["quote from my favorite rapper, Jay Z, ... `When the grass is cut, the snakes will show.' When I say the grass is cut, that means we're not playing good. The snakes will show means the people that don't believe in us will come out." [/B][/QUOTE] How true..How true.
Just because it happened one year doesn't mean anything. What about the following years, when we DID get kicked out of the playoffs? When those "we're doomed" fans were actually correct and the "We still believe" fans were wrong? I'm one of the fans that's worrying right now. I wish I was wrong. I want to believe that this team not only can make the playoffs, but perhaps upset someone in the first round. But looking at things more objectively, and I just don't see it. Of course, there's still half a seaon to be played. Anything can happen. We can certainly go on a winning streak and the bandwagon will be full once again. But we also could go into a tailspin and end up in the lottery(for Memphis) again. It goes both ways. Finally, I don't think a fan is always required to be optimstic, to always look on the bright side. Just as in real life, there are optimists, realists, and pessimists.
Every team goes through growing pains. Sacto went through them, the Lakers went through them. Sacto had many first round exits in the past against the Jazz before they got to this level. The Lakers kept losing to Jazz. Now look where they are (Lakers past 3 champs not this years record), you have to lose a lot to win a lot. Now as long as Houston can keep distance from the Lakers (good luck with that, they will still win it all), and they make the playoffs...even if they get swept in the first round it will be a good experience for the team. I just hope Houston doesnt keep losing, and then loses hope in their future. This team has too much talent to be in the lottery once again.
Les is no fool. Heads will roll if we don't make the playoffs. As it is, our BS ISO offense is already costing him big bucks by driving the arena fans away.
You got that right - AND WHAT ELSE IS HE GOING TO SAY IN A PUBLIC FORUM? He knows the talent and depth are there and has to be going a little ( make that a LOT) bonkers right now. D R
I have spent a combined total of about 6 hours over the past two days reading, posting, and reading some more on this web site and others to gain insight into the Rockets situation... I don't get how Rudy and Les can continue to offer the BS excuses about youth and inexperience when teams like the Pacers and Pistons are kicking peoples asses, and also while MANY OTHER PRO B-BALL EXPERTS ARE SAYING THE SAME THINGS ABOUT HOW BAD THE ROCKETS COACHING IS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rudy, Les, Please buy a vowel and get a fricking clue! You are on the brink of an unmitigated disaster because you have failed to recognize the severity and depth of the problem!! It's not just youth, it's YOUR STUPID ASS SYSTEM combined with Cat's record setting selfishness!!! AAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHHH!!
If I were CD I would be pretty pissed right now. You beat one of the best team, the Lakers, and then you go right back into a losing streak. Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't the Rockets a little too far into the season to just pretend these loses mean nothing? I hope is just a smoke screen, and that CD is mad enough to at least care whether his team makes it to the playoffs or not.
Let's check 'rotations' as the Rox are (uniquely?) without older guys manning the end of the bench. Is the rotation still so comparatively young? Might a veteran or two help the maturation policy? My choice is the unattainable Avery Johnson.
I'm tired of all these excuses!!! FIRE Les!!! Get an owner in here who GETS IT!!! and will shake things up!!! So, who is available? Do you think we could get Mark Cuban or Jordan. I Bet those BET guys will take a gamble or two. or do the Petrie brothers in Sacramento have a sister or something.
Dont get the axeman wrong, he wasn't talking about Rocket fans..He was talking about the kind of fan who usually shows up at the end of the season just for the bets and pools...or just clowns who enjoy raining on a parade. The latter sound familiar? Thier allegiance was to the favorites,,Houstonians who rooted for the Cowboys over the Oilers, Yankees and Dodgers over the Astros and the Lakers and Celtics over the Rockets. Yeah, we had a few whiney, negative, pessimistic fans in the 70s, 80s and 90s.. But most were not Rocket fans. Those of us who waited over twenty years for those Championships..were solidly in the " still believe " catagory...win or lose..still Rocket fans. For those who feel doomed..pick a favorite !!!
Maybe Jeff could repurpose www.saveourrockets.com to organize a hostile takeover of Les' team by a group of Hong Kong investors who will damn sure "GET YAO THE DAMN BALL"!!!!!
This "second youngest" concept doesn't stand. You have to take out Yao Ming. He is a newbie to the NBA, but he definitely is not a "rockie" in professional basketball. There are many reasons why Yao adapts to the NBA so well. Being smart is just one of them. Yao experienced tremendous amount of pressure in Shanghai to bring a Championship to the twon before going to America. Yao worked very hard under that pressure and finally delivered. He has been carrying high expectations in pro business for many years. He is a pro baskeball veteran. Just like Kobe in that regard. Yao's issue is a matter of adaptation, and he is doing a great job here. But it's different from being "young", which really means inexperience and immaturity here. In the starting lineup, only EG can have that "young" benefit of the doubt.
I think Les is doing a good job. I don't why you want to fire him. Everyone wants to be under the cap unless you are sure to be championship quality because it would be more flexible to make changes. Indiana owner wants to be under the cap too, so he's not doing a good job?
I'm curious to what Les did in his years as the owner that's considered to be good moves. It seems to me that Les' overall style is just to let CD and RT do whatever they want to. Les is a guy who's generous to signing big name over the hill players like Pippen and Rice, but other than that he doesn't seem to have a clue at building a championship team. His evaluation on the current Rockets team "this is the most talented team ever assembled" just proves that point. However, I don't think although Les is pretty clueless, he is to sink to the level of thinking this team only lacks expericence, and blame all the Rockets woes on two players who aren't even the main scorers on this team. I take his comments with a grain of salt.
Heypee beat me to it. I was going to start a "Fire Les" thread, but then I thought, no, the joke is too obvious . . .
"When you lose games, all of a sudden the ghosts start coming up. I think it's this, I think it's that, I think it's this. It happened back in the championship years. Usually, what the players focus on is offense, `my shots.' Sometimes it is not making shots. Usually it comes down to other categories, defense, rebounding, giving away points." - Rudy The above statement sums it up. Defense, rebounding, and turnovers. The Bulls (w/Jordan) did it many times. Anytime they struggled from the field, they "locked down on defense!" They wouldn't worry about their offense so much. Once their offense started to flow again, they'd let up on the defense a bit (save energy). But with the Rockets. When their offense starts to struggle, they don't off-set it with good defense. So, they exacerbate the situation. And to make matters worse, because they are soooo worried about "scoring (when they struggle)" they start turning the ball over by forcing it.
