The last time I used the liveblog plugin I plan to use tonight, the site crashed. But we’ll try again.  If things work, the page will update on its own with new thoughts, as they happen.  Fingers crossed.  Join me at 7, tonight.

UPDATE: I believe you have to refresh the page to see new updates.

April 13, 2012 7:18 PM Camby swats away a Gortat turnaround in the paint.  Gortat’s first possession of the game

April 13, 2012 7:19 PM Both teams are running the same high screen and roll offense right now.  The score is 10-9.

April 13, 2012 7:20 PM This time down the floor, the Rockets use Parsons on the high screen and roll rather than Dragic.  The second-rounder demonstrates his versatility, dribbling smoothly around and then finding an open Luis Scola in the corner for the jumpshot.  The Suns call timeout.  When a 6’10 small forward can run the pick and roll effectively, it gives you options.

April 13, 2012 7:25 PM Camby plays at the high post on every possession.  This time we see why.  Dragic comes off the high screen and flips it back out to Camby.  Camby then feeds a cutting Dragic for the layin.  On the ensuing possession, Camby dumped in a floater from a few feet closer.

April 13, 2012 7:26 PM Marcus Camby’s fingerprints are all over this game so far.  6 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists.  4:28 still remaining.  Has any trade deadline pickup had a bigger impact?  I know some will say Gerald Wallace but….well…it’s the Nets.

April 13, 2012 7:28 PM The Rockets have based pretty much every offensive possession of this game off of the same set so far tonight: Dragic/Camby screen and roll.

April 13, 2012 7:29 PM The Suns offense has markedly changed from how they started.  No more screen and roll.  They are now positioning Nash near the elbow and running cutters through the lane.  He is hitting them with one handed passes.  I guess you have the luxury to do that when your point guard is a future Hall of Famer.

April 13, 2012 7:30 PM Grant Hill’s shoes are bright orange.

April 13, 2012 7:36 PM Patrick Patterson makes perhaps the first impressive post move of his two year career, spinning away from his defender and fading away.

April 13, 2012 7:37 PM Markief Morris at the line shooting two.  As Marcus Morris looks on.

April 13, 2012 7:38 PM Forgot to mention that Wade Philips is in the house but did not draw near the ovation a reigning Coach of the Year would deserve.  Oh…Kubiak won it?….Oh….

April 13, 2012 7:39 PM Lowry has been in at point for Dragic for the past few possessions.  He hasn’t gotten to the rim as easily as Dragic did.  But they’ve looked to Patterson on the baseline.  The team is basically running the same offense with Lowry/Patterson as they had with Dragic/Scola.  38-year-old Marcus Camby in the high post has been the only constant.

April 13, 2012 7:43 PM Michael Redd nails a jumper.  The Cavs could have used that in 2004.

April 13, 2012 7:44 PM Michael Redd hits another.  I’ve seen this script before.  It didn’t end well…

April 13, 2012 7:45 PM Sebastian Telfair in now at point guard for Steve Nash.  Despite what you thought of him in Through the Fire, this is a dropoff…

April 13, 2012 7:46 PM Dalembert and Lowry are in at the 1-5.  The Rockets have not run a single screen and roll this quarter.  Chandler Parsons skies in for the one handed layin attempt; Markieff Morris blocks it; Marcus Morris looks on.

April 13, 2012 7:48 PM All of the Rockets’ points this quarter have come in transition or on breakdowns.  Not a single screen and roll.  (8:35 remaining in the 2nd.)  They looked infinitely better with Dragic-Camby, though I think more of that had to do with Camby than Dragic vs. Lowry.

April 13, 2012 7:52 PM Redd has taken like 20 shots already.

April 13, 2012 7:53 PM The Rockets now have both point guards in the game together with Dalembert at the ‘5’.  They run their first Dalembert screen and roll and Bert rolls to the hoop for the dunk attempt and gets fouled.  They never have Camby actually roll.

April 13, 2012 7:54 PM I have no idea how the Suns have managed to keep this game close with Steve Nash on the bench.  The Rockets will look back on this if they lose.

April 13, 2012 7:57 PM Michael Redd has now taken 30 shots in this ball-game.

April 13, 2012 7:58 PM Camby throws in an offensive board.  Now with 10 points, 13 boards, 4 assists, and 3 blocks.  5 minutes still remaining.  In the half.

April 13, 2012 8:03 PM Dragic just schooled his mentor, driving, stepping back out, pump faking the jumper and leaning in for the shot attempt.  Got fouled.  Beautiful play.  His one on one skills are hugely underrated.  Slovenian Manu?

April 13, 2012 8:04 PM Old man Camby now has 17 boards.  4 minutes remaining here in the 1st half.

April 13, 2012 8:05 PM 3:24 remaining in the second and the Rockets lead just 45-43.  Feels like a rout. No idea how Phoenix has kept this close.

April 13, 2012 8:07 PM I never noticed this before, but the Rockets rarely run screen and rolls with Lowry.  Was this the case before the injury and Camby trade?  I can’t remember.  They’re almost running two completely different offenses depending on who is running point guard.

April 13, 2012 8:10 PM The Rockets run a high screen and roll with Lowry who finds Budinger in the corner–his sweet spot–for a ‘3’.

April 13, 2012 8:12 PM Jared Dudley nails a 3 from the corner giving him 13.  I didn’t realize he was this good.  As I type that, Lowry answers from the corner with a triple of his own.

April 13, 2012 8:14 PM Last play of the half, Lowry comes off a Camby pick and

second half

April 13, 2012 8:38 PM 9 minutes remaining in the 3rd.  I stayed in the press room too long.  The Suns are now up 2.  What happened while I was gone?

April 13, 2012 8:39 PM 65-61 now, Suns.  The Rockets will be kicking themselves if they let this one get away.

April 13, 2012 8:47 PM Scola with 12 right now.  He’s going to have to be able to kill the likes of Channing Frye for the Rockets to have a chance in the Western Conference playoffs.  He’s the only thing they have even remotely resembling an inside presence.

April 13, 2012 8:48 PM Lee hits a bailout jumper but the Rockets’ offense has really looked discombobulated here, a far cry from the precision with which they worked in the first quarter.  They seem to have abandoned the high screen and roll with Dragic/Camby which had been working so well.

April 13, 2012 8:48 PM What is this rendition of “Jump” that they play here during jumpballs?  That’s not Kriss Kross.

April 13, 2012 8:49 PM Dragic forces up a 3 and misses.  The offense has looked awful here in the third.

April 13, 2012 8:52 PM The Rockets post Patterson up on Frye and he turns around and misses.  The offense has looked absolutely horrendous.  Why have they gone away from the high screen and roll?  Everything has been isolation.  The Rockets can only win with movement, either player or ball.

April 13, 2012 8:53 PM Courtney Lee comes off a Patterson screen and Patterson is called for the offensive foul.  Where is the high screen and roll?  It’s now 74-67.

April 13, 2012 8:57 PM I’d be willing to bet that if you pulled the video of every single Rockets loss this year, or even every dry spell, you’d see that the correlating factor was a lack of movement.  This is not an isolation team.  They must move to score.  When they play one on one, everything falls apart.  Even Scola postups are at their best when they come at the end of some dish-off, rather than as a set entity.

April 13, 2012 8:58 PM The Rockets play fabulous defense on this play with Kyle Lowry denying Steve Nash the ball.  2:15 left in the third.

April 13, 2012 8:59 PM We see our first high screen and roll but it results in a Camby free throw line jumper.  Not what we were looking for.  On the other end, Redd nails a ‘3’.  The lead swells to 10.  This is looking bad.  Fans getting restless.  A few boos.

April 13, 2012 8:59 PM Patterson in the post should be the last option.  Always.  ALWAYS.

April 13, 2012 9:01 PM The lead is now at 12.  This quarter has been a complete and utter disaster.  If the Rockets miss the postseason, they will look back on this third quarter as the moment it all got away.  With that said, I do expect them to make a run and come back in the 4th.  They always do.  Let’s hope that this time, they have enough in the tank to close it out.

April 13, 2012 9:10 PM As the lead swells to 15, I start to wonder if perhaps we might be better off with that first round pick.  Must. push. thoughts. away..

April 13, 2012 9:11 PM I’m struggling to figure out what happened.  Why did the Rockets go away from their gameplan?  Was it on account of some switch by the Suns which I hadn’t noticed?  They were running screen and roll between Camby and Dragic with Scola finding the open spots, in the first quarter.  They switched to some form of Steve Francis iso-ball in the third…

April 13, 2012 9:14 PM Last stand for the Rockets.  9 minutes remaining and a 13 point deficit.  Dragic, Scola, Lowry, Budinger, Parsons take the floor.  Still no Steve Nash…

April 13, 2012 9:17 PM Telfair drills a ‘3’ pushing the lead to 16.  Sucks the air out of the building.

April 13, 2012 9:19 PM The Rockets finally run a high screen and roll and it results in Lowry getting to the line after a kickout.

April 13, 2012 9:23 PM Scola now at the ‘5’.  As a reader put it, “McHale is now desperate.”  Not since Matt Bullard started at the ‘4’ with Walt Williams next to him on the frontline have I abhorred a manifestation of the Rockets’ lineup more than “Scola at the 5.”  That phrase will be etched in infamy on this season’s gravestone.

April 13, 2012 9:25 PM The Rockets have now gone back to the high screen and roll.  Still not scoring.  On the other hand, Sebastian Telfair is.

April 13, 2012 9:26 PM This is the worst Goran Dragic has looked in about a month.  I wonder if the return of Kyle Lowry has thrown off his timing.

April 13, 2012 9:27 PM Nash pushes off Dragic with a forearm, sending him to the ground and drilling the jumper.  I have a friend who does this.  One of the most effective moves in the game.

April 13, 2012 9:29 PM The Rockets have cut the lead to 10 and are making a push with 4:02 remaining.  The Suns actually looked better with Telfair than Nash.

April 13, 2012 9:31 PM The Rockets run an absolutely beautiful motion set resulting in a Parsons dunk.  At the other end, Nash is bailed out by a horrific call after Parsons forces him into an errant circus flip attempt.

April 13, 2012 9:32 PM The Rockets are now running high screen and roll exclusively and are getting results.  Dragic back at the line.  Why did they go away from this?

April 13, 2012 9:33 PM Lead down to 7 as Gortat throws Scola to the floor.  On the previous possession, he snatched the rebound away and scored.  Timeout on the court.  Fans hoping desperately for one last push.

April 13, 2012 9:37 PM Jared Dudley blows by to the rim and lays it in.  Why is Camby not in the game?  We need paint protection.

April 13, 2012 9:39 PM It’s now down to a 5 point game.  Interestingly, the ball has not been in Steve Nash’s hands the last two possessions.  The Suns have instead opted to swing it around with Grant Hill playing the role of decision maker.  Surprising.  At the other end, the Rockets are going with a small ball lineup.

36.2 remaining, the Suns lead 108-100.  I will have more thoughts after the presser.  Follow me on twitter @redninetyfour for live coverage of the Kevin McHale post-game presser….

• Speaking of starting, Camby already has four boards and two blocked shots with time remaining in the first.  I don’t see him giving up the starting spot…which leads me to wonder how Dalembert’s psyche will be affected.  We all know about his track record in the past to allegedly loaf through parts of entire seasons.
• 2:05 remaining and George Hill checks in actually wearing an undershirt beneath his jersey.  This is one of those things which has no chance of catching on.
• Leandro Barbosa seemed a lot faster when he was a Sun.
• Is it weird that upon seeing a kid a few rows in front of me wearing an Aaron Brooks jersey, my first thought was, “Marshon Brooks never played for the Rockets…?”
• 1:14 remaining in the first and Marcus Morris checks in.  Morris, on his first offensive possession, grabs an offensive board and dishes to Budinger for the lay-in.  As I said previously, rebounding will need to be his focus if he wants to earn minutes on this team.

end of first quarter

• Dalembert checks and goes to work on Hansborough, throwing up a patented airball hook.
• Re: George Hill.  Remember when people thought his emergence would make Tony Parker expendable?  Actually, remember when people thought Darren Collison’s emergence would make Chris Paul expendable?  Both guys now play point guard for the Pacers and neither guy made his previous teammate expendable.  (Collison was dealt before Paul.)
• 6:32 remaining in the second: David West checks back in and I actually agree with those who felt he worked better with Chris Paul than Blake Griffin does.
• Dalembert with 5 boards already in the quarter.
• Timeout, 5:51 remaining in the half.  After watching the Heat and Thunder respectively this morning, I realize more that the Rockets are actually basically a really great college team.  Those teams revolve around one or two central hubs on offense.  The Rockets, when they’re clicking, come at you in 5-man waves of motion, side screen & rolls and misdirection.  I’m not saying one makeup is superior to the other, but the difference is striking.  We’ve already been watching March Madness for the past two years.
• 4:59 remaining in the 2nd, Roy Hibbert with just five points is denied position once more by Dalembert.  I’d feel extremely weary about paying this guy the $10mill-$15mill/annually which he will likely command.  In all honesty, I’d be content to roll with Dalembert, Camby, and Motiejunas at the position for the next few years.  You’d obviously need some sort of upgrade at one of the other spots, but I’d be fine with that center combo.
• The Rockets are shooting just 33% from the floor as I write this.  They should have saved some of that shooting from the other night.
• 2:47 remaining in the half as Courtney Lee hits a game-tying triple.  It’s never been this stylish to have a hitch on your shot.
• The Rockets are a really interesting Motley crew of players ranging in age and abilities.  You basically have youth all along the perimeter and then veteran experience up front.  Patterson, the only ‘young’ frontcourt regular basically plays like a veteran with his IQ.
• After 24 minutes of play, the Pacers lead by two.  A Dalembert dunk a few plays earlier had tied it.  He’s definitely come out with intensity tonight, despite the benching.  The question is whether he will sustain this after the initial anger/motivation wears off.

