NBA PREVIEW - ROCKETS STYLE
The Disastros are tanking.
The Texans are poised to go 0-3.
If the Rockets don't pull it off this year, I may have to start watching MLS.
Anyway I am going to go player by player in alphabetical order for the Rockets and then quickly team by team and make a couple predictions. I have high hopes... we won 55 games without our best player for 1/3 of the season and we picked up another top-flight player. Anyway here goes...
Rafer Alston (PG) - At 32 he doesn't have as quick a step as when he first came in the league, but he proved last year that he is still a deadly 3 point shooter. In addition, his decision making has become much improved and he rarely commits the foolish turnovers that marred his first couple of years in Houston. He knows when to pass and when to shoot and is still a deadly offensive threat and as a 3rd or 4th option he is solid. Remains an excellent on the ball defender and a threat to steal the ball. Can still hold his own with most point guards but he remains a liability when faced with a bigger guard, especially Deron Williams, and this is going to take some matchup wizardry to solve because Alston is just not a big guy. Luckily we have...
Ron Artest (SF) - A top 5 defender and we got him for free. I doubt we will really see a dramatic change in terms of our defensive efficiency (we were #2) but imagine the matchup problems. Take LA for example. Put Battier on Kobe (clearly Battier does an amazing job guarding him one on one), stick Artest on Stay-Puff Odom, leave Bynum and Yao to bang it out (Bynum's inexperience is going to lead to foul trouble more often than not), and then you have paper-thin Pau Gasol that T-Mac can easily front. Or Take Boston, another team with excellent wings. Put Artest on Pierce and Battier on Ray Allen. Play a little zone in the post and Garnett will have a flurry of defenders running at him. Alston can man on Rondo and you're left with the likes of Kendrick Perkins or Leon Powe. The defensive matchups are tantalizing playing both Battier and Artest, and if you are only playing one the rotations now possible are limitless. People will harp on the fact that he is a chemistry-killer and that he does not know how to play smart offense. I will point them to the seasons that Adelman coached him; Artest was not only an unselfish player but he was smart and knew when to distribute the ball and when to take his own shots. In addition his defensive intensity has only grown. He is still a little child at heart and so it will take the Rockets' continued success to bring out the best in him, and that depends on T-Mac and Yao staying healthy. But still, this is a coup on the order of Pau Gasol to the Lakers last year. The toughness Artest brings is going to really shape the team into a true contender. He is a free agent next year so either we win this year or we may have to pay beaucoup money to keep him....
Brent Barry (SG) - Another excellent wing defender off the bench. He still remains a 3 point threat but his defense is what's going to earn him his ticket on the team. He no longer has the quickness or explosiveness that characterized his younger days but combined with Battier and Artest, we will have a constant rotation of stifling defenders on the wing that will free up defensive rotations everywhere else. In addition he can buy T-Mac valuable rest, giving us another option at SG and allowing say, Artest, to become the #2 option for a while.
Shane Battier (SF) - What can I say... people will dog the Rudy Gay trade but Battier is a top 5 defender (possibly only under Kobe, KG, and Bowen) and a fantastic 3 point shooter. I will say this again - he needs to be less hesitant from the corners because he can really space out the defense when he's on. He has the capability of scoring 15 any night when his shooting game is on. That said, he is only an average 3 point shooter straight on and just above average from the angles. He needs to lose that little baby hook on offense as well because it just looks ugly. But seriously, this guy is a defensive stopper and his instincts are invaluable. One of the most underrated players in the league.
Aaron Brooks (PG) - Look for him to get more playing time this year. He is still a defensive liability and he is tiny. Bigger guards will run all over him (and by bigger I mean most PG in the league these days). Still, he is a creative offensive scorer and has the potential to be an efficient spark off the bench if he plays his cards right. He will most likely be the first backup to Alston.
Joey Dorsey (PF) - Another tough defender, a sort of hybrid between Hayes and Landry. He is R-A-W. He is offensively as retarded as Ben Wallace. However, Wallace is a good comparison defensively as he is an intense defender, an aggressive rebounder, and a decent shot-blocker. He will be good off the bench to provide key relief for Landry (if we re-sign him) and Scola. I don't expect a ton out of him this year though. Other than offensive rebounds, he is worthless on that side of the court. Look for him to be our 3rd center if we go small; he can hold his own with many centers defensively in this league. Will probably spend a little time in the NBDL.
