To those of you saying we need to win a series for him: SCREW THAT. We need to win a CHAMPIONSHIP for him now. If there were any NBA player that deserved a ring, he is #1 on that list. Yao needs to get Deke that ring. And even though Deke will get it on his back, he will still at least have one. I initially thought that we would lose to the Lakers in a 4-1 series. With Deke down I think we will have enough fire under our belts to want to win a championship for Deke to where we will take the Lakers to 7 games and win @ LA. We need to win Deke a championship. We are his last hope guys. Let's cheer on our Rockets for a new reason: To get Deke a ring!
Great post! I fully agree we have to just pull together and win it for him. We need to get all the players on the same page and somehow direct their attention to having deke go out the right way by going all the way despite all circumstances. Quit thinking about your next contracts Ron and Von!
I was metally prepared to winning 1 out of 2 in portland but this is over the top. I cannot handle this crap anymore.
**** i want to cry..........guys, a man speaks kanglish,shakes the finger, confident face, .........................is gone. I am a basketball fun, I 've seen a lot of injure in NBA, this is the ****ing sad one................he doesn;t deserve it....................****. I just want to go to the hospital to tell him how much i love him. he has done so much for the youngs for Yao ming........the rest of us. **** yes ****, if there is justice just give it to him.....................****!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Deke is a fighter, ending his career with injury on the court seems to be the only way he'd be retired.. Bless Deke ..
Man you got a great character. This is surely the first best playoffs post. Imagine if someone say it in the locker room. Shxt I wanna cry.
It says a lot when a player has a personal impact on how I feel. When I think of Deke I think of why I love Basketball so much. I miss him already...I actually cried a bit when I heard him say his journey was over yesterday. How could anyone not love this man. Let's hope he can recover and be a mentor to more youngsters. THIS ONE'S FOR YOU DEKE!!!
I love Deke. Deke was a true professional. He understood his role and was always ready to step in to help the team. The only bright spot in this situation is my hope that the Rockets choose to go more athletic in the future back up center.
I can't even look at this picture (flipped vertically) without feeling this sensation of despair. Just look at his facial expression. He looks like he feels he just got betrayed. Back-stabbed by the evil side of the game of basketball. Just a terrible tragedy that this great human being will leave the game he loves on this sour and painful note. This does not sit well with me at all!
Going down fighting. That sure is Deke. My history of paying attention to the NBA started when the Rockets won their first championship. Back then Deke was with the Hawks and I was 14. I noticed back then that Deke was an *******, but only because he wasn't on my team. Now that Deke has been with the Rockets squad (the longest he's ever been with ANY squad if I remember correctly) for 5 years, I truly think that Deke has set his home here in Houston as far as an NBA franchise goes. Houston is very lucky in the fact that we have the two strongest centers in NBA history focusing on this city. Yao would honestly be a nobody if he didn't come here. He's not only being trained by the best center to ever play the game (Hakeem) and the 2nd best center (Mutombo), he's also being trained on how to not be an ******* in the locker room (Mutombo). What upsets me about Yao is that I just don't feel the same way about him that I do about Olajuwon or Mutombo. Houston has had a dominant center for the last 30 years. Call me crazy, but I just don't consider Yao a Houston-based dominant center. It's probably the personal connection I feel as a Houstonian with Olajuwon & Mutombo, but... yea, it just doesn't feel the *same*. Yao rocks and is cool, but I don't see him caring about the city after his contract is up. Meh, I've had too much beer tonight and I'm rambling. Those are just my random thoughts.
Can't wait to get into the game. I was thinking, the Rockets should sign Deke to a 10-day contract next year, let him get into the first home game just so he can finish his career by walking off the court under his own power. I think it'd be awesome. We signed Hakeem back so he could officially retire as a Rocket, but I think we should dress Deke and let his last memory be a standing o as he walked off, not a stretcher on the road. Just a thought.
