Some are probably disappointed with the Houston Rockets 95-84 loss to Dallas on Wednesday night. I put off blogging on Wednesday so I could talk about the Rockets and the NBA playoffs today. Like most fans, I was hoping Houston could end the season on a winning streak. I was hoping they could become the Southwest Division champs and claim home court advantage through two rounds. All those things would have been extremely nice and encouraging.
But the more I've thought about it, the Rockets fall from the No. 2 seed to the No. 5 seed really won't make a difference, except in the long haul.
Winning Wednesday night would have meant Houston could have avoided the inevitable for two or three weeks. The inevitable is that regardless of what plays out in the first two rounds of the Western bracket, the Lakers will be conference champions.
And as the five seed, the Rockets will meet their doom in the second round instead of the third, which means a lot of good things for the team and its fans.
Here are some positive things to look at:
- They tried their best without their overrated superstar Tracy McGrady, who needs to be traded to whatever team will take him. (Maybe send him to the Astros?)
- Ron Artest has not made a CD or punched anyone since coming to Houston.
- Barring some major upsets, fans won't have to watch Houston have its season ended by the Utah Jazz or the Mavericks for the 38th time this century.
- The Rocket's front office can vacation earlier than expected, which means they can get back to work earlier, which means they can start preparing a plot to take King James, which is an operation to get Lebron before he goes to New York or re-signs with Cleveland. I say Houston should offer Cleveland Yao (as much as he is underrated), Tracy, Battier (as much as I love him), Joey Dorsey, Chuck Hayes and its next eight draft picks for Lebron and Zydrunas Ilgauskas. I threw in Ilgauskas as a crowd pleaser for all the fans who love Yao simply because he is Chinese. (I can't say Ilgauskas and I can't speak Chinese, therefore Ilgauskas is from China?)
Either way, the Rockets have a solid backcourt that resembles a lot of what Lebron has at Cleveland. What I think the Cavs are missing (if anything) are guys like Artest and Luis Scola, which Houston has. So I'm thinking we can bring the Cavs, Artest and Scola together by having Cleveland give Houston Lebron.
As far as the NBA playoffs playing out, I think the Rockets take down Portland in seven and then lose a 'closer than the experts think' series with L.A., which should easily move onto the Finals.
In the Eastern Conference, Boston head coach Doc Rivers said Kevin Garnett won't be available for the playoffs so that leaves Orlando as the only other candidate to beat Cleveland, which means the Cavs and Lakers will likely be matched in the Finals.
However, I will be rooting for Kendrick Perkins to emerge as a powerhouse this postseason so that the Celtics will return to the Finals and be forced to make a new deal for Ozen's finest.
If that plays out, Lebron will be discouraged about Cleveland, making him more interested for a trade. Houston is a big city and very marketable. We don't have Jay Z but we do have Beyonce, so it is pretty much the same city. If my plan works, Boston will have to pony up to keep Perkins, who I'm hoping will be homesick and want to play for the Rockets.
So my 2009-10 Rockets look like this:
starters:
PG - Aaron Brooks
SG - Lebron James
SF - Ron Artest
PF - Luis Scola
C - Zydrunas Ilgauskas
second squad:
PG - Kyle Lowry
SG - Von Wafer
SF - Lebron James
PF - Carl Landry
C - Kendrick Perkins
third squad:
PG - Lebron James
SG - Brent Barry
SF - James White
PF - Brian Cook
C - Dikembe Mutombo
What a team!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
Kendrick Perkins will be a starter for someone for years to come so forget about him being in Houston. Yao Ming is very overrated. 20 and 10 with 2 blocks for someone 7'6. WOW! Never in his career has he finished top 5 in scoring rebounding or blocks.
ReplyDeleteGive me a Kobe Lebron final please. And just to keep football in the conversation. Boldin is being shopped. Please bring him to Dallas.