Steve Francis (PG) - How the might have fallen. Only 31 and half a decade removed from being an All-Star starter. We all know he doesn't have much of a basketball IQ and that he still throws tantrums both in public and behind closed doors. I don't have much to say about him. We got him for cheap. If his ankles hold up, he will add depth at PG. I still hope secretly that he has a flash of the old Franchise in him but I have to remain a realist. Washed up :(
Mike Harris (SF/PF) - A Rice product. I have to be proud. He was a good scorer at Rice and in short stretches with the Rockets he has been a surprisingly effective scorer. Very smart player; you can count on him to take high percentage shots. Still very athletic and very young. He is a bit of an X-factor; he played significant minutes last year because of injuries and did well. He will be near the end of the depth chart at either position but can be an effective spark when needed.
Chuck Hayes (PF) - Our hustle man (once our starting PF...!). Fantastic rebounder despite his height and an elite defender. Offensively he knows when to take a shot and when to leave it to others and his unselfish play ensures that he will be a valuable asset on offense because he is a determined rebounder on both ends of the floor. Landry and Scola took a lot of his playing time but in the case of injuries he is a great asset and he can still play 10 minutes a game and be very effective. Shows how much depth we have now in our frontcourt.
Luther Head (SG) - I don't understand this guy. He should be a deadly 3 point shooter but instead he is woefully inconsistent and still worthless on defense. He will lose a lot of playing time to Brent Barry. Only shot 35% from 3 point land last year. He comes cheap atleast. Hopefully he will figure out whats wrong and start shooting the lights out like he did his rookie year.
Carl Landry (PF) - We have no excuse at this point for leaving this guy unsigned. I am sure at this point he realizes his market value is not as high as he once thought. He is an athletic big (though a little small) that plays bigger than his height and can get us a lot of rebounds and high percentage shots. He had an excellent rookie campaign, especially at the tail end of the year. I remember wanting Big Baby instead of him and now I realize how wrong I was. He will still share minutes with Scola, who is definitely the better player, but the tandem of Scola and Landry is pretty formidable. If we lose him, I have my doubts that Dorsey can be as effective on the offensive end, though he may not have to with the addition of Artest.
Maarty Leunen (SF) - NBDL bound. I doubt this guy will ever crack the roster.
Tracy McGrady (SG) - He is getting paid serious dough to bring us a title and his clock (aka his back) is running out. He knows it too. Still an elite scorer and solid defender and when healthy, a threat to drop 40 any given night. The help we secured over the off season should help lighten the load but he should know the pressure is on him. I don't have much else to say except this - when people question T-Mac's heart, that riles me up like nothing else. I am a proud Rockets fan and I can say that there are few players I am more proud of than T-Mac. He has put his heart into this city and into this team and I can't be the only one to appreciate that. He has played his heart out in every playoff game... Look at Dallas a few years back. Other than T-Mac and on occasion Yao our team had disappeared. Ditto for the Jazz the past couple of years; T-Mac got his points and averaged nearly 7 assists. He has played his heart out only for the rest of the team to collapse under the pressure, and the burden (rightfully so with his franchise player salary) ends up on his shoulders. I guess I will say this though... he needs to improve his 3 point shooting. 29% is not going to cut it.
Yao Ming (C) - Freak injuries... I guess you can only say that so often until you have to admit that Homo sapiens is not built to be 7'6". He is injury prone because of his height in the same way that so many taller players (Rik Smits!?) were. He is still the best center in the league in my opinion; head to head he outperformed Dwight Howard and offensively he is nearly unstoppable one-on-one, though he tends to flail under the double team. His conditioning and strength are as good as ever. Barring a freak injury, Yao should have the capacity to play 82 games for us and score 23/12. But every time the big guy falls down my heart stops just for a second...
Dikembe Mutombo (C) - Congolese Methuselah. We need to re-sign him. In short stretches he is still an amazingly effective shot blocker and really clogs up the paint. And his elbows are very sharp.
Luis Scola (PF) - He proved in the Olympics that he can play on an elite level. Scored 25+ against Team USA when Manu was hurt. He is an incredibly crafty scorer and as tough as they come (The "Argentinian Bulldog"). Thanks to our friends down I-10 for gift-wrapping him and sending him our way. Not much else to say; he is definitely no 2nd option but as a 3rd or 4th option on offense he is an asset. And again he is a crafty and unorthodox scorer and this makes up for any size he gives up in a matchup.
D.J. Strawberry (SG) - Did we really need another defensive guard with no offensive skill set? Then again we didn't give up much to get him (Sean Singletary).
Anyway, with this line-up I almost wish we had kept Novak because his non-presence on defense would have been more than offset by his precise shooting. Oh well. Oh yea, we also picked up that French center (Weis)that VC posterized in the Olympics. Wonder if he will set foot on our sures.
Anyway, a quick word on the rest of the league.
Boston - there is no way they can keep up that intensity for another year. They are getting older and despite making a couple of savvy moves (getting Miles was a nice low-risk pickup) and re-signing key players, they lost Posey, an invaluable glue guy that hit clutch shots and played tough defense. I think they are going to feel that loss for a while.
