Hey Guys,
We’re counting down the days till the start of the new season, and it’s about time for everyone to be making predictions. This year, instead of just doing one prediction, I decided to go out and interview one blogger for every NBA team.
The bloggers whose opinions we will be graced with over the next few weeks are the best of the best, as all of them have featured in Yahoo’s Ball Don’t Lie basketball blog’s Blog Association, where Kelly Dwyer has been profiling the best team-centric NBA blogs out there. If you have any inclination of increasing your knowledge about the NBA, these are the blogs you need to read and subscribe to. (I know I will be!)
Today, we are honored to interview Lee and David from The Dream Shake, in my opinion the best Rockets blog out there period. Lee and David were gracious enough to make time to answer some questions in the midst of everything going on in Houston regarding Hurrican Ike. We at TLN wish them both a speedy resumption of normal life.
Jonny: Out on a limb, although backing it up with solid reasoning would be cool too, what do you think the ball park for the Rocket’s 08-09 regular season record will be, and do you think it will be enough to make the playoffs in the West?
Lee: Last year, with Yao out for a good portion of the season (though only 10 of the 22 wins in a row), the Rockets went 55-27, the year before that they went 52-30, they’ve done nothing but get better since those two season. Adding Artest and to, obviously, a much less extent Brent Barry, should make the Rockets a favorite to get a top 3 seed. Disaster in every single way would have to strike to not make the playoffs at all. Disaster in the form of different players having injury plagued seasons would have to happen to not be a top 4 seed.
I say they win 55-62 games this year. I know that’s crazy, but name me one team that matches up “well” with them. There are teams that match up decently, but I guarantee that the Rockets are not a team anyone will look forward to playing. Adding in Artest should do nothing but increase team chemistry (yes, it’s possible I am overlooking the crazy factor). It should allow Battier to come off the bench and expend every ounce of energy to defend and spot up shoot. It should also allow Artest to play with the two best players he’s ever played with, allowing him to go even more into a defensive mind set and only take over offensively if the other two aren’t getting it done.
He had no problems chemistry wise with his one Adelman year and I don’t expect him to have any in Houston , especially not in a contract year like this. He may be crazy, but I don’t believe that he is stupid.
David: I already did a game-by-game regular season analysis and concluded the Rockets would win 58 games - a franchise record, I believe, but just short of the magical “60″ number. Artest + Good Health could be worth another 5-7 wins… so I wouldn’t be surprised if the Rockets somehow found a way to win 62. I’ve also already predicted (guaranteed?) that the Rockets go undefeated in February. Again.
Jonny: Again, out on the said limb, what do you think the ball park for the Laker’s 08-09 regular season record will be, and do you think it will be enough to win the West?
Lee: The Lakers should get better as well, adding Bynum back to the team (he’s not going to become a ghost right, he’ll be back?) should make them better. Here’s the problem though, they created some great chemistry last year with Bynum out. How does he fit back in? Does he kill that chemistry? Does moving Gasol to PF make his game less impactful (I say yes to that, I don’t think Gasol is as good as he played last year)? Does Gasol come completely out of the post? What happens? Is the triangle the right offense with a good offensive PF? I’m thinking back and can’t remember, other than Horace Grant, when Phil Jackson had that.
All in all though, Phil Jackson is a top 3 coach in the NBA, if not the best, so I’m betting he figures it out. I’d say that the Lakers are in exactly the same spot as the Rockets 55-62 wins and a likely 1-3 spot.
And since I put those two teams out there, my top 3 are 1. Houston 2. New Orleans 3. Los Angeles.
That said, I do believe that combination will all finish within 2-3 games of each other and it’s just as likely to be LA or New Orleans in 1 or 2 and the Rockets in 3. Utah is a wildcard, but Jerry Sloan teams have a tendency to not win the games they should, so unless they figure that out in his 89th year of coaching I see them as the 4 seed.
David: As always - it begins and ends with Kobe. Last year truly was a dream season for him that had a nightmarish ending (seriously? How the hell did he get outplayed by Paul freakin’ Pierce?!?) Also, Andrew Bynum is a 7′ tall variable right now. That’s all he is really. He’s 21 years old now but he’s already been hit with otherworldly expectations. And for what, exactly? Right now he’s the new generation Kevin Duckworth (RIP, Duck). 13 points and 10 rebounds is solid… but unspectacular. And may cause Laker fans to go insane if he doesn’t dramatically increase those numbers.
