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If anything, other teams playing in the great state of Texas have entered the Texas Triangle. Hard to get a win playing teams from Texas.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200....grades/1.html
Rockets gaining on Mavs, Spurs in Southwest Division
Posted: Tuesday September 4, 2007 11:27AM; Updated: Tuesday September 4, 2007 2:40PM
Dirk Nowitzki didn't get much help, but Pau Gasol did. Houston and Memphis have added intriguing foreign-born players who might help right away, while San Antonio -- which should have patented that sort of move -- let one slip away.
The Hornets are back in New Orleans, which is a good thing because that keeps them a lot farther away than Oklahoma City from the scarier-than-ever Texas Triangle teams. Four of the head coaches in this division have taken teams to the Finals, and the fifth -- Memphis' Marc Iavaroni -- is a newbie with a strong résumé and heavyweight references.
In other words, the Southwest did not get easier this offseason. Just harder.
Here are the summer grades for the five teams:
Dallas Mavericks
What Went Right:
• Mark Cuban is looking like Jose Canseco.
Like Canseco throwing around steroid allegations in baseball when no one wanted to listen, the Mavericks' owner was ranting about NBA referees, and paying dearly for it in fine money, in those more innocent days before Tim Donaghy went canary. Now people who wrote off Cuban as an overfunded fanboy have started looking not only at the "one rogue criminal'' but also at the whole system of training, monitoring and evaluating the referees. That's one way something good could come out of this summer's mess.
• They signed Brandon Bass and first-round pick Nick Fazekas.
Somebody has to bring the doughnuts and push the ball cart now that Pops Mensah-Bonsu is gone.
What Went Wrong:
• They signed Eddie Jones.
Look, Jones is a nice guy who was terrific player for a long time. But at 35, he's analog in a digital league and the Mavericks are doing him a bigger favor than he likely will do them. Even if he's only taking up Austin Croshere's roster spot.
• Erick Dampier has another reason to not play strong.
Or maybe to play at all, for a while anyway. Dampier had shoulder surgery in June and might not be ready for the start of the season.
• The Kevin Garnett rumors proved to be just that.
At least Garnett wound up in the Eastern Conference, rather than with Phoenix or the Lakers. Not shredding their core probably was the wise choice, but without much change, the Mavericks will be playing another whole season just to prove something in May and June. Tough way to go.
Grade: D+
Forget Cuban appearing on Dancing with the Stars. We're more concerned with Donnie Nelson tap-dancing through his offseason.
San Antonio Spurs
What Went Right:
• There is both an "I" and a "me" in this team.
Signing Ime Udoka was one of those low-wattage moves, in terms of flash and dash, at which the Spurs excel. He is the backup shark's tooth, ready to move into place whenever Bruce Bowen transitions out. Udoka is aggressive, defends well and can hit three-pointers.
• They got themselves a desperate housewife.
Maybe some of the spotlight and paparazzi-stalking will abate now that Tony Parker and Eva Longoria officially are husband and wife. Until, of course, she runs out of the stands and gives one of those leaping, legs-wrapped monkey hugs that we saw at the end of the Finals to, oh, Jeff Van Gundy. You know, the kind Van Gundy once gave to Alonzo Mourning.
What Went Wrong:
• This eye of Texas hurts like .
Big man Francisco Elson got elbowed in the left eye while playing for the Dutch national team in August, suffering a facial fracture that will force him to play in a Rip Hamilton mask all season. Bad as it was, this still ranks as Elson's second-most-painful on-court blow, lagging behind the rabbit punch Kevin Garnett gave to Elson's groin in the 2004 playoffs.
• Tony Parker had a working honeymoon/vacation.
Parker played for the French national team again, which had San Antonio's brain trust fretting about injuries or fatique. He sprained his left ankle and sought treatment back in San Antonio in early August, but he's playing in the European Championships that began this week.
• Luis Scola got away. So did Jackie Butler.
Admit it, you were as surprised as we were that San Antonio not only didn't hang onto Scola, the ready-to-go Argentine power forward, but also that Scola wound up being dealt to intradivision rival Houston. The 5XL Butler went along with him. Butler has the size and raw ability to make someone pay one of these days.
• They lost P.J. Carlesimo.
It was with Gregg Popovich's blessing, of course, that Carlesimo will get his third chance as an NBA head coach and first since he attacked Latrell Sprewell's hands with his neck. But Carlesimo gave the Spurs a second head coach, as needed, and the pecking order of Popovich's staff will shake out over the first month or two.
Grade: B-
Udoka was a nice addition for the defending champs, but the Spurs needed to upgrade their bench way beyond that.
What Went Right:
• Luis Scola is ready for his close-up.
He's active, aggressive and a two-time MVP of the Spanish League whose passing and rebounding will boost Yao Ming's game up front. And we'll repeat what we said in the Spurs' entry: Butler is going to "get it" one day soon, and the four or five teams that will have moved him along by then will be sorry.
