Now that we got he first pick, can we end the conspiracy garbage? People just knew that it was going to NYC. Last year, people screamed about Washington getting that first pick and as you can see, it worked out cuz they are in the playoffs! Guys and gals, do we forget that this franchise got lucky in back to back years. Was that a conspiracy also? So, what do you say, eh? Can we end all this talk about favoritism by Stern towards big markets and all that crap. Or do you think that Stern fixed it for us to win this also? Can't have it both ways, you know. Now, knowing Rudy T, we are gonna draft some unknown 7 footer who shoots 3 pointers and is from Europe.
It's totally a conspiracy. David Stern is just coming to his senses and starting to patronize Houston with their young flashy (marketable) talent.
Well, this is the first year that anyone has really brought up publicly the possiblity of the NBA trying to determine who drafts where....no one was really talking about it prior to previous lotteries, at least it wasn't as widespread as this year. I don't understand what Washington not making the playoffs has to do with anything. Remember that Rod Thorn, in his first year as GM of NJ, conveniently got the #1 pick. I also don't see how Houston 'got lucky' two years in a row. If I'm not mistaken, there were two coin flips, so they had a 50/50 shot. I just don't see how this lottery proves anything. The NBA was under major scrutiny this year, so it's just as likely that they fixed it to where NY would NOT win the lottery.
Uh, what Freak said. If it were fixed, it would be very obvious if NY got the #1. I'm glad it was ours to win though.
The Rockets won both the first, and second picks. I think its impossible to fix the lottery, but thats just me.
The problem I have always had with this garbage theory is that everyone with that mentality thinks that the NBA is skewed to have only 4 cities win all the time. And what I have been consistantly pointing out is that as bad as Houston is sports wise, why would Stern rig the Lottery to go our way? And last year all I heard was about how the return of Jordan secured the 1st pick for Washington. Now, they are looking to trade the player they picked last year. So, how is that working out? If this crap was true, would Francis be here? Or would he be in NYC, LA or Chicago? Facts are facts. If there is any fixing, its all blown up now that we got the first pick. If I was commish, I would never let Houston get another 1st pick with the reputation Houston has as a sports town. Why waste 20 years of a great player in a city that is not marketable? Why not give the pick to NY? You can raise all the eyebrows you want if it would of happened but nobody would of done squat about it and whomever the first pick is gonna be would of enjoyed all the publicity NYC has to offer. Now, Houston will have the spotlight. Isn't that a waste? Or did Rudy T and Dawson become Sterns' girlfriends replacing West who moved from big LA to little Memphis? This is year 6 of CC.net and every year we heard that the Commish is fixing it all for the big markets to win and yet San Antonio somehow landed Duncan and kept him for all these years instead of setting up nice pretty finals with Duncan in the East and Shaq in the West. Conspiracies have died. Now, if Rudy T picks another 3 point shooter, I will be pretty freakin pissed.
I'm not sure exactly what the tax structuring situation will be for Ming, but no state taxes in TX to add to his ~50% tax liability from China may be one of the reasons Ming was "placed" in Houston.
Almu, I never said that the #1 had to goto NY. Since Stern allowed media into the room, I think that means he's at least aware of the implications. #1 going to NY is way too obvious. Again, I'm not saying it is rigged, but anything can happen. I think the last 3 or so lotteries put's a question in my mind: 1. Chicago loses Jordan, lands the #1. 2. Thorn becomes GM of the Nets, he gets the #1 3. Jordan is in DC, he gets #1. I don't care if they are looking to trade Brown now. They still got the #1 and could have used it on Gasol. 1 player wasn't gonna make them a 60 win team, but Gasol and a healthy MJ could have led them to the playoffs. It's irrelevant who they picked, they still get first choice. It doesn't matter that it isn't working out now. 4. As for us, maybe Stern does want a prescence here? Maybe he thinks our nucleus could mean something for the league. WE're bad fans now, but when we were winning, we sold out. And, we're not a small market. WE're not New York , but certainly not a small market. We;re also getting a new arena. Maybe Stern wants all of the Texas teams to be good? Or, HOuston landing the #1 was so obscure that Stern thinks the doubters will lay off of him. I'm just playing devil's advocate, but anything can happen.
That is what I think. Oakland (SanFran), Chicago, New York have large Chinese, Asian communities. I think he knows that Houston has a decent size Asian Community. Houston wasn't mentioned that much in the Ming Sweepstakes if you want to call it that. But it seems right. It's not a large TV market as New York, but it's no Memphis or Milwaukee. The Arena is right on the otherside of 59. Nobody figured that Houston would get it, so he rigged it so we can land a top two pick.
