ABOVE: The Houston Rockets are (probably) the proud new employers of one Ron Artest. Here he fights with fans in Detroit (at the time, he was an Indiana Pacer).
Although not official until mid-August, it appears that The Houston Rockets will have pulled off one of the most lop-sided trades in the NBA since...well, since the Lakers got Pau Gasol. I will argue that the Rockets potentially just got a bigger difference-maker than Gasol. Maybe. That all depends on whether Ron Artest can stay out of jail or other types of trouble long enough to stay on the basketball court. But the Rockets basically gave up the janitor at the Toyota Center to get him. What were the Sacramento Kings thinking? The big question is will the NBA actually allow this trade to go through?
The details of the trade: the Rockets send Bobby Jackson (whom I like, but at best he is a reliable back-up), Donte' Greene (who has a lot of potential, but years away) and a first round pick in 2009 to the Kings in exchange for Ron Ron.
The up side for Houston? When his head is in the game, Artest is one of the best defensive players in the league. Tenacious as hell, he gives the Rockets a player who can defend the hottest player on the opposing team. The Rockets now have an instant defender to throw at Kobe, Ginobili, Paul, etc. Artest is flexible, able to play three positions. He can get hot from the three, and last season he averaged over 20 points a game, over 5 rebounds and over 3 assists. He brings a mental toughness and outlaw attitude that, frankly, the sometimes mentally soft Rockets sorely need. He can be our resident thug to mix things up on the court. The up side is huge, and immediately makes the Rockets a contender for the top spot in the West.
The down side? Well, the guy is absolutely insane. He was the main instigator of the infamous Detroit Brawl that derailed the Indiana Pacers for years and has a relatively long rap sheet. Speaking of rap, he has at times indicated that he might be more interested in pursuing his rap music career than play basketball. Fortunately his one album flopped, so that pipe dream may have died by now. But he wants to win, has something to prove, and if anyone can have success "handling" Artest, it is coach Rick Adelman.
BELOW: For some reason, Ron Artest's, excuse me, the Tru Warier's album My World failed to set the rap world on fire. He explains why everyone is against him in the track, "Haterz" ("David Stern, damn, David Stern! / I gotta teach you 'bout the ghetto / there's some things you should learn")
But with the Rockets, it all really depends on the health of Yao Ming (who seems to be as fragile as a piece of fine china) and Tracy McGrady (who's self-confidence and mental toughness is about as reliable as Yao Ming's ankles). But this is the first time that they have been able to bring in a third, complimentary NBA All-Star calliber player to help Yao and T-Mac vs. just good role players. Plus the addition of three point specialist Brent Barry...I like the Rockets' chances. If T-Mac and Yao stay healthy. I'll say that again, if T-Mac and Yao stay healthy.
In the end, I'd put a starting line-up of Yao, McGrady, Artest, Alston and Scola (with someone like Shane Battier coming off the bench) against any NBA team out there. I am ready for the season to start.
17 comments:
Yao was approached yesterday by a reporter while in China preparing for the Olympics, and he was asked for his thoughts on this trade. He gave a fairly long response (for Yao), which basically boiled down to "Luis Scola and I have been text messaging back and forth since we heard about this trade. We are happy about it, but we are very concerned about team chemistry." To which Ron Artest replied, "I'm going to represent my culture. Yao has played with black guys before, but he has never played with a black guy who represents his culture the way that I do."
TRANSLATION:
Yao - "We want to win, but we are scared to death of Ron Artest."
Artest - "Yes, Yao, you should be scared."
When I saw this on the ticker on sports center yesterday morning, I thought "Now way!" (and not in a good way)
Mark this down. By March we will regret this decision.
I am becoming less a fan of Houston teams than I once was. First Ed Wade continues the tradition of selling the farm system for mercenaries (WHO ARE NOT EVEN THAT GOOD!). Now the reocets are trying to piece together talented individuals, but not a great team. That is why I like the spurs (and to a lesser extent the Celtics). With the exception of Duncan, no memebr of the spurs can carry a team by themselves. But together they know their roles and they check their egos at the door. You also get the sense that these guys like each other. I'm sorry, I just don't see McGrady, Yao and this new ass clown hanging out in the backyard barbeque.
The Spurs and Hornets will run rings around the Rockets when the games matter.
Plus, Houstonians do not have a high level of tolerance when it comes to head cases. They typicaly get run out of town pretty fast. Chacon, Steve Francis, neumerous football players, the fat kid that is now playing for the Hornets that we also got from Sacremento.
