I'll third that Worrell-Van Gundy wish! Van Chancellor was the best color guy we've had, maybe ever. Wouldn't mind having VC back, if we can't get VG. Clyde just doesn't offer much content. Bull's ok, though some of his shticks (the ref-berating, eating, skiing, Mo-Town, and pun themes) are getting old. Van Gundy! Please!! Look, Les, when Clyde's on, I sometimes mute the tv.
Are you deaf? That's the only explanation I have for your comment. Or you're a jazz fan. Anyone hating on Bill is a butthurt tool. If you're a longtime Rockets fan, you DON'T hate on Bill Worrell.
I'm tired of homers that repeat the same tired lines game after game after game. I know because I've been a fan since 92. Give me Clyde Fraizer (I know he doesn't do play by play but still), Marv Albert or any of the LA announcers. NO MORE HOMERS!!
Clyde Frazier is so good. I love that guy. The problem with the Rockets is that you wanna have a guy with connections to the team, either as a former player or coach, come in and be the color guy. We've had a few guys come through with the wherewithal/talent, but unfortunately they've all moved on to bigger/better things. (Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, Jon Barry, JVG come to mind) So we've stuck with Drexler and Bull, who aren't going on to bigger/better things for a reason. (they suck) Calvin was our guy. He carried history, had pizazz, and had a keen eye for the game. I have no idea why they won't just bring him back. It would also be cool to see Rudy come back, but I don't get the impression he could keep up with the rigors of the schedule, and he may be permanently committed to the Lakers now. (which, by the way, is one of the great modern tragedy's of sports) Also, you could bring in another old guy like John Lucas (but he's currently an assistant for the Clippers) or Mike Newlin, but at this point the fans probably aren't really connecting with them. How bout Mario Elie? He's been on the coaching route for years, (currently an assistant with the Kings) but if that ever gets old, he's a fan favorite that I think could do a great job in the booth. Maybe Shane will retire soon and we can pick him up.
I'd love to see Calvin Murphy reunited with Bill Worrell, but, when Bill Worrell retires, I'd love to see a Calvin, JVG and Van Chancellor team calling the games. Calvin and Van Chancellor would provide the comic relief with keen insight into the game and players, and JVG would dissect the plays with a surgical skill. JVG has said broadcasting gives him intense basketball involvement but without the pressures and time consumption of coaching.
Both Lucas and Mario are good ideas, but as you said, they are still trying to make a career coaching in the league. JVG would be perfect, but absent Jeff, Calvin coming back would have me up and cheering!
No more homers? You want someone who is connected to the team. He's been with us since before the championship years and his "tired" lines are classic lines to many of us. I love Bill and would hate to see him go. Let's let him retire as a Rocket (and not too soon I hope).
It seems that right around the shark tooth dildo era, Les started pandering to kids and the lowest common intelligence denominator. Despite his wackiness, Calvin absolutely knew the game of basketball. He was an entertainer in part, but a teacher of the game through and through, often predicting OPPONENTS plays correctly. He had a love for the game even more than for the Rockets or Houston as a whole and I can appreciate that. I will never forget him seeking out (then) Chris Jackson before LSU played UT to give him pointers and advice on how to break a slump he was enduring. Jackson listened and went on to drop 52 that game. That's a teacher. We've moved away from that and now look for rah-rah guys, dancing bears, and guys that criticize the refs all game because that appeals to more casual fans that have less interest in the inner mechanisms of the game. I think that is the biggest tragedy in all of this. We used to have classic taglines ("How sweet it is!") that endured and represented our proud history. Now we just have a lot of shiny entertainment spoofs and b****ing. Whatever happened to teaching the game? As an aside, this is not so far off from paralleling the Yao Ming Era. Everyone in basketball that weren't blinded have known that Yao is not only difficult to build around, but difficult to rely upon. Yet, we chose to chase the dollar rather than chase history via more championships. We put money and the Chinese pearly gates above winning. In a nutshell, we've kind of lost our basketball priorities a long time ago, imo. I grew up learning about the game of basketball from not just my personal coaches, but by watching and listening to Rocket basketball! For the last decade plus, it has seemed more like watching a business symposium. Great for Les...horrid for true basketball fans.
