Full Transcript for Patrick Fertitta previews the 2026-27 Rockets season

part of what we what we do. 40 00:01:35.930 --> 00:01:37.930 You know, he's our quarterback in a lot of ways. 41 00:01:37.969 --> 00:01:40.489 And then Steven going down midway through the year and 42 00:01:40.530 --> 00:01:42.900 Kevin going down in game one of the playoffs. We 43 00:01:42.959 --> 00:01:45.140 never got the group and the team that we thought 44 00:01:45.200 --> 00:01:48.370 we had put together. So to go into tomorrow night 45 00:01:48.409 --> 00:01:52.409 into this season, you know, year two of this group 46 00:01:52.489 --> 00:01:55.790 with some additions over the summer and Marcus and Bogdan, 47 00:01:55.849 --> 00:01:56.329 et cetera. 48 00:01:56.349 --> 00:01:59.109 You know, we're just excited to have. 49 00:01:59.829 --> 00:02:02.310 The team that we thought we were putting together last 50 00:02:02.370 --> 00:02:05.790 year and to see, you know, the full complement show, 51 00:02:05.810 --> 00:02:09.129 you know, what we think, you know, is truly a contender. And, 52 00:02:09.789 --> 00:02:11.289 you know, there was obviously a lot of chatter about 53 00:02:11.349 --> 00:02:14.330 us last year. Um, you know, it's year two, so 54 00:02:14.509 --> 00:02:17.650 not as quite as much excitement, but we feel like 55 00:02:17.689 --> 00:02:20.120 if we play to our potential, uh, we have a 56 00:02:20.120 --> 00:02:22.319 little bit of luck go our way, which is always, uh, 57 00:02:22.879 --> 00:02:25.340 you know, crucial in, in every post season run, uh, 58 00:02:26.900 --> 00:02:28.840 sky's the limit. You know, I really think that there's 59 00:02:28.879 --> 00:02:31.430 a lot of, uh, there's a lot to be excited 60 00:02:31.469 --> 00:02:32.229 about around this team. 61 00:02:32.449 --> 00:02:34.370 Can you allow for some of that excitement that you 62 00:02:34.409 --> 00:02:37.129 might have, the fans might have, the organization might have 63 00:02:37.330 --> 00:02:40.699 in that The people you're talking about are excited about it. 64 00:02:40.879 --> 00:02:43.539 Fred's excited to be playing with Kevin finally. Kevin's excited 65 00:02:43.580 --> 00:02:45.280 for coming here and now getting to play with Fred. 66 00:02:45.500 --> 00:02:48.919 You mentioned Marcus and Bogdan who have almost immediately looked 67 00:02:48.979 --> 00:02:50.919 around them in this locker room and talked about the 68 00:02:51.740 --> 00:02:54.379 extremely large pool of talent they're now playing with, and 69 00:02:54.430 --> 00:02:57.289 Marcus specifically, and that he just played against them knowing 70 00:02:57.310 --> 00:02:58.909 what kind of team they are. Can you draw some 71 00:02:58.949 --> 00:03:01.650 excitement for the fact these guys clearly are excited about 72 00:03:01.870 --> 00:03:02.250 what's ahead? 73 00:03:02.270 --> 00:03:02.849 You know, it's funny. 74 00:03:02.909 --> 00:03:05.830 I had a phone call with Rafael 10 minutes ago 75 00:03:06.030 --> 00:03:07.590 before we got on here just catching up. 76 00:03:07.629 -->

00:03:08.020 What did he say? 77 00:03:09.830 --> 00:03:13.349 And just the excitement around the gym is palpable. And 78 00:03:13.569 --> 00:03:15.150 I spend quite a bit of time there in the 79 00:03:15.189 --> 00:03:16.879 mornings over the last couple of weeks, and I was 80 00:03:16.900 --> 00:03:20.159 just with them in Macau. And there's a great energy. 81 00:03:20.199 --> 00:03:23.099 There's a lot of positivity. These guys have been around 82 00:03:23.120 --> 00:03:25.060 the league for a long time. Some of these guys 83 00:03:25.099 --> 00:03:28.240 are champions and future Hall of Famers. They know what 84 00:03:28.259 --> 00:03:30.080 a quality basketball team looks like. They know what a 85 00:03:30.099 --> 00:03:32.750 contender looks like. And they've been doing this long enough 86 00:03:32.789 --> 00:03:36.400 that it excites them. You know, there's only so many teams, 87 00:03:36.460 --> 00:03:38.319 I think, that can say, hey, if things go our way, 88 00:03:38.360 --> 00:03:40.120 if we play to our potential, if we stay healthy, 89 00:03:41.039 --> 00:03:43.259 we have a chance to be the last one standing. 90 00:03:43.659 --> 00:03:45.379 Some years it might be five teams, some years it 91 00:03:45.409 --> 00:03:47.830 might be 10. Given the parity in the league the 92 00:03:47.870 --> 00:03:49.909 last several years, I think that. 93 00:03:49.830 --> 00:03:50.509 Number is growing. 94 00:03:50.930 --> 00:03:54.689 But I think they, I, we know that we're in 95 00:03:54.710 --> 00:03:57.729 that group. However big that number is, we feel like 96 00:03:57.870 --> 00:04:00.310 we're in that group. And, you know, to speak about, 97 00:04:00.330 --> 00:04:02.789 you know, Fred and Kevin in particular, I You know, 98 00:04:02.810 --> 00:04:05.270 the guy we traded for is the guy we felt 99 00:04:05.289 --> 00:04:07.469 like we got last year. You know, he's one of 100 00:04:07.490 --> 00:04:10.909 the best of all time, period. But even at his age, 101 00:04:10.949 --> 00:04:14.050 he's still he's still an unbelievable player on both ends 102 00:04:14.090 --> 00:04:15.789 of the court. You know, we brought him in to 103 00:04:15.969 --> 00:04:20.410 to to fill a role and be to change our offense, 104 00:04:20.430 --> 00:04:23.550 to be more efficient, to to always give us a 105 00:04:23.569 --> 00:04:24.990 good chance at the end of a shot clock at 106 00:04:25.009 --> 00:04:26.769 the end of a game to to to get a 107 00:04:26.769 --> 00:04:27.129 good look. 108 00:04:27.589 --> 00:04:30.610 And he was that. And, you know, he leads by example. 109 00:04:31.180 --> 00:04:34.620 He's one of the greatest workers that's ever played, which 110 00:04:34.660 --> 00:04:38.990 people may not know. His practice habits, you know, he. 111 00:04:38.970 --> 00:04:39.790 Leads by example. 112 00:04:39.829 --> 00:04:42.850 And for our young guys to see how he works, 113 00:04:42.889 --> 00:04:47.230 how he prepares, just his, how intentional he is about

114 00:04:47.250 --> 00:04:49.490 being great, you know, I think has made an. 115 00:04:49.509 --> 00:04:50.910 Impact on our group. 116 00:04:51.589 --> 00:04:55.160 And the reality is, you know, Fred going down at 117 00:04:55.180 --> 00:04:57.500 the beginning of the season, before the season starts, it 118 00:04:57.579 --> 00:05:00.860 changed the dynamic of our entire team and People had 119 00:05:00.879 --> 00:05:02.579 to play out of position. We had asked people to 120 00:05:02.620 --> 00:05:06.509 do things that maybe they weren't expecting to do. So 121 00:05:06.769 --> 00:05:10.649 going in with our full compliment, you know, with Fred 122 00:05:10.689 --> 00:05:15.399 and Steven and then adding an additional ball handler, defensive 123 00:05:16.579 --> 00:05:20.879 expert in Marcus and some shooting and Bogdan. We you know, 124 00:05:20.930 --> 00:05:23.089 there's a lot to there's a lot to like. 125 00:05:23.569 --> 00:05:25.750 You probably, I mean, you, you knew before he got 126 00:05:25.790 --> 00:05:28.290 here that Kevin Durant was a complete and utter gym rat, 127 00:05:28.709 --> 00:05:31.069 but was it even kind of surprising to you just 128 00:05:31.129 --> 00:05:33.610 how much of that you, you saw from him when 129 00:05:33.649 --> 00:05:34.930 he first got here and just, I. 130 00:05:35.009 --> 00:05:38.310 Mean, he lives, breathes, eats this, this game. Yeah. 131 00:05:38.430 --> 00:05:42.470 You know, I mean, sometimes, you know, people's reputations, you know, 132 00:05:42.529 --> 00:05:46.569 aren't always, uh, aren't always reality, but his was, and 133 00:05:46.600 --> 00:05:49.560 it was from day one. He loves basketball, his passion 134 00:05:49.569 --> 00:05:52.860 for basketball, his knowledge about the game and the history 135 00:05:52.939 --> 00:05:56.189 and how much he respects the game, wants to play 136 00:05:56.209 --> 00:05:56.910 the right way. 137 00:05:57.009 --> 00:06:00.329 And it's impossible not to admire. 