The Houston Rockets made a tremendous move today acquiring RonRon for their 2008 first round pick Donte Green, Bobby Jackson, and 2009 first round pick. The Rockets' 2009 pick will be in the 20-30 range so the price here to add the never overrated headcase but constantly underrated stud was quite good. The Kings did wonderfully for themselves with this deal too, as they added a high upside guy in Green, fan favorite Bobby Jackson returns, and an additional 1st round draft choice. They are in rebuilding mode and they got a very good return on Artest who has been nothing more than a continuous migrane headache bordering on epileptic fit for their management and fanbase to deal with. This trade instantly vaults the Rockets into the conversation for title contention (but like, this time, for real).
However, their title aspirations will continue to ride on the balky knees/ankles/lower body of Yao, and also, the walking injury that is Tracy McGrady. So, assuming health from their two studs, the addition of Artest makes this team a serious powerhouse in the west.
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Ron Artest: Artest is famous for being absolutely insane, and people unfortunately talk more about his off court (er, in the stands) troubles and general lunacy than his game. He is often a malcontent but he has never been on a team as good as the Rockets in his 9 NBA seasons and it is likely that this will be the first year in a long while where RonRon will shut up and play. As far as his game is concerned, there is really nothing not to like about Artest's game. He is one of the best all around players in the NBA. He can board and dime, provides shut down defense, consistently averages 2+ steals a game, and puts up about 17-20 points per. What makes Artest such a special player is that combined with his ability to be a shut down defender, his offensive game is incredibly polished AND he does not need to dominate the ball to get his points. He can run the break, finish around the rim, has a good post up game, a good mid-range game, and the ability to knock down a three and stretch the floor out. He reminds me so much of a Scottie Pippen, but because everyone hates him, he never gets the praise he deserves. He will be an amazing fit with Houston and should finally get them out of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
The Rocketpants this year: I love the fact that this move was made before the season started giving Artest a full set of practices, ample time to learn the system, and the ability to start with game one of the season to develop gametime familiarity. The addition of Artest does give the Rockets a decision to make in terms of their starting lineup. Artest is a natural small forward at 6-7 and while he can shift out of position to power forward as he did with the Kings last season, he is really best utilized as a perimeter defender. It looks like Scola will start at the 4 alongside Yao at the 5 in the frontcourt. Now, with Artest and Battier both natural small forwards it will be tempting for Adelman to shift Tracy to play point and let Artest play out of position at shooting guard. Except for the lightning quck 2 guards in the NBA, Artest can guard-and shut down-mostly all of them. This would allow the Rockets to start their five best players. But, I am very mixed and have no real strong feelings, without seeing them play with Artest, whether it would be best letting TMac play point. TMac is not quick enough to play good defense at the 1, but is funneling little men into Yao necessarily a bad thing? I really am not in love with any point guard on this team. With Artest on board, the Rockets really just need a pass-first point guard who can manage the game and get them into their sets. The scoring will be largely on the shoulders of their big three, and rightfully so. I don't like any of the three point guards on this team -Alston, Brooks, and Francis- to fit in and play the point guard position effectively. Alston is clearly the best one, but he is shoot first and too turnover prone; I don't like him much given the rest of the roster construction. Maybe they will make another move. I think a Luke Ridnour type would be a perfect fit at point guard, but we'll see if they are content with what they've got. Ultimately, though, I think they bring Battier off the bench and actually start a point guard at point guard. This will be the one big decision facing Adelman going into this season. We'll see which direction he goes, but while this is a problem, it is hardly a bad one.
Adding Artest as a third option on the offensive end will be huge for this club. Last year, behind Yao and TMac, from game to game this team had no other reliable scorer, which they badly needed. Some nights it was Scola, others it was Rafer. Somtimes Head would show up, and towards the end of the year Landry. The consistency of having three big time offensive talents will provide a solid base of scoring causing whatever other contributions they get from the likes of Scola, Battier, Alston etc. as just that, contributions.
Also with Artest, they are now arguably the best defensive team in the entire league. They were 4th in the league in average opponents points per game last season and second in the West. Adding one of the premier defenders in the game makes an already great defensive team absolutely amazing.
Future: Artest's deal expires after this season. But, Artest spent his last three seasons with the Kings and so his Bird rights come over to Houston as well. So, if the Rockets are over the cap for next year (it looks like they will be, but only slightly), they will still be able to resign him. Depending on how good the Rockets look this year, it is very much within the realm of possibility that they do everything in their power to resign Artest. It is unlikely that they will crash and burn, Artest is a great player, and I have no doubts that he will make the Rockets markedly better. They similarly semi-mortgaged their future by trading their 2008 and 2009 first rounders away to get him. TMac is controlled through the 2009-2010 season and Yao through the 2010-2011 season; I would be shocked if the Rockets didn't find some way of retaining Artest after his contract expires. They correctly assessed that their window is now and the immediate future, and they acted accordingly. The Rockets have found their big 3.
