Open practice and fan fest on 10/25/14

Too cute ... trading DMo will break this kid's heart :-(

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>He is ready to see D-Mo practice today at Houston Rockets Fan Fest!
☺️❤️ <a href="http://t.co/N9XxXG39Ou">pic.twitter.com/N9XxXG39Ou</a></p>&mdash; Natalie Morales (@NatMorales116) <a href="https://twitter.com/NatMorales116/status/526037653742157824">October 25, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Video is up on rockets.com

 

The carnival part before the practice was such a cluster ****....

First line was to get your 10 tixs for can goods, then had to get into another line to buy more tickets with credit card, then ANOTHER line to buy autograph passes/photograph passes with your tickets, took 2 hours to go through all that...

Once I got to the front of the line for passes, apparently its for AUTOGRAPH only and the only photo sessions available were with players that weren't even specified but TBA (players that are going to be cut).

I was expecting the tickets were for both or even one or the other, I prefer pics since its more personal, with an autograph, it'll just sit in my closet. Harden/Howard were sold out, so I settled with McHale (15 tixs), Terry & Garcia (10), Capela, Nick J, KPap (10).

McHale was cool, had a flag given to STH for every body to sign. Rookies were talkative, got my TBA (possibly won't be on the team tomorrow) photo session with Dorsey and Ish, while the Terry/Garcia signing pissed me off the most. I got to the table, had my flag for them to sign, Terry was looking at cell phone browsing, messed with a few of the Rockets workers, then sign my flag without saying a word to me. After he signed they were both done and left, Garcia didn't sign my flag when he could have with Terry was taking his time and there was at LEAST 20 people behind me that didn't get an autograph at all who spent their tickets already for one. Definitely felt bad for them, but left with a bad vibe from Terry....

Don't even want to comment on the open practice, it was crap but yet I keep going every year...

 

Dave2000 i certainly understand where you're coming from based on what you said. As many fan events as i've gone to in the last 10+ years, i already expect the worst and am relieved when something actually goes well. 99% of the staff do not have their ***** together and it ruins so many aspects of the event. My lows included the line just to drop off food and get tickets, the amount of activities that were done outside in the heat, the complete lack of organization of the open practice, and the fact that a Rockets staff member got each rookie to sign at least 50 group pictures each for people who didn't have anything while the line of people just stood there watching and waiting to walk up there (wasted at least 10 minutes). I don't know about anyone else but an autograph session shouldn't result in having a Rockets staff member hand you a pre-autographed picture. The line wasn't that long - when a person came up, each player could have signed a picture and that could have been the interaction with the fan. Thankfully, i had things for 2 of the rooks to sign so i took my time with each of them. For the line to get cut off for other guys like you said is just so messed up since there is no supply left for someone to go buy an autograph ticket for another player.

Honestly, i think a lot of these problems could have been solved in two ways:

1. EVERYTHING should happen inside Toyota Center, like the annual season ticket holder play day
2. Don't have the Rockets have their practice right before this event! Happens every year! Who wouldn't be tired after that?

Finally, i think someone on here requested that Mario Elie be told he should be an assistant coach for the Rockets. I told him this and Matt Bullard seconded my statement!

 

Don't even get me started on why the hell they canceled play day, that was one the best events, vanished.....

 

Daryl, are you reading this?

They should just have open practice. Then have the fans bring 10 cans in, and then the fans can line up for any activity they like. Why discriminate based on amount of cans you bring in?

Then have say 50 first-come-first served for any player's autograph. If the line for Harden and Howard get too long, then it's up the fans whether they want to risk being cut off.

 

worst one i've been to by far

 

left after 15 mins to get a gyro, pretty much sums it up.

 

the marketing team including sales personnel..not too impressed with them. I went to the event to choose tickets for a package and they literally had 20 open seats to choose from. I was thinking that was a waste of time.

 

exactly!! i was like wtf!!!!

i didnt go up there to see some half assed dunks and watch a bunch of non hoopers and little kids play knockout lol

 

meanwhile in China...

 

This was the first open practice I have been to in about five years. When did they stop actually PRACTICING? Who in the "planning committee" for this (if there is one) could have thought what they had "planned" for the open practice itself was a good idea? I just don't understand.

 

So it wasn't an actual practice? What's up with that? Seems a bit disrespectful to the fans to be misleading about the nature of the event. What's the most important component of an NBA team, anyway? In my opinion, it's the fans. The organization should keep that in mind. If they can't take these events seriously, perhaps it would be better to simply not have them.

 

It's never an actual real practice though. It's always just some timed scrimmage most of the time, maybe some drills here and there, and I can live with that.

They did practice earlier in the day, including during the fanfest because we could see them practice on the practice court.

 

Good to see my boy Howard Chen finding a job already.

 

Now that it has been seven hours since I removed myself from the debacle that is fanfest, here is my take on this abysmal failure.

You had to get in one line to donate the cans, followed by getting in another line to receive the voucher. The lines to donate moved so damn slow. There were three locations to donate cans. One was on bell street, one was by Labranch, and one was by the security office at Root Square. I got there about 11:30ish to get a lay of the situation. No one was in line at Root Square. There was a perfectly valid reason that no one was in line at Root Square. I asked the lady working it where we donate cans. She said either the line over there by Bell or near the front. That right there was the bad omen to start the day. So I get in the line by Bell St.

