After reading a report about Baron Davis being named to fill in a vacancy on the US team created by Jason Kidd's absence, I found this thread: http://bbs.clutchcity.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=38992&highlight=baron+davis Now, what the hell is the problem here? I'm not only referring to the fact that the league snubbed ANOTHER Rocket yet ANOTHER time (e.g., EG), but it just seems to me that they really don't like the city of Houston in general. Does anybody know where H-town is ranked in terms of television market? (HeyP???) It can't be that the Hornets made the playoffs, giving Baron exposure to the spotlight; because I KNOW Francis has had more success with the national fan base. Just look at his vote-on starting spot with the All Stars last year. And, going back even further, even when the Rockets went to the playoffs and WON the damn Finals, they got absolutely no play whatsoever. Even SI screwed them out of coverage. WHY?!? Do you think Ming can finally be our saviour on this front?? What are your thoughts on this subject, because mine are all based in anger at this point.
Actually, we haven't had a good "Rockets get no respect from the national media" thread in a while... Sure is a nice break from the norm these days
If we can't get any love winning back2back championships w/ one of the 5 greatest C's of all time, there is NO WAY we'll get love w/ Ming. Not to mention that half the people in the media want him to fail, and if we are successful they'll be even more pissed b/c they were wrong. I've never understood the lack of respect for the bball team. We're the 4th largest city in the country but are passed over time and time again. I guess we've just never had that charisamtic guy to lead us to a championship. Hakeem was great don't get me wrong, but how many shoe commercials did he make or how much calogne did he push? All the hate used to really make me mad but I don't care anymore. The media cannot take or championships away and they can't stop our rise to number three (Coming soon).
You people need to chill. Why the hell would anyone respect our team or our players? We did SUCK last year!
Exactly. Also, the NBA or anyone for that matter won't feel obligated to give us respect, when we have the lowest attendance in the NBA.
Jus think of it this way: Do playoff teams like the Lakers, Kings, Spurs, Blazers, etc. shiver when they have to play us? I dont think so! We suck! We have sucked for the last couple of years! I am a bigger Rockets fanatic then anyone on this board, but lets not ignore the obvious. No one is afraid to play us, our team has no chemistry, our team has done diddly squat the last three years, our players are morons, etc., etc, Why do we deserve respect now?
Stevie hasn't gotten his team to the playoffs yet either. I totally agree with everyone about the no respect issue, but until we start winning games and start getting back into the playoffs then it's a mute case as far as the league is concerned. The league is still looking at Steve as a brash player who showboats alot, and they don't want that type of attitude to represent them in front of the world. Why do you think Iverson hasn't been selected to anything since he been in the league? They are looking for the right image to represent them and I guess Stevie hasn't fit their bill just yet. Don't worry, he'll get there.
What's the big deal? Is Iverson, Kobe, Shaq, Duncan and other premier players crying that they aren't playing in the world championships? Are their fans in an uproar because of a lack of respect for these guys and their teams? Come on now, it's a friendly competition where the NBA's second or third best could win the tournament. So the fact that Stevie isn't playing is no big deal. Besides, he needs time to heal so he can be 100% for the regular season.
Steve is in treatment for an inner ear dissorder that could hamper his career for years to come, and you are worried about him not getting a call for the US team? I would imagine he is not taking on a lot of off season activities.
Personally, I'm glad that he wasn't selected. That way he won't be tired and worn out when get into the playoffs this season. A couple of other reason I'm not that big on it is because it could lead to an injury, and also the fact that his contract hasn't been settled yet, no other players at the world Games can try and recruit him if his contract situation does linger on throughout the season.
I believe that Steve is still rehabing from his shoulder surgery. Maybe that's why they selected Davis instead.
The problems the league has with us as I see it are: ** losing record ** lousy attendance ** too much showboating (aka-more style than substance) Dallas Rocket
You are all correct about the recent lack of respect the Rockest have been getting but I'm talking about the snubs we've been getting since the 90's. Remember when we beat the Knicks for Championship #1. SI didn't even want to put out a special issuse for the Rocks and wouldn't have if Houstonians didn't make a big fuss about. Remember when we were playing the Magic and eveyone in the National media was hating on the Rocks and just praying there advertising poster boys (Shaq & Penny) would take us out. Hell Several months ago the 93-94 Rockets were named one of the 10 Worst Championship teams of all-time! Thats the hate I'm talking about. The league and the national media has always snubbed us so of course its no surprise they're doing it now.
What source did that come from? When I read this, post, my temperature went up a few degrees. That is such bullcrap! What basis did they use on that assumption? That Michael Jordan was gone? I'm really sick of that s**t!
The league doesn't like Steve because of the whole Vancouver thing. A player as exciting as he is might have made a difference in that city (like Carter does in Toronto). Steve is going to have to lead teams deep into the playoffs at least a few times and force the NBA to recognize him before he ever gets any love.
LA and NY are the obvious glamour centers. Outside of them, you'll have to have someone "charismatic" enough to sell shoes or soft drinks to get the non-local media's attention. I mean, how many American kids would want to be like Hakeem, or Stockton, or Malone, or Ray Allen, or Brand? These are great players. But they are not flashy and are not very marketable. Francis is the most marketable Rocket since Barkley--if we start winning.
