1 Man's Hope 4 a Championship

[Auburndale6]

I know this may sound silly or like a lost cause to some, but I am hell bent on Houston not only winning a championship but acquiring Gilbert Arenas in order to make it happen. I have talked to a few posters here and other sites such as clutchfans and basically what I have in mind is for us to reach out to Arenas. He has a myspace and an email on his website and if anyone knows of any other methods to contact him, we should follow down those paths as well. Below is my first attempt. As long as we reach out in this way and preach to him of the benefits to be had I believe we may be able to slightly influece his Free Agent Destination.

Dear Agent Zero,


I'm writing to you because I have so very much to say man. First off I'm really digging your music selections on your Official Website(It's playing right now as I compose this e-mail). Second of all is there another athlete besides yourself with so many other unoffical websites? Before I get to the main points of this letter I wanted to take the time to wish you the very best of health going forward. The league needs guys like you on the floor man and sometimes that means surpressing your inner warrior and staying off the court until you're fully healed.

d0wn to business. - See what I did there with the zero? Haha, so corny. Ok Gilbert, here's the deal. I have two favorite players in the NBA and they just so happen to be yourself and T-Mac. I know, WHAT AMAZING CHOICES. With your free agency at hand I feel the BEST CHOICE would be if you joined the Houston Rockets. Why you ask? Let me tell you. I understand practically all the nuances of how this league works and given my junkie like addiction to all things basketball know about as much as anyone I've ever met. First of all it would provide you with a great place to win. THey are all in their prime over there in that city of Houston. Yao Ming and T-Mac are two bonified superstars but as we both know in today's NBA it takes 3 despite what you and Macs Adidas commercial would have us believe(IT TAKES FIVE). 3 superstars is the recipe for winning a ring these days, and you my friend are the final piece to the puzzle. You and McGrady are both unbelievably unselfish ballers that will bring out the best in eachother. You've seen double and triple teams but in Houston it's ONE on ONE baby. What will opponents do? Who do we double they;ll ask. Tracy or GIlbert? Do we Leave Yao alone down low? I'm telling you when you play another team they won't be able to go out the night before. They will be in bed having nightmares of No 0 and No 1 cuasing havoc for 48 mins. You've seen the success Boston has had this year with the Big 3. Yao is the best Center in the League and with you and mac as a backcourt it won't be a question of if we win a ring but just how many rings will we win. You 3 will be able to not only bring out the best in eachother but also prolong your careers AND solidfy you place amongst NBA ROYALTY. Imagine sitting the entire 4th because you are up 25 on Boston in Boston. Has a certain ring to it doesn't it. Wait, did somebody say Ring?

WHY GILBERT ARENAS IS THE PERFECT FIT IN HOUSTON - You have proven throughout your career that you can hit the big shot as well as coexist with two other big time scorers. No other guard in the current NBA can boast about such a feat. The nightly lineup with be PG Arenas SG McGrady SF Battier PF Scolandry (SCOLA AND LANDRY - 2Gether they are a hustling rebounding beast) C Yao Ming. Battier, Scola, and Landry will provide the hustle toughness defense and rebounding that ELITE teams need and combined with You Three will form the most amazing lineup the NBA has to offer. I have watched Houston a lot over the years and what they are missing besides that 3rd Star(You) is shooting as well as someone who can create for themselves and others and be able to finish. GIlbert I am telling you man you will be shooting 48 from the field and 40 plus from three. You will flourish in being so wide open. You've put up 29.3 ppg and 28.5 seeing doubles and T-mac has put up 32.1 and 28. The time for individual stats is over though. WINNING TIME IS UPON US!

