One of the things that keeps me a Rockets fan is that we are never "losers". At least least not losers in the Washington Wizards sense or Golden State sense. Last years team being just one example of many in the Morey era. What I mean by this is that we just don't give up. We don't bring in players that are typically brands unto themselves and don't suffer the fools who think they are bigger than the team. I think about John Wall for instance, don't get me wrong he's a great player, but I would hope that if he was on the Rockets we'd have already made it to the playoffs the last two seasons. I watch and listen to the Rockets vs Wizards and I'm just overwhelmed by the sense that we were playing a team that had already lost it's pride. Despite our often undervalued roster we compete hard. Harder often than teams that have more firepower or name recognition. This is why I'm a Rockets fan. I started the first year we became champions. I was living in Chicago and the Rockets were on top. I loved it. I was home sick and my team was champion. But I've stayed a Rocket fan because of our fight. Our underdoggedness. I love that about us. I suspect Morey has a metric for this. That he has some column just east of rebound and to/assist ratio and it has something to do with playing hard and playing smart, even when losing. I loved Kyle Lowery. I loved it that the Memphis third stringer became the player he did on our team. Diamond in the rough. I am also glad that we have let his complaining "I'm bigger than the coach" attitude and brought in Jeremy Lin. Lin being someone who seems to personify being the underdog, the value of hard work, intelligence and humility. I can't wait to see who he becomes as our point. I suspect he will never front the coach during a game or in public. I don't know if this is the year that we truly "suck", but from the sound of the rooks I like what I hear. I know we are young but I like it that our players believe. As long as they believe I will believe. As long as they play to win I will be a Rocket fan. Win or lose.
Yep, we're not losers because we don't have a front office or an owner that's stupid. The Rockets are a smart organization and I have faith in this team because it is owned and operated professionally.
I'm so tired of hearing about "not bringing in players that are all about themselves" blah blah blah. Guess what thats not by choice. I have news for you guys no team wins a ring with a team full of shane battier's. Stop making morey seem like a genius and stop acting like our organization is holier than thou. It's not athletes jobs to be the greatest people in the world their job is to play hard and win. You guys really get off on having "the underdog team who plays super hard" but is average every year. Guess what, this is professional sports and their are multiple selfish/egomaniacs on EVERY winning team....
Such as San Antonio? Is that the winning team you meant with all of the selfish/egomaniacs you are referring to?
I'd like to know why you follow the Rockets? What appeals to you about them? I like that we don't compromise our organisation for individual player drama. Getting Hamstrung by ego players like Washington has for the past few years with Arenas and now Blatche. Having a team in the mould of the recent San Antonio team is not only a proven way to success but also allows for fans to really root and get passionate about a blue collar team doing work
I agree, for the last 10 years, through TONS of adversity, we've had a winning attitude and a winning expectations. I'm just hoping this doesn't change due to 110% roster turnover...
Good post. I feel like the only time its acceptable to lose a lot of games is when you already have players with potential that need PT to get better and gain experience. I don't like seeing teams lose games and have a roster of nobody's to gain that player and I'm glad that we don't. Our teams up until now have played hard and have been scrappy. I always associated that with Lowry and Scola. Now that they are gone I hope we have players that still embody that mentality.
