Agreed. My question to you is, in your honest opinion, do you think there is anybody on our roster as is, that can turn into a big endorsement superstar?
I think Parsons has alot of national appeal. More than most people might think. Im not just talking about looks. I think its in the Rockets best interest to get him in front of the camera as much as possible.
Yea I would say Parsons too. It seems like they are definitely headed that direction as far as marketing goes. His skills should get better next season too
The main difference, I think, is that the Hornets got to trade a healthy Chris Paul for Eric Gordon the 10th pick of the draft. The Rockets, on the other hand, did not have the chance to realize any value in return for the two stars they lost (other than what they got for Tracy McGrady as an expiring contract) because those guys were lost to injury and not to just wanting out. The Hornets also got lucky that (1) Eric Gordon was injured all year, enabling them to tie for the 3rd worst record in the league, and (2) with a 13.7% chance of winning, they won #1 draft pick in draft where there is one clear top player.
About the whole "fierce urgency of now" thing: No reasonable front office should ever admit to having any urgency to do anything in particular in a hurry whether it is the truth or not. This is how you make mistakes and hurt your ability to make deals. When you act like your house if on fire, you get fire sale prices for what you are trying to sell. I very much doubt what Morey and Brown said is really motivated by PR reasons vis-a-vis fans. Fans decide whether to buy tickets or not and whether to watch the team on TV or not based on the quality of products they see in November to April (and hopefully beyond) and not based on a few quotes in a random Feigen article published a few days before the NBA draft. Most fans aren't even paying attention to Rockets-related Feigen articles right now (remember, we here are not the majority) and, whatever little effect that it may have, it will be overridden by much more important factors by the time the season opens (i.e. who they actually draft, which players they trade for or sign, how the team looks in their preseason or early season games). And this is assuming that the effect that the article has on fan interest is even positive (some of us here sure don't seem to like it). Basically, the story is that (a) Feigen asked a few stock questions about how urgently the Rockets are trying to make moves and (b) because they don't want to desperate to their potential trade partners, the Rockets gave expected stock answers that they don't feel pressured to make a deal on any particular time table. It may or may not be the truth, but it's the only reasonable thing to say in their situation.
I agree with alot of your sentiment on the Rockets situation and enjoy your take on where they or shouldn't take the team, but there was one big significant thing the Hornets had that the Rockets didn't. The Hornets had Chris Paul as a massive trade chip. The Hornets were just as guilty of making short sighted moves even last season, mind you the same season that they decided to pull a tank job. They made moves like signing Carl Landry when he did nothing for their longterm rebuilding process. Whose to say if Kaman, Gordon, Jack, and Okofor all stayed healthy last season then they wouldn't have actually had a better record then the Rockets? The only difference is after the all-star break when all was lost, they decided to get Monty Williams on board with literally fixing games to lose on purpose. No way in hell you get a coach like McHale, and high character players like Scola on board with something like that. McHale alone has too much to lose coming off of his coaching reputation in Minny. At the end of the day, the Hornets were lucky to draft Chris Paul instead of Marvin Williams or Ray Felton in 2005, and they got lucky enough to strike gold in this years draft. What were their odds of winning the lottery...12 or 13%? All of their chips fell into the right place at the right time, and the Rockets continued their streak of bad luck. Look, Im not sitting around wishing and hoping that the Rockets just get lucky. I just hope they keep on putting themselves in as many situations as possible to get lucky. We all know that they aren't going to be truely bad enough with the quality of young players that are on the roster, and they dont have a coach who will coach to lose. Going into next year I hope we can just cross that one off the list. I know you really wanted the Rockets to try to lose out last season, but I really hope this next season there is another tone we can take so we dont have a fanbase that is creating more and more DD's every day. Its embarasing to be honest.
Something tells me that in the future they will be saying the same thing about Davis.... Gone on to a new team without a ring and the Hornets will be back praying to hit it big in the lotto. Nothing to do with what I think of Davis, everything to do with how much luck I believe they still are going to need to have everything fall in place.
Also, if there is one city that probably deserves a little bit of luck its gotta be New Orleans. The Rockets have had their share of blind luck in the past 30 years.