I am even less inclined to go to a Rockets game now.
That's interesting, Pocky. I have been drowning in media coverage on Artest and the Rockets for the last day and a half (TV, radio, online, newspaper), and you are the first person I have heard that thinks this trade was a bad thing. I guess we'll see.
By the way, all of those other players that you mentioned were no good. That's a big difference. If Roy Oswalt threw Ed Wade to the floor this afternoon, I guarantee you the reponse both internally (and among the fans) would be very different from the Chacon situation.
Bottom line is Rockets fans are desperate to get out of the first round of the playoffs. It's been over a decade since we had anything to get really excited about. If Artest comes in and gives this team a legitimate chance at accomplishing something in the post-season, I think you are greatly underestimating our tolerance.
As for whether or not these guys are friends, who cares? I absolutely do not believe that professional basketball players have to hang out together on their off days in order to play well together on the court.
Finally, I'm not sure where you are going with your ego comment. (Unless that was just another excuse for you to bring up the Spurs and your "man-crush" Tim Duncan.) I have never felt, or heard in the past, that the Rockets have had any problems with egos getting in the way of their success.
As for Artest, I think it's too early to say for sure whether or not his personality will be a distraction for the rest of the team. All we know right now is that the Rockets have significantly upgraded their talent level for the upcoming season.
On a side note, your comments about the Astros are right on. However, I think the problem is, and has always been, Drayton McLane...not Ed Wade. Or, at least, not entirely Ed Wade.
Like I said in my original post, it is a risk. But I think it is worth the risk. Artest almost singlehandedly made a bad Kings team competitive many nights. On the Kings, he was the #1 or #2 option. With the Rockets, he will be a distant third or fourth option. To have that kind of talent as your third or fourth option is nice.
I've followed Artest very closely for the last couple of years, primarily because due to various circumstances, he ended up on my fantasy roster for two of the last three years. His antics have mellowed somewhat recently. (Yes, he was arrested for animal neglect and for some altercation with his wife, and he did ask to be given a month off to promote his rap album during the season)...but for Artest, those are minor incidents. No question, the guy is a complete nutjob.
But, I think that he is at the point in his career, and with the guidance of Coach Adelman, who had success with him in the past, where Artest can work out in Houston. That's the thing: IF he can concentrate on basketball, he is one of the most powerful players in the game. Still. And more importantly, his strengths are what the Rockets desperately need.
Now, they still have a big problem at point guard, but Artest could go a long way in taking this team to the next level...if (all together now) T-Mac and Yao are healthy.
And Pocky, the Spurs time has passed.
Artest is the classic high-risk, high-yield proposition. That said, it's a lot less of a risk if you don't give up much to get him. Assuming Houston will make the playoffs, that first round pick isn't worth all that much, and the players involved were negligible. I was in Dallas recently, and the talk radio guys were talking about Josh Howard for Artest, straight up. That scared me, because in that instance you're actually giving up talent, so if Artest explodes you'll really regret it. Seems like this roll of the dice is more worthwhile.
That said, I think New Orleans is the team to beat out West this year, and it's not like Utah, L.A. and others won't be incredibly tough.
I don't necessarily think the Rockets have huge egos, but there is a lack of chemistry, you can't deny that. Adding Artest to the mix only makes it worse. I am sorry, but I have played team sports for a long time. I have played on some teams where the talent level was superior to all the other tems, but we hardly ever one unless there was good team chemistry.
I think good team chemistry can make a mediocre team better. However, talent will usually win out. Look at the Lakers with Shaq and Kobe. Two people couldn't possibly hate each other more, but they won the championship together in 2002.
Regardless, everyone is concerned about the risk involved with this trade. No one is closing their eyes to the fact that Artest brings with him a great deal of baggage. However, I have not heard one single person (except for you) question the pure basketball side of this trade. There is no question that the Rockets go into next season a better team than they were last season.
Besides, who is to say that the team won't have good chemistry. McGrady is thrilled to be playing with Artest. And, it would appear that he and Yao have corrected their misunderstanding. Artest said on a radio show that the two have spoken directly, and he is now "a soldier for Yao."
Bill Ingram (a respected basketball writer) has said on HoopsWorld.com (a very respected basketball website) that if Yao, McGrady, and Artest can play 70 games together next season, he would expect them to win the Championship. Granted, there is an "if" there, but no one is pretending that injuries are not a concern.