The Rockets must now push all of their chips to the table.  If Howard walks in the summer, leaving $28million on the table, so be it.  But they must now swing for the fences.  This is what they’ve accumulated these assets for in the first place.

The team can offer Orlando some combination including Kyle Lowry, Kevin Martin, Marcus Morris, Patrick Patterson, Donatas Motiejunas, Sergio Llull, and the New York Knicks’ draft pick, while still leaving enough of their veteran core intact to make a run this season.  If Howard left, they could finally rebuild and dislodge from mediocrity.  This is a bold move the Rockets must now make.

UPDATE:

Adrian Wojnarowski just reported that the Magic are working to trade Howard; while I’d imagine other teams are in the picture, the Nets and Rockets were the only two specifically named, both in this report and in others I’ve seen.

It looks like this may come down to a classic bidding war with the Nets able to offer Brooke Lopez, Marshoon Brooks, and draft picks, while the Rockets hold, as a reader put it in the comments, “the cornucopia of young talent” I mentioned above.

Three things that I think the Rockets have in their favor:

1. Potential spite: I could see the Magic taking a marginally lesser deal (caveat: only if its marginally lesser) just to not acquiesce into giftwrapping Howard to his preferred destination.

2. I could see the Magic not wanting to keep Howard within the conference and facilitating the creation of a star duo whom they would have to face for years.

3. I could see the Nets not wanting to put all their chips on the table, knowing they could also have a shot at Howard in the summer.  The Rockets, on the other hand, would be more willing to go all in as they know this is their only shot – he wouldn’t pick them in outright free agency.

This is getting crazy.

I was live-tweeting the Kevin McHale presser just now, so I hope you caught that – there was some gold.  He talked about Chris Paul, how the point guard is almost daydreaming on the court with his brilliance.  He talked about the mind and the body, the fun in realization of that point when one consistently begins drawing double-teams.  As we scattered, Clutchfans founder Dave Hardisty, in the spirit of this weekend’s Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, inquired of McHale’s thoughts on analytics.  McHale was surprisingly candid, and quite frankly, his answers left me dumbfounded.  You have to watch @clutchfans’ video because I can’t remember the exact quotes, but McHale said, regarding the conclusions analytics draws, such as the importance of rebounding/inside scoring, “I could have told you that.”  It really makes one wonder.  Is K-Mac using the data that’s being passed down?  Most speculated that he was hired due to his receptivity to the numbers.  (In fact, in my interview with Daryl Morey prior to the season, the general manager talked about that very open-mindedness from McHale.)  But this interview would lead one to believe the stuff is going straight to the wastebin.  If that’s the case, it would be quite the waste of resources – the Rockets have invested quite a bit of money into the program.

Funny moment: Kevin McHale was talking about the lack of effort by the team yesterday etc etc.  He seemed to be in a better mood than last night.  So I asked him, “how much of a factor is the nature of this season?”  If I was even recording video, I wouldn’t post it.  The look he gave me was the same one my father gave me when I told him I wasn’t sure I wanted to go to law school.  Have you ever been in a situation when you’re in the midst of saying something really stupid, but you haven’t finished yet, but the other guy is already in the midst of his reaction, has the look on his face already, and you have to squeeze out a few more forced words at the end to try to mitigate the whole thing…?  Yeah, this was that.  I mumbled something or the other about “the lockout maybe having an effect on effort” while one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history, a guy who played on a broken foot, stared at me blankly, and then replied, “Really?” Silence. I smile and then thankfully he expands, saying lethargy isn’t an issue when playing a kid’s game.

While it might have not been the best question to ask, in journalistic theory, philosophically, I whole-heartedly disagree.  There’s no doubt fatigue has played an issue in the bizarre nature of the Rockets’ performance, if not physically, then you can be damn sure mentally.  While the body may or may not feel the wear and tear of a strange year, the mind certainly is affected from the constant strain. It’s easy to see how a few games can get away.  But of course, you don’t expect a coach to admit that, and definitely not one as tough as McHale.

That’s about it from practice.  I really wanted to see what Marcus Morris was doing but it wasn’t too interesting.  They had him taking jumpers and running baseline to baseline during the time I watched.  Why?  I’m not a coach, and admittedly, this may not be the extent of what they do, but why not ball-handling drills?  Why not dribble moves?  Kind of puzzling considering the whole point was to make him a small forward.

• Who gets the nod at center with Hayes departing?  Is it Patterson or Hill?  Regardless of who starts, Patterson will probably see the lion’s share of the minutes.  Can he fill the void left by his mentor?
• Will the team feature the same offense they ran under Adelman?  Considering their success–first in efficiency for a strech–one would hope so, at least to some degree.
• Will Kevin Martin be the same?  Many feel he’ll be affected by the new rule changes.  He also didn’t seem too pleased about being dealt.  Will he mail it in?
• Will Terrence Williams get a chance?  Under Rick Adelman, the forward rarely got off the pine, angering management.  Will it be different under Kevin McHale?  After giving up a draft pick to get him, I hope he gets all the minutes he can handle.  During the scrimmage in practice, T-Will seemed to have been handed the keys.  It’s anyone’s guess if he’ll have that same freedom after tip-off.
• Is Johnny Flynn really as bad as he’s looked thus far into his young career?  I predicted that Flynn would break out but he looked downright awful in the scrimmage.  Perhaps it wasn’t the triangle but rather a lack of ability?  We’ll see.  He might just not belong.
• Has Jordan Hill progressed?  Reports have coach Kevin McHale raving about the young forward as the most improved player at camp.  That seems to jibe with what we had heard of his years in college.  He has the ideal size and physical attributes.  Will he take the next step after regressing last season?
• How about Hasheem Thabeet.  My personal wish would be to start him for all 82 games and see what we have.  You can’t teach 7’3.  If he sinks, no loss.  If he swims, you’re gold.  Remember: Thabeet never has really even learned the game.  He at least should get a chance.
• The guy I’m most excited to see is forward Marcus Morris.  They want to play him at the ’3′ but I’m skeptical.  Does he have the handles for that spot?  If he can adapt, the team has found a major weapon.  Few wings will be able to match up with his size.  My bold prediction for 2012: in one of the most underwhelming draft classes in years, on a team where he should get all the minutes he can handle, I think Morris places himself in the Rookie of the Year debate.  He has the hunger and confidence.  Now we’ll see if he has the ability.  I think he’ll majorly surprise.  Think Billy Beane here: the Rockets see Morris as an undervalued gem.  He fell to 14th because other teams viewed him as a ’4′.  The Rockets view him as a ’3′ and found him worth taking.

I’ll be at Toyota Center again for tonight’s game.  If you have any questions, for either the Spurs or our Rockets, post them in the forums.  I’ll check the thread after the game and try to ask what I can.

How can someone—after already establishing themselves with a lifetime’s worth of a sample size playing basketball—go from expendable backup to flowing on the aqueous edge of elite in under 16 months? Some players take an abnormal amount of time to find themselves and obtain the amount of confidence they need. Maybe it’s a single moment—a game winning shot or elusive move that makes 20,000 bent knees go straight—or maybe it’s a slow, gradual evolution. It’s quite bizarre for a player to show drastic improvement in the area of such blatant weakness, but it happens. Kyle Lowry is proof.

For the first four years of his career, and the 15 years of his life before that, Lowry had no reason to believe in his jump shot. Neither did his coaches, teammates, friends, nor family. His defining characteristic was compact toughness scrunched into a beefy six-foot body, allowing him to hit holes like a running back and create collisions with opposing big men. That’s what he was born as, and that’s what he was meant to be. But in the offseason between being dealt to Houston and spending his first full year there, Kyle Lowry chose to redefine himself as an offensive threat with rigorous practice. Every day he woke up, drove to the gym with a personal rebounder, and shot between 6 and 14 thousand jump shots, rain or shine. Lowry has since become someone his teammates and coaches could depend on with the shot clock winding down. All of a sudden his range stretched beyond four feet. It was like a light went on and everyone in Houston was basking in its indescribable warmth.

In reality none of this is true because none of it makes sense as a logical explanation. In basketball, just as in everything else, practice doesn’t translate to perfect; just because someone takes free-throw after free-throw after free-throw doesn’t mean they’ll one day hit 9 out of 10 at the drop of a hat.

Ray Allen, the NBA’s all-time three-point leader, gets agitated when people claim his velvety stroke was a gift from God. The thousands of hours spent practicing on his own, he says, are what made him so accurate. (Much is made of his arriving to arenas several hours before every other player because it’s abnormal in its obsession. Also, it’s really cool.) This is true but it doesn’t explain everything to the fullest degree. Yes, hard work helped make him better, but Ray Allen was also born with a gift to hone, like a writer capable of making paint chemicals sound interesting or a cook who can serve hot sauce covered plastic at a dinner party and receive applause. The phenomenon is genetically predestined, unpredictable, and entirely strange.

What Kyle Lowry has done is so difficult to solve because it’s more or less unparalleled. Reputations exist for a reason, as do fictitious boxes and sticky labels. Professional athletes are human beings that have tendencies, strengths, weaknesses, and habits. How did Lowry mutate his in a single season?

Last year was the first time in his professional career that upon arriving to the stadium on game days he knew beyond a reasonable doubt his name would appear in the starting lineup. Maybe that comfort level boosted his three point accuracy up 10% or doubled his win shares from the previous season.

For his career, in 4791 minutes off the bench, Lowry shot just 27.5% from beyond the arc in 335 attempts. In the 3367 minutes he’s played as a starter, that number rises to 35.4% in 390 attempts. These figures are very difficult to analyze in any way; the attempts are nearly the same yet the rate at which he makes the shot is noticeably different with the only difference being whether he’s standing or sitting when the ball is tipped at the game’s opening moment.

A possible answer could be the weighted favor of last season’s production as a full-time starter, when Lowry attempted 786% more three-pointers than his previous four years in the league combined, and made a good amount of them. But this brings us back to the mysterious conundrum of how he fixed the problem that before last year he had no solution for.

It wasn’t just the shooting, though. Last year the Houston Rockets had the best assist to turnover ratio in the entire league, which is impossible without a sure-handed starting point guard leading the way. (Lowry finished eighth in the league, in front of Deron Williams, while averaging more minutes per game than everyone before him except Rajon Rondo and Chris Paul.)

How has Kyle Lowry done what he did? If you’re a Rockets fan, treat it like every other pleasantry that knocks on your front door; don’t ask for an explanation, just smile, nod, and accept it.

@ShakyAnkles

It was a strange feeling when I walked into the lockerroom last night following the Rockets’ win over New Jersey.  For the past four months, everytime I had stepped foot into that sacred space, I knew that despite not knowing what I could possibly ask anyone else that could be of any personal interest, there would always be something to inquire of small forward Shane Battier.  For the first time in four months, the middle locker in the room’s right side was vacant.  There was no man in khakis and cardigan, cartoonishly foreign to his surroundings.  Yes, Shane Battier, the very symbol of an entire era in Rockets history, is now gone and with him has departed a fountain of knowledge that so many in my trade came to take for granted.  There was so much more to ask him that will never have the chance.

At times last night, the Rockets looked beyond impressive, making one forget it was the lowly Nets whom they were facing and causing hope that maybe this plan–this glut of B+ young talent–could work.  They didn’t play much of any defense, but they attacked relentlessly to the delight of their home crowd (though perhaps unsurprisingly, it was Kim Kardashian–sitting courtside to cheer on her Nets beau–who drew the largest ovation from the stands.)

