We did just fine for a LONG time without playing in China. The NBA doesn't need Yao fans. In fact, it needs fewer player-only fans. That is what caused so many problems with the loss of Jordan. There were so many who lost interest when Jordan left the game because the NBA spent so much time promoting him that it set the league back significantly. Second, I don't think Les or anyone else gives a rat's ass about what the Yao fans want when it comes to play on the basketball court and, frankly, thank God they don't. I don't want ANY professional team taking advice from fans on player or coaching choices just like I don't want doctors soliciting the opinions of the general public before they perform an operation. This is particularly true given the fact that, admittedly, many Yao fans are very new to the sport of basketball. Most importantly, maybe what Yao fans need to do is complain to their superstar to get with the program and stop wanting the team to cater to what they think is best for him. This is a TEAM sport and to be a great player in this or any other professional league, you can't wait for the system to fix you. Great players of every era have bent the game to their will. They can fit anywhere, anytime, anyhow. You put Larry Bird or Magic Johnson on ANY team and they will thrive. Cream rises to the top. Ok, so there are no players or coaches on this team that were one it 20 years ago. So, no one should be loyal to the team because everyone is different? Why do you think teams maintain fans for decades? You think a single player, coach or even group of players is enough to keep fans' support over the long haul? One day, Yao will be gone. So will CD and Les and Van Gundy and every other player and coach in the current organization and, you know what, real Rockets fans will still be Rockets fans. There are fans of the Green Bay Packers who have passed their season tickets down to four generations of family members. None of the players or coaches from the team I started watching in 1978 are associated with the Rockets today, yet I'm still watching and there are still fans who were season ticket holders the year the Summit opened who are coming to games to this day. That is what being a fan is all about. It isn't about one player or one coach or one group of players. If you cannot understand that, you cannot understand what it means to be a fan of a franchise and it is a waste even discussing it with you. In fact, I don't even know why I'm still talking about this.
Becuse deep down in your heart, you know this Houston team will be like last year's Orlando team, if Yao suffer a major injury. If you are really loyal to the team like you claimed, you should stop supporting CD and JVG.
Just to clear this up - the reason Sura didn't have his surgery until right before the season, is that he didn't get injured until right before the season. It's kind of hard to schedule surgery prior to the injury.
This quote proves you are and never were a Rockets fan. You are just here to stir up ****. Take your jealous ass and go back to the real teams message board you are from and leave the Rockets and their real fans alone you hack!
I may be in the minority, but this team will get better as the yr goes along. I like Ming/McGrady combo. I think McGrady has a big man to play with and he still has chances to score. The supporting cast can be upgraded, but i think every team feels that way. Many will think and like teams like Phoenix,Seattle and a few teams like that, but when the pace slows as it does in the playoffs, those teams will not be nearly as effective. I think the Rockets are built for the playoffs and the long haul. I just want this team to show improvement which they have. Looking at their 1st games of the month, its a pretty difficult go for basically a new team. Once they get rolling, this will be a very good team. I would like to see what it would take to get someone like Mourning for Taylor and maybe somehow turn Nachbar and Spoon for someone like either Patterson or Jerome Williams. Other than that, its going to be slim pickins'
Sure, NBA was fine before all these international players. The question is would the NBA be as good without all the fans because of them. The NBA's becoming far more popular than MLB or NFL in the world has a lot to do with the fan base outside of the US. The ever increasing foreign players certainly helped. I am sure there are more NBA fans outside of US tdoay. Many of them root heavily for their own countrymen in the league, understandably. Remember all those foreign fans pay a good chunk of the NBA salaries, player endorsements, via broadcasting rights and sports merchandise. Actually in most sports, I think, featherweight fans out number diehard ones. In this era of global commercialism, the casual fans probably foot a bigger part of the cost for the whole thing. So I don't think that gives you the right to dismiss them. All the diehard fans had to start from somewhere as a casual one. Yeah, I was one of the player-only fans you described for only caring about MJ. I was never into the ins and outs of the game, but only cared about spetacular plays. I was a big fan of Reggie Miller too. I stopped watching as much once MJ retired. I only started to watch more since the Chinese players came into the league. Now I consider I myself a diehard fan, not only because of Yao Ming. I certainly care about other teams as well, like players who graduated from my schools, players who used to play for my favorite teams, or teams in my area. I certainly understand the game more and more after putting so much time into it. Remember it is not that the player-only fans will forever stay that way. Many of them will start to appreciate the game itself once they get into it, and many of them will still care about the team even their favorite player moved on. Even I used to care only because of MJ, the Bulls still left a soft spot in my heart. I still want them to do well. Even my superficial affection back then still left something valuable. I remember Bobby Sura from way back when he was defending MJ in a game. Also it is not like that all Chinese fans only care about Yao. There were a lot of fans way before the current time. Some of them have been watching the NBA since early 80's. That is why David Stern reaches out his way to promote the NBA all over the world. That is the only way how the league will keep increase at the current pace. If he had your mentality, I doubt the NBA would be as nearly as good (or as influencial) as today. Give the so-called player-only fans some time and patience.