138 00:06:00.350 --> 00:06:03.120 You know, I know a lot of our young guys, 139 00:06:03.139 --> 00:06:04.920 you know, I know we've had some success, but we 140 00:06:04.959 --> 00:06:08.519 forget that we've got, you know, five players, sub-25, you know, 141 00:06:08.560 --> 00:06:11.699 with Alpium in, Bari, Tari, and Reid. And, you know, 142 00:06:11.720 --> 00:06:15.189 for them to be around that, you know, level of 143 00:06:15.610 --> 00:06:20.250 success and, you know, truly on everybody's, you know, top, 144 00:06:20.769 --> 00:06:22.649 top of the list of players of all time and 145 00:06:22.709 --> 00:06:24.930 to see that, look, this doesn't happen on accident. Obviously, 146 00:06:24.970 --> 00:06:29.230 he's got he's got God given ability that you can't recreate. 147 00:06:29.329 --> 00:06:32.699 But working hard is a skill. It is a talent. And, 148 00:06:32.980 --> 00:06:35.620 you know, he's he's he's made it a priority in 149 00:06:35.660 --> 00:06:36.120 his career. 150 00:06:36.160 --> 00:06:37.939 That's why not only has he played at the level 151 00:06:37.959 --> 00:06:40.879 he has, but that is why he's he's been the 152 00:06:40.920 --> 00:06:44.790 player he is and has been able to play at 153 00:06:44.829 --> 00:06:48.209 that level for so long. So, yeah, it's been very 154 00:06:48.269 --> 00:06:51.129 cool to watch. We've had other great players come through 155 00:06:51.180 --> 00:06:56.459 our organization that have similar habits. If he's not the 156 00:06:56.500 --> 00:06:59.819 greatest worker, nobody has surpassed him. 157 00:06:59.920 --> 00:07:01.540 So, yeah, fun to watch. 158 00:07:02.160 --> 00:07:04.759 Well, you mentioned something when you were talking about talking 159 00:07:04.779 --> 00:07:07.560 with Rafael earlier. We got Patrick Fertitta, the Rockets vice chairman, 160 00:07:07.579 --> 00:07:09.660 in here in studio with us about being over at 161 00:07:09.680 --> 00:07:12.050 the facility, about watching practice, about being involved in things 162 00:07:12.079 --> 00:07:14.899 like that. I'm just curious, has Durant joined the team yet? 163 00:07:15.230 --> 00:07:18.290 couple of more newcomers this year, that vehicle of having 164 00:07:18.370 --> 00:07:21.769 the Memorial Hermann training facility from a player standpoint, from 165 00:07:21.790 --> 00:07:26.209 your standpoint, what kind of assist has that been to development, recruitment, 166 00:07:26.269 --> 00:07:27.290 everything you put it. 167 00:07:27.310 --> 00:07:29.290 In place for? Yeah, look, I obviously think that it's 168 00:07:29.310 --> 00:07:29.930 been tremendous. 169 00:07:29.970 --> 00:07:31.550 You know, I think it's probably a better question for 170 00:07:31.750 --> 00:07:33.990 the players and the coaches, but, you know, it is 171 00:07:34.029 --> 00:07:37.009 a place that people want to be and that matters. 172 00:07:37.290 --> 00:07:39.920 You know, obviously people have their, you know, their practice 173 00:07:39.939 --> 00:07:42.420 schedules and their workout schedules. So there is a, a 174 00:07:42.480 --> 00:07:45.399 level of time that is somewhat mandated or that you're 175 00:07:45.420 --> 00:07:49.670 committed to. But when you create a space that is 176 00:07:50.230 --> 00:07:53.290 new and nice and open and there's things to do 177 00:07:53.430 --> 00:07:58.240 and there's TVs to watch and me, Ime, and Rafael 178 00:07:58.269 --> 00:08:00.779 are usually out back playing pickleball at least once or 179 00:08:00.819 --> 00:08:01.519 twice a week. 180 00:08:01.639 --> 00:08:03.379 And it brings people together, right? 181 00:08:03.899 --> 00:08:07.319 So any time that you can spend together as a 182 00:08:07.379 --> 00:08:11.259 team and as an organization is a positive. It creates community. 183 00:08:12.129 --> 00:08:16.529 It helps you foster relationships. And I certainly think, you know, 184 00:08:16.550 --> 00:08:19.829 it has to aid in recruiting. I think that we 185 00:08:19.870 -->

00:08:21.370 live in a day and age where at the end 186 00:08:21.389 --> 00:08:25.110 of the day, you know, maybe it helps in a tie. But, 187 00:08:25.810 --> 00:08:28.329 you know, credit to Houston, too. Houston's a great place 188 00:08:28.370 --> 00:08:30.610 to live. There's a lot of advantages to living in Houston. 189 00:08:30.670 --> 00:08:35.500 But as you guys know, as long-term Houstonians, it's a 190 00:08:35.509 --> 00:08:38.700 great place to call home. It's a comfortable place. It 191 00:08:38.740 --> 00:08:39.860 has everything you may need. 192 00:08:39.879 --> 00:08:43.100 Is it perfect? No. But it's it's a great place 193 00:08:43.120 --> 00:08:43.639 to call home. 194 00:08:43.679 --> 00:08:47.149 So, yes, that along with, you know, some of the 195 00:08:47.190 --> 00:08:50.269 other things that we've committed, you know, through the organization, 196 00:08:50.830 --> 00:08:52.549 we want to make sure that all the resources are 197 00:08:52.590 --> 00:08:55.340 there to give us every advantage possible within the rules, 198 00:08:55.379 --> 00:08:59.019 of course. And, yeah, I feel like the training facility 199 00:08:59.080 --> 00:09:02.799 just down the road has been has been an advantage. 200 00:09:02.600 --> 00:09:04.500 In a lot of ways. Does that mean that nobody's 201 00:09:04.519 --> 00:09:07.389 going to be choppering to and from games? You know, yes. 202 00:09:07.480 --> 00:09:10.980 No one. If they are, it's not our shopper. I 203 00:09:11.019 --> 00:09:14.600 can tell you that. Yeah, that's yeah. 204 00:09:15.399 --> 00:09:18.580 The fact that the season begins today, there's game right now. 205 00:09:18.980 --> 00:09:21.480 There's two more games tonight. The NBA has created a 206 00:09:21.519 --> 00:09:24.830 whole week of games really kind of centered around the 207 00:09:24.870 --> 00:09:27.769 fact that we've got a bunch of marquee players, teams, 208 00:09:28.149 --> 00:09:30.629 networks that are part of it on the business side 209 00:09:30.669 --> 00:09:33.190 of things, the way it's branched out this league as 210 00:09:33.250 --> 00:09:36.289 much as any other. with the other networks. They all 211 00:09:36.309 --> 00:09:37.789 want to be a part of the NBA. That's why 212 00:09:37.840 --> 00:09:40.320 Adam Silver and the governors have all put together all this, 213 00:09:41.080 --> 00:09:42.740 generated a lot of income for the league. I guess 214 00:09:42.759 --> 00:09:44.700 I could put it that way. Do you like where 215 00:09:44.759 --> 00:09:47.879 things are going in that regard with searching out these 216 00:09:47.960 --> 00:09:51.899 new ways? Well, fans are questioning, where's this game? Just 217 00:09:51.990 --> 00:09:54.289 in general, are all these things good in your mind. 218 00:09:54.129 --> 00:09:54.929 For where the league's going? 