• I came away extremely impressed by Goran Dragic.  You could easily see why he drew the interest of Daryl Morey because he’s very similar to Kyle Lowry in many respects.  Whereas Aaron Brooks uses the jumper as his weapon of choice, Dragic barrels headfirst to the basket at every opportunity.  For an organization that fetishizes fouls drawn, this comes as gold.  I don’t know what Dragic will eventually become, but the foreigner will absolutely cement himself as a fan favorite.
• Terrence Williams was impressive in his short stint, wowing the crowd with his passing abilities.  The former #11 pick should be given all the minutes he can handle because amongst his teammates, his potential is unparalleled.  In the lockerroom after the game, Williams appeared a different man: where before the forward would hurriedly dress and depart, last night he joked with teammates, by far the loudest voice in the room.
• At one point in the 2nd quarter I watched as the team stood around in their timeout huddle.  I saw a very tall man amidst many shorter ones, still dressed in warmups that possibly would not be removed.  The sight evoked emotions and realizations I had already considered: Thabeet represents the hope you dare not indulge in entertaining.  So tall, so promising, but so likely to disappoint.  One must be strong and not hurt themselves again, placing faith in something that might not ever happen.  Late in the fourth, the giant stood in his slot during free throws, opposite second-year man Jordan Hill, an almost equally scintillating specimen.  I looked away and closed my laptop.  I dared not dream.  It will only end in pain.

Two updates in first half.  Overall thoughts on the game tomorrow morning.

Update at end of 1st:

As I write this, the team trails by seven after seemingly doing everything right.  It’s scary how explosive this Heat team is. The Rockets seemed to get anything they wanted, running on Miami’s flat legs, and finding an open Luis Scola en route to a 10-2 mid-quarter run.  Somehow the Heat recovered effortlessly.  Aaron Brooks also showed life attacking Miami at their weakest link.

Update at halftime:

Rockets on pace for 120+ absolutely taking it right at the Heat in this one so far.  Let’s hope they can keep it up as the Heat are on the second night of a back to back and are certainly feeling the fatigue.  This is probably the most entertaining game I’ve seen so far this year, but it’s still early.  Jordan Hill opened the 2nd quarter as if someone had Mike D’Antoni’s photo on the rim – with two monster jams to the crowd’s delight.  He also matched up with Chris Bosh for a short frame in what was a particularly interesting showdown.  What stands out is how much confidence the staff has gained in Hill.  Just a garbageman before, he regularly receives touches in the post now when on the floor, even when guarded by All-Stars such as Bosh.  On one possession, Hill caught it on the left block and attempted to drive baseline with the handles he does not have, being cut off by the former Raptor, demonstrating the prime difference in skillset between the two players.  It’s very possible for Jordan Hill to develop into a better defender/rebounder and even inside scorer than Bosh, but he will for sure never have the perimeter abilities.

Aaron Brooks got to the basket at will against Miami’s flat-footed point men, looking greatly in sync with the Rockets’ second unit.  As I’ve said before, I really like AB with that group; unfortunately, I think he does not.  If Brooks was fine emotionally coming off the bench in the Jason Terry role, I would have no problem giving him the $8million he likely will seek.  The problem is that I just don’t know if he will be content in that spot.

I feel privileged to have watched McGrady through his prime.  Talents so rare actuate the escapism inherent in sports, letting the mind wander upon distant thoughts.

It was in the winter of 2005 that I laid in a hospital bed for an entire month.  That same month, the Houston Rockets turned their season around, pounding opponents standing in their path.  McGrady led them and he was my escape.  It was T-Mac’s play that kept me sane and kept my mind off my failing body.  It was T-Mac’s play that for a few hours each day helped me put away my worries.

I’ll always remember the day I returned, home again after thirty days.  He hit a jumper late to put away the Wolves, pulling up close from in-between as he so often did.  I laid on the couch, far too weak to climb the stairs.  He turned pain into joy, letting me live through his feats.  A game was never over with McGrady on the court.

Things did not end well for Tracy and the Rockets.  But for the memories, and the hope he gave us, I will always hold him in the highest regard.  For what he did, today I will applaud.  Welcome back, T-Mac.

All pre-game and in-game discussion about the game between the Houston Rockets and Detroit Pistons goes here.

Tonight was my first time at an NBA game.  Upon hearing this, friends often react in astonishment.  What can I say?  I’m a bit of an introvert – my idea of a night out has always been staying in and ordering pizza.

I arrived at Toyota Center at around 5:30 and was met by Jason Friedman (of Rockets.com fame).  Jason actually spent the next two hours with me until tip-off, showing me around and teaching me the ropes.  I had heard good things about him from others, but you really won’t meet a nicer guy than Jason Friedman.

We walked into the lockerroom area and the first thing I saw was Yao Ming.  It didn’t really hit me at first that it was Yao Ming.  The room was empty and I was chatting in a corner with Jason.  At the other end, Chinese media surrounded what appeared to be  some sort of gargantuan statue.  I suddenly realized, “oh my God, that giant statue is Yao Ming.”  Each of his calves were the width of my entire body.  I didn’t dare approach him for fear of being blown away by one puff of his breath.

Jason then took me out onto the floor where Rockets Vice President Sam Hinkie was sitting courtside, watching the team in its shoot-around routine.  Sam and I chatted about basketball (and by extension life; or is it life and by extension basketball?) for a good fifteen minutes, observing the players before us.   After talking to Hinkie, you can really see why this front office is so highly regarded around the league.  (A friend/acquaintance of his behind us, to grab Hinkie’s attention, referred to him as ‘Stanford’ which I found humorous.)

While we were there, Jermaine Taylor was unconscious from deep, sporting a beautiful, quick stroke.  The second year guard reminds me of Vernon Maxwell, both facially and in build.  I’ve never heard anyone else make this comparison, (most likely in fear of heresy; Taylor’s the twelfth man and Max is a deity.)  Anyways, I still can’t figure out why it hasn’t yet happened for JT.

Friedman and I had a bite to eat before he ushered me to my seat right before tip-off.  I realized I could have brought my laptop as we actually had a table in front of us.  I regretted not knowing this beforehand (as I could have gone to bed a lot earlier last night upon arriving home.)  To my right was Chinese media and to my left were two scouts – one from the Spurs and one from the Pacers.  The scouts worked diligently on their laptops throughout the game, referencing various note packets and play diagrams continuously.  I had no idea what they were doing, but damn if they didn’t look important while doing it.

Prior to tip-off was a highlight compilation that induced chills.  Whoever made it captured their aim impeccably, blending past with present.  I was overcome by extreme nostalgia watching some of the famous clips from the title runs – will we ever feel that same excitement again?  Would I get another chance to witness something of that sort, but this time from this chair? (Pause for effect.  This is where you collectively plead, ‘Morey, please get us Carmelo.’)

It was also interesting to note that the video had a fairly healthy amount of McGrady highlights.  This came as quite the shock as my impression was that the divorce was a rather bitter one.

Onto the game: unfortunately, I have no idea what happened.  Seriously.  When you do something in a certain way for sixteen years, and then for the first time stray from that manner, you’re completely thrown off and require an adjustment period.  The view from my seat was great, but I’ve just never looked on from that angle.  I no longer had the reference point to which I had become dependent.  I’m used to my living room, sitting in my chair, and following along to the commentary from that night’s broadcast crew.  In truth, a lot of my attention was divested in excitement over the realization of just how easy it would be to blog with the score/fact sheets they continually handed us.

After the game, I rushed to the elevators to get back down to the press area.  I hit the ‘down’ button and waited, wondering what else lay in store for me the rest of the night.  The doors opened and inside sat an attendant with an elderly gentleman standing in the corner.  I did a double-take as I realized the man was none other than former Rockets general manager and assistant coach Carrol Dawson.

“Hi Carrol,” I said.  ”How are you?”

“Hey,” he warmly responded.  ”Not too well at 0-3…”

My first reaction was surprise that Dawson was still not only with the team but also still so emotionally invested in its success.  My second reaction was one of guilt.  This kind old man would never know how much I had written over the years of his managerial blunders.

I headed out into the tunnel, getting lost as I tried to locate the press room where Rick Adelman was sitting center stage.  I finally found it, entering just as things were wrapping up.  The room was much smaller than I had imagined; when you see it on television, there appears to be almost 100 seats with a cacophony of voices. In reality, there wasn’t more than 15 of us in there.  ESPN’s J.A. Adande left a bit early, not completely shutting the door behind him.  As I had feared, it slowly began creaking open until it was fully ajar; I was right next to the door and could feel all eyes in the room turn towards me.  I didn’t know whether to close it or look for somewhere to hide; Rick already looked irritated enough.

We all then went back into the lockerroom where the players would slowly be making themselves available.  As Jason explained it, every player was obligated to make himself available to answer questions after the game. You just had to wait for them to trickle out from the shower area.  When I entered, Kyle Lowry was already swarmed, and then later Chuck Hayes, and Shane Battier.  Chase Budinger, Jordan Hill, and Jared Jeffries all entered a bit later with no one seeming to notice.

I really wanted to ask Budinger about the skills camps he had attended when younger, and how much he attributed his current poise to that very early instruction.  Everyone else was asking about the game and getting very general, unsubstantive responses.  My plan going in was that I wanted to ask these players about themselves, hopefully gaining an affinity, so that I could someday take something back to my readers.  I don’t care what Kyle Lowry thinks about why we couldn’t score in the fourth – I can figure that out on my own or read about it from an actual expert.  I want to know if he’s always sought out contact or if those small things he does were given positive reinforcement in Memphis like they are in Houston.

The problem was that I didn’t know if such questioning would be appropriate given the somber mood in the room.  I decided not to risk asking Chase to apply something that happened when he was like eight years old when he already might have been pissed.

We all then stood waiting around, watching highlights on the television.  I asked someone what exactly we were waiting for. “Yao,” was the response.  Apparently, Yao works out immediately after the games and the media waits patiently for his arrival. Makes sense.

I waited a good fifteen minutes for “the large man” with Battier, Hayes, and Lowry all sitting immediately behind me, completely unoccupied.

“You know, we could easily go talk to them…” I said to the guy next to me, also a virgin.

My mind scrambled to think of something even remotely intelligent to ask to the three most cerebral Houston Rockets.  I froze, my mind going numb.  (A reader had suggested broaching the topic of Battier’s investment banking internship – No.) What I had not realized, and for what I had not made myself mentally prepared, was just how accessible the players were.  I had assumed that everyone of any importance would be mobbed and then would immediately leave when the mob was done. I had not known that they would stick around and I could literally walk up to any one of them and converse freely.  A missed opportunity but a learning experience.

Yao finally arrived, towering his way into the room.  We were ants in his presence; the man extended into the heavens.  He slumped into his chair violently and the mob literally swarmed him.

“One minute!” he barked twice.

I thought he meant he would only take questions for one minute.  I then realized he just wanted some space and a few seconds to take off his shoe.

As he cut through the foot tape, I struggled to get a glimpse.  What is currently the most nurtured and volatile asset in the Houston Rockets organization had just been unwrapped, exposed into the open.  I didn’t know if I expected it to shine and now be made of metal, but by God I hoped he’d immerse it immediately in the ice tub in front of him.  Stay well, Yao.  Stay well.

I could barely hear Yao so I turned and made eye contact with Luis Scola who had just arrived, completely unoccupied.  I had to do it.  Through three games, the man is now averaging a jaw-dropping 27 and 14.  In past years, when given the minutes, Scola was good for a regular 20-10.  I wondered, and have been wondering, observing this production, did he feel that even at this age he was continually improving or was it just a matter of finally getting the minutes?  Being the humble guy he is, he wasn’t going to admit the latter, so I had to frame my query particularly:

“Luis, you’re averaging well over 20 and 10 in these first 3 games.  Do you feel your level of comfort with the NBA game is even now still continuing to increase?” I inquired.

“It’s just 3 games…it’s just 3 games,” he said.  ”Come back to me after 30 and we’ll see where I’m at.”

In reality, I suspect an international superstar like Scola knows that for him, it was just a matter of getting the minutes. What Luis is doing right now is downright scary and hard for me personally to conceptualize given the awkwardness with which he does it.  Most startling is that looking at his body of work sans Carl Landry, this is not a fluke and there are good odds he will sustain the production (albeit with a slight drop).  Consider this: there’s a very serious, realistic possibility of Luis Scola finishing the season as one of the most productive power forwards in basketball.

Anyways, having gotten that first question under my belt, I decided it was now time to leave.  (In actuality, Jason was also leaving and I decided it would not be a good idea to stick around without the only friendly face I knew in case I somehow accidentally got locked inside the Toyota Center.)

I headed back for the elevators and entered the parking garage.  As I exited Toyota Center, I realized that for the first time I could remember, I didn’t have a single thing to say about the actual game.  I had no idea what had happened and would need to read about it elsewhere.  But in those few hours, I learned more about the NBA than I had ever known.

The Rockets sputtered in the fourth, looking confused, the pace having been noticeably bogged down, and shots stopped falling.  After a sterling first half, guard Kevin Martin retreated into his shell with the rest of his mates unable to compensate.  Laker guards Steve Blake and Shannon Brown forgot who they were, pouring in what seemed like ten 3′s apiece, putting the game firmly out of reach.  The Rockets made a valiant push off the efforts of Luis Scola–even taking the lead in the last minute–before finally succumbing.  Aaron Brooks, in a horrifically overplayed rerun, missed a potentially game tying lay-in under the hoop, and that was all she wrote.

