You guys think that my reply was some kind of a critique against the Rockets or the logic that Hakeem is gone. I luckily had a therapy session scheduled today, and at this point feel more comfortable with the idea that Hakeem and I aren't on the same team in one sense, but very much on the same team in others. Anyway, I was at a weak moment, thinking about our horrible basketball team, I was in my pajamas (small briefs and at shirt) and I was just scared to move on. We all get that way sometimes, I think. Maybe I needed cuddles?
I had a better one than that. Hakeem for 2yrs 14mil, Marc Jackson for 3yrs 15mil, to the hell with Taylor,Anderson, and Moochie if needed. Francis,Mobley,Williams,Jackson,and Hakeem. bench: Thomas,Cato,Langhi or Morris, Colson or Brown, Griffin, Torres, and Collier. Why this set-up? If Jackson works out, we'll have his bird rights, with Hakeem playing 2 yrs, Jackson could move to 5 and Griffin to the 4. You still leave yourself cap space and flexibility for the future without being shackled. That was my idea then, but of course i was roasted on it. I can understand Hakeem taking a paycut, but from 16 to 4? Dave and Stockton took paycuts but not the kind the Rockets wanted Hakeem to take.
We would be almost as bad. Also, Olajuwon would be b****ing about the losing. He is a CANCER on the team. If he complained last year, he would definitely complain this year.
I think i would b**** too if i looked up in the 4th qt and saw kenny thomas or matt bullard playing center. How many of those games early in the yr did we see those two playing instead of Hakeem. That was crazy
oeilpere, it was not a Mooch or Hakeem ultimatum ... it was not an either/or decision I think when people mention Moochie's contract in terms of Hakeem leaving it has more to do with the organization offering their back up point guard more than the 17-year veteran, fan-favorite, 2-time world champion, 10+ time All-star, Rocket icon, that is Hakeem Olajuwon. No Moochie's contract did not directly cause Hakeem to leave, it was just a slap in his face after he left. It was Hakeem wanting to go, and him getting his wish. Period. End of frigging story. That statement is as ludicrous as a statement such as, "The Rockets simply didn't want Hakeem back plain and simple. They offered him a contract that no one in Hakeem's position would accept, and move up in $1 increments just to look like they were negotiating. Les wanted Dream gone, and he got his wish. Period. End of story." I think it was more of a story of Hakeem wanting two things. 1. To be paid close to market value. I get this from the years and years that he played for us under market value. I don't think it was about a couple 100k here or there, it was just about the organization showing him the same "love" they were showing other players, at or near the same time. 2. To play. Hakeem knows he's not dominant. But, he also knew he was the best front court player we had. You could just see the frustration on Hakeem's face as Rudy forced him to sit on the bench during (sometimes) entire fourth quarters of games last year. The man just wanted to be on the floor with his teammates when the game was on the line. IMO. Hakeem dream shoppers, to keep bringing up "if we only had Dream"- "then things would be different". Yes they would. I agree. Hakeem would be on the IR instead of our "injury of the week" presently. Or, he would have fragmented the team so badly by demanding to be first option, that we may have needed yet another two seasons to unleash the young talent that is presently on board. Wow, either you are Rudy Tomjanovich or Miss Cleo. I mean how else could you possibly know the unknown. You've got it all wrong, Hakeem would be scoring 22 ppg and tearing down 12 rpg. Also, remind me how we're unleashing "the young talent"? Is it Kevin Willis that's young? Or Mobley? Or KT? Or Moochie? Or Cato? Who again are we unleashing? It sure ain't Griffin. Are you talking about the stroke of luck that is Oscar Torres? Or the 3rd string PG, Tierre Brown. No? Maybe that youngster, Dan Langhi? I think when "most" people say they wish Hakeem was still around, it's not because he would be leading us to the NBA's best regular season record, but because it would be more enjoyable to watch a Houston sports legend than the team we have on the floor right now. If Hakeem were here from day one this season ...I do not see any difference in the present standings... See the response directly above this quote. If Hakeem can bang it inside, keep up with speedy Gonzales, and produce numbers similiar to what we are getting out of Kevin or Kelvin ... than yes, let's say keeping Hakeem would have prospectively evened things out. Huh? You forget which player is better defensively, and you forget which player brought/brings fans to the games. Would the team respond better with more fans at the games? Some posters seem to think so. ...that by having Hakeem here .... that it would be good for team chemistry..... that it would be good for the progress of the roster talent .... that it would be good in the long run for the entire Rockets organisation. But, the contracts of Matt Maloney, Kelvin Cato, Maurice Taylor, Glen Rice, Moochie Norris are good for the long-term goals of the team? Hmmm... You know what I think is bad for the organization in the long-run? Letting the city's sports hero go. If you are known as a team (or start to get that reputation) who doesn't show loyalty to its players, free agents will begin to put such a team on their "black list", ala Golden State or the Clippers. And, when you talk of "progress of the roster talent", I have two questions. 1. What talent? 2. Which center would Hakeem be holding back?
