It’s time to shed light on this. This is a pretty big ethical issue and conflict of interest that doesn’t get discussed. It goes against everything journalism is about. Houston media members are doing an awful job holding the organization accountable. You never hear any hard questions being asked to Silas along the lines of: -Do you have full control of the lineup and rotations? -Do you believe in the fit between Jalen/KPJ? -Do you think the offense is lacking a veteran point guard? -Do you believe the player’s on this team are held accountable for their mistakes? All the questions asked are game-based and far too positive. As fans, who spend large amounts of time and money on the Rockets, we deserve the right to know what’s really going on with the organization. We deserve to read about it firsthand in the Chronicle and in the Athletic that people pay for, rather than finding out through national reporters. Instead, we’re kept in the dark on these topics and spend hours everyday arguing about who’s to blame, and wondering what the vision is. It’s time for Rockets media to stop being mouth pieces and put some real pressure on Tilman/Stone, because that’s the only way this front office will have any urgency to make changes. My favorite is after Eric Gordon’s improvement comment, Feign releases a puff piece the next day putting KPJ in the same company with Luka, Harden, and Embiid based off turnovers. What are we doing here? Houston media — be better.
What's Stone or Silas going to do when asked the glorious questions, answer with a level of earnestness that satisfies you to the core...? No. They would give a politicians answer in a heartbeat, 100/100 times. Have any of you yahoos heard Stone speak before? Expecting nice guy Steve to #exposethem and jeopardize his relations with the players and organization for the gain of respect from big heads on twitter...?
Reasons: Keeping access. Iko seems to get more access by being chummy. In post game conferences and media scrums, his usually asks the most softball of questions. Most the daily/weekly pieces require quotes. So even if given political answers; they still might have to use it for deadlines. Couple reporters (used to, not sure if still) travel with team on team planes. My understanding is that the reporter's don't get fed Landry food while at TC. Although if I was Tilman I would; reporters in better mood when not hangry covering team loss after loss. If a reporter wish to focus more on the facts and state of things; less emotions; cool. But if stylistically, a reporter doesn't want to do hit pieces, then also pull back on the puff pieces. The At&T Sportsnet show kind of already takes care of the PR/ puff coverages, Rockets local media could supplement it with more realistic takes, to better reflect their audience coping with a bad team. Right now I'm ok with Iko's stuff. Because Stone doesn't do media, so if Iko drips info, you can read between the lines, but at least you know it came out of the org and not some made up 'sauces'.
Funny how you underestimate the impact of hard questions. A hard question asked to Doc Rivers about Ben Simmons changed the entire landscape of an NBA franchise. They even benefited from it in the end having Harden at PG. The questions alone are enough to turn the heat up on the organization. And big heads on Twitter? Nobody I quoted is a random. Mike Meltser is a Sports Radio Host from Houston himself my guy. @foggy94 is one of our own. Robert Land is a podcast host, who shared the exact same sentiments about Houston media with Frank from Chop Shop — a podcast that Clutch himself promotes, dumbass.
mouthpiece feigen is a career presstitute feigning as an actual journalist for multiple decades now. if he had asked questions during the harden years, perhaps tilfuk wouldn’t have been able to get away with destroying a championship caliber roster with endless tax savings transactions
As far as the conversation, one distinction is that guys like chop/shop and Foggy are more analysts. Analyzing the players, the game and giving their opinions. The local media like Chronicle and Athletic are credential media; on the ground, at the practice and locker rooms. While any reporter has to 'frame' things, their usefulness is relaying information. Op's complaint which I agree to an extent is that some of the Rockers new media are calling out the way the reporter's frame their stories. The state of Rockets is being framed too rosey. Lastly some tough questions do get asked, a good reporter can do it without offending the person being asked. Then you get a more honest answer instead of being brushed off.
Good post. Haven't followed football, soccer and baseball. Is it the same? PS: Stone is saying the same things, basically the opposite of a Morey, murky and media shy.
Asking hard questions can be classless. "Hi! The rockets sucks and you don't change the rotation or play style. Is is Stone that is commanding you to play like this or are you just dumb?" "How does it feel to be one of the worst coaches in winning percentage in NBA history?" "Stone, does Paul Silas passing has anything to do to the fact that Stephen still has a job here?"
I appreciate Feigen, he is doing his fluffy thing and then concludes it with an open question. 'Will the Rockets succeed?'
How many times I posted as "The only thing worse than Rockets in Houston is Rockets Media"? It might be relatively OK for the ones who live in the States but when you follow them from outside (the UK in my case) it is a kind of madness. I just wonder how they parroting each other in a country famous being bi-polarised? You like it or not but you can hear different/biased opinions in CNN v Fox or The Guardian v Daily Telegraph here. How it does not happen in Houston?
Probably even journalists in countries like China, Russia, and Turkey etc. are braver than the buffoonery journalists in Houston. Journalists like Iko, in particular, are adulatory. Every time I see that guy, he manages to find something to defend for Silas or Stone or anyone else. I think he's afraid of being unemployed if he does the opposite.
Not sure about football or soccer. But baseball? Managers are questioned for their decisions in games every single interview. Especially in big markets. Just recently, Correa and the Twins had to answer some pretty tough questions in his press conference.
It's a bigger issue. Forcing the management to acknowledge tanking in the media makes Adam Silver unhappy too. He doesn't mind teams tanking quietly, but he does not like there to be attention on it. You won't get this from the JJ Reddicks of the world who want access to the money. It's not just a Rockets issue, it's an overall NBA issue.
Beat writers have always traded access for some level of hands-off ness. It used to be there were multiple local newspapers each with a rotating roster of PTI panel columnists, and they're the ones who would issue the callouts. But now it's the beat writers and the legions of online take artists where literally everyone is calling everyone out and airing their own take 24/7/365 To the extent they even bother mentioning us at all, the national writers aren't afraid to dump on our failing rebuild
it all boils down to bad fans that approve tanking. the org and the media is just giving them what they want...you can count people that dont approve the tank on fingers on one hand...even the ones who are declarative against the tank are salivating over the prospects of getting wemby...as if the lack of talent is the problem...LOL talent infusion is never a solution...the management of the talent is...
Do you read every article posted on chronicle? They have asked Silas any and every question you asked and he answered…. He may not get very detailed as far as how involved the analytics department is, but we all know Nix was getting time because of Stone. Luckily I have a subscription to HoustonChron it’s alot of info in the articles but folks “Don’t Read Them” Even Sarge with USATODAY unless it’s about Sengun the articles have less than 50 shares.
