Utilizing Doubt As A Weapon

Last week I wrote a piece about identity. More specifically, Houston’s search for one that will allow them to consistently win basketball games in the long term and impose themselves on the rest of the league. Several factors were touched on—common denominators within the current roster’s makeup—to try and figure out if Houston’s foundation is good enough to grow from within, and improve upon.

But one of the more interesting similarities almost every player on the team shares came to me hours after that article was posted. The similarity I speak of is powerful enough to form a bond between all those who share it; strong enough to either shatter a man’s psyche or motivate him further than even he knew was previously possible. What I speak of is doubt. Doubt that’s relentless and constant. Doubt that attempts to cut a player at his knees before he’s able to stand.

At least six players expected to suit up for Houston next year have been left for dead in this league. Traded to the Rockets by organizations that had either given up or lost faith in their abilities and forgotten why they had been acquired in the first place. These players are Kyle Lowry, Hasheem Thabeet, Jonny Flynn, Jordan Hill, Terrence Williams, and Courtney Lee. (We aren’t counting Kevin Martin even though he came out of a small school, has been discarded from a rebuilding plan in Sacramento, and might be the most underrated player in basketball.)

Using Basketball-Reference to identify their various transaction histories, let’s break each player’s past down in an attempt to see why they were slept on, why it’s reasonable for their mental state to resemble a Faberge egg, and whether or not they have enough in them to right their inner ship and contribute towards a winning effort in Houston.

Kyle Lowry. Age 25. Drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies in the 1st round (24th pick) of the 2006 NBA Draft. As part of a 3-team trade, traded by the Memphis Grizzlies to the Houston Rockets; the Houston Rockets traded Rafer Alston to the Orlando Magic; the Orlando Magic traded Brian Cook to the Houston Rockets; and the Orlando Magic traded Adonal Foyle, Mike Wilks and a 2009 1st round draft pick (DeMarre Carroll) to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Years of Experience: Five

Since entering the league half a decade ago, Kyle Lowry was pegged as a career-long backup, someone who could enter a game and give his coach 20 solid minutes at the point guard position, harassing opponents with bull dog defensive tenacity and a solid ability to score. With a revolving door of has-beens and hopeful investments coming in and out of the Grizzlies organization at point guard, Lowry was never given a legitimate opportunity to grab the helm. Guys like Juan Carlos Navarro, Allen Iverson, Damon Stoudemire, and Mike Conley Jr. caused a circuit overload of sorts until Conley Jr. was selected as the man moving forward. Lowry was shipped to the Rockets, where an equally eager to please Aaron Brooks sat in waiting.

What Lowry has become since moving to Houston, is a full-time starter and the brightest light on this list. Lowry’s ability on defense was understated coming into the league. Among those who stand below 6’3″ he’s now considered one of the best perimeter defenders in the entire league. Last year he ripped the full-time starter position from Aaron Brooks, allowing the Rockets to move Brooks and acquire Goran Dragic (a League Pass favorite) and Phoenix’s first round pick (which eventually became Nikola Mirotic). Along with Martin, Lowry completes the league’s most under appreciated backcourt, and if he can continue his ascension towards placing himself among the league’s point guard elite, Houston could have one of the game’s most important positions all set for the next three-five years.

Hasheem Thabeet. Age 24. Drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies in the 1st round (2nd pick) of the 2009 NBA Draft. Traded by the Memphis Grizzlies with DeMarre Carroll and a future 1st round draft pick to the Houston Rockets for Shane Battier and Ishmael Smith.

YOE: Two

The most polarizing player in the whole division, the best/worst case scenarios for how Thabeet’s career will play out from this day on are so widely separated it’s impossible to say where he’ll end up. He’s started 13 games in his career, clearly incapable of taking the pressure that developed with being named the second most worthy person to enter the most prestigious basketball league in the world a couple years ago.

The Grizzlies were willing to part with a first round draft pick in order to lose Thabeet. That stings. Looking back can only do further damage, and the 24-year-old has been granted a fresh start on a hungry team. Here are two possible roads he can spend the next few years driving down.

Best Case Scenario: Starting today, Thabeet sits in front of a television, tapes his eyelids to his forehead, and absorbs countless hours of Dikembe Mutombo footage. He then willingly digs into a role as the team’s last line of defense, blocking shots and serving as a life preserve for perimeter defending teammates who used to feel like they were stuck on an island. Thabeet completely forgets about the offensive end and pushes himself to solely focusing on preventing the other team from scoring. Thabeet is a perennial league leader in blocked shots and consistently earns votes for Defensive Player of the Year. He’s twice awarded as starting center for the NBA’s All-Defensive Third Team.

Worst Case Scenario: Michael Olowokandi, only not quite good enough to bounce around the league. Like a dog relieving himself on a burned out car, Thabeet marks his territory as the best center in D-League history.

Jonny Flynn. Age 22. Drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 1st round (6th pick) of the 2009 NBA Draft. Traded by the Minnesota Timberwolves with Donatas Motiejunas and a future 2nd round draft pick to the Houston Rockets for Brad Miller, Chandler Parsons, Nikola Mirotic and a future 1st round draft pick.

YOE: Two

Everything about Jonny Flynn is intriguing: The fact that he had to be dealt from Minnesota in order to make room for Ricky Rubio; the way people gave up on him before he had the chance to prove anything, both ways. Flynn was disrespected by Minnesota, told Rubio was the point guard of the future before the Spaniard had played a minute. Flynn is good enough to start in this league which is why he was drafted so high. He has great vision, handle, and plays the game with the right balance of raw emotion and unruffled demeanor. Right now, though, he’s stuck behind Kyle Lowry on Houston’s depth chart. His role on the team next year could be limited one, or it could be him outplaying Lowry and grabbing hold a share of the starter’s well deserved minutes.