219 00:09:55.090 --> 00:09:56.950 I think it's a balance. It's a great question, by 220 00:09:56.990 --> 00:09:59.250 the way, because I think it's an interesting debate. I 221 00:09:59.269 --> 00:10:02.940 think that there's a a balance of you obviously are 222 00:10:02.960 --> 00:10:05.120 a business and you want to drive revenue for the league. 223 00:10:05.159 --> 00:10:07.990 And for the league, that's 51% going to the players 224 00:10:08.039 --> 00:10:12.549 as well, right? So everybody is benefiting from that. Now, 225 00:10:12.629 --> 00:10:14.629 then there's this other piece of it where you want 226 00:10:14.649 --> 00:10:16.269 to be in front of your fans. You want to 227 00:10:16.289 --> 00:10:19.259 make sure that you're reachable. And you're as reachable to 228 00:10:19.299 --> 00:10:21.850 as many people as possible. So I think it's just 229 00:10:21.919 --> 00:10:23.750 a balance of how do we do what's best for 230 00:10:23.769 --> 00:10:26.169 the league from a business standpoint, but also having a 231 00:10:26.289 --> 00:10:29.990 long-term approach of protecting the brand and the league of 232 00:10:30.029 --> 00:10:33.789 the NBA and making sure that the content that you're 233 00:10:33.830 --> 00:10:38.389 providing is reachable for your fans. Because there's a lot 234 00:10:38.740 --> 00:10:43.080 of content out there, right? Sports content, non-sports content, whatever 235 00:10:43.159 --> 00:10:45.450 it may be. And if you make it too difficult 236 00:10:45.490 --> 00:10:47.710 to reach, well, people will find something else to do 237 00:10:47.990 --> 00:10:51.129 and to watch. So it's striking that balance. I've got 238 00:10:51.149 --> 00:10:55.419 a lot of confidence and faith in the people that 239 00:10:55.519 --> 00:10:58.480 are in charge of media at the league, I will say. 240 00:10:58.500 --> 00:11:02.620 I think that they're really good at what they do. 241 00:11:03.070 --> 00:11:05.370 So I think today it's in a good place. Now, 242 00:11:05.470 --> 00:11:06.690 I don't know what the future holds. 243 00:11:07.250 --> 00:11:09.330 Obviously, it's a bit more complicated than it used to be, 244 00:11:09.409 --> 00:11:12.330 but that's the nature of not just our business, but 245 00:11:12.370 --> 00:11:14.629 the world we're in related to media and content. 246 00:11:15.389 --> 00:11:17.490 So, yeah, I think you've got to strike a balance. 247 00:11:17.529 --> 00:11:20.649 And I think thus far, it's been good. 248 00:11:21.090 --> 00:11:24.980 Our conversation with Rockets Vice Chairman Patrick Fertitta will continue 249 00:11:25.419 --> 00:11:27.519 through this upcoming break. He'll be back with us right 250 00:11:27.539 --> 00:11:31.100 here on SCHN and Sports Talk 790. 251 00:11:34.820 --> 00:11:37.840 So Patrick Fertitta is in studio with us, the Rockets 252 00:11:37.899 --> 00:11:38.600 vice chairman. 253 00:11:38.620 --> 00:11:41.899 And Wex, he just did it during the break. He 254 00:11:41.919 --> 00:11:42.620 made me feel old. 255 00:11:43.470 --> 00:11:46.950 He just casually said he was born in 1994 when 256 00:11:46.990 --> 00:11:48.309 the Rockets

won their first title. 257 00:11:48.889 --> 00:11:51.009 Sounds like a good time. Good time for the Rockets. 258 00:11:51.330 --> 00:11:54.210 A little young to experience it. Neither of us were 259 00:11:54.250 --> 00:11:55.879 too young to experience it. 260 00:11:56.289 --> 00:11:58.049 Wex is a little bit older than me. I was 261 00:11:58.049 --> 00:12:01.190 13 and 14 when those two titles happened. And you 262 00:12:01.230 --> 00:12:03.980 were saying, I haven't had that moment. You should have 263 00:12:04.000 --> 00:12:05.460 had an 18, but we'll get into that later. 264 00:12:05.500 --> 00:12:07.860 I'll just tell you, I was old enough to be 265 00:12:08.019 --> 00:12:09.980 on Richmond when they won the title. 266 00:12:10.120 --> 00:12:12.899 That's that is a certain age after all. 267 00:12:13.360 --> 00:12:16.490 No, but that brings it home because so many Rockets 268 00:12:16.539 --> 00:12:20.070 fans look to your family. And when you guys took 269 00:12:20.190 --> 00:12:25.049 over because Les had an extremely successful ownership and relationship 270 00:12:25.070 --> 00:12:28.320 with the city and everything like that. But it coincided 271 00:12:28.340 --> 00:12:30.879 at a time where the Rockets end up obliterating the 272 00:12:30.919 --> 00:12:33.700 franchise record for team wins in 2018. We all know 273 00:12:33.720 --> 00:12:36.059 how that went and hamstring away and all that kind 274 00:12:36.100 --> 00:12:40.090 of stuff. But how much is that? It is the drive, obviously, 275 00:12:40.129 --> 00:12:43.509 for every owner that cares. But for you specifically being 276 00:12:43.549 --> 00:12:44.649 in that unique position? 277 00:12:45.309 --> 00:12:47.379 Yeah, I think I think it's a great question. And 278 00:12:47.409 --> 00:12:51.039 you're you're exactly right. You know, I've heard this before. 279 00:12:51.100 --> 00:12:54.649 People say, you know, there's there's. There's owners that want 280 00:12:54.830 --> 00:12:56.870 to win a championship and there's owners that need to 281 00:12:56.889 --> 00:12:59.200 win a championship. And what I mean by that is, 282 00:12:59.539 --> 00:13:02.460 of course, everybody wants to win one. That's the ultimate goal. 283 00:13:02.500 --> 00:13:05.259 That's the epitome of success. But are you willing to 284 00:13:05.320 --> 00:13:09.919 take on the sacrifices and use the resources and do 285 00:13:10.279 --> 00:13:14.539 everything possible to give yourself the best chance possible in 286 00:13:14.600 --> 00:13:16.379 order to get there? And obviously, we haven't had that 287 00:13:16.419 --> 00:13:18.879 moment yet, but that's what we strive for every day. 288 00:13:19.340 --> 00:13:21.620 That's why we have a lot of the leadership in 289 00:13:21.659 --> 00:13:24.120 place that we have is because We wanted to take 290 00:13:24.159 --> 00:13:27.330 the approach of our ultimate goal is to win a title. 291 00:13:27.970 --> 00:13:30.590 And if that makes taking a step back, two steps

292 00:13:30.669 --> 00:13:34.440 back and going through pain and having to sacrifice X, Y, 293 00:13:34.450 --> 00:13:39.000 Z and exhausting whatever resources we need to exhaust, that's 294 00:13:39.039 --> 00:13:41.860 the goal. And a big part of that is stabilizing 295 00:13:41.899 --> 00:13:44.259 the organization, making sure you're a competent. 296 00:13:44.299 --> 00:13:46.639 Well-run group and that you are winning. 297 00:13:47.269 --> 00:13:49.690 And from there, you know, you hope to make some 298 00:13:49.730 --> 00:13:51.710 really good decisions to put you over the top and 299 00:13:51.730 --> 00:13:52.309 to get lucky. 300 00:13:52.929 --> 00:13:54.210 So I think we're on a good path. 301 00:13:54.309 --> 00:13:58.330 We've done a good job of stabilizing and putting together 302 00:13:58.350 --> 00:14:01.070 a really good young team that gives us a runway 303 00:14:01.149 --> 00:14:04.049 for a long time. But no, 100% what drives us 304 00:14:04.269 --> 00:14:09.799 every day, not just me and our family, but everyone 305 00:14:09.840 --> 00:14:12.799 within our front office and our organization is, you know, 306 00:14:12.840 --> 00:14:14.679 to get to the peak. You know, that's what we 307 00:14:14.700 --> 00:14:17.360 do this for. There's a lot of other things you 308 00:14:17.379 --> 00:14:19.000 could be doing. Why are you doing this if you're 309 00:14:19.019 --> 00:14:19.759 not trying to win a title? 