Thought you were a reasonable basketball fan as you work as a crew and have established insider background. This message of yours just shows you are only a bad-a$s redhead bimbo.
As a YOF from the beginning, my love for the rox is growing day by day. I think I will root for Yao wherever he plays, but I'd be very sorry if he choose to leave rox. Also I believe if it's all up to Yao, he will never want to leave the rox.
and this message of yours shows that you are a dumbass. He only spoke the truth from a diehard Rockets fan viewpoint...It had nothing to do with reasonable or any insider background.. notice these statements from his post above.. thats how it is...thats how it should be.. excellent posts Jeff...as always...you da man!
Yao would have nothing to gain by leaving the Rockets. He would NOT be in a better situation if he opted for another team. It is very clear that this team is being built around Yao. He is the franchise player and the center piece on this team, despite of the fact that his abilities are not worthy of that just yet (I love Yao but he's no Duncan or KG just yet). The Rockets are a class organization with a lot of winning traditions. Yao will have his chances to win championships and MVPs with the Rockets franchise. If he were to leave Houston when his rookie contract is up, where would he go? LA? LOL. Kobe, despite of all the talks, will most likely stay a Laker. He would not even defer to Shaq in his prime. What make people think that he would defer to Yao? If Kobe indeed leaves, how the heck can they win anything with just Yao and maybe a 40-year-old Gary Payton? NY? Does Yao really want to be put under a microscope 24/7? He has to be smarter than that. GS? Yes I'm sure that Yao would rather choose an organization that hasn't won anything ever (which has A LOT to do with their owner and management) than a franchise like the Rockets. Yao Ming is going to be a Rocket for life. Mark it down .
NO, i think he owns it. He is a few houses down from mine and so is CAT! they both live in the same hood. OH AND ITS IN KATY!!! GIG'EM,
Yours shows you are an asskissing dumbass. You must have been well educated by the chinese government. Talking about Yao opting out is only dumb. If this guy ever quit, it's the fault of the rox's management---they must have really pissed him off. As a die hard rox's fan, you need to plain to fire the managemnt or quit being a rox fan if it's the owner's decision, because the whole organization is a joke if they ever make such a dumb decision.
You're an idiot, pure and simple. sports fans root for their team, regardless of individual loyalties. To call out Jeff like that just because he states this obvious point, is classic "not thinking before we speak"
And you are an idiot too. You can root for whatever team you like, but do you have to follow "if you are not with us, you are against us" logic? Jeff has that typical redneck mentality, doesn't matter if he is a clutch crew. His post history has shown that. Shrimpie
My tax calculation was just a simple demonstration. It wasn't meant to be conclusive. I also didn't ask why we would hate a player bolting town. I only said that I don't think Yao would ever leave town, so there's no sense talking about it.
Man, you guys are hilarious. Redneck? LOL! I never said, "If you aren't with us, you're against us." I said I would not root for a player who did not want to be here. Why should I? It is the tradition of team sports. It is why the are much, much, MUCH more popular than individual sports. People identify with the team, not the individual. You don't think the Yankee fans are PISSED that Roger Clements came out of "retirement" to play for the Astros? Hell, the Red Sox are STILL pissed at Clements for leaving Boston and that was YEARS ago. Maybe you guys aren't familiar with the fact that this is a ROCKETS FAN BOARD. Not sure if you missed that. I know it is kinda hard to figure out what with all the stuff about the ROCKETS all over the site. I mean, God knows that with all the information dedicated to the T-Wolves because of Sam Cassell, the Spurs because of Robert Horry and all the other teams with former Rocket players on them, you may have missed the fact that folks around here bleed Rocket red. But, hey, believe whatever you want. It's what some of you seem to do best anyway.
