Lol i know what you mean, i had that feeling with t-mac an yao. All the great memory's they give me. I think the best way to get though's type of players is to draft em, but draft loyal ones or else we'l end up like the cavs and magic
I read OP, completely agreed, then read the rest of the thread. I realized (at least for me), it isn't so much growing old with players it is players that give you hope. The reason I feel so many people are attached to Battier, Hayes, and Landry is because we associate them with winning. Battier and Landry were there for the good times mostly, and Hayes was just a tough player who managed to impress us all by giving us better minutes @ the 5 as a 6'6" center than Jordan Hill at almost 7' could give us. Right now, everyone loves Lowry because he gives us a little bit of hope. He has been improving year after year. He is still young, and he plays with a fire. Who else on the roster really gives hope? Maybe Dragic? Scola/Dalembert are old, Martin has disappeared, Lee is good, but nothing more than a role player (imo), same goes for Parsons. This isn't a tank or not to tank thread I know, but I'll bring it up. Rockets need to do something to off the mediocre treadmill. Superstars are deciding where they want to go (and it isn't Houston, sadly), so tank and/OR start collecting picks and bad contracts (ala Bobcats method): Take Okafor + Minny's pick - Give http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=6pet9cj ^ Can replace Patterson with Morris - Side note since we are giving value may be able to demand their pick or for them to take on Scola's contract. Take Petro + Farmar + NJ's pick. - Give http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=7plv94h Give away Scola and Martin to contenders, get expirings + late 1st round/early 2nd round picks if possible. All of a sudden you have 4 lotto or near lotto picks (with ours if we don't make the playoffs + knicks, if they don't get top 5). Parlay 3 of those picks for a top 2 pick (aka Anthony Davis/Andre Drummond), or pick 4 people and gamble. Rebuild the roster quickly: Perry Jones, Austin Rivers, Thomas Robinson, and MAYBE Sullinger (if NJ keeps sucking it up). Start all 4 of them with Lowry, hell that would give us all hope. We have 3 bigs (PJ3, Robinson, Sullinger to fill SF, PF, C position however the hell they want), and Austin Rivers. Ah hopes and dreams are all that is .
Modern day sports are dominated by money and player power. This equals a high turnover of playing staff. The good old days are gone.
I don't think it's hope. I believe it's character. Some of those guys we miss weren't necessarily great winners. Battier never won anything after college. Same with Hayes. Landry is a borderline starter. It's their grit, their dedication, their personalities that make you want to root for them, want them to be on your team. It's not about winning per se, but having the desire to do anything in their power to help the team win even when the odds are that they'll fail.
How this team has changed over the last 6-7 years is crazy to some extend... we don't have a true leader, we don't have a real identity..
Thats all cool and nice if the players have raw, unadulterated talent, just like our beloved Steve Francis. You try embarking on a project to make Chandler Parsons a Rockets-lifer, won't take you long to become annoyed unless we make the playoffs consistently with him. Les gets the picture, thats why he was always going after the likes of Steve Francis, Tracy McGrady and Rudy Gay. He knows those guys can be Rockets lifers no matter what goes on around the rest of the team. But they are just a whole bunch of statistics to Daryl Morey, and when you are only judged by stats, advanced stats no less, a Chandler Parsons is just as good as Tracy McGrady. Just ask Shane Battier.