Oscar Torres, a stroke of luck? Huh? They've been scouting the guy for years now, I guess every Rockets draft pick that does anything is a stroke of luck too...
Before I take the plunge, and actually respectfully disagree with some of what you have said here, I would like to observe that I usually agree with your positions, and the arguments you present to support them...That being said...(deep breath, dangerous waters ahead)... 1) Your point makes the assumption that the Rockets, and specifically their initial contract position with Hakeem, (which was disproportionate with other offers he was receiving) played no role in Hakeem's desire to leave....I, for one, am not convinced of this fact. I don't know the exact sequence of events, but it does seem to me that his (Hakeem's) position re: staying changed shortly after initial negotiations...I DO agree that Toronto suits him best at this point, and said so at the time, but I don't agree that the Rockets' brass bear no culpability in the direction things went... 2) I neither agree that it is a given that Hakeem would be on the IR, nor do I agree that he would have automatically fragmented this team by his demands...Allow me to explain...Re: the IR...while it has become commonplace over the last couple of years for Hakeem to spend significant time on the IR, neither of the reasons he has done so recently are the kind which reoccur, at least to my knowledge. Furthermore, if age and a history of recent injuries are enough of a concern as to prevent Rockets' management from bringing back their greatest player ever, how do you rationalize the acquisition of Glen Rice, a player with a greater injury risk ( due to the degenerative nature of his ailments), a higher price tag, a lesser portfolio, and none of the history with the organization?...Re: the threat of fragmentation...FIrst of all, Hakeem's willingness to take a secondary role in Toronto does, I think, indicate an acknowledgment on his part of a lessening of his ability to dominate. While I agree that shifting cities smooths the potential ego-bumps in the road for such a lowering of status, I am unconvinced that a man of his class, willing to adopt said second fiddle in another town would have been so opposed to taking a lesser role that he would have fragmented the team...Secondly, had he been here now, with all the other injuries, I would make an argument that having him as a back-up 1st option on offense wouldn't have been a bad situation. And, thirdly(!?!?), if there has been an "unleash"ing of our young talent this season, it has escaped my notice. What playing time our young guys have gotten has been the result of the afore-mentioned injuries, and not any youth movement that I've observed. I wish such a movement had been ennacted, but Glen Rice and Walt Williams splitting time at the 3 has taken more minutes away from EG and Morris than Hakeem ever could have done, and what is more, this trend is surely an indication of Rudy's priorities... 3) I'm not sure of the basis for your conclusion that Hakeem would not have made a difference...It's an area for suppostion, and obviously everyone will have different opinions. I am unconvinced either way, but think he would have added more to our win column than Rice has... 4) Again, subjective....Not sure whether I agree, but suspect that, ultimately, Hakeem would have brought more in conjunction with Cato than Willis has, although it's debatable...One thing, however, that I've noticed about Hakeem playing in Toronto is not just the propensity with which he passes to the open man, but his skill in doing so...I'm not sure that Willis will ever involve his teammates to a similar degree... 5) I will neither take issue with your claim that you sound realistic, try to live optimistically, nor are perceived as pragmatic by those close to you, but I will debate the points which proceed these statements...In terms of team chemistry...what team chemistry? Wasn't this one of the reasons why some were opposed to trying to get Webber, but in favour of keeping Mooch? And, was our team chemstry better last year, when Hakeem was here, or this year, without him? I would say that evidence to support this year's team chemistry being noticably better than last's is dubious, and if in fact we DO have better team chemstry this year than lasts', I'm all in favour of a return to disharmony...The proof, to me, is in the pudding...I also maintain that the presence of Olajuwon would never have been the determining factor standing in the way of the progress of our young talent, but that Rudy's reluctance to play them is. Another salient point being that Rice is (or was) at least as big an obstacle to Griffin and Morris as Hakeem would have been, (probably far greater given position) and would never have been here had we kept Olajuwon...In terms of the long run, I again say that it's a matter of opinion... I agree with some of what you said here, particularly about Cato, and generally do agree with you. What is more, I am wary of disagreeing with someone who obviously knows more about what goes on within the organization than I ever will...Having said all that, though, I did see significant flaws in your reasoning w/reg's the points I cited, and like seeing my name on the screen enough to put my opinion in print... Take care, eh? (CC)
God bless Hakeem - yeah, he'd probably be complaining about the losing, and we'd see the guy leave in the middle of the season now (a la Karl Malone and the Mavericks talk), which I think would be worse. The offseason move comes across as cordial, while one in the midseason would be seen as Hakeem being b****y. He's doing fine in Toronto. Wish him the best of luck - if the Rockets don't win, at least I can see yet another former Rocket do some damage in the playoffs.
