From the Rockets site: "E-mail Us Have a question that you need answered but don't really want anyone else to see it? You can send it here. Note: Due to the number of requests we receive, we will not be able to respond to every e-mail, but we will read, and take into consideration, each and every message Email fanear@rocketball.com" I suggest we all email them immediately and voice our disapproval of this trade. It may accomplish nothing, hell, it'll probably accomplish nothing, but at least we will have tried. I can't help but remember how our collective outrage got Clutch his press pass back. Why the hell not give this a try?
two things: 1. Now that it has been reported that the Rockets are possibly rethinking the deal, it's all the more important to make our voices heard. 2. The following is the letter I sent. Dear Sirs and Madames, I have been a life long Rockets fan. I have attended approximately half a dozen games a year since the late 80's when I was a kid. Tonight I watched the NBA draft. I jumped out of my seat and did a dance of joy when it was announced that the Rockets selected Rudy Gay. However, it was then announced that his rights would be traded to the Grizzlies in exchange for Shane Battier. I like Shane Battier. For years, I've felt Shane Battier would be a great addition to the Rockets. Yet when this trade was announced I still found myself horrified. Why? The Rockets paid too high a price. Rudy Gay is a potential superstar who, as recently as yesterday, was rumored by many to be the number one over-all pick. Shane Battier is a solid player, but a straight up swap of Rudy Gay for Shane Battier leaves the Rockets organization looking foolish, not necessarily because Rudy Gay will undoubtedly be a better player (I'm aware there is a chance Gay won't reach his potential) but because I cannot be made to believe there aren't teams out there who wouldn't give more for a player with such tremdenous potential. Then I get home and I read that it isn't even a straight up trade - It's an exchange of Gay AND Stromile Swift for simply Shane Battier. Now I'm outraged. This is a betrayal of the fans. I hope somehow the organization regains its senses and rescinds this trade. How it makes sense to trade two of our most athletic players and two of our most valuable trading chips for one middle of the road player who is no better than an average athlete makes no sense to me. I've read the articles in which Jeff Van Gundy and Carroll Dawson have claimed that the team needs to get younger and more athletic. This trade makes the Rockets neither younger nor more athletic. In fact, it accomplishes the reverse. Please, I beg of you - look to what the experts are saying, look at what your fans are posting on message boards, listen to the emails, listen to the fans calling in to 610 radio. Rescind this trade. Cancel it. Please. I realize there is very little I can do (aside from begging) to deter this trade, but I will do what I can to fight back should it go through. Should this trade go through I will not purchase tickets for the 2006-2007 season. Further, I will recommend my father cancel his season tickets. He was considering doing so anyway because he feels Van Gundy ball is boring, but should this trade go through, I'll make sure he cancels his tickets. I believe he pays roughly 35 thousand dollars a year for his season tickets. If you indeed read this far, I thank you for your time and, hopefully, your consideration. Sincerely, (a very depressed) Jonathan Williamson
Very well said. I sent my email too. We need everybody make a push to let the Rockets what the fans think. Now that they seem to be thinking straight, the fan opinion might be able to help them make the right decision.
I was going to do my own "voice your displeasure" thread, but the forum shut down for about half an hour and I forgot about it. Here are all the numbers/emails that we should be flooding with our displeasure: Rockets.com email: fanear@rocketball.com Rockets ticket office: 713-627-DUNK Houston Chronicle: jonathan.feigen@chron.com john.lopez@chron.com richard.justice@chron.com fran.blinebury@chron.com Sportsradio 610: 713 572-4610 http://www.sportsradio610.com/contactus.asp ESPN 790: 713-212-8000
Apparently the info that Andy Katz reported that the Rockets are re-thinking the deal is false, but oh well, I still think we should swamp their email.
Honestly, if the reports on the reaction to the deal by fans at Toyota Center tonight are true, then the Rockets have recieved the message loud and clear already..... That alone could make them rethink the deal....
Where are the reports? I haven't seen or heard anything about what happened at the Toyota Center tonight.
After hours of deliberate thought, here is the email I drafted this evening to send to the Rockets' brass: Dear Rockets Front Office, YOU ARE INCREDIBLY STUPID. Kind Regards, YOUR ENTIRE FAN BASE
Ive seen them in numerous threads tonight. Apparently, the crowd booed and most of them left when the trade was announced. It sounded like an ugly night at Toyota Center.
Done. I can't believe this. I got respect for Battier, but not at that price. There were hundreds of deals the Rox could have pulled off considering how much other teams wanted Rudy Gay, did we just jump at the first offer?
Has the "alleged" Katz report of the Rockets re-thinking the trade been proven to be either: 1. a real report by him, or 2. a rumor and never reported by him to begin with?
I still can't believe it! Just voiced my displeasure to, below is my mail. Hi, I've been a diehard Rockets fan from Africa, precisely Libreville, Gabon for 12 years now and I'm a member of the fan community known as ClutchFans for at least five years too. To prove you my dedication I'll just tell you that I made my first trip in the US last december just for the purpose of attending a Rockets game live and accomplish one of the cherished dreams of my life. It was the game versus the Raptors, not any kind of championship game. I forsee any Rockets event with so much excitement, and I was very hopeful in regard of this draft after a so painful season. What a shock was it this morning coming to my office and connecting to the net just to realise that the Rockets selected a young player full of potentiel and health, Rudy Gay and then traded him along with Stromile Swift to the Grizzlies for an ok but not great player, Shane Battier. I still can't believe it! do my team work now for Jerry West legacy? at least hope 2 or 3 picks are added from the Grizzlies! how much did Eddie Griffin cost us? I completely disagree with this trade. We need young stars to be contenders for long years, not just for 2 or 3 years , what is that veteran at all cost approach? We all hope the Rockets will never be in the lottery in the next future. So you DON'T TRADE a pick so high when you have an unique chance to get one. Was it so hard to get an ok big guard for the MLE (Anthony Parker for instance is wanting to come back to the NBA this season) in the free agent class while Gay is developping for the next 2 years and the possibility of drafting another one in the deep 2007 draft? Just one more thought, how many teams through the years have succeded with that kind of win now approach (trading valuable first round picks for mediocre veterans), not Dallas, Dirk came through draft n°9 pick, not Phoenix, Amare n°9 pick, not San Antonio, all valuable players trough draft even lower picks, the Lakers, never, Celtics, never, the list goes on and on... What if Dallas did trade the rights to Nowitsky, Phoenix the rights to Stoudemire or Miami the rights to Wade for some ok known commodity veterans with so called high BB IQ on draft day? Frankly, I can't think of any successful team who succed through that route, hope we will be the first one, but for how many years? and what if T-Mac or Yao go down again with an injury? where's that second star on the team, Battier? Rudy Gay should have been that and for LOOONG years. The Rockets don't learn from their mistakes, once Rashard Lewis, now Rudy Gay, we will regret this move while Jerry West is just loughing at us. Did he put a gun on CD's head or what? Sad day, I'm very depresed. Kind Regards
