I hate the word tank in our situation. Are we tanking now? I don't think so. Am I in favor of us continuing the route we're headed now? Yeah because I see it as a great opportunity to infuse this team with high level young talent. Any of the top 3 college players (Aldridge, Morrison or Gay) would help us exponentially. We're always talking about how T-Mac and Yao need more help. If you are interested in the Rockets winning a title during the MacMing Era they are going to need a legit star quality 3rd man and we aren't getting that in free agency with the MLE. Our best shot is finding one with a top 3 pick. Without significant help, the only way those two win a title is if Yao turns into the Dream and T-Mac suddenly wakes up this summer with a back in perfect condition. I vote for keep fighting hard to win even though we're overmatched and the odds are against us. It gives me the satisfication of knowing that my team hasn't quit and is still fighting, but isn't screwing up our chances at a top 3 pick.
Im for tanking and who say's we have to use that draft pick even if it was a top 3 pick. If the rockets had a top 3 pick they would have a legit shot at putting a package together for a player like a Paul Pierce or some other impact player along those lines.
I'm a never-say-quit guy. I voted push. Put the poll back up in two weeks and I may vote differently, but it's not too late, and I still believe.
No tanking. Tanking does not guarantee any draft pick. It does hurt the team morale and self respect. As a group of professionals, they need to do whatever they get paid for: entertain audience. Tanking is not entertaining. Fans deserve to watch what they pay for. Even if we lose all the games, it would still be entertaining if we are still in the game in every 4th quarter. It's a little early to quit. We are 12/25. It's not impossible to get 25:12 after Yao and T-Mac come back. So how to win more than half the rest of games between that period is the key. .500 will be ok for a 8th seed. BUT, I would say that keeping everyone healthy will be the key for the rest of seasons. Injury always happen. However rushing people back increases odds of another injury significantly. Keep the intensity, play hard but don't rush any one back just to make the playoff. Playoff is a goal for motivation, however it's not our ultimate goal!
I went with the tank. If we don't trade this pick, we need the best pick available. Playoffs are realistically out of the question. Seasons are for Championships and if you don't have a chance at one this year, set yourself up for future years. Edit: And if we don't trade the pick, we need to get someone who is worth taking up that salary. We got lucky with Head, but our record speaks that it will be a few more years before that happens again. Get as close as you can a sure thing - though I know there aren't any in this draft.
Wow does this ever suck. Who wouldve thought a poll to tank the season or push for the 8th spot would be up after 37 games. Instead of climbing into elite status, which a lot of us thought would happen, we have been reduced to league fodder. Unbelievably dissapointing. This is reminding me of the early 80s when (after Moses left) when we really sucked, like when Allen Leavell was our leading scorer and "Jammin" James Bailey was our highlight reel player, those days were painful, and so are these. For the first time in a very very long time I have found myself turning off the game in disgust and watching something else instead. I know our 2 main players are out, but a lot of what I see is lack of effort, and that I just cant watch. Sadly, I voted for tanking, or as i see it, the status quo.
tank it baby! i don´t see the rockets making the playoffs, heck i don´t even see them getting near the .500, so rest yao and t-mac for the season and get them a new supporting crew in the off-season...
I'm just speculating here, but Van Gundy seems to me like the kind of guy that would try to lose until the trade deadline, then trade the pick + some current players for an established star. Then he'd bring back Tmac and Yao, put'em with the star, and try build a winner again. Just seems like his pattern. Upside : Quick "fix". Immediate improvement. 3 stars allow for attack with Yao or Tmac getting rest. Downside Risk 1) Tmac and Yao don't fully heal, become damaged goods for career. 2) New star doesn't fit, one guy not enough. 3) Money is very tight for future, and Rox don't get any value contracts. ======== I'd really prefer to get Aldridge, Gay or Morrison, and trade our existing guys for better, younger role players, or more picks. I'd prefer a future, with some good contracts. We need a new team. This happen with or without Van Gundy. I don't like him, I don't think he'd be a good guy for a talented finesse team with young talent to mix. Its possible he could be his best with a balanced talent, though.