I'd write something astute, but I neither care about nor follow pro basketball. The only reason I'd like to see Lebron in Houston is that it would ensure he'll never get a ring. I have nothing against Lebron, but I like pro athletes—the top pro athletes—to have resume flaws. Didn’t Peyton become a little less interesting when he beat the Bears? Don’t we see Brady differently after he won an MVP? Each had a certain character-infusing mystique surrounding their “accolades without championship” “championships without accolades” personas. I don’t want to beat this to death, but there was something quaint in seeing this creep across a Sunday screen: “New England—24, Miami—13; Brady 19-23, 230 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT” because you knew this overachieving late-rounder would be the guy on the podium. And there was something tragic about “Indianapolis—42, Tennessee—10; Manning 35-42, 375, 4 TD, 0 INT” because you knew something would go wrong in December—something that wouldn’t be his fault but that would allow you to judge him just a little. There are many examples to which we can apply this principle: when you combine all the different elements by which we measure “greatness” in a sport into one specific athlete, you end up with a machine. How much would we hate A-Rod if he had 3 rings? How much do we hate Kobe? (even Tyler Hansborough?) How gut-wrenchingly unholy would it have been for Ivan Drago to beat Rocky? Think about Tiger…wouldn’t it be cooler if he was still a mechanically sound, scrawny nerd mopping the floor with the golf world? Now that I know he’s a perfect golfer AND could bench-press a Mini Cooper AND could steal mine and all my buddies’ girlfriends in one night, I like him a little less because I realize he’s more unlike me.
ReplyDeleteAnd this will happen to Lebron once he moves to New Jersey, wins 5 rings in 8 years, goes multi-platinum, starts a Fortune 500 company, gains appointment as a UN Ambassador, and heads a multi-lateral commission that establishes a peaceful Palestinian state and rids the world of nuclear weapons during his off-seasons. We will not like him. We’ll smile when he has a bad night or an injury setback. We will want his name next to “SCANDAL” in the Enquirer.
So maybe it is a good idea to get him to Houston, where he can protect his character by ensuring he’ll never be a winner.
I must admit I'm currently annoyed because I just played ultimate frisbee with some of my younger friends who don't understand the philosophies of zone coverage, but I do see your point Deon. It's something I haven't thought about a whole lot, but I'm not sure it holds too much truth, maybe partial truth. I mean, you have some proof but it is a very small sample.
ReplyDeleteI think people love to hate the Mannings because of their name and their persona, because of the stunt they pulled with Eli when he was in the draft. It's basically the same reason why many fans hate the Cowboys and the Yankees. They hate them because they are historically better than everyone. If they aren't your team, you're probably not going to like them. A lot of times fans decide to hate a player for the same reason. If a player is not on your team and that player's team has more success than your team, than it's doubtful you will like that player. That is especially the case with football and baseball. Just for an example, Albert Pujols is probably a wonderful human being but because he plays for the Cardinals and because of the things he's done to the Astros, I hate his guts.
Also, most people in America still appreciate the underdog story (Brady). It's good versus evil. It's poor versus rich. But, there are a handful of special circumstances where America falls in love with dominate players.
So the truth of the matter is there are no set rules on any one person. There are just some athletes the majority loves to hate and others who we cannot help but love. Sometimes it is as simple as a player selling the wrong brand of whatever on the wrong commercial, maybe he or she said the wrong thing in a press conference, maybe they went to the wrong college, cheated on their spouse or whatever else flaws their character. The love and hate thing is all about teams, sport and public relations with PR being the big one. Magic Johnson announces he has AIDs, people end up loving him more. Then on the other end of the spectrum, you have guys like TO, Alex Rodriguez and Barry Bonds.
We don't necessarily root against or lose interest with someone because they dominate their sport. Look at Tiger Woods. Look at Michael Jordan. Athletes who truly dominate their sport are special and fans enjoy watching that just as much as they enjoy watching underdogs prevail. That isn't so much the case with football and baseball because the NBA sells its sport differently. Golf also sells different from baseball and football.
With Lebron, some people are going to hate him just because he is compared to Jordan. In truth, however, he is more physically gifted than Jordan ever thought about being and his work ethics are incredible. He might lose some of his appeal if the championships come after he relocates or if he dogs Cleveland strictly for financial reasons. But I think, he can win 10 straight championships and so long as he doesn't do anything to flaw his character, he will be loved by the masses.
It's all about PR and how the media tells the story.
Great stuff, man.
