No? Why would I? Im not seeing the point that you are trying to make, do you even know the point you are trying to make?
For all the hate that TMac gets here (and he most certainly has earned it), he was a million times better for us in the Playoffs then Artest ever was.
to some: artest got us out of the first round so that means he automatically played better than tracy in the playoffs. that's some amazing logic there.
I'm guessing it's quite similar to the contingent that hates Charles Barkley. A lot of people just don't give a damn what players have contributed to the team and its success once they're gone. They cheer for them while they're here, then give 'em the finger the very second they leave. They're the worst kind of fan, imo.
like i said, i know artest is not an elite player. i know he didn't play well in the series against the lakers. however, he played his heart out. can we all not be grateful for that and give him a little respect? note: i am in no way implying he's better than ariza. i am actually glad we have ariza this year as opposed to artest.
I like Barkley for the record. I didn't like Artest before he was here, while he was here, or now that he's gone. I only supported him because he was wearing a Houston uniform. It's extremely narrow minded to judge a fan by their opinion of a player.
Somehow you think labeling other fans and being divisive is being a better fan? Some people put the team over individual players. That concept seems to be lost on you. I know that many of the people here didn't like Artest even while he was on the Rockets. I didn't, and don't, care for him.
I completely agree and really have never been able to grasp that logic. Artest seems to get a pass for his actions because he's expected to behave in a negative manner, while TMac gets ridiculed. Like I said, they both deserve their criticism in my opinion.
I'm guessing it's quite similar to the contingent that hates Charles Barkley. A lot of people just don't give a damn what players have contributed to the team and its success once they're gone. They cheer for them while they're here, then give 'em the finger the very second they leave. They're the worst kind of fan, imo.
I'm curious as to why you felt the need to post the exact same thing twice in 7 minutes as opposed to responding to those who disagreed with your initial post?
This is almost comical to compare Barkley/ Artest situations. Barkley was only 4 seasons out of winnning the MVP and we had a chance at another ring we were a CONTENDER and gave up all of our youth for him. Did it pay off? Well we beat the Sonics, so I guess yes. Artest situation is nothing compared to Barkley, I think the reason most people dislike artest now is because he acted all tough against kobe in the playoffs, but then runs to him and now is all buddy buddy with him. Im pretty sure if Artest went to any eastern conference team nobody would give a damn.
i understand why tracy gets criticized more and it's understandable. fans have much higher expectations for tmac. like it or not, he hasn't delivered on what he promised when we signed him: great things for houston. i feel he has played excellent enough when he's "healthy" (or able to run without a limp). any year he's able to play 60+ games, he's made the all-nba team. but not getting out of the first round or even close to a championship will get you criticism. and that's totally understandable. artest did help us. he did provide some toughness (though overrated b/c the rockets have always been a resilient bunch -> check out this year). though artest's D is overrated, his defense is still pretty good (watching ariza play defense so far is an eye-sore). and i think that was where his contributions ended. we had a very balanced team, and like you said, we would have gone to the 2nd round even with a mike miller. portland was not our match. my thing with artest (and the hypocrisy of some fans on here) is that fans would destroy tmac last year for "ball-stopping." tracy stopped the ball last year b/c he couldn't move. artest stopped the ball b/c HE WANTED TO. and yet artest stopped the ball WAY more than tracy ever could. like you said, artest NEVER tried to fit into the offense, and refused to listen to adelman (they had to send shane to tell him). yet it never worked. his offense was so ugly in the playoffs that i literally felt like punching the TV screen whenever he had the ball in his hands. there was a reason why our offense was so bad in the playoffs (91 points per game on 41% fg) despite a lot of talent. we won purely on defense. nevertheless, artest is not a rocket anymore. we shouldn't worry about him. i wish him well. i'm ecstatic we got ariza the moment we got him. he is the player that fits adelman's system to a T.
Don't hate Artest personally, but basketball wise I never liked him here, and I don't think he's a good fit for any offense.
I will give it a third to this, never wanted him in Houston...numerous posts about it...but once he was here cheered for him and wanted him gone at the same time. DD