Hakeem wouldn't have made a difference. The Rockets were a bad defensive team last year, what makes people think Hakeem, one year older, would have made us better THIS year!? And I know people wanted him to stay maybe BUT maybe, HAKEEM wanted to leave! It has always been said he wanted to play in Canada, and he would play for an instant title contender, a team 1 game short of the ECFs last year, what makes people think he would want to play on a team that is rebuilding. Even at 100% this team is a playoff team not a title contender yet. I think the people that say Hakeem wanted to stay actually wanted him to stay. I think people won't accept that Hakeem wanted to leave himself because it's a shock to them after all the years he spent in Houston. As for people complaining that the back-up PG got more money then Hakeem, actually I seriously doubt that Moochie would have gotten that kind of money if the Rocks had re-signed Dream. But after Dream left they had some money to throw around with his early birds rights, thus Moochie got a raise. I mean people act like the Rockets completely lowballed him and Toronto came in with this monster offer or something. They only gave him a few more millions then the Rockets offered. Dream has all the money he needs, if he wanted to stay in Houston he would have taken slightly less to help the team. Maybe he justed wanted to make one last title run before he retired.
<b>You know what I think is bad for the organization in the long-run? Letting the city's sports hero go. If you are known as a team (or start to get that reputation) who doesn't show loyalty to its players, free agents will begin to put such a team on their "black list", ala Golden State or the Clippers. </b> Moses Malone has been traded. Patrick Ewing has been traded. Pete Rose has been traded numerous times, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar never played on the same team his entire career. Shaq never played on one team, Bill Walton never played on the same team, Babe Ruth, Clyde Drexler, Charles Barkley, Hank Aaron, Dr J, Greg Maddux, Randy Johnson, Joe Montana, I can go on and on and NONE of those teams were blacklisted. The Clippers and Golden State weren't "blacklisted", they were victims of bad management. I mean you don't hear about people not going to the 49ers, or Knicks or whatever because they weren't "loyal" to their superstars. It just depends on the situation. What I can't understand though, is why is it when Dream is negotiating a deal and signs with Toronto (or sign-and-trade) he is just being a businessman, but when the Rockets do the same they aren't being loyal and stabbed Dream in the back. In order for Dream to be a businessman he has to be in negotiations with businessmen.
I've been trying to sum up DREAMers position in my mind. I am a Dream worhipper, but not like that. After reading his last thing about "blacklisting," I think maybe I can sum it up. The DREAMers have great respect both for Dream and for teams who retire their hero's on the hero's terms. We had both at one time, but no longer have either, and DREAMer is disappointed, and maybe bitter. DREAMer blames management while a lot of us don't blame anyone. And certainly a lot of us have long since lost any nostalgia from sports for retiring one-team superstars. I actually am left with a new type of respect for Dream to want to play on his terms. I used to call it stubbornness, but not anymore. Now that he actually left to play for Wilkins, a true PF and Vince Carter, instead of retiring in bitterness like Drexler; I view him as actually turning on a switch in February, playing great to give us one helluva a fun playoff run, got an agent to shop that turn of events, and found himself a real playoff team in the twilight of his career. Well done! He left on his terms...and I believe those terms began in February, if not earlier. I believe he realized that if he was going to control his Summer destiny, he was first going to have to show his greatness one more time. I gained a new respect for him to find a good gig in a relatively short time, and leaving with no bashing. I cannot view his leaving as if he got further disrespected in July. To me it was all about basketball, and he was set to play for the best MCE situation in the league, yet get more if he could. I view him more regal than to expect much to happen in July, or really care. He wanted a larger role in the offense, and he wasn't getting it for the last 2 years. Further, I don't think Les or CD were clueless about what he wanted, moneywise. imo, the decisions all happened earlier, and thus the reason I downplay July negotiations having much to do with it.