Jeff and some others: With all due respect, what is your definition of "your team"? A NBA team with a name "Houston"? A NBA team with Les as the owner and CD as the GM? A team with Hakeem and Rudy? A team that uses Toyota center 41 times a years? What is the single most important factor that makes you identify with a team? If Jazz or Lakers move and become Houston Jazz/Lakers, how long will it take for you to embrace them? If Rockets move back to San Diego, how long will it take for you to become indifferent of them? If Rockets leave and Warriors move to Austin, would you prefer them to be called Texas Warriors or Houston Warriors in order to earn your loyalty? While it is perfectly logical and natural to identify a team with its name, location or history with a city, you cannot apply the same sentiments to most of the Rockets fans not living in Houston. You are justified to dislike a player for leaving "Houston Rockets", but I don't find any reason to do the same. For many of us, a team is represented by its personnel. To me, the Rockets means Hakeem and Rudy. After Hakeem left, Steve and Cuttino were the ones who kept me loyal to this lottery team. Now, Rockets to me means Steve, Yao and Cuttino. If Yao, Steve and Cuttino all leave at the same time, a major part of my love for Rockets will go with them. To a Rockets fan, a player leaving in an unhappy manner may be considered a betrayal, but to the player himself, that only means he doesn't like his current job. They never sit down one day and decide "Hey, I want to betray the Houstonians so I want to levae this team!". (More likely than not, they probably think "Sorry, Houstonians.)" You see, as much as a fan can love his team and players, a player CANNOT feel that at a personal level (unless his son needs a kidney transplant and you happen to be the donor). Therefore, he does not consider that aspect of things when he considers changing a team. (He may consider game attendance though.) A player does face a daily dose of his teammates, coaches and boss (and the pay check). Those are the things that are real to him. Those are the things that affect his decision. While it is unfortunate fans feel angered when their love is not "returned" by the players with some "loyalty to a club", it is unreasonable to expect the players to "stay for the fans". It is kind of cruel, but I will say our love for the players and the teams are very real, but there is no way a player can feel it in first person and let it affect his career decision. At least, they can't differentiate the love of one city from another. It is all business to them. Let's keep things in perspective. An NBA team is just a company owned by millionaires or billionaires. They build franchise loyalty based on location in order to increase their revenue. There are many professional sports leagues around the world that do not build their fan base according location and fans are justified to base their love on the players rather than on the "team". Houston may be a city that is very real to you, but Houston Rockets is as much an artificial commercial establishment as it can be. Saying that an NBA team is like an Enron, WorldCom or AT&T may be too much, but it is definitely not like your platoon in the army or your navy ship where the symbolism is a lot more meaningful. I was really disappointed with some fans here over their reaction on Hakeem leaving. How can anyone place the abstract notion of a sports club over a real person, knowing perfectly that this is professional sports, i.e. commercial stuffs. Aren't basketball players allowed to change employers just like the rest of us? Will you stop being a friend of your colleague if he decides to change company for his better future? I won't.
Let me put it more accurately: There are "some" professional sports league around the world that do not build their fan base according to the location. Anyway, all I wanted to say is that it is natural to identify a team with some symbolism, team history or locality, but it is also common and justified to identify a team more with its players. We build our love for the team through the love for the players. Many international fans should be able to understand that. BTW I live in California.
Has this guy been booted yet? Doesn't he know of any Knick boards? What an idiot. Great post, Jeff. Some of these clowns don't "get it".
This thread is so r****ded. Whats worse is that it isnt the first "Will Yao go to the Lakers in THREE FRIGGIN YEARS" thread Jeez, guys, who knows what will happen in 3 years. The Lakers could collapse so monumentally (like the post-Bird Celtics or post-Jordan Bulls) that no free agent would want to play there.
I think it is different for everyone. For me, it is location. I grew up watching the Rockets in Houston just like the Oilers. When the Oilers left, I ceased to watch the NFL until the Texans were born. I'm sure that others have loyalties for different reasons. And that's fine for you. But, I can honestly say that the vast majority of Rockets fans are fans of the team, not just the players. That is true of almost every sport - pro and college. People identify with teams more than they do with players. Survey after survey has demonstrated this. Agreed. But that doesn't mean I'm going to applaud his decision. I'm a fan, not an agent. When a player leaves for WHATEVER reason, it hurts because it does FEEL like a betryal whether it is or not. First, of course it is a commercial enterprise, but that doesn't make me love it less. There are loyal patrons of LOTS of commercial organizations. People form clubs to support computer brands, cars, bands, artists, periods of literature, antique furniture, actors...you name it. There is commerce inherent in just about everything relating to capitalism, but that doesn't change the support. And, what about college sports. They have players there for four years - if they are lucky - and then a brand new set of players. Yet, college sports fans are rabidly loyal to their teams and it has NOTHING to do with players. There is a HUGE difference between my friend and co-worker and a player I don't know for a team I love. I'm not saying I'll stop liking a player if he leaves. I still root for guys like Sam Cassell, Robert Horry and others, but not when they play the Rockets. When they play Houston, they are the opponent and that's just it. Players have friends on other teams but they admit that when they step on the floor, the friendship ends and the competition begins. This is no different.
yea....thats right...I was educated by a government I have never had contact with... and when did I talk of him opting out? matter of a fact, I have argued vehemently about why he wouldnt leave...which you would know if you had anything in that blank space between your ears. Why the hell are you even addressing me in the first place? Signed, a Native Texan btw...welcome to my ignore list...say hello to silentfan and the others morons that live there. EDIT: and to KD Lik eJEff, I grew up watching the Rockets, and am loyal to the team...I have enjoyed watching many different players play for my team over the years...and when they leave...they are dead to me. If they are traded...meaning the did not want to leave..I would like them to do well unless they play the Rockets...if they want to leave...and force a trade...then they will get booed(ie Pippin)... my feelings about the restof your post have already been stated better than I can put them...so I will direct you to Jeffs post and leave it at that.
yao is not gonna leave the rockets..asian people are very loyal...i don't think Yao will leave the rockets after all they done for him..i mean like teaching him the game..getting him in good shape ..and beef up.....