I like Artest very, very much. I also like Artest to the Rockets very much. It is painfully clear to anyone that has watched basketball over the past few seasons that Yao + TMac alone cannot contend in the West. Hopefully, TMac can get a taste of the second round this year with the Tru Warrier on board. I think they have now seriously cemented themselves among the upper echelon of the Western Conference.
However, their title aspirations will continue to ride on the balky knees/ankles/lower body of Yao, and also, the walking injury that is Tracy McGrady. So, assuming health from their two studs, the addition of Artest makes this team a serious powerhouse in the west.
More...
Ron Artest: Artest is famous for being absolutely insane, and people unfortunately talk more about his off court (er, in the stands) troubles and general lunacy than his game. He is often a malcontent but he has never been on a team as good as the Rockets in his 9 NBA seasons and it is likely that this will be the first year in a long while where RonRon will shut up and play. As far as his game is concerned, there is really nothing not to like about Artest's game. He is one of the best all around players in the NBA. He can board and dime, provides shut down defense, consistently averages 2+ steals a game, and puts up about 17-20 points per. What makes Artest such a special player is that combined with his ability to be a shut down defender, his offensive game is incredibly polished AND he does not need to dominate the ball to get his points. He can run the break, finish around the rim, has a good post up game, a good mid-range game, and the ability to knock down a three and stretch the floor out. He reminds me so much of a Scottie Pippen, but because everyone hates him, he never gets the praise he deserves. He will be an amazing fit with Houston and should finally get them out of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
The Rocketpants this year: I love the fact that this move was made before the season started giving Artest a full set of practices, ample time to learn the system, and the ability to start with game one of the season to develop gametime familiarity. The addition of Artest does give the Rockets a decision to make in terms of their starting lineup. Artest is a natural small forward at 6-7 and while he can shift out of position to power forward as he did with the Kings last season, he is really best utilized as a perimeter defender. It looks like Scola will start at the 4 alongside Yao at the 5 in the frontcourt. Now, with Artest and Battier both natural small forwards it will be tempting for Adelman to shift Tracy to play point and let Artest play out of position at shooting guard. Except for the lightning quck 2 guards in the NBA, Artest can guard-and shut down-mostly all of them. This would allow the Rockets to start their five best players. But, I am very mixed and have no real strong feelings, without seeing them play with Artest, whether it would be best letting TMac play point. TMac is not quick enough to play good defense at the 1, but is funneling little men into Yao necessarily a bad thing? I really am not in love with any point guard on this team. With Artest on board, the Rockets really just need a pass-first point guard who can manage the game and get them into their sets. The scoring will be largely on the shoulders of their big three, and rightfully so. I don't like any of the three point guards on this team -Alston, Brooks, and Francis- to fit in and play the point guard position effectively. Alston is clearly the best one, but he is shoot first and too turnover prone; I don't like him much given the rest of the roster construction. Maybe they will make another move. I think a Luke Ridnour type would be a perfect fit at point guard, but we'll see if they are content with what they've got. Ultimately, though, I think they bring Battier off the bench and actually start a point guard at point guard. This will be the one big decision facing Adelman going into this season. We'll see which direction he goes, but while this is a problem, it is hardly a bad one.
Adding Artest as a third option on the offensive end will be huge for this club. Last year, behind Yao and TMac, from game to game this team had no other reliable scorer, which they badly needed. Some nights it was Scola, others it was Rafer. Somtimes Head would show up, and towards the end of the year Landry. The consistency of having three big time offensive talents will provide a solid base of scoring causing whatever other contributions they get from the likes of Scola, Battier, Alston etc. as just that, contributions.
Also with Artest, they are now arguably the best defensive team in the entire league. They were 4th in the league in average opponents points per game last season and second in the West. Adding one of the premier defenders in the game makes an already great defensive team absolutely amazing.
Future: Artest's deal expires after this season. But, Artest spent his last three seasons with the Kings and so his Bird rights come over to Houston as well. So, if the Rockets are over the cap for next year (it looks like they will be, but only slightly), they will still be able to resign him. Depending on how good the Rockets look this year, it is very much within the realm of possibility that they do everything in their power to resign Artest. It is unlikely that they will crash and burn, Artest is a great player, and I have no doubts that he will make the Rockets markedly better. They similarly semi-mortgaged their future by trading their 2008 and 2009 first rounders away to get him. TMac is controlled through the 2009-2010 season and Yao through the 2010-2011 season; I would be shocked if the Rockets didn't find some way of retaining Artest after his contract expires. They correctly assessed that their window is now and the immediate future, and they acted accordingly. The Rockets have found their big 3.
I like Artest very, very much. I also like Artest to the Rockets very much. It is painfully clear to anyone that has watched basketball over the past few seasons that Yao + TMac alone cannot contend in the West. Hopefully, TMac can get a taste of the second round this year with the Tru Warrier on board. I think they have now seriously cemented themselves among the upper echelon of the Western Conference.
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1 comment:
i like this team..
lots of good youngins off the bench too who got a lot of experience last year, including scola...
They are a pretty clutch team with rafer, artest, yao and TMAC..plus sick defense = adelman better not fail.
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