310 00:14:20.039 --> 00:14:21.529 Speaking on it like that, what do you think of 311 00:14:21.590 --> 00:14:24.629 where the NBA has gotten with their champions? We could 312 00:14:24.710 --> 00:14:28.169 see a ninth straight year with a different champion this year. 313 00:14:28.190 --> 00:14:30.710 And I think most people think we will. Eight straight 314 00:14:30.750 --> 00:14:32.850 years of one title and moving on to the next 315 00:14:32.870 --> 00:14:36.320 team and the next team. Does that give owners, does 316 00:14:36.340 --> 00:14:38.179 it please owners that that many teams have been in it? 317 00:14:38.500 --> 00:14:40.679 Does it please owners that aren't among those eight teams? 318 00:14:40.980 --> 00:14:44.039 Yeah, I mean, I can't speak for how everybody else feels, 319 00:14:44.120 --> 00:14:46.409 but I think it's great. I think you want to 320 00:14:46.450 --> 00:14:48.549 see parity. I think you want as many teams in 321 00:14:48.570 --> 00:14:50.750 the league feeling like they have a chance as possible. 322 00:14:51.509 --> 00:14:54.850 I think it creates activity and it creates excitement, creates energy. 323 00:14:55.490 --> 00:14:58.210 I think that, you know, was that done by design? Obviously, 324 00:14:58.230 --> 00:14:59.929 some rules that have been changed over the last couple 325 00:14:59.950 --> 00:15:03.409 of years, you know, has coincided or supported that. 326 00:15:04.149 --> 00:15:05.360 But but, yeah, I think it's great. 327 00:15:05.509 --> 00:15:10.179 I think that obviously dynasties

and teams dominating like we've 328 00:15:10.200 --> 00:15:13.019 seen in the NBA and, you know, the early 2000s and, 329 00:15:13.220 --> 00:15:15.799 you know, with Golden State a decade or so ago, five, 330 00:15:15.830 --> 00:15:19.090 six years ago, you know, that's exciting and it's fun. 331 00:15:19.950 --> 00:15:22.250 But, you know, this parity is great. 332 00:15:22.389 --> 00:15:24.960 We just want our bite at the apple and to 333 00:15:25.120 --> 00:15:26.360 be the next team on that list. 334 00:15:26.429 --> 00:15:28.659 Yeah, the apron could be a word we could use 335 00:15:28.700 --> 00:15:31.659 in that topic. And what do you think about as 336 00:15:31.720 --> 00:15:35.399 we move into this next offseason, we will see a 337 00:15:35.480 --> 00:15:39.440 new format for the draft and how they're trying to, again, 338 00:15:39.879 --> 00:15:42.159 which to me, it sounds like they're trying to create parity. 339 00:15:42.200 --> 00:15:42.700 Are you sure? 340 00:15:43.139 --> 00:15:45.179 Are the leagues sure that that's where it's going to, 341 00:15:45.340 --> 00:15:46.389 those are the results you're going to get? 342 00:15:46.759 --> 00:15:50.039 Are they sure? Are we sure? No. Right. I think that. 343 00:15:51.940 --> 00:15:53.960 The powers that be felt like this was the best 344 00:15:54.159 --> 00:15:57.779 design structure that, you know, to accomplish what they want, 345 00:15:57.860 --> 00:16:00.240 which is to make sure that everybody's being competitive for, 346 00:16:00.259 --> 00:16:03.740 you know, as many of 82 games as possible. And 347 00:16:03.779 --> 00:16:07.100 that's a reward going the other way. I think that 348 00:16:07.139 --> 00:16:09.460 it's going to accomplish a lot of that. But we 349 00:16:09.480 --> 00:16:10.779 have to see, you know, maybe what some of the 350 00:16:10.820 --> 00:16:13.720 ramifications are. But, yeah, I think we got to give 351 00:16:13.740 --> 00:16:15.980 it a chance and see and see how it plays out. 352 00:16:16.820 --> 00:16:19.659 And my whole thing is is a like it's got 353 00:16:19.679 --> 00:16:20.460 a simplicity. 354 00:16:20.759 --> 00:16:23.110 All right. This is entertainment. All right. 355 00:16:23.519 --> 00:16:26.830 We want to be able to the 10 year old fan, 356 00:16:26.929 --> 00:16:28.669 the 30 year old fan, the 50 year old fan, 357 00:16:28.710 --> 00:16:30.429 the 75 year old fan has got to make sense. 358 00:16:30.470 --> 00:16:32.929 All right. Somebody shouldn't have to Google every time the 359 00:16:32.970 --> 00:16:35.429 draft comes around. All right. What are the rules again? 360 00:16:35.909 --> 00:16:36.149 All right. 361 00:16:36.309 --> 00:16:39.149 So keeping it simple is number one that everybody can understand. 362 00:16:39.549 --> 00:16:41.669 And then the second thing that that matters to me 363 00:16:41.750 --> 00:16:44.889 is we can't start changing the rules every two years. 364 00:16:45.470 --> 00:16:45.649 Right. 365 00:16:45.929 --> 00:16:48.590 Let's let's pick something that we think that works and 366 00:16:48.610 --> 00:16:50.309 let's give it some real time, because I think if 367 00:16:50.350 --> 00:16:52.899 you start changing these, in my opinion, these are a 368 00:16:52.929 --> 00:16:55.120 big deal. When you start messing with the draft or 369 00:16:55.159 --> 00:16:57.600 free agency or whatever it may be, you want your 370 00:16:57.639 --> 00:17:00.340 fans to understand what the rules are and how the 371 00:17:00.360 --> 00:17:04.539 league functions. And and so pick something that works and 372 00:17:04.589 --> 00:17:05.000 stick with it. 373 00:17:05.269 --> 00:17:08.150 It's not going to be perfect. Nothing ever is. So, 374 00:17:08.170 --> 00:17:10.150 you know, that would be that would be the things 375 00:17:10.170 --> 00:17:11.259 that matter the most to me. 376 00:17:11.299 --> 00:17:13.440 But it is interesting to see how it plays out 377 00:17:13.480 --> 00:17:15.839 this year, because, look, these are some very smart people 378 00:17:15.859 --> 00:17:18.779 in these organizations and they're going to always look to 379 00:17:18.839 --> 00:17:21.680 take advantage and find a way to beat the system. 380 00:17:22.119 --> 00:17:24.099 And I guarantee you people are trying to figure out 381 00:17:24.140 --> 00:17:24.900 what that is right now. 382 00:17:24.920 --> 00:17:27.019 All right. Truth serum time on that topic. 383 00:17:27.119 --> 00:17:29.339 You know, it was it had to be it was 384 00:17:29.400 --> 00:17:33.420 for me frustrating to have those rough years where you've 385 00:17:33.470 --> 00:17:35.289 got a chance to get the number one pick and 386 00:17:35.309 --> 00:17:37.769 you never actually got it. And then one of the 387 00:17:37.789 --> 00:17:40.490 teams that did right down the road, I'm a card 388 00:17:40.539 --> 00:17:44.440 carrying member of the Spurs haters organization. So that has to, 389 00:17:44.500 --> 00:17:48.019 you know, kind of grind your gears when you see, oh, 390 00:17:48.460 --> 00:17:51.279 they got another number one overall pick after Tim Duncan 391 00:17:51.299 --> 00:17:53.809 and all that. Like, you know, how does that how 392 00:17:53.849 --> 00:17:55.809 do you weigh that, especially with what you're talking about? 393 00:17:55.849 --> 00:17:58.289 Because you're trying to make teams avoid tanking and there 394 00:17:58.329 --> 00:18:00.230 isn't a perfect way to go about that either. 395 00:18:00.250 --> 00:18:02.710 Yeah. But just how frustrating. 396 00:18:02.769 --> 00:18:04.170 And then on top of that, when you you know, 397 00:18:04.190 --> 00:18:05.890 when you have the system that we have in place, 398 00:18:05.930 --> 00:18:08.009 but even the prior system. you can have a team 399 00:18:08.049 --> 00:18:12.130 that has one, two, 3% odds that jumps in to 400 00:18:12.190 --> 00:18:14.099 one or two. I mean, the same market was able 401 00:18:14.140 --> 00:18:16.480 to get two subsequent year. 402

