It's a different time. People now care about what the media says than the actual basketball. All those times Charles Barkley on TNT said that the Rockets wouldn't win a championship, people here cared more about that then the Rockets games themselves. Bob Costas keep talking about Jordan more than Hakeem during his NBC segments when were champs, but I yelled one F you at the TV and that's that. The basketball part is secondary now. People have lost touch with reality. But if this guy was healthy and that guy was healthy and we had signed this guy. A bunch of scenarios in their minds to justify their team's lack of success. Just accept it. It is what it is. How about what happened in the game? The only time it felt like the "old Rockets" was when we got Artest and that team with Yao beat Portland. it was like the old school Rockets, the attitude, the way they played, the crowd..
Agreed, watching that particular team was as close as I’ve come to having that feeling again since the good ol’ days. If not for Yao getting hurt (how many times have we said that..), I think we would have beaten the lakers and who knows how far we could have gone after that... At the same time, I knew as soon as Yao limped off the court in Game 3 that his career was over – and the Rockets would have to totally start from scratch. 2 years later, look where we are.
I'm not talking about being permanent contenders. Teams have fallen and rebuilt already in the time it's taken us to win exactly one playoff series. Our futility over that period is matched by franchises with names like the Clippers and Bobcats.
I'm so tired of this. Not just for the Rockets but for the Texans as well. So many excuses. Every franchise gets bad breaks. Every franchise has things they have to overcome. You don't have to win the title every year, but holy crap...one playoff series victory in that long of a period is just ridiculous...particualrly, as I said earlier, in a sport where more teams make the playoffs than miss the playoffs.
And just how is this any different from what's happening now when they win 40-45 games, miss the playoffs, fire the head coach and repeat the cycle until Morey finds the next Hakeem or Yao? So if I understand you correctly, expecting the Rockets to be championship contenders at some point is somehow a problem? If so, then exactly what is the point to following this team? So we can swallow the Rockets koolaid year after year after year without expecting some tangible results? Or is it so Rockets' fans can hate on other teams in the division who have decided to put a priority on winning and not the offering of excuses?
I still don't get why we ought to be lectured at for not being sufficiently disappointed and bitter about things. To start, the Rockets did "rebuild" since the "glory days"-- a couple of times, actually. First time with Steve Francis. Second time with Yao (and later McGrady). Remember both Francis and Yao were high draft picks? The Francis effort stalled at 43-45-ish wins because he never quite "developed" and the front office, led by Rudy and CD, made some mistake signings. We all know what happened. Rudy and CD paid for it with their jobs. Don't see the point at being upset at either Rudy/CD or their successor in Morey, who had nothing to do with the prior decisions. The Yao/McGrady era topped off at the mid-50ish wins and the 2nd round of the playoffs because of injury to the stars, especially at playoff time. I don't know whom I'm supposed to be bitter at. I don't feel bitter at Yao since he led the charge, gave it all he's got, and performed well untin injuries out of his control cut him down. I don't feel bitter at any of the players, from Scola to Battier to Hayes, who played their hearts out. I don't feel bitter at Morey since he batted above league average with his acquisitions given the circumstances. I do fee disappointed at McGrady since he could have worked harder even though he did have some good years, but he's gone now. Yes, every franchise deal with challenges, but not every franchise see their two best players, earning max salary on long term contracts, lose multiple years to injury. And I don't know what you are watching if you compare this team to the Clippers or Bobcats, who were often victims of bad decisions rather than bad luck. If anything, this team is more like the Portland Trailblazers, who made smart decisions at least for the last 5 or 6l years, got some 50-win seasons, but didn't get out of the 1st round of the playoffs for 10 years because of injuries to their highly paid star and top draft pick. I don't know why those of us who don't point fingers in the face of bad luck need to be lectured at. You can be upset and disappointed all you want, just don't expect those of us to concede the superiority of your fandom due to the intensity of your nostalgia about the distant past and bitterness about the present (and about the less distant past).
I believe Mad Max's point of view is one of a passionate fan who wants glory back to his favorite team. His point is that the best days have turned into nostalgia, that's the problem. I don't see where he claims that his fandom was superior.
From what fantasy did you uncork this gem? We "abused the coin-flip system?" How, exactly, did we do that? Do tell! We tied with another team for the worst record and broke the tie by flipping a coin. How is that abuse? If you are claiming we tanked, then fine... just say we tanked, but we did not abuse the freakin' coin toss. The Rockets lucked out, that's all. It wasn't rigged and I doubt that's what you're trying to say, but quit confusing some people. The league doesn't "rig" things to favor the Houston Rockets. If it's ever happened in the past, it certainly wasn't done to do a solid for the Rocks. That was some other team. I'll add something else. Those were great teams. The '85-'86 team had tremendous depth and was amazingly athletic. Our success was a team effort, with the icing on the cake made up of some tremendous luck.
As long as "a passionate fan" is allowed to cheer for the current team's performance, despite their limitations, without being called a "sheep" or someone who didn't remember the glory days, Max and you and whoever else can be passionate and nostalgic all you want.
will you still keep eyes focus on rox.....? yeah! i love this team forever. thank you yao,really, hard to say goodbye, big man. good luck!
I'm not asking you to concede anything. I was defending my own position, not asking that you share it. Superiority of my fandom? Please. That crap gets thrown at me because I dare to doubt Morey...because I suggest I'm not thrilled with Les. I'm not throwing any of that at you or anyone else.