Even with Gasol around. I say the Lakers backslide a bit… Kobe undergoes surgery on the pinkie in January… yet they still finish with 52-55 wins. Enough for homecourt advantage. And a first round matchup with San Antonio in an odd-numbered year.
Jonny: How do you feel the Rockets match up with the Lakers over a 7-game series?
Lee: I’m not sure this word really captures it, but “well” is what I would say.
Let’s break it down:
PG - Rafer vs. Fisher or Farmar - If it’s Fisher then this is a push, if it was Fisher 03-04 I’d give it to him in a landslide. Farmar can’t handle Rafer, and that’s a sad indictment to the LA PG position
SG - Tracy vs. Kobe - Kobe , Dave believes he’s the best player in the league, I believe he’s the second best behind Chris Paul. Either way, 1 or 2 it makes him better than Tracy who I would put around number 20-25
SF - CrazyPills vs. Odom - RonRon, CrazyPills, No Layups, whatever you call him, Lamar Odom can’t hold his jock. Even if Ron comes off the bench, Battier is the better player
PF - Scola vs. Gasol - I’m trying to think of one thing that Gasol does much better than Scola. [Gasol] was the better player last year by a decent margin, but Scola only started half of the year and his first game as a starter coincided with a 22 game win streak. Scola is a much better hustler and rebounds the ball better in traffic. It’s advantage Gasol, but not by the margin that the average fan would think on name only.
C - Yao vs. Bynum - I don’t care if Bynum has the best year of his career, he isn’t on the same planet with Yao on either end of the floor. Yes, he’s more athletic, but Yao is a beast. I know at least a few of your readers will balk, but not the ones that know anything about Yao Ming that Bill Simmons didn’t say.
That match up looks pretty good to me. And it really doesn’t get into the benches. No one on the Lakers bench is as good as Shane Battier or Carl Landry (provided he signs). Maybe Sasha Vujacic is equal to Landry, but Farmar? Walton (who I love, but come on)? Chris Mihm (to whom I say Hook’em Horns as I am a proud grad of The University of Texas)? Seriously, looking at that bench, I’m thinking the Lakers may have overachieved a bit last year. Kobe really IS that awesome.
All in all, the Rockets win that series in 6
David: Yes, Kobe is that awesome. And I *know* he is the best player in the league. While Lee just hopes that maybe on some days Chris Paul is. But the Lakers’ one big advantage against the West last year (other than Kobe) was size. Size at the SF, PF and C positions. Size which the Rockets can match… or at least match-up with defensively. Gasol + Bynum + Odom is not necessarily better than Yao + Scola + Battier/CrazyPills. And we get to bring Landry and Dorsey off the bench. Whereas the Lakers no longer have Turiaf for that role. That’s going to be a huge loss for you…
I’d say the Rockets would win in 6 if we had homecourt.
Jonny:
Lakers fans are split down the middle on Odom; some love his versatility, others hate his inconsistency. As an opposing fan, how do you rate Odom?
Lee: Odom is extremely overrated at times, yet extremely underrated at other times. It is a really strange phenomenon. I’m in no way a Lakers fan, but he frustrates the bejezus out of me. I wouldn’t want him on my team, his inconsistency is too much to deal with. Rafer Alston at PG is actually a pretty solid comparison, and Rafer drives me nuts.
At times though, Odom looks like the superstar his set of skills say he should be. He has put together a good, long, NBA career and he’s typically solid. I honestly think his son dying irreparably damaged his career, though in no way can you blame him for that. I just had my second child on August 27th and I cannot imagine that heartache. He was a much better player before 2006 though the stats do not necessarily show it, watching him on the court does.
David: Odom is cursed. The dude has the talent level and all-around skill to be the next Oscar Robertson. But he has the personality of a role player. He never has developed anything close to a killer instinct. And - to make it worse - he’s typically the kind of player that disappears when things do not go well early on. This was his personality before the tragedy with his son, too - that may have only made it worse.
Jonny: What do you think of Kobe ’s decisions to put-off surgery on his injured pinky?
Lee: On a personal level? I think it was fantastic. I liked that he was so dedicated to Team USA that he decided his country was more important than his pinky comfort. If I was a Laker fan that hated the United States of America ? I’d be upset.
Now that he is putting it off again, I’m not sure what to think. I do believe he will regret it in the long run, but maybe not this year.
David: In Kobe I’d trust. If he says he doesn’t need surgery - I’d trust his opinion over a doctors. Even if that doctor is Doogie Howser.
Jonny: What is your perception on Bynum? Lakers fans have him pegged as the next *insert hall-of-fame center*, yet the rest of the league doesn’t seem to hold him in such a high regard.
