Bottom Line: Do you trade Hakeem and/or Charles?

If I bash anyone, its Charles, but I give him props on that cell-phone stuff. He's right. Score one for Barkley.

CBrownFanClub

 

Clutch

What's up with the "freak" comment? Someone with administrator level control to a bbs, and the following that goes along with it, doesn't need to resort to that.

Are you having trouble enjoying your BBS with a 3-10 record? I think you should go read ChuckyBrown's thread about how "This is great time to be a Rocket's Fan" or something like that. Cheer up man. Let people disagree with you without calling them freaks.

to respond to your question:

You seemed to ignore the contradiction you posted, that you stated it takes "years" to develop chemistry. I agreed, but stated we don't have years with Barkley and Olajuwon. I'm awaiting your response to that.

When I say "years", I don't mean it has to be rebuilt. It can be passed on to the next nucleus. Chemistry is (as Rudy would say) about desire, heart, placing the team above individual accomplishments. That's what leaders pass on. My whole point is the desire, heart, and team focus exudes from Hakeem and Barkley. Hating to lose. Apparently, young players have to be taught that nowadays.

Think about it: if Reggie Lewis and Len Bias don't die, Boston gracefully moves into a new nucleus post-Bird, retaining their winning attitude--now they are stuck with the flakiness of Walker.

If Magic doesn't get AIDs, he stays ontop of his game and who knows what happens when they get Shaq in his 15-16th yrs, with Eddie Jones, Elden Campbell and Robert Horry...and possibly still van Exel.

Clutch....the intangibles that make-up chemistry get passed down through class organizations...once you lose them, it is hard to rebuild that.

As for talent...We are rebuilding. I'm not status quo. Neither is Rudy...they got Francis, Cato, Anderson, Williams, Massenburg to retool. Personally, I'm amazed at what they were able to achieve last summer.

Now, if we can just bring these guys up gracefully. I don't want any Marbury or Anfernee's on my team...no matter how well their fantasy stats look like.

Do you really not believe their could be a valid argument contrary to yours!!!

cheer up about the season...we are locked in...let's just hope for Cato to wake up and receive more playing time...there are many things I don't agree on with Rudy...but his ability to bring up young players and role players is without flaw!!! I must defer to his decisions on Cato.

 

PS to Clutch: Ralph Sampson rules.

 

Clutch:

Do you think this thread could gradually creep up past the 200 reply milestone? I'll certainly do my part if we can shift off the loyalty issue and back onto the original topic (potential trades as the basis was on <u>PAGE 1</u>). Anyhow, props to you. Great topic.

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"Museum officials outside of Houston have reported an ancient artifact identified as "Rudy's Postup Plays - 1994" stolen, as of November 2, 1999...officials urge residents to contact...

 

I dont understand why everyone wants to shift back to original topics when we are just about to start talking about loyalty to Ralph Sampson. Come on, its just about to get good.

 

LOL. Chucky Brown is playing pretty good for the Spurs, BTW. Wouldn't mind having him back.

 

Speaking of loyalty to Ralph Sampson....let's not forget about how we were able to attract the best coach in basketball away from the Celtics to coach him and instill the winnning attitude---Bill Fitch!

Where is that legend Al McGuire to back us up about this Ralph nostalgia.

Another test of Rockets loyalty:
Who was the local sportscaster that talked Ralph into accepting a free-shooting challenge on TV? one of the defining moments of his career.

 

I dont know and I am pissed I dont know. I am gonna guess Dan Patrick, but I think that is wrong. I can only respond with another trivia question:

What was Ralph Sampson's 1985 biography titled?

 

Yeah, but Mario could kick, like anyone's ass because he is wicked pissed off all the time for no reason, which is awesome. Chucky, on the other hand, is wicked happy all the time for even less of a good reason, which is also awesome. Those guys are total pals in SA, by the way.

I'll compromise and trade Barkley to LA mid-season for Horry straight up. Just as a reminder that it was a bad trade to begin with and we are cutting our losses. Maybe some draft picks to Miami. I can part with Barkley, you could spin that one as 'good for everyone.' Trading Hakeem is too much like Shel Silverstein's "The Giving Tree" for me. Just sad and bloodsucking. Yuck. But Barkley, fine, let him orchestrate the trade. Maybe we could trade him to whoever is winning the last game of the Finals with 30 seconds left so he can get a ring. Which means we may end up with Pippen again. Again, yuck.

Hakeem may very well want a trade, but I believe he is no longer of sound mind - like Mario and Chucky - and I do not care what he wants. It is what I want him to want that matters to me. We know what he needs, and that is important. He will thank us later.