In the last four years, David Stern has engineered it so that the Rockets have acquired Steve Francis, Eddie Griffin, and the Number One pick in the draft -- all without having to lose more than 54 games! So, there is a conspiracy all right -- Stern is propping up Clutch City and not New York City! OK, I don't actually believe that. But it's pretty funny nonetheless.
Actually Houston is best place for Yao as for the Chinese. 1. Significant chinese population 2. They get to have the great Ming vs Wang competition go on. 3. it's not as big and distracting as NY - i mean the press is merciless there. I think Yao would have more problems there than here Rocket River
Sure, now that we got the pick, its "Stern knew better?" I am sorry. I don't buy any of that. Like Khan said, we got Griffin, Francis and this #1. How is that possible if this is fixed. He knew that NYC and Chicago are his babies and should of sent all that there. NJ got the first pick? Who cares. If you lived here, you would see that its worse in NJ than in Houston when it comes to sports. Nobody here cares about NJ anything. Its all NYC. Sorry. The conspiracy has died. But, if you guys want to still think its all rigged, then go right ahead. Its like telling people who believe in Roswell that there are no alien conspiracies. They will believe in them no matter what.
We got Griffin because we had 3 #1's from prior deals. Francis did not want to be in Vancouver. You're not so naive that you would think Stern would just give the KNicks the #1, the Bulls the #2, and the Nets the #3 every year, are you? It doesn't matter who we got in the last 3 drafts. Stern had nothing to do with those picks. I bet if Jordan had to do the draft over again, he would have picked Gasol.
I'm a Mav's fan and I admit it I am a conspiracy theorist. One of my best buds/co-workers is from Houston and a diehard Rockets fans and he introduced me to ClutchCity.net a while back and I like to read it because for the longest time there just were not many Mav fans that knew diddly (still only a handful really). So anyways, I told him last year that Wizards would get 1 and that no way does Chicago get it because he(The little evil gnome) has this vendetta against the idiot that broke up the bulls (what did they get #4). About 2 months ago, I told him that the Rockets would get #1 because of the following: #4 market in US, New Arena coming, and the worst attendance in the NBA. Not a good combo, the last thing he needs is the new arena getting no crowds and the rockets trying to move in 2-3 years. He needs the rockets to be good to justify the new Arena's everywhere. I then said he would try to get NY into 2-3 if he could get away with it. Now I am 3 outta 4 with the so called lottery the last 2 years and really if the Chinese force a trade of the #1 and it ends up in NY, then well, what can we say. As for the actual lottery, houston got 1 and 2, what did they forget to turn off the magnets? There were instances mentioned before, but how about philly getting 3 top 3 picks in a row and this was before the top 3 picks were the only ones in play. And to top it off, what about being a fan for the worst team in the nba for the whole decade and only getting 1 count them 1 top 3 pick. Yes I am jaded. Maybe it was being forced to watch such crappy basketball for so long. Later and thanks for letting me vent. Stressboy
I actually do think there is some Hanky Panky going on with the NBA Draft Lottery: In the lottery there are 4 numbers drawn. When they are drawn, it leads to the outcome of the #1 pick. The first three numbers that came out worked for Houston, New York and Washington. The fourth solidified it for Houston. Maybe Stern doesn't care about Chinese populations as much as Putting Ming on a competetive team in a large market. Weigh it towards Houston, Washington and New York and you get Playoff fringe teams with Francis, Jordan and NYC in a better spot. Aside from Chinese Population, Houston is #4 in actual population and had sold out the Laptop for YEARS until the last two years, a negative for the league. Things that make you go hmm.... THe league has been trying to promote Houston and Francis and i'm sure it can be seen as a positive to get Houston back into the playoffs, sell some more seats; they probably know most houston fans are bandwagoners.....(in terms of corporate guys and good seats!!)
Oh, I whole-heartedly believe the conspiracy theory is alive and well. Shoot, when I was in college in San Anton and both David Robinson & Sean Elliot were out for the season with "injuries," and then they somehow landed the #1 pick & took Tim Duncan, all I could say about them for the next year was they tanked & the league gave them Duncan. So then last year Mo Taylor & Glen Rice were out for the season with "injuries," and even Francis missed all sorts of games with "injuries." Now we land the first round pick ... I only wish it were Duncan instead of Ming, but hey I'll take it. Now all we need is for someone like CD to fire Rudy T and take over as head coach just a little bit into the season, and the San Anton -- Houston comparisons will be WAY TOO SIMILAR. If you wonder why Houston would need that kinda help from the league, consider this. 4th largest city, but worst attendance in the league with a new stadium on the way. Largest potential for growth. Glad the conspiracy finally worked in our favor!
