We aren't even TWO full years from the end of the 08/09 season where: we finished the season 53-29(5th in the west)(1 game back from a tie for the 2nd best record in the west) we beat the blazers pretty easily in the 1st round gave the champion lakers a huge scare in the 2nd round NOT EVEN 2 YEARS! since then both of our stars have gone down. only one we were able to get something for, the other absolutely ZERO. It is one thing to lose a star, its a whole different story when you lose him and get nothing for him in return. Look at cleveland, it hurts bad, yet WE have been able to continually make roster moves that have improved our club. Keeping us in position to hopefully make the big move that puts us into contention. Some of you act like we have been awful forever and that if we don't tank we have no chance of changing anything. Not the case.
Yawn, bandwagon fans using flavor-of-the-month jargon to try and talk about something they know nothing about. Nothing new here folks.
I'd say the Rockets fans are qualified to talk about being mediocre -- i.e, what we've been for over the last decade.
That's the thing, 3 of our starters weren't even projected starters at the beginning of the year and only 1 player on our current active roster had more than 3 years of nba starting experience prior to this year.
50 win seasons 4/6 years isn't mediocre. By your definition, 80% of the teams in the league are mediocre. So yes you don't know what they're talking about when GMs say this kinda stuff. They're talking about old teams, not young teams like your Rockets that are 8th youngest in the league and 2nd most successful of those young teams.
Be ****in real with yourself. the Rockets were mediocre when it was francis and mobley.. 2004-2009 the Rockets weren't mediocre.. You trying to tell me that the Suns were mediocre in that same time frame? They were contending, just kept running into SA. They win it all in 06 if it wasn't for...*drum roll* INJURIES!!!! Which changes EVERYTHING.
Waaaa, waaaaa, waaaaa. You guys can cry about injuries, what if's, and what could've beens all you want. One simple fact: Rockets have been to the second round ONCE in 10+ years. That is mediocre.
It is what it is though. The reality of it is unless you get guys that stay healthy, bruh, it's going to sting when you can't win. Dallas, SA, LA...they have constant 70+ game guys within their best players. That's a fact. I won't deny that it's sad that the Rockets haven't done a ton in the last decade, but don't shy away from why it happened.
Here's the thing though: I'm saying that we've been "mediocre" for a long time. You're just giving me reasons WHY we were mediocre. In the end.. so what? We were still mediocre. I wasn't putting the blame on any single person -- just stating a fact. Rockets fans know what it feels like to be mediocre. We are right now. We have been for a LongTime.
You're the only one crying genius. We're satisfied with where we are at and we are realists, while you cry on and on about our 50 win "mediocre" teams.
Which 50-win team are you talking about? The one that lost in the first round of the playoffs or the other one that lost in the first round? I'm just messing around.. but if you're satisfied with what the Rockets have done over the past decade, do all Rockets fans a favor and raise your expectations.
Between 1981 and 1992, the Rockets only went to the 2nd round twice, and only won more than 48 regular season games twice during this period. Sure, they had that one finals appearance, but other than that year, the team was not better than they were during the past decade, particularly between 2004 and 2009. The 1992 season started with the team missing the playoffs the year before following 4 straight 1st round exit years. Those teams, too, were mediocre. In fact, one could argue that, despite the fact that the team had Hakeem Olajuwon on it, the Rockets were on a "mediocrity treadmill" at the start of the 1992 season-- a 40 win team is a 40 win team even if there is a star on it (and, as I recall, there were more critics of Hakeem back before he won those rings, too). And a mid-first rounder is still a mid-first rounder. That team had its "excuse," too-- Cocaine is helluva drug. In the end, those were pretty damn mediocre teams. That previously treadmilling team managed to get off the treadmill and won 2 championships. As such, while a #1 pick certainly helps, I don't think you must to get off the "mediocrity treadmill" and get into "lottery hell" before winning a championship.
