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Ugh. We had the money (LLE) to match the Rockets sign Barry even when we thought we could get Maggette (with the MLE). The Spurs didn't want him back, they had already decided to get younger on the perimeter at that point.
Unless Les Alexander made him do it.
Ugh. We had the money (LLE) to match the Rockets sign Barry even when we thought we could get Maggette (with the MLE). The Spurs didn't want him back, they had already decided to get younger on the perimeter at that point.
don't believe the hype. houston still flames out in the playoffs. pritchard is the true genius and the better talent evaluator.
Well maybe if the Spurs stopped giving the Rockets free head we wouldn't have to worry about this . Let Scola go over there for free, let Barry walk, etc......
if van gundy was coach we wouldn't be able to have artest on the team. bonzi is a fairy princess compared to artest.
T-Mac and Yao already struggled with complimenting each other on offense together because both needs to ball to be effective, and now they added Ron Artest, who is another play who dominates the ball. Add to that Ron Artest is most effective posting up, which will take the ball away from Yao further. I don't see how the offense of the Rockets improved that much.
On defense, Artest can lock down anybody, from 1 to 5, and the Rockets are going to be scary.
On chemistry, jury still out, while Artest is crazy, he does like playing for Adelman, but I am not sure whether he would be whining for the ball after a little while.
Houston's FO is proving it's willing to think outside the box and go for the risky long ball deal. They made a nice move with the Batum move in the draft and now this.
I think they might now trade Battier for a point guard since he > Artest in player skills and plays the same position.
If you're a Houston fan, you gotta be excited about the new FO at ude to go for it.
so do you think morey has even made any good moves?
Defensively the Rockets will be scary good. They'll be able to handle the league's best perimeter players for a full 48 minutes with a Battier/Artest rotation. Their frontcourt is still a little weak outside of Yao......Scola is undersized and it appears Landry might leave. Dikembe is also getting extremely old, who knows what he'll be able to give.
If healthy they should be a top WC team. Of course that's the catch, IF HEALTHY.
Even MIT can't get the Rockets out of the 1st round.
Between Yao's ankles, Tracy's back and heart (or lack thereof), and Ron-Ron's head, let's see where all this goes before we prematurely anoint them as the top seed in the West.
The Rockets, even with all of their health issues still won 55 games last. If this deal goes through, there is absolutely no way this team gets worse.
Lakers in 6 over the Celtics!
Great team on paper. Difference between them and Boston is that Garnett, Pierce and Allen all had a history of consistent production. Yao and McGrady can't be counted on to play 70+ games, and Artest is a wild card. Their potential is sky high though...
yao's ankles? His first casualty was a toe nail infection. The second, friendly fire from chuck hayes to the knee, and he came back playing great in the utah series. The roster was just crap.
And finally last season...A minor stress fracture that they caught before it became something serious. Yao has missed 90 games in his entire career, Oden has already missed 82. =/ It's all about timing.
Every NBA GM, fan and pundit is quick to look for a particular "home run" move that will potentially put their team at or over the top. The Pistons 2004 addition of Sheed and last summer moves by the Celtics have only exacerbate this particular strategy. The reality is this strategy is seldom successful.
As for this latest move by the Rockets, health has been a perennial issue for this team. Team chemistry will be something to watch also. Let's wait and see how this plays out.
Last edited by SenorSpur; 07-30-2008 at 11:36 AM.
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/...on-Artest.html
By going for draft picks and the expiring contract of Jackson they're sticking with their long-term strategy of good young players until they can be major players in the 2010 free agent market. That summer they can have Beno Udrih, Kevin Martin, Spencer Hawes, Jason Thompson, Quincy Douby, Greene and three more draft picks under contract, plus some $25 million-plus in salary cap room.
Anyone want to argue with that? I didn't think so ...
Now, what about Houston? They get someone who is often a candidate to be an elite NBA player, without giving up a ton. And if you squint a little, they start to look a little like the champion Celtics, in that they have re-tooled to unite three big names on a team that can play some defense.
ESPN's John Hollinger makes what is, to me, the key point in this Ron Artest trade from Houston's perspective:
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, there's The Window issue. Look, Houston's time is now, and when I say now I mean right now. Among the starters, McGrady is a very old 29, Yao is 28, Battier is 30 and Alston is 32; behind them, presumptive sixth man Luis Scola is 28, Head is 25 and Barry is 36.
With McGrady and Yao becoming increasingly brittle, it's in bent on the Rockets to do whatever they can to contend for a le while their two stars are still capable of reaching the mountaintop.