Lee: The rest of the league does not hold him in that regard because Yao Ming and Dwight Howard are the only two real centers in the league, I guess unless you count Shaq still. Bynum has a chance to be special, but botched knee diagnosis’s don’t really help ones career to take off. Let’s remember, even before the injury he was averaging only 13 PPG and while he had 10 RPG, it’s on a team where there are no true rebounders other than Odom. He should, just by sheer nature of size and only one other rebounder, get 10 a game.
In comparison, during Yao ’s third season, after never playing American ball before, he was putting up 18 and 8 on a team that was all about defense and had an abundance of rebounders. Bynum has no complete offensive skills yet (though there were some flashes) and in my limited views of him, isn’t a great passer. Yes, he’s young, but Yao and D-Ho were young entering the league too. Statistically Howard’s and Yao ’s rookie years were on par or better than what Bynum did last year before he was hurt. I like Bynum and think he’s got a big chance to join those two guys at the top of the center game, but I want to actually see it before I shout it out.
David: See above comments. Right now Bynum is no better than Kevin Duckworth or Benoit Benjamin. To even compare him to Yao is insulting to one (Yao) and unfair to the other (Bynum).
Jonny: Congratulations on the addition of Ron Artest, many Lakers fans wanted to see him in Purple and Gold. In general, what do you feel the best-case and worst-case scenarios are for the Rockets.
Lee: Best Case: He gels with the team, Battier comes off the bench effectively, Ron scores 25 one night and 12 the next and the pattern goes throughout the season with him giving the team what it needs on that particular day. The Rockets in that scenario should win the championship and Crazy Pills should get a big contract from them.
Worst Case: Honestly, I don’t think he goes crazy or anything, I just can’t see it. Worst case is that he gets hurt, or Yao and Tracy get hurt, or all of them get hurt and it’s a lost season. For those saying his craziness is inevitable, I just think you don’t have any clue what you are talking about. And if yelling at Utah saying there will be no lay-ups is crazy, then I hope he DOES go crazy:
David: There is no worst-case scenario. The Rockets are willingly gambling because the window-of-opportunity for Tracy and Yao is rapidly closing. And even if CrazyPills loses his damned mind and does something stupid again - it’s an expiring contract. By 2010, that would leave only Yao under contract. I think boy genius Daryl Morey would figure out a way to use that to his advantage if such a “worst case scenario” ever developed.
Jonny: The knock on the T-Mac/Yao Rockets has always been that neither of them can stay healthy at the same time for very long. Do you feel this is fair, and how do you feel the addition of Artest alleviates at least T-Macs risk of injury?
Lee: I will answer this one quickly; Artest does very little for TMac’s injury risk and nothing for Yao’s. Either they stay healthy or they don’t. Yes, TMac’s problems have partially stemmed from overuse, but that’s not going away with Artest, his body has already taken the pounding. Yao ’s injuries have been of the freak variety previous to this year and now he’s had a problem that people thought could happen. Here’s hoping there are no freak injuries and that Yao ’s body can hold up.
David: Tracy has never really been “injured” - he’s been “hurt” (go re-watch The Program to understand the distinction). Yao has legitimately been injured. But with fluke/freak injuries. Then again, men who are 7′6″ and 320 pounds were never designed to run back and forth in 48 minute intervals. Artest’s value may be in getting Tracy to stop crying about little things and to fight through rough stretches of the season. Artest’s mere presence will keep Tracy from whining in the middle of the season.
Jonny: What are your thoughts on the “player exodus” from the NBA to Europe ? Do you think a Kobe or a LeBron would ever seriously consider leaving the NBA?
Lee: If you want a good description of what it’s like playing overseas, I suggest people read a fellow former Longhorn Gabe Muoneke’s blog here. It’s not the life you live here, it’s hectic and not nearly as safe. Yes, there are leagues where that is not completely the case, but no high profile player is going anywhere soon. First off, as a low level American you are expected to make your team win, period. As a LeBron or Kobe , you better make your team win or fear for your life. That may be some hyperbole, but probably not that far off.
Basketball players are gods in America ; Soccer players are gods everywhere else. LeBron and Kobe have more money than they can ever spend, upping from $20MM to $50MM cannot possibly be that big of a draw. Now, what is a draw is all the other amenities, the fact that the Euro has typically been strong and that the owner’s in some places don’t care about money and just want to win. With that they could be willing to go even higher, give out stock in their companies, houses, etc. That’d be pretty hard to pass up.