Detroit - have a young star in Rodney Stuckey. Billups is still durable and Rip is Rip. Maxiell and Amir Johnson are great up-and-coming bigs. Big question mark is Sheed... do we see All-Star Sheed or lackadaisical Sheed this year? That is gonig to determine whether or not they make a real push in the East. Oh yea, they have Kwame Brown to sit on the bench now.
Orlando - Surprise star in Turkoglu last year. Lost some depth at PG (Arroyo) and SF (Mo Evans) but signed Pietrus from the Warriors. D-Ho is going to get even better and Rashard Lewis should be solid. They will remain an elite team in the East.
Cleveland - Safe to say that LeBron is the best in the league. Addition of Mo Williams is going to make him that much better and make this team that much more deadly. I think they will miss Joe Smith though. Not much else to say; they still don't have what it takes to be a lock for the Eastern bid but no one in this league has any clue how to stop Lebron James. Any clue.
Washington - They are going to miss the playoffs. Butler is wasting his best years here. I have my doubts about Arenas' knee and Jamison is an aging star (but still a star). Lost Roger Mason to the Spurs and made no significant movement in this year's market. Stagnation will not win you basketball games.
Toronto - pickup of Jermaine O'Neal is huge. It allows Bosh to move to his natural position (PF), frees up the logjam at PG and lets the better one (Calderon) strut his stuff. No big losses really, though cutting Garbejosa was a questionable move. Should make a good run at the playoffs this year.
Philadelphia - the real winners of this years free agent market. Signed Elton Brand, kept AI-2, re-signed Lou Williams, and kept Andre Miller. An amazing core. This is the best Philly team since the Larry Brown era and probably since Sir Charles was in town. Thaddeus Young should get better and they kept most of their young core together.
Atlanta - Laughable. How do you let key players leave for EUROPE? Laughable. Mo Evans will not fill the void that Childress and his hair left. Atleast they kept Josh Smith for less than he is worth.
Indiana - I doubt TJ Ford will be the difference maker. Depends on what they end up getting for Tinsley I guess. Rush was a good pickup via the draft but still the East has gotten much better this year and Indian really hasn't. They will not make the playoffs as long as they have duds like Troy Murphy getting significant playing time. On a bright note, Danny Granger is an exciting new star and should have a breakout season this year.
New Jersey - How do you trade Jefferson for Yi Jianlian and expect to stay competitive!? Devin Harris should get better. Expect VC to start tanking it soon and demand a trade. This time, I can hardly blame him.
Chicago - Beasley is definitely more of an impact pick because Rose is going to take a while to get warmed up. It's clear that Ben Gordon is no star anymore. And we may have seen all we are going to see out of Deng. And that Hinrich is not the talent we thought him to be. But Sefolosha and Ty Thomas should get better. I doubt, however, that the Bulls even make the playoffs.
Charlotte - Well the core is together, Sean May and Morrison should be healthy (and probably worthless). Augustin was a so-so pickup. I don't see him filling any obvious voids (and there are many). They will be bottom feeders again this year. Trading for J Rich was a dumb move. Brandan Wright should start to pick it up this year. Not sure Larry Brown can turn these jokers into contenders.
Milwaukee - Perplexing. How do you trade a lousy forward for an All-Star (RJ) and then proceed to trade a PG whose stock had never been higher for Damon Jones and Francisco Elson? Perplexing. Joe Alexander was not the player I would have picked at No. 8.
New York - D'Antoni will make things more fun but this team is stuck under the weight of years of bad contracts. Wish they had kept Balkman. They need to dump Curry, Marbury, and just start over. The problem is the only young player worth a damn on this roster is Nate Robinson (unless Galinari turns out to be the real deal). David Lee is above average at best. What a disaster.
Miami - Speaking of disasters... Beasley will be an instant impact pick but it's clear that he is immature. D-Wade is clearly once again a top 5 player in this league. And Marion will be himself. But this team has almost nobody else to rely on. Haslem, James Jones, Chris Quinn is your starter!?!? The funny thing is they may actually make the playoffs on the back of D-Wade. Chalmers was a good draft pick at 34.
LA Lakers - They lost Turiaf, which is HUGE as he was one of the few guys to bring toughness to this otherwise gelatinous team, but they kept together a talented core - possibly the best foursome in the league - in Kobe, Bynum, Gasol, and Odom. Bynum will not be the impact player people are making him out to be but I can see him averaging 15/10 which is probably good enough to ride deep into the playoffs as long as Gasol can produce.
New Orleans - payed too much money for Posey but really, they had a solid team already. Will be a serious contender for the title. CP3 is amazing, David West is underrated, Ty Chandler is a top 5 center (more a commentary on how rare good centers are these days) and Peja is still solid. Devin Brown is a good low-risk pickup. Dangerous franchise.