I can agree with that more or less. But I wasn't responding to the idea that the Rockets need the #1 pick to win a championship. Poster-of-the-week ashishduh suggested that only bandwagon fans talk about being stuck in mediocrity and have no idea what they're talking about. I was merely pointing out that I've suffered through yearly disappointments with this team for over a decade -- and this past decade of the Rockets history can be nicely summed up with the word "mediocrity."
Some of you are thinking that we MUST win the lotto to rebuild quickly. I never meant to say that. Just because you don't get a The Dream you still have a shot at a Jordan. Just because you didn't win the lotto for Lebron you can still have a shot at a Wade, Bosh, Melo, you get what I'm saying. But to have a bigger % of landing a superstar you have to be at least in the top 10 in the lottery.
I think we got stuck first in Steve Francis hell, and then the McGrady first round treadmill. We got off the treadmill once Ron Artest took his place in 08/09, unfortuantely, Yao's injury set us back. It's not one continuous period since the team ran through 3 coaches, 2 GMs and dozens of players. Too bad we never got to see the current squad play with Yao. I think it's better than the player the team mangaged to put around him during his entire career.
Yup, and I guess the people that keep preaching patience year after year, don't realize we all aren't gonna live forever. We're only on this planet for a finite amount of time and I would like to see this team get off the mediocrity treadmill and be elite before I die.
All this mediocrity talk is BS. First of all mediocrity happens when: 1) You have a superstar carrying the squad but the team is not built to win championships (Rockets during 1-11, Cavs w/ LBJ, Twolves w/KG etc) 2) You spent your capspace on overpaid players and as result will never win enough to win a ring but never lose enough to get a high pick (Orlando, Bobcats, Memphis, Detroit) 3) Your team has had quite a run, is getting old and you're just waiting for the wheels to fall off (PHX, supposed to be Spurs, Mavs) The Rockets are none of that. Unless you've been living under a rock we've continued to get younger year after year despite the absence of top 10 picks, and a lot of our players are starting to peak or in their prime. The only reason we have a mediocre record is because we have a 6'5 center manning the paint. That's it. Why will we tear down our team when all we really need is one piece, maybe two to make it work? That'd be like downloading a file then canceling it when it 90% completed already. Most of the tankers here seem to think the draft is one big smorgasbord of superstars all waiting in line for you to pick them. You know what? Luis Scola and Kevin Martin will be better than 90% of all lottery picks ever drafted, that's how much of a gamble relying on the draft is. For every Blake Griffin you'll get 20 Kwame Browns, 10 Wesley Johnsons and 5 OJ Mayos. Hell, don't we have 3 top 10 lottery picks on our roster now? What would you do if we end up tearing our team and apart and ended up with another Jordan Hill for our trouble? Yes, if you keep tanking though you'll get your superstar. But by the time that happens DM has been fired, the fanbase has dwindled and the coach is an incompetent hack. Just ask the Clips, how long did they have to wait to get Griffin?
For a bad GM, it is the case. For Morey, I'd expect he can pick up a Blake Griffin sooner than that or at least he can pick up a bust-like Favors and exchange him for a DWilliams. If we have a good GM, by all means, tank now.
Just one mans opinion, but I think one of the problems with the rockets and their youth is none have high ceilings. Its one thing to be young and reach your ceiling and its another to have a short ceiling. Thats why the rockets are mediocre. I dont think they should tank, but next season, I would like to win or lose with the younger talent. Just like after Yao went down, i didnt see any reason for not trading battier. I think this year coming up and the following summer will be crucial to the rockets and a couple of other franchises. The rockets arent 1 superstar from contending,they're like 2 and another good player from being serious.If the rockets dont get williams and howard, that means something else has happened. Williams went to the mavs and howard went to the lakers. Both scenerios would mean the rockets wont win a title or be serious contenders. In the meantime, they need to get thabeet on the court and up to speed in case they dont get howard, they need to upgrade the small forward position, and they need to find a place for scola on another team so they can find out if hill or patterson can be good players at the pf.