Just looking back, I think a lot of the Rockets success came from trades and drafts. I personally can pinpoint a good FA that we signed and it made this team amazing. I mean look at LA, Shaq went there and so did three championships. Look at Phoenix, Nash went there and the Suns became instant contenders. I can't say that any player has come here and had an impact. Swift was a bust, Bonzi was a bust, Anderson wasn't a complete bust but a bust nonetheless. Maybe my vision is too myopic, but are there any good FA signings by the Rockets? Why is Houston that unappealing of a team to play for?
Although it turned out to be a bust, I don't think you can say no coveted free agents sign in Houston since we get Scottie Pippen. That was a pretty big signing at the time we did it, he was a coveted free agent.
I remember thinking the Scottie Pippen signing was an absolute steal and put us in guaranteed title contention for 3 years or so. Wow, that was absolute mess. Come to think of it, we haven't had any truly "Wow. I can't believe we just signed him" signings. Trades? Yes, but free agent signings, no. I'll just go with..... Bobby Sura? Dikembe Mutombo? Wow, I seriously can't think of any great signings.
When Pippen came we were old but he came for the money. When Steve and Cat were together we were rebuilding but didn't have much cap room, that's why we ended up with guys like Shandon Anderson and Jimmy Jackson. Right now we don't have the cap room for a 3rd star, but if we did I think we would have a pretty good chance of getting one.
Houston is one of the best franchises in the league to play for. Huge props go to this organization for maintaining class, quality, and a dedication to winning. This franchise has brought in quality coaches (JVG, Adelman), hard-working players (Battier, Hayes, Scola, etc.). And theres not a single player on this team that I would consider to be a knucklehead. Whether you want to believe it or not, every year this organization has always done all it could to bring in better and better players. It's just a shame that Eddie Griffin (RIP) had his problems, Stromile was a bust, Spanoulis was a bust, the trade for Roy didn't come through, Rashard Lewis chose not to come here, etc. But there's no doubt that every offseason, the Rockets do all they can to win. And for the most part, NBA players want to play here. Tmac pretty much forced a trade to come here. Stromile Swift actually was willing to get paid less money to play here. Just the other week, Carl Landry said he plans to resign. Former Rockets Mike James, Swift, Kirk Snyder, and Jim Jackson, all believed that the Rockets was the best place for them to develop as a player and all were upset when they were traded away from the Rockets. I don't hear any complaints from any of our players despite being out after the first round again. You would think that a big franchise player like Tmac or Yao would want to leave a team after losing so much. But the truth, the Rockets is a quality organization, and that has kept Tmac and Yao here together for this many years.
Don't get me wrong, I like the organization and the players, but I'm saying why don't players want to come here. Ok, I'll give you Swift and Jackson, but Mike James came here because we weren't Minnesota, and Snyder came here because he was traded. They didn't come here on their own. True, they may have wanted to stay, but they didn't come here because they loved this team. Tmac and Yao were trade and draft so they don't fall in the scope of this discussion. I am strictly asking why free agents don't come here. I think it's really easy for player to fall in love with this organization when they are forced to come here, but! no player comes here actively seeking a signing. That's what bothers me. Believe me, I don't come anywhere near blaming anyone in the front offices, I think it's just perplexing why that hot to trot signing never comes here. Hell, even Tmac willingly signed with Orlando, come on, Orlando? I don't care if it's his home, Orlando?
Most "hot-to-trot" signings are looking for paydirt. When was the last time we were under the salary cap by far enough to offer a max contract? Bonzi was one of the most coveted FAs when he came to us wasn't he? Pretty sure Stro was in the same boat! I remember the board was pretty enthused when we signed Stromile - wasn't there talk of All-Star teams??? And when we signed Francis last summer, there was a pretty big buzz about that too. Just because they didn't pan out doesn't mean they weren't big(ish) signings when we made them!
The bonzi signing was one of the best in terms of hype. Remember we thought after that spurs series he'd be our legit 3rd scorer. Too bad it didn't materialize very well.
