We knew the francis-cat rockets were going nowhere, but we watched and filled the arena because there was hope they was on the path to getting better. Right now, the tc is a joke unless a star attraction is coming to town. Why? We know we're just good enough to be on the bubble of the playoffs. There is no upside wth scola and martin.
Tanking makes for horrible PR and creates a contagious detriment to any team. Play the young bucks and disperse the minutes!
We wouldn't talk about ok city in the same fashion if they would've kept allen and missed out on westbrook. Had they kept allen and played him 35 mins, they would've won 5 more games or so.
I'm glad you brought up the Astros because they are a perfect example of why you should tank. The Astros are so bad right now because they refused to give up winning a world series when it was clear their window had closed. If the Astors had traded their assets and started rebuilding earlier they would not be in the position they are in now. Instead they waited until most of their best players were past their prime and ended up with less and that owner that was dying to win so badly ended up selling the team. Right now the Rockets are at a point where they could trade their veterans and maybe get something in return and start the rebuilding process with a new coach and some young talent. And I would actually much rather watch Lowry/Twill/Morris etc out there because they can be our future. I don't want to watch a third season of us battling for the 8th seed and the 14th pick.
Okay... Tanking is a combination of young player development in which you let the young guys learn from their mistakes out in the game and minimize the minutes of your veteran players, by trades, stretching out injury recoveries, and reduction of minutes. It is not about telling your team to give less effort. It is about putting out there players who even with their best effort will likely make more mistakes than plays that would typically result in a loss. Les does not want to do this. Not sure why or what his logic is. While he has owned the team, he has never had to make that decision though, because in the past it was essentially made for him with players aging, retiring, or simply unable to stay healthy. The only championship team that comes to mind that may have been built "without the draft" would the Pistons, but even a number of the key players on that team were drafted by Detroit. You have mentioned the reasons of decreased fan support and attendance. However, you need to remember we are talking about the Rockets here. Past few years, most games it feels like the stadium is empty. Sure, I guess it could get worse, but not by much. Part of me makes me wonder if this has to do with the new Rockets/Astros Sports Channel. Maybe Les does not think it will be picked up by all the providers since the Astros already stink and the Rockets doing the same will decrease demand.
Very telling. We have no choice than waiting for the 14 picks, or former picks that have been abandoned to pan out.
After what's happened this week, I think Les should be knocking on everyone's door asking what tanking is.
Rockets have been a lottery team for the past 2 years. Tanking in this case would just mean a better pick through developing the lottery picks and trading away the veterans. They got rid of Juwan to give more playtime to Scola and now Scola has increased his trade value. They traded away Battier to develop Budinger. Now they can start again and trade Scola and Martin to develop Patterson and Twill. If a player is injured with near the end of the season and the Rockets are the 9th-10th seed, there is no need to play the recovering player in the last 2 weeks. Keep them out of the game like the Spurs did with Robinson. The Rockets would only be 1st round fodder, if they squeeze into the 8th seed. When they miss the playoffs, they would be stuck with the 13th/14th pick again. They should rest the formally injured player to risk injurying him again. They also need to quit trying trade for guys that are over 30 yrs old. They just end up as a rental and delaying the rebuilding. It will also increase their odds of having a top 5 pick, where most all-stars are drafted.
Tanking = letting Chuck Hayes go. As much as we appreciated him, we are really going to appreciate him now that he's gone. Maybe it'll work out for the best, 2-3 years from now...
Exactly, Chuck was good for an extra 4 or 5 wins a year, but the Rockets don't need those wins, they need to develop younger players. DD
I think that true tanking died shortly after the draft lottery was in place. 83/84 was blatent losing IMO. They started ok but once a season's Ls hit a certain point, losing became more valuable than winning. The Rockets put in a nice string of Ls on the last 10 games to the finish line. Their only win? Against Portland...who also put in a nice string of Ls of their own to finish. Trade the vets for future pieces if you can but play the younger players. If by some chance, those young players starting winning - great - let them continue winning. But if the other happens and you start getting closer to the end, let "injuries" take over for the vets you couldn't trade and give even more time to your 2nd and 3rd string.
Dang! You bet me to this although I'd amend the third one to "Trade for busts fished out of the D-League"
At this point, any fan opposition to "rebuilding" is simply irrational. Let's hope Les wakes up and trades K-Mart for Minny's first round pick (from the clippers). Then quietly shop Luis, start with a clean slate, and get D-Mo over here immediately after his euro league season ends.
If Odom was traded for what will basically be the 28th pick in the draft, do you REALLY think that Martin will get a pick that will almost certainly lotto and could possibly ( though I don't think it will) be in the top 5? Really, when people say "Trade Martin and Scola for picks", they really mean "Throw them away for nothing". Because that's what would happen if you tried that.
