sooner or later. You mish mash until you start building a nucleus that you want
He still went to University of Houston so there already was some connection. Hakeem is my favorite player of all time and Drexler is #2. So there is a connection. Sam Cassell wasn't here for long but there was also a connection.
It's easy to make a connection where there's a championship run (or 2) and humungous shots in a playoff series. If this team brings you that this year, I don't think you'll have as many of the same complaints.
OMR, I understand the sentiment but look forward to establishing the same relationship with this team as I have with every Rocket team. Although not always pretty to watch, I love the hard-nosed strangulation D, the developing disciplined break, and the no-nonsense pound it in half court game.
Nope, it is not just you. These Rockets seemingly have almost no tangible connection to the city, the organization, its people, or its fans. They might as well have been an expansion team the day they moved into Toyota Center. Perhaps it is part of the "internationalization," but (ironically, with the exception of Yao), this team might as well be "about" Boise, Cincinnati, New York, or Louisville. T-Mac has said all the right things, but still seems a bit of an outsider, although I expect that to change. The Rockets organization looks particularly bad in comparison to the Astros. They brought back Houstonians to the team, they go out of their way to keep established veterans, find a place for former players such as Jose Cruz, and even give the nod to former players when an interim manager is needed. This is not to say Scottie Brooks should be coaching the team, but it is much easier to love a team as "your team," when the organization is at least as in touch with the city, its own history, and its fans/citizens as it is with the dollars they want to siphon from your pocket.
What the .......... nevermind, not worth posting. PS. Moochie was a fan favorite, can we trade Sura & Wesley for him? Of course we would suck, but at least the fans can relate with him.
I felt that way about the Steve and Cuttino "era." I also hate Mo and didn't like Cato or scrubs like Moochie. The last team Rudy assembled here was crap, better luck to him in LA. I love the current group- Yao, McGrady, Sura, Wesley, Barry. Even Howard ain't so bad. These are guys who understand the game and they are a joy to watch.