00:18:16.779 --> 00:18:19.059 Well, the year you guys got Yao Ming, I think 403 00:18:19.099 --> 00:18:21.299 the Rockets had like an 8% chance or something like that. 404 00:18:21.400 --> 00:18:23.279 So it happens. And once again, right? 405 00:18:23.339 --> 00:18:26.059 So if you're going to get away from just rewarding 406 00:18:26.099 --> 00:18:28.160 teams that are at the bottom, then you also open 407 00:18:28.220 --> 00:18:30.559 up the possibility that a team that maybe shouldn't deserve 408 00:18:30.579 --> 00:18:31.980 to be picking in the top three is going to 409 00:18:32.000 --> 00:18:34.099 be picking in the top three. So but like I said, 410 00:18:34.119 --> 00:18:36.559 there's not, there's not a perfect situation going back to 411 00:18:36.839 --> 00:18:41.759 our experience picking high in the draft. Yeah, it was frustrating, 412 00:18:41.799 --> 00:18:44.269 but at the same time, we were happy being where 413 00:18:44.309 --> 00:18:48.150 we were because ultimately, you know, how we felt about, 414 00:18:48.509 --> 00:18:53.250 you know, Amin, Jabari, Reid, you know, we're, we're, and Amin, 415 00:18:54.549 --> 00:18:56.400 you know, we felt really good about those selections. 416 00:18:56.480 --> 00:19:00.000 So it, Yes. Would it be nice to have a 417 00:19:00.039 --> 00:19:03.190 guy like Wimbinyama fall in your lap? Absolutely. 418 00:19:03.210 --> 00:19:05.029 He's an incredible player. I think he's arguably the best 419 00:19:05.049 --> 00:19:07.730 player in the league. His impact is incredible on both 420 00:19:07.809 --> 00:19:11.950 ends of the court. But we knew going into it 421 00:19:11.970 --> 00:19:14.119 that there was nothing guaranteed about picking one just because 422 00:19:14.130 --> 00:19:15.599 you did it for a couple of years. But hey, 423 00:19:15.640 --> 00:19:17.880 we didn't pick five, right? So we picked two, we 424 00:19:17.900 --> 00:19:20.880 picked three, picked four. We felt really good about the 425 00:19:20.920 --> 00:19:23.900 prospects that we ended up selecting. We got lucky one 426 00:19:23.920 --> 00:19:27.069 year with the read selection jumping up into the top 427 00:19:27.109 --> 00:19:27.609 of the draft. 428 00:19:27.690 --> 00:19:29.920 So So we got what we got. 429 00:19:30.119 --> 00:19:31.539 We felt like we did the work to give us 430 00:19:32.099 --> 00:19:35.759 the best chance at picking a great player for the organization. 431 00:19:35.779 --> 00:19:36.460 I feel like we did. 432 00:19:36.619 --> 00:19:39.799 I'm really happy with what I'll say, kind of the 433 00:19:39.859 --> 00:19:45.130 five guys that are young on our team with Alpi, Amin, Jabari, Tari, 434 00:19:45.150 --> 00:19:46.670 and Reid. I think those guys are all going to 435 00:19:46.690 --> 00:19:50.450 have really, really good careers, hopefully all of them. here 436 00:19:50.509 --> 00:19:53.470 for a long time and uh there's a lot of 437 00:19:53.490 --> 00:19:56.980 uh improvement left you know guys typically don't get into 438 00:19:57.019 --> 00:19:59.980 their prime until year six and seven and eight a 439 00:20:00.000 --> 00:20:02.039 lot of them don't even really start contributing as a 440 00:20:02.400 --> 00:20:05.140 winning player if you will until years three and four 441 00:20:05.720 --> 00:20:08.700 so you know the improvement curve that they've all had 442 00:20:09.299 --> 00:20:13.619 is uh is on a good trajectory. And yeah, I mean, 443 00:20:13.680 --> 00:20:16.019 I'm bullish on, on all of those guys and, and 444 00:20:16.259 --> 00:20:18.200 excited about what we're going to see from them this year. 445 00:20:18.519 --> 00:20:20.980 While you are watching the rockets and their new threads 446 00:20:21.180 --> 00:20:24.519 from courtside at Toyota center, would you most likely be 447 00:20:24.880 --> 00:20:28.009 spilling your water accidentally because of something that amended? 448 00:20:28.029 --> 00:20:32.009 Are you talking about any play in particular? 449 00:20:32.210 --> 00:20:34.670 Just in general, all of them. You're talking about the 450 00:20:34.789 --> 00:20:37.609 talents of these players. You've talked about excitement for the 451 00:20:37.690 --> 00:20:40.109 fans of the league and, And then bringing it here 452 00:20:40.150 --> 00:20:43.430 to Houston, the basketball that's being played by this group 453 00:20:43.470 --> 00:20:46.509 of Rockets, E-Maze Rockets, both defensively and offensively, and because 454 00:20:46.529 --> 00:20:49.710 of that young course, maybe specifically him, they're doing things 455 00:20:49.750 --> 00:20:51.740 that excite people to watch basketball. 456 00:20:51.960 --> 00:20:53.920 Yeah, I mean, look, Amin, we could spend a whole 457 00:20:53.960 --> 00:20:55.759 segment on Amin, and I'll tell you, I'll gush over 458 00:20:55.799 --> 00:20:56.319 him and tell you. 459 00:20:56.259 --> 00:20:56.940 How amazing he is. 460 00:20:56.960 --> 00:20:59.059 You probably won't even believe how good I think Amin is. 461 00:20:59.680 --> 00:21:03.000 But hopefully our fans do enjoy going to Toyota Center 462 00:21:03.079 --> 00:21:05.819 and seeing the talent that he is and some of 463 00:21:05.839 --> 00:21:08.190 the other guys are. I mean, obviously, Kevin's a you know, 464 00:21:08.450 --> 00:21:10.349 one of the best players of all time. And when 465 00:21:10.410 --> 00:21:12.650 Reed gets going, he's about as exciting as anybody in 466 00:21:12.690 --> 00:21:16.309 the league. And, you know, Alpy's a unorthodox player that, 467 00:21:16.369 --> 00:21:18.410 you know, is like, oh, you don't see that anywhere 468 00:21:18.450 --> 00:21:19.150 else in the league. 469 00:21:19.190 --> 00:21:22.339 So there's a lot to like, you know, and be 470 00:21:22.380 --> 00:21:23.059 excited by. 471 00:21:23.140 --> 00:21:25.460 And Amin's definitely, you know, at the top of the 472 00:21:25.519 --> 00:21:29.119 list just with his ability and athleticism and just his 473 00:21:29.240 -->

00:21:30.440 power and his speed. 474 00:21:30.519 --> 00:21:31.559 It's a lot of fun. 475 00:21:32.180 --> 00:21:35.680 So, yeah, I mean, Amin definitely has you sometimes looking 476 00:21:35.720 --> 00:21:37.279 at the people next to you like, did I just 477 00:21:37.339 --> 00:21:39.720 see that? I don't know if you guys were watching 478 00:21:39.740 --> 00:21:44.109 the preseason game, but Fred had that slowdown high alley-oop 479 00:21:44.150 --> 00:21:46.670 to Amin. I think Amin started the other game against 480 00:21:46.789 --> 00:21:50.569 the preseason game against Oklahoma City. I think the first 481 00:21:50.670 --> 00:21:53.160 four or five buckets in the game were dunks, so 482 00:21:53.180 --> 00:21:55.809 you don't see that very often. Yeah, we need Jonathan 483 00:21:55.829 --> 00:21:59.509 Fagan to tweet out mid-game. First time in Rockets history 484 00:21:59.549 --> 00:22:01.430 that a game started with five dunks. 485 00:22:01.569 --> 00:22:02.549 I miss those tweets. 486 00:22:02.650 --> 00:22:04.339 Yeah, I do try to keep track of that during 487 00:22:04.359 --> 00:22:06.680 the game as we're doing the broadcast. That's now five. 488 00:22:07.079 --> 00:22:08.640 Is the man now in the top five in the league? 489 00:22:08.660 --> 00:22:12.019 Where is he sitting now? It is an exciting player, 490 00:22:12.339 --> 00:22:14.619 without question, all around the league. We just saw the 491 00:22:14.680 --> 00:22:18.339 GM survey the other day. Maybe the most flexible defensive 492 00:22:18.380 --> 00:22:20.539 player around the league. So we can certainly talk more 493 00:22:20.579 --> 00:22:22.569 about that. Do we have you for another segment? 