Not renewing my tix next year...

Sad to see you bail out so quickly.

My question is this - are we not being a little bit hasty with the white flag waving? Where is the patience? Where is the prudence? Where is the itisnotoveruntilthefatladyhollas? This same badwaggon fans also gave up on the Astros and Redsox last year. Ah the world of instant gratification and now-or-burst mentality.

I am dissapointed but I am far from giving up. That is for the unassuming, naive and soft. I still believe.

The state of our fan base saddens me (at least those represented here).

Go Rockets!!!

 

I think what has a lot of us frustrated is not just the losing. It's that we don't really feel any emotional connection with this Rockets team. It's not easy to define what it is -- I think it's that the team just lacks personality. Through all the Cuttino and Steve years, no matter how frustrated anyone got, no matter how angry we were at the players, no matter how many losses we had, most of us still felt a connection to the team. We felt these were OUR players and OUR team. But for whatever reason -- new players, different coach, new uniforms, etc., a lot of us don't really feel like this is OUR team. They wear jerseys that say "Rockets", but that's as far as our connection with them goes.

And as angry as we may have been with those lottery-bound teams of the Steve and Cat era, there was still the gut feeling that it was all going to come together, and that the outlook was bright. The team was young, it was talented, it was "up and coming". Sure there was complaining, and plenty of "Fire Rudy" and "Steve sucks" and whatever, but the prevailing notion was that the team was full of potential, and that the future could be very bright. But seriously, do any of us feel that way now? Certainly there are two fantastic players on the team, and they are both young. But that's about as far as the "potential" talk can take us -- the rest of the team is elderly by NBA standards. Things don't look like they're going to get any better any time soon. Most of the players on the team are signed to ridiculously long contracts. There's practically no way that anyone will trade with the Rockets, save a minor deal like Lue for Barry. And I think Lue was probably one of the last commodities that anyone could possibly want. The only real way to add a quality player right now is through the lottery.

Possibly what causes the emotional detachment is time. Maybe in a year, we as fans will feel more like this is OUR team and OUR players we stand behind. Or maybe not. I can't really ever see having some sort of emotional connection to Charlie Ward, or Dikembe Mutombo, or Clarence Weatherspoon. None of them is "my guy". I really don't care strongly for any of them (well, I kind of like Deke). Even though they wear Rockets uniforms I don't think of them as Rockets players. None of them has some sort of noteworthy personality that makes them stand out. Steve Francis had personality. Cuttino Mobley had personality. THEY stood out, for better or for worse. On this team, no one stands out as a dynamic personality.

Maybe what does it is the age of much of the team -- for most of these players, there's nowhere to go but down. So what is there for us as fans to look forward to. If they're this bad now, imagine what they'll be like next year, or the year after. And there's no way we can say this is "rebuilding" because you can't rebuild with players who are on the decline. Rebuilding is about the future, and very few of these players have bright careers ahead of them. Almost every player's best days have past.

Or maybe it's as simple as this -- only two players on the Rockets team were drafted by the Rockets -- Yao Ming and Boki. If there were any players on this team we as fans are emotionally attached to, it'd probably be these two (MUCH more so Yao Ming than Boki though). There's something special about draftees -- the unknown element, the excitement of a potentially fruitful career, the excitement of new players who have no history in the NBA. The Rockets' last two draft picks play overseas. I don't see many "Spanoulis" threads, but at least once a month there's a "Badiene" thread. I think I feel more attachment to him -- a guy who's NEVER PUT ON A ROCKETS' UNIFORM, than I do to Bob Sura, who I could take or leave.

I don't know what it is, but I can say that for my part, I feel very little to no attachment to this team. I was a two year season ticket holder up to this year. I had to cancel this year for financial reasons. But now, I'm kind of glad I don't have the tickets. I have a six-game plan right now, and I've dreaded going to two of the three games. I used to go to GREAT LENGTHS to listen to or watch the Rockets. When I lived in San Antonio, there was a hill where I could sometimes pick up the broadcast on 950 -- if I didn't have anything to do the night of a game, I'd sometimes drive over there to try and catch some of the broadcast. And this is during the early lotto seasons. But now I'm pretty much content to just check the box score. I don't have cable, so I can't watch the games, and at this point I have no intention of getting it. I will sometimes turn the radio on and listen, but I rarely listen for more than a couple of minutes before doing something else. I'm still a fan. I'm still a die-hard fan. But I'm just having a tough time being an INTERESTED fan. And certainly the losing has a large part in this. But in the past I've been able to deal with the losses and remain interested. Now, however, I can't even stay very interested during the wins (except that McGrady comeback, that was amazing). I think it's the lack of personality . . . come to think of it, maybe that's why we all seem to like Barrett. He fulfills all of the things I mentioned above. He's got no real NBA history before the Rockets, he seems to be a dynamic personality -- he stands out at least, and he definitely has potential. His best days are ahead of him.