RICK ADELMAN IS A GREAT COACH. Man is there another coach who has won this much without winning a ring? He is a players coach as I'm sure you know and he provides his players with all the freedom in the world on the court. He runs a motion offense where the players are free to read and react on the fly. Given the vision of you and McGrady teams will basically be at your mercy. Houston has become a lot more athletic recently and you guys will really be able to go after it and when the playoffs come will have a 7'5 guy to dump the ball off too when things aren't going so well from the perimeter. Did I mention Yao averages 22 PPG 10 REBs and 2 BLK per AND shoots 85 percent from the stripe. You are a career 80 percent but we both know you are better than that. Now all you'll have to do is get on Mac. He's been shooting them bad lately but is still a career 75 from charity. Teams will not only HATE putting you guys to the line but will learn to regret it. Late in games if it comes down to FT shooting its a W.

WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY. As I said you are all in your prime. You are 26 Mcgrady 28 Yao 27 Scola 27 Landry 24(old rookie haha) and Battier is 29. Deke is probly 100 tho. In comparison KG is 31 Allen(aka Jesus Shuttlesworth) 32 and Pierce 29. Jordan didn't win his first game until he was 27 and Jordan won his last ring at 34 but we both know he couldve kept winning them until 36 and he didnt have the help that you 3 will have in eachother. Did you notice that if you do indeed join the Rockets that you will turn 27? This is the exact same age jordan was before winning his FIRST TITLE. Coincidence, I think not. It is nice to be able to have others share the burden that 82 games can place on its players. The Big Three of Boston have not only gone on to win 60 plus games so far this year, but have had more fun on the court than ever before. They have seen their mins go down and the wins pile up. You can experience and share in all of this if Houston is your FA Destination of choice.
.
NBA STORY OF THE YEAR IN 09 - I know this year has been an injury plagued year for you and T-Mac and Yao have dealt with their fair share of injuries too. THe NBA usually has a few great stories each and every year. Boston's Big Three, Houston's 22 game Winning Streak (WHY HAVE YOU NOT BLOGGED ABOUT THIS YET?) or Shaq joining PHX and becoming the BIG CACTUS. 09, with your arrival in Houston, would make you 3(Arenas, McGrady, and Yao) the feel good story of the year as well as the most feared team in the NBA. You are out to prove yourself(not that you have to) after a down year due to injury and Yao Ming will be looking to do the same thing. This will not be a team contending for a championship but one that will win in only a matter of time. If you want my honest opinion I believe you 3 could easily win 6 before you retire. Jordan had 6. Jordan started winning them at 27.

FINANCIAL FLEXIBILITY - Houston has the flexibility with Bobby Jackson and Steve Francis's expiring contracts that are always appealing to teams. They also have young talent and could offer picks to enable a Sign and Trade.

LEAVING WASHINGTON & STARTING UR LEGACY - I know it is never easy to just up and leave. You have your family, friends and roots there after making it your home for the past 5 years. Jamison and Caron are veteran players as well as good guys, but championships are marked by having a big man to ride when things get tight in the playoffs and in Houston you'll have the biggest of them all. Washington has talent, but at the end of the day winning a championship there would prove to be a very hard task to accomplish. I have read about how you did consider LA and HOU possibilities in your blog(which I think is awesome especially the picture of you with your typewriter. what are you supposed to be though? A gumshoe? WHERE IN THE WORLD IN CARMEN SANDIEGO?) LA is stacked and will be having a serious financial situation now that they have Pau, Kobe, Odom, and Bynum to pay. Houston is the only team in the NBA with a HOF Coach in Adelman and 2 HOF Players (Praying for 3 hint hint). They have the rugged defense that wins championships made evident by their 22 game win streak. They have chemistry and they have heart. What they don't have and what they need is Agent Zero. I believe the stars have aligned and that Houston is the place where your legacy will be made and your career defined. A players NBA career is very similiar to a book. There is a BEGINNING a MIDDLE and an END. Your career began in Golden State where you went from a 2nd round draft pick into one of the leagues brightest young talents. The Middle came in Washington where you set the league on fire and really showed what you can do on a basketball court. The end (I HOPE) will be in Houston where you will find all the success and accomplishments that you dreamt of achieving in this league. Tracy's story is quite similiar. He began in Toronto, went on to do his thing in Orlando, and has come to Houston to win. He needs a partner in crime in that backcourt though. So please Mr. Arenas, this summer will you make Houston your Free Agent Destination and claim your place in NBA history as an NBA CHAMPION. Now if that wasn't a great pitch, I don't know what is.

