[J.Solomon] Hi-Kwality Sportswriter Refuses to Praise with Non-Hi-Kwality Team

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What was Solomon's prediction before the season for many games we'd win?

 

shhhh, don't want to get too popular around here

 

"The return of Yao isn't enough to make this team a contender."

word.

 

Let's go over this.
Haywood was perhaps possible, but as far as I understand, we did go after him and Butler. Dallas's offer trumped ours, however, so we didn't get it, and Haywood is not some world changer.

Hibbert's not leaving the Pacers. Period. Especially since I think Granger is seriously overrated.

Dalembert. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Serious? Do you not remember any of the discussions for Iggy this whole year? Dalembert is ludicrously overpaid. And that's not going into the fact that Morey offered McGrady+Chase for Iggy+ Dalembert and Philly declined. Given the state that franchise is in and their desperation to get rid of their dumb contracts, there is no flipping way I would add more than that.

Hawes? What, you think Morey didn't extract enough from that Kings trade?

Noah. While you're at it, why don't you ask why Morey failed to get Bogut or Howard? He was just as likely to get those guys, as Chicago has made it pretty damn clear they are not trading the kid.

Bottomline? Having a tall guy would be nice, and it's clear Morey made moves, and we did get a big who has an asston of potential. But there's zero reason to gut the team, go after veteran big, and lose in the first round of the playoffs without having something to look forward to in the future.

 

How does this guy even get a job as a sports writer? That's what baffles me...

 

I don't think it's a cheap shot at all. Solomon is saying this season was a failure if Yao doesn't come back strong next season and if the pieces Morey acquired don't help make us contenders. He's absolutely right. Solomon even says that Morey didn't go after certain centers, perhaps smartly because it may have been the best decision NOT to go after some of the centers out there this last season. Only time will bear that out but we certainly would have been a better team, perhaps a playoff team, with a legit presence at center.

We give Morey a lot of credit for his moves, heck I get a kick out of who he's going to rob next but the bottom line is that franchises and GM's are judged on wins and loses. Morey can nab the most amazing 2nd rounders and make great trade after trade but if our best players are hurt all the time and we don't win for whatever reason then it doesn't mean a damn thing. It's all about winning and we haven't won much of anything in a LONG damn time.

 

Bravo! QTF!

While Morey has done a nice job of aquiring great players in the draft and through trades his grade so far is incomplete.

He will only get an A if he gets us to the promise land, and next year is basically a do or die season for him.

 

great post!

 

The problem is he took everything out of context. Sure 42-40 isn't good enough, but those 42 wins were made without Yao Ming and Mac. Exactly
how was the team going to win 50 games with 70% of its capspace out of action? Is DM somehow to blame for not getting LBJ or Dwade? Balance of reason's totally out of the window with his article.

What I really hated was how angry or upset he seemed to be: "OMG only 42 wins without Tmac and Yao? Die DM Die!!!". Of course he conveniently disregarded the fact that Yao will be back next year and we got a boatload of assets for trading Mac away. These assets will take some time to bear fruit so obviously this SEASON we won't see the benefits of the moves DM has made, but only an idiot can't see that NEXT season we will be in the position to become one of the top teams in the league again. That's why everyone is happy with DM. Most teams who lose their top 2 guys take forever to reload, we did it in just one season. Solomon can't even see past us not making the playoffs this year. He's an idiot pure and simple. I hope DM bans his access to all rocket related functions.

 

Maybe he is already getting heat from his boss for being mediocre himself

 

LOL, did we read the same article?

"The Rockets' season is over — dead if you will — and unfortunately we come to bury Caesar, not to praise him."
-Does this look like "The season is a failure if Yao Ming doesn't come back healthy next season"? It seems to me his position was to call this season a failed one right from the start.

What's the point of getting to the playoffs if we get ousted in the first round? You can't go ahead and get a legit center without giving up assets, assets which may have gotten you a shot at Dwade, Bosh or even LBJ. We would have been a better team THIS season, but NEXT season and the seasons after that would that be true as well?

You can't wish for short-term success and then blame management for not creating a team that can win the championship. Sacrificing our assets to get in the playoffs this year would have resulted in the lack of championships which you ironically whine about.

As for blaming DM for Tmac and Yao's fragility, well both of them were already here when he arrived. He already shipped Tmac's ass out for good quality talent, and stuffed the roster with good talent so we won't have to rely on Yao Ming anymore (Brooks, Scola, Martin etc.). What more do you want?