CBrownFanClub

 

Hakeem may very well want a trade, but I believe he is no longer of sound mind - like Mario and Chucky - and I do not care what he wants. It is what I want him to want that matters to me. We know what he needs, and that is important. He will thank us later.

OH MAN!! PUT THAT UP ON THE FRONT OF THIS SITE, LOLOLOLOL!!!

 

CB--
I threw you off by saying "sportscaster". I meant sportswriter. local.

best out of 10 free throws. Sampson made 7. ..not enough of course.

 

Christmas. . . Blinebury? I give up.

 

Let me preface this by saying that if this team was being used properly,we wouldn't even be having this conversation....
Barring a change in philosophy(which I can't help but feel will happen EVENTUALLY),here's an answer:

If there was any question that Dream will
retire a Rocket that has already been answered.YES,HE IS A HOUSTON INSTITUTION and some things and people are sacred.Chuck on the other hand while having trade value is probably doomed to play out his days here, do to his 9 mil. and salary cap problems involved in a would be trade.
Don't get me wrong,we have taken care of our weaknessesoint guard and interior defense
We have a very balanced team(minus a veteran pt.)....lots of talent.......LET THEM PLAY

 

kenny hand 8-10

Why Sampson even accepted, shows his character.


clutch
oops...the bbs comment deserves apology. for some reason, i feel like i'm apologizing to a sportswriter, who should be used to it. but i realize your an fanatic volunteer....i'm a fanatic user (i guess). nice board....sorry man. this is far funner place to gab than espn or newsgroups.

i'm sure we will be agreeing and disagreeing again in the future. Let me introduce myself....I LOVE THIS GAME. I LOVE SEEING IT LIVE. I really can't even follow other sports anymore.

My pet peeve is having discussions about player personnel moves that haven't happened...I enjoy talking the game and what i see on the court. That's why I like to make sarcastic remarks about Fantasy Baskbatball-type discussions. It's not personal until I realize there's a person reading it on the other end who's not getting paid for their remarks. sorry.

Admit one thing about this thread...you are challenging Rudy and Carrol Dawson's track record of excellent player personnel moves. That I gave up doing long ago.

My interest is seeing how well they groom Cato and Francis. I don't know what's up with Cato...falling for headfakes, not getting clean boards. He lacks fundamentals. But I disgress into another thread.

I LOVE THIS GAME.

cheers.

 

I've already said I'm against losing either Barkley or Hakeem. BUT, I have a question for all those posters who would be for getting rid of one or both. Choose your answer from one of the following:

A. Are you just as willing
B. A little more willing
C. A little less willing
D. More willing
E. Less willing
F. Much more willing
G. Much less willing

Which of the above most represents your feeling about getting a different head coach, assuming Rudy is kept in the organization in some capacity, instead of getting rid of Hakeem and/or Barkley?

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I have a dream.........his name's Hakeem.

 

Somehow I don't see the excellent personel record of Rudy and Dawson that no one should challenge. You mean Scottie Pippen and Matt Baloney?

 

Is this the most posts in a topic?

 

DREAMer, I dont think the "Fire Rudy" argument comes from the same perspective as the "Trade Dream / Barkley" argument. Firing Rudy is saying, "We're a good team, and could contend if we had a coach who knew how to use our talents." Trading one of the older stars is really only valuable if you adopt the (to me terribly fatalistic and sad) belief that we have a bad team and are doomed to mediocrity at best, and the only way to get better is to get worse 1st.

For the record, I'm against either changing coaches or trading CB4 or Dream. It's only 13 games into the season, and I think those kind of moves are a little hotheaded and reactionary at this point. Let things play themselves out, and watch the ship level itself. Mebbe pick up Derek Harper and/or Sam Mack to fill our needs. I see us going 45-37 on the season, finishing strong. I think we are capable of surviving without hitting bottom, thanks to an already-young nucleus of Francis, Cato, Shandon, and Mobley. They should be able to assume more responsibility as first Chuck and then Dream retires. In 18 mo or so we will have a hell of alot of cap room, to get a decent big man to round out that young group.

I think its unfair to fire Rudy when he is trying to mesh a new team, with 7 new players (3 of them starters), 13 games into the season. If the team underperforms all year, then can his @$$ after the season.

As for rebuilding, it is not necessarily a winning formula. Look at the Clips. The Mavs. The Grizz. The Wiz. The Warriors. The Nets. The Cavs. If we "drop the elevator" as Clutch suggests, we could never get back.

 

No you don't. Let the young guys learn from them. If Charles wants to go somewhere else for the chance at a ring, I would not hold a grudge (like I do against Pippen). Dream wants to retire here and I think that should be respected besides he too is still good. It's not as much loyalty as class and respect to let him retire as a Rocket. He has paid his dues.