Mod - Can we sticky this?

[Young_Star11]

Let another team sign him for big $$$.

The only chance we get him is via the MLE. What a fat chance that is.

[TMACFORMVP]

We can only offer the MLE and there's no way he accepts that. And for a sign and trade, I'm sure other teams can offer much better.

[RoxFan08]

Lol. Wow. That is all.

[Auburndale6]

We can only offer the MLE and there's no way he accepts that. And for a sign and trade, I'm sure other teams can offer much better.

THrow in Brooks and 2 firsts and Im not so sure about that.

[Iggyemu]

Don't think Gil is the answer for us. If he leaves Washington and decides to take less money it'll probably be to go play in LA for the Clips.

[TiMacMania]

great idea auburn! missed you boy

im all in for that idea

[MaxRider]

putting bunches of big names together wont win for sure
we tried with Hakeem/Barkley/Drexler then Hakeem/Barkley/Pippen
we need size and athletisicm not another guard

[Auburndale6]

GIlbert can run the point. He brings a sure shot and 3 pt shot. He gets to the line 10 times a game. He is a third scorer. THis team is perfectly set up for Gilbert and he can take on a Ray Allen role for the Houston Rockets. The Big Three in boston have KG to our Yao Paul Pierce to our McGrady and Allen to an Arenas. He brings confidence(swag aka swagger). As I wrote wed go Arenas, McGrady, Battier, Scolandy, and Yao. That is a dominant force and not merely the addition of another star. This team lacks that third scorer that is needed in today's NBA. Gilbert is also an eccentric personality so while my idea is a long shot why not give it a try. Ya, it most likely will not work, but what if it did? This guy has done kooky stuff before and if we really flooded his myspace and fanmail stating just how important he'd be to our team he could just be influenced enough to go for it. He has proven to coexist with 2 other 20 ppg scorers as well.

Here is his myspace if anyone here is willing to give it a shot. I'm gonna try to get clutchfans to unite behind us as well.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu ... d=55737175

He also has a known address up online in DC and for LA. If we flood him with enough mail he just may bite. Don't forget it was not too long ago we made a big push for rashard lewis who would not complement this team nearly as well as Arenas would. He is not the ideal playmaker but with Tracy and Yao we don't need a true PG and there aren't many out there anyways. You need a high lottery pick or valuable assets. We'll never have either. Artest is not leaving sactown either. This would be the perfect addition. Yao and Mac will get doubled and GIlbert Arenas will be left wide open or worst case scenario be left one on one. Either way the team will pay. Aside from that we have a perfect compliment of players to surround our big 3. Battier, Scola, and Landry can be free to go out and do their thing instead of being forced into semi uncomfortable roles. Our Defense is here to stay and Gilbert can D up better than Alston given his size, strength, and superior athleticism.

Again, most of you can scoff at this or post ur complaints and that's fine by me. All I ask if that for the people who like the idea to actually go out and do something about it. I've e-mailed his fanmail and contacted him via myspace already and will look into other avenues to pursue. He has stated Houston as a FA Destination possibility and also spoken of taking less money to win. He wants to be defined as a champion and not a great scorer. If we have to Give up BJAX, Francis, Brooks, and firsts to make it happen then I say go for it. Hell we gave up Francis for T-mac and looking at it now that was without a doubt the right move. Looking it at it then it was too but many were against it. We are set at the 2,3,4,5. This move could win us many championships to come. Name another guy out there that can get to the line 10 times, run the Point, shoot the 3, dish out 6/7 dimes and co exist with 2 other 20 ppg players. It's worth a shot isn't it. I know for damn sure it's better than trading T_mac for Redd as some on here have suggested such as Michael "If I pass the ball, how will I score?" Redd.

