- The Houston Rockets want no parts of “baby-men”. When most NBA teams sign undrafted rookies, the signings are generally chalked up to filling out rosters or just doing things to beat the middle-of-August-ennui (I’m looking at you, Kahn), but we know that a Daryl Morey contract in August comes full of portent, yet reveals another card in Morey’s hand. Signing Ishmael Smith to a multi-year deal may not seem that similar to moves made for players who have made up much of the youth movement in Houston in recent years (Aaron Brooks, Carl Landry, Chase Budinger), yet none of these players were truly unheard of prior to being picked up by the Rockets: they all had been varying levels of stars in college, where they all stayed for three years or more. While Chris Wallace blows lottery pick after lottery pick on projects, Morey has found a niche market in very talented and NBA-ready talent that actually stayed in college, finding them cheaper and more prepared for the grind of an 82-game-season. Even this year, as some fans begged Morey to begin rebuilding with the Rockets’ lottery pick, essentially chanting “UPSIDE” to deaf ears, the reliable, coach-friendly Patrick Patterson, Kentucky’s consistent post presence for three years, was the pick, ready to put in work immediately. These players fit perfectly into Morey’s philosophy of wanting to stock up on cheap talent and stray from the dreaded middling deals for middling players which weigh down NBA teams’ cap flexibility constantly (Ariza’s recent departure was probably more of a correction of a deviation from that than an addition of a player who matched the Morey Way), yet the true upside of these players may be revealed in their reputations as all-world teammates and general lack of egos. In young players, Morey does not see potential, but risk; yes, risk in terms of ability to succeed on the court, but he also has seen vibrant talents like Gerald Green and Rashad McCants who simply seem ill-prepared to be millionaire athletes utterly fail at acclimating themselves to the NBA lifestyle. After reading this very old, very brilliant piece by Sally Jenkins (linked to by a not so shabby writer himself), I could see the true danger of the 18-year-old star. Yes, he may be thin-chested or completely unaware of how to box out his man, but he also just might not know what the hell he’s supposed to eat or how to drive a car or how he will live on a day-to-day basis, a terrifying thought for an organization committing to building around this giant dunce (and paying the baby-man a hefty price for the pleasure of doing so). Morey definitely wants to find his diamonds in the rough, but, like a lot of young professional men, he may just not want the hassle of dealing with some dumb kid on his hands while he’s busy doing his job.
- Despite all of this talk of “baby-men” (we should all thank Sally Jenkins a 100,000 times for this phrase), remember: Ishmael Smith actually plays basketball. He has been described endlessly as “competent” (I suppose that’s a good thing), and his pass-first-and-pass-well mindset does make him a rare commodity in the Rockets locker room, whose best passer over the last decade wasn’t always that interested in it. The Houston Rockets have two point guards, though. Yes, Smith could easily be cut, but his multi-year contract gives the impression he will be given an opportunity on this team. Here lies the aforementioned portent: is Daryl Morey preparing to deal Aaron Brooks? His name has found its way out of a lot of potential Carmelo Anthony trades thanks to the presence of Ty Lawson, but Morey’s affinity for the multiple-team-trade may end up landing the Rockets’ leading scorer in a new home as he continues to build depth at the 1.
- As it turns out, Yao never said he had any plans of retirement with regards to the NBA (ah, the press. Can we ever be trusted?). According to an USA Today blurb, the large man was talking about the future of his native land’s basketball program: “Yao also clarified a report out of China that focused on his comments about retirement. He said he was talking about the Chinese national team needing to prepare for the day when he won’t be available, but said that inevitable day was imminent. ‘That interview was only about how to develop Chinese basketball,’ Yao said.”