Gordon, Kaman, Aminu and the 10th pick was a good haul... but it wasn't the reason they got a good pick. It just was the start to their rebuilding -- the poor season netted them the pick, and any team can plan to have a rebuilding season. New Orleans did, and they struck gold. Had they not landed #1, they still would have been guaranteed a very good pick ... the kind of pick the Rockets are looking/hoping/praying to be able to aquire for some of their assets. Agree it takes some luck to get the top prize to accelerate the rebuilding... however, the Rockets also are depending on luck, just on a much different course. They want to acquire a superstar and have no clue who would want to play here or which teams will suddenly need to deal a superstar (and want what the Rockets are selling). Of course, nothing is preventing the Rockets from taking that SAME route (hoping to trade for a superstar) while developing young talent and picking up good draft picks. That's how Boston did it. That's how the LA Clippers have done it. That's how Brooklyn did it in landing Deron Williams. Well, I say "nothing" is preventing them from doing it -- clearly something is preventing them from taking that course... we just can't say why with 100% certainty. We just know it is ownership's decision. They will go hard for Dwight. Falling short of that, we likely will be asking the same questions and debating the same topic.
Very good discussion. I am not sure which approach is better at this point. For the past few months i have been a pro tanker but it just seems like we might be able to trade for howard and roll the dice with him. At this point i don't have a solid stance either way.......i just want to see this team acquire that big name superstar one way or another.
It is funny how all of you guys are listing the "great" teams we didn't play this year and how Rockets management says that is the reason for ticket sales being low. If we didn't play the top teams this year, how come we missed the playoffs? I'll answer that for you....we suck
1. Agree that the Rockets approach also takes luck. Luck is always a big part of trying to build a contender no matter how you go about it. 2. I don't know if New Orleans "planned" to tank as much as Eric Gordon's injury caused them to stink. I suppose one might think that New Orleans sat Gordon out intentionally but kind of doubt it since Gordon probably would not agree to take part in such a conspiracy in his contract year. And Monty had his guys play very hard too. Anyhow, I think they really just got lucky that Gordon was injured and then again when the ball bounced their way. ' 3. I agree having a 2nd to 6th pick is still a very nice asset to have. Just pointing out that the Hornets are looking extra good compared to say, the Bobcats or the Kings to a large degree due to the 1st pick and the other still high picks. 4. One of the main things that prevented the Rockets from tanking is the (surprisingly good) development of some of their young players. Specifically, if guys like Lowry, Dragic, Parsons had not exceeded the expectations that one could reasonable have had for them at the times of their acquisitions, the Rockets probably would have a much worse record and probably would have tanked. I mean, without Lowry exceeding Brooks' level of play, without Dragic filling in capably for the injured Lowry (we all thought the Rockets were dead in the water when Lowry went down) and without Parsons becoming a starter as a 2nd round pick rookie, the Rockets season probably would have gone into the tank even with vets like Scola and Martin on the roster. Not sure what the Rockets should have done: Not acquire these guys? Sit them down or trade them (probably for less value in return) as soon as they show any sign of being good?
The truth will set us free....and like the poster above, I wish we could rid ourselves of "Less" Alexander. Yes, and I would like to know what the "plan" is.
Clutch, I thought we discussed this already and then then broadcast for public consumption! This was essentially my response on the podcast. (Nice work saying it better than I did, CH!) If Gordon is healthy last season, the Hornets go into this draft most likely with two MID-lottery picks and a dour Gordon probably looking to get out of New Orleans. Given the relative shape of the rest of their roster, I wouldn't say that puts them in much better shape than Houston.
Yeah well the future seems uncertain because Morey has put the team in that position. That means right now his time here has been a failure. Up to this point it has. So far. Now unless Morey fanclub can get that concept? I dont care about their response. Failure until he does something. ANYTHING to say otherwise.
I think the "plan" is to make money while hollering about wanting to build a champion as a distraction. It reminds me too much of Drayton McClane.
why uncertain? Mediocrity is almost guaranteed. not going to watch any Rockets games. that's one more thing to be certain.