Maxrider you said yourself we need size and athleticism. A quick as a cat 6'4 PG with a 40 inch vertical would seem to fit that bill right?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDyLD0eQOj4
Arenas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVyHYx5Ue5Q

As I said, He's already mentioned us as a fav place he'd want to be and how he's willing to take a pay cut to win.

[Rocketsterps]

Great idea Auburndale. I'm willing to chip in on a full page ad in the Washington Post and start a website campaign w/ ya -- holla. This board has been slow ever since a new mod started power-tripping & locking all creative threads, thanks for your effort. This is the best post I've seen here in a while.

[Auburndale6]

Great idea Auburndale. I'm willing to chip in on a full page ad in the Washington Post and start a website campaign w/ ya -- holla. This board has been slow ever since a new mod started power-tripping & locking all creative threads, thanks for your effort. This is the best post I've seen here in a while.

Thank you Rocketsterps. I love your idea about putting an ad in the Washington Post! I will try and contact CLutch from Clutchfans as he may be the best man to assemble the necessary funds in order to place such an ad. I'm telling you if we can get an ad in the Washintong Post GIlbert would not only Blog about it but when around his friends and family would definitely be talking about it as well. "Funny thing happened today Dad. Fans in Houston have rallied together in order to lure me to Houston. They feel I am the final piece to their ever evolving Championship Puzzle. Say it would prolong my career and best of all make me a champion. Took out a full page post in the Washinton Post, even sent me a ROckets jersey with my name and number already on them" You know at the very least he'd put Serious consideration into this. It would be incredibly flattering and with enough suport would be fairly inexpensive individually. I promise I will not let this die off as a random thread.

[YoungMoney23]

what we need is a play maker or someone to boost our interior d

[Vator]

Great idea Auburndale. I'm willing to chip in on a full page ad in the Washington Post and start a website campaign w/ ya -- holla. This board has been slow ever since a new mod started power-tripping & locking all creative threads, thanks for your effort. This is the best post I've seen here in a while.

I don't think that is completely true or fair. Come on Terps, KR in my opinion has been doing a very good job. I just think you guys bumped heads a little a few weeks ago, but let it go and move forward. Nobody is locking creative threads. Redundant and poorly thought out threads on the other hand...



I don't know how many of you guys actually live in Houston, but interest in the team has really dropped after the 22 game winning streak. Not just on the internet, but I listen to sports talk radio on a daily basis on 3 different stations and they have all mentioned this. The thought is that people are waiting for the playoffs to start. I also believe that people aren't sure what to think of this team's chances sans Yao Ming so people don't want to get their hopes up only to have them dashed yet again.

[Auburndale6]

I find it disappointing that interest in this team would fall off or that wed hide in fear as we temper our expectations. We went on the second best streak in the history of the league, and yes we were the least talented team to do so. Does that mean we had a poor schedule or that we simply got lucky? Some may say so but I would defiantly say otherwise. This team has heart and a belief in itself that is almost unheard of in sports today. We skyrocketed from 10th to 1st. The great teams show such resolve such refusal to pack it in. Our boys dug deep down inside themselves and came up with something truly special. So great was our feat that people not only stood around in disbelief but tried to discredit this miraculous feat. It's understandable. Why wouldn't people want to knock us down a peg or two. People find it very difficult to see others succeed where they could not. Even if we do get knocked out of the first round it will not diminish what this team has accomplished this season. Yes it will hurt. It has too hurt, for it always hurts when you give everything, hold nothing back yet still fall short. Only champions are willing to go all out in such a manner. To exhaust themselves beyond limit both physically and mentally. They continuously subject themselves to feelings of misery and are constantly berated by critics and even by the very fans who feign allegiance, but only when it's convenient. Not all champions will realize the the highest form of success, but do not mistake such people as anything but. For those who are willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice time and time again such a price is not considered too much by their standards. No, instead they curl their lower lip, dig in their feet and have a euphoric resurgence take hold of their bodies that cries out NO, It's Not Over, I Will Not Concede Defeat as they stubbornly throw themselves back into the fray again and again. With or without Yao these are our Houston Rockets. They have stared adversity in the face and stood their ground and I for one refuse to give up on them or feel any differently no matter what our playoff outcome is to be.

