Unlike the Astros, don't settle for staying competitive

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to thacabbage again.

 

we should tank for an inknown commodity... I had too.

I agree, we need to rebuild through the draft and acquire as many picks as possible. Presti in okc has the right gameplan. hopefully for us we will be able to land a great talent. luck is going to play a huge role.

 

Excelent post! Rick Adelman is not a losing coach he's too damn good. There's no way we are able to get a top 5 pick. Without T-mac and Yao we still competitive, maybe 8th seend maybe looking in.

 

Disagree. Baseball fans care more about regular season wins than other sports. The focus is less on the championship. If all you care about is a championship, a 162 game season isn't for you. In baseball, fans must take the joys and heartbreaks one game at a time.

 

"Tanking" and "rebuilding" are basically the same. Imagine the Rockets "rebuilding", and they do the following.

1. Not resign Artest, or SnT him for a younger player.
2. Trade Scola midseason or now, given that he'll be 30 when he ask for a big payday.
3. Let T-Mac stay
4. Maybe even trade Battier also given his age

What would we have left? We'd have a roster that's going to get a lot of ping pong balls. Regardless of whether they play hard every night or not, some lineup consists of Landry/Hayes/(traded young player)/Tayler/Brooks is going to suck.

 

Right, its far reducing the chance of success by shedding off established players for unproven younger players. The main difference being the term "tanking" has a negative connotation.

The Blazers have rebuilt. After game 25 they're still charting toward present to future success. The Clippers and Grizzlies by game 25 are content in tanking for ping pong balls every year and become a farm system for the rest of the league.

Not that you didnt know. Just that "tanking" leads to losing culture more than rebuilding

 

I wish we would have Rudy Gay right now... At least we could of build around him..

 

I trust Morey. Perhaps its just my naivete or foolish optimism, but I see us rebuilding in the vein of Portland and OKC, make shrewd moves for draft picks and cultivating young potential talent, as opposed to blowing assets on win now talent.

 

I disagree vehemently. Was it only about championships when Yao went down two years ago and we went on to win 22 in a row. So we lost to Utah again that year in the playoffs. Who Cares??? Only one other team has won more games in a row than that bunch did.

What about last year, without a true "closer," knocking out Portland and reaching the second round for the first time in way too long? So we lost to the Lake Show in seven games. Who Cares??? We had no business beating those guys, but we sure as hell came close. Was last season not an enjoyable experience for you?

It's not just about championships. It's also about having a team represent your city. I want the Rockets to be competitive every year, but I don't expect them to win titles every year. I'd rather have a good team with those bursts of greatness -filled with plenty of joy and heartbreak along the way- than a team like the Florida Marlins that jacks a lot of money once or twice-a-decade and then is forgotten for another 10 years.

 

There is one troubling thought about rebuilding.

It is been fairly constant that teams with the best players in the league win the NBA title. There have been some exceptions, but that has been by far the rule.

Over the next 4-8 years, the best players in the NBA will be really hitting their prime. We are talking about the MVP-caliber players most likely to lead their team to a NBA title:

Lebron James
Dwyane Wade
Carmelo Anthony
Dwight Howard
Chris Paul
Brandon Roy/LaMarcus Aldridge

If we do start any kind of rebuilding process, the timeframe would likely be trying to be a contender within 6 years, right during the prime of all these players. That means any team we try to construct has to be able to defeat teams with these players as veterans.

So my question then becomes, what very young player, let's say Durant or younger, that is currently in the league could we construct our team around that can compete with these players who are already playing at an MVP levels but will soon have more experience and will likely be on teams with much better starting casts soon?

The only players who have shown any sort of signs of having this capability would be Durant & Rose. There is fanfare with Rubio and a few others in this draft and last draft, but who among those players would the Rockets really be able to get in trade?

Honestly, the only option I see is completely throwing this team to the lottery for the next few years.

 

I'm also very much not okay with tanking. I do see a difference between cleaning house and tanking. Tanking - intentionally losing games to get a higher pick. I prefer to empty the roster (most of the losing will follow naturally) and exchange for a stockpile of draft picks.

Really sucks though. I liked our supporting cast a ton.

 

Build around Rudy Gay?!? You got to be kidding me. Rudy Gay is the most overrated player here in Clutchfans

 

Too bad there's no clear cut franchise type player for next year's draft as of this moment to make the tanking worthwhile, ala Tim Duncan when the Spurs tanked their season when Robinson went down. Maybe someone can suggest prospective names from college players and foreign players that might be in next year's draft, but it's looking like we're going to have to get a franchise player from another team.

 

I think "losing culture" is overrated. You get back from the gutter by getting star players.

San Antonion tanked, got Ducan. Boston Celtics tanked, got crap. SA went on to championships. Boston just kept sucking.

Cleveland tanked. Got Lebron, immediately turned things around. Toronto didn't tank. End up with the first pick anyway, and picked Barganni... They still suck.

 

Call me naive, but I never really understood the infatuation some Rockets fans have about Rudy Gay.

 

Being competitive each year is great, but it's more important for me to feel that each season is building momentum towards the ultimate goal of winning a championship. The 22 wins and this recent playoffs were satisfying, but mostly because I believed they were the building blocks of experience that would help this team perform better when everyone was healthy.

However, if being competitive doesn't take place within a larger long-term plan, it will ultimately be self defeating. A team with a core of Battier, Scola and Artest will play hard every game, but without a major change of direction, the results will be a 40-win season and a mid-first rounder at the very best and expectations of the same in the next season.

If the alternative is a dismantling process with the aim of rebuilding a championship-caliber team, I'd say the sooner the better.

 

Look at the spurs they tanked and got duncan. The rockets tanked and got Olajuwon. Cleveland didn't tank, but they were no good and got Lebron. Orlanda tanked (Quit?) and they got dwight. You need star players in this league.

 

lol yes, idealistic machismo can get you pretty far in this league. ask jeff van gundy about the night in denver when he crapped away brandon roy.

 

God, I'll never forgive him that. I just hope we keep Scola. I'd like one good vet to root for while the madness occurs.

 

I posted this in another thread then saw this thread is more............, so sorry for double post.

Even though this is a sad day for all of us Rockets fan, but lets face it, as some have pointed out, the past 4 or 5 years we have only been competitive.

I think most Rockets fan ( not called YOF) and even some of the managment should/are no longer be content with just being competitive, this is the perfect time to move towards building a team that we actually can enjoy watching, be proud of and also can win big games on regular base.

I no longer want to see players on our team that would just flat out S*** in there shorts EVERY TIME clock shows 2.00 minutes in the forth quarter!!

Call me harsh or insensitive and flame away, but enough with ass kissing party for me.

I trust the ownership and managment to make the right choices and would like to see at least two GOOD first round pick in next years draft and also couple of good trades that would also bring draft picks our way.