Ok... deep breath.. in... out.. in.. out... whoooosh. Group therapy time. I am personally still shaking and feeling all out-of-sorts from the sort of schizophrenic break-with-reality suffered on Wednesday night.. so I know *I* need to try to do something to work out these feelings. First of all, I know that there is nothing we can do about 'The Trade'. So I know that it is better to focus on the future and stop dwelling on the past - even the recent past. Eventually I believe that my wife will be able to tell me that I have stopped yelling 'THEY DID WHAT?!?!?' in my sleep, while thrashing around in cold sweats. Second of all, I know that Battier is probably a lot better than anyone else we could have acquired this offseason, in fact probably a LOT better. He's a Man, not a kid, and I do believe that we will come to appreciate him and give him all the love this city is famous for giving. People calling him a taller, more-gifted Mario Elie are probably not that far off. Third, as much as we all had high hopes for Stro, I really do believe deep down that the guy will never be anything but lost on an NBA floor. We were due 4 more years of frustration and sniping about Stro, so being able to unload him, on a division rival no less, is probably a really good thing. Call this addition by subtraction, and be glad someone else will be paying him. Fourth, Rudy Gay. I confess, I never once saw the guy play even one college game. I did see some highlights, but as I mentioned in another thread before the draft, whoever put together those highlights was not doing a very good job of making Gay look all that great. Let me put it this way: I had heard the hype for over a year, and had seen nothing but highlight clips. All of that SHOULD have had me willing to give up my first-born for the guy, but instead my only reaction was 'So what's the big deal? He doesn't look like someone who is justifying all the hype.' I don't wish ill on the kid; if he does well in the NBA, then good for him. But it seems pretty clear that a lot of professional basketball minds felt the same way as I did: that the risk might be too high for the gamble. So, again, to be able to get a top-shelf, still-young guy like Battier in place of Gay, especially from a division rival, could very well turn out to be a great great thing. I guess it's kind of like opening a birthday present, expecting to see a nice new XBox360 or something like that, but instead finding a certificate of deposit in your college fund. It may not be as exciting, but it's probably a lot smarter. So my therapy strategy is to try to find ways of looking at this situation as a good thing rather than as a huge disappointment. Attempt #1: What if, say, back around the trade deadline, and knowing full well that the upcoming draft was considered to be extremely weak, Jerry West had offered us Battier for our #1 this year and Swift? At that time we would not have known where our pick was going to be, plus we would not have felt too strongly about getting any big help from the draft, and here comes West offering us a bona-fide 3-position starter for a weak pick and a knuckleheaded bust?? Ok, sign me up for some of that, and try not to let West see us giggling until the papers are signed. Attempt #2: Everyone laments winning one or two games late in the season that we could possibly have been better off losing.. fair enough, BUT. I don't think anyone would argue with the idea that the Rockets are, when healthy, a heck of a lot better than a 34-win team. So, in reality, instead of winning more games than we should have, the opposite is closer to the truth - we lost a lot more than we should have. Just imagine that we had won, say, another 4 games or so. Even with our injuries, this is not beyond the realm of possibility. And if that had happened, we would have been picking a few slots lower. Again, fair enough, but what then? Hilton Armstrong, anyone? Sene, anyone? Thabo Thefolofa anyone? Given our desire to get more immediate help, and given the weak nature of the draft, what do you suppose West's reaction would have been if we had gone to them asking for Battier for one of THOSE guys? Oh, and would you please take back Swift? We changed our minds. You would hear nothing but a dial tone on the other end of that phone call, or else West would ask for a whole heck of a lot more than just our pick and Swift - how about adding in Head and maybe a future #1 as well? Attempt #3: Suppose Gay had not slipped. Suppose we had just drafted in our spot, and none of the 'top Six' had fallen to us. Suppose we had just gone ahead and taken Carney or Brewer. Immediately after the draft, attention would have turned to the REST of the offseason (as it already has), and 'Now we need to get some immediate help.'