Its funny you use the Wizards as a premise to feel better about the Rockets. The Wizards Have been to three championsips, as opposed to the Rockets 4, going 1-2 while the Rockets are 2-2. The Bullets havent been champs for over 40 years. The Rockets haven't been champs for almost 20 years. Its kinda splitting hairs isn't it? Well lets look at the Rockets FA pickups and trades the last 15 or so years. Charles Barkley (by a lot of accounts he skipped practices, wasn't in shape, and fueded with Drexler on and off the court) Scottie Pippen Mo Taylor Stromile Swift Tracy McGrady Steve Francis (yes he had heart but was a knucklehead who did things like attend superbowl parties remember this? http://www.chron.com/sports/rockets/article/Blinebury-Francis-lets-teammates-down-with-1485682.php) Trevor Ariza T Will Ron Artest (yes he rocked as a Rocket but seriously you can't say he didn't "think he was a star bigger than a team, or he isn't a knucklehead) You would be wrong if you thought John Wall would of made the playoffs with the Rockets over the last two years. Agreed. Its great to be a Rockets fan. Lets just try to have a little perspective. I won't argue why you are a Rockets fan. I just wanted to rebutt the fact that you used a team like the Wizards as a sort of laughing stock example. Since 97 the Rockets have one playoff series win. The Wizards have ONE playoff series win. The Wizards haven't been to the playoffs since 2008. The Rockets haven't been to the playoffs since 2009. Since 97 the Rockets missed the playoffs 7 times the Wizards have missed the playoffs 11 times. If the Rockets don't pickup Dwight this year and have no luck with Free agency over the next few year, it will take some years for the Rookies to develop into playoff contenders. The Wizards have John Wall, Just picked up maybe the best pure shooter in Bradley Beal the number three pick, Grabbed Nene, Okafor, and Ariza. They are going to be vastly improved this year and if Beal progresses nicely I believe they can sneak into the playoffs this year. Right now their immediate future looks much brighter than the Rockets and they have potentially an amazing one two puch of Beal and Wall to go along with a lot more D with Ariza, Okafor, and Nene. I wouldn't be surprised at all if they surpass the current Rockets team in wins for the next few years.
san antonio is the rarity. Beyond them name me a team. I'm a rockets fan because I have been since I was a kid and that won't change whether we win a championship or go 0-82. My whole point is you guys are acting like we are REALLY CHOOSING to avoid these type of players when in reality they don't want to come here. I have no problem with our guys and I love the way the compete. But you guys literally GET OFF on having this type of "hard working average team with no egos" and thats not reality. Y'all are no different than those superior academic schools that say, "oh we don't get star recruits because we care about character". Well I know players who have went to those schools, and they could give a s*** about character the fact is recruits don't want to go there. You're saying this about a team who would give up everyone and their mom for the biggest diva in the league.....
First off Hak34, thanks for really reading the post. Your points are good and I agree with your analysis. It's hard not to because you made an excellent case. However, I'm afraid I was misunderstood a bit, especially on the Wizards. My use of the Wizards was really only because of the strong impression they made on me over the last few seasons. I really like Wall so I paid closer attention to the team than I have since the days Bernie Bickerstaff was the coach and they were the Bullets. My impression over the last two seasons, and note I use the word "impression", was that they had no leadership. They felt lost to me and the play seemed to be very selfish. More stat padding than anything. I'm not saying that's the truth. It's just my impression as a fan. It also made me feel glad to be a Rockets fan. I appreciated it that I had little memory of ever rooting for a group of quitters. The only time I can remember is when McGrady "gave up" during the Toronto game a few years back. Most of the Rockets fans on this board know the game I'm talking about as I'm sure you do to. As far as your examples about Barkley and Pippen, those were before Morey but I think my point still applies. They might have been star sized egos but they had earned their reputations and we took a chance in pursuit of another championship. As far as the Ariza and the T-Will experiment, all I have to say is where are they now? I don't blame Morey for the Ariza trade. He didn't work so we traded him for Courtney Lee and moved on. I think we won that trade. And as for T-Will...well...http://rockets.clutchfans.net/1097/houston-rockets-terrence-williams-trade/ Again, thanks for reading my words so closely and thoroughly. I owe you one at least.
You might be right about us giving up our mom for the biggest diva in the league. I was gonna be PISSED if we traded for Carmello Anthony. I don't know him but he seems kinda douchie. Who is the biggest diva now? If you mean Howard I think you're wrong. And from the sound of the David Aldridge article we only want to give up one of our first round picks, take on one of their ugly contracts, and give up one of our future first round picks. I didn't see anything about "everyone and their mom" being considered. My mom doesn't play ball and my wife and I just had a baby so I don't think she'd agree to a trade to Orlando. You want me to name a team other than San Antonio as a good example? The Rockets. Maybe the Thunder. The Bulls seem pretty solid. I hate to say it but Dallas. The owner has probably a bigger ego than any of their players. Also, you seem kind of angry that I like being a Rockets fan.
