"LAS VEGAS – Rockets owner Leslie Alexander was willing to gamble. The odds, however, were not good.
The Rockets had cleared the roster of their point guards, hoping to pull off a long shot to acquire Jeremy Lin. They had also reworked the roster, hoping to put together an equally unlikely deal for a centerpiece star. One gamble paid off. And while he pursues the other, he no longer considered the stakes as great.
On Tuesday, the Knicks announced that they would not match the Rockets’ offer to Lin, sending him back to Houston. And after a week of summer league, Alexander still wants that blockbuster deal, but no longer considers it as crucial to the team’s long-term outlook.
“I thought it was more important two months ago than today,” Alexander said of the pursuit of a trade for a franchise star. “After you watch Jeremy Lamb play, and you watch Terrence Jones play and (Donatas) Motiejunas play and Royce White play, and (Chandler) Parsons is really good, we add Jeremy Lin and it (the major trade) is important, but it’s not as ultra-important as I thought it was. “
The Rockets might be betting on a long shot as they continue to seek a trade for the star they lack, primarily talking with the Magic about center Dwight Howard. But particularly after their good fortune in his pursuit of Lin this week, Alexander was willing to gamble again.
“I wish I had a set team like when I had Dream (Olajuwon) and all the set players, so I have to take risks to get where I want to go,” Alexander said. “We have to take risks.”
He already has the Rockets back in the spotlight that left when Yao Ming retired. Alexander said the benefits to the business of basketball are nice, but far from the motivation, instead citing how they might help the Rockets rebuild.
“I love it,” Alexander said. “I think it’s great for the city of Houston. It’s great for the fans. I think a team needs to have that attention to attract free agents and do what we have to do to win. It helps. It always helps (the business), but the real reason is it helps to attract free agents. They’ll want to play with Jeremy, but also they want to be someplace they will be on TV, they can market themselves, all that stuff.”
The addition of Lin should immediately bring attention. ESPN will broadcast his introductory press conference.CNN will cover it. Alexander, however, was happy just to have Lin running the point on his dramatically rebuilt team.
“I think he’s going to be a great addition for the team,” Alexander said. “I think he’s going to be a great player in the league – very good to great.
“It was very risky and very hard to do. It worked out in our favor, thank God. We changed the team completely from last year. It’s almost a whole new team. You can see in summer league how good the young guys are. I think the future is really, really good.” "
Has he finally decided enough... tank and rebuild or is this just bs mind game tricks.
Cnn? for real lol I'm sorry, but lol
