How long have each of those teams been rebuilding to get to a point where they still presently suck, but might be good enough to make the playoffs in a few years when said players rookies contracts are up and ready to leave?
But doesn't that show you have to be one of the bottom teams in order to get a great draft pick #1-#3.. Even if the Spurs didn't mean to suck/tank (which I think they did) they got the #1 pick and built a dynasty around it.... I'm pretty sure our championships were built around a #1 pick as well.. So yes it's nice to be competitive and all but you don't get to the finals or hold a trophy at the end of the season because your role players try real hard.
Tanked and got McCray, who (was the main chip) we traded for OT, who we then, ironically traded for Drexler, who we had passed for to draft McCray. If my memory serves me right. But yea, we tanked for our 'chips.
You really should rethink your list. The Clips now have THE most exciting player in the league, the Bucks have a solid young core, the T-Wolves got the best rebounder in the league who just so happens to be the only player in the history of the league to rebound so well AND shoot so well, the Wizards got John Wall, and the Nets got Cousins. Those are all pretty significant improvements.
First, I appreciate your dedication to the Rockets and I share many of those same fond memories and sentiments. I don't even watch any other sport. Basketball is the only sport that matters as far as I'm concerned, and without the Rockets, that doesn't matter to me either. That said, if you really feel like that about the Rockets then you know exactly why we can't just change the team in which we root for. I'm a Rockets fan too - to the core. And to imply that those of us who wish to see the Rockets 'tank' are fair weather fans is absurd. Fair weather fans couldn't stomach the losing. I can. I'll watch every game I can conceivably watch win or lose. And if the Rockets are YOUR team WIN OR LOSE as you say, then what's the difference? Personally, I find the prospect of drafting a player that could save this franchise a lot more exciting than watching them play mediocre basketball. And if we did draft an exciting young player with the potential to one day lead the team to the Championship, I'd be excited to watch them mature and grow even if we were still losing. Currently, I can't find much to get excited about. I like the guys on our team, but our team itself is just bad. We have no star player. And you can continue to look through your rose colored glasses if you like, but the truth is we're unlikely to make the playoffs anyway. If the Rockets do somehow manage to make the playoffs, I think it likely they'd be swept. You can say I'm not a fan because I don't believe in my team, but I think that's absurd. I'm just realistic about what my team is capable of. I love them no less for seeing them as they are. Honestly, this is no different than Republicans blasting Democrats for being anti-American and vice versa. In that case, what it comes down to is everybody wants what is best for our country - we just may disagree on what that may be. In this case, we all want what is best for the Rockets, we just seem to disagree on what that is. And I'd appreciate it if you don't doubt my loyalty to the Rockets just because my opinion differs from yours.
By you're reasoning any team who recently had a high draft pick has a "good future." Most of these guys have proven absolutely nothing yet, and there were hundreds of high draft picks before them that were never able to turn their team into a contender. I don't know why these players would be much different. Yes, they're producing on a losing team. And I ask again, how long have a lot of these teams been mired in mediocrity only to still have "a great future?" The Thunder seem to be the only team that has really had a high degree of success building on a complete youth movement. A more balanced approach of veterans and youth seem to be a better recipe for success.
Here's a good test: would the Rockets trade ANY player on their roster for: Wizards John Wall? Yes Kings DeMarcus Cousins? Yes Clippers Blake Griffin? Yes Timberwolves Kevin Love? Yes Bucks Andrew Bogut? Yes You need veterans to be a serious contender in today's NBA; I'm not convinced the Thunder will take the next step until they move some of their young guys for proven veterans. You also need a star player; quite a few of the teams that you listed previously have acquired their star players via the draft. The Rockets lone hope at a star player, Yao Ming, was also gotten through the draft.
Most teams draft their best players. Only the Lakers can feed another team Bynum for Carmelo and Marc gasol for Pau Gasol. Any other franchise and these are not good trades to anyone in the NBA. You are Celtics players ask to go there in trades also. This is more like free agency. People have to want to come to Houston as part of the trades sometimes. So the draft is the only way to get them sometimes. Especially if you have a chicken like Morey who wont gamble on Amare Stoudemires of the league because of physicals.