The mediocrity the Rockets had reminds me of the 8-8, 8-8, 9-7, 6-10 season that the Texans...following that trend...that means the rockets are gonna be terrible this season...and get back to the playoffs next season... ...yes im definitely smoking something...
Its funny you posted this backward. A while back I started thinking about the Rockets, where they are, and where they are headed. Like you, two other teams came to my mind. The Warriors and the Sonics. Instead I wondered to myself if the Rockets were the 90's version of these teams. Both Successful for a small period and now are considered also rans by fans of the rest of the league for decades. I wondered how many times people lump the Rockets into the same also was category. Realistically speaking the Rockets have won ONE playoff series since 97. Holy crap I mean as fans of the Rockets we probably would belittle a fan of another team who's team has been so atrocious over the last 15 years. The Rockets have missed the playoffs more years than they have made the playoffs since this millenium. In 12 years the Rockets have missed the playoffs 7 times. If you think about our future as it stands right now, it doesn't look good. According to Scola he was presented with the fact that the Rockets aren't going to be good for 3-4 years. That would represent at least a quarter of a century of the Rockets being proverbial nobodies in the NBA. As a fan who wants to see the Rockets succeed and do it as quickly as possible, I almost have to hope that they do entice a trade for Howard. Because I can't hope that our late end lottery picks will be the driving forces to playoff success. The history of the NBA is completely against this happening. So I feel like we have to hitch our trailers to Howard, hope he resigns and we can get a complimentary superstar the following year. Howard/Lin/(Other superstar) is a least a hope for some playoff success. I don't think we entice another superstar here without having DHo first though.
Here is what you do not understand. I don't know if it is by draw or luck but every Houston sports team is assembled by that "good guy" attitude (see Texans, Astros). There is nothing wrong with that. You have a good locker room, you build team chemistry, players respect each other and most of all, they understand what each can do on the court/field. First of all, I act like Houston sports teams are holier than thou. I was born and raised here and I will always think that way. This is exactly why us fans and other members (not all) of this BBS like the Rockets. Sure we have past times and have seen the ups and downs, but the Rockets have always had players that put it all on the court. Players like Tmac did some great things here but he will never be remembered as a "Winner." Olajuwon, Yao, etc. laid it on the line regardless if we were down by 50 or up by 50. Which is exactly why when you talk to die hard Rockets fans they mention Olajuwon, Yao, Malone, Hayes, Murphy, Thorpe, Tomjanovich, etc. Nobody wants to be the "underdog." Every team wants to win it all. The best sports stories are the underdog winning over the team full of stars. I may be alone here, but I'd certainly remember an underdog Rockets team beating the Miami Heat any day of the week rather than it being the other way around. That being said, nobody likes a mediocre, middle of the pack team. We want to win a championship. What you do not understand is this does not happen over night. It takes time. Stop comparing the Lakers and Celtics to the Rockets. We are proud of our team and will support them through the hard times and the good times. If you cannot do that then get the fuck off.
Abraham, just to put your mind at rest. We have "those" kinds of guys on the 2012 edition if the team stands as is. As someone who has been following the team since '71 I can tell you these players are probably right up your alley. And mine. D Mo. White. Asik. Machado. Parsons. Lin. That's off the top of my head. Not a quitter in the bunch.
Great post and totally agree. That's probably the biggest reason I remain a fan of the franchise through these mediocre years. We have developed some pretty solid role players in the midst of few teams recognizing their talent. Sure we don't have a perfect track record, but for the most part I'm satisfied. Looking forward to what these youngbloods can do for our town.
I don't know if this is gonna make any sense, but looking at your list I'm excited. If any 4 out of 6 of these players can perform up to the level of Parsons last year, then this is gonna be fun. I'm not saying it's a playoff team but Parson was, for me, the biggest surprise of the season and the most fun to watch.