• Steve Francis has something to prove.
Like, maybe, that he still is in the league? It was easy to forget at times the past two seasons, with Francis all but vanishing in the quagmire that was the New York Knicks. Traded four times now and bought out once, maybe Francis is ready to fly straight in his return to the market where he made his bones.
• New coach Rick Adelman's teams know how to score.
That's a good thing, given the Rockets' weaponry and their overreliance on low scores and defensive tussles. Adelman as a playoff coach doesn't stack up to Adelman the regular-season coach, but we'll worry about that in April. Also, in Sacramento, Adelman got good production out of Bonzi Wells, who was MIA last season for Houston.
What Went Wrong:
• Rafer Alston didn't get arrested once.
Nope, he got arrested twice. In August. First after a confrontation with a parking attendant, and then for allegedly slashing a man's throat in a bar fight. He's due back in court on Jan. 3, by which time Mike James, Francis and rookie Aaron Brooks might have crowded Alston out of the Houston picture.
• Juwan Howard went to Minnesota ...
... to play with Kevin Garnett. Oops! Howard would have been a better fit right where he was, a veteran frontcourt guy on a Rockets team that is ready to contend. The Wolves seem willing to move him to someone who's not rebuilding so, who knows, he might even return.
Grade: A-
Some key pieces will have to blend and remember to keep servicing Yao and Tracy McGrady. If it happens, the Texas Triangle will be more equilateral than ever.
New Orleans Hornets
What Went Right:
• They needed scoring and got it.
Morris Peterson always had to defer to bigger guns in Toronto (Vince Carter, Chris Bosh, Mike James), but the hunch here is that he will come out blazing for a team in need of points.
• Actually, this one went Wright.
Julian Wright, the No. 13 pick in the draft, gives the Hornets a rangy wing player who has skills at both ends of the court.
• Tyson Chandler continued to grow. Up.
Chandler's rebirth, which began with his trade from the Bulls to the Hornets, stretched right into the summer with his participation for Team USA in the FIBA Americas tournament. Chandler gained confidence and respect last season, especially for his consistency and defense, and should hit training camp with a booster dose.
What Went Wrong:
• Desmond Mason went back to Milwaukee.
We include this for the record, but at this point, the idea of losing Mason's potential feels worse than the idea of losing Mason's actual production. He'll be 30 this season so he is what he is.
Grade: B
Several small steps forward and no big misstep backward should stabilize the Hornets in their back-to-the-bayou season.
Memphis Grizzlies
What Went Right:
• They drafted Atlanta's point guard.
If ever a team needed a point guard to impose order on a rotation of athletic but undeveloped wing and frontcourt players, it was the Hawks at No. 3. But the Grizzlies grabbed Ohio State's Mike Conley with the next pick, and might get a bigger impact than rookie playmakers typically provide.
• Darko indeed has been freed.
Darko Milicic never was going to blossom in Detroit, not with the Pistons' win-now priorities. Orlando should have been a good spot for him, alongside Dwight Howard. But playing alongside Gasol for a team really focused on the long term is a good fit, too.
• Buddy ball pays off.
Gasol's relationship with Juan Carlos Navarro paid off when Washington traded his draft rights to Memphis for a future first-round pick. Navarro is a seasoned veteran with a good shooting touch and ability to pass.
• Goodbye, Tony Barone. o, Marc Iavaroni.
First, we just like saying that. All coaches should be replaced by guys whose names rhyme. Second, Iavaroni has been getting the next-big-thing treatment for a few years as a Suns assistant, so now we get to find out.
What Went Wrong:
• Chucky Atkins earned himself a ticket out.
Atkins had a Mike James-type of season, posting big numbers to enhance his market value. Now he's in Denver, fast-forwarding the hopes for Conley.
Grade: B+
Like Minnesota with Garnett, Memphis might have been better off cutting a deal with Chicago when the Bulls were desperate for Gasol's low-post scoring skills. But it still was an upbeat summer for the Grizz.
Steve Aschburner covered the Minnesota Timberwolves and the NBA for 13 seasons for the Minneapolis Star Tribune. He served as president of the Professional Basketball Writers Association from 2005-2007.
If anything, other teams playing in the great state of Texas have entered the Texas Triangle. Hard to get a win playing teams from Texas.
Houston needed to add players who can be effective WITHOUT the ball. Instead they got Steve Francis who is known for what exactly?
Houston has supposedly been "ready for prime time" ever since McGrady hit town. To date, they've yet to get out of the 1st round. Wake me up when the Rockets make the playoffs.
You're welcome Houston.
<Yawn> Blah blah blah, we didn't do enough. I'll laugh for a year when we repeat...