• You’re wondering about Yao: we’ll get there, in due time my friend.  First, the implications of this game.  It validated the sentiment that this team can run with the big boys.  I feel more confident than ever, after last night’s performance, that this is one of the best teams in the Western Conference, when healthy.  The Rockets, with their embarrassingly impressive depth are really tailor-made for the brutal 82-game marathon.  I see the team being able to wear opponents out with waves of effort and talent.  They’ll defend, rebound, push the ball, and drain 3′s in transition.  In the half-court, they’ll look to Yao or set up through Brad Miller.  This is a formula that will work and can net 50 wins – there’s really no doubt.
• The concern of course, as it has been, is that this team freezes when the pressure mounts.  When the game was first getting out of reach, the Rockets could not score, validating my fears regarding their ceiling.  While they did mount a furious comeback off the strength of some Scola trickery, I do not see this changing without some personnel upgrade.
• All in all, the Rockets lost by just two without the man who I called their most impactful player last season (Lowry) to the defending champs, on the road.  There’s a lot to feel good about there, even if it may take tonight to cleanse the bitter taste.
• Yao – I was very impressed by the giant.  While he scored just nine points, he changed the dynamic of this team (from last year) and that’s all he really needs to do.  Gone are the days when Yao should be needed to score 20 for the team to have a chance; he just needs to be a presence.  In a recent interview, I was asked of the expectations on Yao. My reply was that he simply needs to ‘be big.’  That’s all he needs to do.  Fill the middle and be a presence.  To that end, last night was a success.  ”The large man” (copyright Jacob Mustafa, Red94) challenged shots and took up space defensively while serving as an ‘eye of the storm’ at the other end, giving the team a reference point they hadn’t had last season through which to revolve their offense.  Very promising outing from Yao and I left feeling very confident about his new role and his ability to fit in with this cast.  He also didn’t fall down any times, by my count.
• One eyebrow raising development pertained to the 24-minute imposition.  With the game still within reach, and the limit dangerously nearing, Adelman looked to have no intention of removing the giant.  Had Yao not fouled out seconds later, I’m not completely sure he would have been pulled.  This is something we’ll need to watch.
• We saw last night why Brad Miller was signed at such a generous amount – he’s a huge part of this team.  Not only does he bring size in Yao’s absence, but he’s the quarterback of the offense when on the floor.  The added dimension alone brought by Miller will pay huge dividends.
• Jordan Hill and Jared Jeffries did not see time so that will be another storyline to monitor tonight, with Yao not in action.  My guess is that what you saw last night was the regular rotation with Yao, and that Hill will get the start on the second game of back-to-backs, with Miller in relief.  Jeffries will play over Hill in other times.  Again, we see why Miller was paid so handsomely – we falsely assumed that Hill would be a major part of this rotation this year, but we saw last night that that probably isn’t the case.  You can’t trust young big men in gunfights, I suppose.
• My final thought is on Luis Scola who scored 18 points and grabbed 16 rebounds: he’s probably for real.  By the manner in which he awkwardly does it, we tend to forget, or I at least, the type of numbers he’s put up in his career in Carl Landry’s absence (either to trade or injury).  Looking at his production, Scola is flat out one of the best rebounders in basketball, and always a threat to snare 20.  It’s unreal, with his lack of vertical and overall goofiness.  Now, is he an elite power forward?  No, because his points come as the garbage variety, and he’s not a guy to whom you can throw the ball and ask to work.  But in the next tier, he’s as good as any, and certainly worth his pricetag.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiTzwT0gWog

• If it hadn’t already been said enough, this team is scary deep.  The second unit looked even more effective than the first, in spots.
• Hill looked much better in his first outing since I posited that Jeffries might be a superior option.  I think ultimately, Adelman will opt to play the backup-backup role by matchup, using Hill against the Golden States of the world, and giving Jeffries the call in slugfests when key stops are vital.  Or maybe not?  We’ve seen young players explode in meaningless exhibitions, only to be buried on the bench when the games count.  Maybe Jeffries is entrenched?  There’s something to being able to trust a player that brings extreme comfort to a coach. To that end, Jeffries would have a serious upper hand.
• Brad Miller looked very impressive, operating from the high post, showing glimpses of what this team has never had.  He connected with Chase Budinger on one occasion for a vicious slam.  As one reader noted, he also is slower than Yao, a dubious honor not thought previously to be possible.
• Interesting that the Rockets essentially have two distinct backcourts with the starters an explosive but somewhat unimposing pair and the Lee-Lowry combo possibly the most gritty backup duo in the league.  Might the two sets be better split up or are extremes of style preferable to balance (ie: we’ll gun you to death in the 1st then strangle you in the 2nd)…?
• Lee is a gunner, possibly by design.  The young guard has a beautiful release and extremely explosive lift on the shot.  I did not realize the mid-range jumpshot was such a big part of his game.
• Jermaine Taylor looked very impressive in the few minutes he played, confidently splashing a few open jumpers. Unfortunately for JT, he probably won’t see the light of day once the games count.  A pity because I liked what I saw from him last season.
• The real subject of my interest was Ish Smith upon whom I had been focusing.  I came away extremely impressed.  It’s not hyperbole to say that he is already a better floor general than Aaron Brooks.  I grabbed the video above myself, thus the muted audio; I’m still experiencing the same technical difficulties that ruined my summer league clips.  In any event, we see some of what Ish brings to the table.  In the first sequence, he splits the defense and attacks the basket with an acrobatic attempt, drawing the foul.  In the second slide, Ish rolls over the screen and smoothly knows down the jumper.  Lastly, we see him spot an open Chase Budinger in transition.  I’m intrigued by what he can do if paired with Budinger in the second unit – the two are perfectly equipped for the transition game.  If Ish can become consistent with that mid-range jumper, he could be a player.  But from all accounts, consistency on that shot is quite a ways away.  After that, at initial glance, Ish seems to have all the other tools that would suffice for at least a backup.
• Does Ish Smith make Aaron Brooks expendable?  Let’s not get carried away.  At the moment, in his ability to create for himself off the dribble, Brooks has a skill unique on this team and requisite to any hopes of postseason success.  The Rockets won’t look to trade Aaron Brooks just because of Ish Smith.  But if a player becomes available at some point that can provide some of the same stuff they would lose in trading Aaron, management at least would feel more comfortable about pulling the trigger if Smith continues his impressive play.

We’ll be experimenting with the game review format this year, but at the moment, I’m leaning towards appending my own thoughts within each Rockets Daily, for tidiness’s sake, but this is, of course, subject to change.  The bullets which ensue are my own observations from last night’s preseason opener, and the note’s thereafter were scribed by Jacob in accordance with his Daily obligations.

• Yao: Inconclusive verdict on the big man’s return.  What’s difficult in evaluating this comeback is that Yao is always slow and clumsy.  I can’t pass judgment upon the status of his recovery when there isn’t really even much of a barometer.  I tried watching for familiar positive tendencies, but only really noted that he fell down about four times in a span of five minutes.  This put a smile on my face with knowing comfort that the friendly giant was back.
• Yao was obliterated by Dwight Howard when matched head to head, an oddity in the history of their duels. This was probably to be expected due to the recovery, but I also wondered how much of Howard’s success last night came as result of his trainings with the Dream?  He always had that spin move–the one he used last night about ten times–but I can’t remember him being able to finish when using it against Yao, before last night.
• During Yao’s first stint, the most interesting thing I noted was that only Kevin Martin was used as a post-entry passer.  This probably shouldn’t come as a surprise, but sometimes, it’s the obvious events that catch our attention: “that makes so much sense – I can’t believe they realized that was a good idea.” I personally thought the two looked great together, but then again, Yao wasn’t fronted during the sequence.  Martin was able to feed Yao cleanly and on one particular play, worked a beautiful give-and-go with the giant, resulting in a backdoor layup.  It seemed clear that the team plans to use these two in tandem to amplify each’s strengths.
• During most of his time on the court, Yao was used in the high post.  I don’t know if this was due to a desire for slow acclimation or whether this will be his role in the offense.
• Yao walked to the lockerroom following his exit from the game, apparently grimacing as he left.  I did not notice any facial expressions out of the ordinary–I thought the grimaces were ordinary for Yao–until it came to my attention by a Jonathan Feigen tweet that there was possibly concern.  Feigen noted, however, that because no trainers were accompanying Yao, things were probably ‘ok.’  As of this AM, that’s where things stand.
• As I said, overall, I have no verdict on Yao’s return.  I thought he looked decent enough and should improve once he works off the rust.  He looked slow and a bit awkward but that’s normal even at full health.  We’ll just have to take a ‘wait-and-see’ approach.  However, it did seem a bit weird actually having a post presence for once.
• Aaron Brooks caught fire for a bit immediately following Yao’s first exit from the game, probably adding fuel to the belief of many that he would be better served in a Vinnie Johnson role.  He had a play where he dribbled from the paint back out to the arc and fired, resulting in a swish, something that probably wouldn’t have been sanctioned with Yao in the game.  It will never be done, just because it would be harmful for chemistry, but AB might just be at his best when he can be given the full green light.
• Clyde remarked that AB was a top-5 point guard in this league, leading me to wonder who of Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Rajon Rondo, Derrick Rose, and Steve Nash was inferior.
• Speaking of Clyde, it felt a bit weird hearing him call a Rashard Lewis game because the latter, in many Houstonians’ minds, was actually supposed to be his successor.  If you recall, Lewis started his career as a shooting guard (with the Sonics), and was passed over three times in the first round by Houston after growing in our backyard.  Carrol Dawson squandered draft choices on Bryce Drew and Mirsad Turkcan and the rest became history.
• I felt Jordan Hill looked pretty bad leading me to worry about the devaluation potential of our assets.  The Knicks picks, as we know, are subject to New York’s performance, and ESPN’s John Hollinger has opined that that team could even make the playoffs.  As for Hill, if it ends up that he sucks, and other teams find out that he sucks, his trade value becomes on par with Mikki Moore’s.  I adamantly maintained last year that Jordan Hill would be an impact ’4′ in this league at some point, but I haven’t seen much improvement.  He looked downright awful in the summer league and didn’t show much last night.  Keep in mind that I am not at all disconcerted by witnessing what remains an atrociously awkward post-game; I never thought Hill could be that kind of player and did not hold expectations of development in that area.  What I hoped was that he would gain weight and show improvement as a Noah-esque garbageman, but I haven’t really seen anything that would lead me to conclude that said improvement was made.
• Kyle Lowry looked fantastic and can absolutely serve as a starting point guard in this league.  The only befitting description is that he simply looks like a general when with the ball, impeccably controlling spacing and flow.
• The guy who most impressed me last night was Courtney Lee, humorous because, as I had momentarily forgotten of his acquisition, I briefly wondered, upon his entrance, how I had missed that the team had signed Lloyd Banks.
• Lee had remarked, in a Rockets.com interview, that he was the fastest player on the team.  At the time, I readily dismissed this as the delusion-laden machismo for which most athletes are known.  After last night, I stand corrected.  Lee literally explodes when accelerating; he’s probably the fastest wing this team has ever seen, including Vernon Maxwell.  I found myself amazed that a wing could have that kind of velocity with the ball.
• Lee hit jumpers going to both his left and right, the latter coming as a leaner with a defender in his face, abilities which will serve him well in this offense.
• One play that stood out came with 1:04 remaining in the 3rd, when Courtney gave evidence to the cerebral tendencies for which he has been lauded.  On the right wing, he was trapped, picking up his dribble.  (Never mind the fact that Trevor Ariza would have awkwardly pivoted and flung what he considered a fadeaway, at this point), Lee didn’t just pass out to a teammate as any smart player would do.  Rather, he held the ball, motioning to Jordan Hill to move to the spot in front of him.  It took him a while to get the message to Hill, but he patiently insisted until the big man complied.  After the pass, Lee moved back out next to Hill, retrieving the ball and saving the play.  It’s these small things that add up over the course of games, and even seasons, that impact the aggregate, and upon which Daryl Morey’s staff certainly places value.
• Since the trade, I had been making a comparison between Lee and Kyle Lowry, basing the analogy on what I expected to be a ‘surprise production’ from the former, similar to what was produced by the ex-Grizzlies guard.  After last night, I realized the comparison was much closer than I had thought: Lee’s game is actually quite similar to Lowry’s and I can see now why the possibility of playing him as a backup ’1′ was discussed.  Courtney actually has very good handles for a wing and even dribbles similar to Lowry, pounding the ball hard and staying close when turning around picks.  (There were a few times when I actually thought Lee was Lowry, despite their drastically different body types.)  Like Lowry, he also can’t be asked to break his man off the dribble in isolation, something which was to be expected.  Nevertheless, Lee is steady and never ventures from his comfort zone and abilities, a drastic departure in style from his predecessor.

