Let's get right down to the core of this debate we've been having over the playoffs vs. the lottery. If you had to pick, which would you rather have: (A) The Rockets make the playoffs for the next 10 years but always go out in the first round, or (B) The Rockets suck for 9 years and are a perennial laughingstock but win the championship in the 10th year. I'd rather have (B). How about the rest of you?
I think you might be going a little too far with "B" How about this for "B" 9 years with out making the playoffs and going all the way 1 time. Laughing stock of the league for 9 years would be too much. I would rather make the playoff for 10 straight years. Makes me feel the 10 years spent would have a little more to them. I choose A under your circumstances.
Okay, I don't see where you're going with this, Will, but if a championship is guaranteed the tenth year, then B is the obvious choice. However, this is the real world and no such guarantees exist.
Think of it this way: as I pointed out in response to another post ( Tomorrow Will Be a Big Test...), 8-seed Minnesota is on pace to win 43 games. If we're to catch them, we'd have to go 31-15 the rest of the way. It's practically a moot point, except think how fun it'd be to win 31 of our next 46! Whooooo hoooo! Signed, The King of Unrealistic Expectations
I don't much like the dichotomy you've set. I think it would be very wearisome for me both ways. But, if it were one of the other, I'd rather lose in the first round for 10 straight years than be a laughing stock for nine and a champion for 1. At least I could turn my attention to something a little more interesting and meanwhile not have to endure the taunts I would otherwise get every time I told someone I was from Houston.
I posed both options unattractively to make the comparison fair and stark. The philosophical choice comes down to whether you'd rather have consistent but limited quality -- or a season of utter greatness. How much pain are you willing to endure? How many trips to the lottery can you stomach? I think we can get what we need with one trip, but that would be framing the choice too easily -- and I'd be willing to endure several more trips if that's what it took. The most practical question affected by this philosophical choice is whether to trade sloppy, naive youngsters with big upsides for competent, smart veterans who have hit their ceilings. My vote is to take the pain and hold out for the big prize.
Are you an Astros fan or a Marlins fan. Are you an Oilers fan or a Falcons. In NCAA terms, Do you want to be the University of Illinois? Perennial #9 seeds who get ousted. or Navy? OK, Navy didn't win, but that was one glorious ride for them. I think we would all take Navy in a second. Falcons one ride to the Super Bowl--I doubt it. Marlins loading up on such high-priced talent they couldn't lose, no real thrill there. In the NBA with season tickets, man, I want to go to every playoff game. That's what basketball is all about. The season sucks, comparatively. I want to see as many playoff games as possible. I want to feel inflated and deflated 20 times per game and ultimately famished when the Rockets lose. I want to talk about our chances the next year, and have fans from the true contenders ignore me. I want to be there once, when Mutombo upsets the Seattle Supersonics, yet gets tossed aside the next round. Mutombo cradled the ball and felt the thrill no differently than Hakeem did when we won it all. I want to see Playoff games!!! Not buy a championship like the Florida Marlins. So, that eliminates me from your scenario (B). I simply could not bare being a bottom-dweller for more than one or two years max.
Sorry guys, but its DEFINTELY B for me. Going to the playoffs 10 straight years, so what? You haven't done squat. I'm a very patient man and I can wait a long time. That one year we win, we can finally trash talk and brag like hell becuase we won. If you go to playoffs and lose what do you get? Nothing, you can't even brag cuz you didn't win, not to mention a ****ty draft pick. Jazz fans can never brag or anything against the Rockets becuase all we say is, "How many titles have you won?" Shuts them up. So what if the Jazz go to the playoffs every year as the top seed and beat the crap out of us, don't mean anything unless you win the title. At least you know my take on this now. In the future, nobody remembers the first seed or who had the longest making the playoffs streak, they only remember who won the title.