ReplyDeleteSorry in advance for this rant, but I can't help it. The idea from one of your commenters that Yao is "overrated" might be one of the silliest things I've ever heard in my life. It's amazing how people keep moving the bar for Yao to where he's a disappointment in their eyes. On draft night, I'd say the vast majority of fans and analysts said bust. Everyone had not-so-witty sayings like "how do you say Shawn Bradley in Chinese?" Everyone from Bill Simmons to Dick Vitale guaranteed that taking Yao over Jay Williams was this generation's Bowie over Jordan.
Also, his statistics are supposed to be disappointing "for someone 7'6"? Are you freaking kidding me? Outside of Yao, can you name me a single player 7'4 or larger who was even a very good player? The only even effective one was Rik Smits, and he was 16/6 in his prime and plagued by injuries. The others -- Bradley, Muresan, Bol -- are you kidding? When you're that big, simply to have the durability, agility, coordination and strength to be a regular, starting basketball player is an accomplishment in and of itself. To average 20/10/2 every year and be the clear best center in basketball... wow. It's amazing how people act like he "should" be doing that and more when he's 7-6, yet can't cite even ONE EXAMPLE of a similarly tall player having such success. There might be a reason...
Also, the idea that 20/10/2 is disappointing is the funniest thing I've ever heard in my entire life. If I remember correctly, there are FOUR 20/10 guys in the entire NBA. Tim Duncan, probably the greatest player of the post-MJ generation, hasn't been a 20/10 guy for three of his past four seasons. Yao is the single most dominant low post presence in the entire NBA. Even stud defenders like Dwight Howard look completely helpless against them. He has carried a mediocre roster on his back to 53 wins and the postseason.
Is he a superstar, on the level of LeBron and Kobe? No, but who said he had to be? He is a damn good player, and to act as if he's overrated is just pure lunacy.
PS: I also love that the person who slammed Yao simultaneously praises Kendrick Perkins as a legit starter for years to come. If only Yao could be an 8/8 guy, then Houston would really have something... :rolleyes:
By the way, Deon, I like you, but I think there's a statute of limitations on the "no ring" jokes, and if a team has won two titles in the last 15 years, that's over the line. :)
ReplyDeleteOn subject, while I don't think it's going to be LeBron, the Rockets are going to bring in a perimeter star at some point over the next 15 months. By not dealing McGrady at the deadline, his expiring $22m deal is going to be a gold mine for a lot of teams. (The 2010 free agent class is loaded, with LeBron, Wade and countless other young studs.) The question is, when and how do you cash in on the contract? You can trade him in the offseason, trade him at the deadline, or just let the contract expire and go after the free agents yourself.
There are pros and cons to each. In a typical situation, you get the most value by waiting until the deadline, because a lot of teams won't commit to "tanking" a season -- i.e. dealing their star player -- until they're out of the race. But I think this might be different. Because the 2010 class is SO strong, and because the economy is SO bad right now, I think there will be a lot of deals to be had over the summer from teams trying to shed money. Also, there's something to be said for having whoever your new acquisition is in camp and getting the adjustment over with early. The only approach I wouldn't do is just let McGrady's deal expire -- as fun as it is to blog, I don't think Houston as a market has what it takes to acquire LeBron or Wade, and unless it's one of those two, I think the trade market gives you a better chance at an impact guy.
Final nugget of discussion: It's fairly well known that Houston passed on a potential McGrady/Baron Davis deal at the deadline, based largely on the fact that they think they can do better than Davis this summer/next deadline with the McGrady contract chip. I agree that they most likely can... however, in the meantime, passing on that deal essentially took away any chance this season had of being a championship team, and there are only so many prime years Yao has left. Undoubtedly, they would be division champs, at the very least.
So, I ask... knowing what we know now, if you could theoretically trade McGrady for Davis today and have Davis for the playoffs, would you do it?
To Jebby:
ReplyDeleteFor centers, Yao Ming is second in scoring and fourth in rebounding. Only two centers average 20 and 10. The other is Dwight Howard and he drinks milk and has a superman costume. There are only five centers who averaged 10 rebounds this season. There are only five centers who average more than two blocks per game and there is not one center who averages more than three.
Yao is underrated!
Here are some other reasons: With the exception of Shane Battier, most of Houston's players are too stupid to A.) Give the ball to Yao every time down the floor and B.) To throw him a high entry pass as opposed to a bounce pass. He is 7-6 for crying out loud. What if David had that same mindset with Goliath? "Hmm!" David says to himself as he scratches his head. "I think I'll just sling rocks at his knees and maybe the big fella will bend down and take one in the kisser?"