San Antonio - older and starting to show cracks. Duncan has 2 years left at this level. Manu does not. He is aging in front of our eyes. Mason was a good pickup but Brent Barry was a big loss. They had their time in the limelight.
Utah - No big changes from last year. Deron Williams is still the 2nd best PG in the league behind CP3 and Boozer is a formidable scorer. Porous defense will keep them from winning the West. They are still a frightening team to meet in the playoffs.
Houston - I've said enough about these guys but this could be the year...
Phoenix - Sinking under the weight of years and years of bad moves, trading draft picks, making perplexing trades, and driving out an exciting coach for an unproven coach. They will sputter into the playoffs. Robin Lopez was a good draft pick, though.
Dallas - Desperation is setting in. J Kidd was a terrible pickup. You get a 36 washed up PG with a limited offensive skillset outside of passing (OK, so he is still the best passer in the league) and give up a PG that has gotten better every year and is putting up great numbers with the Nets. Oh yea, and 3 draft picks. There goes the franchise. OH WAIT, lets spend our precious little cap room and bottom feeders like Devean George and Diop! What a disaster. I won't even get into Josh Howard's questionable behavior...
Denver - I think it was too early to go into rebuilding mode. Camby is an amazing player. Melo and AI are not going to do this on their lonesome. Losing Najera was huge too. They are going to be on the outside looking in come playoff time.
Golden State - A franchise in flux. Losing B Diddy was huge and losing Monta Ellis to whatever injury he sustained is worse. Marcus Williams is not going to be worth a damn. Maggette is underrated but this team lost the face of their franchise (and to what? Another bottom feeder?). Losing Pietrus and Barnes was huge too. This team will be fun to watch simply because Don Nelson is a mad scientist and he will find an exciting combination. But the playoffs won't be in his equation.
Portland - Years of careful drafting and rebuilding are going to finally take root this year. Portland will not only make the playoffs but will atleast get into the conference semis. Greg Oden is supposedly amazing in inital workouts and his presence will let Aldridge play more naturally. Jerryd Bayless was a HUGE pickup and Rudy Fernandez and Sergio Rodriguez should make a significant impact. This is Roy's team. I don't give a crap about Portland and I am still proud of that kid. Don't ask me why, I don't know. I am secretly rooting for the Blazers if the Rockets lose because this is the way to build a franchise. Also they helped us turn Nicolas Batum into Ron Artest...!
Sacramento - Kevin Martin will finally have the freedom to score at will. He is in the top 10 in terms of offensive efficiency. Too bad he has no help. Terrible draft pick this year with Thompson. They also overpaid to get Beno Udrih. I doubt Donte Green will make a real impact in the next 3 years. Rebuilding time, finally. Once they drop Abdur-Rahim and Kenny Thomas they will have plenty of room to make some serious moves over the next few years.
LA Clippers - What a joke of a franchise. How do you let Elton Brand get away? Years of poor decisions and draft picks, thats how. Baron Davis, joke's on you. I don't have much faith in Gordon, though Jordan is a low risk draft pick. And the string of desperation moves and signings was laughable. Elton Brand was the cornerstone of the franchise, and they let him get away. The franchise will be feeling that loss for the next decade.
Minnesota - Al Jefferson will be good and he has some young help. Kevin Love was a great draft pick as well. But this team is 5 years from even thinking about making the playoffs. They oughta take a look at the Blazers. Patience is a virtue.
Memphis - Joke of the league. OJ Mayo will be good but they actually picked up Jaric and Buckner? Is this franchise run by idiots? They had the good sense to let Kwame go atleast. Darrell Arthur was a good low-risk pickup. Rudy Gay is good but he better be amazing if this team is going to win more than 25 games. Mike Conley will be interesting to watch.
OKC - I liked KD in college but consider me unconvinced. If he bulks up he can be a great defender but that amazing rebounding we saw in college is not evident. He is making better decisions though. With a little mentorship he could be great. Jeff Green should be better too and Westbrook was a smart pickup. Ibaka could be a good pickup too, if raw. This team will be fun to watch but they are nowhere near finding a mix that can win some serious games. OKC doesn't seem to care, they sold out season tickets anyway.
Finally a quick rundown of how teams will rank in the West and East.
WEST
1. LA Lakers
2. New Orleans
3. Houston
4. Utah
5. San Antonio
6. Portland
7. Phoenix
8. Dallas
9. Denver
10. Golden State
11. LA Clippers
12. Minnesota
13. Sacremento
14. OKC
15. Memphis
EAST
1. Boston
2. Detroit
3. Cleveland
4. Philadelpha
5. Orlando
6. Toronto
7. Washington
8. Miami
9. Chicago
10. Indiana
11. Milwaukee
12. Atlanta
13. New York
14. Charlotte
15. New Jersey
The Texans are poised to go 0-3.