In the end though, I don’t see the egos of the top echelon guys letting them leave to play in a glorified pick up game to them. Also, all that being said Josh Childress’s agent is an idiot for letting him go there.
David: Kobe and LeBron aren’t going anywhere until they are over 40 years old. Just not happening.
Jonny: What got you into blogging? How do you feel about it as a news medium?
Lee: Dave and I were emailing back and forth and, while looking for a Rockets blog to read, realized there wasn’t one. Dave suggested that we do it and we decided then and there to create TheDreamShake and have been writing since. I truly enjoy it. I don’t write as often a I’d like because I get paid to do something completely different and have two young children, but I find it cathartic as well as fun at different times. With our move upcoming to SBNation I’d expect us to write even more. The media’s “typical blogger” lives in his mother’s basement and is in high school or works at blockbuster. We live in Texas where there are no basement’s, we do love our Moms but neither of us have lived there since we left for college, both went to major Universities and have fantastic jobs. I try to never put my opinion out there as fact and to go with that I’m extremely sarcastic and somewhat foul mouthed. I love blogs; I even read the newspaper blogs over the newspaper articles 80% of the time. I’ve found they get information out sooner and while they may not be necessarily as accurate all the time, I still find that this is what I want. They breed conversation in a way that the newspaper never did. I also find them more exciting and accessible than even ESPN. I can always read a blog entry where often times I can find highlights and lowlights with ease.
David: I got the idea because no one else had a Rockets blog. And a year ago, that was infuriating. So - instead of complaining about the lack of a blog, we just decided to start our own. Why not? It seems to have worked out well so far!
Thanks again to Lee and David for their time and Insights.. Please DO NOT troll The Dream Shake, even if you think their ideas are totally off base. Remember, on the Internet, you and I represent Lakers fans everywhere. Lets try to give ourselves a good name.
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Conversation with the Dream Shake
Although those guys tried to be fair with their analysis, I’d say they over-exaggerated the Rocket players’ abilities. Odom over Battier any day, even if LO has an off night. Because no matter how off he is, he still gets some points, lots of rebounds, and assists.
-Alston and Scola were extremely overrated by the Rocket bloggers.
-Artest is a beast, can’t disagree with that.
-TMac’s skinny body will get banged around until he beefs up.
-I don’t think those biased bloggers ever mentioned any of their team’s weaknesses. That is why they are biased. If they’re gonna give long answers to every question then they might as well address weaknesses. One being that Yao is weak and has little stamina. He struggles down the court EVERY game. You get statues like Kwame or Bynum to push him around? He’ll soon get too tired to shoot those fadeaways.
They weren’t balanced at all. I hated the interview. All they did was praise their players and rip on each young Laker player.
Wow….
shane better than odom?
saying are bench isnt that really good?
pau over scola by alittle bit?
and how can he talk about chemistry with drew,
when artest history in the league joining their team
Oh, and Kobe 2nd best in the league behind Chris Paul? You gotta be kidding me! Who knows if Artest isn’t gonna beat up a teammate behind the cameras! And like I said in the 1st message, these 2 fools are biased as hell. They’re not pro bloggers, they’re just one-sided Houston fans that decided to they were gonna talk things their way their styles on a series of blogs.
Tracy never really got hurt hah? He’s whining they say? Who are DAVID and LEE to decide what’s real pain or what’s “a little ouch?” What the hell? There are many injuries that no human being can play and still be effective on the field/court! Who plays with a severe ankle sprain? Who runs down the court with pulled back/groin/hamstring/quad muscles? Who plays with a broken bone? Yeah Kobe can play with a torn ligament in his pinkie because it probably doesn’t hurt much, just uncomfortable. But don’t you dare tell us that you can score 21 points in a 21 point pickup game against good street ballers while you have serious pain!! Even if someone can play through pain, they really shouldn’t want or have to because a 100% healthy bench player WOULD BE BETTER FOR THE GOOD OF A TEAM than a hurting starter!
Lee: “We live in Texas where there are no basement’s, we do love our Moms but neither of us have lived there since we left for college, both went to major Universities and have fantastic jobs. I try to never put my opinion out there as fact and to go with that I’m extremely sarcastic and somewhat foul mouthed.”
All that trash talking better not be facts in his mind, as stated by Lee in this quote. I’m surprised that these 2 alums of major universities aren’t more reasonable or broad-minded. They think things their way, not from every possible direction. “Foul mouthed” is the right way to describe them. We’re glad they admit it.
