Not trading Hakeem Olajuwon to the Raptors for Kevin Willis, Doug Christie, #5 (Bender, Szczerbiak, Miller, Marion available), and #12.
I went to school in Dallas in the 80's .. What a TEAM they had back then! Harper, Ro Blackmon, Dale Ellis, Sam Perkins, Mark Aguirre, Jay Vincent, Detlef Schrempf, and then (sadly) Roy Tarpley. As great a talent as Tarpley was (think better rebounder than Rodman) he was twice as stupid. Unfortunately, the Mavs' brass crossed their fingers and drafted Tarpley, even though they knew he had had a cocaine problem. That was terrible mistake #1. Then, when it all started going downhill from there, they #2 traded Dale Ellis to Seattle for AL WOOD ?????? #3 traded Detlef Schrempf to Indiana for HERB WILLIAMS ????? #4 picked up Fat Lever??? #5 picked up (an apparently already retired) Alex English? #6 drafted Cherokee Parks??? #7 drafted Loren Meyer??? #8 drafted Randy White ?? (not the football player either) Passed on Karl Malone to take Sam Perkins (not that Perkins was a dud, but who would you rather have had?) The list goes on and on.. to me, no franchise has made more stupid decisions than the Mavs.. once Cuban bought the team, he got it back on the right track.. but before that, ewww stinko!
yes yes yes...i remember calling Sporting News Radio (i think jay marioti was the host) and I was screaming about it
Great excuse to bring up the fact that the Rockets jumped the shark when they traded for Barkley. Of course, the Chucky Brown Fan Club was born that day, but that was one hell of a bad trade. There is a difference between a bad trade and a bad management decision -- the Clippers make bad management decision (no foresight, penny pinching, bad information, etc.) But a bad trade can happen to anyone. Eddie Jones and Elden Campbell for Glen Rice? Terrible trade. But, it made sense at the time. I think, anyway. That Barkley trade did not make much sense to me at the time (who's a-gonna play defense, chemistry, youth for age, Blinebury liked it, etc.). CBFC
Man there's tons of bad decisions: - Not trading Sampson for Jordan and Drexler (1984) - Drafting Rodney McCray over Clyde Drexler (1983) - Trading for Scottie Pippen (1998) - Signing Kelvin Cato to a $42 million contract (1999) - Drafting Mirsad Turkcan and Bryce Drew instead of Rashard Lewis (1998) - Trading Moses Malone - Trading Elvin Hayes - Signing Matt Maloney to a 7 yr. contract - Signing Brent Price to a 6 yr. contract - Drafting Rodrick Rhodes - Passing on Desmond Mason, Quentin Richardson, Magloire for Jason Collier
I think it was a great trade. We just got swept by Seattle, who totally destroyed us. Barkley was the reason we got past Seattle the next year in 7 games. We were one Stockton miracle 3-ptr. away from probably facing the Bulls for our 3rd championship. The only players of decent value we gave up in the deal were Horry and Cassell. Cassell was young, but had balls. Horry was Mr. Clutch in the playoffs, but both struggled against the tougher and more talented Sonics. The Rockets did what they had to do in bringing in Charles. He brought us damn close to a 3rd Finals appearance. Too bad things didn't work out.
I am amazed at the stupidity of those who bash the Barkley trade. If we got our ass kicked again by the Sonics in 97, these dumb@sses would be saying that the Rockets should have made a big trade, to end the 4-year period of being the Sonics little b!tch.
