Oh, I see, I guess the additions of..... 1) Grant Hill (all star form) 2) #1 pick Dwight Howard 3) Jameer Nelson 4) Pat Garrity 5) Tony Battie 6) Hedo Turkgolu ...have no effect on the team. You are right. The trade by itself is complete justification! Look, the trade was good for both teams. Orlando is out of the gate faster because it got more initial "support" with new "quality" players than Houston. Houston gutted the team. Let's check back in a few years when Houston has a chance to add to it's roster.
Damage control mode? The Orlando media, they're the ones that won't let it go. They're the ones who keep bringing the trade up. But theres just something about them not seeming very bitter about the whole trade that leads me to believe this is the last of these type of articles we'll see.
You guys who couldn't wait to get the two "knuckle heads" out of here and were telling us how the McGrady and Yao with their off the chart BBIQ's were going to mesh and and show us how much intelligent BBall we were missing over the past five years. Now I have to check back with you in a FEW years. And the Magic fans are in damage control? We're celebrating moral victories in Houston, now we have to wait for the future, and now people are beginning to doubt Yao's franchise player status. But the Magic are justifying the trade?
I think it is FAR to early to tell who got the better end of the deal. I actually think both sides are going to be happy with the deal in the end. DD
clearly Orlando is a much better team right now than they were last season, but if there line-up was Nelson, McGrady, Hill, Dwight Howard and Battie with Turkeyglue, Juwan, Lue off the bench they would have also been a better team this year... of course the jury is still out... but really for me the question is not who is better right now or even who has the better record at the end of the season, but who is closer to winning a Championship... The rockets have 2 sensational pieces to get them their and now the challenge over the next 18 months to two years is to add some decent role players to get them their... for Orlando, Steve, Hill and Cat will score, but for them to win a Championship Dwight has to become KG version 2, and the way his offense is right now they are sometime away from that....
Smeg, that makes sense to me. Its just good rational thinking like that needs not to be repeated. Reason does not repeat itself over and over again. And such reason never calls for the rolleye. thank you mr. Smeg.
Yes, as I said, check back when the Rockets have a chance to add to the roster the complimentary players similar to what Orlando did. What part of that did you not understand? Take away Hill, D. Howard, Nelson, Garrity, Battie, and Turkgolu and what do you have? I am not taking anything away from Francis and Mobley. I cheer for them and hope they see GREAT success in Orlando! Go Orlando! But Orlando's rise is not nearly as tied to the trade as is being made out. The complimentary players (one of which is an all star) is a HUGE reason. The media sure has been as has the management. They were dearly afraid that Magic fans would look down upon their moves. They did everything they could to justify in the media the trading of a NBA Top 5 player. It was even more important to justify the moves to the fans considering the team is trying ot get public support for a new arena.
I have two words: Who cares? I support the Rockets. I cheer for the Rockets. I root for the Rockets. I jeer the Rockets (in extreme circumstances). I wear Rockets T-shirts, jackets, hats, and socks. I have 1,000+ Rockets trading cards. In short, I am a Rockets fan. If Karl Malone, John Stockton, Dale Ellis, John Starks, and Kermit Washington were the starting 5 for the Rockets, I'd at least make some sort of attempt to support them. You know, let Orlando gloat all they want. Let Minnesota gloat over Eddie Griffin and Sam Cassell. Let the Hawks gloat over Jason Collier. Let the Spurs gloat over Robert Horry. Let every team who's ever made a trade with the Rockets and come out on top gloat, gloat, and gloat. Who cares? I support all 12 Rockets on the roster. They represent our city and ourselves. They're not our primary role models, but they can be a source of inspiration to want to excel (94 and 95). Doesn't mean I wouldn't trade some of them (Howard?), but it does mean I'm going to hope that they do well in Rocket red. I wish Francis, Mobley, and Cato well. But I certainly ain't rooting for em when they play the Rockets. I think the whole thing is a bunch of nonsense. Let the Magic gloat. Let Wisebrod swim in smugness. Ain't gonna have no effect on how I support my team one bit. Peace spoken.
However, I can see the possibilities of these two teams meeting in the finals 2 or 3 years down the road, if Orlando retains Mobley and picks up some other good FA's, and maybe a trade or two. Really, if Orlando could come up with another big man banger defensive presence that can score, for example a Rasheed type player, then they could really be in the thick of the EC. They are just not deep enough on the interior. But their perimeter play is very good with Francis, Mobes, Hill, Glu, Nelson. They have 5 very solid perimeter players and 1 or 2 of them are close to superstar status. I think in a year or two, they will be very tough. I'd love for the Rockets to use their assets and acquire a PG and a PF and another good perimeter player to go with Yao and TMac and make it to the finals against them. That would be a very entertaining matchup. Dwight Howard is going to be very good. Garnett good? I doubt it. Who is? But D. Howard can be a top 10 player in this league.
dandortk,, I toast this drink to you. A good man, good post. Good posts round here these days are like white doves. Silent beauties Their wings flap with reason and dont make a stir. To the doves of reason!
Thank you. I guess that's why the Detroit game made me very angry. To me, I see it as an honor to be able to put on that uniform and represent the millions of individuals around the world who call themselves Rockets fans. It's a privilege only attainable by a select few with God-given talent to play a sport at its highest level. And for anyone wearing that uniform to have the nerve to "quit," which I believe some of them did the other point, is unspeakable. Yeah, maybe I'm speaking ideally here, but so be it. I'm just a nut case when it comes to the Rockets, a screaming, yelling, cheering, burst-out-crying-when-they-won-Game 7-in-1994 kinda fan. But I feel that, if you're going to enjoy things in this life, enjoy them to the fullest. That's the way I see it with the Rockets. So whatever other teams do, whatever heights they reach, more power to em. I'd rather throw my energies at supporting my team rather than being concerned about a manipulative, smarmy general manager who'd rather take the subway under the low road than the high road.