Listen, no one is more respected in the basketball community than me. We all know that. If I say it is going to be a problem, then it is going to be a problem. Simple as that.
Again, I am not the homer that you are. I will root for houston teams, but if i don't like or respect the players, then I am not that excited about them.
I am excited about the prospects as well, but that is a pattern for Artest. Every time he goes to a new team and is given a chance to start over, he always says that he's now a 100% team player, etc. That usually unravels.
When did "homer" become a negative term? When was it decided that sticking with your home team through thick and thin made you somehow a less sophisticated sports fan. I don't really understand that philiosophy, but no one ever uses the term "homer" to paint someone in a positive light.
For me, sports is entertainment. But, it's not just the players or the game itself. It's everything that surrounds the game. The community of fans, the analysis on local sports radio, the regular trips to the stadium or arena. If you don't support your local teams, you lose out on all of that.
I think it really comes down to positive people vs. negative people. I could give you an essay right now on positive things that I like about the current Astros team (which is not completely easy to do). At the same time, the Rockets could win the Championship next year, and you (Pocky) would still be able to give me a list of negative things about the team and the players.
I just find it more fun to be positive.
The average optimistic person usually ends up bitter and jaded because they don't know how to manage their own expectations.
It is not a matter of being positive or negative. I will always support the home team (generally), but you have to have some standards. If you lived in Portland, would you have supported the Trail Blazers over the last ten or so years? This is the team with the worst reputation in the league in terms of character. It comes down to how much you want to sell your soul for a win.
Well, I'm not bitter and jaded yet. So, I guess I'll just take that chance. I've had a lot of fun during my 34 years of optimism, so I figure I'll just ride it on out.
Also, I have never known you one single time to support a local sports team, and it doesn't count if you choose to jump in right at the end when they are doing well.
As I, along with everyone else, have said repeatedly, we know that there is a risk with having Artest on our team. We know he brings a lot of baggage with him. And, if he comes to Houston and gets into trouble, then we will judge him accordingly. However, even then, my personal feelings for him will not completely erase the allegiance I feel towards the Rockets as a team. Until then, let's see what happens, and lets enjoy the game of basketball.
The original core of this debate, though, is that from a basketball standpoint, this trade makes the Rockets a better team. And, the nice thing is that it doesn't hurt us at all. If Artest comes to Houston and immediately gets thrown in jail for the whole season, the Rockets are no worse off than they were last year. That's a nice position to be in.
If you are really less inclined to go to a Rockets game now simply because you don't like one of the players personally, then that's fine. Personally, I find it absurd, but I will definitely not invite you when I have tickets, because I would hate for you to find yourself in a morally compromising situation.
For me, I'm going to concentrate on the sport, the team, and the entertainment of it all, and try not to get too caught up in the private lives of the individual players, unless it becomes a distraction that is impossible to ignore.
As for the Trail Blazers, yes, if I lived in Portland, I would almost certainly support the team (for reasons outlined above), while at the same time possibly condemning the actions of a few of the individual players. That being said, I feel pretty confident that my soul is still securely my own.
Are you kidding me? I have been a huge fan of the Astros all my life. I have always loved the Rockets, and still root for them, but I have become turned off by professional basketball because the game is boring, the participants are thugs, and there is no concept of team. I want a team that I am proud of to represent our city. If the rockets win a championship this year I will be thrilled, but it will pale in comparison to the 94-95 Rockets. That was a team! They had a great system and they played together for the team. When one player got out of line (Vernon Maxwell) he was quickly dismissed. I am not saying these guys were saints, but they were a good representative for the city. I really don't want a thug like artest to represent my city. I am sorry I just don't. I have trouble rooting for someone like that.
I am not sure how someone could be a blazers fan. they were almost all thugs. They got fat and lazy, they distracted the team with personal issues. Why should I support and put hope in a team that doesn't give it their best!
I think Pockyjack is right. Anyone who is such a big homer is not a sports fan. They are just a homer.
Troof out!
da troof, aka Pockyjack?
Maybe he (she?) is and maybe she is not. That is besides the point. The point is that I am right and another poster on this board agrees with me. Da troof is clearly an enlightened individual. Maybe even some form of super poster taht has never been seen before. Did you ever think of that?
No pocky, I am no super hero. But I do recognize genius when I see it. I also can see when that genius is never appreciated in its own time. Like Motzart, Adam Smith and Liberace, pocky may die at an early age from bitterness and frustration, but one day, there will be bronze statues erected in his honor in Prague!
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