The only problem with Yao is that his mindset isn't stuck on dominate. He tries too hard to be a team guy, which is a terrible thing if you are 7-6 and could easily flush 50 every night. And you are kidding yourself if you don't think Yao couldn't dominate the league in scoring.
My proof: For all players/positions, Yao is 43rd in attempts and 21st in scoring. So if he was 21st in attempts, he'd easily be in the top five in scoring. Mathematically speaking, he would be first in scoring and it would not be close.
Disclaimer: This statistical whipping has been brought to you by Cody Pastorella and ESPN.com. I'd like to thank Milk, Superman and my mom.
By the way, the true measure of elite players is how they matchup with one another. Yao and Howard have met nine times.
ReplyDeleteYao's team has won seven times, while he averages 23.6 points (56% shooting), 10.4 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks. Howard's team has won twice, while he averages 12.2 points (45% shooting), 9.8 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks. If you watched them play last week, you'd see that Howard was absolutely helpless. To put it simply: Dwight Howard is Yao Ming's bitch, and Yao is far and away the most dominant center in the league. Just thought I'd add that in. :)
Ben: You and I don't always agree on many issues. Politics and sports being two of the bigger ones. I also think you like Dominoes pizza, which is just completely disappointing, but you've nailed this stuff about Yao out of the park. As great as I think Yao is, however, he's 29 and can't have too much left in the tank in terms of his prime years, so I would trade him in a heartbeat for Lebron.
ReplyDeleteI realize Houston won't have much a chance to cater Lebron's wish list, but this is America and I refuse to stop dreaming just because we have adopted socialism just because car sales are down.
Football talk here!
ReplyDeleteAs far as Anquan Boldin is concerned, I'd love to have him in Dallas if Jerry Jones could just talk him into coming without a lucrative deal. I just feel like the Cowboys have burned too much on receivers in the past year. First, third and sixth round draft picks and a huge contract for Roy Williams. And Dallas is basically paying Terrell Owens $9 million to play for Buffalo this upcoming season. There are too many needs that Dallas has to address for it to continue churning rubber in the same mud hole. It's time to get out of the truck, grab a shuffle and lodge a piece of wood under the tire. It's time for a new plan. I mean, who knows, maybe you are right. Maybe Anquan Boldin is the missing piece. But I think Boldin would come in, make some pretty plays, get his yards and Dallas would still lose because at the end of the day, the defense would still have holes, the offensive line would still be getting 41.3 flags for false starts a game and Tony Romo would still be committing four turnovers per possession.
Seriously, Tony should retire, marry Jessica Simpson, shack up in Hollywood, milk his earnings into a Swiss bank account, mow greens at the local country club in the mornings and play free golf in the afternoons.
That, friends, is the American Dream, a dream that beats playing for America's team any day of the week. And it's a dream that doesn't end with him starting a dog fighting ring or end with me killing over from a string of strokes at 26, strokes induced by horrible quarterbacking.
Ben, I may be alone in this, but I’m not so sure Houston would have two NBA titles in the last fifteen years had it not been for Jordan playing baseball. Those titles just feel fake. It’s like winning a high school essay competition because a processing error deleted all the other contestants except for half a dozen ESL kids. Enjoy your certificate because you’ll never win one against the real competitors. At the end of the day: Houston ≠ Title town.
ReplyDeleteCody, I know there is a tendency to boil our emotional response to athletes down to a good/evil appraisal that can be manipulated through PR. The reason why the good/evil divide doesn’t completely explain our responses is that it is a subjective category. You mentioned people loving Magic because he has AIDS. You’re implying that the real “evil” represented by AIDS was converted to “good” by PR and subjective reception. I’m saying the real point is that we could have had every right to dislike pre-HIV Magic because he was the best player at his position and also won titles. He was a machine...objectively. I want to remove value-descriptions from the argument and focus on the fact that fans can be jealous of a player who masters his skills and is a champion.
