A couple weeks ago, I wrote that I believed that the Houston Rockets, if healthy, were a better team than the Los Angeles Lakers. Not surprisingly, I was pretty roundly criticized. Well, it appears that the Rockets have now added Ron Artest to their lineup for Bobby Jackson and a first round pick down the road (plus another throw-in guy I've never heard of). If there was any doubt in my mind before, after this, there is no question to me that Houston is not just the best team in the West, but the best team in the entire league.
Let me say that this is not without risk. Injuries will always play a role on a team with T-Mac and Yao, and Artest has been known to bring down Championship contending clubs (see Indiana). But if things cut the right way for Houston this year, something that is always essential for a team to play for a title regardless of who they are, there will be another banner hanging in the Toyota Center in 2009.
I believe that this move hurts the Lakers on a couple of fronts. One, it makes a contender for their Western Conference crown that much stronger in all the right places to give L.A. problems come playoff time. And two, I really thought that, for the Lakers to truly move to the top of the heap, they had to add someone like Artest and subtract Lamar Odom. Well, that's not going to happen now, and it appears that Lakers' GM Mitch Kupchak may be done with personnel moves. After re-signing Sasha Vujacic the other day, Kupchak was quoted as saying that if they enter next season with the roster they currently have, he'd be thrilled.
While they are clearly a very good team, in my opinion, they've fallen behind Houston and New Orleans in the West already this offseason, and it is debatable whether or not they are actually better than San Antonio, especially if the Spurs add more to their bench. And I personally am not thrilled with the front line of Odom, Paul Gasol and Andrew Bynum.
To begin with, no one really knows what kind of player Bynum will be after the injury. He may indeed come back strong and be the player he appeared to be becoming before the injury, but how well will they mesh? Bynum in the middle will push Gasol to the outside, a place he already spends way too much time. If he ends up floating around the perimeter, taking more jumpers than he already does, he's just about useless. And what about Odom? He does too much of that as well. Will he be as willing to play in the post, or just stay outside while Bynum eats up space? I really don't like this combination of players, even if Bynum is healthy. Either Odom or Gasol has to be moved to get an aggressive perimeter defender who can at least match Odom's offense. With Artest apparently off the market, someone like Tayshawn Prince might fit that role and Pistons GM Joe Dumars has repeatedly said that everyone on his roster is available.
I, for one, don't believe the Lakers, as they are currently constituted, will win the West next year. It's not like they were head-and-shoulders above everyone else last season, anyway. Favorable playoff matchups against Denver and Utah and injuries to San Antonio had as much to do with their ascendance to the Western Title as their play. And they were exposed by Boston in the Finals. Houston, with Shane Battier, Ron Artest and Luis Scola, among others, have the kind of scrappy and/or defensive minded players that gave L.A. fits. If I was Mitch Kupchak, I wouldn't be satisfied because, chances are, they're not going to find another giveaway like Gasol during the season again.
This move also wipes out any possibility that Sacramento will be playing for anything other than Lottery position next year. I thought that they could have gotten a better return for Artest than used-up reserve guard Bobby Jackson. With Denver taking a step backwards, the eighth spot in the West is up for the taking, with the newly constituted Warriors looking like they could be the team to move into that position. Portland seems to be a common favorite to rise into the post-season as well, and The Clippers will be interesting if not good. Teams like Phoenix, Dallas, even Utah may have to watch their backs. So, with the Artest trade, here's how I see the West at the moment.
1. Houston 2. New Orleans 3. L.A. Lakers 4. San Antonio 5. Dallas 6. Utah 7. Golden State 8. Phoenix 9. Portland 10. Denver 11. LA Clippers
Factoring in your homerism I don't have a real problem with your enthusiam but I would remind you of the following.
What you say is true about Bynum. This was his first major injury and nobody knows. We do know that both Yao, particularly Yao and T-Mac are going to be out some time over the course of the season. You tend to minimize the Houston physical history and maximize the Bynum question. I think it's still on the Lakers side of this one becaue there are two Rockets in question.