- In 2002, the Rockets bought into the Yao Ming business. Eight years later, the biggest one has delivered a lot to this city and organization, yet his story arc still feels mostly unwritten. It is important to remember that the pressure that will be on him (and the foot) is not new; he was expected to be the most important key to a title himself all along. In this Fran Blinebury piece, a small story from his first NBA game stands out as emblematic of the anticipation and expectation laid on Yao’s shoulders (Hakeem Olajuwon’s insanely casual eloquence also stands out) : “On the night of his first-ever NBA game back in 2002, about an hour before tip-off, a shy, skinny Yao posed for a photo in the back hallway of the old Compaq Center, standing side-by-side with Moses Malone and Hakeem Olajuwon. The two men who made playing center for the Rockets into Hall of Fame careers looked at their linear descendant with approval and hope.’We are the footprints from the past, part of the chain of history,’ said Olajuwon. ‘We need you to be the next link in the chain.’ ‘Time to go to work,’ said the typically succinct Malone. Now more than ever.”
- Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News gets very realistic about the Mavs’ chances in a loaded West, and I would say the vast majority of unbiased NBA viewers would agree the Mavs are in better shape for a title run than the Rockets. If you’re in the Cowlishaw camp, the question is less “Who can we get?” and more so “Who are we kidding?”: “But the Mavericks aren’t the Lakers, who have plenty of years left with Kobe and Pau. And they aren’t the up-and-comers from Oklahoma City. They are in that big, big mix trying to play for seeds in the playoffs. And that doesn’t even address the need to beat the Big Three in Miami once a team gets out of the West.”
- The Denver Nuggets get a little stability back into the organization, naming well-liked longtime scout Masai Ujiri as its general manager. This move was made quickly in the wake of the Carmelo Sweepstakes (can we call it that? Feels like flirting with someone in the waiting room of a marriage counselor), and it shows the degree of urgency the team has placed on this moment; however, the Nuggets may be in a little over their heads in terms of convincing anyone that it is running a well-functioning franchise. While King Gunner J.R. Smith is going Ike Turner on his teammates, the rest of the Nuggets are in the dark about Anthony’s future with the team. George Karl just seems perplexed, but Kenyon Martin’s description of the organization has to make any Nuggets fan’s stomach turn: “‘I understand what he’s going through,’ Martin said in a phone interview. ‘If I’m Melo, I’m thinking — are we getting better? They’ve got to prove to me that we’re getting better. . . . Everybody else around us got better. But we’re taking steps backwards.'” And that guy isn’t making trade demands.
- As Rockets fans begin to circle the corpse of Carmelo Anthony and his team’s relationship, we must begin to ask ourselves: how did we get here? Many reasons have been surmised by Rockets fans as to why Anthony has interest in the Rockets, most prominently our belief in his belief in Daryl Morey. Bethlehem Shoals seems to agree: “You’ve got whiz kid Daryl Morey leading the statistical revolution from his GM’s chair and eminently lovable Yao Ming trying to put together the career he deserves. What could bring out Melo’s bright side, and the high points of his game, like those two plus Rick Adelman’s system?” As we pat ourselves on the collective back for following such a well-run organization, let’s not forget why the Triumvirate so happily took their talents to South Beach along with a healthy pay cut: no state income tax.
- Remember when you really wanted Andre Iguodala? I don’t, but apparently we did. And apparently he’s probably still available.
- How important is it to make the right lottery pick? If you ask John Krolik, the wrong one can cost you LeBron James, another 12-years of sports (and plain ol’) depression for a city and a healthy economy: “Because of that, I realize that some people might say the Cavs’ failure to build a core around LeBron ultimately turned out to be a moot point, but I still think there’s value in taking a look how the Cavs were more or less forced to build with LeBron and duct tape during Cleveland’s competitive years… Because LeBron made the Cavaliers so good so fast, they only had a few chances to make the move or draft pick that would have given him a true running mate or set of running mates. Due to a series of circumstances both within and beyond management’s control, the moves they made didn’t work out.”
- Ron Artest should be one of your favorite Rockets of all-time because he should be one of your favorite anythings of all-time. Disagree? Read this, and ask for forgiveness for doubting him accordingly: “According to the columnist Bill Simmons, Ron Artest of the Rockets missed the first two team buses from Houston’s hotel to Staples Center before Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Lakers. He made the final bus, which was reserved for business staff, sponsors and friends of the team, sprinting to it wearing only his underwear. Among the startled passengers was the team owner, Leslie Alexander.”