 

Possibly what causes the emotional detachment is time. Maybe in a year, we as fans will feel more like this is OUR team and OUR players we stand behind. Or maybe not. I can't really ever see having some sort of emotional connection to Charlie Ward, or Dikembe Mutombo, or Clarence Weatherspoon. None of them is "my guy". I really don't care strongly for any of them (well, I kind of like Deke). Even though they wear Rockets uniforms I don't think of them as Rockets players. None of them has some sort of noteworthy personality that makes them stand out. Steve Francis had personality. Cuttino Mobley had personality. THEY stood out, for better or for worse. On this team, no one stands out as a dynamic personality.


This team could be undefeated and I still wouldn’t like them. They went from a 1st class organization to a bunch of unloyal sellouts

RIP Houston Rockets 1967-2003







Iam really feeling all of theses post above.To me steve and cat and rudy where houston .They both where drafted and wanted to retire here and where doing alot of great things for the city of houston.it seemed like they cared and wanted to take a lottery team to a contender that was always there goal.
I don't fell like i know these players and iam not sure these guys would want to stick around if things don't change,but I knew steve and cat would because they did.I don't think none of these players have love for the houston as a city like steve and cat did.I show love when love is showen back and even though gaines,sura,spoon,deke,bowen,padget,howard,and even t mac where the rocket uniform. I dont fell like they have love for the city also yet.




they really loved the city ,but most of the fans turned there backs on them.Just when I though the chemistry was there we trade away every body to only start over agian.Didn't we learn from the first time trading cassel and horry for barkely?Who was also a top 5 player at the time.

 

Keep up the language man. Your rep is getting better and better.

 

Ok, I went back and read your original post. Admittedly, I only skimmed it the first time and I jupmed the gun with my reply.

My bad, man.

 

All lot of y'all non ticket holders (which includes me) have to realize that dudes like Rockets03 have been spending buttloads of money on the Rockets. We are important too because we watch tv, buy merchandise, etc. But this is a business. I am not going to spend Car payments full of money on the Rockets. Rockets03 is an intregal part of fans who the Rockets need, and he's rightfully pissed. If enough people like Rockets03 and Rocket G make their voices heard, then there definitely will be more accountability in the Rockets organization. Because the truth is that in the last 5 years, the Rockets have not been a 1st class organization at all.

They do not deserve blind allegiance. Of course, all fans want them to do well, will always root for wins, and root for the ultimate goal of championships, and root for true effort.

But when we see stupidity by the front office, stupidity by the coaching staff, stupidity by the players, and most of all LACK OF EFFORT, I do not blame frustrated fans who spend THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS on the Rockets for deciding that they still want to be fans, but just don't want to spend that much money on crap anymore.

 

Kim,

Very well stated....

The only thing that owners listen to is how much they are making or how much they are losing.

 

And I apologize for calling you a "dumb ass".

There is only one dumb ass associated with the Rockets and his name is Jeff Van r****d.

 

i think after reading what vengence posted i was about the cry... no seriously, no sarcasm here. i think that is why boki gets so much attention as well. looking at this team i dont really recognize it at all. sure i hated stevie to death, cuttino needed to stop being a ball hog, rudy had NO drawn out plays (he had some same play for the last second shot... inbound to yao, yao passes to stevie and sets the screen for the stevie three...which gets airballed or something crazy like that) but that was OUR team. stevie had so much heart and passion that i could hate him with all my wholeself and still know he will play his butt off the next night and i will be cheering just as hard for him. when we traded him for tmac i was really happy but i also had this empty feeling in my stomach that things were going to be different...granted i thought it would have been different like...winning, but apparently not. this is still our team, and i will still cheer for them and watch all their boring games, but it will take some time for me to have that connection we all had with the rudy era...