Well, at least we have an Orlando fan's perspective. Just like the Memphis X dude, it's good to have the insight of fans from other teams on this board. Good points, Gabriel. Jeaux, sans, frontieres.
It also drives me crazy to read these have patience posts on this board. A few years in the NBA is a lifetime, teams can go from contenders to pretenders overnight, just look at us and Orlando. My frustration is with CD and this management, Weisbrod did exactly what a good GM should do and CD should should have done. Evaluate talent, make the right moves, bring in the talent and make your team better. You can argue all you want to about whether our trade with Magic made them better or the complementary players had more impact but in the end it was the decisions by the Magic management that accomplished that. Orlando has a right to gloat and it won't be limited to the Orlando media praising Weisbrod if our team continues to spiral downwards and Orlando keeps winning. Saw the NYK/Magic game yesterday and the NY announcers were talking that Weisbrod had zero BB experience and it was miraculous what he had done to turn his team around. For those of you that didn't see the Magic/Knicks game yesterday the "2 knuckleheads" did great. SF had 26 points and 7 rebounds and is still making dumb passes and over dribbling. Cat had 34 points, chased down a critical offensive RB and stole the inbounds pass while he was guarding the passer in the final minute of the game. Cato also had 10 RBs.
This is the other thing about Rocket fans. They clowned this guy all summer, but when his team does well they still haven't complimented him. I've seen a bunch of "what do you expect, they made other additions besides the former Rockets". Well that maybe true, so at least give the guy his respect.
Do you really believe Yao is more of a lock to be a championship player? The problem with this team isn't just the role players. The problem is also getting their franchise center to play like one most nights.
I find it funny how after the fact, people are coming out and saying that they knew we'd be in the position we're in right now. I like how these people set up a fake expectation for everybody else to make others look ridiculous. "You guys thought we'd be undefeated and on our way to a championship? You guys are dumb, I knew we'd be here, with a bad record, ugly and boring basketball, and Yao Ming playing like a cream puff." I don't know anybody who seriously thought we'd be winning a championship this season, but I know, I freaking know for a fact, that nobody knew we'd be the most disappointing team in the league after one month. Also, Weisbrod was very unproffesional in talking trash about a player after he traded him, but to say the Magic are only where they are because of lucky coincidences is pretty disingenuous. If you've read that SI article on Grant Hill, you know that he's been ready to go for quite some time now, but he's purposely kept himelf out to make sure he was fully ready. Hill called Weisbrod out to Duke to watch him play against guys like Corey Maggette, Shane Battier, Elton Brand. In the article Weisbrod says that he was dominant against those guys, so he knew he'd have Hill back. Having the # 1 pick obviously wasn't his doing and he could have taken Okafor and still had the same results this year. It wasn't luck that he went out and got Turkoglu, traded for Nelson and Battie. The only thing that wasn't in his hands was Tracy's future. T-Mac wanted out, and Weisbrod managed to infuse the core of a 45 win team with other upgrades to the Magic roster. He dumped Juwon's terrible contract and DeClercq's is up this year, so he can resign Mobley with that. Next year Cato and Battie are up and he can pay them what they actually deserve(probably not, big men are always overpaid). The other thing is people say that the Rockets aren't done, that they have still moves to make. That's definately true, but it's kind of funny to hear people say that and then write off Orlando as a finished product that has already hit it's peak.
pgabriel, I hope you are a Rox fan because I don't want to be caught sleeping with the enemy. I am a Rox fan and it is because I am a fan that I question this management, they are mediocre in my opinion. For crying out loud, before the season began CD knew there was an overload at PF and that we subtracted rebounding at the position, we needed a backup center, we needed a PG, couldn't run and lost athleticism and all we get is no resolution of the surplus PFs, Bobby Sura, Charlie Ward, Deke and the slowest, oldest and least athletic team in the league. I just don't have faith in CD to pull off acquiring all the pieces we need to make us a contender particularly with him being hampered by Juwan's contract and a lack of tradeable assets. The best route for this team to be rebuilt is probably to finish dead last this season to get the #1 lottery, use the exception and get some free agents.
I hate to admitted but T-mac does bring a bad chemistry over to the rockets. We not winning with him and he will keep whinning about the support cast over and over again, if we keep losing. Men! drive to the basket and get some free throw.
No one in Orlando thinks they will win it all this year. This team is built for a year or two down the line, when they can run that game with Dwight Howard. And it's not like Detroit had a team full of Pippen's and Jordan's either... McGrady is saying the same things he did when he was unhappy in Orlando. Houston isn't winning, and there has been much bemoaning that fact here. So now, this article comes out and everyone wants to suddenly do damage control from the Rockets perspective? It's kinda two-faced, if you ask me. And how has Weisbrod done any hammering of a former player other than McGrady -- which, IMHO, is being borne out night after night these days? Players leave every organization unhappy; they've done so in Houston too. Is some of the badgering unnecessary? Perhaps; but, I also think many of you all have read way too much into what Weisbrod has said, reading between the lines. He is stating his opinion about a player through interviews and telling it like it is -- players get praised for that, but GMs get bashed when they do it for one player? Another example of things being two-faced. But, we'll see how things bear out on the court. The Magic won again, getting 18 rebounds from Kelvin Cato. Bet Houston wished they had that kind of inside presence right now. They've also got a star in the making in Dwight Howard. To say Orlando will never be able to win (or contend for!) a title with this sort of roster, as Howard develops, is foolish. Houston's got every much filling out of the roster to do as Orlando does. And just because you can pair two superstars doesn't mean it's always going to work. How well did the Pippen deal work out for Houston??
