It started with Bud Adams and the old Oilers, then it infected the Astros when McLain bought the team. Now it has spread to the Rockets in Les Alexander. They take, but never give back to the city. What has happened to Carrol Dawson's canny ability to draft, and trade for talent? I could make better deals than the Rockets have made in the last 3 plus years! Cases in point: giving up 3 first round draft choices to acquire Eddie Griffin. Return - zilch! Assuming salaries such as the Glen Rice one, when he was clearly over the hill, and eventually getting in cap hell with players making huge salaries and not giving a like return on investment. To say that this team has underachieved lately is an understatement. Has Dawson lost his talent for talent? Or is he now just Les Alexander's yes man? Show and tell time has arrived. Whatever ails the Rockets had better be fixed or that big shiny new arena they call Toyota Center will begin to have no fans. No fans, no seats. It is a simple as that.
How can we judge these trades when a) Griff has had only two seasons under his belt, at the age of 19 and 20 and b) We haven't done anything with the trade exception we received, nor do we know what type of player(s) will be drafted with the picks we traded???
Codell come on, we all know that Les being too cheap to sign Brandon Armstrong and Jason Collins was the reason we got stuck with Eddie Griffin, Duh.
wah wah wah wah wah. Just watch the games, cheer for the team, and leave the management particulars to the managers. It's not like he traded Yao and Steve for future 2nd round picks. When you guys buy a NBA team for nine figures, then you can sign all the Glen Rice's and first round picks you want.
That's such horse****. People don't buy basketball teams to make money. There are better investments elsewhere. The only way sports teams are worth it is by purchasing them, letting them appreciate, then selling them. Alexander isn't hawking the team, is he?
eh... Carrol has made some pretty darn good decisions in the past, and has built some pretty good Rockets teams (at times, when he had little or nothing to work with). The Eddie Griffin thing looked good at the time - I remember being very excited about getting him. Eddie is a bust, but it wasn't CD's fault - that mistake woulda been made by any other manager. With the recent trades... I can't pass judgement until I see what those players do in a Rockets uniform. -- droxford
Sorry, I don't see it. Adams, yes. McLain, maybe. Les, no. He's the only owner that has rings under his belt (NBA/WNBA). Once you get a taste of success, you'll do anything to get that feeling back. Les, is a savvy business man, but he also LOVES winning!
Hey, when you are the Owner & Manager of the team then you will be able to change the way you do things with the team. But until you are the owner....stop complaining about pointless things.
I love when people bring up trading those three guys for Eddie Griffin like they'd have never done it when that day you were probably high fiving your buddy when it went down. I know I was watching the draft with my father and we certainly jumped up and high fived each other. Not to mention the jury is still out on Eddie. He's so young. How many good seasons has Jermaine O'Neal had? three? and he's 24. This is the year I expect Eddie Griffin to really show us what he's made of. It's his contract year and it's gotta come together. Have we made other bad draft choices? Yeah. Lots of them. But so have other teams. And what does that have to do with being cheap anyway? That's just bad decision making and everybody makes mistakes sometimes. Also, I'd suggest you read the article sports illustrated online put out today about the Rockets in which the author projected that the moves the Rockets have made in this offseason may have them finishing this season as high as the 4th seed. You're certainly entitled to your opinion, but my opinion is that you're wrong. The Rockets are making great moves considering they're not contenders just yet. I mean I'm sure you want them to sign superstars and such, but that just isn't that easy when you're not yet established as a contender. If superstars like Karl Malone, Gary Payton or Alonzo Mourning are going to ink a deal with a new team for less money (and these days, almost anytime a superstar leaves his current team he does so for less money unless it's a sign and trade) then you better believe that team is going to be in a good position to win a championship. That's why during our championship years and in the recent years thereafter we were able to make big deals like the ones for Drexler, Pippen and Barkley. Then able to sign players we believed to be talented role players like Shandon Anderson. In a few years you'll see the big names expressing interest in playing in Houston. The signs of it are already showing themselves. (like the ESPN article that believed Houston would be on the top of KG's wish list should he not re-sign with the Timberwloves. nevermind he already re-signed) Also, I love how when people talk about all the crap moves the rockets have made in recent years they never bring up the brilliant ones. Like the trade for Steve Francis or drafting Cuttino in the second round. Not to mention that while I'm pleased with the trade this week as is, when all is said and done if we use the trade exception as well as it could be used next offseason when perhaps a star player is looking for a sign and trade, then the trade this week may also go down in the books as an outright brilliant move. We'll see what tune you're singing then if such a thing should happen.
That's right. O'Neal started to dominate at his 6th year. Griff is a baby. He'll be a very good player. As long as he stays out of trouble.
