Thanks. I had just been thinking, how the Rockets had Harden, CP3, Tucker, Capela on the team, and wham it all got nixed in a blink of an eye. Because CP3 and Harden had a falling out; and then Harden’s insistence to get Westbrook came at the cost of a future via draft obligation owed - especially when Westbrook was obviously not the ingredient the recipe for success called for. I think it was half a season of moping around, but the fan zeal seems to be picks up based on picking up a top tier draft talent. Nothing like a rebuild to get the core fan base out and congregating.
"Congregating" as in at each others throats calling each other offensive names in order to validate an opinion? Sad part will be that no matter who gets picked there will be a contingent of angry contributors who will be chomping at the bit to trash and demean the new Rocket every chance they get. I agree though - I forgot how much "fun" looking up draft bios and playing junior GM was.
The moment CP3 had a hard time getting up from the hamstring I had an overwhelming feeling that I just witnessed the peak of Rockets basketball since our championships and had to watch a downhill spiral. Before the draft lottery I saw there was a 48% chance that the downhill spiral would continue. Once we landed #2 I could feel the curve going back up again and that brings a lot of excitement back into watching this rebuild. Last year was more a tear down (necessary) whereas now it feels like a rebuild
I actually watched 95% of the games this season. I forced myself to watch as many as I could to remember how much it sucked as I'd gotten a little complacent towards the end of Harden's tenure. Whilst I do understand where fair-weather fans are coming from, I feel more obligated to watch my team when they're bad and experience that hardship alongside them. It also makes it much sweeter when you do start doing well. Besides, there are always little joys to be had (though this last season WAS a tough one.) I used to love those Scola/Battier/Martin/Lowry/Brooks/Budinger era teams, despite us never being a force.
Getting to the playoffs every year with a legit shot at a title was fun. Finishing last and hoping to draft a superstar? Irritating and anxiety-inducing.
Yup, the demolition is the worst part of a team rebuild. I think the uncertainty of landing a top 4 pick made it worse
I doubt the Pelicans and their fan base enjoy rebuilds… constantly looking over their shoulders because some LA team wants to treat them like a farm
Glimmer of hope is that Wood, KPJ, Tate, and Martin look like solid NBA players that can grow with a young squad. So, it’s not like it’s starting from scratch…. But in a rebuild, a whole lot of stuff can go belly up, and whole directions might need to get nixed and started all over again. Hopefully, it will be a smooth rebuild, but we as fans must prepare for a rollercoaster of a ride.
Well, if we are honest, ever since Morey joined the Rockets, the offseason has generated more excitement on CF than the real season.
I'm wearing Cougars shirts to my b-ball games now, so let me know when the fun is over, and I'll pull my Rockets shirts back out of the drawer.
I remember the last rebuild the Rockets had was when we traded for a rookie Steve Francis and had a young exciting duo of him and Cuttino Mobley, yeah it was fun for the first couple of seasons but it got stale pretty quick when you realized they weren’t going anywhere.
I can admit I missed the last 7-8 games. It was incredibly difficult to sit through the rest of the games. What a mess of a season. I’ll blame it on the shakeup, the injury comeback, the injuries, a green coach and GM, and no fans. Next season reset all expectations.
Until you realize you still have a cheap owner who will fail to pay for the talent necessary to win it all even if we do get our hands on a superstar. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
