Artest93
05-24-2009, 09:30 PM
Fixing The Houston Rockets
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By: Bill Ingram ([email protected]) Last Updated: 5/23/09 8:07 PM ET | 1281 times read
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It took the a while, but they finally found a way to get past the inevitable mid-season injury setback. Even as people were wondering how the team would keep Ron Artest, Shane Battier, and Tracy McGrady happy, what with all of them being starters, HOOPSWORLD was content to speculate that it would never be an issue - we didn't believe all three would actually be healthy at the same time. Sure enough, that was largely the case in 2008-09. Artest and Battier had injuries issues early, and by the time they were both 100%, McGrady pulled his annual disappearing act. When the dust settled, the had Artest and Battier together on the court for the second half of the season and the playoffs, and the result was a trip to the Western Conference Semi-Finals . . .the team's best postseason showing since the glory days of Hakeem Olajuwon.
What Went Wrong
Despite the fact that the Rockets' front office did a fabulous job of giving their coaching staff plenty of depth with which to overcome injuries, eventually the injury bug bit them harder than any team would be able overcome. Artest was able to step in and not only replace McGrady, but also push the team to relatively new heights. Unfortunately, the losses of Dikembe Mutombo (if the first round) and Yao Ming (in the second round) were the injuries that ultimately cost the Rockets, though not before they had drawn the largest TV audience in the history of ESPN for their Game 6 victory over the and forced the West's best regular season team to a seventh game.
If you're going to go wrong, that's the way to do it.
What Went Right
So many things went right for the Rockets in 2008-09 that it's hard to know where to start. A mid-season trade that sent Rafer Alston to the ] (http://spurstalk.com/forums/#) raised more than a few eyebrows, but the huge vote of confidence in Aaron Brooks paid off in a big way. As a reserve, Brooks averaged 9.7 points and 2.4 assists per game. Those aren't exactly the kinds of numbers that make you think a bench guy should be starting, but in March, his first full month as a starter, he put up 14.9 points and 3.6 assists per game. The Rockets were in good hands, and his solid play continued throughout the playoffs.
The Ron Artest acquisition was a somewhat risky move. Artest's history of being a wildcard had most pundits adding asterisks to their preseason predictions about the Rockets (***if Artest can be contained). As it turned out, Artest had a tremendous positive influence on the team and his new teammates, just as head coach Rick Adelman hoped he would. He was the Rockets' second-leading scorer on the season with 17.1 points per game, and while he struggled to find his shot in the playoffs he instilled a level of intensity that had been missing in Houston for some time.
Von Wafer was almost an afterthought at the end of training camp, when he won the final roster spot. A highly unlikely candidate behind the highly-valued DJ Strawberry, Wafer had to fight for everything he got in preseason, and his warriors mentality earned him a significant role on the team by season's end. Wafer quickly became a key member of Adelman's second unit, appearing in 63 games and averaging 9.7 points per contest. He frequently ignited the crowd in Toyota Center with highlight reel dunks and key three-pointers, and though he sometimes took ill-advised shots that inexperienced players are known for, he also brought significant energy to the court every time he pulled off his warm-ups.
Finally, the Rockets spent much of the summer of 2008 chasing free agent forward Carl Landry, and that strategy turned out to be a good one. Landry continued to show the kind of aggressive post play that earned him a spot in the rotation last season, and even overcame a scary gunshot wound in his leg to have a strong sophomore season for the Rockets. He continued to show that he welcomes all challenges and won't back down, making him a huge part of Houston's second unit. His numbers were up across the board, and he even improved his Achilles' heel . . .the free throw line. Landry's going to be an important part of this franchise for years to come.
Where The Rockets Go From Here
The list of positives is long, but the ultimate result was still well short of the team's championship ambition. There are some tough questions to answer, ranging from how to deal with Yao Ming's inability to stay healthy for a full season to whether or not Tracy McGrady can actually become an MVP type of player for the Rockets before his contract expires next summer.
The Rockets spent last week doing exit interviews, but the next course of action will be to sit down with the coaching staff this week and start talking about the draft and free agency. The first bit of business will be the later this month, and while the Rockets don't currently have a first round pick, the word is they'll acquire one between now and then and use it to address either their need for more depth at the center position or their desire for more depth on the wings.
Free agency will start with re-signing Wafer and Artest. Both players have openly expressed their desire to return, and the Rockets are looking forward to having those discussions and bringing those key components of this year's team back into the fray.
The other big priority in free agency will be to find a back-up for Yao Ming at center. Dikembe Mutombo announced his retirement when his knee went out in the playoffs, so Houston will be starting from scratch in addressing the anchor for the second unit. Of course, knowing Yao Ming will likely miss a significant number of games each season, his back-up needs to be a player who can play a decent number of minutes when called upon to do so.
Centers are hard to come by, of course, and depending on where the Artest negotiations go, the Rockets might not have a ton of money to spend. Think about a Chris Wilcox type, or maybe someone like Rasho Nesterovic. Don't be surprised if Rasheed Wallace's name gets some play in Houston, though putting him in the same lineup with Artest might be tempting fate to an extreme degree. Tyson Chandler will also be on the block, but it would take a significant move to land him and the Rockets might not want to shake things up that much.
