What an ass clown..... April 23, 2002, 12:24AM Rockets can only watch as Lewis becomes a man By FRAN BLINEBURY Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle SAN ANTONIO -- There were other places he could have been this season. Perhaps at the University of Maryland, still bathing in the afterglow of a hard-earned NCAA championship with Juan Dixon and his fellow senior-class Terrapins. Maybe in another NBA city, even closer to his own backyard. Surely, this is the way Rashard Lewis always envisioned the heat, the excitement, the drama of the playoffs. As at home in Texas as a chip in salsa. Taking the big shots. Making the big plays. Coming up so huge in the fourth quarter. What part of the highlight reel might have looked so good even if it had come in one of the Rockets' pin-striped clown suits? Was it the floater along the left baseline, where he went by Tim Duncan before eventually dropping the ball over Malik Rose while fouled? Was it the nerveless 16-foot jumper he stuck right into the maw of the Spurs' defense? Was it another strong and fearless baseline drive at the four-minute mark when San Antonio was threatening to get back up off the floor? This is the way it might have been for Lewis. The way it could have been for Lewis in Houston. Then maybe the Rockets wouldn't be sitting around catching the playoffs on TV for the third consecutive year and inventing new excuses. You remember Draft Night 1999. There was Lewis sitting in the back room, a picture of dejection as he fell completely out of the first round. There were the Rockets, their hands full with three first-round choices, who should have been the ones looking so sad for passing over him again and again. The kid out of Elsik had made no secret of his desire to play for his hometown team. But the Rockets took Michael Dickerson. Then Mircad Turkcan. Then Bryce Drew. Well, as Paul Harvey would say, we know the rest of the story. On Monday night at the Alamodome, it was all about Lewis as he scored 19 points and grabbed four rebounds as the Sonics evened their first-round series with a 98-90 victory over the Spurs. This was always going to be a tougher-than-expected matchup for the Spurs, especially now that David Robinson is sidelined with an aching back. With Gary Payton able to dominate the ball and control the pace of a game, the Sonics are a tough nut for anybody to crack. But it was Lewis, as much as the perennial All-Star Payton, who jumped on the Spurs' necks down the stretch, scoring 11 of his points in the fourth quarter. He didn't shrink from the clutch situation. He embraced it. He didn't wilt in the playoff heat. He played like he was wearing an asbestos jersey. Three years later, the Rockets will offer up reasons why they wouldn't take a flyer on the hometown kid. And those reasons are as worthless as Confederate currency. Yes, Dickerson became a valuable part of the trade that landed Steve Francis. But Turkcan? Drew? Neither ever could match up with Lewis. Even when Lewis was a high schooler. Back then, the Rockets were still so cautious, so reluctant to crawl out on the branch of drafting a teen-ager. It wasn't until last June when they finally dipped their toe into that water and plucked 19-year-old Eddie Griffin. They were insistent on getting shooters to play with Hakeem Olajuwon and Charles Barkley at the time. They had no foresight, no vision of the future. They could have had Lewis. They should have had Lewis. They didn't have to package picks and trade up to get him. He was a duck sitting on the pond, and they wouldn't pull the trigger. Two years ago, when Lewis' rookie contract was up, the Rockets made a few overtures. But Lewis stayed with the Sonics. Now the hometown kid has an option on his contract coming up again this summer. He has another year left on the new deal he signed with Seattle, but he will choose to become a free agent. On the open free-agent market, Lewis likely will find only Chicago and Indiana with enough money to fit under the salary cap. Expect the Rockets to at least pick up the phone and offer him the middle-class exception -- about $5 million per year with a maximum of seven years. Problem is, even if Seattle doesn't want to max out Lewis, they could offer him a lesser deal, and it would still total $80 million. Does anybody miss home that much -- $45 million worth? He also could sign another shorter contract, say three years, with Seattle and then come home to Houston after that, in his prime. But does he owe the Rockets that consideration after they snubbed him? He is, naturally, exactly what the Rockets need. A slick, quick, small forward in a 6-10 body. The kind of player who can make a mockery of defensive matchups. He is only on the verge of coming into his own. He won't be 23 until August. So many more years, so many more big games ahead of him. You saw him slither along the baseline and making the tough baskets. You saw him stand at the free throw line and stroke a perfect 7-for-7. You closed your eyes and pictured him doing it for the Rockets. They had their chance. There's no place like home to make a guy feel unwanted. Hey Fran...... Pi$$ off!!
