Heart

I have bone to pick with the powers that be behind some of the moves made yesterday in the NBA. It has been very hard for me to remain true to my team, the Houston Rockets these past few years. No it is not because of the losses, or the no Championships since 1995; no my pain extends beyond that. Yesterday the Rockets traded away Shane Battier and Aaron Brooks.

Let me start with Brooks. This is the man who kept the team together and gave them a real chance of beating the Lakers in the playoffs a few years ago and took them to a game 7. Yes, he's been hurt this year, but that is no reason to trade him away when he's in his prime and can still get you to where you need to go.

The real problem is Shane Battier. He does so much more than score, he's a tremendous defender, great passer, and is one of the smartest players in the game. The man went to Duke for crying out loud and won a national championship. He is one of the most underrated players in the league and he deserved better.

Can I address the real issue which is management and coaching? This is where my struggles to remain loyal have come into play. Rudy Tomjonovich, the Coach during their back to back championship runs, is the man I want back at the helm. I know he's battling cancer and is enjoying retirement, but the legacy he left behind of a team who played with heart has been replaced by men who don't know what they have and can't get the best of what they have.

Jeff Van Gundy was just the beginning. He had very little to no success getting the Knicks to a championship. Yes, he got them to the Finals in 1999, in a strike shortened season, but they lost the Spurs and rookie Tim Duncan. When he took over the coaching responsibilities, the team lost focus, respect, admiration, and a lot of games. He resigned rather than being fired for lack of productivity.

Then there is current coach Rick Adelman. I have no respect for this man as a coach. I'm sorry. I find him to be a whiner and a complainer, I find that his players don't really respect him, and I don't believe he knows the best way to get the best from the people who play for him. Look at the 1992 Portland Trailblazers who lost to the Bulls in six games. They were up 14 in the fourth qtr of Game 6 and the Bulls came back and won their second consecutive title. If you watch the game as much as I have, you will see a guy who blamed officials, blamed players, but no one blamed him for having the wrong guys on the floor at the wrong time. Then there was the 2001 Western Conference Finals where he allowed the Lakers to beat the Kings and go on to win 3 championships. The man doesn't know how to succeed. His teams don't play with heart. That is what is needed, and that is what he allowed the Rockets to trade away.

The organization is the next bone I want to pick. They make bad decisions for even worse reasons. They allowed one of the greatest big men to ever play the game, Hakeem Olajuwon, to leave the organization after 17 seasons with the team to go to Toronto where he was rarely used, and eventually retired. He retired as a Raptor, not a Rocket like he should have been.

The man had heart, and his team played with heart. The organization used to have heart and it's hard to remain loyal. When people ask me who I like, or who is my favorite team, I was proud to shout, the Houston Rockets... I still say it, but I don't say it like I used to. I don't shout it, but rather I say it with regret.

Stop making lame decisions! Recapture your heart, and being in the talent and the leadership that will keep your fans loyal and reward them for their devotion. You owe us that.

Until next time
P