Hey JM...I don't doubt your love of the team, I just think you and others here are absolutely wrongheaded in your approach to rebuilding a winner if it involves losing games on purpose. What franchise player on any recent championship team was gained through the lottery? I honestly don't know and none come immediately to mind. All the young studs like Griffin and Wall are now basically stuck on weak teams that may never gain the other pieces needed to reach the top. They will most likely play out their rookie contracts and then move to a better team through free agency or trades. I think you guys are wrong in thinking the lottery is the only way to get there and that the only way into the lottery is to quit trying to win as many games as possible now. You and the other "tankers" are essentially asking the owner, the GM, the coaching staff and the players to abandon their most basic commitment to winning every possible game and to become the biggest stinking loser in the league so they could possibly draft the next "can't miss" college kid. That my friend is what is "absurd". There aren't many coaches that would abandon making every effort to win close games and if there are, they should be black balled out of the sport. You are suggesting that no late game heroics would be allowed to pull out a close game, that players should not make the extra effort defensively or dive for a loose ball or take a charge or fight for a rebound. What do you want Kevin Martin or AB to do at the foul line...miss on purpose? You guys are desperate for a winner and I am too, but not at the expense of integrity. Players and coaches alike that make it to the NBA did not get there by giving anything short of their ultimate best. The "tankers" are asking the impossible of the Rockets. Instead, you should re-assess this team and realize that there are enough really good players available to put together a trade package for a proven star rather than some kid who may just as likely be a bust. Let's wait and see what Morey comes up with...he may surprise us all.
Kobe Bryant got picked in the 13th pick. But I dont think any franchise player is coming in this draft.
Why tank when you can do something else instead. <a href="http://www.gifbin.com/983111"><img src="http://www.gifbin.com/bin/062009/1245401515_transformer_tank.gif" alt="funny gifs" /></a>
Read my sig, but in all seriousness we should be playing the young guys a lot more. I'll wait till after the trade deadline and if nothing good comes our way than the elders should be resting for next year.
Point 1) The Lakers most recently. Yes, Kobe was technically drafted by Charlotte but they chose Kobe for the Lakers (and I would be more than fine with acquiring a lottery pick by trading our equivalent to Vlade). Which is why there was no dust up like when Francis demanded to be traded or Rubio refused to come. Additionally, the Spurs drafted Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu (even if the latter two came later in the draft) and the Miami Heat drafted half of their then star duo in Wade/Shaq. Even the Celtics drafted Paul Pierce (the star that made Garnett and Allen okay with moving to Boston). The only team who won recently without drafting their own star is the Detroit Pistons. And they broke the mold every which way. Obviously I am willing to acknowledge that it's arguable whether or not the Lakers count. And the Magic and Thunder are also looking like possible contenders. They both drafted their stars. Hell, the Thunder drafted damn near everybody on their roster. Point 2) No. We aren't. We're asking them to rebuild. We're asking them to look at the big picture. We aren't asking them to intentionally go out and lose games. But when we stand no chance, can I at least have the pleasure of watching Terrence Williams, Jordan Hill, Patrick Patterson and Ish Smith and our other promising young guys try to develop and grow on the court? Yes, if the Rockets do that, we'll probably lose more than a few games we could have won if we played Hayes, Battier, and Scola for 40 minutes per game. I can live with that if it means the young guys will be more ready next year and we have a good shot at a top lottery pick. In fact, not only can I live with that, it would give me an actual reason to watch the games this season. I enjoy watching young players improve. And I look forward to the draft more and more the better our pick is expected to be. I do not, however, enjoy watching a mediocre cast fight tooth and nail for the 10th seed. On a related note, I am looking at the REALLY big picture. A lot of people seem to think that many of us (and I guess I can't speak for anybody else) think if we just lose this year we can draft that superstar player that will save us. I do not. Oh no. I expect we would be terrible for years like the Thunder were. I think if Morey had the opportunity Presti had in OKC, we wouldn't be in this mess. Presti got to build that team from the ground up. Morey has had to try to rebuild the roster around McGrady and Yao. And now they're gone. He did an amazing job of adding fantastic role players and depth. Unfortunately, our talent got injured. I'd be REALLY excited to see what Morey could do if he had the opportunity to build the team the way Presti did. Point 3) That proven star isn't coming to Houston. We're not a big glamorous market. We don't have a star for them to team up with like all the young players seem to want to. And even if a star player became available that wasn't demanding to be moved to a glamorous market to team up with his buddies, if we packaged enough players to acquire him - we'd still suck. Only we'd have a 25-29 year old star to rebuild around instead of a 20 year old one. Even the Spurs did it the one year. Seriously. The Spurs. The team that you hear the most about "winning culture" and all that crap from. In conclusion, if we lived in New York, Miami, Los Angeles or even Chicago, I'd agree with you. There are other ways to get that star to build around. But we don't. I'd really like to see one of you "anti-tanking" people do a write up on who we could possibly get in the next few years and how. If it is even remotely plausible, I won't say another word on the subject until at least 40 games into the 11/12 season.
Amazing how quickly so many fans want to just give up and try to "get over" by embracing loserdom. Same people that want to trade everyone after a bad game and fire the coach after a bad week, would be my guess.
It really doesn't matter. This team isn't good enough anyways. Tanking, going for the playoffs, whatever, they still aren't going anywhere.