Good point, kidrock8, I am amazed at my own stupidity as well. How stupid I am! AARRGGGH!! If I was not so stupid! DAMN IT! And yes! I am the exact person who would have been mad if we had not made the trade. "Why did we not trade for Barkley!!!" I would have said, had we not traded for Barkley. "Why did we trade for Barkley!!!" I said, after we traded for Barkley. AARGGGH! It hurts to be as dumb as me. Whatever happens, I lose and get it wrong. ------------------ I do not believe in contrsucting a team specifically to beat one other team in the conference. Not then, not now, not ever. You become a totally reactive team, rather than one with chemistry, a personality, and a style of play. Matt Maloney at the point? Check, please. Yahoo. We beat Seattle. And we were not one miracle three-pointer away from the Finals, that was Game 6 v. Utah , not Game 7. We still would have had to beat Utah in Utah in game 7. And don't forget, we were an Eddie Johnson Miracle Three Pointer away from going down in 5 games, not 6 or 7. But, of course, we went down 2-0 because we decided to get into a pissing match with Stockton for the first two games, throwing forearms and whatnot. Concentrating on Stockton, not winning. Garbage. I love the Barkley show as much as anyone, but it was not about winning, sacrifice, defense, etc. like it was when Chucky, Sammy and Horry were around. It was Hakeem's team then. It became the Barkley show once he got here. It's not just about numbers and stats, its about attitude, chemistry, confidence and those things. But yee-haw, we beat Seattle. Still amazingly stupid, CBFC
The posts regarding Webber are insane. If we had Webber, we would me a solid playoff team. Its not even a question, IMO. His numbers are solid. His girlfriend is hot. Mix that with Steve Francis, Cat, Rice, and Griffin. Thats a solid team.
Probably all the decisions that involved keping older experienced players when Hakeem was already a shadow of his former self. (The Toronto non-trade; Rashard's non-drafting; etc.) Hell, Hakeem wanted to bail to Toronto years ago. We all came out screaming "nooooooooo!" So they backpedaled, didn't go through with it. (sigh)
WORST MANAGEMENT DECISION EVER: THE ROCKEST PICKING JASON COLLIER AS THEIR #1 PICK IN THE 2000 DRAFT.
I think the Barkley trade kept the Rockets competitive, whether it was made for one team or not. the Rockets with Horry, Max, Cassell, Smith, Elie, etc. worked for one, primary reason: Hakeem Olajuwon was a complete and total basketball freak and badass. and even the second year ['95], he needed Glide's help. and, in my opinion, Glide was clearly deteriorating by '97, and I think Hakeem was sliding, too. the three HOF'ers together, was enough to just overwhelm most teams. but I think Seattle in '96 clearly, beyond a shadow of a doubt, showed what would happen had Rockets' management kept the title-winning group together. now for my pick for worst move. . . with perfect 20/20 hindsight, it HAS to be not trading Sampson for Jordan [if they get Glide, too, great, but mainly Jordan]. just consider for one second what Jordan and Olajuwon "might" have accomplished together. . . they could've made Magic and Kareem look like Stockton and Malone. not just the talent. . . the sheer will to win and improve and be dominant that they both had would have been downright frightening. people can talk all they want about them not being able to co-exist, egowise, but I think they flat out would've ruled the NBA for the entirety of my adolescence. I think they would have won their first championship in '89, and I don't think they'd have stopped until '00 [that's assuming Jordan doesn't "retire" for 2 years]. we'd be talking about Bill Russel/Celtic dominance. don't y'all wish there were some bizarro time machine we could all enter and see what type of things "would" happen "if" things didn't happen the way they did? anyway, not trading Sampson for The Greatest Basketall Player Ever to Play the Game is the pick. hands down.
I THINK THE WORST DECISION YET HAS BEEN NOT MAKING SURE THAT WE KEPT DREAM UNTIL THE DREAM WAS OVER Communicating with Dream more and working out a deal that in his latter years would have allowed us to have money and still keep DREAM Maybe giving him more during his prime, when he was really earning it, and thinning it out over the years that way both sides would have respected an obligation towards each other. DREAM gets to understand the realities of a franchise rebuilding and perhaps would have felt comfortable with the idea ROCKETS could have maybe made a teacher out of DREAM and felt in their hearts a fairy tale ending to the greatest DREAM ever. COMMUNICATION SAVES THE NATIONS
I HATE IT WHEN PEOPLE WHO HATE ON BARKLEY!!!! It wasn't only his fault that we went on the decline! Face it! Hakeem and Clyde were just as much to blame as anyone else. What are a bunch of role players going to do with Hakeem and Clyde on the decline anyway? Sheesh, I reast my case.....
NJ Rocket: Webber is a gutless and sly non team player. Anyone who observed him in the Playoffs in a studious manner knows this!
Trading the MVP for scrubs (Moses Malone), taking on Rice and his bloated contract, and trading Pippen for scrubs.