If the Rockets don't pull it off this year, I may have to start watching MLS.
Anyway I am going to go player by player in alphabetical order for the Rockets and then quickly team by team and make a couple predictions. I have high hopes... we won 55 games without our best player for 1/3 of the season and we picked up another top-flight player. Anyway here goes...
Rafer Alston (PG) - At 32 he doesn't have as quick a step as when he first came in the league, but he proved last year that he is still a deadly 3 point shooter. In addition, his decision making has become much improved and he rarely commits the foolish turnovers that marred his first couple of years in Houston. He knows when to pass and when to shoot and is still a deadly offensive threat and as a 3rd or 4th option he is solid. Remains an excellent on the ball defender and a threat to steal the ball. Can still hold his own with most point guards but he remains a liability when faced with a bigger guard, especially Deron Williams, and this is going to take some matchup wizardry to solve because Alston is just not a big guy. Luckily we have...
Ron Artest (SF) - A top 5 defender and we got him for free. I doubt we will really see a dramatic change in terms of our defensive efficiency (we were #2) but imagine the matchup problems. Take LA for example. Put Battier on Kobe (clearly Battier does an amazing job guarding him one on one), stick Artest on Stay-Puff Odom, leave Bynum and Yao to bang it out (Bynum's inexperience is going to lead to foul trouble more often than not), and then you have paper-thin Pau Gasol that T-Mac can easily front. Or Take Boston, another team with excellent wings. Put Artest on Pierce and Battier on Ray Allen. Play a little zone in the post and Garnett will have a flurry of defenders running at him. Alston can man on Rondo and you're left with the likes of Kendrick Perkins or Leon Powe. The defensive matchups are tantalizing playing both Battier and Artest, and if you are only playing one the rotations now possible are limitless. People will harp on the fact that he is a chemistry-killer and that he does not know how to play smart offense. I will point them to the seasons that Adelman coached him; Artest was not only an unselfish player but he was smart and knew when to distribute the ball and when to take his own shots. In addition his defensive intensity has only grown. He is still a little child at heart and so it will take the Rockets' continued success to bring out the best in him, and that depends on T-Mac and Yao staying healthy. But still, this is a coup on the order of Pau Gasol to the Lakers last year. The toughness Artest brings is going to really shape the team into a true contender. He is a free agent next year so either we win this year or we may have to pay beaucoup money to keep him....
Brent Barry (SG) - Another excellent wing defender off the bench. He still remains a 3 point threat but his defense is what's going to earn him his ticket on the team. He no longer has the quickness or explosiveness that characterized his younger days but combined with Battier and Artest, we will have a constant rotation of stifling defenders on the wing that will free up defensive rotations everywhere else. In addition he can buy T-Mac valuable rest, giving us another option at SG and allowing say, Artest, to become the #2 option for a while.
Shane Battier (SF) - What can I say... people will dog the Rudy Gay trade but Battier is a top 5 defender (possibly only under Kobe, KG, and Bowen) and a fantastic 3 point shooter. I will say this again - he needs to be less hesitant from the corners because he can really space out the defense when he's on. He has the capability of scoring 15 any night when his shooting game is on. That said, he is only an average 3 point shooter straight on and just above average from the angles. He needs to lose that little baby hook on offense as well because it just looks ugly. But seriously, this guy is a defensive stopper and his instincts are invaluable. One of the most underrated players in the league.
Aaron Brooks (PG) - Look for him to get more playing time this year. He is still a defensive liability and he is tiny. Bigger guards will run all over him (and by bigger I mean most PG in the league these days). Still, he is a creative offensive scorer and has the potential to be an efficient spark off the bench if he plays his cards right. He will most likely be the first backup to Alston.
Joey Dorsey (PF) - Another tough defender, a sort of hybrid between Hayes and Landry. He is R-A-W. He is offensively as retarded as Ben Wallace. However, Wallace is a good comparison defensively as he is an intense defender, an aggressive rebounder, and a decent shot-blocker. He will be good off the bench to provide key relief for Landry (if we re-sign him) and Scola. I don't expect a ton out of him this year though. Other than offensive rebounds, he is worthless on that side of the court. Look for him to be our 3rd center if we go small; he can hold his own with many centers defensively in this league. Will probably spend a little time in the NBDL.
Steve Francis (PG) - How the might have fallen. Only 31 and half a decade removed from being an All-Star starter. We all know he doesn't have much of a basketball IQ and that he still throws tantrums both in public and behind closed doors. I don't have much to say about him. We got him for cheap. If his ankles hold up, he will add depth at PG. I still hope secretly that he has a flash of the old Franchise in him but I have to remain a realist. Washed up :(
Mike Harris (SF/PF) - A Rice product. I have to be proud. He was a good scorer at Rice and in short stretches with the Rockets he has been a surprisingly effective scorer. Very smart player; you can count on him to take high percentage shots. Still very athletic and very young. He is a bit of an X-factor; he played significant minutes last year because of injuries and did well. He will be near the end of the depth chart at either position but can be an effective spark when needed.
