He is not about winning at the expense of profit. Look at Cuban, he just threw away millions to acquire Kidd. 4 something million on a player he didn't even have on the squad to make the trade work. Not to mention the luxury tax hit he took. Dallas isn't playing in a so much better market than we are but Cuban constantly looks to improve his team. We don't have that kind of owner. Don't blame our lack of action on Daryl. Morey works for a boss who has tightened up the spending reigns after losing so much money on his own ventures and has no intention of loosening them not even with the possibilities of a championship looming on the horizon. Les has sent a mandate to Morey that his goal and number one priority is dumping salary to get under the luxury tax. Which means Morey's job is to try to improve the team without taking on any more salary and which makes improving this team via trade infinitesimally more difficult and picking up a player on the wire non existent. If that is the owner's goal then Morey's hands are tied. Cuba or Kupchak didn't have that limitation nor even Kerr. But this Rockets team which is on the cusp of greatness needs just a little more to crossover to the elite. Sending away Bonzi just made the leader of our division better. Yeah Jackson well help backup Rafer but we just lost a ton of rebounds and post presence who was one of our best players off the bench. Les just made us weaker and the window of opportunity grows smaller.
Les is making money, a lot of it. There's no reason for him to sell the team so he won't. Peter Angelos/Daniel Snyder/Les Alexander. Boy, do the owners of my teams suck or what?
I like how you state this as just matter of fact. How do you know? Anyways, I sorta agree with you. Les has historically not been afraid to make the big move, but if he blocking any major trades right now then we are screwed. I like our 9 game winning streak and all, but we are no where close to contending with the likes of Lakers, Spers, Mavs, Suns or even Hornets. WE NEED ARTEST!
We're worse this year, for sure. But, I have hope that Les and Daryl are thinking about next year, when we have 11 million in expiring contracts to try and get a legit third (or second depending on Tracy's descent) option. However, the problem I have with that approach is the fact that there's no guarantee that any team is going to hold firesales like they are this year. Remember that before this year, teams have stayed static without letting key players go for a few rookies and expirings. Meanwhile, we really lose depth at that 2-3 position.
Who's gonna buy it? The people who make the highest bid probably would be some corporation in China, which I don't think is going to be good for us. Who else locally can afford the Rockets? Mattress Mac? Does he have that deep of pocket? Or the owner of Landry Signature Group? I heard he's an major a-hole though.
I agree completely, and I have seen this subplot going on for awhile. The superstar/scrub formula of the last few seasons was part of it. The Scola deal and the new rookies were likely Morey's work and are relatively low budget moves. Clearly, the owner is not about going all out to win in the West, and this latest move is a slap in the face of the fans and the team. The Rocket's faithful fan base and the team itself deserve better.
Rock, this type of overreaction is typical of junior members. Besides the fact that Les has pulled the triggers on a number of moves, large and small, historically, you're reacting is akin to getting all giddy about getting Steve Francis and Mike James back (and we know how that turned out), or getting upset about drafting Brooks and Landry. smoothie even has a thread about this type of overreaction: http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=143043 More directly to your point, while it's clear that $ spent equates to more wins, across all sports, it is also clear that it isn't a perfect correlation. The Knicks spend a ton of money every year and suck. The Spurs are fairly fiscally conservative yet still are championship contenders (and winners) every year. If you don't like a deal (or non deal), and aren't willing to give them the benefit of the doubt right now (even though most recent history, Scola trade aside, has shown fan reaction immediately post move to generally be stupid), don't get mad at Les because of his pocketbooks, get mad at management (and to the extent Les is in charge of that...fine get mad at him for being a poor manager).
you sure about that? i've posted it a ton and i will post it again. les has lost a LOT of money in the past year.
