Explain to me how rooting for the Houston Rockets who were the ones who put that poison pill in the contract in the first place, AND also were the ones to last cut Lin, makes sense.
First of all, I should admit that it's quite possible that I'll still be rooting for the Knicks come October; at the moment, I'm too angry to be sure.
Second, I don't know enough about Houston to say whether I'd root for them. I'm definitely curious about Lin and will want to see how he develops. But whether I could actually cheer for Houston, the Nets or any other team brings me to this:
And rooting for the Nets is stupid as well especially now that it seems they won't get Dwight and they're over the luxury tax. The only player worth rooting for there is Deron Williams. So yes, it is all about winning % when choosing another team. Why root for another team that will continually disappoint you as a fan when they never make the playoffs?
You're partly right. I don't want to root for a team that has no hope ever of improving and contending. And as I keep saying, that's what angers me so much about the Lin decision. I feel now that there is no hope for the Knicks contending until this core is dismantled (and probably not until Dolan somehow is out of the picture). You may disagree with my pessimism, but that is my analysis. I feel certain that this collection of players has no chance of reaching the finals and a rebuilding will have to occur several years from now.
Even worse, I suspect that Dolan will NEVER allow the team to rebuild in a sensible way, but will keep importing aged players, thinking that the fans are satisfied with just making the playoffs. To me, that's much, much worse than hitting bottom and starting from scratch. And that is a truly hopeless situation.
If my anger does not subside, I may just watch random NBA games without really rooting for anyone. But if I had to pick a team to follow, I would not just switch to a team with the highest winning percentage today. I'd try to find a young team with potential, playing in a system that highlighted passing and defense. It would be a great bonus if I also liked the personality of the players, but that's probably asking too much.
If the Nets don't fit that description, then I won't watch them either.
The key is some hope that a franchise has some clue what to do. I had no problem following the Knicks when Donnie Walsh was running things - even though the winning percentage was bad - because I knew he was taking the sensible, long-term approach and, therefore, there was hope. I do not have that belief or hope any longer.