Sorry for the delay in getting back to this thread. Meetings all week, and everyone needs hand holding this time of year, it seems. (I should have sent Fromobile at them ( ) so everyone gets cuddles all around.) Anyway … I knew better than anyone to go up against the Hakeem-For-Life camp … just arguing against the sometimes unrealistic stance they take is tiring. Some facts. Some comments. 1. Hakeem has said on more than one occasion that he wanted to go somewhere that would pay him what he felt he was worth. He stated Houston was not in the running. No need to add conjecture or translation of what that means or does not mean. Hakeem was incommunicado for the better part of the entire summer. He did not want to talk to Houston or discuss any compromise concerning his “market value” demand. He made his demands and they were rebuffed by management. Hakeem got his wish. He went to a team that was willing to gamble on his health and his worth and pay him for his services. 2. Hakeem is getting 8 points, 8 rebounds and almost 2 blocks in 27 minutes a game. Willis is getting 8 points, 7.5 rebounds and minimal blocks in 22 minutes. (For argument sake I’ll include Cato’s 6 points, 5.5 rebounds and one block in 21 minutes a game.) So the argument that statistically Hakeem is wiping the floor against our incumbent centers is hogwash. Pure tripe. I won't stoop to mention that this is an Eastern Team versus Western Team comparison. oops, I just stooped. 3. Moochie was offered a contract after Hakeem decided to go to Toronto. To argue that it had anything to do with Hakeem’s decision is in error. To state that it must have been a slap in the face to Hakeem is irrelevant and superfluous. I may even agree with you, but really who cares. He stated on numerous occasions that his leaving Houston was a business decision, nothing personal. Well, signing Mooch to a better than lightweight contract was a business decision also, nothing personal. If it’s just business in one instance, accept that it is just business in others. If it was a personal vendetta on Hakeem’s part to leave Houston in spitefulness, then live with the possibility that any slap in the face was a spiteful (and expensive)l esson that the Rockets threw at the Dream. Personally, I doubt it is either and frankly could care less if it was. Millionaires arguing over who gets the last word is fashionable, but bluntly put, I don’t give a rats ass. 4. I am tired of hearing Hakeem had only one demand: he "wanted to be wanted more" than the team was demonstrating. He wanted to be listened to. Well, from my perspective,Hakeem was wanted. The fans and the franchise wanted him and needed him. I doubt it ever entered anyone’s mind prior to this summer, that Hakeem would finish anywhere but in Houston. His demands were that he have a larger say in the focus and the direction the team was taking. Well, they listened, he had his say, others had their say also. In the end, they went in the direction the coaching staff decided upon. Right or wrong that is their perogative. It is also their job. It appeared as the summer ran on, although I am following the same conjecture-ridden path in rebuttal, that Hakeem took this personal. I don't think it was "wanted" and "needed" part as much as they didn't follow his requests. I agree with any organization that stands firm and says no player is more important than the entire team. I’m sorry for some of you who can’t see the possibility that this team did not let Hakeem down. Hakeem was a player, and a damn good player for the team that I worshipped, followed and screamed for, for over twenty-five years. I love the Rockets. Hakeem was never “The Rockets”. Her was a Rocket. Hakeem doesn’t play for the Rockets any longer. I still remember his game and the rush he gave me with all those classic moves. I still wish he was playing in a Rocket’s uniform. But he isn’t any longer. I am over it. I don’t understand why some must rehash “… if only Hakeem was here things would be better ….”. Hakeem is not here and we therefore have no way of knowing what would be if he were. But I seriously doubt it would be anyway near as utopian as some of you portray. Freak: I don’t remember the Walt Williams being traded for Lamar Odom rumour … I think it was Walt or Hakeem for a future draft choice. Hey, wait a minute, that is what we got for Hakeem isn’t it? - Stick to your flypaper. Jag: A pleasure reading your post. You deserve a far better retort from me than I have just posted. Another day. Got to do some work.