It was actually Draft Night in 98, not 99. Not to the surprise of you guys, I agree with Fran. Where was Fran wrong in his article, except for the error in year? He is basically echoing the sentiments of 50% or more of the Rockets fans. When a 16-year old, at the time, like myself knew that they should have taken Lewis over the Euro and Drew, something is wrong.
Fran has his nose Blineburyed up his a$$. If Lewis was playing here (and I wish he was) Fran would find fault with his dog, his socks, his D, SOMETHING... because he played for the Rockets. (unless he whispered sweet nothings in his ear)
Well I was furious on draft night when they passed up Lewis. But look at it this way, The Rockets traded everybody on the bench for Steve Francis. You know if Lewis was sitting on that pine, he would of had to go as well. Unless Seatle take Taylor & ? with a S&T. No way Lewis ends up here.
You could get mad and talk about Fran, but I agree with him. Bryce Drew or the euro guy was nothing atheletically to Lewis.The fact is Drew was the Matt Maloney clone and the Rockets still had a chance to right themselves. With the last pick in the first round, he was there for the taking and they take a guy with some black and white film.
well of course nothing he really says is wrong, it's very easy to be right when everything has played out, you know 20/20 hindsight and all. hell even i wanted lewis back then (and was like wtf when we got turkcan) but its also not like every freakin team in the league didn't pass on him, not just us franny. i mean he just sounds like someone on a bbs whining about what could've been after you've seen the results, big whoop, i can do that too. did fran write tons of articles back then about how he knew lewis would be a playoff contributor and that we were morons? probably not. again, it just comes down to he hates the team and he wants to rub in anything he can.
Fran sure does know his Rockets history. At least get details right - makes your argument look stronger. Idiot.
"into the maw of the Spurs' defense?" maw? " He played like he was wearing an asbestos jersey. " "And those reasons are as worthless as Confederate currency. " "He was a duck sitting on the pond, and they wouldn't pull the trigger." I have this vision of Fran with a smirk on his face and chuckling to himself when he comes up with his oh-so-witty lines, all the while thinking, "damn, I'm good". He relishes in every chance to kick the Rockets. I can't wait to see what he has to say the day after the draft. I've always said I think Lewis was better off going to the Sonics. I don't think he would have gotten the experience early in his career with the Rockets like he has with the Sonics. I also think getting away from home, family and friends probably helped him grow and mature faster...just my opinion. os
You guys need to get off Fran, he is 100 % right, and if people would take off their rose colored glasses and see that he is trying to put a little heat on the Rockets for the TERRIBLE decisions that this team has made of late. We should have drafted Lewis, everyone here knows it.....we have been talking about it for 4 years.....why should an article that says what ALL OF US HERE have been saying upset some of you? The Rockets royally screwed up. Drew? Turcksan? What a joke....Lewis should have been a Rocket, and the Rockets should do EVERYTHING they can to get him back here. Can Seattle match any contract offer he gets? Or can he sign with the Rocks for 3 years, and then we give him the max at the end of that deal? DaDakota PS. Fran is RIGHT
I think everyone here is angered for the same reasons we hate to see "Why didn't we draft Rashard Lewis?" threads by newbies. Fran needs to get over it and find something constructive to write about. Further, the whole premise of Rashard Lewis becoming a man last night is laughable. I guess he's now a "man," if 6-15 shooting (19 pts), 4 rebounds and 1 assist make you a man??? I was more impressed, as always, by Gary Payton, and by Desmond Mason 7-12 shooting (15pts) 8 rebounds and Vin Baker's 7-12 shooting and 15pts, 10 rerbounds. Lewis is good, but at teh very least Fran should have waited until Lewis had a great game (which is very feasible - he occasionally has those 30 pt games, or better shooting, rebounding games) or, if Lewis never had that breakout game but was solid throughout, then until the series was over to write the article. Just my opinion.