As long as "a passionate fan" is allowed to criticize the current team's performance, because of their limitations, without being called a "fair weather fan" or a snob who lives in the past, you and whoever else can be passionate and cheer-lead all you want.
I seldom post something in this board，but now ，i can't stop the tears on hearing this news and reading comments about him，i suddenly realized something that l love this big man so deeply。。
Criticise all you want, but when you make ridiculous claims like comparing the team to the Bobcats and Clippers, don't expect people to agree with you. As for "snobs who live in the past," one risks appearing that way when one constantly talks about "99ers unite!" and "You kiddie YOFs know nothing, Jon Snow!"
I think I now have a better understanding of the disconnect between fans like Carl Herrera, Meh and others and folks like Deckard, MadMax, Tinman and myself. If I understand CH correctly, they really don't want or expect a championship caliber team from the Rockets. They are content to cheer for the uniform and the colors regardless of results which in the end also don't matter. They have become accustomed to a climate of progressively lowered expectations and thus are far more willing to accept a team with "limitations". I believe that this is the type of ideal Houston sports fan that Alexander, McClain and McNair want (and need) because by dismissing team performance from the equation, all accountability for that performance is dismissed as well. Fans who want their teams to actually win something every now and then can become downright hostile and turned off if an organization fails to put out a successful team every so often. Worse, they actually begin demanding answers as to why their beloved team organization is so inept when compared to its peers. And then the expectations start coming and with them comes the pressure to achieve something. Yikes! Who needs whiney, selfish fans like these? Those are the fans who will get fed up and ultimately find something else to cheer for or who will quit on your team altogether. But having a fan base who doesn't care about winning, how good your team was back in the "old days" or who demands excellence? Priceless. So what if the Rockets haven't done squat for 17 years? We still had Yao, TMac and now we have Morey and McHale to coach our d-leaguers and 2009 draft washouts. So what if San Antonio has won 4 titles since the Rockets last title? They still suck because they are in San Antonio. So what if Dallas just won their first NBA title? We won TWO 17 years ago. Suck on that Dallas. So what if an OKC has passed us in the standings and as an organization? They don't have Daryl Morey - the genius -as their GM. Suck on that OKC. I understand now: with fan attention directed elsewhere but on results, the turnstills keep turning, the merchandise keeps selling and years just keep rolling on by. This is a pro sports team owner's dream come true. Somewhere Les has to be smiling as he watches the yuans roll in.
1. Guess how many playoff series the Clippers have won since 1997. Now guess how many playoff series the Rockets have won since 1997. That was my only comparison between the franchises...playoff series victories. 2. I've never called people kiddie YOFs or 99ers unite. To the extent your remarks are directed to me, they're misplaced.
If you want to play the labeling game: I can't speak for others, but the disconnect is between me and you is between one who look at the NBA landscape objectively and who does not. Want a championship. Sure, everybody wants one. "Expect a championship"? There are 30 teams, 1 wins the title. Getting there requires both good management decisions and tremendous luck. Those of us who can look at thing objectively will criticise the team for poor decisions, but not for lack of luck. This is the difference between us. I will criticise a team over overspending on guys like Cato, Baron Davis, DeSagana Diop or building a train-wreck roster like the Wolves had. I did criticise the team for the firing of the last 2 coaches, Van Gundy and Adelman (though later I did like the replacements they hired). I will not, however, criticise a team for generic, and frankly, factually wrong stuff like "Hasn't done anything for the last 17 years" without considering the context. I'm not going to moan about the fact that Francis had his migraine a year too early, giving the team the #1 pick in 2002 instead of Lebron in 2003. I'm not going to blame Morey for the injuries to Yao and McGrady, two players who were acquired before he worked for the team. Also, some of these teams, from the Barkley squads to the 2008/2009 Yao/Artest squad, did do something, even if they fell short of the title, but of course, that's not enough for the championship caliber fans. You expect more, and, of course, your expectations and moaning on the internets and sports radio are what will eventually make Les Alexander wake up and bring the team a title that even us sheep will enjoy.
..................and so Hillboy goes right back into asserting that WE'RE the superior fans, and the rest of you sheep or YoFs who didn't grow up in the 80s are morons, content with this pathetic franchise. Not to mention Hillboy..... I really don't have any idea what you want. In general. We get a star to complement Yao and T-Mac? From what I've seen, you b****ed about it endlessly. We start a rebuilding process, get some young talent in hopes of that future star? You mad. Heck, if we went into an all-out tanking process, you'd probably go onto how we're no better than the Puppies or whatever. Under that guidelines, you're pretty much the Lakers, Celtics, Cavs, or you're no one. The Jazz? 2, in possibly the worst NBA year in a while. The Blazers? 0 since 2000. The Nuggets? 2, and we had a better performance against the Lakers then they did. The Hawks? Now, of course, we need to be up there with the Celtics or Lakers, and I'm sure we'll get there. But there is a gap between the Lakers and Clippers, and we're currently in that gap, and to say we're no better than the Bobcats is just a ridiculous overreaction.
Another thing that's been thrown around here is that you have to remember the glory days to know what's good. You don't. That's what bothers people about a certain group of "sheep" fans. While the other teams are winning championships, their star players are not hurt, and free agents flock to other destinations, you can understand the disappointment from any fan, Mad Max or the guy who joined in 2011. And don't point the finger at me because I like posting nostalgia, I go to the games once in awhile to support the Rockets. However, in the back of my mind I yearn for the days that we were true contenders. Don't act you don't notice that the "sheep" are speaking out of their "Baaahhhh" about basketball here. Also, we don't deserve anything we didn't earn.
