Look at Toronto. They've lost their best player, other important secondary players, lost 13 straight at one stretch (almost as bad as the Rockets fall), questionable coaching, but still made it to the playoffs on pride alone. Can anyone here honestly say that our current Rockets squad isn't just as capable? Next year excuses are going to sound pretty silly. (If you ask me, this year is unexcusable.)
I agree with Fran. I was upset at our play in the early 80s. The Rockets were bad in the next 2 post Malone years. In the mid 90s they were boring (in to Hakeem and back out for a 3) but good. Now they have the worst combination - boring and bad. They are not heading in the right direction as indicated by our lack of wins and higher and higher draft picks. I'm not sure what you critics see as not true. But I am still a patient Rocket fan waiting for change and waiting for them to turn the corner.
TheFreak and Fran finally admit it. Basketball bores them. Only Dream gets them excited. So Fran, why don't you have Dale mullet head explain the wonders of Wimbledon's Strawberries and Cream...that's some exciting writing there. Cato is "Stiffer than a double shot of Wild Turkey." Where'd you get that one, Fran. You know there is no laugh track to help you. Yeah, TheFreak, he's "speaking for the majority of the city's sports fans here." The majority of them need dreams and laugh tracks, or they get bored.
I definetly don't think attendance is a good indicator of a team's quality. The quality of the arena and the food they serve probably has more to do with attendance. I hardly ever agree with the man, but I think that this article was well timed. Maybe it will actually light a fire under someone's butt. The Rockets should at least move back to where they were last year with everyone healthy, but if they want to do some real damage, they are going to have to make a few fundamental changes. Rudy needs to initiate those changes and Fran is correct when he says that Rudy doesn't seem to realize the need. As for sources, who cares if Fran ever reports on the Rockets again?
I have to say that I totally agree with Fran but he voiced his opinion too rudely. I agree that the Rockets have one more year to get it together or the **** hits the fan. Reason being is because not long ago the Rockets used to be the #1 sports franchise in Houston followed by the astros and oilers. Now they're #3 with the Texans coming into fold. The Texans haven't even played a game and all of the talk in Houston is about football. And how unfortunate is it that the beginning of the Rockets seasons falls in the middle of the Texans season and during the baseball playoffs. So I think the Rockets can easily lose their fan base really quick if they don't get off to a good start in the upcoming season.
Boring? Despite the injuries, this was far from the most boring season in recent memory. Turn the dial back to the late eighties/early nineties. Olajuwon was surrounded by the likes of an ancient John Lucas, Derrick Chievious, Mike Woodson, Tim McCormick, and Buck Johnson. Just talented enough to scrape to around .500 Of course, that gave them no hope at all of getting an "impact player" in the draft. == 1987-88: 46-36, out in the first round to the Dallas Mavericks. 1988-89: 45-37, out in the first round to the Sonics. 1989-90: 41-41, out in the first round to the Lakers. 1990-91: 52-30 (!), swept in the first round by the Lakers. 1991-92: 42-40, failed to make the plaoffs. == I'd take the last three seasons over these 5 any day!
I really don't see the point. Other than an exercise in "I have a big ego and think I am witty" how does this negativity help? How does writing about how boring the team is (without mentioning much about basketball facts) help a city that is already experiencing fan apathy (because the fans suck, hehe)? As people mentioned, fighting for the 8th seed until the very end last year is not exciting? ESPN/TNT/TBS have devoted huge amounts of ink, webspace, and airtime chronicling Tor/Mil/Ind's battle to the end. Yawn...oh how boring. Wow, the Rockets have to start players all season who shouldn't be starting due to injury...wow, how boring. They suck. The Rockets have no future? If anything this season gave them more of a future. They suffered through one extra year to get more options for improving their team. If all were healthy and they had made the playoffs at a low seed, not much would be changin for next year. Now, they can return a team that almost made the playoffs, along with at least one extra, solid, player. Griffin will be older and was already planning offseason workouts to get bigger, stronger, and better in the post (yeah, Fran, just like Bullard). Mo was working like a madman because he wanted to improve his game last summer. Now he has sat for a year. Think he might even be more interested in coming back with a bang? Injury permitting, he will push hard. KT already showed huge improvement and, even if he stays the same, will be a big weapon for next year. Cato has proven that he is better than "completely uselss." Sure, he is not an all-star, but he can be valuable. Yeah, he is stiff. Only stiff players have the athleticism for alley-oops and the like. Cat has improved. No question. He is turning into a player...every year = solid improvement. Francis didn't improve other than scoring. Rockets fault, huh? Let's see how Fran plays with headaches, bad feet, and a jacked up shoulder. TMo, OT, Moochie have all shown flashes. How boring. Blastoff, I would argue that Toronto has had better talent throughout the year - and they play in the CBA. They were playing playoff ball before VC got hurt. They lost a lot because VC was trying to play hurt. Plus, they were severely aided by Milwaukee and Indiana playing piss poor. Imagine if Dallas and San Antonio played so poorly that they missed or barely made the playoffs. What teams would sneak in that didn't belong?
Great point, edc. 87 - 92 they were terribly boring because everyone knew they would make the playoffs and lose to the #1 seed in 3 or 4. Yawn. Hmm...Rudy took over and they starting winning. Oh yeah, Blastoff, How do you think Toronto would have done this year if VC missed what he did, Alvin Williams missed the season (about the level of Mo T's importance - or you could argue Mo Pete) and Jerome Williams only played 20 games (Rice)?