Ditto, heypartner. Where I live now, Golden State has sucked for decades (save the Run TMC era). I know one Warriors fan in the Bay Area. Everyone else says, "I'll go see them when they get a decent team." Although the fans in Houston tend to support their teams to a greater degree, I could see the same thing happening. And with the failure of this arena proposal, all it would take is a couple of years for fans to lose enough interest for Les to move to New Orleans (or wherever). At least there's a glimmer of hope with a team that perenially makes the playoffs.
That's one way to sum it up RF34: It isn't about being part of the thrill of quality games as a perennial playoff team; it's about getting bragging rights. Have you heard any Marlin's fans bragging lately?
(b)is an unrealistic choice how can you go from being a laughing stock to champions, iimpossible,and besides we dont need to worry about that we have francis and mobley who could be the greatest backcourt to play the game. then you have rogers,anderson, and cato three pretty good forwards, plus who we draft this year and sign next. in 2 years we can be right back where we were in the mid 90's or atleast close to it. ------------------ johnny "red" kerr:i'm glad the bulls did'nt draft steve francis. dan roan: why!!!!! johnny red kerr:because he would forever be compared to michael jordan. [This message has been edited by brahma rocket (edited January 17, 2000).]
OK, we'll make scenario B a little more realistic. The 8th year, you finally make the playoffs as the #8 seed and are blown out. 9th year, you go to the WCF and lose. The 10th year, you win it all.
Brahma You know the first rule is never say its impossible. Now we all know the Bulls are the laughing-stock of the NBA. They were flirting with being the worst team ever in the NBA. Now you are saying they can't win a title? Watch how a laughing stock theorically can become a champion. 1. Fearing McGrady will leave, the Raptors trade McGrady for a conditional pick. 2. Riley gets fire once after the heat lose to knicks again in the playoffs. They make him coach. 3. They draft Morris. 4. They sign Duncan and Hill. Each takes a pay cut. Now with a team and Riley as head coach, you don't think this laughing stock team with a little luck can become champions? A team of Duncan, Brand, Hill, Artest, McGrady with Morris and Kukoc as subs. Told you nothing is impossible.
dang Will, I thought I was comfortable as a 'tanker' or better yet (lest rocketspimp find his way to this post ) 'we should test various match ups/patterns for the rest of the season'. I understand your analogy, but its extremity hurts my fair sensitivies Watching a team getting ousted in the playoffs hurts, but at least you've tasted that nervousness, that spark as to pure competition. I felt bad... really bad last year after the Rockets got ousted in the first round (i'm almost over game one); but to think of the Rockets not being in the playoffs for the next 7-9 years frees up alot of time in my schedule. I think the Rockets can withstand a non-playoffs year... this year. They've had too much happen to them. Next year though... back to game 0... where everyone's record is the same.
you know what i seriously think none of those choices will happen. It won't be 10 yrs of being a joke...Rudy T is well known for making trades and we'll be in the play offs and a large title contender sooner than you thi nk
That's 30-15. Can you say winning streak? ------------------ Tanking is not acceptable. End of story.
So basicially, Will, you're asking... (A)Would you rather suck? or (B) Would you rather suck? hmmmmm, this one isn't hard (C) none of the above It will not take 9 years of losing to win a championship, and losing in the first round of the playoffs for 10 years would make us just as much a laughing stock as it would losing for 9. ------------------ "Somebody hits me, I'm going to hit him back. Even if it does look like he hasn't eaten in a while." --Charles Barkley (don't you miss him?)
The time has finally come people, the time of rebuilding. As Will said 31-15 to catch the T-Wolves(who won tonight by the way against the Pacers) just can not, and not will not happen. The equation that is the Rockets no longer works! Steve's the starting block, and Cato as well. We are headed fast for the lottery, and with money towards free agency! Do you really think the Rockets will go 31-15 for the rest of the season only to face Portland or Los Angelos in the first round! If they did I don't even want to watch it! It's not happening! It's an ugly dream anyway!