Chuck Hayes (PF) - Our hustle man (once our starting PF...!). Fantastic rebounder despite his height and an elite defender. Offensively he knows when to take a shot and when to leave it to others and his unselfish play ensures that he will be a valuable asset on offense because he is a determined rebounder on both ends of the floor. Landry and Scola took a lot of his playing time but in the case of injuries he is a great asset and he can still play 10 minutes a game and be very effective. Shows how much depth we have now in our frontcourt.
Luther Head (SG) - I don't understand this guy. He should be a deadly 3 point shooter but instead he is woefully inconsistent and still worthless on defense. He will lose a lot of playing time to Brent Barry. Only shot 35% from 3 point land last year. He comes cheap atleast. Hopefully he will figure out whats wrong and start shooting the lights out like he did his rookie year.
Carl Landry (PF) - We have no excuse at this point for leaving this guy unsigned. I am sure at this point he realizes his market value is not as high as he once thought. He is an athletic big (though a little small) that plays bigger than his height and can get us a lot of rebounds and high percentage shots. He had an excellent rookie campaign, especially at the tail end of the year. I remember wanting Big Baby instead of him and now I realize how wrong I was. He will still share minutes with Scola, who is definitely the better player, but the tandem of Scola and Landry is pretty formidable. If we lose him, I have my doubts that Dorsey can be as effective on the offensive end, though he may not have to with the addition of Artest.
Maarty Leunen (SF) - NBDL bound. I doubt this guy will ever crack the roster.
Tracy McGrady (SG) - He is getting paid serious dough to bring us a title and his clock (aka his back) is running out. He knows it too. Still an elite scorer and solid defender and when healthy, a threat to drop 40 any given night. The help we secured over the off season should help lighten the load but he should know the pressure is on him. I don't have much else to say except this - when people question T-Mac's heart, that riles me up like nothing else. I am a proud Rockets fan and I can say that there are few players I am more proud of than T-Mac. He has put his heart into this city and into this team and I can't be the only one to appreciate that. He has played his heart out in every playoff game... Look at Dallas a few years back. Other than T-Mac and on occasion Yao our team had disappeared. Ditto for the Jazz the past couple of years; T-Mac got his points and averaged nearly 7 assists. He has played his heart out only for the rest of the team to collapse under the pressure, and the burden (rightfully so with his franchise player salary) ends up on his shoulders. I guess I will say this though... he needs to improve his 3 point shooting. 29% is not going to cut it.
Yao Ming (C) - Freak injuries... I guess you can only say that so often until you have to admit that Homo sapiens is not built to be 7'6". He is injury prone because of his height in the same way that so many taller players (Rik Smits!?) were. He is still the best center in the league in my opinion; head to head he outperformed Dwight Howard and offensively he is nearly unstoppable one-on-one, though he tends to flail under the double team. His conditioning and strength are as good as ever. Barring a freak injury, Yao should have the capacity to play 82 games for us and score 23/12. But every time the big guy falls down my heart stops just for a second...
Dikembe Mutombo (C) - Congolese Methuselah. We need to re-sign him. In short stretches he is still an amazingly effective shot blocker and really clogs up the paint. And his elbows are very sharp.
Luis Scola (PF) - He proved in the Olympics that he can play on an elite level. Scored 25+ against Team USA when Manu was hurt. He is an incredibly crafty scorer and as tough as they come (The "Argentinian Bulldog"). Thanks to our friends down I-10 for gift-wrapping him and sending him our way. Not much else to say; he is definitely no 2nd option but as a 3rd or 4th option on offense he is an asset. And again he is a crafty and unorthodox scorer and this makes up for any size he gives up in a matchup.
D.J. Strawberry (SG) - Did we really need another defensive guard with no offensive skill set? Then again we didn't give up much to get him (Sean Singletary).
Anyway, with this line-up I almost wish we had kept Novak because his non-presence on defense would have been more than offset by his precise shooting. Oh well. Oh yea, we also picked up that French center (Weis)that VC posterized in the Olympics. Wonder if he will set foot on our sures.
Anyway, a quick word on the rest of the league.
Boston - there is no way they can keep up that intensity for another year. They are getting older and despite making a couple of savvy moves (getting Miles was a nice low-risk pickup) and re-signing key players, they lost Posey, an invaluable glue guy that hit clutch shots and played tough defense. I think they are going to feel that loss for a while.