Man, I feel bad I wasted the past few minutes of my life reading this thread. If your love of the Rockets depends on who the coach and GM are, you're not a Rockets fan. It's one thing to follow a player after he leaves the Rockets (as the Steve Francis fans have), but it's another to stop caring about the Rockets entirely. Obviously, the Rockets have made mistakes in the past in their personnel. Most teams have, but it's easier to correct for those mistakes in the NBA than just about any other professional sport. And right now, they aren't good enough to win the championship, as we knew. They still make stupid mistakes with the game on the line, and they don't push the ball enough to increase their number of offensive possessions. But in the end, we have the best duo in the league (along with Wade-Shaq, and Shaq's getting old), and the right role players will come in a year or two. Right now, it's more important for Yao and TMac to figure out how to play together and how to win close games late. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
The NBA doesn't need any fans and no fans need the NBA. But the NBA wants more fans, it wants the Chinese fans, it wants to reach across the whole globe. And because the NBA and David Stern wants those Chinese fans, they DO need Yao Ming and Yao fans. Once they havce those fans long enough, and the player retires, they have the fans for life. I grew up watching and idolizing Larry Bird and Magic. While watching those guys, I learned all about Kareem, Wilt, Bill Russell, and all the old guys. By the time Bird and Magic retired, I was hooked. Any good marketing plan hooks the customer and gets them to come back over and over and over. Yao is needed to win the fan base in the NBA which in turn leads to more $$$$ for the league. Stern is a genius promoting the NBA globally.
You should read the article on Chronicle. JVG is losin patience, too. I think he is reading our posts or he sees the same thing as we see.
lanqiu, just out of curiosity, what would it take for you to consider this season for the Rockets a good or a successful NBA season, given the the current roster remains intact?
ooops....got my numbers mixed up... he doesnt seem to have read what you said...if I read his post right...cause he still seems to think we havent used the Rice TE.. anyway.... carry on
Ok, obviously you are not a Rockets fan if that's on your wishlist. I'm sure they get paid (however much it is) to completely ruin this team... do you not know what JVG looks like?! That proves his dedication to create a winning team alone. Ah just like last year's team too, huh...and that was w/ Stevie and Cat and Cato. Nothing, they're expendable role players...if they don't fit in we'll find players that do. Without players and coaches, uniforms, logos...well then it's kinda hard to have a team. The idea of the "team" trascends any ONE player, coach, exec or product (uni, logo, etc). That's why fans (except for you obviously) stick around for decades. You are sooo a glass is half-empty person aren't you... the Barkley, Pippen and SF signings/trades were seen as good risks. Im glad CD took a chance....we only got 3 possible furture HOF out of it. Besides you didn't even mention the risky Drexler trade...and what did that bring us...oh yeah...another championship. OMG you did not go there. Do you know how last year's Orlando team started off....we're already way ahead of their pace.... and every team, every single one... is a superstar injury away from becoming Orlando-esque. Take away you're best player on any team and there's a chance that happens (SF during the migraine year).
Since this post turn into a debate about fans, I'm gonna throw in my two cents. Yao fans are good, it will generate revenue down the road, it's a good thing for the Rox and a good thing for the NBA as long as we have him. However, I think some Yao fan's might be overrating Yao's value to Les. Let's face it, unless the Houston Rockets become the Shanghai Rockets, Les himself will not profit that much from Yao (though he will get small bonuses like the tsingtao beer ad). A lot of the revenues from road games and merchandise sales doesn't go directly in to Les's poket. And heck, atleast for the next 5 - 10 years, most Yao jerseys, bobble heads, and other merchandise been sold in China will be bootlegged (not that there's anything wrong with that, I certaintly would spend 1/10 of my monthly wage on a jersey). So as a Rox fan, I would say that I want to keep Yao because of his great talent. And while he does have a positive impact, I don't think he will bring that much financial value to Les. And as a Rox fan, while I'm open to discussions with Yao fans as long as they are polite, I don't think this board need flamers that start giving this board ultimatums. I'm a homer and proud of it, and I fell in love with this site because it use to be filled with people like me. Lastly, if Yao ever gets traded to another team, I'll start becoming a Yao only fan and cheer for him and only him like some posters here. But my love of Rox hatched long before Yao came on board.
OK, I agree that wanting to get rid of Yao just to make a point is a bit extreme but I understand his frustration because he believed in the Rockets and drank the red koolaid. I, on the other hand, simply did not believe that the addition of T-Mac and a group of guys named "Herb" was the recipe for a championship team and as such, I am not surprised at what I'm seeing. However, your point(s) are well taken. My greatest fear is just what you've said. I'm still undecided on JVG but I honestly believe that we face more YEARS of this basketball mediocrity unless CD is removed and Uncle Les gets off his duff and (finally) hires someone who can evaluate and draft NBA talent. As long as CD is here, this team will continue to waste time spinning it's wheels because of poor personnel decisions. And please don't give me that "he's so respected around the league" argument because this isn't about respect or lack of it - it's about results and that's where this team and this organization under CD continues to fall short.
One becomes a fan because of love. I love this team because they represent the city where I was born and where I grew up listening to their games on radio and going to their games at Hofheinz Pavallion and later the Summit. I have lived and died with this team from the beginning. To me, it's not just about the wins and losses. When that Rockets uniform steps out there on the court, that uniform is representing for myself and all of the rest of us Houstonians. This is MY team - OUR team - HOUSTON'S team. They can anger me, make me cry, depress me even embarass me but I'll never ever ever turn my back on them nor will I ever stop rooting for them EVER because my support is not contingent on how many championship banners are hanging in the Toyota Center. It's so very easy to root for a winner because that's what society says we should do. They tell us that if our team is a winner then maybe, just maybe, that makes all of us winners as well. And winning feels so very good and always leaves one with a sweet taste and warm sensations. But the facts of life are that no team can win forever and it is an immutable law of nature that one day the losses WILL come (just ask Boston, Chicago, New York and LA). It's how a team - an organization responds to this inevitable adversity that's important. That's why I support the Rockets because they have never stopped trying to be winners and why they will one day be winners again. If you can't appreciate the effort then you will never fully appreciate the winning. That, to me, is what being a "fan" is all about.