[Baller 24]

I'm all in for this idea, didn't he say something like Houston or LA would be his main choices? But I mean if the Celtics can get KG for all of that, I think the Rockets have a chance, it may have to involve Brooks, or even Landry(maybe)

[kz1m9w]

Dear Agent Zero,

...

With your free agency at hand I feel the BEST CHOICE would be if you joined the Houston Rockets. Why you ask? Let me tell you. I understand practically all the nuances of how this league works and given my junkie like addiction to all things basketball know about as much as anyone I've ever met.

...

No offense intended, but my personal opinion of that bolded statement is that it alone completely undermines any credibility your "advice" may supply to your cause.

Don't get me wrong, I actually would be excited to see Arenas become a Rocket and I think such a campaign does no harm and can be fun, so go for it.

I just wanted to point out one possible perception of your letter. Claiming you know as much as anyone you've ever met about the NBA may technically be a true statement if you've never met any people on the inside. But my guess is someone actually in the NBA would hear that and immediately stop taking you seriously as soon as they heard that (if they even got that far).

Hope that helps. Good luck with the campaign though!

[PocketRockets]

Count me in! Agent Zero has a swagger that Houston really needs. We are never going to win a championship relying on a soft T-mac and Yao, who just doesn't know how to win. Yao has the right skill set for a champion, but lacks the mentality. He needs to learn from someone with a killer instinct like Arenas on how to play and win at the end of games.

[PocketRockets]

I find it disappointing that interest in this team would fall off or that wed hide in fear as we temper our expectations. We went on the second best streak in the history of the league, and yes we were the least talented team to do so. Does that mean we had a poor schedule or that we simply got lucky? Some may say so but I would defiantly say otherwise. This team has heart and a belief in itself that is almost unheard of in sports today. We skyrocketed from 10th to 1st. The great teams show such resolve such refusal to pack it in. Our boys dug deep down inside themselves and came up with something truly special. So great was our feat that people not only stood around in disbelief but tried to discredit this miraculous feat. It's understandable. Why wouldn't people want to knock us down a peg or two. People find it very difficult to see others succeed where they could not. Even if we do get knocked out of the first round it will not diminish what this team has accomplished this season. Yes it will hurt. It has too hurt, for it always hurts when you give everything, hold nothing back yet still fall short. Only champions are willing to go all out in such a manner. To exhaust themselves beyond limit both physically and mentally. They continuously subject themselves to feelings of misery and are constantly berated by critics and even by the very fans who feign allegiance, but only when it's convenient. Not all champions will realize the the highest form of success, but do not mistake such people as anything but. For those who are willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice time and time again such a price is not considered too much by their standards. No, instead they curl their lower lip, dig in their feet and have a euphoric resurgence take hold of their bodies that cries out NO, It's Not Over, I Will Not Concede Defeat as they stubbornly throw themselves back into the fray again and again. With or without Yao these are our Houston Rockets. They have stared adversity in the face and stood their ground and I for one refuse to give up on them or feel any differently no matter what our playoff outcome is to be.

BTW there's no doubt that the fans think we can go deep into the playoffs this year, I think it's the actual rocket players that don't think we have a chance. =/

[MaxRider]

i'm taking size at the PF/C position not PG

[Iggyemu]

i'm taking size at the PF/C position not PG

We can draft that I think. We can use Jackson's contract to score us a PG.