Rockets are boring Violets are blue Fran's an old woman Nothing is new ------ Dude, how scared was I when I realized "Stiffer than a..." was the 'hook' of Oatmeal's latest? I was expecting the final one to be "Stiffer than my ****** ***** **** when *** **** ***** ***** ******** at Hakeem's house." Obviously, the only provocative tidbit in there is the part about Francis being late and whatnot. So why not actually write about it? Get quotes? Ask tough questions? Hit the damn pavement?Why are you sneaking it into a Blineburyesque "My Feelings" piece? Because, he always does this. Its how he tries to validate his feelings about the Rockets as 'correct' or 'more-informed-than-thou.' Its like this: "You see, piddling reader, I have so much information at my disposal, I must be right. I have no time to actually pass this information along to you, but I will give you a teensy bit to prove that I am an insider and that I must be right. The facts at my disposal are too painful for you. I hold them close to my chest for your sake, not mine. But trust me. I know. Understand my feelings as fact." Oatmeal, you suck and your colleagues know it. Nice job writing zero good articles about the Rockets this year -- and nice job not covering Hakeem Olajuwon Backing Up Eric Montross In Toronto. (surprise). If you know Francis is late to practice and planes, feel free to do a tough piece on that. I'd read it. I'd appreciate it. But "The Rockets Are Boring?" Not as boring as you telling me about it, and they are damned boring. Seriously, the day you write something provocative, I will commend you. But you wont. Your little 'hooks' are formulaic garbage. For a role model, read John Delong's scathing and well informed and well-written pieces on the Hornets in the Winston Salem Journal. Till next time, you hack. CBFC
Rim - Of course the Raptors are better with VC, no question. In terms of impact to the ballclub, I'd say that both he and Steve are about the same. I believe we agree here. You make a good argument about a healthy Maurice Taylor's impact, but Glen Rice? We'll disagree here. If he were a horse....let's just say that Rice is cooked. Pun intended. Toronto isn't that far ahead of us talent-wise. Healthy, I'd put my money on us matching up with them pretty well. I'm just saying that with the talent we have, even with the injuries, we should have definitely been the dark horse come playoff time this year. At least threaten the eight spot. We are good enough, dammit!
Crispee did have a good post...but Chucky Brown Fan Club deserves the post of the month for that effort.
The sad thing is that the Rockets WILL be boring for years to come. CD just about guaranteed it with his incompetent moves. The salary cap is coming down this year and with the contracts we have on Cato/Mooch/Rice/Taylor we'll be stuck with them for years to come. How can a bunch like this be "exciting". Add to it the few years of watching Ediie G and whatever other teenagers we pick up this year develop. What are we left with? Cat, who is solid complimentary player that will give you the stats but no defence, and Fransis who is just about hitting his ceiling.
Gutter Snipe, No one dismisses Fran better than CBFC. so, CBFC, I seriously think you have to try really hard to come up with a worse simile than that. At one level, he is a really bad writer and fact finder. At another level, he is insulting the intelligence of "the majority of sports fans in Houston" by assuming we need Dennis Miller's overreaching similes and laugh tracks to recognize a sports point. Fran, if you can't write, don't do it. If you can, quit insulting our intelligence. I don't need your stupid wannabe-Dennis-Miller-for-dumb-people crap. How can you read that article and not be insulted that a hack journalist spent like 5 minutes of effort on that and actually thinks he is funny. Fran...you want funny sports writing. Read Bill Simmons and Dr of Dunk.
Forgot to mention that, thanks crisp -- I actually thought Oatmeal was going racist for a second with the black cows thing. In the end, it's not, but its a bad simile choice for putting that in anyone's head for a second, IMO. But that's not nearly the worst thing about the piece. CBFC PS I am begging people to resist the urge of turning this into a "what is racist whatis not racist" thread, i was just pointing that out as a bad choice -- the zero chuckle currency he gets from the awkward smilie is not worth the neurons that will inevitably fire in some people's heads when comparing a groups of basketball players to "black cows." Racist or not (and I say Fran is not creative enough to mix nuanced racism into his writing, so I say not), it was a bad writer's choice. Par the Chronicle course.
Should have used the Polar bears in a blizzard reference instead. And yes, Fran is a columnist not a reporter, big difference. His column is from a fan's perspective and the Rockets BETTER be reading and listening, as this is EXACTLY how most of us feel. DaDakota
Why? Because you are going to turn in your season tickets and stop coming to the games? Here's one for Rudy, Larry and Jim, so they know that the majority of fans who love basketball are not bored. Just like you coaches, there are many season ticket holders who could never be bored of basketball. We are still going to come and watch. It is the best sport ever invented. All we ask is that you keep the player's spirits up and make them leave it all on the floor. If you have to let them run a wacked-out, double-shooting guard offense, so be it...I've never seen one before...could be interesting. I don't particularly want to see you yelling and arguing with the players and kicking balls in the air, and embarrassing them in the paper. I only ask to be in the game for 4 quarters. Keep the game close. I love to win, but I don't need a winner to love to watch live basketball. 10 yrs of sitting in Autry Court watching the Rice Owls will learn ya. lol!!! You gave us all that....Thank you.
Those were boring years (late 80's - early 90s) as but at least they were winning enough regular season games to make it to the playoffs. Now we are boring and bad...only 4 teams are worse. Think about this...the Clippers play better and more exciting basketball. Wake up folks and take off the Rocket colored blinders/glasses. ISO is what is making us boring and IMHO, it is making us selfish (bad).