When Lebron wins a title, it will be one of the more inevitable events in the history of sports. We’ve known this guy was the best since he was 16. We know a franchise, a brand, and (if the truth were told) even the NBA itself would do (perhaps has done?) anything to get him a championship. I don’t know what “the people” will think after he wins, but it won’t be “Gee, I’m glad he pulled through the adversity.”
Sure, we pull for dominant athletes every now and then. Babe Ruth and Jordan are good examples. I’m hesitant to throw Tiger into this mix. His PGA entrance was way too “anti-establishment” for him to ever be disliked. Tiger is a real Good over Evil story that overrides his machine-like nature. Roll the exact same skill set and credentials into a typical golfer and we would not like him regardless of his objective “goodness” or PR campaign. Also, there may come a day when we root for that underdog against Tiger...it is possible.
We may watch and buy the jerseys of sports-machines, but I still hold that we do not like them. We’re too democratic. This is separate from whether they are good/evil, nice/mean, rich/poor, sober/drunk, religious/atheist, funny/bland, etc. If we like sports-Machines, we like one per every generation and a half. All the others we want to compare to this One. With 6 titles, Lebron is “Just Like MJ.” With none, he’s “The Greatest Player Ever*.” People would write ballads about him.
* That happened not to win a title due to a string of unfortunate circumstances.
I really do see your point. It's very well put, it's amazing and has a lot of truth. Typically, I think most of us hate the machine; but under the right circumstances, we love it. I just think that everything that made us feel good about watching Jordan is sitting with Lebron. Some are rooting he fails but most are hoping he succeeds because they miss Jordan and that wholesome feeling he gave fans.
ReplyDeleteAnd I don't think you can exclude all the many variables that go into why one athlete will be loved or won't be loved. There are so many. From exposure, longevity, public image, player resume and I'm sure I'm leaving something off. And yes, the athletes who are loved by the masses are far and few between and it will always be that way because the ones we love the most are the ones who rise above and beyond the rest. That's part of what makes them special.
The more I think about it, I think your argument is more about the characteristics in fans. There are negative people and positive people. People who are going to find the good in everything and people who don't want anyone to be too good. That's what makes the Tiger Woods and MJs so special, they bring everyone together.
your obviously a idiot! why would you trade that many quality players for just lebron and ilgauskas. yao is a better player than ilgauskas. Houston would not part ways with yao just to get lebron and vice versa. Houston will take out portland in 5 games and perkins isnt that great
ReplyDeleteI once bought a Kukoc jersey, simply because the Chicago press hailed him as a savior — the Croation Sensation.
ReplyDeleteI still have that jersey — it's hanging up in my closet.
"Ben, I may be alone in this, but I’m not so sure Houston would have two NBA titles in the last fifteen years had it not been for Jordan playing baseball. Those titles just feel fake."
ReplyDeleteI don't understand this on any level. First of all, Jordan did play in the second Rockets' title -- he was beaten by Orlando, who the Rockets' swept. That Rockets' team beat FOUR 60-win teams in the playoffs... just insane. The difference in the Bulls that year was the lack of a power forward (after Grant, before Rodman).
Second, what does it matter? If the Rockets' titles somehow don't count because Jordan retired, why do any titles since Jordan retired again count? Spurs, Lakers, how are theirs any more real? If the Rockets' titles don't count because Jordan didn't play in one of those years, then why does any NBA title that didn't happen when Jordan was in the league count?
Finally, why is the burden of proof exclusively on the Rockets? The Rockets never beat the Bulls, but the Bulls never beat the Rockets, either, and the Rockets dominated them in the regular season. Why can't I say the Bulls' titles in those years weren't legitimate, because Hakeem got hurt or something?
If you think winning an NBA title, as a No. 6 seed, by beating FOUR SIXTY-PLUS WIN TEAMS in a series is equivalent to playing half a dozen ESL teams, I don't know what to say. Every team the Rockets played in that run would CRUSH any team in the league today, Lakers included. That was probably the most impressive championship run, scheduling-wise, in league history, and for that Houston will always be Clutch City to me. At least in basketball.
To anonymous:
ReplyDeleteI'm obviously an idiot.
It was wishful thinking, not something I figure to actually happen. Furthermore, you are crazy if you wouldn't exchange Yao for Lebron at whatever cost. Yao is 29 and 7-6. Most good centers don't come into their own until their late 20s and then taper off around 33. Yao's prime will be cut even shorter than other good centers because of his size. Lebron is 24 and will be amazing for at least 10 more years and probably be better than most for another 3-5.