. Would ANYONE here have even bothered to mention Battier as a possible target? Who would have thought for a second that anyone would have been able to pry him out of Memphis? And if anyone HAD mentioned it, would he have been laughed out of the building, as another 'pipe-dream trade proposer'? And how much do people think it would have cost to get Battier? What would the price have been? While I am still in shock and awfully disappointed at how this went down, I am seriously starting to consider the possibility that, instead of getting reamed by West, that it could very well end up being the other way around. Seriously, imagine the rabid screaming which will be coming out of Memphis if Gay does not pan out? You know what this reminds me of? A typical Chris Columbus movie. You know the kind, the typical movie where some decent shlub guy falls madly in love with the prettiest girl in school, while his mysteriously also-pretty best friend (who is always a girl) is secretly in love with him, and everyone watching knows that he would be better off with his best friend rather than the shallow and stupid supermodel he desires. And of course, by the end of the movie, he learns the truth about the gorgeous girl (that she is not all she is cracked up to be - ie slut, stupid, bigoted, mean, etc etc), and the guy realizes that his best friend was always the one for him, and they live happily ever after. Especially after hearing Battier talking about how he totally understands how the fans feel about the draft, and how he would have been disappointed too, but that he believes he will win us over in the end. I like that. And I like the fact that we are not even CLOSE to being done this offseason, and that we probably will land the Redick-Consolation-Prize in Gansey, and we got rid of Swift, and we may get James and Padgett back.. Luther will be a year better, Yao and TMac *WILL* stay healthy (they WILL dangit! WILL WILL WILL!!!), small-ball has been given a slap-down, etc. There's a lot to look forward to this year. Actually, this is helping a bit.. I am starting to feel a teensy bit better about the deal.. I may even stop quivering uncontrollably soon. I guess I am slowly moving beyond the 'denial' and the 'anger' stages into 'acceptance'. How are YOU guys coping?
Blah Blah Blah Sorry, I still do not feel good. Long posts at a time like this only makes it worse. Wrong idea. If you want to made us feel good, shake up the front office and fire Gundy.
Yeah I'd feel some of my anger would be relieved if they fired JVG even before this season started. That would keep us from wasting another year and hopefully one of our rivals will hire him so he can mess their team up and give us a better chance to make the playoffs.
There was just so much anticipation building up for the draft. We desperately wanted something exciting. Something to bring real hope. But the Rockets make the safe, boring move. It was sort of like getting punched in the stomach.
Good post. I think if it had been a lower-tier pick + Swift, the deal would be a little easier to swallow. Plus the fact that we're not deep now, so a 2 for 1 leaves us feeling a little more raw. And, also, my PS2 Live 07 squad won't be quite as acrobatic as I envisioned for about 15-20min Wednesday night. I was literally jumping up and down. First I was laughing and cheering, and then I was doing the opposite. I may have scared some people. Sorry. That said, I think I'm slowly moving into acceptance. I know we're a better team now, but why am I still angry? And why does it hurt when I sit?
coz were not.. we just all want to think we're a better team.. better team from last year? maybe.. better team than if we did not do the trade? definetely not.. we basically replaced stros 10 pts/5 rebs battiers 10 pts/5 rebs.. and lost this drafts most athletic prospect and leading scorer in a loaded uconn team..
One thing that I really do agree with is the blaming JVG for not losing all the games thread. The players have pride. They don't want to bust their butts out there for a full game just to lose on purpose. Could you imagine what kind of image that will present to all the impending FAs if we pusposely tanked? And finally, can you really blame the coach not wanting to lose? ... assuming it's even his decision not to tank.
Yeah Ditto... The only thing that helps me is getting drunk while driving in my Escalade, watching p*rn and getting my groove on... now that's therapy!
Maybe if you would have actually read it, it would have helped a little. Don't get me wrong, I hate the trade, but it's not the end of the freakin' world. We're still going to be a good team next year. Rudy Gay is not the difference between the lottery and the WCF, a healthy TMac and Yao are. I'm more concerned about that.