<b>We should have drafted Lewis, everyone here knows it.....we have been talking about it for 4 years.....why should an article that says what ALL OF US HERE have been saying upset some of you? </b> Funny how people are constantly ripping the Rockets for not drafting a high school player on a team that was considered a title contender at the time and didn't have time to develop Lewis. Lewis also fell into the 2nd round so I mean god, it's not like it was given the guy would do anything. Seattle just happened to take a chance on him and it worked out. If you're going to rip the Rockets rip every other team in the NBA other then Seattle. They let the guy fall into the 2nd round didn't they?
I totally agree. In 1998, the Rockets were not in a positon to draft a teenager because they still had a championship-caliber team. Hindsight is 20/20, but there was no way in hell to predict Rashard's success today. The Rockets did not want to take the time and effort to groom such a player, knowing that they only had a few more years with Barkley and Dream. Furthermore, the Rockets were going with the "win now" philosophy back then, not a rebuilding stage like they are in now. Unfortunately, Rashard did not fit what they were looking for during that draft in 1998. The important thing is to somehow figure a way to bring him back to Houston.
The issue isn't whether or not we SHOULD have drafted Lewis or not. We SHOULD have drafted Clyde Drexler instead of Ralph Sampson. There are lots and lots of SHOULD's, COULD's and WOULD's in the NBA, NFL and every other sports league out there. That isn't the point. The point is that ****head Blinebury is getting his rocks off on blasting the Rockets while they are down. At least with Mickey Herskowitz he knows the facts and reports them honestly. At least when you hear sports talk people discussing the Rockets, they look at the options and consider the possibilities. Blinebury is bordering on an all-out assault of the Rockets and it doesn't really matter whether or not we agree with him. It is more about how he says the things he does than what he says in the first place. I mean, he's in San Antonio to cover the NBA playoffs and all he can do is bash the Rockets? I've never been a fan of Blinebury or Robertson. Personally, I think they are AVERAGE writers at best and rely on stupid metaphor's and arrogant bravado rather than writing skills and a sense of history. Blinebury's particularly tired overuse of the metaphor is about as worn out as the ass groove in his desk chair. You know, there is a reason why guys like Blinebury and Robertson don't get invited on sports tv shows or to comment in national magazines. There is a reason they aren't John Feinstein or Mike Lupica or Mitch Albom or Frank DeFord. They enjoy being the big fish in the little pond. Put them in SI or on ESPN and they suddenly become two hack, wanna-be's with dellusions of grandeur. This is what we get in a one-newspaper city.
The poor man is cursed to never having his name spelled right! Mircad? Turksan (that one's Dada's)? MIRSAD TURKCAN
Jeff, you mean Clyde instead of McCray, that was the choice. Ralph was the consensus number 1 pick, I think Clyde was picked 1 spot below McCray at something like 10 or 11. I still think we should have drafted Lewis though. We were still trying new stuff but at the same time we were trying to change our style. Bryce Drew wasn't any closer to putting us over the top than Lewis was.
Thanks for the correction. You are exactly right. I was so pissed, I wasn't even contemplating that draft! And, I don't disagree about Lewis at all. I was pissed when they didn't take him. I still think it was a big mistake but there isn't **** we can do about it now and re-visiting the situation doesn't make it better. It just makes for a better by-line. By the way, does anyone else feel protective, at least a little, of the Rockets on the whole. Sure we all love to criticize, but I see them as almost like a family member. It's ok for us to criticize and poke fun but when someone else does it, I feel the need to kick their ass!
If I were Fran (and I'm glad I'm not), I would shun the Rockets after all that I had said about them.
