Let's see where Luhnow has the Astros in 5 seasons. But pretending the Rockets have been anything other than a treadmill of mediocrity for way too long (one playoff series win in effing 15 seasons in a league where more teams make the playoffs than don't!!) is nothing short of a joke.
I think you're being completely disingenuous about 15 years on the "mediocrity treadmill." I don't think I even heard that term uttered about the Rockets until two..maybe three seasons ago. The main reason for that is the Rockets were too busy the past decade+ drafting high-potential studs, acquiring superstars, making smart and subtle supporting cast moves, for anyone to accuse the Rockets of being on a mediocrity treadmill.
You assumed I was referring to the Rockets... In fact, I was thinking more along the lines of the Astros from 2006-2010 (before the wheels came off). Team was still respectable, but it was clear that they were going absolutely nowhere. That period reminds me very much of the Rockets now... coming off a period of brief success to do absolutely nothing of note (albeit the Astros success of 2004 and 2005 far exceeded that of the Rockets Yao/T-mac era). Now you have a Rockets team that has been the best of the worst teams in the NBA for 3 years in a row. To me, there is NOTHING WORSE than being the best of the worst teams in any sport, especially in the NBA (where there is no way to become a contender via the middle-ground unless you get lucky with a trade or get lucky with a free agent who is dying to come to your city... which won't happen here). I was always first and foremost a Rockets fan... but the years of mediocrity have really started to take its toll. They play in a league where more teams make the playoffs than don't (unlike any other sport). They play in a league where the #1 pick COULD turn around a team INSTANTLY (unlike any other sport). They play in a league where collusion, wink-wink deals, and conspiracy leads to the formation of super-teams via trades/free agency (unlike any other sport). Morey would have killed it in the 90's prior to the "super team" era... but its pretty clear that the Rockets are going to soon have to go the way of the Astros (ie - get really bad) in order to obtain the difference maker star that can turn this team into a contender.
One second round appearence in 15 years is mediocrity. Name a western conference team that has it worse? Maybe the Warriors and Trailblazers... that's about it.
You are essentially saying that the Rockets drafting Steve Francis, drafting Yao Ming, and acquiring McGrady were all moves made by a team satisfied with mediocrity. I thought these were precisely the type of moves people want the Rockets to make to GET OFF the mediocrity treadmill. You understand my confusion. Yes, the Rockets haven't had success in 15 years is a true statement. I would argue that has more to do with injuries to two star players (in a sport that is 100% dependent on star players being healthy), than poor team management. You might argue otherwise, but I don't recall many people complaining or saying the Rockets were trying to be mediocre when we drafted France and Yao, or traded for McGrady.. Saying they've been on the mediocrity treadmill (in my understanding of the term) for 15 years straight is completely false. But if "mediocrity treadmill" has become such a superfluous term that it now encompasses not having success regardless of any reasoning or analysis, then yes, the Rockets have been on the mediocrity treadmill for 15 years.
I'm not saying they're not trying... I'm saying they've been mediocre. Why? Because THEY'VE BEEN MEDICORE. And now, I'm saying that since the T-mac/Yao era, they've been EXTRA MEDIOCRE because not only are they trying to make chicken salad out of essentially chicken s%$# (they really need to get more tweeners on their team)... but there really is no long-term plan in place to succeed. They got LUCKY with Yao... and in effect, that likely led to them being able to get T-mac on board for an extension. If you can guarantee that they'll get the #1 pick in the draft by being the best worst team in the league, I'll sign up for 10 more years of this sort of mediocrity. Till then, I'll take the team circling the drain currently... but replenshing itself with high/talented picks each year... with the hope that a few of them may just bust out.
I'll take medocrity over bat**** awful and embarrassing to the city and to the sport for six years, give or take a couple months.
Houston sports is not for seniors, most can't last long enough to see improvements which apparently occur a decade at a time.
Its not just plain mediocrity... its mediocrity with no hope of improving until the team becomes bat**** awful. If you know your team is going to his rock bottom at some point... the best thing you can do is let it happen ASAP. If you prolong it with stupid signings (Carlos Lee), or stupid trades, you end up not only eventually hitting rock bottom but having to suffer there longer than expected. The Rockets have just committed 50 million to Lin/Asik... now it won't be all bad if they can get a star to complement them, but I just don't see how they are going to get that star after the shennanigans of this off-season, and being just good enough not to suck (but you don't make the playoffs, and you don't get a high draft pick).
