- As I said on Twitter the other day, when it happened, of the many gripes I have with the Google era of news is the exact phenomenon we saw take place this week. Chris Sheridan, citing “multiple league sources”, (because, of course) “reported” that with Howard unhappy in Houston, to “look for [the Rockets] to try and move Howard later this season.” He goes on to predict that Howard will end up in Miami because it’s “the destination that makes the most sense.” That’s it. From that purely speculative stance, we somehow arrive at a title of “Dwight Howard Unhappy in Houston; Headed to Miami?”, and a title tag (look at your browser tab) of “Dwight Howard trade to Miami Heat a Possibility.” I mean, really. From there, because Google News’ algorithmic methods of defining authoritiativeness are flawed, dozens of crappy news aggregators ran with the “rumor”, broadcasting the initial opinion as legitimacy. By mid-day, I have texts from people asking me if Dwight to Miami is really on the table and what I think of Whiteside. Look, sports isn’t that important. In fact, it’s probably the one thing that best provides escape from the problems in this world. And I love speculation as much as anyone: if the Rockets didn’t completely suck, I’d probably be gearing up for another Durant to Houston update. But what happened the other day, from a respected journalist like Sheridan, is annoying and makes the discourse surrounding basketball dumber. I get that there’s a need to procure clicks and that Google incentivizes such mischief, but come on. As I quipped in the aftermath on Twitter, I think Ryan Anderson of the Pelicans could be had and is the fit that “makes the most sense.” Maybe I’ll write a headline titled “Ryan Anderson to Houston?” Several readers, seeing my tweet out of context, replied in serious fashion to inquire about the merits of Anderson and such a trade. See how that works?
- While the Heat deal was a product of Sheridan’s imagination, the initial premise very well could hold truth. Dwight Howard very well might be unhappy in Houston and he very well could have requested a trade. That’s believable, and in fact, would be a greater surprise were it not the case. The national media, in predictable fashion, latched onto this aspect of the story, launching into a discussion over Dwight, hurling all sorts of unwarranted criticisms. I explained my thoughts at length in a podcast Wednesday night, never-to-be-released due to technical difficulties (in other words, “Rahat, test out the settings first before you record on a recently purchased microphone.”) Much of my thunder is gone, but I’ll attempt to re-create: is he Orlando Dwight? No. Has he regressed even since joining the team? Yes, of course. But he’s still pretty good. And more importantly, he’s one of the few guys on this team actually giving a damn and playing hard every night. He’s anchoring a pathetic defense and cleaning up for Harden’s apathy and Terrence Jones’ botched rotations every single night. Look. Guys are going to play poorly and not produce. And maybe, if the report is true, it’s in everybody’s best interest to trade Dwight and move on. But those on-court evaluations should be kept exclusive of the character critiques we’ve seen subjected against Howard in recent weeks. As long as you play hard and are professional, which Howard has been since coming here, you shouldn’t have your integrity questioned at every turn. Rather poignantly, Howard said it best himself, the other day: “I don’t want to smile too much because then I’m (said to) not take it serious. I don’t want to not smile too much because then I’m (called) unhappy.” Howard hasn’t quite been the fit the Rockets hoped for since his acquisition and he’s in decline. But that doesn’t make him a “coward” or any of the other insults directed his way since his departure from L.A. Lazily, the media has jumped on the narrative that Howard is at fault behind the Rockets’ disastrous season. In reality, he’s been one of the least of Houston’s problems.
- From the wording of Marc Stein’s latest, it almost appears as if Markieff Morris to Houston is all but a done deal, contingent now merely on time. As I’ve maintained since news of a swap first surfaced (in a weird Instagram photo which had much of this section of the Internet deciphering between the Morris twins), while I’m not entirely sure Morris is a better player than Terrence Jones, such a trade is preferable simply due to Morris’ contractual status. In essence, I pity the team that re-ups Terrence Jones at whatever outrageous figure he’ll command this strange summer, and cringe at the thought of it being the Rockets. I’m done with Jones and ready for a deal. Morris is the more skilled/talented player, but he’s not as “stretchy” as his reputation would make one assume. But still, this is just about value. Morris at $8million is better than just letting Jones walk, or–and I shudder to even type it– committing long term to Jones at over $10million annually. Losing Brewer in theory would hurt, except that he’s been absolutely dreadful this season and should be easily replaced by Marcus Thornton. I’d delve into how Morris might fit into this offense were it not for the fact that I’m not sure how anyone on this team fits.