Evereyone know Hakeem is a slow starter, but what if we had those 8pts 8rebs and 2 blocks to go along with Willis 8pts and 8 rebs, do you not think we would be a better team? The one thing about Hakeem, he doesn't need Mobley or Francis to get shots for him. Its not a lot of dribbling required to run down the court and toss the ball to him and get a quality shot unlike the other players on our team. Thisteam was very avg last yr until Hakeem b****ed and Steve and Cat started throwing him the ball down low. After that this team started to look like a playoff contender. Evreyone who says he wanted to leave is fooling themselves. They wanted him to take a 75% paycut but reward a man that put up the same numbers in Taylor. Would you stick around if your job came in and said, we need you to take a 75% paycut? They, the Rockets wanted to go from 16 mil to 4.1? He had no choice and when the Rockets started seeing teams where interested in him, unlike our other free agents, they started to up the ante. The disrespesect was done and its one reason why the fans don't come out. We here in Houston still has a bitterness towards the way some of our icons have been treated. From Earl to Nolan to Bum now to Hakeem. What normally has happened when these players has left the town? Attendence sucked as well as the team. How longdid it take the Astros to make the playoffs when Nolan was traded, 5,6 yrs? How long did it take for the Oilers to make the playoffs once Earl and Bum left, 5,6 yrs? We have seen our favorite players leave this town while some were still productive, like Nolan and Hakeem. It wasn't a matter of them being the players they used to be, it was about the same thing all players want and thats respect. Its hard to compare the two, but they do parallel each other, look at the Bulls. I guess Mike chose to retire too? They could have kept bringing that team back and rebuild later but Jordan was forced out of town and that team has been worthless since he left. Rebuilding isn't as easy as everyone thinks and the Rockets are finding that out the hard way.
leebigez, everyone in Houston was outraged over the loss of Nolan Ryan. It was the decision of one man to get rid of him. The fans had no say, the team had no say, and Nolan had no say (unless he wanted to take a pay cut he didn't deserve). Can you name who that man was? This question is for leebigez only, fellas.....
I don't think Dream would have made a difference this year. Two weeks ago, he played 40 mins in a game. Then the next game he scored 4 points and had 2 boards in less than 10 mins. Raptors cited that he was not used to playing so many minutes. Therefore his conditioning would not allow him to play 30+ mins every night in this current situation (3 starters out). True, he may be the better center out of Cato and Collier. But, I bet if you compare his numbers to Willis over a 30 mins span, Willis would outperform him over a 20+ game period. Hakeem just doesn't have the conditioning anymore.
The dream would have made a positive impact on our season and probably would have prevented this slide but there is no way he alone would have made us playoff material. We need to cut our losses and start looking towards the future. What is our future? Are Cat and Moochie in it? I hope not.
Statements like these are what make talking about this subject tiring for me. A few points. 1. It was not the Rocket's final contract offer that insulted Hakeem. It was their initial offer (and subsequent weak attempts at negotiating). Had the final offer been their initial offer I'm sure he would've signed for something very close to it. 2. I do not think (with the injuries we've sustained) that Hakeem would prove to be the "great stabilizer" who held the team together, so we could make a playoff push at the end of the year. What I do think is that (with the injuries we've sustained), the Rockets would be more fun (for a lot of fans) to watch. 3. Hakeem said something very close to "they were never in the running" when he was talking about his off-season contract talks. By this, he meant they never offered enough money to put them in the picture, not that he was not even considering playing in Houston. I'm also almost positive that he made that statement before the organization made their final offer. The contract the Rockets offered Hakeem was very similar to the contract the Astros offered Nolan Ryan. Both men still knew they had something left in the tank, and that what was being offered was not near market value. The Astros didn't even negotiate though. But, in reality, it seems (to me) that the Rockets only negotiated enough to make it look as though there were "trying". The truth is, I do not 100% fully blame the Rockets. Hakeem could've accepted the final offer. But, Hakeem and the organization have not have a honeymoon-type relationship for a long while now. It may have just been the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. Through the years there are many instances where Hakeem felt mistreated by the team, and there are instances where Hakeem said or did something that was not good for the team. Neither are saints in this whole thing, and I'm very aware of that, much to popular belief.