–Rahat Huq

–Jacob Mustafa

I did however catch the game on NBAtv and have some observations.

This was the first summer league game I’ve ever seen, for two reasons.  First, Red94 has only been around for six months.  More importantly, during Carrol Dawson’s tenure, the Rockets never had any young talent to speak of so I never developed a taste for these games.

I’m hesitant to venture too deep into analysis and certainly won’t offer any assertions.  This is of course because I’m not familiar with the level of opposition – no constants for predictive value.

Jermaine Taylor led all scorers with 25 points, and for the most part didn’t look like he belonged on the same court with the competition.  He was sporting a new look to his jumpshot (it wasn’t the slow-arching high release we saw last year) and was able to get a step on his defender any time he wanted.  JT was in attack mode tonight and you could see why I have been so high on him since last season.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5TqqHYBiZI

Patrick Patterson was the star of this one, scoring 18 points on 8-9 shooting.  Kevin McHale salivated over Patterson as the game transpired and for good reason.  In his debut, Patterson showed off the versatility for which we had heard raves.  He looked very mobile rolling to the hoop on pick&rolls, displayed solid footwork and a sound post-game inside, and most surprisingly, was unconscious from the perimeter.  Pat has an odd release but with the range he showed tonight, it’s clear the Rockets hope he can spread the floor playing next to Yao Ming without giving much on the other end, unlike other shooting 4′s.

I was excited to see just how comfortable and smooth Pat looked in the post.  He showed off a nice up-and-over early on and a very fluid jump hook to the middle later in the game.  (Unfortunately, as I was experiencing technical difficulties, I was unable to capture the second of these two.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=we8x3y5bomU

Jordan Hill scored 16, but in all honesty, looked pretty bad.  There’s two things you want to see from Hill: 1) if he can consistently bring high energy play and 2) if he improved his offensive arsenal.  We can’t make any conclusions on the former based off of one game, but on the latter, the early verdict is a negative.  While you’ll see him score in a variety of ways in the clip below, unlike Patterson, he looked pretty awkward in doing it.  I can’t see any of Hill’s post-moves translating against actual NBA talent.  I could be wrong though, and the jury is still out, but I was fairly disappointed from what I saw from Hill today.  He’s nowhere near as polished as Patterson – not even in the same league.

With that said, I’ve long felt that actual offense from Hill is just gravy.  All I care is that he plays defense, does the dirty work, and hits the boards.  To that end, I’m still optimistic that he can be a very productive player in this league.  If Hill doesn’t develop a post game, don’t feel crushed – it’s not a big deal and that’s not what we need from him.

Due to the aforementioned technical difficulties, I had to take out the audio in this clip.  I thought of dubbing it to something from Lil Wayne as is seemingly par for the course for NBA highlight mixes on Youtube but am loathe to leave behind any evidence of poor taste for posterity.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dv2Je49nxfE

Lastly, Chase Budinger scored 10 points but struggled from the field going 5-14.  Chase really has nothing to gain from Summer League so I didn’t take notice.  When you evaluate prospects in this setting, all you can really deduce is physical change (ie: “OMG SO AND SO PUT ON 20 LBS AND LOOKS AMAZING!!”), skill improvement (ie: refined post moves for bigs etc.), or increased comfort.  Chase is already maxed out in all three areas.  He has an NBA body, is about as skilled as a wing with his physical limitations can be, and has a better feel for the game than 99% of players his age.  All you hope from Chase is improved consistency on his shot because with regards to everything else, he’s pretty much maxed out his capabilities.

Update 8:54PM 07/01:

The most comforting development was this tidbit from the Chronicle:

Bosh, however, indicated through third-party intermediaries he “definitely” would consider the Rockets and specifically cited an interest in playing with Yao Ming and the chance to play on “a world stage,” a person with knowledge of his planning said.

indicating that the team will at the least, have something of a chance.

ESPN offered more details on the Rockets’ pitch to Bosh:

The Rockets will also stress that if Bosh joins the Rockets, they’re likely a 60-win team. If he forms a triumvirate with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in Miami, the Rockets believe the team won’t have enough supporting talent to support a championship team. The Rockets believe such a pairing would produce a 45-win team.

Morey clearly has to play that angle to give himself a chance but I personally don’t think such a Heat team would fare so poorly.  It’s true that they likely would not win the title next year, but their chances would be no less in my opinion than those of a Rockets team with Bosh, just simply due to the natural adjustment/learning process it takes for teams to get over the hump.  After that first year, the Heat would have an MLE and another draft pick, which, in combination to having two of the three best players in basketball, you would have to think would give them enough.

And then of course we have the Bulls where, with the existing talent, Bosh and James could step in immediately and win.  But naturally, Morey has no choice but to play that angle.

In terms of winning, while I don’t think Houston is the best fit for Bosh, as you all know, I have felt for some time that Bosh is a disgustingly perfect fit for Houston.

Our best chance is if he wants individual glory because, as I explained in the link above, we can build this offense around him, tailored to his talents, and offer him teammates complementary to his needs.  No doubt Morey is playing this angle, likely with statistical evidence.  Bosh can go to work all night on the right elbow with Aaron Brooks and Kevin Martin locked and loaded for 3′s to keep defenders at bay.  He would be something of an afterthought in Miami or Chicago.

While a longshot, Bosh may even be leaning towards the Rockets, only declaring such heavy interest in the Heat and Bulls to gain leverage into forcing a S&T to Houston.  We can only speculate for now.

The other news of the night, first broken by a Phoenix local area radio personality via Twitter, was that the Rockets would also inquire about Suns forward Amare Stoudemire.  We knew there was interest, so this doesn’t come as too great of a shocker, especially if the team strikes out on Bosh.

The report alleged that the team would offer forwards Luis Scola and Shane Battier – probably stemming from the host’s own confusion and lack of familiarity with Houston’s players.  While it’s completely conceivable that Houston would desire Amare, I can’t see Phoenix wasting its time with Battier or Scola, not to mention that Scola would need to agree to the trade.  I would think that at least one of the Arizona Wildcats would need to be included.  I’m lukewarm on Stoudemire but you could do far worse.  At the least, he would give the Rockets possibly the most enviable offensive quartet in the league.

Among other good news: the Hawks appear intent to retain the services of Joe Johnson, offering up the full maximum amount.  Great to hear, not just because it keeps him from New York, but because I feared there may have been truth to the report of the Rockets having interest – I greatly prefer Kevin Martin.

The Wolves are after Grizzles forward Rudy Gay.  If they get him, the Knicks could be completely shut out of free agency.  Best case scenario this summer sees the Rockets landing Bosh without sacrificing either of the Knicks picks.  Unlikely, but with Morey, nothing can be ruled out.

Until an actual signing or significant report, all updates and discussion go here.

Update 11:08AM 07/01:

Nothing new since the last update.  Nice piece on TrueHoop outlining some of what went on during the meeting between Bosh and Morey.  I hope all of this doesn’t drag on too long because the suspense is painful now that it seems we’ve re-emerged in having a chance.

Right now, if all else equal (meaning money), signing in Houston stands as Bosh’s second best chance at winning.  His best chance is if he and Lebron join forces in Chicago.  Second would have been the ‘dream triumvirate’ in Miami, but its clear that they don’t want to make the financial sacrifices necessary to make that happen.  I think Bosh is smart enough to know that Houston, with an entrenched core of Yao, Scola, Ariza, Martin, Brooks, and Lowry offers him a much better chance at winning than Miami with just Wade.

Daryl Morey stressed what he needed to and now we have to wait.  The first domino will be Lebron.  Interesting that just a few days ago, had you asked me, I would have hoped he bolted to Chicago just for interest’s sake.  But now that it appears we may once more have a shot at Bosh, here’s to hoping that Cleveland can lure Lebron back.

Update 11:53AM 07/01:

I’m starting to feel sick just dreaming again how ridiculous this team would be with Bosh.  More on that later.

“The agents are focusing on the teams with room. That’s to leverage their original teams so they can go through sign-and-trade where they maximize their money. The free agents will make $30 million more through sign-and-trade.”

We know this is the thinking, but I’m pretty surprised Morey would come out and say this.  Doesn’t it hurt their leverage if he comes out and states the plan?  Then again, he probably feels its so entrenched in the national conscience that Miami and Chicago are the front-runners that no comment he made would make any difference, making it worthwhile to reassure his own fans.  Who knows, but I’m sure he knows what he’s doing.

Back to Bosh: adding him to a healthy Yao with a re-signed Scola gives you the best big-man rotation in basketball, not even mentioning Chuck Hayes and Patrick Patterson.  It’s debatable, but I felt at the end of last season that the perimeter trio of Ariza, Martin, and Brooks was the most enviable in the league given their youth, versatility, and complementary skillsets.

Adding Bosh just gives this team a wealth of riches.  Longtime readers of Red94 know I’m notoriously conservative but you could almost pencil in such a lineup for 60 wins.  Given their ages, the only thing that could get in the way of a long run of dominance (similar to the stretch enjoyed by the Sacramento Kings of last decade) would be Yao’s feet.

You could pound teams inside with Yao and Bosh or win games like last year letting Brooks and Martin bomb away from deep.  You could go big and slow it down or slide Bosh to the ’5′ next to Scola and run teams off the court with Brooks and Lowry playing in tandem.

Ok enough of this for now.  Too depressing if it doesn’t happen.

Update 1:16PM 07/01:

Couple of points on Amare: First, if we acquired him, considering that his max is $20million (given that a player’s ‘max’ is 105% of his previous salary), there’s no way we would give him the max.  Just a technical point, but wanted to clear that up.

Secondly, it should be noted that after the Shaq trade, for the second half of that season, Amare averaged 30ppg.  He doesn’t just play well with lane-clogging big men – he seems to play better.  I’m sure that has factored into Morey’s analysis driving this pursuit.  Amare’s numbers seem to also have rebounded across the board (FG% etc.) from a year ago as he continues to build strength in the leg.  Still, like the commenters, I’m weary of Stoudemire – have never liked his attitude or the fact that he’s on par with Mo freaking Taylor (of Krispy Kreme fame) in the rebounding department.

On Darko – I think people are giving Kahn an unfair rap.  $5million/year isn’t too outlandish for a skilled 7 footer.  Milicic is great for jokes, but he’s actually fairly decent.  Don’t let the fact that he was such a colossal bust cloud his real value.

Final note: there’s some serious confusion going around regarding what it might take to land Bosh in a deal.  It’s stemming from the wording here:

To land Bosh, the Rockets would have to work a sign-and-trade with the Raptors. The team could offer a players like Jordan Hill, Aaron Brooks and the expiring contracts of Jared Jeffries and David Andersen for Bosh. The also have restricted free agent Luis Scola that they could offer in a sign-and-trade. The Rockets also have the right to swap picks w/Knicks in 2011 and own a protected Knicks pick in 2012. In other words, they have a ton of assets

Ford is just listing what all assets we have available at our disposal; he’s not saying that all of those entities would go in the deal.  I think the only sure bet to be included would be Jordan Hill.  After that, any combination of assets would be fair game, but I do not think it would take Aaron Brooks.

Update 2:05PM 07/01:

From the ‘why bad teams stay bad’ files: Memphis re-signs guard/forward Rudy Gay to a 5 year, $82million deal.  Psuedo-stars are what kill franchises.  The Michael Redds, Allan Houstons, Rudy Gays, etc. – the guys who aren’t even All-Stars but command outrageous sums….there needs to be some sort of safeguard against these situations but I don’t know the solution.  A team can’t just let its talent get away for nothing, but at the same time, these contracts are suicidal.

Among other news, Lebron James’ itinerary has him scheduled to complete meetings on Saturday.  Could we have a decision that early?  Will Bosh wait on James’ decision?

This was humorous.  Via Mike Wells on Twitter:

The Pacers are wisely on a quest to find a point guard, but Lowry isn’t the kind of pass-first setup man that they need. We think they’d be better off going with Jordan Farmar, even if Farmar is significantly more expensive.

Update 2:23PM 07/01:

A reader, Patrick Lee, quantifies Daryl Morey’s motivations:

i think the pursuit of amare makes sense if you think about morey’s interest in building a super ft team.

check this link:
http://espn.go.com/nba/statistics/player/_/stat/free-throws/sort/avgFreeThrowsAttempted

kevin martin was basically tied for the second most FTA among SG (after wade and tied with kobe) AND he had a much better FT% than either.

if yao ming were healthy, going by his career average he would have tied for the second most FTA among C (after howard and tied with brook lopez) AND he would have had a better FT% than either.

among PF, bosh had the most FTA (8.4) and shot a good FT% (79.7%). second was amare at 7.7FTA and 77.1 FT%.

so if judging only by this, it kind of makes sense. either one would make us a scary FTA team. we’d have 2 top 10 guys (martin and bosh/amare) and another top 20 guy (yao). only two other teams had even 2 guys in the top 20: denver with melo and billups, and the warriors with maggette and ellis.