McGrady is a chronic loser who has blown too many big leads in playoff series, and Yao is too soft to compete in prime time. Nothing short of landing Kobe would get them out of the first round.
We don't have a god record in taht field my friend, remember that
Some of these grades I understand, some I don't. The Mavs and Spurs both did about the same as far as adding players (Jones will get about as much play as Udoka ... One is learning the game, the other knows but is getting old.)
Both Mavs and Spurs didn't loose anything would a crap (Scola didn't play with the Spurs and neither did Croshere with the Mavs)
Both team will be playing through the regular season just to see what happens in May and June, yet the grades are VERY different. If this is about changes during the offseason and the two teams do about the same thing .... Why are the grades so different?
I think that the Mavs did the right moves (Meaning nothing, and bring the 67 win team back intact and hope for a better match-up). I also think that the Spurs did the right thing in standing pat (Scola was a flub, but as he has yet to play an NBA game ... who knows what he can do at this level on an every day basis).
I think there is a little bit of hating on the Mavs there ... But this a Spurs bourd so you all most likely agree with the grades ... Oh well
Gaining? Sure. Catching? Please. Whatever slight gains Scola brings to the Rockets will be offset by Francis' utter tiness. I can't wait to see McGrady & Yao fume while Francis dribbles it for 20 seconds.
same thing was said every other year
Ya know what? SCOLA STILL RULES!
Um... because the Spurs are the defending champs? Someone has to be BETTER than the Spurs this year, not the other way around. The Mavs made it plainly clear that they struggle in the playoffs, blowing a huge lead to Miami last year and then choking against GS.
If you had a team with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen on it, would you give them a bad grade for not making a lot of moves. I'm hoping not. Now then, if the best player on your team is Emeka Okafor, and you make 0 moves, would you gvie each team the same grade?
Hmmm. Use a little logic here.
Alright, if this about the playoffs last year then lets use logic. The Mavs were out in the first round after last year .. Right? They were swept out of the first round .. Right?Hmmm. Use a little logic here.
Now, if in the offseaon they get a grade of D+ (remember, they were swept in the first round), wouldn't that mean that they will take a step back and not even make the playoffs this year? Thats what it appears to say to me?
Do you think that this Mavs team will not even make the playoffs? Because that is what logic is telling me about the grade based on what happened last year.
That would be wrong and we all know that. The Mavs will compete again for the best record in the league. So the grade cannot be based on last years playoffs ... As it would make no sense.
It also doesn't make sense based on the moves themselves (As in the previous post the Mavs did about the same as the Spurs .. In player movement) and the grades are very different.
So, using logic, what does the grade represent other then hating?
Lets look at the Spurs grade, if the object is to get a Championship, and the Spurs stay the same (Basically they did) shouldn't their grade (as defending Champions and making no real change) be an A ... Maybe A+ ... definetly not the B- that they got.
???
They make no sense
the spurs gave away scola to the rockets not only showing class to let the kid play on the nba.. but for houston to get rid of either the mavs or the suns next playoffs...
You won't be laughing my friend...you will be crying instead...
I laugh in the face of all the arrogance in this thread. You know deep down you fear the rockets, so all you can say is frances dribbles alot and the injuries and they can't get out of the first round.
we shall see es, we shall see.
But that's all we need to say because it's all true.You know deep down you fear the rockets, so all you can say is frances dribbles alot and the injuries and they can't get out of the first round.
Western conference power rankings (IMO) 1. Don't need to say it 2. Mavs (must admit bad matchup w/ GS) 3. Those whiny desert es! 4. ????????? Jazz, HOU, ????? For HOU to beat the Spurs in a series, T-Mac must go "Kobe" on the offense EVERY night. It won't come from Yao, none of their 2nd and 3rd rate PGs, and the only upgrade I see w/ Scola over Howard is youth. Believe me, he will not score in the paint against SA which means, he will be useless since that's all he can do! Oberto gets tip ins b/c he knows how to get o-rebounds and has intangibles. Scola thinks he's a star (only in 2 places in reality... FIBA and his dreams).
lol some of these spurs fans are too funny. some think jeff van gundy is still the coach, others think tmac and yao been playing together for 6 or 7 years when its only been 3 and 2 making it to the playoffs. spurs fans seem to forget 1 or 2 good players cant win you the crown or beat a deep TEAM, they can get u a couple of 52 win seasons. If rox won 52 games with rafer as point a 35 yr old power foward NO bench, then u draft aaron brooks who will be AWSOME then u bring back james and francis and bonzi who has been working out all season to come into training camp in shape and we get scola 4rm spurs. why would steve come back to dribble out the shot clock knowing he would get cut cuz we still have rafer brooks and james
If you laugh for a year straight, you'd probably die due to lack of oxygen. I wouldn't recommend doing it.
The Rockets are counting on Steve Francis to take them farther in the postseason.
This tale feels familiar. I must admit, I like how it ends.
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