If the Rockets are so dumb for winning and all these other lottery teams so smart, why are they all back in the exact same place every year? Are you suggesting that we bench our young nucleus while they are getting good and developing chemistry? Hello! That's why all these other teams are in the lottery every year, because they don't have and don't know how to get what we are developing these last few weeks of the season. Do you really think the Nuggets "want the lottery pick" more than the Rockets? Their whole freaking roster is chalk full of top picks already. I can just hear them saying "one more pick, that's all we need to get us over the hump." We've got these great young players right under our noses, and people just want to keep adding more to fill some imaginary need. I really don't understand this view. This team is showing how good it can be these last few games, in only their first season together, and some people are mad because they're "too good". What's more important, learning how to win close games on the road, or learning how to lose to get a good draft choice? This team is learning and winning at the same time. Think what it will be like when they actually figure out how to play? ------------------
I gotta side with Freak. How in the hell can we give props to Denver or Golden State or all these other lottery teams for ANYTHING, let alone losing every game? We've already proven we have something more special than any of those teams. This year is a weak draft, anyways. It won't make much difference at all, except prove to ourselves that we can play together. ------------------ Jazzkiller
Well I think this year is an unusual situation, just as the year the Spurs tanked to get in the TD sweepstakes, or we did to get Hakeem some 15 years ago. We have also tanked when we had good teams if it furthered our playoff positioning. So let's not say tanking doesn't have its place or hasn't worked at times, because it has. Tank or no tank, the last thing I am worried about is our org and team getting a confused identity with the likes of perenial lottery fodder like the Clips, Warriors, Mavs and Nugs. Again, I trully believe we are on the up and up and this was the best oppertunity we have had, and will have for a long time, to earn such a low pick. A couple of extra L's to bad teams at this point in the season means a whole lot more in draft status than it means in terms of team confidence building. We already did that against the Sonics, Jazz and Blazers. Agreed that saying Denver tried to tank more than we did was out of bounds. They certainly were trying to win, we just beat them. I still think it has been a mistake to play Walt, SA and Stevie so much lately. We already know what they can do. IMO we should have used this time to test of players with more to prove and used new plays/sets, if we lost along the way, so be it. One good thing to the winning is I think Mobes should be excited and ethusiastic to play for us. Locking him up is absolutely the #1 goal for this offseason. If we can get a starter or very good back-up in the offseason via FA, even better. I am starting to think if we don't get extremely lucky in the lottery this year (Top 3) we should trade our best pick this year to a team with a good chance of being really, really bad next year--in other words trade our 11ish pick this year for next years unrestricted #1 of GS, the Clips, Bulls, or Bullets. Maybe we can get in the Woods, Mihm, Haywood, Swift, Morris & Battier sweepstakes next year. ------------------
maybe if there was someone in the draft worth something, like a Duncan, Id be inclined to agree with you. But this is not gonna be a stellar draft year anyways. There aint no clear cut franchise player. So why not try to learn to win now? ------------------ And with the number one pick in the draft, the Rockets select ... Khalid Al Amin?
I have come around. With as little left in terms of blue chippers, once we are picking outside of the 5th spot it doesn't make much difference. Let's prove to all free agents this is where they want to play, Go Rockets!! ------------------
I am sorry, we let our pride get in the way of what was best for our team in the long run. A win against good teams & hated rivals--that is good for the soul. A win because you need to keep the home fans happy, that is understandable too. But a win against a division dreg on their home court that likely cost us 2 or 3 draft slots when we are mathmatically out of the playoffs, that is just stupid, stupid, stupid!! The ironic thing is even the best of the Rockets teams often ended weakly. We always decided to coast the latter half of the regular season, even when our rivals were playing hard for seeding (which made a huge difference in all but 1 exceptional post-season). Why do we put the pedal to the metal with nothing at stake but giving us less draft options. Playing Francis, Walt and SA so much last night was just ignorant. OK now that I have that off my chest I'll try to think of something positive about it. Well, I thought of something. With the late season success perhaps it will make the Rockets conitinue to look like a team with rising stars and potential. This should enhance our chance next year to resign Mobley with an Early Bird, and be more attractive for a solid PF/C type to want to play for us given all else being equal (their best offers are the middle-class exemption). A solid PF/C would know he could earn decent $, have a starting job, and play with an exciting team on the up-and-up. Maybe this will be enough for Mo Taylor (I don't think he will get what he wants unless he intially signs with the Clips--staying with them or leaving via S & T; + he obviously has problems with Clip management so he might not want anything to do with them period), Joe Smith, Brian Grant (can't like how he is being treated in the Rose city), Amaeche, or the like. [This message has been edited by sir scarvajal (edited April 12, 2000).]
Yes I was serious. But I thought a little more about it and thought of at least a silver lining (see above post). Still, beating the McNuggets proves nothing except the Nugs want the draft pick more than we do. ------------------
