Does ESPN like the Houston Rockets??

My lunchtime Interwebs browsing brought me over to ESPN...
where I saw these predictions/projections for 2008/09.

Funny this is -- I can't really come up with much of a legitimate argument to say why ESPN is misguided or flat out wrong in this analysis. They predict the Rockets to get homecourt advantage and be competitive in the typically ultra-competitive Western Conference. Hard to complain about that kind of praise. I mean, they did short-change us by 6 wins (predicting only 53) - even though I did a painstaking game-by-game analysis already and determined that the magic number was indeed 59. Yes, 59 - and that was me at my most objective and non-biased moment!

So - even ESPN likes the Ron Artest trade! Excellent!

I am soooo ready for the season to start!

At least the Sports Guy isn't our GM

The Sports Guy is convinced that he could be a good NBA GM. Sometimes his proposed trades and deals do make complete logical sense. Then he throws this one out there:

Houston trades Shane Battier, Kirk Snyder and its 2008 No. 1 pick to Sacramento for Ron Artest and a 2008 No. 2 pick.

Why Sacramento does it: That's a pretty good haul for Artest when he could bolt four months from now -- a valuable supporting guy at a fair price, along with a pick in the low 20s. So what if Battier went to Duke? You can't hold that against him. He didn't know any better when he signed there.

Why Houston does it: The deal knocks them under the luxury tax and makes the Rockets a little more interesting as a title contender -- they could go small with Artest at the 4 and/or run plays for him at crunch time, and he'd give them a fiestiness and an edge they don't quite have right now. The Rockets seem a little soft to me. I'm not saying it's Battier's fault, but he's the best trade chip for them because of his contract and his pedigree. You could always use Shane Battier on your team. I like this deal for both teams, actually.
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The Rockets seem a little SOFT?!?!

Granted, we just traded our one token crazy guy who might actually beat you up after the game. But contrary to popular opinion, Yao is not soft. Ask Chris Kaman, Kevin Garnett... and especially Malik Rose.

T-Mac is soft. So, I'll move on. But it's Yao's team now.

Carl Landry is soft? Yeah, ask the Cavaliers about that. And review Tuesday's Gorilla Dunk in traffic. He got the "T" just to prove a point I bet.

Luis Scola is soft? Hell no. I won't even dignify that thought with a response.

Rafer is soft? Uhhh, maybe, but he's also got gang connections, so I will recuse myself from an opinion here.

Shane Battier is by no means soft. Even if he went to Duke.

Aaron Brooks is not soft... you can't be a midget and get to the NBA if you are soft.

Hell, aside from T-Mac the only "soft" personality associated with the Rockets is our coach. But the players still have a lot of JVG left in 'em, so I'm not worried about Ricky infecting the Rockets with any leftover softness.

That said, I like Crazy Pills. Artest could be a great player. But he might scare McGrady. And T-Mac already has a big enough mental block about playing strong. Artest might have a miscommunication with T-Mac in the locker room and beat his ass. We can't risk that.

Simmons, thank you for the motivation. Yao is getting angrier and angrier. Calling him "soft" a few more times might just turn him into the NBA's Cloverfield Monster.

More reasons why Yao Ming completely rules

Lee forwarded me an awesome interview/article on Yao Ming after the Philly game debacle.

For the first time in his entire career, Yao Ming left the arena and refused to talk to the media after the game. This was certainly understandable given that the Rockets blew a 16 point lead and the additional fact that Yao's teammates Rafer and Luther combined to shoot the ball 26 more times than Yao did.

(Yao after another Luther Head bad pass)

But after a night to reflect on a bad loss, Yao proved why he's the F'n man:

TITAN Sports: Right after the game last evening, why did you leave without taking the post-game press conference/interview? This is the very first time that such thing happened ever since you came to NBA.

Yao Ming: I really don’t know what else I can say. I was feeling very very angry and at the same time quite melancholy; so I just took my bath and left. Moreover, I knew, if I did attend the press conference/interview last evening, all I would have said would definitely be angry words. I don’t want to become angry or mad again. Such temper tantrum won’t help to solve problems. I have told you earlier that I have said what I should have said already.

Granted, this here blog has long been a proponent of Yao getting angry and playing angry. But he has a point. Temper tantrums do not solve anything (unless it ends with Rafer injured). Yao is a better man than me - I'd have been cussing and complaining and chewing out everyone in a post-game conference. He knew that he could not put himself in that position, so he chose not to allow for that opportunity. Smart man.

To continue:

TITAN Sports: So the key is which particular position that had not played well?

Yao Ming: Every one of us; we all have issues/problems. (When I said) every one of us, it also included me. We are a collective. When we win, it is the Rockets who win; it is not someone has won. When the Rockets lose, we lose as a team. We have not played well at all.

TITAN Sports: So who should bear the responsibility for this defeat?

Yao Ming: Of course, it is on me. Since I want to step up to lead this team, naturally, I should bear the responsibility. I felt very sad and uncomfortable about the loss, but we need to look and move forward. We just cannot always live in the shadow of defeats and the past.

Now *that* is a leader. While Rafer tries to spread blame around when he fucks up a game, Yao takes responsibility for losses - even when they are clearly not his fault in any way, shape or form. T-Mac is also to be credited for having the same attitude - the difference is that Game 7 last year kinda really was T-Mac's fault.

I've stated before that we have to re-adjust our expectations for this season. We have to be patient. To overcome Rafer's shittiness and Luther's cowardice, it is going to take time to learn Ricky's motion offense, get T-Mac back to good health and also figure out the best way to use Scola, Brooks and Landry. The Rockets are not going to be a team anyone wants to play after the All-Star break. Yao sort of seems to agree:

TITAN Sports: You also added that the Rockets is like a sinking ship with a big hole in the hull. Is the situation of the Rockets that serious and worse as you described?

Yao Ming: How severe or dangerous the Rockets is has to be completely decided by us. If we play as hard as we can, we can turn the situation around…..or else…………….I believe we can turn it around.

After 40 games - the turn-around starts today. Seattle visits on MLK day.

Time to show the Durants while a playoff team looks like.