If I remember, Eddie Griffin draft rights were acquired for Richard Jefferson, Jason Collins and Brandon Armstrong. Richard has become a stud with the Nets and was an integral part of their playoff run while Eddie has been in and out of Rudy's doghouse; he can be seen floating around the 3-point line when not riding the pine. I'd say that trade has been all Nets so far. Also, Bostjan Nachbar, Bryce Drew, Jason Collier (from Milwaukee), Rodrick Rhodes, and Mirsad Turckan haven't exactly lit up the NBA either. Kenny Thomas has done well, got resigned by 76ers, we got James Posey, then let him go to the Grizzlies (although I wouldn't have given him the contract the Grizzlies gave him). We've got nothing to show for that trade. That first round pick we gave to the Jazz for Fatboy "Double D's" Amaechi was too much. He's gonna ride the pine, hopefully the Jazz drafts an eventual scrub with that pick so it will lessen the blow. I say CD, RudyT, and the rest of the scouts better start visiting their ophthalmologists more regularly because they're slippin'. With track records like Sam Cassell, Robert Horry, and Cuttino Mobley, I know they can do better.
At least they didnt pick Jay Williams over Yao Ming? Remember everyone was saying Jay Williams was the real deal before the draft?
This thread sucks! I TOTALLY disagree. CD is doing a good job. The EG trade needs more time to develop, Cato and Mo-T are a little overpaid but a lot of guys in the NBA with around the same numbers are getting around the same money. He did mess up horribly with some draft picks such as, Turckan, Drew, not picking Lewis, Collier, Langhi, Maddox. Still great at gettin' trades done and is a great GM, imo.
Yao Ming was a no brainer. If they picked Jay over Yao, everybody on that staff should have been fired. Anyway, the Yao Ming/Jay Williams "what if" issue isn't as interesting as the ultimate "what if" topic: The Hakeem Olajuwon/Michael Jordan "what if". What if we drafted Michael instead of Hakeem? We already had Sampson, needed to get a guard to compliment him. I love Hakeem...but Jordan is Jordan. Back to CD...those glasses he wears aren't thick enough. It cracked me up when he tried to explain the post skills of Amaechi the other night when the trade was made. I could almost smell the manure from his mouth while he tried to talk up Amaechi.
One, Yao Ming was not a no brainer. The summer the Rox got the first round pick, I would say abut 60 - 80% of people on this very board didn't want Ming. Dunlevy enter the draft because he thought he had a better shot at being number 1 damn it. I was pulling hard for Yao but you wont believe some of the posts I've seen dissing the big fella. I remember arguing against everything from not being the next Bradley to he wont eat Cuttino because he's a 'cat' (yes, there were inappropriate remarks flying every where to). I'm glad that CD and RT had the balls to take a chance and it paid off. Remember, people were still laughing at him being crossed over by Marbury till he start to go 9/9 in the third week and then every one's on the wagon Two, I agree. this trade was to stay under the luxury and not benefit the team. And yes I am a little mad, (Les made between 25+ million dollars each of the last 2 seasons I belive). So what if he would end up loosing 10 mill this season, he'll get it back under luxury after Rice leaves next season. Bottom line, I don't like this trade.
This thread doesn't make any sense. You're slamming Les for the decisions that the basketball people (Rudy and CD) made. Rudy wanted Drexler. Les got it done. Rudy wanted Barkley. Les got it done. Rudy wanted Pippen. Les got it done. Rudy wanted Francis. Les got it done. Rudy wanted Griffin. Les got it done. I for one praise Les for letting the basketball people make the basketball decisions and staying out of the way. I'm not sure what the threadstarter is getting at...
Yao WAS a no brainer in the Rockets braintrust because: 1. His upside potential skills. (Actually, this was holding the staff back as they were only exposed to private workout tapes and international tapes of Yao. They couldn't get a good grasp of how good he was.) I'm sure they didn't want an asian version of Shawn Bradley and that had them wondering a bit. 2. Just as important (f not, MORE importantly), his potential marketability. George Postolos and Les were salivating on the idea of tapping the asian market. Gee, the new unis, the food selection at Compaq then/now with Toyota Center, the naming of Toyota Center...all point towards the marketing of the asian community. Next thing you know, they will have a free chopstick giveaway night at a home game this season. Jay and Dunleavy had skills coming in the draft, but didn't have the $$$ potential that Yao could bring in. If Rudy and CD had any doubts about Yao, I'm sure George and Les talked them into it.
I have no complaints about the money he's put into the team. He wants to win, and (until this past off-season) has been hands-off, letting his basketball people do their jobs. However, there are a limited number of teams, and this city just happens to be the place his toy is located. It cannot be denied that Les' former wife hated Houston. IMHO, he doesn't care much more for the city either. He doesn't live here, didn't keep a home here until he had too, took "Houston" off the uniforms, and probably would've been just as happy/happier had the referendum failed, and he been able to move the franchise.