Artest is a major upgrade. I give you that. But Kupcheck said the exact same thing going into last season about being thrilled with his team including Kwame Brown and we all know how that turned out. I had hoped Artest would be coming to the Lakers but even though he's not that doesn't mean they won't pull a deal. Odom's contract is expiring and that makes him pretty easy to trade.
I now see the top 4 you have listed as being a toss up with Utah being the spoiler. Dallas is rated too high I think and Portland should be around number six maybe.
All in all it's a well written blog and we all expect a bit of homerism and you didn't act like a fool. Nice writing.
Homerism? I'm not from Texas or even a particularly big fan of the Rockets, although I do like T-Mac. I'm actually from Maryland. I guess it's my screen name, which is one I've used for years ever since I first got an email account. It's the name of an old Grateful Dead song. Probably ought to fill out that bio thing.
Anyway, I have a greater concern for Bynum coming back than Yao because Bynum is not yet a proven commodity. Sure, he has potential but he hasn't yet put it all together on the court over a full season and into the playoffs.
Coming back from a major injury isn't easy for even established players. For a young guy like Bynum, I have to see how he handles it, especially considering the pretty wide-spread opinions that his presence on the court will be the difference in winning a championship. I need to see how he handles the pressure before I can annoint the Lakers. And, all things considered, I really like what the Rockets are putting on the floor. But it's easy to predict things in July. Ask me again next April. Thanks for the nice words.
i really think you might want to reconsider what you said about the kings "playing for anything other than Lottery position next year" granted i do agree they are far from the top spot in the west i do think they are a lot like how the warriors were last year. besides they beat out some of the top teams in the west and made huge strides as a team.
all i'm really trying to say is don't count them out quite yet, with all the wins there were some questionable losses that should have been wins this i know, but i really think the kings can challenge teams like Denver or even the aging Spurs.
You have a serious lack of respect for the LAKERS. And I will be glad to blast you off this planet in a rocket to send you to reality.
Not to burst your bubble of excitement but your Rocket bias has obviously miscalculated two very substantial facts:
1) The Rockets are coached by RICK ADELMAN, who has not beaten the Lakers when it counted since '91-92. And trust me... Yao, T-Mac, and Artest surely ain't no Drexler, Porter, Kersey, Williams, and Duckworth. That Portland team Adelman had was a monster. This one is not.
2) You underestimate the Lakers without realizing they made it to the Finals WITHOUT their second best player and best inside defender, ANDREW BYNUM. They made it to the Finals with Lamar Odom. And they made it to the Finals without their second best perimeter defender, TREVOR ARIZA.
So how in God's green earth can you all of a sudden crown the Houston Rockets best in the West, when you're not even sure if the Rockets' Big Three can sustain a full season together?
The LAKERS OWN THE WEST. And this year, we've got an invasion that will catch all of you hopefuls off guard. By the time the Finals roll around, all you guys will be trippin on how Bynum is the best center in the league.
The ASSAULT CONTINUES folks... don't let all of these lineup changes fool you. If you haven't noticed, the teams that stick with their main guns and don't make impulsive moves - the San Antonios, the Detroits, the Utahs, the Lakers - are the ones that consistently go deep in the playoffs every year. There's a reason that these four teams have always been among the e
"I personally am not thrilled with the front line of Odom, Paul Gasol and Andrew Bynum... How well will they mesh?"
Haven't you been paying attention dude? The answer to your question is THE TRIANGLE OFFENSE. If you know you're basketball, this system is designed to automatically make players mesh because it involves everyone getting touches. Why do you think the Lakers made it so far beyond people's expectations this year? Because the Lakers not only had the players to utilize the system, but they also had the players with the personalities that meshed.
Why do you think Rick Adelman's system hasn't produced any championships? Because he doesn't know how to make in-game adjustments. He gets lost in the shuffle under pressure, just like Mike D'Antoni. Trust me, I've watched enough of his teams in the last 20 years to get a clue of his style.