Detroit - have a young star in Rodney Stuckey. Billups is still durable and Rip is Rip. Maxiell and Amir Johnson are great up-and-coming bigs. Big question mark is Sheed... do we see All-Star Sheed or lackadaisical Sheed this year? That is gonig to determine whether or not they make a real push in the East. Oh yea, they have Kwame Brown to sit on the bench now.
Orlando - Surprise star in Turkoglu last year. Lost some depth at PG (Arroyo) and SF (Mo Evans) but signed Pietrus from the Warriors. D-Ho is going to get even better and Rashard Lewis should be solid. They will remain an elite team in the East.
Cleveland - Safe to say that LeBron is the best in the league. Addition of Mo Williams is going to make him that much better and make this team that much more deadly. I think they will miss Joe Smith though. Not much else to say; they still don't have what it takes to be a lock for the Eastern bid but no one in this league has any clue how to stop Lebron James. Any clue.
Washington - They are going to miss the playoffs. Butler is wasting his best years here. I have my doubts about Arenas' knee and Jamison is an aging star (but still a star). Lost Roger Mason to the Spurs and made no significant movement in this year's market. Stagnation will not win you basketball games.
Toronto - pickup of Jermaine O'Neal is huge. It allows Bosh to move to his natural position (PF), frees up the logjam at PG and lets the better one (Calderon) strut his stuff. No big losses really, though cutting Garbejosa was a questionable move. Should make a good run at the playoffs this year.
Philadelphia - the real winners of this years free agent market. Signed Elton Brand, kept AI-2, re-signed Lou Williams, and kept Andre Miller. An amazing core. This is the best Philly team since the Larry Brown era and probably since Sir Charles was in town. Thaddeus Young should get better and they kept most of their young core together.
Atlanta - Laughable. How do you let key players leave for EUROPE? Laughable. Mo Evans will not fill the void that Childress and his hair left. Atleast they kept Josh Smith for less than he is worth.
Indiana - I doubt TJ Ford will be the difference maker. Depends on what they end up getting for Tinsley I guess. Rush was a good pickup via the draft but still the East has gotten much better this year and Indian really hasn't. They will not make the playoffs as long as they have duds like Troy Murphy getting significant playing time. On a bright note, Danny Granger is an exciting new star and should have a breakout season this year.
New Jersey - How do you trade Jefferson for Yi Jianlian and expect to stay competitive!? Devin Harris should get better. Expect VC to start tanking it soon and demand a trade. This time, I can hardly blame him.
Chicago - Beasley is definitely more of an impact pick because Rose is going to take a while to get warmed up. It's clear that Ben Gordon is no star anymore. And we may have seen all we are going to see out of Deng. And that Hinrich is not the talent we thought him to be. But Sefolosha and Ty Thomas should get better. I doubt, however, that the Bulls even make the playoffs.
Charlotte - Well the core is together, Sean May and Morrison should be healthy (and probably worthless). Augustin was a so-so pickup. I don't see him filling any obvious voids (and there are many). They will be bottom feeders again this year. Trading for J Rich was a dumb move. Brandan Wright should start to pick it up this year. Not sure Larry Brown can turn these jokers into contenders.
Milwaukee - Perplexing. How do you trade a lousy forward for an All-Star (RJ) and then proceed to trade a PG whose stock had never been higher for Damon Jones and Francisco Elson? Perplexing. Joe Alexander was not the player I would have picked at No. 8.
New York - D'Antoni will make things more fun but this team is stuck under the weight of years of bad contracts. Wish they had kept Balkman. They need to dump Curry, Marbury, and just start over. The problem is the only young player worth a damn on this roster is Nate Robinson (unless Galinari turns out to be the real deal). David Lee is above average at best. What a disaster.
Miami - Speaking of disasters... Beasley will be an instant impact pick but it's clear that he is immature. D-Wade is clearly once again a top 5 player in this league. And Marion will be himself. But this team has almost nobody else to rely on. Haslem, James Jones, Chris Quinn is your starter!?!? The funny thing is they may actually make the playoffs on the back of D-Wade. Chalmers was a good draft pick at 34.
LA Lakers - They lost Turiaf, which is HUGE as he was one of the few guys to bring toughness to this otherwise gelatinous team, but they kept together a talented core - possibly the best foursome in the league - in Kobe, Bynum, Gasol, and Odom. Bynum will not be the impact player people are making him out to be but I can see him averaging 15/10 which is probably good enough to ride deep into the playoffs as long as Gasol can produce.
New Orleans - payed too much money for Posey but really, they had a solid team already. Will be a serious contender for the title. CP3 is amazing, David West is underrated, Ty Chandler is a top 5 center (more a commentary on how rare good centers are these days) and Peja is still solid. Devin Brown is a good low-risk pickup. Dangerous franchise.
