NBA: Houston's Going To Be a Problem

By
I completely slept on the Ron Artest trade. While the guys over at Bullets Forever don't see the big "To-Do," I think this puts the Rockets on a course to the Western Conference Finals.

It's like they've become the mirror image of the Boston Celtics. Let me break it down:
  1. Boston had an awesome offensive swingman (who could play decent D) , but never could get past some of the other powerhouses. Playing the role of Paul Pierce: Tracy McGrady.
  2. Boston traded for a big man who was effective offensively and a defensive nightmare, but Conventional Basketball Wisdom said he wasn't "franchise" enough to win a championship on his own. Playing the role of Kevin Garnett: Yao Ming.
  3. Boston acquired a third piece to split the opposing defense's attention away from their two stars. People wonder if this person's game would fit. Playing the role of Ray Allen: Ron Artest.

We even have a shaky coach who managed to rise above everyone's expectations. Seriously, if Doc Rivers can out-coach Phil Jackson with that Boston squad, imagine what Rick Adelman can do (and consider this: he's not dealing with the same egos he had to juggle in Portland).

Now, people may say, "What about Shane Battier? He's been reduced to a bench player!" Yeah, a bench player who's made his bench about 2x as good as half the NBA. Besides, when McGrady has one of his untimely back spasms that puts him out for a few days/weeks, Battier can move up with Artest and Yao and suddenly you have (arguably) the best starting defense in basketball.

Oh yeah: Steve Francis is still hanging around; I imagine he's got a few good games left in him. And did I even mention Dikembe Mutombo is still good for about 6 minutes/game?

I may have slept on this trade, but I'm not sleeping on the Rockets this year.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Five Actresses Who Should Be Considered For A Wonder Woman Movie

By
Image
For being DC Comic's most recognizable female character, WW has been given the cinematic shaft for a long time. We've seen two incarnations of Lois Lane and countless Bat-groupies, but not one decent pitch for the Amazon in the big screen. And we're talking about a character who made armored underwear cool waaay before anyone heard of Princess Leia. So here's one humble man's suggestion for any future casting of the Wonder Woman movie. I really have three rules for casting: she has to be at least 5'10", under 45 and attractive enough to pass for a princess. Sandrine Holt - Age: 36, Height: 5'10", Relevant Movie/TV Roles: Resident Evil: Apocalypse & Mutant X Pros : She's played both a (doomed) reporter and a person with superpowers, so if she can play both, she's a shoe-in. Plus she's probably the least-known actress on this list, so they can two movies out of her cheap. Cons : While D.C. isn't as star-crazy as Marvel when it co...
Read more

5 Actresses Who Deserve a Bigger Break

By
Image
Being the avid movie watcher that I am, I've noticed that more than one talented actress has been passed over for other talent. And by "talent," I mean, "sex tapes that 'accidentally' made it to the Internet." Well, here's one man's humble attempt to rectify the situation. The following ladies are not only talented, but beautiful. Hollywood: get off your ass and give these women more roles. DANIELLE FISHEL Noticeable TV/Movie Appearances: Boy Meets World; both National Lampoon's Dorm Dazes The delightful Ms. Fishel has the distinction of having the weirdest named ever associated with a smart-yet-hot character (or maybe I'm the only one who has a problem saying "Topanga!" whilst in the throes of passion) as well as participating in the death of the National Lampoon Series (I personally thought it died with Chevy Chase's career; who knew?). If you were to use her IMBD page as a reference, the only real fault people seem to hav...
Read more