There is no way we end up at the bottom of the league once our team gets healthy. Tracy and Yao wont stand for sitting if they are healthy. ANd if they're playing they're gonna win. If you want to tank this team you're going to have to make a concerted effort to lose, and players don't want to be losers. Besides, there are a litany of reasons that make tanking wrong. The ONLY way it makes sense is if you are a talentless team (which we aren't) and there is a monster like Duncan coming out (which there isn't).
I would simply rephrase the question: Should the Rockets players and fans just drink the kool-aid and commit mass suicide? Its really sad, given the high pre-season expectations, that a poll like this exists. We all know that quitters are losers, and if the Rockets blatantly tank, I refuse to be a fan until the whole organization is dismantled.
Thank you sir. Logic does exist on this forum if you look hard enough for it. Exactly why would you tank? Tanking is for losers, and builds a losing culture in a team. How many of the teams near the top of the league right now have gotten there by tanking? Please name one. Who exactly in the draft do you want to tank for? Is tanking going to give you better options on the free agent market? And it's not like we're a bad team to begin with. You can make the argument that we're not at championship level yet if you want to, but this team when healthy is pretty darn good already. I think I know why everyone's yelling "tank" now. It must be the Texans. They've really done bad things to Houston sports. People seem to think "the Texans got the #1 pick by sucking, so the Rockets should do the same". There's your contemporary Houston sports fan logic. Clutch City is now the City of Losers. No wonder Mavs fans nearly outnumber our own fans at a home game.
We're losing no matter how hard we try. Winning pretty much isn't an option. It only becomes an option when TMac and Yao come back. Let's see how far back we are then. I remember a few years ago the Lakers started out 11-19. They probably would have been beaten the Spurs in the playoff if Robert Horry's last second 3 went in in Game 6.
Tanking is not the answer. A loser's mentality carries over to the next year. Losing and continuing losing is a state of mind. Postive tensions people.
Oh hell no. I've already stated in another thread that there's no need to tank. Unless you have some sure superstar coming out of the draft like Shaq or Duncan it's almost pointless to jockey for position. High picks guarantee nothing. We've got our superstars, we've got our core. Play for some pride. Play to win. Even if there's no chance of making the playoffs, you give the fans something to cheer about. Golden State went on a tear last year. They got their man in the draft. So will we.
The Spurs-Tim Duncan thing was a miracle, kinda like winning the Lotto. Rolling the dice on that, for one player, when the bulk of the roster needs rebuilt, seems like a longshot. I think the only hope for us now is that Tracy and Yao take some deep salary cuts to free up some cash for some younger, higher quality players. But, is their commitment to winning that strong? I still can't stomach the thought of Yao and McGrady on a team that is purposely losing. What a waste.
organizations build a culture of losing, not year to year teams. the clippers forever, the warriors and nuggets in the 90's, those teams had cultures of losing. bad picks, owners not committed to winning, moron gm's, hopelessness, all those are created over time and become embedded. one year of getting b****slapped by injuries and then packing it in and looking to the future isn't going to make anyone think losing is great. as has been pointed out, the spurs didn't exactly forget how to win after they tanked. neither did the rockets of the mid-80s or the rockets that got yao. yao and tmac will be back eventually and obviously they're not going to lose on purpose, but losing and getting a high pick can't be worse and than sort of winning and getting a worse pick. how can anyone be arguing that a high pick isn't helpful? by that logic we should just remove ourselves from the draft forever.
Now I start to wonder if Rocket fans will split into two warrioring camps - tankers vs. non-tankers. I think that what irks me the most about this debate is my own naivete. Realistically, the NBA is a business enterprise, but I still harbor the expectation that any team on the floor will do their best to win the game. That is the heart of any integrity left in the game. I think anything less than that is a shoddy product, not worthy of anyone's attention. In fact, I have admired most of the recent Rocket performances. They have played competetively for the most part, just doing the best with what they have. Everyone on this forum knows the Rockets need to rebuild with younger and more athletic, and less injury-prone players. The question is how??? Tanking is for losers.
How exactally do you tankers purpose we go about this whole thing? What is the best way to ensure we are a bad team the rest of the year?
I would think if the team wanted to lose, they would shut down McGrady for the year ... possibly Yao, though that is more difficult to do based on a toe injury. Not saying that is what I support necessarily, but given the Rockets are 0-trillion when McGrady isn't playing, I'd say that's a good start.
Never stop trying to win games. Whenever everyone finally shows up on the floor, they will show the NBA what a beast this team could have been. I think we'll be red hot after the All star break. This losing streak will inspire the role players to really step up once our main guns are back.
That can't be done. It's literally impossible. Contracts are not re-negotiated in the NBA. The only way they can take less money is when their contracts expire. In both cases, that isn't for five years or so.
