Rockets 97, Mavs 94; A Note on Iguodala

In my opinion, this was the most significant win of the season.

Aaron Brooks led all scorers with 30 points including 6 triples.  Dirk Nowitzki was held to 3-12 from the field for just 11 points.

After surrendering a double digit 3rd quarter lead, the Rockets held on in the 4th to secure the victory.

Random Musings:

Typically, I offer my perspective of each game in the form of independent observations.  Today, that will not be the case because the significance of this win was as a whole:  I thought this was the biggest victory of the year for the Rockets.

With wins over the Lakers and Cleveland, Houston has beaten teams superior to the Mavericks.  But in my opinion, this win carries far greater implications.  The Lakers are a team against whom the Rockets had already proven [in last year’s playoffs] to match up favorably.  This particular Rockets team, without Yao and Artest, prior to the win against Cleveland, had no track record against the Cavaliers, so there was no extant barometer to indicate team progression.

Last night’s win over Dallas stands as the biggest of the year because it came over a team against whom the Rockets had struggled earlier.  The win at Dallas showed mettle, but it came without Dirk in the lineup.  This win signified an ability to adjust against a superior foe.  The game really invokes the memory of the Francis-era Rockets for whom the complete opposite was the case.

In beating a Mavericks squad at full health, this win, against the very fitting backdrop of the New Year, marked the most significant milestone to date of the Rockets’ season.

Only the early win at Utah compares in gravity as a true ‘turning point.’  After giving off the appearance of a sure-fire lottery finish [on opening night against Portland] the domination against the Jazz was the night when the Houston Rockets signaled that this season, they would not lay down.  Last night, they told the basketball world that they were something more than just an overachiever.

An important element of the game was that the Rockets actually choked.  The team went cold in the 3^rd quarter, squandering a double-digit lead to find themselves trailing.  It appeared to simply be a different rendition of the same script.  Yet the Rockets found a way to recover and win, and even more importantly, they actually looked decisive in the process.

Rockets fans have become far too familiar with the sight of the offense bogging down late in close games, the players standing hesitantly, all after flowing so smoothly through three quarters.

On Thursday night, they had a plan.  The team ran an unconventional lineup featuring the two small guards (Brooks, Lowry) in the backcourt, with Ariza, Battier, and Landry up front.  Most striking was that the team continued to look to Landry in the post late in the game on consecutive sequences.  A mere few weeks ago, this would not have been the case.

Carl’s emergence as an actual post-up threat has been the most significant theme of the year, in terms of player-development.  Last year, Landry was used exclusively off the ball, if even in the game in the 4th.  Earlier this season, if he ever received it, he was facing up.  Over the past few games, we have now seen the team committed to establishing Landry with his back to the basket and he has delivered.

The team is establishing its 4^th quarter identity.  They Rockets want to attack with Lowry along the baseline and sides, Brooks up the middle, and Landry in the post.  These are the team’s three best offensive players.

Another striking element of last night’s win was the fact that I didn’t record any plays concerning Ariza toward which I held great objection.  Obviously, he still looked very awkward in spots, but that is to be expected.  However, it really seemed as if the leash had been shortened as I don’t recall seeing Trevor allowed to create.  Let us hope that this is not simply due to the injury suffered against Cleveland, but rather another significant turning point of the season.  I would add that the greatest benefit to the Brooks-Lowry backcourt is that it takes the ball out of Ariza’s hands by default.

Another important aspect of last night’s game was the fact that Dirk Nowitzki was completely contained down the stretch without Chuck Hayes. Unfortunately however, I will refrain from attaching any analytical implications to this feat as I suspect that Dirk is still being bothered by the thick padding covering his elbow.

Aaron Brooks was invaluable in providing 30 points, but it came by way of 6 triples.  He got very hot as he often does, and the team always plays well when he is effective from long range.  However, it is very concerning that so much of the team’s success on any given night is dependent upon Aaron’s accuracy with the ‘3’.  Brooks is now shooting 46% from ‘3’ in wins, and 30% in losses.  This calls for a closer look at team-wide correlation, but at first glance, there would appear to be a troubling direct relationship between Aaron’s 3 point shooting and the team’s success.

Final note for today comes on the trade front.  From the Philadelphia Inquirer:

So what’s it going to take to get the Houston Rockets’ Tracy McGrady and his $23 million expiring contract?

It’s going to take a deal involving, as its main piece, 76ers swingman Andre Iguodala.

According to a source close to the situation, the Houston Rockets have said they would only consider shipping McGrady to Philly if the Sixers “knocked the Rockets over” with the amount of talent they included in the deal.

This source said the Rockets have made it clear they will not — in any way — consider trading McGrady to the Sixers for power forward Elton Brand ($14-15 million this year, 3 years left after this one) and center Samuel Dalembert ($12 million, one year left after this one). According to this source, the Sixers are trying very hard to unload Dalembert (not a surprise) and Brand (not a huge surprise, either).

The problem is not many NBA teams are willing to take on money right now. This source named only three NBA teams possibly willing (Houston, Dallas, and Cleveland).

According to this source, the Rockets have expressed interest in a deal involving Iguodala, but he must be paired with better, younger talent than Dalembert. (Read: a deal involving possibly Lou Williams, Thaddeus Young, Marreese Speights, etc.).

Again, the Rockets are willing to take on money, but it’d have to be a special package and a 3rd team might even need to be involved. This source said this would be the kind of deal where both teams needed approval from ownership because of the amount of money and players involved.

The source also said that the Rockets and Sixers have not talked in “more than a week”, making a deal unlikely, but said any deal involving Iguodala “has a chance.”

So there’s the latest on the NBA’s most talked about trading chip: Tracy McGrady.

The problem with the Sixers making a deal involving Iguodala and young talent is that they’d be getting rid of some good young guys and remain with Brand and Dalembert, which is sort of the opposite of the point of making such a trade.

–Kate

Trading Iguodala without including Dalembert/Brand is the logical equivalent of paying someone $1000 to clean the dog feces off your front porch and then letting them take the money without doing the task.  But stranger things have happened (see: Gasol, Pau).  He’s not the creator we seek, but I can’t think of a better haul (other than the Chris Paul dream scenario Bill Simmons has been pushing) for this team than Andre Iguodala.  A young, big, physical guard who plays relentless ‘D’ like Iggy would fit so well onto this team that it’s almost scary.  My guess though is that this report is merely a leak of the Rockets’ stated dream scenario (for bargaining leverage) and that we won’t see any real reports of anything palatable to both sides until closer to the deadline.  Common sense would dictate that any deal involving Iguodala would most definitively involve one of Dalembert/Brand in some capacity (whether to Houston or a 3rd team).

Still, it is extremely encouraging that there are whispers of a potential haul this size (as opposed to the New York – based “Jared Jeffries Blockbuster” scenario making the rounds in the northeast.)