Les isn't a basketball guru. He doesn't know what he's talking about. The problem wasn't Les, the problem is that Carroll Dawson really isn't all that great at evaluating talent. He's made numerous mistakes. Including skipping on Clyde Drexler and getting nothing for Ralph Sampson (sleepy floyd?). It took him years to put some talent around Hakeem, and consider all the awful players they tried to put around him for the 7 unlucky years after our first run in 86, it's amazing he made the trade for Otis Thorpe, signed maxwell for $50G, and picked up Cassell and Horry. Outside of that strech, CD is a pretty crummy GM in my opinion, and I'm not sad to see him go. Not sure if Morey will be much better judging from the Celtics though.
My favorite teams since Les has owned the Rockets were the 94 and 95 teams that won back to back championships. The Charles Barkley experiment was also fun. Since then, yeah, the 2004 squad was the best.
eh i see what you are saying about the business standpoint of les' decisions...but honestly fans come to the games to see a winning team so why would les not want to put together a team that wins...it just doesnt make sense that he doesnt care about winning games..or that its all about business..i think in a way they go hand in hand..win games=more tickets sold=more revenue.. and about amare...he wouldnt be as "great" as he is if it wasnt for nash..yao over amare any day of the week
thank you for that post! I am really glad we have this owner. Charlie Tomas wasted Hakeem's prime years not building a team around him from '87 to '90 Glad Les bought the Rockets- I've often wondered how the Rockets would have done had the Maloof interests held on to the team. this business is about making money. I hope Les makes lots of money so he will keep interested in it and put resources in it.
The Suns didn't have the #1 pick. The #1 pick was universally considered to be between Yao and Jay Williams. No one else was even discussed. How often has "methodical" failed though? The Knicks, Jazz and Supersonics of the 1990's certainly tried that method and never won titles. It hasn't worked for the Bulls or Suns so far these last few years. On the other hand, the "impulsive" method has won quite a few titles the last 10-15 years. In fact, virtually every non-Spurs title since 1995 has had a major shakeup to the team. The Lakers and Heat both made a major trade for Shaq (the Heat also went out and got an army of veterans and changed up their entire team). The Pistons made a midseason trade for a volatile Rasheed Wallace. The 2nd set of Bulls went out and got a very volatile and unstable Dennis Rodman. The '95 Rockets added Clyde midseason. Every one of those teams went out and saw a glaring deficiency and did something bold/impulsive/risky to correct it. I don't think there's any evidence that a certain way of building a team works and others don't. Perhaps the Spurs aren't winning titles due to a methodical strategy, but because they had three fantastic drafts where they got one of the best power forwards in NBA history, and turned a low 1st round pick and a 2nd round pick into all-star type players.
I'd take Yao over Amare every time and I think Amare is one hell of a player. I don't see how people still cannot realize that Yao was the correct pick?
But the Suns only had the 9th pick; don't remember efforts on Phoenix's part to move up in the draft to scoop Amare. IIRC, Amare was hurt in his Rockets' workout-- making it his last before the draft. The Rockets were wowed by his workout. Weren't the Rockets then scrambling to acquire another top ten pick to nab amare? At least I heard those stories; don't know what truth there is there. Can you imagine Yao and Amare on the same team?
Skipping on Clyde and trading Ralph Sampson happened when? When did CD become general manager? What was CD's job title when Clyde was drafted and when Ralph was traded? Get some understanding of history before you start spewing opinion. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carroll_Dawson
I actually thought the barkley move was alot more marketing than basketball. but its hard to argue with picking yao as a basketball move. there are other arguments you can make though, but I don't want to get to contreversial.
Les Alexander is trying to do what every other team owner tries to do: Put out the best product to sell more tickets. Les firing JVG and hiring Adelan is evidence that Les wants to win, and make fans happy. JVG is a very good coach, but he doesn't know how to run an offense. And this is a major problem, not a minor one. I think that fans are excited and looking forward to next season. Sometimes, a coach change can make a big huge difference. In the NBA, the coach does matter. I think we have enough talent to win it all. With Yao and T-Mac, we should be capable of more than just a successful regular season. The problem was, JVG did not know how to utilize Yao or TMac. As Adelman said, he will make it easier for those two guys to score, and that was exactly the problem with JVG's Rockets. The offense system was terrible.
Thanks for the correction. That actually makes more sense. So now we know that Carroll Dawson was just an awful GM. From 1996 through 2007, what an awful 11 years of management for our team. Morey can't do worse.
Style over substance, hmmmmmm..... I am going to have to disagree. If Les was truly about style over substance he would have never hired JVG as the head coach. I think Les wants to win.....I think the Rockets problem has been chemistry. From not having the right mix of players, to not having the right coach. Les is searching for that elusive mix of chemistry that will take the Rockets back to the top. I don't think we are actually that far away now......Yao is getting better, Tmac has taken a back seat. Mike James is a HUGE upgrade, Battier is solid......all we need is a shot blocking/rebounding PF with a decent mid range game and we can compete. Heck the team as assembled with James at the Point instead of Alston is a WC finals team...IMO. DD
I have apparently chosen phrases that instead of illustrating my main point have confused what I intended to say. Forget "style over substance," forget Amare and Yao, forget JVG. Of course Les wants to win, I am just not sure he knows how to win it all, and I am not sure he isn't content to just win enough to keep the fans in the seats. I am questioning his committment and competence to build a "real" contender. The blah, blah hype especially at the beginning of each season works to excite the fans with anticipation, but it grows tiresome when you field a team with three starters who probably don't start on any playoff team, East or West, and then have your GM say they are the greatest starting lineup in the league. That's baloney. Stats or no stats. I am tired of baloney. Baloney is not steak. The starting lineup of the Utah Jazz was superior to the lineup of the Houston Rockets and they proved it. (the bench was far superior) The Mavs starters were superior to both, they didn't prove it. The Warriers would have likely embarassed the Rockets. The Suns would have done the same, and the Spurs beat everybody. I don't know who directly hires the scouts, the adminstrative staff, consultants, etc., but L.A. is ultimately responsible for the whole organization. My cynicism relates to how competent that organization is to select the right personnel, and put together a true contender. It has been twelve years since the last championship. In that time the team has seldom gone to the playoffs and has NEVER won a playoff series. It is not an unfair question to ask, do those in charge know what they are doing?
Best Post in this thread IMHO. If no changes at all were made with players- and we had a new coaach- almost any coach- the team would be more competitve in a playoff gameIMO.... We should have beaten Utah at home one game- and won the 7th game-the coach should share part of that.
Charlie Thomas was the owner when we passed on Clyde and RAy Patterson or his a-hole son Steve were the GM. Ralph Sampson?????that was in 1987 - you know that don't you? Blame no talent areound Hakeem on Steve Patterson- not CD.
Since the last championship? You need to get your facts straight before you start berating the franchise. Not that this mistake in particular is a big deal, but taking Amare out of context, your revisionist history and hyperbole regarding Les Alexander... this was more of a rant than a well thought out post. Trading Gay and Swift for Battier was just about the money? Hiring a defensive coach like JVG after Rudy stepped down was just about money? With all the corporate sponsors in Houston, winning is what equals money and fan involvement. Not like the hardcore fans can afford those courtside seats anyways. One thing this franchise knows is that star power wins championships, and they have made trades to make this possible. Sure our scouting has been below average and we rely on declining veterans to give us depth, but atleast we aren't Milwaukee? Or New York? How have the Lakers been doing after Shaq left? There are no geniuses hiding in management, but we've done decent enough considering the cards we've been dealt. Next.