Flynn is one of the bigger question marks in the league, but with Lowry and Dragic on board, he’s an affordable one who could emerge as one of Daryl Morey’s smartest acquisitions.

Courtney Lee. Age 25. Drafted by the Orlando Magic in the 1st round (22nd pick) of the 2008 NBA Draft. Traded by the Orlando Magic with Rafer Alston and Tony Battie to the New Jersey Nets for Ryan Anderson and Vince Carter. As part of a 4-team trade, traded by the New Jersey Nets to the Houston Rockets; the Houston Rockets traded Trevor Ariza to the New Orleans Hornets; the Indiana Pacers traded Troy Murphy to the New Jersey Nets; and the New Orleans Hornets traded Darren Collison and James Posey to the Indiana Pacers.

YOE: Three

It was there, on the tips of his fingers. Off one of the greatest side inbound plays Stan Van Gundy has ever created, Courtney Lee could’ve been basketball’s big hero. He could’ve swung the tides of a Finals series that was much closer than the 5 games indicate. But nope. The rookie missed, LA won, and Lee was shipped up to New Jersey as the central piece in a deal for Vince Carter. Huge bummer. Then just as he’s getting his feet wet in the Jersey swamps, Lee gets a call that he’s going to Houston in a four team deal. Jersey wanted cap space (Troy Murphy’s contract) and Lee didn’t factor in with that whole “getting LeBron James” game plan. In his first season in Houston, Lee saw improvements in almost all of the major per 36 minute statistics. His three-point percentage jumped from 33.8% to 40.8% while attempting just one fewer per game than his year with the Nets. By all accounts Lee is a solid overall player, a flexible cog on a unit that would like to compete for more than playoff berths. Let’s hope next time he takes it a little lower off the glass.

Jordan Hill. Age 24. Drafted by the New York Knicks in the 1st round (8th pick) of the 2009 NBA Draft. As part of a 3-team trade, traded by the New York Knicks with Jared Jeffries and a future 1st round draft pick to the Houston Rockets; the Houston Rockets traded Tracy McGrady to the New York Knicks; the Houston Rockets traded Joey Dorsey and Carl Landry to the Sacramento Kings; the New York Knicks traded Larry Hughes to the Sacramento Kings; the Sacramento Kings traded Hilton Armstrong and Kevin Martin to the Houston Rockets; and the Sacramento Kings traded Sergio Rodriguez to the New York Knicks. Houston had the right to swap 1st round draft picks with New York in 2011 but did not do so.

YOE: Two

Jordan Hill was, perhaps, unfairly selected as high as he was, by a team that should’ve been looking elsewhere in the first place. He is not, and will never be, an All-Star caliber force. Similar to Courtney Lee, he was discarded in an attempt to move salary space around and eventually acquire LeBron James. He’s one of the largest players on the team, which is obviously valuable. However out of all the players here, Hill might have the steepest climb ahead. The expectations remain low.

Terrence Williams. Age 24. Drafted by the New Jersey Nets in the 1st round (11th pick) of the 2009 NBA Draft. As part of a 3-team trade, traded by the New Jersey Nets to the Houston Rockets; the Houston Rockets traded Sergei Lishouk to the Los Angeles Lakers; the Houston Rockets traded a 2012 1st round draft pick to the New Jersey Nets; the Los Angeles Lakers traded Sasha Vujacic and a 2011 1st round draft pick (JuJuan Johnson) to the New Jersey Nets; and the New Jersey Nets traded Joe Smith, a 2011 2nd round draft pick (Darius Morris) and a 2012 2nd round draft pick to the Los Angeles Lakers.

YOE: Two

The NBA is filled with ridiculous athletes capable of fulfilling myriad duties. Terrence Williams is one of those ridiculous athletes. A superstar who seemed capable of doing just about everything at Louisville, scouts feared Williams’ wide ranging abilities wouldn’t translate to a league that favors specialists. The jury is out as to whether or not that assessment is correct or not, but when a player selected 11th overall in the NBA draft by a team looking for youthful athletes looks to deal said youthful athlete before 100 games are played, something’s up. Williams was never projected to continue his “man amongst boys” level of collegiate dominance upon entering the NBA, but he still has the physical tools to lock down defensively and spring highlight after highlight on an unsuspecting big man’s head.

Once acquired, Williams wasn’t exactly the apple in Rick Adelman’s eye. With Kevin McHale on board and looking to inject new life on the defensive end, Williams may have found a nice little role for himself on a team that’s hopefully on the rise.

So, what we have here are six players selected in the top 25 of their respective draft—including four of 2009′s top 11 picks—nobody older than 25, and, apart from Kyle Lowry, nobody who’s spent more than two years playing for the same team. Hill, Flynn, and Thabeet (a combined six years of NBA experience between them) have all already been labeled busts, and it’s of popular belief that Lee may have hit a road block on a career that looked all the more promising a couple years ago.

Walking up and down the aisles of the NBA’s roster placement super store, this is an unusual collection of talent Daryl Morey has assembled. Most of these guys had a bright red tag on their forehead, marked down as unwanted products that just needed to get off the shelf. Buying low isn’t a bad economic strategy, but can only pay off if one of the players turns out to be worth the investment. Where we stand right now, Houston looks to possess a few who, if properly motivated and placed in the correct role, are talented enough to do just that.

Twitter: @ShakyAnkles

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