It's not like we bailed on Hakeem. Dude said he was going to retire at a certain point, after his contract, and the Rockets worked on that timetable -- his timetable -- for YEARS. It worked for him, it worked for us. We gave him "Career Plus Two" years as the axis of our universe. He -- repeatedly -- set that timetable himself. They could have dealt him, but they did not. He could have expressed a desire to extend his contract, but he did not. Well, not until he decided he wanted to keep playing -- contrary to every statement prior -- well after his supposed final season had begun. The Rockets were knee-deep in rebuilding mode (which, barring radically unforseen luck, will always include more errors than successes and will always be a little ugly...). Perhaps it was the plan rather than the power vacuum, the verve instead of the void, the excitement rahter than the misery, but something got to Hakeem's pride. There was already something in place, a germ of a new tree --- flawed an unimposing compared to the oak tree that was Hakeem career. But, it was a promising one nonetheless -- a crazy, athletic, cameraderie-rich backcourt of Stevie, Cuttino and yes, even Mooch. Hakeem was offended that the gardners tended to the "lesser" new project with more care, but he should knwo that the smaller ones need more care, more guidance, more attention. And his pride clouded the perspective of time and the ever-tricky dilemma of one's own professional mortality -- of course Cuttino Mobley and Stevie Francis have less NBA Currency that Hakeem The Dream Olajuwon, but make no mistake -- every big deal starts small at one point. Our newer, and yes smaller tree was -- and is -- a hell of alot more promising than most teams'. You know what made him mad? The future made him mad. With all its flaws, hazards and uncertainties, the future made him mad because he saw he was not in it. And rather than face the inevitable, he went somewhere that made him feel like the future. He had no patience for anyone else 's mistakes -- Rudy included -- but made plenty himself. One day, he was 20pts-10rebs. The next day, he was out for the year. Then he was back. Then he was pissed. Then he was smooching Rudy's butt on the radio. Then he was 20pts-10rebs. Then he was getting stuffed by Olawakandi. Then he was hurt. And so on. How the hell can you have a team spinning on that axis? It's like deciding to drive an intermittently functional -- but admittedly cool -- old car across the desert. If you get there, its great and you look like a stud, but if you get stuck -- and you very well might -- you are screwed. So screwed. His feelings clouded the hell out of his own self-assessment and his memory of just how much the Rockets fans and management have respected him over the years. Its human, but its nothing to use as a compass for a basketball franchise. Amazingly, we tried to accomodate. But we would not sacrifice the possibilites that faced this franchise. Good. I'll take the freaking ten-game losing streak on solid basketball principles than some smoke-and-mirrors run at the eighth seed on the coattails of Hakeems vanity and pride. Not like that would have happened, but for arguments sake, I would not take it. It's what we did at the very nadir of our franchise -- the year of the Pippen; rather than rebuild, we tried to squeeze victories out of people no longer capable of delivering them. It was the least daring move the Rockets ever made. And it was horrible, horrible basketball. This year, here's what we did instead. But give me a 'C', a bouncy 'C': Steve Francis is now our franchise player. Cato is a flop. Mobley was a steal. We got Griffin, we overpaid Moochie. We overpay Wizard, we will be underpaying Mo in a year or so. Rice is a turkey now, but will get better as the season progresses (like Mo did...). Oscar Torres is probably our next Mario Elie. Da da dee, la da doo, and whatever the hell else you want to put in. And, true, our current propsects and possibilites may or may not pan out. Still, I think Rudy and CD were smart, made the right moves and right gambles. In the end, we did good. Yes, we suck right now. Suck suck suck suck. But anyone remeber the Magic-Johnson-as-coach days of the Lakers? Van Exel shoving a ref? Shaquille and Co. schooled by Ostertag and Co. in the playoffs? CHAMPIONSHIPS DO NOT HAPPEN IN A DAY. I can see the argument about riding Dreams coattails wherever they may lead. Watch an old videotape, and it is hard not to think "man, I would jump off the edge of the Basketball world for that guy." But the fact is, Hakeem is a human, an athlete, a businessman, and a prideful dude -- all before he is a Rocket. We will have our ten game losing streaks. We will have our months when we play like garbage. We will sign some bad contracts. It's called 'rebuilding.' But those guys -- Rudy and CD -- did right by the franchise in 2000-2001. Better than Hakeem did. Hmmm, its starting to feel like a good time to be a Rocket fan again. No kidding. Don't worry Rudy, we've got your back. CBFC
