im on my 'who cares' thing. They tanking anyway lets just loose as much as possible and get something good in the draft
Of course I want the Rockets to win! But, the only thing worth winning for the Rockets this year is the Draft Lottery. And the way to improve their Draft Lottery odds is by losing as much as possible in the season. So, I want them to lose so they can win what really matters.
We are tanking. I want us to lose every game until we actually get the pick. We all know those ping pongs are rigged. Tank it up Houston. Hell I'd sit everyone out on both teams and let Wall and Harden go at it 1 v 1.
I do agree the league has thrived due to superteams, but I think that's more because it brings in more casual fans. That's great for the NBA, but not really if you're a hardcore fan of the 25 or so NBA teams that aren't a destination and have to scrape and claw your way to contention (with luck being a huge contributing factor). In any case, I have no illusions that the NBA will ever really do anything to prevent them, since like you said, it benefits their bottom line. They'll pay some lip service to it at the next CBA negotiations just like they did a few years ago, but that's about it. I suppose I'm being selfish in caring more about the Rockets having a fairer shake than I do about the NBA's bottom line.
I think there's a bit more to it than that. Some players you just develop a deep connection to for whatever reason, and others you don't. For instance, I have a deep connection to every Rocket on the '94 '95 championship teams because I was 16 years old and they were basically my heroes. Brought me the most joy I've ever had in my entire sports-following life. Then there's Yao, who I love as a human being for the way he carried himself, and also maybe a bit of sympathy for the way his career went down with the injuries. Hell, there's even underdog, overachiever players like Scola and Chuck Hayes that I loved and still do. For whatever reason, I just never really developed that connection with Harden even though I consider him the second best player to ever wear a Rockets uniform. I definitely don't "dislike" him the way I do some players like Pippen (and McGrady to a much lesser degree), but I'm just entirely neutral on him now that he's not a Rocket.
If you really wanted to know the real fans this is the place to look. The site is 50/50 right now. Half real fans.
I expect all the players to play their best, and the coaches to coach their best no matter if we are "tanking" or not. Tanking for a pick is a FO decision only, if they want to bring in young talent, and trade away veterans and as a result we don't win as many games. Coaches and players should never ever mail it in. It's not their job to try to get a top 4 pick, it's their job to try to win games.
"James Harden Wants Houston to Show him Love" https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id...n-hopes-houston-rockets-fans-show-love-return
I’ve spent too much time looking up photos of tanks this season. Now I want to buy model tanks to pass the time. :/ Thanks for the new hobby, I guess.
Yeah, parity and league success definitely do not mix well. The league is always more popular and successful when superteams in big media markets stacked with all-time greats are competing for titles. But it does make it so the other 25-29 teams feel like they don't have a chance to really win anything, which is admittedly frustrating. And it's not selfish to want your team in a slightly less enticing media market to be on a level playing field. I would like to think all teams have an equal shot, but history has shown us that's just not the case. Larger media markets with stars in place are way more likely to attract other stars. What's frustrating, though, is that the Rockets had everything they needed to be a success and compete for titles. But Tilman ran off everybody who helped build that reputation, and they're having to restart from scratch now. The small and mid-sized markets—Houston is top 7-8 I think, so they're definitely not small—can absolutely build that reputation up. Look at the Spurs.
why'd you even bother to ask such a dumb question like this? You think the rockets have a choice whether to beat the nets or not? smh
That's fair. I'm with you that some players I gravitate more toward because of their personalities or their intangibles. Guys like Scola, Battier, Yao and Beverley are easier to root for than guys like Harden. But, for me, I sometimes just root for players because I love how they play the game. I was talking to somebody recently about Aaron Rodgers, and he was bringing up all the off-field drama with him and his family and that some people think he's kind of a jerk. But I just like watching Rodgers play because he's a phenomenal, hyperefficient QB who's a surgeon with the football. I feel the same way about James. I know he's developed a lot of haters over the years for his style of play, but he's such a uniquely gifted and intelligent player on the floor. I fell in love with Harden the player more than I did Harden the person. It did help that he always embraced the city, though, and did a lot for this community. That definitely didn't hurt.
I want the game to be postponed at the last minute to be honest. Right now there is just 8 available players most likely. I hope it goes down to 7. Whether I want the Rockets to win or not ( I cannot root against them ever, even though I want a high pick) They don't have a choice right now. We are watching a team that is completely defeated. You can say they gave up. I don't see that. I see that they came to the realization that their time has passed them by for now and it's possible they never get back to where they once were. I cannot bear the thought of Harden pushing our losing streak to 13. I know TANK TANK TANK but these are humans. Silas and Wall have put their all into this season and it hasn't been close to enough. It's depressing.