494 00:22:22.900 --> 00:22:24.759 Yeah, I'm good on time. We're taking you for another. 495 00:22:24.779 --> 00:22:25.880 All right, let's do it. All right. 496 00:22:26.119 --> 00:22:29.299 Patrick Fertitta here in studio. Rockets vice chairman. We will 497 00:22:29.359 --> 00:22:31.299 talk with him even more when we come back here 498 00:22:31.319 --> 00:22:40.119 on the A-Team. Sports Talk 790. Rockets vice chairman Patrick 499 00:22:40.180 --> 00:22:43.440 Fertitta in studio. We got one more segment out of him, 500 00:22:43.519 --> 00:22:45.130 so we're very happy to have him. It's been a 501 00:22:45.140 --> 00:22:49.029 good visit so far. As someone who has a ridiculous 502 00:22:49.089 --> 00:22:51.630 obsession with the summit, I won't call it anything else. 503 00:22:51.690 --> 00:22:53.920 I still call it the summit. You guys are doing 504 00:22:53.960 --> 00:22:57.420 some big things over at Toyota Center. I love the approach. 505 00:22:57.559 --> 00:22:59.349 And this is a shout out to Gretchen and everybody 506 00:22:59.400 --> 00:23:02.369 over there that's helping with this side of things. There's 507 00:23:02.390 --> 00:23:04.569 a lot of construction going on there right now. So 508 00:23:04.609 --> 00:23:07.130 this season, you got the later start time for home game, 509 00:23:07.130 --> 00:23:11.130 730 instead of seven. But man, try and kind of 510 00:23:11.250 --> 00:23:14.910 describe just what fans are in for when this whole 511 00:23:15.069 --> 00:23:17.599 project is over with and they're walking into Toyota Center 512 00:23:17.619 --> 00:23:19.000 and everything else that's going to be a part of 513 00:23:19.359 --> 00:23:21.279 a new building, basically getting a facelift. 514 00:23:21.509 --> 00:23:23.650 Yeah, well, first of all, you know, obviously the traffic 515 00:23:23.670 --> 00:23:25.490 around the arena has been frustrating. You know, some of 516 00:23:25.549 --> 00:23:27.390 it is, you know, city related, but a lot of 517 00:23:27.450 --> 00:23:30.450 it now is the fact that we're investing in the arena. And, 518 00:23:30.529 --> 00:23:33.029 you know, part in our progress, you know, we're trying 519 00:23:33.069 --> 00:23:35.670 to make Toyota Center, you know, the best venue it 520 00:23:35.710 --> 00:23:37.910 can be for NBA basketball in the city of Houston. 521 00:23:37.930 --> 00:23:40.549 And we want to reinvest in downtown Houston. We want 522 00:23:40.569 --> 00:23:43.970 to reinvest in the Toyota Center. So, you know, we're going, 523 00:23:44.390 --> 00:23:46.990 anyone at the games this year, we'll see, you know, 524 00:23:47.289 --> 00:23:48.769 some changes that have already been made. 525 00:23:48.789 --> 00:23:49.470 The seats are new. 526 00:23:50.619 --> 00:23:53.900 You'll see the sweet product around the arena is either 527 00:23:53.960 --> 00:23:57.569 done or getting done. Obviously, the players preparing for the 528 00:23:57.609 --> 00:24:00.869 Comets to come in in the following season, they've got 529 00:24:00.910 --> 00:24:03.910 new locker rooms and new common area. And then, you know, 530 00:24:04.670 --> 00:24:06.849 hopefully next year you'll start to see, or right now 531 00:24:06.869 --> 00:24:08.250 you'll start to see the work, but you'll start to 532 00:24:08.289 --> 00:24:11.309 see the finished product is the, you know, the atrium 533 00:24:11.349 --> 00:24:13.349 when you walk in at the front door. And we 534 00:24:13.369 --> 00:24:16.430 feel like it's important to have, you know, a special 535 00:24:16.509 --> 00:24:18.869 sense of arrival when you walk into Toyota Center to 536 00:24:18.890 --> 00:24:23.410 feel like you're, you're at a world-class venue. Um, so we, uh, 537 00:24:23.470 --> 00:24:26.230 you know, we're obviously committed to Houston. We're committed to, uh, 538 00:24:26.309 --> 00:24:29.289 to Toyota center. We've been going since long before we 539 00:24:29.329 --> 00:24:32.569 were owners of the team, uh, since the first rockets 540 00:24:32.589 --> 00:24:34.019 game into Toyota center, we were there. 541 00:24:34.099 --> 00:24:35.559 So it means a lot to us. 542 00:24:35.619 --> 00:24:37.359 We want to make sure that people feel good about, 543 00:24:37.559 --> 00:24:39.700 about Toyota center and, and, and where they come

to 544 00:24:39.740 --> 00:24:42.319 watch rockets basketball. And we're going to continue to, to 545 00:24:42.380 --> 00:24:45.400 make upgrades. And, you know, we, uh, you know, we 546 00:24:45.460 --> 00:24:48.000 ask everybody to come out and obviously hang in there 547 00:24:48.059 --> 00:24:50.289 with us when there's a little bit of, uh, you know, 548 00:24:50.329 --> 00:24:52.450 annoyance with their construction, but it's going to be worth 549 00:24:52.490 --> 00:24:53.150 it when it's all done. 550 00:24:53.849 --> 00:24:56.349 One of the things that they will see, obviously, unveiled 551 00:24:56.390 --> 00:24:59.130 earlier this year, one thing we'll see tomorrow night is 552 00:24:59.150 --> 00:25:01.369 the grand opening of Rudy T's Diner, all part of 553 00:25:01.410 --> 00:25:04.650 the concept, the new branding, the ketchup and mustard accent 554 00:25:04.789 --> 00:25:07.009 to the new uniforms, which people have now seen over 555 00:25:07.049 --> 00:25:09.539 the three games they played in the preseason. Just your 556 00:25:09.579 --> 00:25:11.910 overall thoughts on how it all came to be and 557 00:25:11.990 --> 00:25:14.869 the finished product and the reception that everybody has had 558 00:25:14.910 --> 00:25:17.130 for the new branding and colors of the Rockets. 559 00:25:17.150 --> 00:25:19.210 Yeah, it's something that we've discussed, you know, really for 560 00:25:19.230 --> 00:25:22.990 the last decade or so, you know, as we came in. And, 561 00:25:23.009 --> 00:25:24.829 you know, the catch, a lot of it is, look, 562 00:25:24.869 --> 00:25:27.549 it's all personal perspective, all right? When it comes to 563 00:25:27.630 --> 00:25:30.450 uniforms and branding, you talk to different people, they're going 564 00:25:30.470 --> 00:25:33.190 to have different opinions. The way I look at it, 565 00:25:33.210 --> 00:25:35.730 the way we look at it is, you know, what 566 00:25:35.750 --> 00:25:38.410 do our fans want? What do they value? This is 567 00:25:38.450 --> 00:25:40.910 their team. They have to enjoy it. They have to 568 00:25:40.950 --> 00:25:44.779 feel good about it. And the consistent response was ketchup 569 00:25:44.819 --> 00:25:48.000 and mustard and getting some of that nostalgia and those 570 00:25:48.400 --> 00:25:52.569 great years of the Rockets back into our brand. And 571 00:25:52.589 --> 00:25:56.049 there's some touches of other eras with the pinstripes that 572 00:25:56.490 --> 00:25:58.690 I think look very good with the ketchup and mustard. 573 00:25:59.190 --> 00:26:01.690 But it really was just a reflection of what we 574 00:26:01.730 --> 00:26:07.000 felt like our fans, young and old, wanted and asked for. 575 00:26:07.720 --> 00:26:09.920 And that's what we try to deliver. So hopefully people 576 00:26:09.960 --> 00:26:12.329 like it. Hopefully you guys like it. You know, the 577 00:26:12.369 --> 00:26:15.970 reception's been good and hopefully that, you know, it also, 578 00:26:16.769 --> 00:26:18.369 we can say, ah, as soon as we made that 579 00:26:18.470 --> 00:26:21.109 change to the uniforms, the team started playing at that 580 00:26:21.150 --> 00:26:23.769 championship level like they did back in the mid-90s. 581 00:26:23.769 --> 00:26:26.390 52 wins each of the last two years. Most of 582 00:26:26.430 --> 00:26:29.130 what you probably hear, read, see is the same thing 583 00:26:29.170 --> 00:26:32.890 as we do. There's Oklahoma City, there's San Antonio, and 584 00:26:32.930 --> 00:26:35.730 we're not sure what's next. Which of the teams are next? 585 00:26:35.769 --> 00:26:36.430 Is it the Rockets? 