Come on guy...what is les going to say "well, this team might lose a lot of games, but they got potential???" Every Year les says this is the best Rockets team ever so people will get excited and go to the games. Anyway, you guys should go to the games. Don't be fair-weathered fans, so maybe this is the best team ever, yeah, that's the ticket.
If Yao is as good as some people say he is, thenIdon't see why not. What we have, is what the Blazers lacked when they choked against the Lakers. Our Sabonis isn't old, our Wallace is a better defender/shotblocker, and we add to that the best backcourt in the league. I really see us winning one championship if Ming, Griffin, Boki, Mobley and Setve stay together. Winning the championship is on Cuttino and STeve's mind. Rudy has 2 rings, so his standards are HIGH. Les is obviously thinking championship. Hell, it's even on Ming's mind. It's good that we have this Championship mindset, and not a "let's make the playoffs" mindset. Especially since we've been out of the playoffs for 3 years. But seriously, I think in 3 years, we can compete for the championship. Ming and Griffin will DOMINATE the PF/C position by then.
The talent will definately be there but thats only half the other half is chemistry. Can this team develop the same type of chemistry that the old Rockets teams had? Talent won't win by itself. Just look at the US in the WBC.
I doubt any Rocket team will have the chemistry the 1994 club did. It was a thing of beauty to watch. I pray this cuyrrent crew can start to mesh together and try to approach the flow the first chamion team had. This team has a lot more talent than in 1994. It remains to be seen how they will play together.
Chemistry comes very easy when you have a dominant center who is healthy......I do think it could be a challenge from Les but I find his comments reasonable. That is no joke team, at least on paper. Most of the players, except Rice, still have their best playing days ahead of them. Having reviewed last season on video, looked at Rudy in the Houston Boston '81 series, and the 1994 Playoff Run, I am very confident about the Head Coach and Front Office. I have said all along that Lewis can stay where he is and we do not have a need to go looking for a backup 2 guard. So there is nothing else Les could have said. His statements are also a reflection of his confidence and real excitment about what can happen. They are also very consistent with what CD said a few days ago. Having said all of that I cannot begin to tell you how many years I have heard excitment at the start of the year. To be honest though, injuries have always wrecked most seasons. That is why I expect the team to go with 15 players with the IR having Collier, Maddox, and Brown, most of the time. Based on our injury past we can justify carrying 15 players.
The Rocket's talent pool reminds me of when Orlando came up with Shaq. A bunch of good young players that gelled all the way to the finals, only to run into the Rockets...
You aren't the only one. Hmm...anyone want to compare Shaq's and Collier's stats? Shaq may have a slight edge, but Creampuff man is better since he's younger and WAY more talented. (just a joke, btw...and a bad one at that.)
We are in a unique situation because in a way we ended up with three players of #1 pick quality- Francis, Griffin, Yao- In such a short period of time. How many teams have moved that quickly picking up 3 players that are definately top 3 talent coming into the draft? We don't know the future, but so far the script is perfect. I wouldn't trade those 3 for anyone else drafted those years. Will the Rockets win championships again soon? I don't know, but I'm glad they are my team with where we are sitting right now. I do think it is up to the coaching staff at this point. Les and CD have provided the ammunition.
With Rudy's penchant for having his teams gel at the playoffs, my mantra remains, "no one will want to face the Rockets this year come playoff time." Regardless of our seeding.
Even more impressive is that we only tanked/injured/pingponged our way to one of those three. The other two were trades. Trading up for players of that caliber, when at least 20 other teams would like to beat you to it, is no mean feat. And making those trades without giving up any of your stars is almost unheard of. Rudy and CD have made some extremely bad picks over the years, but when they hit it, they really hit it. I like their style.
Why do people include Norris in this greatest team thing. He is not in the future of this team. This guy is not an NBA player. Once Steve get's serious and realizes what an anchor this guy is he will be traded "for the good of the team". Sorry!
Yes, potentially, but at this time, I think the 85'-86' team was the best: Dream Sampson McCray Lloyd Lucas Reid Wiggins Petersen The rest were Leavell, Ehlo, Waiters, McDowell, and (Gulp!) Harris. Raid & Leavell were the only geezers on that team. That team could've chanelleged for years if it didn't take the wrong turn in the following seasons for Sampson, Lucas, Lloyd, and Wiggins.
You gotta love an owner that loves his team. Les has walked the talk in terms of the way he has supported the Rockets organization. That's why they have been able to rebuild so quickly. And I agree, the quality of players recruited the last 3 years is phenomenal. Show me any other team that has recruited the caliber of players that the Rockets have had in the last 3 years. The future is bright!
Jeff, You probably already knew this, but I found a paper on NBA economics last week, and it said that franchises can sell their local TV rights or keep them (the Knicks local rights are valued around $40m). Most teams keep the rights. The rights are sellable by the franchise owner on a contractural year-by-year basis somewhat like stadium naming rights are. The Shanghai Sharks are owned by a TV station (like the Knicks are), and if memory servers, there are other media moguls in the CBA, and I'm wondering now if they are trying to buy our local TV rights to broadcast Ming games in Houston. I first thought it was China bargaining with Stern over licensing NBA broadcast rights in China. Now based on Alexander saying straight out that he is still negotiating, I'm wonder if this is about Les's local TV rights. btw: did Alexander really say that it is not about "money" or not about Ming's salary. The Chronicle didn't have him quoted as saying that.
