It is amazing the amount of HATE there is for LeBron. Clutch posted that LeBron profile on Facebook and it is amazing to see how many people would not want LeBron on the team. A couple of years ago the Rockets were on the mediocrity treadmill going nowhere and now the Rockets either 'have' or 'are linked to' Dwight Howard, James Harden, Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James etc etc.
I've never had the opportunity to experience a championship run (other than the stros loss) and have been through too many 14th picks. Wouldn't taint it one bit
BING! I was going to say something similar. And I would be pumped to have LeBron here. Let it rain titles in Houston! I might even subscribe to Comcast for that.
THIS times a thousand! I want us to be the team that BEATS a Lebron James led team. That's the whole fun of competitive spirit. Who, out of the East, would even pose a legitimate threat? No one. It wouldn't be fun or exciting. I want Lebron to join Chicago, us to acquire Love or Melo, and thrash the Bulls in the finals for the next 4+ years.
What does "tainted" even mean? Do you mean that somebody would try and minimize the accomplishment? Talk bad about us? No matter who or what you discuss there's always going to be some idiot badmouthing the subject. Just look at the recent threads here. Lebron is getting slammed, Harden sucks, Melo is a stat padding ballhog, people don't like Dwight, Durant disappeared in playoffs, Paul George is overrated, etc.. You can mention anyone or anything and somebody is going to say something stupid...that's just how it is. I can' t think of any title in NBA history where the teams fanbase wasn't happy with the title. Think the Rockets titles were tainted because Jordan didn't play in '94 and only came back late in '95? Too bad, the Rockets played the teams that were there and they won. Likewise, is SA embarrassed because they won a title in a strike shortened season? No, they had the same chance as everyone else and they took care of business. If you're a fan of the team then you want them to win a title. Does it matter how they acquire the players? Is it any different to sign a FA vs trade for a player? The Lakers traded for Chamberlain and Jabbar and signed Shaq as a FA. Boston traded for Allen and Garnett. The Rockets traded for Thorpe, Smith, Maxwell, Elie and Drexler. It doesn't matter how you assemble the team, it's about the team you assemble. If we're lucky enough to acquire a 3rd star then enjoy the ride and don't worry about the people who are going to talk bad about it. People use to say that Lebron choked in the playoff and could never lead a team to a title. You're always going to have the person who doesn't know any better calling players and coaches childish names like Haren or McFail. Nothing is going to stop that because typically those are the people that can't speak intelligently about the subject so they resort to 3rd grade name calling. We could trade every player on the roster for draft picks, draft a whole new team, develop them and win a title and somebody will still criticize them for something.
Don't want him. A player hopping from team 2 team in pursuit of the easiest route to a championship is not a true championship. This is exactly why the NBA has got soft
How would I feel about the Rockets being the hands down favorite to win the next 3 or 4 championships? Pretty awesome obviously.
aelliott, spot on! There will always be haters or others spinning some narrative. Just enjoy the ride.
Good for the Rockets, not so good for the integrity of the game. Will still end up in a gold-plated statue of Daryl Morey in front of the TC if they pull it off...
I wouldn't begrudge the organization for bringing in Lebron because Morey should obviously bring in the best talent available to help our team win. I'll be a Rockets fan until the day I die, no matter who joins our team in the pursuit of rings. That being said, I know deep down that people would have been much, much happier with multiple rings in the Yao/T-Mac era than if we won multiple titles with Lebron. Surely we can agree on that.
Players want a chance to win a title and it's nothing new to have a player join a different team because it gave them a better chance at a title. Why do you think Barkley came to the Rockets? How about Drexler? Pippen? All 3 of them wanted to come here because they thought that they had a chance to team up with Hakeem and win a title. Why do you think Chris Paul wanted out of New Orleans ? Why did Howard want out of Orlando? Why did Carmelo want out of Denver? Because they didn't feel that they had a chance to win a title and wanted to go somewhere that would offer them a better opportunity. Garnett left Minnesota and agreed to go to Boston because they gave him a chance to win a title. Why doesn't Kevin Love want to stay in Minnesota? Do you think that Carmelo is going to sign with a team that gives him a better or worse chance at a title? Ever since there's been free agency it's been no different. Guys look for better situations. Moses Malone leaving Houston in '81 to go to Philly and team up with Dr. J was really no different. Regardless of how you form a team you still have to go out and win the title. I don't think Miami fans feel that their two titles with the big 3 are cheapened any.
Why is superstar Tracy McGrady forcing a trade to the Rockets any more legitimate than superstar Lebron James signing here as a free agent?
I know this topic was made for the sake of discussion, however you might as well titled it "how would you feel winning the lottery" because neither one will never ever happen
All true, but the key difference is that all of the players you mentioned (with the exception of Pippen) DID NOT win multiple titles with a previous team where they established their dominance as "the guy". Pippen is even excusable because he played second fiddle to MJ. That's the same reason why I would be okay with Bosh coming here. Garnett, Paul, Love, Carmelo, etc. were looking or are looking to establish a championship pedigree in a new city. The back of my mind will cling to the fact that we were just a stop aboard the Lebron James express, not the home-grown dynasty that I would prefer to build with a group of guys who have been close but haven't quite reached the promise land yet. Now THAT is a team I can really get behind!
THIS. Other teams and fans would hate us for being so awesome and at the top.. and everyone would be pissed at Lebron, but its not because he is team-hopping for a championship. Its because he is the one that CAN DO IT. What I mean by that is a lot of star players will hop teams to better there chances at a title but no one gets on there case because the team they go to is still just a "contender" but when Lebron does it, its so much worse because the team he goes to WILL WIN. and that pisses people off.. get over it, it would be so sick if he came.
Strange logic there. So it's ok to move to a better team if you're not as good? So being the best player means that you're not allowed to move? Why do you get penalized for being too good? Did you consider the '94 or '95 Rockets to be homegrown? Did you hate the Dream Team in '94? They won by an average margin of over 40 pts/game but it was still amazing to watch. It's ok to be dominant, everthing doesn't have to be a remake of Hoosiers.
On a side note, however, if Lebron ops in to stay in miami or cruise along the easy east, nothing would give me more joy than to sign a melo/love/bosh/lowry-milsap and just do what the spurs did to him in the finals. ESPECIALLY if he stays with the heat.
Actually, I think for some fans it's more the perception that if you're the best player in the game, FA's should be lining up to chase rings with you, you shouldn't need to be chasing rings on other teams. The hardest part for many franchises is getting that first Superstar. Once you have that, then it should be significantly easier to line up the 2nd and 3rd options, as well as fill out the bench. Similarly, it should be easy to get a top shelf coach since as a Superstar you have all the power to force a coaching change. Yes, it's a double standard, but I think people would have viewed Lebron differently if he was moving teams to chase money or a big market vs chasing a title. One is the narrative that you have to pay the best the most, the other is the narrative that you're too big a fish for the small pond. However, chasing a ring when you're the best player on the planet just entering your prime? Especially after your team just had a 60 win season? It's not like you're leaving the Timberwolves...