Some of you who are talking about trading a top 3 pick are overlooking that we already have 2 max players. Teams who trade top 3 picks for established stars don't generally have 2 max players. I don't see Les paying 3 max salaries for the next 4/5 years. A stud 3rd option on his rookie contract for the next 4 years is much more desirable because when he's due for a raise T-Mac will either be retiring or signing a new deal for half (annually) of what he will make in the last year of his contract (2009-10 / $23.33M)
The way this team is playing, it looks like they've already made their choice. I don't really understand the whole tank argument. Tanking means losing games on purpose. We have no problems losing games even when we're trying to win, so why tank?
Except with a healthy roster (which should be close to reality soon) the team won't be losing like this.
That's what I see as actually happening - TMac and Yao come back, we move up and our #3 or higher pick becomes the #10. We sign some Derrick Chevious guy who eats up a 2-3 million of our cap to ride the JVG rookie bench. Optimistic, aren't I?
when everyone gets back the rockets will be one of the best teams in the league finishing up the season but we're going to run out of games to play. so yeah if you are going to the lottery go for broke. 8th 7th 6th pick, forget that, tank all the way. but it's not gonna work like that. we're gonna get healthy and make a run and almost get there but just run out of time. whatta ya do? when you get healthy you got to play your guys and when you have your healthy squad they are going to win at a high rate so i guess you don't worry about stuff like that and play the game and let the chips fall where they may and all that. we are right at the periphery though. If mcgrady comes back friday, and the rockets start winning more than they lose and then yao is scheduled to be back in 10 days they are saying, there's a good chance the Rockets can run off a 7 to 10 game winning streak and they are right back in this thing. Next week at this time, the picture will be clearer.
Unless the team honestly thinks it can make a late season push that is astronomical, like winning 30 out of 32 games, I think we should be using what’s left of this season to figure out what to do in the offseason. We should go into the offseason knowing exactly what we need, exactly what players need to stay and go, and what changes in the system we need to make. I question whether this team is mentally strong of enough to still have the confidence to believe that they can do something miraculous. I’m thinking, at this point, the damage to the players psyche is already done. The role players know that they’re not good enough to win a single game without Mcgrady, even when they had Yao. Mcgrady and Yao have probably lost some faith in the role players. I’m almost positive Van Gundy has lost faith in them. We almost have to start from scratch and a high draft pick would help us get off to a good start in the offseason. I just hope that people realize that a high draft pick is not going to solve everything. It’s going to take a couple of good draft choices, a couple of great free agency pickups, and a couple of good trades. We’re probably about 2-3 more offseasons away from assembling the right amount of talent and chemistry needed to truly be a contender.
Why tank? Even if we have no realistic chance of getting into the playoffs, playing the role of a spoiler aint bad down the stretch, especially against Mavs, Suns, Jazz, and Grizz!
I can't imagine a true champion would be willing to tank and just mail it in to get a high draft pick. I don't believe the problem of the team is lack of talent. We just couldn't get healthy. We need to try to win as many games as possible. The taste of winning should be the prime motivation and catalyst to future success. One has to be fully dedicated to try to win in order to start to win. Some may point to the example of the pathetic spurs. That worked because David robinson just never gonna win a championship. (and they just got lucky on the lotto, and then duncan is just a phenomenal stud who comes by probably once every 10 year) David just wasn't a true winner. Look at the way he got destroyed by Hakeem, and that was supposed to be DAvid's best season as a pro! I think when they get healthy, T=mac and Yao would bring championships. I just hoped the rockets would be patient, get healthy, and continue to try to win some games. Say no to tank.
If this team really was a championship contender to start the season, then making the playoffs and being healthy is all they need to do. Number 8 seed plays the regular season best, and it only gets easier from there. Go Rockets!
How do Tmac and Yao know how to win consistently in this league, and how to play the rest the the guys like Stro and RA (assuming they'll still be here nect year), if they don't try to win this year? Are we going to use the exuse of "we have a bunch of new guys now playing much together" and "we have a rookie (in spite of the high pick) and a second year guy" in our early stretch of the season again? I don't have a definite answer one way or the other regarding tanking right now. But there question ought to be reaised before we answer the original question.