That's where we disagree. I already see the Rockets as having a brighter future than the Astros. The main reason is they never dug themselves into anywhere near as deep of a hole. The Astros are not this bad on purpose. They're this bad because they made stupid expensive long-term signings for marginal players, while at the same time abandoning any sort of development of young players. The Rockets did not do any of these things. They kept a very young team, traded for some draft picks the past couple years, did not make any long-term binding moves, and maintained their cap flexibility. Yes they spent two years trying to acquire a superstar with assets and failed. Heck, being as bad as the Bobcats probably adds at least two years to your rebuilding process (and the ping pong balls already wasted one of those years). Because of this, the Rockets are able to turn on their rebuilding process with a flick of the switch. They already have a team full of young players, and a couple future draft picks. They'll be pretty bad this year and should get a high draft pick unless their extremely young team outperforms expectations. They are able to do this without being as wretchedly bad and unwatchable as the Astros or Bobcats. I just disagree that the Astros are following a "rebuilding plan" that every team must follow. In my opinion their team management has been so bad they had no other choice. They are doing the only thing they can right now. The Rockets do not need to be that bad. Sorry, I'm just not seeing reasoning behind treating the Astros with kid gloves talking about how they're doing such a great job rebuilding, and are more exciting to watch, and kumbaya. While the Rockets, a team that has not screwed up anywhere near as bad or as embarrassingly as the Astros is deserving of more criticism. I'm just not making that connection.
Disingenuous? It's not even arguable. An NBA franchise that wins one playoff series in 15 seasons...when 16 out of 30 teams make the playoffs every single season...is doing well to be called mediocre.
They need to go bat### awful if they ever hope to compete for a championship, it seems. That's the problem. I feel that the Astros ULTIMATELY (after years of playing make believe) finally woke up to that. The Rockets....I hope they've finally woken up to it.
1. History shows the Rockets absolutely need to be that bad if they want to draft the kind of player they can build a championship run around. 2. No one is treating the Astros with kid gloves. They effing suck and no one is gong to say otherwise. They're flat out awful. Horrible. Who here is saying otherwise?
I'd rather watch the development of Donatas Motiejunas, Jeremy Lamb, and Jeremy Lin than Altuve, Brett Wallace, or Bud Norris. Sorry but I find none of the current Astros players worthy enough to keep up with. That took a team sale for the Astros to officially "wake up". Yes there were moves before the sale, but until the Drayton regime was removed (and Ed Wade), I was not convinced any of the moves would lead to anything. It does not seem Les has any intentions of selling. He is the one calling the shots on the current MO of the Rockets.
Ah, Madmax with the old man speech about how the new Rockets sucks and the old one was legendary. You sound like my dad when he says the 86 Stros where the best Astros team ever.
Maybe I'm misunderstanding. Are you saying the Rockets have made moves the past 15 years that were made to maintain mediocrity (i.e., on the mediocrity treadmill)? Or are you simply, saying the Rockets have not had much success over the past 15 years, so they've had mediocre success. If it's the first I would be interested in hearing all the moves the Rockets have made that leads you to believe they were striving for nothing but mediocrity. Would also be interested if you even uttered the word mediocre in relation to the Rockets before 2010. If it's the latter...well thanks for assigning a term to the Rockets lack of success.
I don't care WHY the moves were made because I'm assuming neither franchise wants to be merely mediocre or bad. That isn't my issue at all. Of course they're trying...but pro sports is a bottom line business. 15 years is an ass long time. I could use a word worse than mediocre if you like...because there's just a handful of franchises that have had that little success in the NBA's "real season" over that same period of time.
New Rockets when? I'm going back 15 seasons and can't find shiite worth discussing. "But wait!! We ALMOST beat the Lakers!! Remember!!!???" Awesome. Remember when we streamed confetti at Toyota Center for our one glorious first playoff success against the Blazers? How freaking embarassing is that?
Sure, none of the current Astros are inspiring... but I'd rather watch the development of Springer, Singleton, Correa, Cosart, and the jr's (DD, McCullers) over any current young Rocket. I guess there's always Sergio Llull...(LOL).