Daryl Morey and his staff have identified free throw shooting as one of the key factors having impact upon winning.  Essentially, they want guys who will draw fouls at a high rate and then will hit free throws at a high percentage.  This has a compounding effect of also putting the team much earlier in the penalty, forcing the opponent to readjust its strategy.

It’s basketball’s equivalent to loading up on guys who draw a ton of walks.

Update 2:41PM 07/01:

A reader, DowJones, writes:

On a separate note, Rahat, I would be very interested to see your opinion on the Battier-Gay trade, I find your assertion that this was a Dawkins move quite intriguing.

My theory for some time now, in retrospect, has been that while it was Morey-inspired, it was Dawson who coordinated the move.  The first part, that it was Morey-inspired, is pretty obvious – no one else valued Shane and we know now why Morey did.  However, I’ve felt that it was Dawson who coordinated the trade itself for a few reasons.  1) in terms of value, it was pretty close to an even swap.  We know that Morey valued Battier highly, but his market value was actually much lower.  Since Morey took over, we’ve never seen him make deals that were even swaps in terms of market value.  Had he negotiated the Gay trade, I think we would have come out with something more, perhaps the #24 pick in addition to Battier.  Even value-swapping was pretty much a core characteristic of every Carrol Dawson trade.  2) more pointedly, Morey was just an assistant at that point, recently hired.  Draft day is the most important night of the year.  It’s unlikely that Dawson would have allowed his apprentice to coordinate the biggest trade of the year.

My theory is that Morey identified Battier and then presented his data to Dawson.  Dawson then put in the call to Jerry West and put the deal together.

Update 3:52PM 07/01:

From Chad Ford:

According to the source, the Blazers got close to a deal with the Hornets last week that would’ve sent Andre Miller, Joel Przybilla, Nicolas Batum, Jerryd Bayless and the 22nd pick to New Orelans for Paul and Emeka Okafor before Hornets GM Jeff Bower pulled out of the deal claiming that their owner wasn’t ready to trade Paul.

If that’s all it takes to land one of the five best players in basketball, then I don’t know what to say.  Nicolas Batum has now reached unprecedented levels of overratedness.

Update 4:29PM 07/01:

More on the curious case of Nicolas Batum: He’s by far the most overrated player in basketball right now.  Nothing I’ve seen from him even remotely justifies his purported ‘trade value’ or the hyperbole used in assessing his potential.  Good athleticism, good size, but apart from that, nothing extraordinary.  Certainly doesn’t have anywhere near the ball-handling abilities that would indicate any-type of significant upside.  He’s Ariza without the sense of entitlement.  A dime a dozen wing.

I think it’s brilliant actually how the Blazers have managed to inflate this kid’s value to the levels its reached.  Every month or so, a rumor is leaked of the Blazers balking at some deal that would have sent some superstar to Portland for a package centered around Batum.  Just last week it was the Blazers turning down the #4 pick.  Absolutely hilarious yet so wittingly brilliant on the part of Portland’s brass.  The sad thing is that its reached the point now where the public actually takes this stuff at face value and now buys into the Batum hype.  Unfortunate.

Update 8:54PM 07/01:

Foxsports.com reports that the Lakers have offered Mike Miller a 5 year $30million deal.  Now that would be a great pickup for the defending champs.  Miller would give them the size that Phil Jackson likes on the perimeter (Ron Harper, Brian Shaw) and the shooting they could have sorely used against Phoenix.  He’s not a good defender but that’s not really too important with a strong system and trees protecting the basket.  Forget McGrady, if the Lakers land Mike Miller, they are going to be even tougher.

Update 7:31PM 06/30

I for one am loving this.  I know I’m in the minority there among Rockets fans, but this is great.  I can’t quite understand this sentiment ascribing pernicious intent to “The Summit.”  If these guys weren’t lucky enough to have Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum served up on a platter for them, why shouldn’t they coordinate their destinies if its within the rules?  More power to them.

One question I’ve had concerns the “they’ll be at his doorstep at 12:01” dictum seemingly used regarding every free agent scenario ever discussed.  What happens if two general managers both show up at someone’s doorstep at 12:01?  Do they have to stake out the night before to ensure first-arrival?  (Is that what this Caravan thing is really about?)  I assume the agent makes preparations beforehand, so why the emphasis on this imagery by talking-heads?

Moving on: I was watching ESPN’s Free Agency Summit last night and I think Wilbon made a great point stating, when asked to predict the number of titles Lebron would win, that he was starting with a max-ceiling of ‘5’.  I think that’s what most people, especially those who maintain that he’ll stay in Cleveland, just don’t get.  This guy does not have time.  He has 7 years of mileage already on his body.  People pointing to Jordan as their proof just don’t get the concept of mileage.  It’s not age, it’s mileage.  Jordan didn’t come in at 18 and also took two years off.  I hear so many people say, “oh, but Lebron has such a great body!” as if you can always foresee a forthcoming breakdown.  He may not play like one, but he’s a human being.  Lebron James has a very small window and even two rings is not enough.  That’s why he must leave.

This brings me to my next point as Miami and Chicago have somewhat cemented themselves as the frontrunner landing spots.  Miami is rooming in college with your best friend.  You guys always have wild times together, it’s been your lifelong dreams, and it seems like a great idea until it happens.  But you need to room with Chicago.  Chicago will pay the bill on time, won’t leave a mess everywhere or bring home strange people.  He’ll keep it down and won’t negatively influence you.

In my mind, this is what it boils down to.  You know the temptation of Miami is killing James but he needs to pick the smart choice.  For one, he and Bosh can step into that Bulls lineup and win the title immediately, whereas in Miami, they would need to wait at least another year for a draft pick and MLE signing to provide, not some depth, but an NBA roster. But more than that, it’s about Dwayne Wade.  (I should preface by saying that I’m not one of those people that think James and Wade couldn’t coexist on the court – I firmly believe all great players can thrive off of each other.  When you’re great, you see things normal players don’t see and it makes the game more fun when playing with someone with similar superpowers.)  Dwayne Wade is old.  28 to be exact.  I just don’t know how many years he has left in his body considering his playing style and his smallish stature.  For a guy like James who needs to be chasing 4 rings, the 21 year old Rose is the smarter bet.

Final note: What’s up with the comments lately?  It feels like the median age around here has increased by like ten years from what I was subjected to back in December.

Update 3:50PM 06/30:

Sorry, nothing of much relevance here, but can someone explain why everyone keeps playing up this Prokhorov angle citing his lifestyle as some sort of enticement for Lebron James?  Seriously?  If Lebron wants to have a good time, he has friends in any city to which he goes to do it with – I seriously doubt he needs Prokhorov to have a good party.

I would also appreciate some explanation on the Ronaldhino snub.  I don’t watch soccer but my understanding was that he was the best player in the world?  So was it not a big deal that he was left off the Brazilian soccer team?  It clearly was atleast noteworthy because almost every soccer article I’ve read mentioning Brazil has mentioned it with emphasis.  But is it just not a big, big deal?  What’s a good comparison?  I’m thinking Team USA not inviting Tim Duncan because of his old age?

No Rockets news yet.  There’s a report coming out of Miami – emphasis upon ‘coming out of Miami’ – that the Heat and Raptors have agreed upon a S&T for Chris Bosh.  Not sure how that’s even possible.

Update 5:20PM 06/30:

Didn’t mention this: Woj reporting that Atlanta is preparing to offer Joe Johnson a 6 year deal at his full bird rights max.  I’m pretty speechless.  For one, the value of the Knicks picks climb higher, but secondly, it’s shocking that Atlanta would make that commitment to Johnson.  But what choice do they have?  If he leaves, they’re back to the cellar.  Being held up by a pseudo-star is the worst situation to be held up in.

I suppose I should also put in my predictions while we still have time before more reports start rolling in:

• Bosh to Miami with Wade – I think this will be the first domino.
• James and Amare to Chicago – James will take what I feel is the no-brainer choice and sign with the Bulls.  After Bosh goes to the Heat, Chicago will turn its attention towards Stoudemire.  There will be strong reports of New York and Phoenix signing Stoudemire, but after the Bosh/James dominoes fall into place, Amare will drop everything and head to the Bulls.
• Boozer to the Nets – yawn.
• Dirk and Pierce stay in place.
• Rudy Gay and David Lee to the Knicks.

I’m sure I’m forgetting someone.  I think the Rockets will make a minor move and wait until the deadline for their big push.  Also, anyone who followed my draft predictions should expect much of what was said above to be completely wrong.

Update 5:44PM 06/30:

I might as well knock this out now while things are slow: there was an unsubstantiated report last week of a mutual interest between the LA Lakers and Tracy McGrady.  Naturally the latter has interest, but I can’t see why the Lakers would even bother unless out of some pity-laden decree from Kobe Bryant.  Tracy’s pretty much done and I don’t see how he’ll latch on anywhere.  I should clarify – he still has some game, but he’s in a position very similar to the one Allen Iverson found himself in last year where his lone remaining talent requires that any team disrupt its gameplan to accommodate him.  What I mean is that McGrady is still an elite passer, but to pass, he has to have the ball in his hands.  Given that he brings nothing else, I don’t see any team willing to give him that freedom.  Some might surmise that he could see minutes somewhere as a backup 1, but I question whether he has the lateral quickness to not give back everything he produces offensively on the other end.  Also, unlike Iverson, McGrady isn’t even an icon or a draw.  Unfortunate circumstances for a guy who many considered to be the game’s best player 7 years ago.

Update 7:31PM 06/30:

John Gambadoro of Sports 620 KTAR in PHX just tweeted the following:

New developments – Houston Rockets interested in Amare Stoudemire. Would likely be a sign and trade with Luis Scola and Battier if it hapens

I think there’s probably truth to this given the report last year at the deadline of the Rockets’ interest.  However, I can’t see Phoenix having any interest in a re-signed Scola.  Battier atleast would have some value in a later trade to a contender, but if Stat is leaving, I don’t know why the Suns would want to tie themselves down with a 30 year old Luis.  You would think if they were S&Ting him, they would prefer to send him to a team with cap space and take back a TPE.  But I suppose, if they can’t get that, they might want Scola/Shane rather than be left with nothing.

This would be interesting.  I don’t particularly like Stat, but it would leave us with all of our trade chips intact.  Maybe you then dangle Martin in a S&T for Joe Johnson, re-uniting the former 2005 Suns teammates?  You would be vastly upgraded and still have the Knicks picks and Jordan Hill for later moves.  You would also be in cap hell in the future, though….

A reader, Stephen, writes:

Hate to multiple post,but does Morey really take best player or best player who fits a need?
He sure looks to be forming a pattern of identifying a need from the previous season and bringing in both a vet and a draftee to fill it.Then the coach decides who’s gonna play and stay.
Consider:
2007 PG and PF were definite weak links.
Scola,Landry and Brooks,Francis,Jackson brought in.
2008 Two Series losses to Utah indicated a need for physicality.
Artest and Dorsey.
2009 Wing scoring.
Martin,Taylor,Budinger.

If this holds true,whatever Morey has identified as this past season’s big weakness is going to determine who gets drafted and a similar-skilled vet will also be brought in.

Interesting and a trend I had never spotted/considered.  Still, I would argue the contrary with one of your examples as proof.  In ’08, Morey drafted Greene, a selection which did not fit the stated need but maximized value at that spot.  This value was what later allowed him to nab Artest, a player who fit the team’s need.

Another reader, Mike, writes:

If Miami creates enough cap space to sign two star free agents (say Bosh and Johnson), and Chicago does likewise via trading Deng to sign Lebron & Amare or Boozer … then the Knicks 2011 #1 protected pick looks very good!

The problem is, can we be better than Miami (Johnson Wade Bosh), Chicago (Rose, Lebron, Amare/Boozer, Noah) or the Lakers?

Our only chance would be to overwhelm them with system and depth and hope whatever rookie, either this year through trade, or next year via New York, became elite.

Other notes:

With what figures to be the most exciting offseason in NBA history could get even crazier with Adrian Wojnarowski reporting that Chris Paul is no longer untouchable.

People need to understand that they’re not trying to trade Paul.  They’re trying to reduce team salary with Paul as their only bait.  Hypothetical speculation should be mindful of that.  Just simply trading Paul for some package would be completely counterintuitive to their objective – they want to attach Okafor or other bad contracts.

You could say that Morey should hold off on making his move in the draft and take his big swing at Paul, but I’m sure he has somewhat of a gauge on his chances.

DraftExpress reported that a Vince Carter for Gilbert Arenas trade could be in the works.  For the Wizards, that’s about as close to a miracle “get out of jail” pass as you can find.