By themselves that wasn't possible, as the past two seasons showed. With a third star and a team-oriented, defensive-minded squad around them, however, things start looking awfully interesting ... not to mention awfully similar to the reigning champions in Boston. It's a roll of the dice, sure, but it's a calculated risk with limited downside. Given the cards Houston had to play, it's a tremendous move.
The Rockets had to do something!
If I'm a Rockets fan, however, I would not yet clear shelf space for the trophies. Ron Artest, to me, has a lot to prove before I believe he can be a key part of a le team. His career arc reminds me a little bit of Zach Randolph, in this regard: as a hungry young player, he was one of the feistiest over achievers in role player history. As the centerpiece of a team, he has looked a little bigger, a little slower, and significantly less hungry ... except when it's time to shoot.
What's more, as the centerpiece of a team, he has done all that much winning.
It is written in stone that Ron Artest is a great defender. That's his brand. But if you actually watch him play you'll see that it has not always been true lately. Great defense requires constant effort, and Ron Artest has not, of late, been the king of constant effort. To my eye, he has been furious only in spurts, while at other times he has looked almost whimsical.
The Artest stories that bothered me the most were those of him blowing off play calls to create his own tough shots outside of the offense. He was willing to leave one of the most efficient scorers in the NBA, Kevin Martin, standing out there without the ball. Can we be sure that he wouldn't do the same to Tracy McGrady or Yao Ming?
And the traditional notion of the third scorer is someone who will punish defenses for double-teaming the first two scorers. The simplest way to do that is to be able to hit open jumpshots, like all of the Celtics' big three can do.
According to Synergy Sports statistics, Ron Artest's catch-and-shoot offense is only average. His 3-point shooting could save him there, but shooting two-pointers while unguarded is not his thing. He's a guy who is at his best going to the hoop one way or another, or using the ball to create something either on the break, in the pick and roll, or one-on-one.
But all that takes time with the ball, and when Artest has the ball, Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady are probably not doing what they do best.
Maybe I'm being too pessimistic. Maybe the fact that he's on a new high-quality team, playing for his favorite NBA coach, and in a contract year will bring out the best in Ron Artest. If Artest can bring team-oriented, high-energy play every night, then this move will look brilliant. But that is, in my mind, a big if.
i don't think chemistry will be an issue at all. artest loves adelman and he has stated he likes the city of houston. the guy was willing to pay part of adelman's salary if the kings could have retained him. i don't think chemistry on the court will be an issue. yeah ron ron is prone to bad shot selection but he showed himself to be a willing passer when he played under adelman before. even if there are struggles integrating ron ron into the offense they will be more than made up for by his additions to the rockets defense. with artest the rockets have a defensive powerhouse that will rival boston of last year and i don't see him having any trouble integrating defensively.
...health on the other hand will be a major issue
Finally they get some defense and some guy that can porbabily stay fit and healty!...
i wonder how everyone was here when the Nuggets first got the lineup of.
PG-Blake
SG-Iverson
SF-Anthony
PF-K Martin
C-Camby
haha we know what happened with that team
Hmm....
The Rockets just got way better. Regardless of your stance is on Artest, you have to admit the guy can ball. For Houston to give up what they did and get such talent in return is amazing.
IF healthy, this team will be a force to be reckoned with.
If I were a Spurs fan, I would not be pleased. You're standing pat, while the rest of the WC is getting better.
Make a move, folks.
Huge difference with the Rockets squad: they defend and have a dominant big man.
why would us as spurs fans not be pleased? because the rockets made a trade? the spurs are worried about the spurs and thats it. to say the spurs are standing pat is just ignorant, and you are feeling all high and mighty because you got a very good player. Congrats, but it is a long season.
Ignorant? I'm simply stating the facts... and facts are that the rest of the WC is getting better while the Spurs are standing pat. Kurt Thomas, really? You think that's going to allow you to keep pace? Good luck. If I were a Spurs fan, I would certainly not be pleased... but then again, your statement that the Spurs are worried about the Spurs is a good enough excuse.
If the Spurs, Lakers, Mavrecks, Hornets, or any other WC team made such a trade while the Rockets stood still and did nothing, I would certainly NOT be pleased.
Oh, and I'm certainly not feeling 'high and mighty'. This looks great on paper, but I am a realist. I will not make any declarations or predictions until I see it with my own two eyes.
Great acquisition, but let's wait and see. A lot of things have to go right. For one, staying healthy.
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