I, for one, appreciate the long post. I was just as dumbfounded and mad as everyone else when I saw Bhucher interrupt my "We just drafted Rudy Gay" dance with his announcement of the the trade. However, like he said, we can't undo this trade, so we just need to re-group as fans. There is very little argument that Battier is a great addition to the team, both as a solid defender and shooter. His play is about as sexy as his lumpy shaven head, but he's exactly the type of role player we need to surround our 2 stars with. Most of us are just so upset by the way it happened, giving up a big name prospect, who had seemingly fallen into our laps (which is suspicious in and of itself). For those of you who are old enough, think back to our 2 championship years when we won by surrounding one and the 2 stars with scrappy, clutch role players. Kenny Smith, Robert Horry, Mario Elie, and even Sam Cassell (to a lesser extent) were all unspectacular NBA talents. However, the team came together and played with great chemistry, complementing the star(s) en route to the promised land. Even this year's Heat team won similarly by relying on 1 and 1/2 stars plus bigger name but no more glamorous role players like Haslem, Posey, Zo, and Payton. With a healthy T-Mac and Yao, this team is already better than last year's squad and probably the year before. Most people were calling for this team to somehow dump Stro, and now that we have, people are saying we got rid of him too quickly. I'd much rather watch the hustle and solid shooting of Battier and Novak contribute to wins than the lifeless, uninspiring play of a gifted athlete like Stro or Gay (if he doesn't shake the underachieving label). Hey, if you haven't realized yet, this is how it is to be a sports fan in this city. Nothing comes easy. There's a lot of bumps and bruises that come with supporting our home teams, but the true fans stay true and will eventually be rewarded.
I am still in the "screw the Rockets" mindset. I have really had enough of this incredibly stupid organization. My fan status in more uncertain than ever before, it is an accumulation of things. The last ten years have been largely unbearable. The one exception was year before last, I really enjoyed Sura, James, et al. The best year in years. I don't know right now. I love the Rockets, but I am so tired of disappointment after disappointment. I might find something else to do sportswise. If TMac and Ming come back strong, well, I will probably be sucked back in. I love those guys.
I'm with SOLID!! I don't want no stinkin therapy!!!! I cannot believe the ROX could not AT LEAST make a better trade for the #8 pick. JVG/CD... if you've got ANY balls whatsoever, then step up and tell us why you absolutely could not stomach signing a player as gifted as Rudy Gay!! This sad excuse for a "deal" (And now I reach back to the vitriol I felt when JVG was hired and stated without hesitation that I believed he was without imagination when it comes to offense) smacks of JVG's outright contempt for offensive basketball. JVG would be happier in the World Cup where he could masturbate over a 0-0 tie !!!! He only allowed TMAC to be TMAC because the season was beginning to get away from him and he wanted to save his sorry ass job two years ago. And the ONLY reason Rudy Gay won't be a Rocket is because JVG has convinced himself that you win with defense..... BULLSH*T!!! Tell D-Wade that!!! Tell Miami fans it was their "defense" that put those clutch baskets in during cruch time. Tell Chicago fans that it was Michael's "D" that brought them Banner after Banner.... I said season before last, as we were on the verge of defeating Dallas in the first round series that I would gladly eat crow due to my earlier pronouncements about JVG... Now I want all those who drank the kool-ade and defended his hiring to do likewise. If we don't make it beyond the first round in 2006-2007, I want all the early JVG apologists to step up and admit what a curse this guy has been to our team. There's no way CD did something this stupid without JVG's influence... he simply doesn't have the balls!!! Screw therapy.... I'm not done being pissed yet!!!
Nero - I recognize fully that I "Need" Therapy... but like those with OCD who go off their meds from time to time.. I LIKE IT!!!! And hey, that was my first post since hearing about the trade... I'll lightin' up soon! I promise. But these guys will have to win it all with JVG for me to get on board with his hiring. I just don't (and have never) liked the guy! (and you have to admit, the World Cup thing was kinda funny ) Thanks for making me smile anyway!!! ROX R US
I still a Rockets fan, but I'm still incredibly pissed about the trade. We just got the raw end of the deal. I plan on drinking a bit tonight for therapy.
Grief stages Denial-we didn't make that trade Anger-worst management in NBA Bargaining-maybe there is more players involved in this trade Depression-everything is so negative Acceptance-we can't beat the other elite teams