Finally, we'll hear a lot of talk about Tracy McGrady this summer. He's slated to be 100% ready for training camp, well ahead of the original estimates for his recovery, but there are still significant doubts around Houston as to whether or not he can help the Rockets win a championship. His ending contract will have tremendous value, regardless of what he does or doesn't do on the hardwoods this season, and it might just be the key to addressing the bigger need at center.
http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=12746
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By: Bill Ingram ([email protected]) Last Updated: 5/23/09 8:07 PM ET | 1281 times read
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It took the a while, but they finally found a way to get past the inevitable mid-season injury setback. Even as people were wondering how the team would keep Ron Artest, Shane Battier, and Tracy McGrady happy, what with all of them being starters, HOOPSWORLD was content to speculate that it would never be an issue - we didn't believe all three would actually be healthy at the same time. Sure enough, that was largely the case in 2008-09. Artest and Battier had injuries issues early, and by the time they were both 100%, McGrady pulled his annual disappearing act. When the dust settled, the had Artest and Battier together on the court for the second half of the season and the playoffs, and the result was a trip to the Western Conference Semi-Finals . . .the team's best postseason showing since the glory days of Hakeem Olajuwon.
What Went Wrong
Despite the fact that the Rockets' front office did a fabulous job of giving their coaching staff plenty of depth with which to overcome injuries, eventually the injury bug bit them harder than any team would be able overcome. Artest was able to step in and not only replace McGrady, but also push the team to relatively new heights. Unfortunately, the losses of Dikembe Mutombo (if the first round) and Yao Ming (in the second round) were the injuries that ultimately cost the Rockets, though not before they had drawn the largest TV audience in the history of ESPN for their Game 6 victory over the and forced the West's best regular season team to a seventh game.
If you're going to go wrong, that's the way to do it.
What Went Right
So many things went right for the Rockets in 2008-09 that it's hard to know where to start. A mid-season trade that sent Rafer Alston to the ] (http://spurstalk.com/forums/#) raised more than a few eyebrows, but the huge vote of confidence in Aaron Brooks paid off in a big way. As a reserve, Brooks averaged 9.7 points and 2.4 assists per game. Those aren't exactly the kinds of numbers that make you think a bench guy should be starting, but in March, his first full month as a starter, he put up 14.9 points and 3.6 assists per game. The Rockets were in good hands, and his solid play continued throughout the playoffs.
The Ron Artest acquisition was a somewhat risky move. Artest's history of being a wildcard had most pundits adding asterisks to their preseason predictions about the Rockets (***if Artest can be contained). As it turned out, Artest had a tremendous positive influence on the team and his new teammates, just as head coach Rick Adelman hoped he would. He was the Rockets' second-leading scorer on the season with 17.1 points per game, and while he struggled to find his shot in the playoffs he instilled a level of intensity that had been missing in Houston for some time.
Von Wafer was almost an afterthought at the end of training camp, when he won the final roster spot. A highly unlikely candidate behind the highly-valued DJ Strawberry, Wafer had to fight for everything he got in preseason, and his warriors mentality earned him a significant role on the team by season's end. Wafer quickly became a key member of Adelman's second unit, appearing in 63 games and averaging 9.7 points per contest. He frequently ignited the crowd in Toyota Center with highlight reel dunks and key three-pointers, and though he sometimes took ill-advised shots that inexperienced players are known for, he also brought significant energy to the court every time he pulled off his warm-ups.
Finally, the Rockets spent much of the summer of 2008 chasing free agent forward Carl Landry, and that strategy turned out to be a good one. Landry continued to show the kind of aggressive post play that earned him a spot in the rotation last season, and even overcame a scary gunshot wound in his leg to have a strong sophomore season for the Rockets. He continued to show that he welcomes all challenges and won't back down, making him a huge part of Houston's second unit. His numbers were up across the board, and he even improved his Achilles' heel . . .the free throw line. Landry's going to be an important part of this franchise for years to come.
Where The Rockets Go From Here
The list of positives is long, but the ultimate result was still well short of the team's championship ambition. There are some tough questions to answer, ranging from how to deal with Yao Ming's inability to stay healthy for a full season to whether or not Tracy McGrady can actually become an MVP type of player for the Rockets before his contract expires next summer.
The Rockets spent last week doing exit interviews, but the next course of action will be to sit down with the coaching staff this week and start talking about the draft and free agency. The first bit of business will be the later this month, and while the Rockets don't currently have a first round pick, the word is they'll acquire one between now and then and use it to address either their need for more depth at the center position or their desire for more depth on the wings.
Free agency will start with re-signing Wafer and Artest. Both players have openly expressed their desire to return, and the Rockets are looking forward to having those discussions and bringing those key components of this year's team back into the fray.
The other big priority in free agency will be to find a back-up for Yao Ming at center. Dikembe Mutombo announced his retirement when his knee went out in the playoffs, so Houston will be starting from scratch in addressing the anchor for the second unit. Of course, knowing Yao Ming will likely miss a significant number of games each season, his back-up needs to be a player who can play a decent number of minutes when called upon to do so.
Centers are hard to come by, of course, and depending on where the Artest negotiations go, the Rockets might not have a ton of money to spend. Think about a Chris Wilcox type, or maybe someone like Rasho Nesterovic. Don't be surprised if Rasheed Wallace's name gets some play in Houston, though putting him in the same lineup with Artest might be tempting fate to an extreme degree. Tyson Chandler will also be on the block, but it would take a significant move to land him and the Rockets might not want to shake things up that much.
Finally, we'll hear a lot of talk about Tracy McGrady this summer. He's slated to be 100% ready for training camp, well ahead of the original estimates for his recovery, but there are still significant doubts around Houston as to whether or not he can help the Rockets win a championship. His ending contract will have tremendous value, regardless of what he does or doesn't do on the hardwoods this season, and it might just be the key to addressing the bigger need at center.
http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=12746