Yes that is the problem. The Rockets are making a profit for him unlike his othe major business venture. If he was infinitely wealthy are loved the chase of championships then we could be a player in these deals. I am not even saying this is a bad trade. I like what Jackson brings. I am saying that Moreys hands are tied to do anything you want within reason provided it doesn't cost me any money. I don't hate this trade completely but Bonz is a playoff guy. He steps up for the big games. It is almost like Les is writing this year off. I don't know les personally. But Morey has said he can only do what is in the framework of Les goals. And under the circumstances this is the best he could do and we just made the Hornets a better team. I don't look forward to playing them 3 more times this year.
With this move, they have set themselves up to have a $6million expiring contract next year. The deciding factor to this trade will be whether Less Alexander abandons his miserly ways and makes use of that in a deal next year or simply lets it expire. I'm not holding my breath. While I don't want to jump the gun (because of the slim chance of something special with that expiring next year), I think the fans have every right to be irate right now after this deal. It's not necessarily the fact that we downgraded the team from a personnel standpoint. Time will tell how that works out because I do think Bobby Jackson can do a few things for you (if healthy, HUGE if). What is troubling is the the mindset to handicap the team of its 2nd best wing scorer in the middle of a playoff push due to a desire to save a few bucks. It's pathetic. Again, this could be a stroke of genius next year at the deadline. But with Less Alexander's history, I am not holding my breath.
It's a mixed feeling on Les. Les let Morey spending and dealing last summer. So, I think finally something positive is coming for the Rockets. Let's see what Les spend last summer: waived Sura ~ 1 million waived J Lucas ~ 500K waived J Reed ~ 3 millions waived J Butler ~ 5 millions cash to Spurs cash for 2nd round pick So, Les spend 10+ millions this summer and now the Rockets get it going. Then Les turns his back and tries to get under luxury tax (luxury tax + tax rebate will cost about ~ 2.5 millions). wtf! The expiry contracts sometimes are gold but sometime are garbage. The Rockets are not going to get under the cap. So, when the Rockets get it going, it's better to leave them a alone and see if the Rockets get a real shot to have a run in the playoffs. Instead, Les pulls out these kind of dumb trade. If the Rockets miss playoffs, it'll cost Les more than 2.5 millions. WTF Les!
Bonzi and Mike James traded = Les needs to sell the team A freakin inconsistent role player and a DNP player you guys are sh1tting a brick over
this thread deserves a 5 star. man i was thinking the samething last year and like you said this trade is a total slap in all of our faces. every team in the west got better and we helped someone in our division get better oh forgot about us maybe that's because we just got worse TIME TO SALE LES. help all of us houston rockets fans out and let us go.
This might be the most uninformed post I've read from a typically informed vet poster here. There are dozens upon dozens of individuals who can easily afford and would LOVE to buy this franchise from Les. In fact if Les has any problem looking for buyers, I will be happy to remedy that problem for him myself! Buyers are not the problem. The main obstacle to purchasing an NBA franchise is getting approval from Stern and the Board of Directors.
Isn't L.A. just one of many who "own" the team? His "majority" interest could be bought out by one of the other "owners."
Les has lost 500+ million in the stock market, whats a few million dollars more to him to help the rockets win a championship. Doesn't he know that the team will draw more people, become more profitable, by becoming better. This move is so ridiculously selfish on Les's part that i have lost faith in ownership.
It's not about the deal it's about the owner limiting the teams improvement. I have already said it may turn out okay for the Rockets. Jackson could turn out good if Rafer starts to choke in the playoffs. But clearly this trade was the only possible option under an owner who needs the team to make aprofit. He is the wrong owner for our team.
This team worth times more after Yao arrived. If Yao can stand out and question the true goal of this team: staying mediocre or trying to win it all, Les has to spend money to make Yao happy or he can sell the team while the price is still high.
A lot of you guys have absolute no money or economic sense. It sure is easy to accuse the rich of being cheap when he doesn't spend some money. Try being that rich and making the decisions that he has to make. What's a few million dollars to Les? PLLLEAAASEEE You are NOT in his shoes so don't act like you know everything that is going on. And to those who cite Cuban as a better owner because he takes more risks... What have those risks shown for? Anybody? Yeah I thought so...