586 00:26:36.470 --> 00:26:38.069 Is it the Lakers? Is it the Wolves? Is it 587 00:26:38.089 --> 00:26:38.609 the Nuggets? 588 00:26:39.009 --> 00:26:41.210 I don't know if you agree with those top two separating, 589 00:26:41.250 --> 00:26:43.829 how you feel about this team as the year gets started. 590 00:26:44.490 --> 00:26:47.390 Yeah, you know, first of all, it's a good reminder. Obviously, 591 00:26:47.470 --> 00:26:49.970 expectations were at a very high level last year. We 592 00:26:49.990 --> 00:26:53.029 brought in a future Hall of Famer, and rightfully so, 593 00:26:53.089 --> 00:26:57.390 people expect a lot. With that being said, context matters. 594 00:26:57.839 --> 00:27:01.700 And when you go and you lose two very, very 595 00:27:01.759 --> 00:27:05.839 important players, two players that are as good as you 596 00:27:05.880 --> 00:27:08.750 can be at what they do, I look at the 597 00:27:08.789 --> 00:27:12.089 season as a whole, and even though we won 52 598 00:27:12.089 --> 00:27:15.890 games without those guys, which I think is something that 599 00:27:15.910 --> 00:27:19.210 we should be proud of in itself, leaning on those 600 00:27:19.289 --> 00:27:23.819 five young guys plus Kevin most nights, we also left 601 00:27:23.880 --> 00:27:26.000 a lot of games out there. 602 00:27:26.079 --> 00:27:27.420 We had some games that I don't even want to 603 00:27:27.440 --> 00:27:28.859 discuss that the game was won. 604 00:27:28.880 --> 00:27:31.619 And some years you win three or four of those 605 00:27:31.660 --> 00:27:34.859 toss-ups and you're plus five maybe in close games. It 606 00:27:34.880 --> 00:27:36.680 felt like last year we were like a minus eight. 607 00:27:37.130 --> 00:27:38.630 So if you win a couple of those, I felt 608 00:27:38.650 --> 00:27:41.029 like even with Fred and Steven not on the court, 609 00:27:41.069 --> 00:27:43.650 we were really more like a 55 to 57 win team. 610 00:27:44.029 --> 00:27:46.269 And I felt like going to the playoffs, despite all 611 00:27:46.309 --> 00:27:48.700 the negativity at times that surrounded our group, I was like, 612 00:27:48.720 --> 00:27:51.380 you know what? We're going to get an opportunity to 613 00:27:51.859 --> 00:27:55.359 show what we really have been in the playoffs. And 614 00:27:55.380 --> 00:27:58.059 then sure enough, we take an injury in

game one. 615 00:27:58.470 --> 00:28:00.660 And then, you know, even after that injury, I thought 616 00:28:00.680 --> 00:28:03.700 we actually played pretty well. They shot the lights out 617 00:28:03.720 --> 00:28:06.380 of the ball. And then we had a disastrous couple 618 00:28:06.440 --> 00:28:08.460 moments in the end of game three that even if 619 00:28:08.500 --> 00:28:10.279 we get that game, you know, maybe we take them, 620 00:28:10.779 --> 00:28:14.930 you know, just to seven and surprise them. So, yeah, 621 00:28:14.970 --> 00:28:17.970 just I just want to mention that year in particular, 622 00:28:17.990 --> 00:28:18.809 because I felt like. 623 00:28:19.210 --> 00:28:21.450 You know, well, you only won 52 and this and that. 624 00:28:21.490 --> 00:28:23.630 Like, don't get me wrong. We have very high hopes. 625 00:28:23.990 --> 00:28:26.410 It doesn't mean the year was a success. But I 626 00:28:26.470 --> 00:28:30.490 think just saying yes or no, it was a success 627 00:28:30.549 --> 00:28:32.789 or a failure is unfair. I mean, I look at 628 00:28:32.849 --> 00:28:36.950 how the growth of those five young guys and winning 629 00:28:36.950 --> 00:28:40.549 52 games with Kevin was something that they should be 630 00:28:40.569 --> 00:28:42.829 proud of. And they even played better than I think 631 00:28:42.869 --> 00:28:47.059 those 52 wins suggest. So forgive me, what was your 632 00:28:47.099 --> 00:28:47.880 ultimate question? 633 00:28:48.130 --> 00:28:50.319 Looking ahead at this season, where do you think? 634 00:28:51.369 --> 00:28:53.490 I think given the fact that we didn't get out 635 00:28:53.509 --> 00:28:55.970 of the first round last year, it's fair for people 636 00:28:56.009 --> 00:28:58.630 to say, hey, why are we going to believe in 637 00:28:58.670 --> 00:29:01.009 this Rockets team in the way that we believe in 638 00:29:01.049 --> 00:29:03.369 in Oklahoma City or San Antonio? They have us in 639 00:29:03.390 --> 00:29:06.829 that kind of next tier with the L.A. 's, Minnesota's, 640 00:29:07.450 --> 00:29:11.789 and Denver, which I think is fair. Now, I'm not 641 00:29:11.849 --> 00:29:12.829 an eternal optimist. 642 00:29:12.849 --> 00:29:14.509 I wish I was. I'd probably be happier. 643 00:29:14.589 --> 00:29:18.029 They say that eternal optimists live a happier life. 644 00:29:18.430 --> 00:29:19.529 But I will say. 645 00:29:20.460 --> 00:29:23.539 I am very optimistic about this team, and I think 646 00:29:23.559 --> 00:29:26.440 that they have a real chance not only to be 647 00:29:26.460 --> 00:29:29.509 the best in that group, but to contend with Oklahoma 648 00:29:29.549 --> 00:29:31.829 City and San Antonio, not just in the regular season, 649 00:29:31.869 --> 00:29:33.049 but in a seven-game series. 650 00:29:34.130 --> 00:29:35.750 It's up to us, right? 651 00:29:35.769 --> 00:29:38.880 If we play to our potential, uh, we stay healthy 652 00:29:39.299 --> 00:29:42.680 and we mesh, uh, like we can, I think the 653 00:29:42.700 --> 00:29:45.240 sky is the limit. Now it's up to us to, to, 654 00:29:45.339 --> 00:29:49.640 to reach, to reach that, uh, pinnacle of our potential. Uh, but, 655 00:29:49.720 --> 00:29:51.700 but I, I think that we have a chance and 656 00:29:51.900 --> 00:29:53.680 that's all you can ask for. It's why I've enjoyed 657 00:29:53.700 --> 00:29:56.960 being a Rockets fan long before I was in this 658 00:29:57.000 --> 00:29:58.779 position is I felt like. 659 00:30:00.109 --> 00:30:02.049 The Rockets always had a chance, right? 660 00:30:02.450 --> 00:30:04.849 And I think, you know, even those Yao years, those 661 00:30:04.890 --> 00:30:07.809 TMAC years, even going back to Stevie Franchise, some of 662 00:30:07.849 --> 00:30:11.369 those years, you always felt like, hey, we got a chance. 663 00:30:11.829 --> 00:30:13.289 And we definitely have a chance this year. 664 00:30:13.309 --> 00:30:13.650 You know, it's. 665 00:30:13.670 --> 00:30:17.269 Interesting you bring that up because when I'm doing the games, especially, 666 00:30:17.349 --> 00:30:21.769 I'll watch you occasionally because you're sitting midcourt, courtside. You're 667 00:30:21.869 --> 00:30:24.890 pretty even keel for being the fan that you are. 668 00:30:25.170 --> 00:30:27.450 You don't show a ton of emotion all the time. 669 00:30:28.140 --> 00:30:31.359 And I've seen you show emotion, Altuve hitting that walk-off 670 00:30:31.420 --> 00:30:34.380 over the Yankees, the anniversary that was yesterday. You can 671 00:30:34.460 --> 00:30:37.039 see you behind home plate at Minute Maid at the 672 00:30:37.079 --> 00:30:37.839 time when that happens. 