I know Yao can run circles around Ilgauskas, but I (an admitted idiot) could not entertain a Lebron trade that didn't include Yao (Houston's best player).
Also... I realize Kendrick Perkins isn't the best center in the game or anywhere close right now. But he is also 24 years old and has been in the NBA since 18, which means his knowledge of the game for big men is way ahead of the curve right now. As I said before, the bigs don't usually reach their real prime until 27-28, which means he has almost four more years before he even begins to peak. He already starts for the defending NBA champions. And having him in Houston as a role player — starting center, backup center, power forward in certain situations with a pretty solid Ilgauskas, well before Perkins enters his prime — WOW! I don't know if you are picking up everything I'm putting down here, but maybe you're also an idiot.
Also to anonymous:
ReplyDeleteIf you are going to start a sentence with some burn to a person's level of intelligence, you might want to proof read before clicking the ole post comment button.
You wrote, and I quote, "your obviously a idiot."
I believe you were trying to say, YOU'RE obviously AN idiot.
Thanks for playing, we will see you next week.
To Ben:
ReplyDeleteI want to make it clear that I think Yao is good, and 20 and 10 is great. My reasoning behind thinking he is overrated is because he is supposed to be so dominant but yet won't carry a team. I would be surprised if Yao carries them through the first round. I do think he should get the ball every time. However, that has to do with coaching though and that is a whole different discussion.
Howard has the ability to go for 40 and 20 any given night. I don't see that in Yao. This season alone Yao has had 36 single digit rebounding games compared to Howards 16. Howard has 14 games of 19+ boards and Yao has one.
Yao has been in the league to long to not learn to take over a game. He needs to demand the ball. I need some scoring aggression out of him please.
My point of Perkins was that he is a starter for a championship team and is young. He is a starter for just about every team in the NBA. I didn't say he was better than Yao or even hint that I thought he was great. You point out Perkins goes for 8 and 8. He plays on a team with 3 hall of famers and a legit PG. Of course he isn't going to score much. Also, when you have someone like KG who normally averages double digit board numbers it is going to take away from Perkins.
Ben, I know you do work here in Houston. Tell me about a little about Von Wafer. I have been following him since high school. He makes want to like the Rockets.
i say houston sweeps portland in 2 games. portland may even surrender before the 2nd game..
ReplyDeletetony
WOW! Great stuff gentlemen, I hope I am not late in this conversation. I gotta go with Jebby on the Yao issue. But I don't think Yao is as much overrated as T-Mac has been a dissapointment. Yes Yoa should be more dominant than he is, but T-Mac came to Houston on the pretext that he would be a Lebron/Kobe like player and in that he has failed to do. He is now and always has been since going to Houston a Detlef Schremph like player, reliable and steady(when healthy) but nothing to bring you to the next level. Anyway I'm in Japan and have not been able to keep up on the latest and greatest in the football rumors. I think Boldin would be a perfect fit for the 'Boys. Hell anything beats T.O.'s dumbass. Anyway looking forward to the next post Cody, I look forward to it every Wednesday. I just now found the comment section and what a treat it is.
ReplyDeleteDustin
ReplyDeleteT-Mac has got to be the biggest waste of talent. He has top 5 ability and the assertiveness of a sloth.
I blame Houston for there inability to realize an injury liability. I mean the guy had injuries before he came to Houston. His back has been a problem and running up and down hardwood floors takes a toll. He was like 25 when he became a Rocket, add a bad back, he was really like 29. 4 years later now he is more like 33. Then top on micro fracture surgery, that seems to be the worst surgery an athlete can have, he might as well retire.
Guys!! It's never too late to comment, but I forget to check previous posts. Bring the arguments to the current week, even if it doesn't apply. I am a very random person anyway.
ReplyDeleteNo argument for me on T-Mac. He has a big pay check, a lazy eye and back spasms. He should be working behind a desk, making middle class income.
I can't stress enough how overrated Tony Romo is. TO produces. All receivers drop passes. All good receivers gripe, except Jerry Rice but with Steve Young and Joe Montana, he had no reason to gripe. Owens only mistake as a Cowboy was crying on television.