Update 9:51AM 06/24: A reader, Quinn, raises an interesting point:

Trading TA1 would be a publicity / front office nightmare unless he went to a contender inasmuch as he came here because he wanted to grow and improve his game – to ship him off (especially to a team like Minnesota) just screams to potential future players that you should not come here because you’re just a piece of a temporary team.

While I don’t think this would cause them to back off from a no-brainer offer, he is right that that could be a potential concern.

Other notes: Danny Ainge is reportedly shopping Kendrick Perkins in an attempt to move up in the draft.  My initial reaction is that there must be something seriously wrong with Perk.  The Celtics no doubt want to instill some new blood into their team after their Finals loss, but trading a 25 year old defensive cornerstone is not the way to do it.  A guy that young that can guard Dwight Howard and Yao Ming without double team help is worth much more than just a late lottery pick.

Update at 2:01PM 06/24: Apologies for my truancy thus far – just not much going on at the moment today aside from Miami and Chicago’s plans to reroute the course of history.  With the buzz that was in Houston earlier last month when it seemed Chris Bosh was a real possibility, one must envy the feeling right now in those respective cities with their teams scrambling to add not just one, but two superstars in addition to their current ones.

These various Bulls scenarios being tossed around sound incredibly lop-sided: convincing a team to take the contract of Kirk Hinrich or Luol Deng would be a win in itself, not a feat to additionally be rewarded with a top-10 draft pick.

The rumor that the #4 can only be had if taken in combination with Al Jefferson, while dubious, gives us a hint at just how wrong we all were regarding Jefferson’s value.  I thought it would take atleast some combination of Jordan Hill and draft picks to make a deal – looks like he can pretty much be had for free.  Again, just mind-boggling considering this was one of the brightest young stars in basketball just over 20 months ago.

I’m not too surprised by the Heat’s difficulties in their attempts to give away Michael Beasley because that doesn’t necessarily mean he has zero trade value – it only means teams with cap space value that space more than adding Beasley.

Update at 2:38PM 06/24: Some of these reports coming out right now are absolutely fascinating inasmuch as just how much they shed light upon the economic realities of today’s NBA.  You have the owners of legit young talent like Monta Ellis, Biedrins, and Al Jefferson just begging teams to take them off their hands, even attaching high lottery picks to make the pill more palatable, and still no one is biting.  Pretty foreboding for the new CBA.  The owners just are not going to pay long-term deals unless you’re established in the elite upper crust.  Really, gone are the days of the “psuedo-star.”  If you’re a marginal All-Star, going forward, you missed out on millions over the course of your earning career just simply by having the misfortune of being born in the wrong decade of history.

Update at 2:59PM 06/24: Wow, so the Bulls pull it off, sending Hinrich and their 17th to the Wiz for unknown considerations, freeing up room sufficient to land 2 max stars this summer.  First of all, this one makes infinitely more sense than the earlier rooms that had them not only achieving their objective of clearing room by dealing Hinrich/Deng, but also getting back a mid-lottery pick.

It’s still hard to wrap your mind around that what seemed like a pipe-dream is now a reality – the Chicago Bulls have complete financial capability to acquire both Lebron James and Chris Bosh.  From Rose being younger than Wade and being a true-playmaker, to Noah’s presence to do the dirty work, to the retention of Deng as a complementary piece, the Bulls are just simply a better fit for James than Miami.  A team of Bosh-Deng-Noah-James-Rose, coached by Thibs, has literally everything, all under-25; it would be a sickening wealth of riches, almost at vide-game levels.  Best player in the league?  Check. Best young point guard in the league?  Check.  Pass-first, unselfish point guard?  Check.  Unselfish best player willing to pass?  Check.  Elite coaching?  Check.  Elite front-court defender?  Check.  Elite offensive big man?  Check.  Ridiculous – that squad could win 70.  How it must feel to be in Chicago right now.  The excitement even contemplating the possibilities rivals the Jordan years.

Update 3:12PM 06/24: Kelly Dwyer tweets that the Hinrich deal still does not clear money sufficient for 2 max slots.  Excuse the hyperbole above.  I can get carried away at times.

Update at 3:32PM 06/24: Via DraftExpress:

Houston is entertaining offers for the #14 pick. Initially planned on standing pat, but are intrigued by the offers they’re getting now.

They’re trading the pick!!  Ok, maybe not.  Since I’ve already changed my prediction ten times in the past 24 hours, I’ll sit tight until the draft.  Or the next rumor.

A reader, Raj, writes:

How are you getting the idea that Rose is pass first?

I’m getting the idea after watching 5 years of Steve Francis.  After that, I consider anyone with better than a 1:1 AST:TO ratio to be pass-first.

Another reader, Robert, muses:

This isn’t related to the draft really, but John Wall’s potential as a PG got me thinking…
Not too long ago, Tony Parker was in the conversation of elite PGs, but not so much anymore. Is the the result of San Antonio’s regression as a team, Tony’s age, or (my guess) an influx of great young PGs into the league?

I would guess it might have something to do with everyone around him regressing.  But on that note, the complete transformation of the point guard-landscape from ‘shoot-first hybrid’ to ‘pass-first pure’ in such a short period of time is absolutely fascinating.  Someone needs to write a sociological inquiry on this.  Maybe I will.

Zen Monkey, writes:

These are hard years to be a Rockets fan, never good enough to contend for the title and never bad enough to draft a star. The middle may just be the worst spot in the NBA.

Chin up.  There’s nothing worse in sports than mediocrity, but we won’t be mired in it; not with Morey.  I think it’s difficult to tell fans to remain patient, but one should keep in mind that he’s really had actual talent for just a year.  He spent the first part of his tenure cleaning up his predecessor’s mess.

Update 3:49PM: Cavs the Blog’s John Krolik forebodingly captures the gloom in Cleveland: The Bulls may have just ended the Lebron Era, adding, “It hasn’t sunk in yet, but if that team can be made, I can’t really see how that doesn’t happen. A lot could happen between now and July 8th, but the pressure is squarely on Cleveland now. This isn’t just a “market” or “legacy” thing now for LeBron. It’s a chance to go to a major market and head up one of the most talented teams ever assembled.”

Update 4:10PM: A reader, Anthony, writes:

I wouldn’t categorize Rose as pass-first, nor should he be. He’s so outstanding a scorer, with finishing ability in the paint as good as anybody, that he would be denying his team his best ability. I rate his pure passing ability as only average. He executes the open passes and the diagrammed plays but he doesn’t unlock puzzles like Nash, Paul, Williams and yes, Rondo. I give him points for being willing to pass and he does it enough to qualify as an actual point guard.

The difference between Rose and Wall is that it’s hard to project that anyone will be able to make as many difficult shots in the paint as Rose does. He consistently hangs in the air and just pushes shots in. You can project three point, free throw and mid-range shooting and dominance in the open court but it’s hard to project the knack to make extraordinarily difficult shots. Rose at least has dominant scoring ability in his back pocket. I don’t know if Wall has an elite skill besides great open court ability.

I would argue that we’re basically arguing semantics.  The reader makes the case that Rose is not an ‘elite’ passer.  But is ability a necessary condition to being ‘pass-first’?  Doesn’t being a pass-first point guard simply mean you’re willing to pass, regardless of your actual ability?

Update 9:21PM 06/24: Houston Rockets select Kentucky forward Patrick Patterson.

First, thanks to everyone who dropped by in the first-ever Red94 chat.  To those still wondering what happened at the end, my apologies – I really dropped the ball.  I told you all to migrate to the new room, as we had reached the user limit for the original, but what I didn’t know was that the new one had an even lower limit.  Consequently, a lot of you were left standing in the rain.  I should have made better preparations, but I did not expect such a turn-out given the established tradition of longer-tenured pages in this niche.  It was fun though and we will have to make some arrangements for game chats before next season begins.

At the time of this writing, the Rockets have selected Kentucky forward Patrick Patterson and have not made any deals.  I expected a trade-down but it appears the team feels lucky to have had Patterson fall to them and could not risk losing him altogether.

I don’t want to pass judgment until the night ends and the dust settles, but this pick doesn’t necessarily foreshadow future moves.  The team probably just chose the player they felt was the best available – that doesn’t mean Luis Scola or Jordan Hill are gone.

Overall, it’s been a rather uneventful draft night, one of the most boring I can remember.  The big news thus far is that the Orlando Magic could be close to uniting Dwight Howard and Chris Paul, with a deal contingent upon Magic GM Otis Smith finding a 3rd team to take on Emeka Okafor.  Local sources in Orlando claim that the Magic would be sending guards Jameer Nelson and Vince Carter to the Hornets for Paul, a deal which, on its face, appears about as lop-sided as any in recent history.

Good luck finding a taker for Okafor, owner of one of the most poisonous contracts currently in the league.  For that reason, and the sheer-lopsidedness, I just can’t see this going down.  If it does, my first emotions are of envy: it wasn’t too long ago that we too brought together two sub-25 All-NBA superstars.

Update 10:03PM: As I’ve said before, I don’t follow college basketball so not much commentary from me unfortunately on this pick.  I’ll try to compile some thoughts from real experts by tomorrow, though.  With that said, from what I’ve read, I like the pick as he seems to be a great, well-rounded kid.  I must stress though to please not base any assumptions off of this selection.  They might trade Hill; they might not.  Selecting Patrick Patterson has no direct, absolute bearing on it.  The team just followed its philosophy of taking the best player available.

My main interest at the moment is the deal that would purportedly send Chris Paul to Orlando for Jameer Nelson and Vince Carter.  Either A) it’s total BS or B) CP3 doesn’t want to play here, because the Rockets can certainly put together a better package than that.  It would make sense if Morey just didn’t want to take back Okafor, but the report is that the Magic might actually have a deal lined up to send him elsewhere.  That’s the part that makes me really skeptical.  It’s pretty doubtful that both A) the Hornets would take back such an underwhelming package AND B) the Magic would find a taker for Emeka.  If it was that simple to deal him on his own (for a palatable contract) then why wouldn’t the Hornets just do it themselves without parting with Paul?  I can actually feel myself getting angry as I type this.  The deal makes absolutely no sense.  (And thus, I’ll likely awake tomorrow to find that it’s been consummated.)

Still no news of anything else yet.

Update 6:13AM 06/25: I might be the only die-hard basketball fan I know who doesn’t circle the NBA Draft on his calendar.  I always feel like an outcast.  Remember that Friends episode where the salesman is trying to sell Joey the Encyclopedia set?  And so, as part of his pitch, he’s like “are there ever times when your friends are talking about something and you have no idea what’s going on?”  And then Joey reminisces on all the times when he had to just smile and nod his head.  That’s usually me.  Aside from the top prospects, I know little to nothing about most of these guys and usually have to resort to fake outrage/disgust/joy over developments to fit in with the crowd.

(I should add that after writing that, I’m not as embarrassed about admitting I watched Friends as I had thought I would be.)

So anyways, Patrick Patterson was the pick at 14 and no second rounders were purchased.  I went 1/2 as I thought they would for sure trade the pick, but also didn’t think they would buy picks this year given their financial condition.

I had said earlier in the week that the only way the Rockets stayed at 14 was if they were in love with who they took and that seems to be what happened.  Patterson was apparently 6th on their draft board.  However, I would probably take all of that with a grain of salt because isn’t that dialogue pretty standard?  I can’t remember a year that they weren’t thrilled with the pick, even though it certainly couldn’t have always been the case.  But anyways, my point is, moreso than their comments, their draft history should lead us to believe that they are in love with Patterson.  If they felt they could have gotten similar value, they would have moved down. So yeah, I realize I’m incessantly contradicting myself in this paragraph.  What I’m trying to say is that I believe what the Rockets are saying, but I believe it because of the logic, not just because they’re simply saying it.

Moving on, Patterson seems interesting.  I’m most intrigued by the claims that he supposedly has range out to the 3 point line…?  With Patterson, I’m just taking my standard approach with Morey draft picks – I’m void of emotion because I don’t know much about the players, but overall at ease and confident because things almost always work out with Daryl at the helm.

All I can do really is assess the overall situation and I would reiterate not to base upon this anything.  They’re not a team that just says “we don’t have a backup center….okay, let’s draft one!”  They’ll sort out needs through other means.

Anyways, now the real fun starts with July 1st around the corner.  Morey’s comments about not wanting to use up any assets was obviously revealing.  They’ll pursue Bosh but I can’t see much coming out of that, in all honesty.  Let’s say they strike out on Bosh – do they still use the New York picks?  Let’s do some simple math: Miami and Chicago have pretty much cleared or are getting close to clearing room for 2 top tier guys each.  You have James, Wade, Bosh, Stoudemire, Joe Johnson, and Boozer as the guys expected to get the max or very close to it.  I was never good at math but that’s 6 with 5 open spots (as Wade will re-sign.)  So is it safe to assume 5 of the 6 top-tier guys will go to Miami and Chicago, leaving 1 of them, Rudy Gay, and David Lee for everyone else?