673 00:30:37.880 --> 00:30:41.180 You're pumping your fists like everybody else. How do you 674 00:30:41.240 --> 00:30:41.599 do that? 675 00:30:41.680 --> 00:30:44.299 Are you cognizant of that, that you're on camera a 676 00:30:44.319 --> 00:30:47.380 lot or that people are looking at you? And secondarily, 677 00:30:48.319 --> 00:30:50.220 how much do you differ from your dad in that way? 678 00:30:50.279 --> 00:30:52.680 Well, it's funny because the second part of that question 679 00:30:52.759 --> 00:30:56.190 actually leads into the answer. Also, you can go back 680 00:30:56.230 --> 00:31:00.619 and watch that Pujols home run back in, what was it, 2005? 681 00:31:00.619 --> 00:31:04.180 And you can see the soul of a 10-year-old leave 682 00:31:04.200 --> 00:31:04.660 his body. 683 00:31:04.680 --> 00:31:05.599 That was heartbreaking. 684 00:31:06.039 --> 00:31:08.279 Someone mentioned that to us today when we mentioned you 685 00:31:08.319 --> 00:31:09.799 were going to be on the show. Was that him 686 00:31:09.839 --> 00:31:10.980 sitting behind home plate? 687 00:31:11.000 --> 00:31:13.529 He was all of Houston. Yes, exactly. That's what's great 688 00:31:13.549 --> 00:31:15.650 about being in this role. I'm living a dream. 689 00:31:15.670 --> 00:31:18.769 I'm the most blessed person in this city. I

grew 690 00:31:18.809 --> 00:31:21.109 up the most avid Houston sports fan, and to be 691 00:31:21.130 --> 00:31:23.920 in this position is truly amazing. uh, you know, it's, it's, 692 00:31:24.039 --> 00:31:25.460 you know, I have to pinch myself at times. 693 00:31:25.500 --> 00:31:26.140 It's unbelievable. 694 00:31:26.299 --> 00:31:28.000 It's also why it's important. We do a good job 695 00:31:28.029 --> 00:31:31.009 because I feel it not just as a person, you know, 696 00:31:31.069 --> 00:31:34.349 in this role, but as a fan, uh, as well. So, 697 00:31:34.470 --> 00:31:37.089 so yeah, going, going back to at times, maybe, you know, 698 00:31:37.269 --> 00:31:39.430 being stoic on the, on the sideline. 699 00:31:40.089 --> 00:31:44.049 Um, a lot of it is, you know, my dad's 700 00:31:44.089 --> 00:31:45.390 not so stoic, right? 701 00:31:45.410 --> 00:31:48.009 So it's like, If he's going to get excited and 702 00:31:48.089 --> 00:31:51.549 I'm excited, well, that's probably not a good recipe because 703 00:31:51.609 --> 00:31:53.009 one of us is going to get the other one 704 00:31:53.109 --> 00:31:55.210 too excited. We're going to say something to the referee 705 00:31:55.250 --> 00:31:58.950 or whatever. So, yeah, I mean, also, look, this is 706 00:31:58.990 --> 00:32:02.009 now year like nine for me, I think. And over 707 00:32:02.049 --> 00:32:04.869 the years, I've learned a lot about how to regulate 708 00:32:04.910 --> 00:32:06.779 emotion during the season. 709 00:32:07.809 --> 00:32:09.769 It's a roller coaster. Can you teach me about that? 710 00:32:10.029 --> 00:32:10.690 I can't do that. 711 00:32:10.930 --> 00:32:13.430 I don't, I don't care how good or how, or 712 00:32:13.470 --> 00:32:15.269 how bad the team is. It's going to be a 713 00:32:15.269 --> 00:32:17.769 roller coaster. You're going to have highs and lows and 714 00:32:17.809 --> 00:32:22.410 just trying to not let yourself ride them is just healthy. 715 00:32:22.430 --> 00:32:25.869 You know, it's healthy, you know, if your blood pressure 716 00:32:25.990 --> 00:32:28.470 is good, it's good for just your, your mental health 717 00:32:28.529 --> 00:32:31.869 and your emotional health. And, um, I try, I feel 718 00:32:31.910 --> 00:32:35.839 like if I am losing control, people are paying attention, 719 00:32:36.019 --> 00:32:38.839 you know, at least the people around me in the organization, 720 00:32:38.859 --> 00:32:41.519 you know, even so it's important that, you know, we, 721 00:32:41.960 --> 00:32:44.910 we try to get through tough times, you know, adversity is, 722 00:32:44.990 --> 00:32:48.009 I think when you learn the most about people and 723 00:32:48.029 --> 00:32:51.269 yourself and you have to look forward and you have 724 00:32:51.309 --> 00:32:54.250 to stay positive and you have to find out, all right, 725 00:32:54.509 --> 00:32:56.630 how do we find a solution to this problem? And 726 00:32:56.690 --> 00:32:59.319 if you're, if you're just, you know, If you're, if 727 00:32:59.339 --> 00:33:01.559 you're dying, but if you see me at home, like 728 00:33:01.579 --> 00:33:02.700 there's a couple of games during the. 729 00:33:02.680 --> 00:33:04.109 Year where I'm at home. Yeah. 730 00:33:04.220 --> 00:33:06.130 Like that, you know, when, when a man got called 731 00:33:06.170 --> 00:33:08.549 to that foul on, on Hardaway, if y'all remember that 732 00:33:08.589 --> 00:33:11.269 game up in Denver, I was so proud of those guys. 733 00:33:11.309 --> 00:33:14.049 They earned that win and to, to lose a game 734 00:33:14.089 --> 00:33:16.390 like that, you know, not saying that there was a 735 00:33:16.430 --> 00:33:17.049 bad call. 736 00:33:17.549 --> 00:33:18.009 Um, but. 737 00:33:18.569 --> 00:33:20.950 It was, uh, like, yeah, I, uh, this is a 738 00:33:20.990 --> 00:33:23.589 safe space. I, uh, I was, I was very upset 739 00:33:23.630 --> 00:33:25.289 that night and there will be a couple of times 740 00:33:25.329 --> 00:33:27.710 during the year. And sometimes it's not even that particular game. 741 00:33:27.759 --> 00:33:30.059 Maybe it's a couple of games that leading up to that, 742 00:33:30.099 --> 00:33:32.460 where I just feel like this one matters a little 743 00:33:32.500 --> 00:33:32.839 bit more. 744 00:33:32.859 --> 00:33:33.160 Right. 745 00:33:34.140 --> 00:33:36.660 Uh, so yeah, it's different if you had a camera 746 00:33:37.490 --> 00:33:39.009 in my living room. That's the same here. 747 00:33:39.349 --> 00:33:41.190 I'll pass that along to my wife so she will 748 00:33:41.210 --> 00:33:43.329 feel better about the fact that I'm not the only 749 00:33:43.390 --> 00:33:43.970 one acting like. 750 00:33:43.890 --> 00:33:44.930 A complete psychopath. 751 00:33:45.289 --> 00:33:49.130 Patrick Fertitta here in studio, we appreciate all the time, 752 00:33:49.170 --> 00:33:51.549 taking the time out. Good luck this season, and we're 753 00:33:51.569 --> 00:33:53.789 looking forward to a lot of victories and a long 754 00:33:53.809 --> 00:33:54.210 playoff run. 755 00:33:54.579 --> 00:33:56.960 Well, I appreciate the time, guys. It's been great. 756 00:33:57.019 --> 00:34:01.289 I've been listening to 790 and Houston talk show radio 757 00:34:01.390 --> 00:34:04.069 my entire life. So it's actually fun for me. Before 758 00:34:04.109 --> 00:34:05.589 I could drive since I was a kid. I was 759 00:34:05.630 --> 00:34:06.730 a kid in high school. People would get in my 760 00:34:06.750 --> 00:34:08.860 car and be like, you listen to this? You got 761 00:34:08.889 --> 00:34:09.980 any music to listen to? 762 00:34:10.019 --> 00:34:12.300 Like, what are we doing? So it's fun for me. 763 00:34:12.340 --> 00:34:13.940 I appreciate you guys making the time. 764 00:34:14.000 --> 00:34:17.760 And yeah. Excited about a Rocket season ahead. Absolutely. You're 765 00:34:17.800 --> 00:34:18.500 welcome anytime. 766 00:34:18.550 --> 00:34:20.849 Patrick Fertitta here on Sports Talk 790, your home for 767 00:34:20.909 --> 00:34:23.670 Rockets basketball. We will react to some of what he 768 00:34:23.710 --> 00:34:25.869 had to say and continue here on a Tuesday edition 769 00:34:25.889 --> 00:34:26.389 of the program. 770 00:34:28.250 --> 00:34:30.329 The A-Team on Sports Talk 790.