I wish Les was Paul Allen or something, you know New Economy instead of Old Economy. God Damn Billionaires who don't want to pay luxury taxes!!! ------------------ Mr. President. No man thinks more highly than I of three legged cows. They deserve to live. On my own part, I consider it as nothing less than a question of reason. Cows with three legs are good. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth : three-legged cows are better. They are better because the meat on them is better. The steaks are more tender. Three-legged cows tend not to wander as much. These cows could be the symbol of our country. The world would look upon us with great respect. They will want our cows and pay good money for them. The cows could symbolize freedom and hard work and three legs are better than four. They are meant for us; they can be meant for no other.
I think Les Alexander is worth about $100 - $200 million or thereabouts. He's among the poor when it comes to sports owners. As a comparison, Mark Cuban, depending on who you believe is worth anywhere from about $1 - $3 billion. Paul Allen is worth somewhere around $30 billion. Drayton McLane is worth about $1 billion. Bob McNair is worth about $1.4 billion. I think Alexander has done a lot for Houston in terms of going out and getting players even though he doesn't exactly have the pocketbook some of the other owners do. ------------------ "I'll tell you this, the older I get, the less I trust people. It's true. It's damn true." -- gr8-1 going through some growing pains.
Hmm... if that's true, then I'm way off... ------------------ "I'll tell you this, the older I get, the less I trust people. It's true. It's damn true." -- gr8-1 going through some growing pains.
Who says I'm not a billionaire? ------------------ Mr. President. No man thinks more highly than I of three legged cows. They deserve to live. On my own part, I consider it as nothing less than a question of reason. Cows with three legs are good. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth : three-legged cows are better. They are better because the meat on them is better. The steaks are more tender. Three-legged cows tend not to wander as much. These cows could be the symbol of our country. The world would look upon us with great respect. They will want our cows and pay good money for them. The cows could symbolize freedom and hard work and three legs are better than four. They are meant for us; they can be meant for no other.
He is worth more. The Rockets I bet are worth $100 million if he sold them. I also bet that since he has owned the team he has easily made $100 million in revenue off of the team. BTW, the Rocket tickets are supposed some of the most expensive in the league. I can tell you for a fact that ticket prices have gone up during the last two "rebuilding" years. ------------------
It is interesting how all the owners except one or two are using the concept of a luxury tax to put a rigid cap on players salaries. Isn't this collusion? I don't believe that bball has an exemption from antitrust laws like baseball has. What would it hurt an owner to pay a million or two in luxury taxes to get one more good player. With more wins they might even recoup a lot of it When it's millionaires vs. billionaires I side with the millionaires. ------------------
Les has been a great owner. No one can question his commitment to get star players in Houston(take notes Drayton). As far as high ticket prices go, that's his main revenue stream from the Summit. In the new arena he will have much more sources for revenue. IMHO, his deal with the Summit stinks from a business standpoint. ------------------ T-Pooh and BahDakota went up the hill, to make a bet on a Foreward. When it all came down, they were nowhere to be found. Now they should be drawn and quartered.
Maybe I'm missing something, but what does the luxury tax have to do with anything? And when has Les shown that he is worried about the luxury tax? Teams like Cleveland, and the Lakers are worried about the luxury tax, the Rockets haven't shown that they are worried about that. And it has nothing to do with re-signing our own FAs. ------------------ "Instruments are like women: After a while, you want to make love to another." - Nicolas Godin of the musical duo Air [This message has been edited by RocksMillenium (edited July 21, 2001).]
Les is probably worth about half a billion. The Rockets are valued (last time I saw a report) at around $170 million. Ticket prices, on the whole, have risen mainly because the expensive seats have gone up quite a bit. The cheapest seats have remained the same price for the past 5 years, but, in general, you are correct about the revenue. As for them making money, it is not widely publicized because they don't like to talk about it, but the Rockets have been losing between $15 and $20 million per season over the past 3 or 4 years due to escalating salaries and a VERY restrictive lease they have at the Compaq Center. Even with sellouts, they would be losing money because of that lease. That is just the reality. Fortunately for Les, the arena will likely cure that problem. ------------------ How the hell should I know why God would allow the Holocaust. I don't even know how the electric can opener works. - from Hannah and Her Sisters
Jeff - Thanks for the info on that. I was unaware of the Rockets' financial situation. I strongly believe that Les Alexander is one of the best owners in sports. He seems to care more about putting a good team on the floor than making money. He's the best owner Houston's ever had for any sports team. I think I'll go out and buy some Rockets merchandise -- help Les out a bit ------------------ I'm looking for a job, so hire me "And I just have to smile and say 'well, I hope so' while I'm really thinking inside how I'd like to just strangle them and take their job."
lots ------------------ "Hakeem gets a 3 with the final shot" - my second favorite moment of 95 finals
I think he's a decent owner as well. Well, as decent as an owner CAN be. These guys just live differently from the rest of us and that is reality. What matters most (or what should matter) is how his/her team treats the players, the fans and the community. Les tends to believe that the fans are treated well by putting a winning team on the floor. I think there is more to it than that but I can't argue with his success and boldness in trades. It would be nice if ticket prices came down and if the team was a bit more accessible, but that's not for me to decide. As for his work in the community, it is unrivaled in terms of owners. Of course, the community rewarded his team (and his wallet) with a bright shiny new arena so he BETTER be good to us! ------------------ How the hell should I know why God would allow the Holocaust. I don't even know how the electric can opener works. - from Hannah and Her Sisters
Is this where the magician guesses how much change he has in his pocket right now? j ------------------ Some days you just can't get rid of a bomb!
How does any of this have to do with the luxury tax? The reason our offer to Dream isn't larger is because of the salary cap that every team has, not the luxury tax. ------------------ Draftsource.net-- the premier source for draft info. Profiles, rankings, mock drafts, and more! The Mo Taylor Fan Site
I don't know that Les Alexander even cares about the luxury tax . . . it's really not much anyways. ------------------ I'm looking for a job, so hire me "And I just have to smile and say 'well, I hope so' while I'm really thinking inside how I'd like to just strangle them and take their job."
It's very kind of you, bingo, to offer to run Lex Alexander's finances for him, but I think he's doing fine without your help. Ever wonder why he's a bilionare and you're not? ------------------
