That may be, but if he sells the Rockets it won't be for any of the reasons discussed in this thread.
Wow, way too many arguments there that are subjective opinions and not based on the results. -You're main argument is basically that the Rockets should have kept the core of role players they had around Dream with Horry, Cassell, Herrera, Thorpe for years even though they were drastically underachieving before the Drexler trade and were in jeapordy of even making the playoffs in order to compete with one other team in the West that wasn't even a major contender until 2 years later??? Wow, dont know where to begin with that one. How many teams have been succesfull by trading for an all-star as opposed to drafting one?? Quite a bit actually. Alot of the trades in the past were forced by the players hand but there have been quite a few. Kareem, Shaq, The Boston big 3, Bosh & Lebron to Miami in S&T(success yet to be seen), Wilt, Bill Walton, etc. just off the top of my head. Players get traded and move in free agency all the time. Houston might not be the most glamourous city in the world, and its not LA/Miami, but it has been in the top portion for NBA players in the past, and they have had no problem attracting big names in the past like Barkley, Drexler, Pippen, Elvin Hayes etc. Plus, the tax implications allow players to earn a higher amount due to state tax which can take away as much as 8% of your income in certain states. Plus warm weather, upcoming downtown urban areas, etc. HOUSTON IS NOT THAT BAD. Why do so many ex NBA players want to live in Houston after retirement??? Only the past two seasons has free agency interest been at an all time low. You know why?? Its because the Rockets are rebuilding their roster, and top free agents want to win a title now. Thats it. When the Rockets are considered contenders again in the future, then it wont be an issue. The Rockets are not even a full season away from Yao Ming being "the Cornerstone of the Franchise". Take a deep breath and just enjoy the youth movement with the Rockets for the next year or two. You can blame Les all you want, but you are seriously downplaying alot of past success and legacy that has been built under the Rockets organization in the past, and the past speaks to the future.
The NBA, where most owners are losing money, and Les Alexander is all about profits. Hmmm... Seems like he would sale the team if that was all it was about. The OP's opinion is ridiculous. We traded the future for Barkley as to not waste the last few years of Dream and Drexler. Sam Cassell/Robert Horry weren't going to lead us to titles. Signing Pippen turned out to be a mistake, and was really done to replace Drexler. And FWIW, we did 31-19 with him. How often do NBA teams trade stars for reasons other than an inability to re-sign them? When I think about teams tearing it all down and rebuilding, I think of the Bulls. It didn't pay off.
I seriously doubt that Hakeem fake an injury out of the blue for a contract. If that was his means of getting a contract, I'm pretty damn sure he had some (valid) reasons.
It really isn't. Be careful for what you wish for...if the Les really did express his desire to sell this team, several things would happen: 1. Management would be in disarray and will look for an overhaul. A search for a decent coach when we're better is easy. A search for a good GM who doesn't bite on stupid trades? Sounds difficult. 2. Players would be distracted and probably traded every year to stay under the cap. (but I guess we're going through that now) No good free agent would ever want to come here knowing the players were always on egg shells. 3. What if the new management wants to move the team?
What does the IPad, Hakeem, and sitting next to Les have to with Charlie Thomas? A simple misunderstanding, I'm sure.
I think Alexander has been an awful owner. It isn't a matter of what he hasn't or has spent. At times he has been extravagant and other times cheap. I just think that he doesn't know what he is doing sort of like Jerry Jones, who thinks he is a football genius and is really a dufus. The proof is in the results and Alexander hasn't had results. He inherited two championships, but it has been largely down hill since then. Other teams have built and rebuilt and gone through several playoff cycles. The Rockets keep shuffling the deck without appreciable progress.
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/MtsmuVA0m7c" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> The Rockets are caught in a trap and they can't walk out.
It's rare to see a thread-starting post on ClutchFans that is this totally well thought out, and yet so full of WRONG. Rockets Jones, I don't know whether to applaud you for making a sterling effort or to ridicule you for being so completely and utterly inane. So I'll do both. Kudos to ya regardless.
No, Yao might have retired in 2011, but he was finished two years before that. I knew it, many here knew it, but Les couldn't bring himself to give up the Golden Goose, so we got two plus years of silliness, such as the 24 minutes per game nonsense. The rebuilding should have officially begun the day after the Rockets lost to the Lakers. Since then, the org has been running in circles, 30 months of hamster wheels, treadmills, and "Les just wants to win a championship" BS. Do you see all those empty seats Les? Do want to fill them? Then quit acting like Drayton and rebuild. Nothing gets fans excited more than watching a young star develop their game. You want the next Rubio, Les? You want the next Blake? Then order Morey to tear the roster down and rebuild, because that's how you get those type of players.
I don't really think it's about money for Les. He's included cash to make deals go down and he's bought a number of long-shot draft picks. These aren't what you'd expect to see from an owner. Even the lux-tax moves were more about prudence than cash. Besides, I can hardly believe that the attendance for a .500 team is that much better than for a .300 team. Instead, it's about philosophy. Les has said in many interviews that he hates to lose, and I believe it. Nobody likes to lose, but for some people, it's unbearable. We all know people like this - whether they're cursing a blue streak in the middle of a rotten game of golf or sullen for hours after a bad beat in poker, they just can't enjoy themselves if they aren't winning. Assuming Les isn't lying, this is probably why he won't let Morey rebuild. He's old, and he may not live to see the fruits of his rebuilding efforts. Why suffer through more losses than wins to build towards a future you might never experience? Why not just try to win as many as you can each season?
No owners are losing money in the NBA. They MIGHT operate at a deficit some years (and you'll never convince me that's actually TRUE), but I really doubt anyone has purchased a franchise, kept it for a while, then sold it at a loss. Even big-spenders like Cuban make money when the value of their franchises keeps going up year after year.
OP is a cherry picking moron and should STFU. I don't want to waste any more time responding to such a ridiculous thread. One star.
You do realize that if Les could convince the big stars to come to Houston he would happily take the tax hits to win championships. Les Alexander can never be accused of caring more about profits than winning. He wants to win plain and simple because that's where the money is. There is no guarantee that tanking will bring you the franchise players you need. There's way too much luck involved.
And, if Les was doing everything strictly for profit, wouldn't he order Daryl to make this team terrible in order to get a star player to rack in the profits? I'm guessing the moron who started this thread didn't consider that.