San Antonio - older and starting to show cracks. Duncan has 2 years left at this level. Manu does not. He is aging in front of our eyes. Mason was a good pickup but Brent Barry was a big loss. They had their time in the limelight.
Utah - No big changes from last year. Deron Williams is still the 2nd best PG in the league behind CP3 and Boozer is a formidable scorer. Porous defense will keep them from winning the West. They are still a frightening team to meet in the playoffs.
Houston - I've said enough about these guys but this could be the year...
Phoenix - Sinking under the weight of years and years of bad moves, trading draft picks, making perplexing trades, and driving out an exciting coach for an unproven coach. They will sputter into the playoffs. Robin Lopez was a good draft pick, though.
Dallas - Desperation is setting in. J Kidd was a terrible pickup. You get a 36 washed up PG with a limited offensive skillset outside of passing (OK, so he is still the best passer in the league) and give up a PG that has gotten better every year and is putting up great numbers with the Nets. Oh yea, and 3 draft picks. There goes the franchise. OH WAIT, lets spend our precious little cap room and bottom feeders like Devean George and Diop! What a disaster. I won't even get into Josh Howard's questionable behavior...
Denver - I think it was too early to go into rebuilding mode. Camby is an amazing player. Melo and AI are not going to do this on their lonesome. Losing Najera was huge too. They are going to be on the outside looking in come playoff time.
Golden State - A franchise in flux. Losing B Diddy was huge and losing Monta Ellis to whatever injury he sustained is worse. Marcus Williams is not going to be worth a damn. Maggette is underrated but this team lost the face of their franchise (and to what? Another bottom feeder?). Losing Pietrus and Barnes was huge too. This team will be fun to watch simply because Don Nelson is a mad scientist and he will find an exciting combination. But the playoffs won't be in his equation.
Portland - Years of careful drafting and rebuilding are going to finally take root this year. Portland will not only make the playoffs but will atleast get into the conference semis. Greg Oden is supposedly amazing in inital workouts and his presence will let Aldridge play more naturally. Jerryd Bayless was a HUGE pickup and Rudy Fernandez and Sergio Rodriguez should make a significant impact. This is Roy's team. I don't give a crap about Portland and I am still proud of that kid. Don't ask me why, I don't know. I am secretly rooting for the Blazers if the Rockets lose because this is the way to build a franchise. Also they helped us turn Nicolas Batum into Ron Artest...!
Sacramento - Kevin Martin will finally have the freedom to score at will. He is in the top 10 in terms of offensive efficiency. Too bad he has no help. Terrible draft pick this year with Thompson. They also overpaid to get Beno Udrih. I doubt Donte Green will make a real impact in the next 3 years. Rebuilding time, finally. Once they drop Abdur-Rahim and Kenny Thomas they will have plenty of room to make some serious moves over the next few years.
LA Clippers - What a joke of a franchise. How do you let Elton Brand get away? Years of poor decisions and draft picks, thats how. Baron Davis, joke's on you. I don't have much faith in Gordon, though Jordan is a low risk draft pick. And the string of desperation moves and signings was laughable. Elton Brand was the cornerstone of the franchise, and they let him get away. The franchise will be feeling that loss for the next decade.
Minnesota - Al Jefferson will be good and he has some young help. Kevin Love was a great draft pick as well. But this team is 5 years from even thinking about making the playoffs. They oughta take a look at the Blazers. Patience is a virtue.
Memphis - Joke of the league. OJ Mayo will be good but they actually picked up Jaric and Buckner? Is this franchise run by idiots? They had the good sense to let Kwame go atleast. Darrell Arthur was a good low-risk pickup. Rudy Gay is good but he better be amazing if this team is going to win more than 25 games. Mike Conley will be interesting to watch.
OKC - I liked KD in college but consider me unconvinced. If he bulks up he can be a great defender but that amazing rebounding we saw in college is not evident. He is making better decisions though. With a little mentorship he could be great. Jeff Green should be better too and Westbrook was a smart pickup. Ibaka could be a good pickup too, if raw. This team will be fun to watch but they are nowhere near finding a mix that can win some serious games. OKC doesn't seem to care, they sold out season tickets anyway.
Finally a quick rundown of how teams will rank in the West and East.
WEST
1. LA Lakers
2. New Orleans
3. Houston
4. Utah
5. San Antonio
6. Portland
7. Phoenix
8. Dallas
9. Denver
10. Golden State
11. LA Clippers
12. Minnesota
13. Sacremento
14. OKC
15. Memphis
EAST
1. Boston
2. Detroit
3. Cleveland
4. Philadelpha
5. Orlando
6. Toronto
7. Washington
8. Miami
9. Chicago
10. Indiana
11. Milwaukee
12. Atlanta
13. New York
14. Charlotte
15. New Jersey