Bynum, Gasol, Odom, and Kobe are all TEAM PLAYERS with a character that bleeds of selfless service. There is no doubt in my mind that the Lakers will be ten times better in 2009 than they were in 2008. Artest would've made LA better and tougher defensively. But let's see now how Ron Ron will like it playing second fiddle to Tracy and Yao. Because I guarantee you Ron wouldn't defer to them as he would to Kobe, Fish, and Phil. They have rings to command the respect while T-Mac and Yao have zip, zilch, nada.
LA is tops in the West. The Hornets, Jazz, and Spurs round out the top four. Houston, Portland, Phoenix, Dallas, Denver, and the Clips will battle for the last four seeds.
Oh yeah, if T-Mac somehow gets hurt again, pulls that tender back of his, and happens to miss 20 or more games, say sayonara to your Rockets cus they ain't makin' the playoffs. How's that for confidence?
Why do you think HOU went after Ron? Because they're not sure about T-Mac's health. Artest is the insurance policy for McGrady.
I can't stop attacking. You haven't landed yet so I'll keep going...
" I have a greater concern for Bynum coming back than Yao because Bynum is not yet a proven commodity. Sure, he has potential but he hasn't yet put it all together on the court over a full season and into the playoffs. "
Really? And what has the GREAT WALL OF CHINA proven in the playoffs? What has Yao done over a full season and into the playoffs like you say?
I can tell you this... based on work ethic alone and intensity on the court, Bynum is heads above Yao.
Ming is soft, he gets dunked on by everyone in the league, and he gets his s-h-!-t stuffed by 5-9 point guards. Those kinds of shenanigans will never happen to Bynum. Guaranteed, especially when a guy by the name of Kareem is mentoring you.
Bynum is solid. He's got tenacity (remember Bynum vs. Shaq in his rookie year?). Right away, Bynum showed the league he was a force to be reckoned with.
If you're not yet a believer, you shall figure it all out as soon as you land on the moon.
Your rankings are all #### up but nice try anyway.
NiqueD,
yep, Dizz is on a roll, Think he hit the nail on the head with that one though.
Lets not forget, Utah is the one team Houston can't seem to get past.
LA will be better than they were last year. A committment to defense in the offseason, and we can make it back. LA has shown they have the ability to shutdown other teams. They showed it in the playoffs as well. And you saying their soft playoff schedule had as much to do with their success is just envy. They earned their playoff spot just like everyone else did. All you did was try to minimize the sucess they had by basically saying they got lucky which is a crock because everyone knows what an easy time they had getting to the finals. Doesnt seem to me like they were a fluke as you seem to be implying.
The Lakers are definitely not a fluke. I'm just saying they had a favorable road to get there. The liklihood of getting the right matchups and injuries to other teams at the right time two years in a row isn't good. They are a solid championship contender who could very well end up back as the top seed and back in the Finals. I'm just saying that I don't believe they are head and shoulders above everyone else and are far from a lock to repeat as Western Conference Champs. But no one in the West is. I happen to like what Houston will put on the floor, provided injuries and insanity (Artest) doesn't break the wrong way for them. If the Lakers drop back a couple spots to third or fourth and have to play a Utah or a Houston in the first round, and then go through New Orleans and San Antonio to get back to the finals, its going to be really difficult to repeat. Same goes for everyone else. The West is very, very difficult, there are four, maybe five teams with a legit chance to get to the Finals. The Lakers can certainly do it, but at the moment, I don't think their defensive intensity is good enough to get it done. I could be wrong and if I am, I'll be the first one to stand up and say it.
I am an actual professional writer (hard to believe, I know, but I do earn a living at it) who even owns my own publishing company in Maryland. I am a proud drop-out from the University of Maryland and still a life-long Terp fan. My blog is named in honor of my favorite former NBA player, Tim Hardaway, without all the homophobia. I just loved the guy and his game. I only hope he doesn't kick my #### for saying that.