 

I'm sorry Vengance had "financial reasons" interfere with tix, cable, etc. Your post made me feel really lucky. You are one cool dude, and you've done a lot for all of us. Sounds like you have some zen calm going without all the noise in your life.

Merry Christmas, Vengance. Thanks for everything. I owe you a drink or more sometime.


Les - it's Christmas. Get rid of Scrooge. Buy us some cheer. It'll make you feel better, because you'll be better for it.

 

I started watching the Rockets in '94 after the championship season. It took that to get me on, but I stayed on even after they stopped going to the playoffs. I was a Mavs fan before that, but I stopped caring because they stopped caring.

That's the problem this year for me also. The team just doesn't seem to give a damn; if they can't be bothered to care, why should I?

On top of that, management moves have left an incredibly sour taste in my mouth; no matter what anyone says, Rudy T's resignation was prompted, and we just a huge crap on Cat.

The fact of the matter is, we had an organization in which loyalty mattered; this was very important to me. What loyalty is there now? Rudy T was with the team for what, 30 years? Cat signed for less money to play with us, always did what was asked of him (in so far as he was able), and to my knowledge NEVER complained. And we dumped them both like a sack of bricks.

In the 90's, this team stood for class and loyalty when the rest of the league stood for greed-is-good and thuggery. Now, they've taken to heart the whole "this is a business" idea.

Well, I don't care about businesses. Businesses have no heart, and it was the heart of the Rockets that appealed to me.

 

Some really good posts.

I was laid off about 4 months ago and am slowly and with long hours building up my own business. Struggling with the thought of taking money in short supply from my family to actually go see a game - and not knowing if I will see the uptempo high scoring last minute heroics McGrady & Yao, or the air out of the balloon sagging, lifeless team.

I know if I talked about my wife in public the way JVG talks about his players ( I pulled Sura due to a dumb foul, the new guy Barry can't defend) I would sleeping on the couch.

And I don't get the AB playing like a house on fire and going on the IL; Boki shooting the 3 and no-one else is, and he goes on the IL.

One stupid mistake - which life man, it is life - and a player is yanked until his backbone is pulled out the top of his head!!!
I make mistakes and my employees make mistakes every day and we just pick ourselves up and get moving, learn what we can, shrug it off and pull together. And once in a while a customer tells us how happy they are - which makes our day.

The three ex-heat playing for Lakers - thread on now talking about their friendship last year. Man there is nothing better than working hard with people who you enjoy being with and then relaxing at the end of the day together - and wanting to see each other 20 years later.

I kinda wonder who will want to see Van Grumpy 20 years from now?

Many nights I work til 11 pm now and only get to check boxscores. My heart is with this team. But I keep asking what in God's green earth is wrong?

 

Read my post carefully. I said I was through with "this current group of players and coaches". Now if Les wants to sack up and overhaul the coaching staff and roster, then I'll consider giving the Rockets another chance.

A lot of the fans who are still clinging to the ridiculous notion that the Rockets can turn their season around like the Astros did are conveniently overlooking a few things. First of all, Jimy Williams was canned. Jeff Van Gundy is still here. Secondly, the Astros added Carlos Beltran. The Rockets have added Jon Barry.

If CD and Les can somehow bring in a coach who can motivate the players, and replace a cancer like Mo Taylor with a quality 4 who can actually rebound and hit an open 18-footer, then the product on the floor will improve dramatically.

 

You also forgot to mention that the Astros had a core group of veteran/young talent that had been there for years, won together, lost together, bled together. Rockets gave that up for one superstar.

 

So did the Heat... worked out for them fine (unless you're just making fun of the article in the NBA dish... then I'm sorry).

 

Great post, you are da man.

I never thought of that whole "drafted players" connection, but I think its very true. It even extends to the Kelvin Catos of the world who even though we did not draft him, he made his name in our uniform.

 

I've been a Rockets fan since 1983 and that's when I knew nothing about basketball, nor did I recognize Dr. J's standee in my 9th grade history classroom of my high school in Texas City. I've loved them when they lossed and lossed and won and lossed. I can not stand it when a rookie team owns an established franchise. I will never watch the Rockets ever again, never buy another product, and never root for dem bastards again.

Can't wait to watch them beat the sorry ol' Clippers tonight. Never give up hope. Still need a home jersey McGrady Swingman. Also, I can't wait for them to come to Memphis so I can watch that game.

Hate my Rockets. Go Rockets. Man, they mess with my emotions, I don't know what to think.