I think it probably has something to do with him having 14 kids by 9 different women, and then allegedly having sex with 5 of his daughters. Maybe you don't care about those things, but some people do. I think Les wants people who are associated with the Rockets to be good upstanding individuals. I wonder how Worrell would feel about Calvin coming back? I think if Worrell pushed hard to bring Calvin back, then Les might do it. It could be that Worrell doesn't want Calvin to come back. Personally, I was perfectly happy with Van Chancellor, but he has a pretty good job at LSU, so I don't see him coming back at this time.
Are you kidding? My guess is that Bill would do cartwheels. Also, Calvin was acquitted of the charges relating to his daughters, and one of them, during the trial, was shown not to even be his daughter. It was the first time she ever found that out. Calvin knew and chose not to tell her. Why? Because that's what her mother wanted. Murph gets a bum rap for that entire deal, IMO. I'll repeat it... he was acquitted.
Well, I was just responding to someone who said, "I have no idea why they don't just bring him back". I know he was acquitted of the charges, but sometimes it's hard to come back after such ugly allegations. O.J. Simpson was acqiuitted also, but I didn't see a lot of people lining up to give him a job either. I'm not saying it's right, I'm just pointing out why Les may not want to bring him back. Also Les may be really disgusted by the whole 14x9 issue. It bothers some people, but not others. Also, I too believe that Worrell would love to have Calvin back, but I've never heard him say much about Calvin, other than comments about Calvin the player. If Les and Bill want to bring Calvin back, I don't have a problem with it, and I think it would probably be fun.
No problem. Unfortunately, a lot of folks don't realize that Calvin was acquitted. I think the deal breaker here is Les. If Les wanted Murph back, then Murph would be back, as I have no doubt that he'd love to have the gig again. (sigh) I love Clyde, but as a color guy, he drives me round the bend!
agreed. i love bill worell. i'm 36 and can remember way back when he was teamed up with mccoy mclemore. worell is and always will be the voice of the rockets. i would even go so far as to say he deserves a statue outside toyota center next to olajuwon.
Ok.. Let me go ask Scola..brb Back:... I ask Scola and he said. "Bill" ? ..... "Oh.... yeah he good". Then I asked Scola about Kix.....He said.. "Kix" ? ....... "WHAT IS KIX" ? ...... So I told him. Then he said.. "Oh....They ok" There you have it folks. Bill Worrell and Kix have been Clutch BBS tested and Scola approved. zzpot puff puff
The Bill Worrell Appreciation Thread http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=137427 zzpot puff puff :grin:
I think the "allegations" argument is pretty tired, and I really don't agree with it. For one thing, anyone paying attention knows he was acquitted a long time ago. For that matter, if people aren't paying attention, would they even know about the charges? And even if they do, people are incredibly forgiving in the sporting community. Nobody talks about Marv Albert's scandals anymore, and those were huge national news. Albert's voice is practically synonymous with NBA basketball. To me, Calvin Murphy is synonymous with Rockets basketball.
The only way Calvin is brought back is if new ownership takes over. It's apparent Les doesn't like Calvin for one reason or another, he fired Calvin only to bring him back due to public outcry. The allegations were a convenient excuse not to bring him back. I heard on NBATV once that Bill Worrell is one of the best PBP guys around the league, so take that for what it's worth. He's a colorful Sam Malone/lothario gin and tonic type of guy, but he just seems natural at calling Rockets games, I can't think of Rockets TV being called by any other person that evokes the history and tradition like him. He may not have the mystique or tenure like Gene Peterson (which both of them called games together before Jim Foley took over), but he is about as synonymous with Rockets basketball.
