Originally published at the Bleacher Report and at NbaSoup here and here.
With the trade deadline closing and teams beginning to separate themselves as the best, the NBA is entering a very exciting time.
To celebrate, I have unveiled my inaugural "Houston Rockets and More"NBA mailbag. I would like to thank all the readers who sent in e-mails, and I am sorry if I was unable to answer your question.
Patrick, with Omri Casspi putting up great numbers and Ron Artest gone, in hindsight would you have undone the Ron Artest for Bobby Jackson and picks (Casspi and Donte Greene) trade if you could?
—Sebastian, Texas
Great question, but I really think that there is no way I would redo that trade for a second.
Omri Casspi certainly has turned into a nice player much faster than scouts and executives thought, but I really doubt he will be a star. He has already come back down to earth after his monstrous production earlier in the year.
Additionally, I worry that he will not be able to reproduce the great three-point percentage he put up earlier in the year because his mechanics are not great and he may have just hit a hot streak. He most likely will turn into a Andres Nocioni or Matt Harpring type of player—someone useful but not likely to be sorely missed by his team.
And while Artest did have his faults, the fact is he got the team further than it had gone since 1997, practically putting it on his shoulders at times (sometimes to a fault), and gave the Rockets that physical defender who could match up with anyone in the league.
While it has hurt them to lose two first-rounders in a row, I do not mind that one bit considering the excitement that they treated us to in the playoffs last year, nearly knocking off the Lakers in seven games.
[What] is Daryl Morey doing? With the team not doing well, why has he not made a move like getting Andre Iguodala or Kevin Martin to help make the offense better?
—Rui, Wuhan, China
Great to see someone from all the way around the world sending in a question. Truly only possible in the 21st century. But on to the question.
First, even though there has been endless speculation about the possible trade partners with the Rockets, it is pretty clear that neither of these players have actually been offered to the Rockets. Additionally, while it is easy as a fan to want a quick fix like those, the actual offers (if they are ever offered) could cause long term problems for the Rockets.
Take Kevin Martin. He is a fantastic scorer and is signed to a reasonable contract. Why not take him? You're basically getting something for nothing, right?
Well, this year add say Martin, Nocioni, and some extra filler, and the Rockets would be much improved. They'd have a borderline star shooting guard and a bruising forward to guard more physical guys like LeBron James.
But come this summer, the Rockets would be in major trouble. Instead of having almost $10 million to spend, the Rockets would be looking at a very high payroll if they wanted to re-sign Luis Scola and/or Kyle Lowry, and would be paying the luxury tax for sure.
So, in the end, the Rockets would have locked themselves into possible financial trouble if they made a trade for Martin or Andre Iguodala, and they still wouldn't be a sure-fire championship contender, but I agree it is frustrating to watch this team struggle.
If Kobe Bryant and LeBron James were playing one-on-one and all the rules were strictly enforced (including traveling), who would win?
—Will, Texas
Sorry, but despite whatever disadvantage LeBron would have with the loss of his patented LeTraveling, he would absolutely destroy Kobe. LeBron could absolutely manhandle Kobe in the post, shoot over the top of him, or just grab his finger and make him cry.
If the playoffs started today, who would you pick to win it all?
—Herman, Netherlands
I may get criticized for this, but I think that Orlando is the most complete team in the league. The Celtics have great talent, the Cavaliers have the best player in the game, and the Lakers are equally good, but I think Orlando is the best team in the league.
They went through a rough stretch, losing to some pretty bad teams, but if you look at their roster they are absolutely loaded.
Dwight Howard is the best center playing right now (unless you are an absolutely die-hard David Lee fan), Vince Carter, despite his faults, is still a top shooting guard in the league, Rashard Lewis is a great player, and they have a terrific supporting cast.
They have Marcin Gortat, Mikael Pietrus, Jason Williams, JJ Redick, and Ryan Anderson coming off the bench. That is a unit that could probably beat the Kings most nights.
And we are talking about the reigning East champions here. They improved their bench with the addition of Brandon Bass and Jason Williams, and despite whatever criticism they get, Carter is a better player than Hedo Turkoglu and improves their team. Carter plays something resembling defense while Turkoglu seems content to only play on the offensive end at times.
Which uniforms would you say are the best in the NBA?
—Casey, New Jersey
No matter how much I love the Rockets' new alternate jerseys, the Mavericks have the best uniforms in the league. Mark Cuban came in and transformed their jerseys from one of the worst to the best. They are sleek, modern, and just generally interesting. I know that it is all a matter of taste but I would say that the Mavs have the edge.
Thank you for reading the inaugural "Houston Rockets and More" NBA mailbag. If you want your question included in a future mailbag, please send me an e-mail at pnharrel@gmail.com with your name and location.
No comments:
Post a Comment