I sit and wait. And wait. And wait. I drink my strawberry lemonade that I got at Auntie Annes Pretzels at the mall. I drink some more thinking, Kam, you are an idiot. You're gonna have to pee bro. But luckily I didn't have to.
Finally, another Rockets staffer said we have another line open at Root Square. I shake my head. So some people leave the Bell line and make a bee line for Root to donate the cans. I hesitate at first, cause I thought maybe bell will go quicker. It obviously didn't, and I left for Root. It moved some what quicker. I donate my cans, receive my ten coupons. Lady asked if I wanted to buy more not knowing that ten wasn't gonna do **** all day. Plus, I had no cash. There was only one place to pay with the card and that was the box office. Guarantee you a bunch of people wish they knew that.

The activities were kid-centric, which is fine. I would only go in the bouncey house if the RPDs went in with me, but I didn't see any. Well, I saw them coming into Toyota Center. But I didn't see the perform or anything. I'm over them anyway. Definitely not the mid 00's RPD, that was the greatest collection of RPDs ever. The donation part took a good 45 minutes.

The next part was cashing in your coupons for the vouchers. There was an ******* cop doing an ******* job of directing people where to go, but that's what I expect out of the pension hoarding HPD people. That took an amazing 30 minutes or so. While waiting, I did get to peek through the window to see them practice. So I did technically see them practice. By now, it's almost 3 oclock. Practice was getting ready to start. I bought popcorn outside the building. Fresh box of popcorn. Well, it wasn't popped fresh, but you get the idea. The kicker here is, you could not bring outside food. I just bought a damn four dollar box of popcorn that you got from the inside and brought outside, but I couldn't bring it inside. What kind of stupid **** is that? Guess what? They were selling food inside. Good ol' Les. Always hustling. Did they take the tickets? Nope, they had dollar signs by the description. Couldn't use the tickets inside the building. We had extra tickets, and they had this thing where you can exchange it for autographs of stuff from past players. I got an 8x12 glossy of Aaron Brooks, and Ron Artest. Pretty cool. They had bobble heads. I would have taken a Jeremy Lin bobblehead and tried to hustle it to some "Laker fan"

One of the big traditions of open practice is the Rookie Dance.
Looks like Nick Johnson, Clint Capella, and K-Pap got off scott free. We need to see these Rookies get hazed publically. First thing they did was try to make 10 shots from 5 different spots. So exciting. They were trying soooooo hard. Next they did a lay up line. Dwight Howard, did nothing but layups. Kept teasing dunks. I could roll with that. He was trolling. Nothing wrong with that. They tried to get fan participation by having fans in the stands throw lobs onto the court... Why? Why? Why? Why? I think only one fan got it right and threw decent passes. Isiah Cannnan eventually went up there to throw lobs. And yeah, he was an abysmal failure at it. They set the rolling clock for 20 minutes, but first, they had to play knock out. So Chrislord told them to get ten fans on the court. Some how, they got like 15 fans on the court. It took forever to play that ****. Yes I booed it. They had little kids on the court, and the Rockets players didn't want to be a chump and eliminate the little kids. There was one girl selected and she did pretty good. There was another kid, who I thought was a girl, but it turns out it was a guy. Get a proper hairstyle kid. Thought you were a chick. She got a good ovation as he jogged off the court. It came down to some 20ish something guy and some little kid. The 20ish year old guy won some shoes from James Harden.

And just like that, practice was over. No scrimmage. Go to your assigned lines to get your autograph.

I got Patrick Beverly, and the combination of Terrence Jones and Donatas Motiejunas. They were suppose to come out at 3pm or whatever, and they didn't come out until like 3:25 or some ****. I also got a photo session. The photo session is only with the guys that will be with the Vipers, or just straight cut.

I got this black Rockets flag that the Rockets mailed to me. Beverly signed it. That was cool. The security guard asked if I was in the right line because I had extra vouchers in my hand. Bunch of idiots. I already made it this far, I think I would know that. Dip****s. I know, just doing your job. I rush over to TJODMO. Got in just in time. DMO signed it. And then Terrence signed it. I had a silver sharpie because black sharpie on my black flag doesn't show. Crazy huh? So, I handed DMO my silver sharpie, and he signed it no problem. DMO hands me back the silver sharpie. Such a smart guy. I had the flag, and silver sharpie to TJO so he can sign the flag. And this dumbass tries to keep the sharpie. He caps it with the black sharpie. I'm like no dude, the black cap goes on the black sharpie, silver cap goes on silver sharpie, and DMO was all, oh, that's his pen.

Now I know who should start at the four. It's DMO.

I go to the Hakeem statue to hang around for a bit. I didn't want to get my photo taken with the future vipers... or future Philadelphia 76ers, or Grizzlie or whoever.

After some deliberating, I went ahead and took my photo with Joey Dorsey and Ish Smith. Joey Dorsey did not want to be there, you can tell. Well, I could tell because he said he didn't want to stand in the sun all day taking photos, he was ready to get the **** out of there. He didn't say it like that, he said he was ready to leave out of here. But still.

Some lady was kinda pissed, but not really because she gave us her tickets. I bought drinks and wanted to get popcorn out of it. They ran out. Drinks it is.

We closed out the day by watching Red Rowdies try out. I'm going to assume everyone made it. The Rowdies have talented rap artists there. I saw three people who could moonlight as a rapper.

Yes, my hands are out of my pocket.


Overall on this event. I like the outdoors. They got lucky the weather didn't suck. They need to fix the organization of lines and stuff, and clearly explain what the **** is going on. They have to work out the logistics on this ****.


And you know who annoys me? Not sure who she is. Well, I know who she isl I think she is one of the security supervisors. She's the old crotchy lady that wears the white shirt, instead of everyone in the red shirt.

She was talking **** about her workers, saying they had no clue what they were doing despite the fact that five minutes earlier, she said she had no clue what was going on. You're an ass lady. I hope you slip on someones dropped beer, and break your hip.

 

Nice recap Kam! I would have been satisfied just getting to watch a 20 min scrimmage.