You know me well enough to know it's probably me!! I agree and I've acknowledged that. I said earlier in the thread (in a couple of posts, I think) that I ASSUME both teams are trying to be better than mediocre....but that it didn't change the final results. I know specifically I said that sports are a bottom line business. MOST teams are TRYING to win. I don't see that as a cause for celebration, though, particularly given the price of tickets and the amount of money they all make in their TRYING. It bothers me more with the Rockets because they were very clearly this city's best sports organization in terms of RESULTS, even before they won championships. 4 Finals appeances in 16 seasons is pretty stout. Now we shoot off confetti if we win a first round playoff series. We have an entire generation of fans who think making the playoffs is a super swell accomplishment. You know my older son well...in his lifetime, the Rockets have missed the playoffs more times than they've made it...I'm a fan, but I can acknowledge that's just flat out awful. The Rockets have had years like that...it was long before Les, though. But I've also been super clear...devoted a whole post to saying...the Astros suck. No one is arguing otherwise. I did say I'd like to see what Luhnow does with 5 years, though. You also know I'm not a Les fan. I think he inherited a championship roster and has proven entirely incapable of building anything remotely close to that on his own. Aside from the whole NHL thing (that still bothers me), the things I liked least about Drayton are the EXACT same things I like least about Les. But let me be super clear about this...I like DCkid, so NONE of this is personal. We've had good discussions before, and he always posts stuff good to read.
They were losing the game at the time of the Finley play. Cuban's whining led to some more awareness of the Yao-T-mac pick and roll... but did not cause them to leave Jason Terry open for 5 threes. The second they allowed dallas to tie the series, and regain HCA, that series had essentially slipped away.
Yeah but we just now got to a point where we got stuck in the middle. We're just now recovering from having our superstars break down on us. Management/ownership had been hoping to land a superstar the last few years (Bosh, Melo or Dwight) and now that that has fallen through it looks like they will finally accept letting nature take it's course and try to let their record sink. The worst thing that can happen is overachieving like 2001. The fact is the Rockets have been well managed since 2005 when the T-Mac trade happened and when the contract anchors, namely, Kelvin Cato, came off the books. The team had been snakebitten but I think the next couple years will tell the story of where the team will go in the future.
But Michael Finley made some, clutch, clutch baskets down the stretch of Game 4. And stop with ref excuses, even with the Donaghy allegations. Thew Rockets were up by double digits in the fourth quarter of Game 3 at home, up 2-0 and let the Mavs go on a 20-0 run to give the game away. If they were a contender the series, for all and intents and purposes, would have ended right there.
If by well managed you mean no bad contracts, etc.... then fine. I don't see them being more "snakebitten" than any other NBA team that has gone through some troubles. The Sonics franchise had to play in an entierly new city, had some of the worst "vomit-inducing" years in NBA history, and now have 3 Olympic Basketball team members in their prime. I'd take that. Kevin Garnett SPURNED Minnesota a few years ago to go to a similiarly lingering Boston team and won a title. Now, Minnesota has Love-Rubio to build on. I'd take that. The Spurs decided to suck during ONE year where their star player went out... and they ended up with the building block for a dynasty. I would have taken that when the "snake bite" happened to Yao or T-mac. The Grizzlies, Jazz, Horneets, Mavs, Suns, and Nuggets have all seen more playoff success with a combination of better drafting, savvy FA signings, and better "rebuilding" trades than the Rockets have been able to accomplish. "the next couple of years will tell the story" could have been two years ago... it could be two years from now... there is no telling when it could end. They're in NBA limbo... purgatory... whatever. It blows.
Not to mention the fact that when the series ended up coming down to 1 game...we get blown out by 40.
I never said no one caught a bad break but some in this thread are acting like the Rockets have made inept move after in inept move when in fact the franchise has tried and for the most part been very unlucky. Our Durant-Harden-Westbrook combo for the future came when we got Tracy and Yao, it just didn't work out. And the Sonics moved. It's not as if they were the Hornets who were caught in limbo in 2005 playing in a different city. The T-pups are in the same boat we've been in, just with one extra playoff series won (though in the same year). They may have good pieces but they have to prove it. The Spurs got lucky that their whole entire team got injured early in 1996-97 and when the season became a complete lost cause, they shut it down to tank and got a few lucky ping pong balls. To be fair, that's the same scenario that landed Yao here but the difference was he couldn't stay healthy like Duncan. The Rockets have had it tough, no doubt it's been frustrating to be the best of the worst but let's not blow things out of proportion. The teams has been at least average every year since 2000 except when injuries doomed them and there have been some really good teams in that time, just no luck.
Well the majority of the city agrees with this guy. Less than 12,500 people showed up the tonight's game.
...and I'm still here. Following the Astros never had to be pleasant. Go be a Heat fan, a Rangers fan, or whoever's the flavor of the month. I'll stick with this POS team and will do so until I am put in a coffin.
So basically the debate is who has sucked worse the Rockets or the Astros? Depressing....I hope the Texans don't disappoint ...
Actually, I am a Heat fan because I've ALWAYS been a LeBron fan, so hate me forever. But my point is this, why follow this team when you know they won't make the playoffs for at least 3 years and no one on this team is worth wasting a second of your life watching fail at baseball and lose. At least the Rockets play basketball...you know a sport that requires athleticism.
what an incredibly ignorant and idiotic post. wow, in real life I'm confident you're not this stupid.
Yeah, that's pretty much it. Maybe I was putting words in people's mouth. I thought I was getting from people that the Astros and Rockets as organizations, are somehow comparable in their incompetence...or even more laughable...that the Rockets organization is somehow inferior because the Astros have made the bold decision to be an unwatchable turd as if they had any other option. I'll refrain from going into any more of my reasoning, because it doesn't seem like others in the thread are as interested in discussing the minutiae of both the organizations' moves, missteps, etc. And full disclosure. I am definitely more of a Rockets fan that Astros fan, so am willing to exert more energy defending (making excuses) for the Rockets than the Astros. Besides...now I have the Nats as a second baseball team.
Thread should have been locked right after the OP, don't know why I found it worth bumping. Looks like #1 described you perfectly, LeBron-only fan. Must be awesome being a wagon hopper. Never have to endure crappy seasons. The easy life. I have a concept of staying loyal to ALL of my teams, even in the worst of times. It seems quite obvious that you don't. What's funny is that once the Astros emerge from the Dark Ages, you'll probably come crawling back, along with the rest of the losers who decided to become "lifelong" Rangers fans. I've followed the epitome of absolute garbage for 2 years (and most likely, more) and when they're back on top and dominating that team up north, I'll realize that the self-torture was worth it. No, I don't want a cookie, but thanks. You, on the other hand, have chosen not to suffer one bit, and I'll have this thread to remind you if you ever decide to be an Astros fan again. So, I can thank you for that, too. And MY point is, it doesn't matter whether the Texans have a perfect 19-0 season or go 0-16, or whether the Astros win or lose 100+, or whether or not the Rockets are on some "mediocrity treadmill" for 15 years, I'll still root for them. Being a sports fan is never always a pleasant experience, unless you've decided "screw my hometown teams... they're not winning, so what's the point of rooting for them?" And... you've pretty much made it clear that you are a bandwagon fan. You're $hitting me, right? And, on another note... I thought you vowed to never watch basketball again? Apparently you're also a xenophobe. http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=204898
Not that I agree with OP, but isn't it likely that these guys will be shipped off for prospects if the Astros continue to stink? That's how baseball seems to work, and that's why one might not have too strong an urge to passionately follow this current Astros team.