It was in Sports Illustrated a few months back. Yeah when I saw that I was really upset. I'd be 100 bucks that if the Knicks would have won game 7 they wouldn't have made that list! But know I'm just like who the hell cares about SI, they've hated the Rocks forever.
from: http://espn.go.com/page2/s/list/championteams/worst.html Worst championship teams Page 2 staff With the Stanley Cup playoffs and NBA postseason in full swing, Page 2 decided to look back at some of the worst team champions. The 1997 Marlins were the best teal team money could buy ... and then dismantle when government officials wouldn't build you a ballpark. Take a look at our list of the 10 worst championship teams, then see how Page 2 readers ranked their worst champions. Then be sure to vote in the poll to crown the all-time worst championship team in sports. 1. 1997 Florida Marlins One of the great flukes -- a wild card that outperformed its Pythagorean numbers (that is, they won far more games than they statistically would have been expected to considering their overall run differential), then upset the Braves and beat the Indians in a wild World Series (including a comeback in the ninth inning of Game 7). Some might consider them a strong team, because they had a lot of famous "veteran" players, but they didn't show that during the regular season. The Marlins basically got "hot" for a few weeks, caught some breaks (the Braves made some mistakes and also were plumb unlucky), and will go down as perhaps the most notorious champs since the 1985 Royals or 1919 Reds. 2. 1995 Houston Rockets The Rockets entered the playoffs seeded sixth in the Western Conference with a 47-35 record. But they became the lowest-seeded team to win an NBA title, beating four 50-game winners in the process -- Utah, Phoenix, San Antonio and the Magic, who they swept in the finals. 3. 1906 Chicago White Sox The World Series looked like a total mismatch -- the 116-36 Cubs (their .763 remains the best regular-season winning percentage in MLB history) vs. the White Sox, whose seven home runs on the year and anemic team batting average of .230 had rightly earned them the dismissive nickname of "The Hitless Wonders." Somehow, the Sox won the title in six games. 4. 1987 Minnesota Twins The Twins finished the regular season with an 85-77 record, and they were lucky to do so -- during the season, opponents outscored the Twins by 20 runs, and statheads will tell you that without luck, the Twins would have been 79-83. Bert Blyleven and Frank Viola were good starting pitchers, but after that came Les Straker and Mike Smithson and pray for something. Still, they managed to beat the heavily favored Tigers in five games for the AL pennant, then rode Viola's arm and a monstrous home-field advantage (all four wins came in the Metrodome) to a seven-game victory over the Cards in the World Series. We're not begrudging Adam Vinatieri and the Pats their victory, but would you rank them with the all-time greats? 5. 1980 Oakland Raiders (Super Bowl XV) The Raiders, led by Jim Plunkett, tied for the best record in the AFC -- they were one of five AFC teams to go 11-5. But the Raiders were the wild-card team, and hadn't exactly overwhelmed opponents during the regular season. Still, in one of the great Cinderella stories, Plunkett led the Raiders to a 27-10 win over the Eagles in the Super Bowl, completing 13 of 21 passes for 261 yards and three touchdowns. The Raiders were the first wild-card team to win the Super Bowl. In 1981, they fell to 7-9, fourth in the AFC West. 6. 2001 New England Patriots The Pats may (or may not) have been the best team in the AFC, but they were arguably only the fifth or sixth best team in the NFL. How they beat the Rams -- who during their 14-2 season outscored opponents by almost a 2-1 margin -- remains a mystery. Is anyone betting on a repeat? 7. 1985 Kansas City Royals Kansas City finished first in the AL West with a 91-71 record. The Royals were a truly multidimensional team at the plate -- they had the worst on-base percentage in the AL, the second-worst team batting average (George Brett's .335 was 57 points higher than the team's second-best batter, Willie Wilson), and were a mediocre power team. Fortunately, they had a good pitching staff, which led the league in shutouts with 11, and were second in the AL with a 3.49 ERA. The Royals beat the Blue Jays in a seven-game ALCS, then beat the Cardinals in a seven-game World Series. Pitching was the key for the Royals -- they held the Cards to only 13 runs (and a .185 batting average) in seven games. 8. 1945 Detroit Tigers When asked whether the Cubs or the Tigers would win the 1945 World Series, Chicago sportswriter Warren Brown said, "I don't think either one of them can win it." Mario Lemieux and the Pens won their second straight Stanley Cup in 1991 because they turned it up at the right time. 9. 1967 Toronto Maple Leafs The Leafs finished third in the six-team NHL, compiling a 32-27-11 record while being outscored 211-204 by opponents (by comparison, the first-place Blackhawks outscored opponents 264-170). But the Leafs managed to beat Chicago in the semifinals and the Canadiens in the Stanley Cup finals. 10. 1991 and 1992 Pittsburgh Penguins The Penguins followed up two mediocre regular seasons in a row with two championships in a row. The Pens were 41-33-6 in 1990-91, finishing only third in the weak Prince of Wales Conference. In 1991-92, they could only manage a tie for third in their division, with a 39-32-9 record, but swept Chicago in four straight games in the Stanley Cup finals.