I think it will be James and Bosh to Chicago, and Stoudemire and Joe Johnson to Miami.  Do the Knicks waste it all on Boozer and Gay?  If you’re Morey, with the draft over, there isn’t really much anxiety left over the value of the Knicks picks.  They’ll just wait and see what happens as it will become clear pretty fast where everyone is going.  I have a hunch that they felt the Knicks wouldn’t get anyone and thus didn’t feel pressured to trade the picks.  So now, they can either hold onto them and actually use them, or if a deal comes along during the year or later in the summer, they’ll trade them.

Would they swallow Okafor if it meant taking back Chris Paul?  Would Paul even want to come here?  Okafor and Paul make roughly $27million this season.  You have roughly $14million of expiring contracts in Battier and Jeffries, and can add Aaron Brooks and Kevin Martin to make a match, throwing in a New York pick or two.  You can use your glut at the ’4′ with Okafor, Scola, Hill, and Patterson to trade for a shooting guard, giving you a starting lineup of Okafor, Ariza, Yao, new shooting guard, Paul, with Lowry, Scola, Budinger, and either Hill/Patterson off the bench.  Very nice, but I just don’t know if they’d bite on Okafor.

Update 7:35AM 06/25: Here’s another question, and it’ll sound odd: Given the cost, would they even want Chris Paul?  He’s a top 5 talent, but it’s no secret that pure point guards aren’t necessary in Rick’s offense.  Aaron Brooks and Kyle Lowry are more than enough – the system gets you shots.  Instead of blowing everything on Paul, and being tied down to Okafor for years, maybe they prefer the flexibility and roster parity?  Trading for Paul and Okafor would definitely be a CD move in the old NBA economy, but is it a Morey move?  Maybe you’d rather just spread it out and build an absolutely stacked team from 1-12?  Then again, with that said, in the scenario I laid out in the update above, that team too would be pretty damn stacked granted you could find a decent shooting guard, which I think you could.  Along those same lines, you need an elite player to go deep in the playoffs, not to mention the fact that they’re going to have to bring in elite talent somewhere at some point whether it be through the draft via New York or through trade.  A few years ago, did you ever imagine we’d run into the problem of having too much talent at every position and not knowing which need to address?

Okafor is elite defensively, and young, and would allow you to drastically reduce Yao’s minutes.  Could you get a starting quality shooting guard for a package of say, Jordan Hill and Patrick Patterson?  Maybe a young player, like Kyle Lowry, rotting away somewhere who Morey has identified to be undervalued?

Update 9:55AM 06/25:

A reader, Miles Durham, pretty much makes the case against Chris Paul:

I don’t like that Chris Paul lineup scenario at all. Kevin Martin has enormous value and I see him as an integral part of our future lineup. He has a phenomenal EFG% and is lights out from 3. When Yao gets hurt he has the fire power to put up 25ppg and when he’s in the lineup he’ll be a great role player. Also, more importantly, CP3 would hurt our chemistry because he needs to dominate the ball. What is the last championship team that had a point guard like that?

The championship formula is always: PG – do it all guy who can hit the open 3, SG – good scorer who can hit a tough shot when you need him to, SF – defensive guy who can hit the open 3, PF/C – one is a low-post threat, while the other is really gritty, grabbing every board and playing defense. This formula applies to most of the recent champions (Lakers, Spurs, Heat). Exceptions are possibly the Celtics (though they essentially fit the mold) and the Pistons with Chauncey. These two teams were simply defensive powerhouses and could make up for offensive liabilities on the other end.

Update 2:01PM 06/25: A reader, Sam, writes:

Nevermind CP3, and still not wanting to let go of the idea of Chris Bosh. I just find it hard to believe that he would walk away from $30Million just to play with Lebron. The rockets can offer a number of combinations to make it work, even Patterson, Scola and Hill. If we had Bosh, Dorsey and Hayes could handle any bench duties and wouldn’t we be able to still sign Brad Miller with the MLE? I would be against any moves that would seperate the Brooks, Martin back court.

Here’s an interesting question – as a player, do you take the money or the dream scenario?  In truth, the $30million figure is slightly disingenuous if we’re being honest – you’re not actually leaving $30million on the table the way it’s presented for argumentative/rhetorical emphasis; you’re just passing up $30million of guaranteed money.  Some of that (due to the difference in maximum annual raises between straight signs and sign&trades being 8% and 10.5%) is lost for good, but a lot of that can still be earned back in the next contract (as much of the loss is due to the rules only allowing for 5 year deals for straight signs as opposed to 6 years for sign&trades.)  Of course, the new CBA could drastically limit salaries and guarantees, but this has likely already gotten far too technical/theoretical/dull for anyone’s taste….

Where were we?  If you’re a role-player, always take the money. Never sign a deal for far less based on team preference unless you’re nearing the end – they’ll ship you out the second it’s convenient.  But what about if you’re a superstar?  What’s the likelihood of Bosh getting traded?  I guess it’s plausible if he falls off.  It’s happened before.

For truly, has any franchise suffered more?  Have any fans endured more wrath than you who stand beside me?  The Houston Rockets should not be punished for ingenuity, with Morey making the most of a bad situation, but killing our odds [at the top pick.]

If there truly exists some justice and order, tonight the Basketball Gods will smile upon us and grant us glad tiding.

Live-blog after the page jump

The Rockets can only pick 14 or 1-3, with the odds of landing any of the latter three slots at slightly less than 2%.  The team will be sending point guard Aaron Brooks as its representative – the last time they sent their point guard, Steve Francis brought home the pick that was used to select center Yao Ming.

For those of who you have been living under a rock up to this point, the way it works is that they announce the slotting from 14 upwards leading towards the top pick.  They’ll most probably start off with some footage of the top prospects supplemented with some analysis.  Then they’ll move on to introducing the representative personalities from the teams – in most cases this will be slightly awkward with anecdotal references to various good luck charms.  Then they’ll get underway.

If a team other than the Houston Rockets is announced at 14, then that means we moved into the top 3 and Aaron Brooks will have to wait until after the commercial break to find out if he’s being traded next year.

(sidenote: The best part of the draft lottery each year is the priceless look upon each rep’s face upon learning that they haven’t moved up; a sort of “I knew I should have just phoned in via Skype”..)

In hopes of manifesting reality, I’m going to go out on a limb here and predict that we will land the #1 pick tomorrow, much to the chagrin of Mr. Brooks.  This will be followed by a month of debate and speculation about whether the pick should be traded, whether Brooks should be traded, or whether it should be used to select someone other than John Wall outright.  Mixed in with a firestorm of Chris Bosh rumors, it will be a glorious summer of 2010.  Kyle Lowry will learn to shoot, Von Wafer will return as assistant coach, and there will be a promotional montage with that scene from Forrest Gump where he starts running and the leg braces break off, except with Yao Ming in place of the kid…

By the way, if we actually do land the top pick, you take Wall and figure out the rest later. You can trade Brooks now or later in the season, but you take Wall and you still re-sign Kyle Lowry.  You go for the best talent available – the rest can be sorted out later.

So unless it really happens, we have just a little over a day remaining to live out this fantasy.  I’ve been imagining it myself for the past week and it’s painful when reality sets back in.  But we can dream for now.

Join me in the live-blog tomorrow to cover the lottery.

In the post-championship era, the Rockets have never had two guards mesh as well offensively as they do today.  Tracy McGrady and Bob Sura composed the best backcourt they’ve had, just by virtue of the former being a top 5 player at that time and the latter still being very productive.  But Kevin Martin and Aaron Brooks make up the best duo.

The two guards play so well together because of their skillsets.  Before I delve into that, let’s examine the skillsets of the other backcourt pairs the Houston Rockets have had in the post-championship era.

1. Maloney – Drexler: While a shell of his former self, Clyde was still very good off the dribble and difficult to handle in the post, but he was never a very good shooter.  He could spot up for 3’s (with that awkward release where he kicked his legs back and shot the ball over his head) but he never had the fine skillset to stop on a dime and pull up like the elite guards in today’s league.  Maloney was elite as a spot-up shooter, but one of the worst in the league off the dribble.
2. Mobley – Dickerson: Neither player was more than just a set shooter.  Mobley still had not been given the freedom to create and Dickerson, despite his physical gifts, did not have the handles to drive at the NBA level.
3. Francis – Anderson: Francis was the best finisher the Rockets have had in the post-championship era, and early on, was also very efficient on shots pulling up off the dribble, freezing his defenders with a crossover that ended up in his left hand for the shot.  However, he was not a good set shooter.  Anderson, despite the success he enjoyed in Jerry Sloan’s system, had the dubious distinction of actually being less skilled than Trevor Ariza.
4. Francis – Mobley: By this point, with more freedom, Mobley had developed into a dangerous off-the-dribble scorer.  He also had a mid-range game and was a good set shooter from behind the arc.  Francis was the same as described in the bullet above.
5. McGrady – Sura: McGrady was all-world and could pretty much do any and everything.  However, Sura, while relentless and very productive, was somewhat limited by his declined athleticism.  Bob didn’t have the skillset to create off the dribble and while he did attack the basket, lacked the footspeed at this age to be considered ‘dangerous.’
6. McGrady – Alston: McGrady had regressed by this point but was still dangerous on account of his passing and ability to create.  While Alston was extremely reliable as a ‘game manager’, with the exception of a few rare spurts, he was a total non-factor offensively.  In fact, most of the time, if you didn’t notice Rafer’s presence, that meant he was having one of his better nights.  Alston has to be one of the greatest paradoxes that basketball has ever seen: a playground point guard who couldn’t penetrate.  One has to really wonder why Skip, one of the greatest ball handlers in human history, didn’t invest the time into improving his shooting and finishing at the basket.  He had the other tools to be an All-Star.
7. Brooks – Artest: Aaron was not nearly as dangerous last season attacking the basket as he was prone to being blocked.  Ron was just dreadful.  From ‘3’, he was either scorching hot or ice cold.  Off the dribble, everything came to his left; nothing good came from the right.  With Houston, Artest never posted up, and with his added bulk and declined athleticism, was very ineffective driving to the hoop.  To his credit, Ron was an underrated passer.
8. Brooks – Ariza: I have gone into depth on Trevor Ariza’s skillset on this blog.

What makes our current duo of Kevin Martin and Aaron Brooks so dangerous is that  both possess the same very valuable abilities.

Both players can drive, finish in the lane, spot up for kick-out 3’s, shoot off the dribble, shoot off screens, score in transition, initiate the offense, and find open teammates.  Except for some differences (ie: Martin’s ability to draw contact), the two players have almost the same skills: it is precisely because Aaron Brooks and Kevin Martin are interchangeable that they are so complementary.

Both players are what one would classify as unselfish or passing shooting guards.  Guys looking for their shots but, while not exactly ‘good’ passers, willing and able to find teammates.

In terms of individual skill, as a duo, Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley were better than Aaron Brooks and Kevin Martin.  If you played a game of 2 on 2, I would put a lot of money on the former pair.  The problem, however, is that Steve and Cat were redundant.  Except for their pet alleyoop set, they couldn’t play off of each other; they had to take turns each trip down the court.

Both Francis and Mobley were at their best when isolating off the dribble.  But because Francis was such a sub-par passer, Mobley’s spot-up shooting wasn’t utilized in Francis sets.  Similarly, because Francis could not spot up at all and because Mobley was an atrocious passer, Francis could not be involved in any plays called for Mobley.

Also, contrary to popular belief, that Houston Rockets team did not push the pace, so neither player scored much in transition.  In fact, Francis was probably the worst point guard in the entire league at running the break – he would drift to the wing like a shooting guard rather than keep the ball in the middle of the court as is required by the point guard.

Let’s now turn our attention back to Aaron Brooks and Kevin Martin.  They’re not individually as good as Francis and Mobley but are so much more dangerous because they can play off of each other.  They’re strengths are amplified because the defense cannot key in on them as they could on the earlier duo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YeUEZW2XNM

Both players can bring up the ball and initiate the offense, allowing the other to roam free and spot up.  They can both attack the basket and are both competent enough at passing to find each other off penetration.

Most important though is their shooting.  Because both players can spot up or come off screens, both players stay involved as threats in every play, amplifying each other’s strengths.  With Francis and Mobley, the defense could just key in on one of the two during each play.  In our present case, that’s not possible, and it makes the duo very difficult to defend.

Neither Aaron Brooks nor Kevin Martin is good enough to carry this team down the stretch of multiple playoff games.  That type of player is usually needed to win a title.  Unfortunately, they are also impossible to acquire.

What makes the mutually beneficial relationship between Kevin Martin and Aaron Brooks so significant is that it enables the strategy which must now be taken for the Rockets to win.  No one player will lead them to a title.  Yao cannot do that.  For the Houston Rockets to succeed, they will need to overwhelm opponents with a superior team attack.  The unique ability of Aaron Brooks and Kevin Martin to feed off of each other in individual sets is a step in that direction.

As always, all suggestions and concerns are appreciated.

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