I think this forum has a hard time grasping the meaning and connotation of the word "mediocre", so I wanted to clarify this point to scratch my own pet peeve. Merriam-Webster, GO! Let me help you out a little more here. The key part here is that phrase at the beginning: moderate or low. Meaning average to below average. Furthermore, I will add that the connotation of the word (what it means in common parlance beyond the dictionary definition) is negative--people tend to think of it more toward the "below average" end of the spectrum. To pull this back around to being relevant to the Rockets: The Rockets are not an average to below average team. They have been consistently above that range in recent seasons, even when dealing with crushing injuries. Indeed, the Rockets have not had a season at or below .500 (dead average among NBA teams) since 2005-2006. What is not included in the definition of mediocre is "above average", even if only slightly above average. Mediocrity by definition leans away from that, especially when you factor in its negative connotation. One unfortunate factor which has hurt the Rockets is that they play in an absolutely stacked conference. Yet, despite the fact that they more often play good teams, they have managed to consistently have a win/loss percentage above the average win/loss percentage of an NBA team.
IMO, 2 years in the lottery, and likely a 3rd coming up, means we can not and should not be considered anything better than "mediocre".
mod·er·ate/ˈmäd(ə)rət/ Adjective: Average in amount, intensity, quality, or degree. The rockets are average in quality/amount/intensity, therefore they are mediocre. 14th pick is mediocre; IF they were in the east last season, they would still have been at the bottom. That's average. Not above average.
Incorrect. If they had been in the East last season, they would have been the 5th seed. That is not "at the bottom." I am not saying it is great, but it is better than 'average'.
Two years ago, we won 42 games. Last year we won 43 games. 42 or 43 wins is right about average. That fits the definition of mediocre.
The phrase used is "moderate or low", and it's important to remember that. That "or low" descriptor is there for a reason and you can't ignore it. Connotation is also an important part of language, and the connotation of the word mediocre is undeniably negative. @durvasa: The Rockets have only barely wound up in the lottery and would have been easily in the playoffs in the East. It's not the team's fault that it plays in the absolutely-stacked half of the league. Actually, if the two conferences were dead even, the Rockets would still have been in the playoffs both of the last two seasons.
But the Rockets aren't in the East, so that doesn't matter. Teams should be judged by their performance relative to their competition.
In the NBA, every team plays every other team. You know that, right? It's absolutely reasonable to call the entirety of the NBA our "competition".
Because you are taking everything to literal. 41-41, 40-42, 42-40, 43-40, 39-43 are all mediocre which is exactly what the Rockets have been the last 2 years and seem to be headed for a 3rd straight year.
I don't care what the definition is. We are not getting any better and more importantly we are not getting any worse. brb 14th pick brb so so draft choice brb staying the same and not drastically shifting in either direction
There are 30 teams in the league. 16 make the playoffs and 14 do not. By Websters definition we are mediocre. By your definition we are not. You can change Websters definition to whatever you want but then it becomes your definition and not reality. In reality we are a team that borders on missing the playoffs for the third straight year. And in addition our prospects for improving look pretty dim. I have come to the acceptance that I will never witness another Rockets championship in my lifetime. And I do not care what you call that, it is pretty sad to me.
On a game-by-game basis, yes we are competing against teams from both Conferences. However, we play teams in the West more than twice as often as teams in the East, as do other WC teams. Our schedule is much closer to that of other WC teams than it is to that of other EC teams. Teams with similar schedule strengths are effectively competing against each other for a playoff spot -- the WC teams being in one group, and the EC teams being in another. Therefore, from this standpoint, our competition is the West Conference (slightly weighted to our Division).
Whatever the definition, I don't consider the Rockets to be mediocre. I guess I'm just a glass half-full kind of person.
If anything, this makes us closer to above average among the NBA as a whole. Our strength of schedule is harder than the average NBA team, and we still manage to consistently win more than we lose.