 

Solomon's work needs to be banned in Clutchfans... Pure garbage douche.

 

There are short term and long term goals every year. Our short term goal was to make the playoffs and give our young players playoff experience. We could have traded for or perhaps signed a center this year and perhaps made the playoffs but we didn't and MAYBE that was a smart decision because we may have been forced to overpay our out bid someone and maybe it wasn't a smart decision. You don't know the answer to that for sure and nobody will know the answer to that for a while. We didn't reach the playoffs which was our goal and thus this season, though we had great play from several players and potentially acquired a valuable second scorer, is a failure in that regard. Our long term goal was to piece together a talented cast that could complement Yao's return and put us back at a contender status. That grade is still out. You can paint the season however you want but it was a 42 win season and we missed the playoffs. If some of Morey's non-moves and trades/picks turn out great next year and we go deep into the playoffs then it will have been a building block season that we can live with. If Yao comes back and breaks his foot after a month and we miss the playoffs again then this season was a double failure and people on this very board will be calling to break up the team.


Sacrificing our assets to get in the playoffs this year would have resulted in the lack of championships which you ironically whine about.

This is just fan lip service. Like we're holding all these "assets" that are going to bring us all these future championships. Gimme a break. You could add Bosh and Yao to this team and still conceivably never sniff a conference final. This isn't fantasy basketball.

 

Considering our fast start, many felt we would make the playoff after we netted the Kevin Martin deal. Couple that with the second half of the season was the weaker half, things were looking up. A few key injuries here and there we slipped a few games. In the tough west where a couple games can cost you a playoff spot.

 

a. it's not an article

b. it's pure jerome "let me say something outlandish/negative/r****ded" soloman trash

 

LOL no, YOU gimme a break. Making the playoffs was indeed a short-term goal, but it wasn't our major short-term goal. Our prime concern was reloading after the Mac-Yao Ming era, and that's what DM prioritized. Young players? What young players, before this season our young players consisted of Aaron Brooks and 26 year old Carl Landry, not exactly people who haven't been to the playoffs before.

Obviously you can't guarantee championships, but going the short-term route almost always destroys your chances of getting one. Look at the Cavs, they have been going all-in every single year since LBJ's rookie year, and this year if LBJ leaves them they'll have old guys like Shaq, Big Z and Antawn Jamison as their core for the future. Sure we could have traded for Butler and Haywood instead of Martin, Hill and the picks, but Butler has been on a downward spiral and we were going nowhere even with Haywood on the roster. Is the prospect of a firstround beatdown by the Lakers really more appealing than a low end lottery pick?


Again, blaming Morey for the Rockets' past failures is joke because guess what, he got saddled with a franchise built around two fragile players. DM has done an admirable job with the chips he's been given and if you can't even see that, then you don't know a good GM even he if slaps you in the face. This season has been one of the best seasons the Rockets have had in terms of management moves, esp. when you consider the roster before this season, and after this season. To call this season a "dismal failure" leaves me speechless on how clueless people really are.

Why don't you go follow some other franchise that wins the championship every single year, it seems that's the only team that'll fit with your expectations

 

Most of our team is fairly young. You mentioned ab and landry.

Ariza:24
Budinger: 21
Hayes: 26
Lowry: 24

Our old players consist of Scola and Anderson both of which have less than 3 years. There's also Battier at 31.

 

The point is that Morey KNEW during the summer he was going to be without T-mac and Yao and acquired David Andersen to replace Yao. I mean, that was a really awful move you must admit and deserving of criticism.

Yes, we can all worship morey the master, but what he has done is acquire a bunch of very good role players and one 2nd tier star in Martin. Brook is good, but we needed a center - someone who could be phsyical, clog the lane and be a defensive anchor, and we got David Andersen who was just useless.

I like Morey - but that doesn't mean he's above criticism, just like it doesn't mean T-mac is below praise.

This team is not going to contend with just adding Yao. Sure, we might win 50 games and make the playoffs, but there's no way. Yao can't play as many minutes, and Scola as good as he is, doesn't dominate the paint enough. A Bosh would definitely change that. So with a dominating small forward who can be a playmaker.

I think Morey has laid a fantastic foundation for the future, but to win in the playoffs you do need the ultra talented guys...and I agree that right now Yao + Brooks + Martin just doesn't sound like a trio that's going to get us into the WC finals.

I think the article is just saying that - nothing more.