Mark my words. I’m NO self-righteous man who will argue every opposition in my way. It’s just that THESE TWO BLOGGERS ARE THE MOST NARROW-MINDED, BIASED BLOG WRITERS I’VE EVER READ FROM.
I didn’t think the Bynum - Chemistry issues slant was entirely fair, nor did i paticulary agree with the Battier over Odom claim, it’s their right as Houston-first bloggers to hype their team up.
part of this experience is learning what other bloggers think about their team and how they view us. Lakers fans talking about Bynum as the next great center seems just as narrow minded to the rest of the league as these bloggers claims of Yao’s unassailable greatness to us
to be fair to them though they do mention that part of Yao’s injury problems are due to his size, which suggests that they are aware of it’s impact on his game. you also have to realize that Yao is pretty close to automatic from 15ft and in. plus he is one of the best, if not the best, FT shooter on that team.
If I’m not allowed to be biased about my own team in my own freakin’ blog… what the hell is the point then?
We never said Battier > Odom. What we said is that Battier matches up well with Odom. And that in a team game, in a 7 game series, we’d like our chances against the Lakers. Even though the Lakers have better “individual” players.
Oh, and Zen Master… I said Tracy has never been “injured” because it’s true. Kobe played through a pinkie injury that is going to require surgery. Surgery - something McGrady has NEVER had to go through. Hence the “hurt” v. “injured” comment.
All shall be revealed soon.
If I was asked to compare the Lakers to the Rockets I would defenitely be bias to. But c’mon. How can they even hesitate to compare Scola to Pau. That answer should of just been one work long…PAU! Seriously, they are just reaching. On a two on two, Scola and Battier vs Pau and Odom! please! Finally, the most ridiculous thing is the following: They describe how Odom disapears when it counts the most. Excuse me! who does that sound like on the Rockets team? At least they acknowledged Odom losing his child as part of the reason. What is t-mac’s excuse for disapearring “when it counts”?
No more reasons and excuses, dave..
I must say I am highly amused that you think we are overvaluing Rafer and Tracy… the two guys we have ripped to shreds more than anyone else. Rafer sucks. Tracy disappears. These are facts.
But just because Tracy disappears doesn’t preclude Lamar Odom from ALSO disappearing. And Lamar’s penchant for disappearing in close games has been well-documented over the years. It’s not some new theory I am espousing here for the first time.
Also, Luis Scola is a badass - you will see first-hand this year.
Zen, I have to take issue with a LOT of what you said. I was specifically asked questions which I specifically answered.
I don’t expect the casual fan, or even the Lakers centric fan to understand just how good Scola can be and already is. Compare the stats and you’ll see the numbers, compare the court time and you’ll see the truth. Gasol is a very good player but I feel like some think he’s great, he’s just not. And I’m calling someone great a top 30 player. You can’t seriously think he’s a top 30 player can you?
You are calling me biased and then I see people say that the Rockets bench with Battier isn’t better head and shoulders over the Lakers bench? Really? I broke down the players, there is nothing incorrect there.
Why do you care if I like CP3 over Kobe? I still said he’s at least the 2nd best player in the league. It’s not like I said Yao or Tracy were better. I sucked at the Kobe teat and you still whined about it? Not everyone has to like the same players. Dave loves Kobe, I didn’t see you pointing that out. I personally like the player that gets his entire team involved every single play. Kobe is fantastic, he’s the best one on one player, does that make you happy? He’s not the best team player, if you think he is, then I can’t help you.
The game is a team event, it’s not a one on one event. I couldn’t care less if you think a 2 on 2 game would be one by one twosome or another. The NBA is a 5 on 5 game where bench players are prominently involved. And in the team game, I honestly believe the Rockets are better. What did you think I was going to say? The Lakers will win 81 games but lose the last one to to stay humble? I said that it will come down to your team, my team and the Hornets. Do you believe there was something biased about that? I chose my team, I bet you are choosing your team. Either way, I said they’d be damn close and the Rockets could easily be the 3 seed to the Lakers or Hornets 1 and 2 seeds.
You talk trash about Artest, but don’t act like you wouldn’t dump Odom a year ago for a chance at Artest this year.
Battier vs. Odom, you are being a complete homer to say that Odom is the better NBA player. Yes, Odom could win one on one, but not 10 out of 10 games, so what? Back to my previous point, this isn’t a one on one game. This is a team game. Battier for the Rockets is worth a whole lot more than Odom for the Lakers. When I did comparisons I was doing in the vein of how they would play on these teams. And that’s not even considering that Artest is most likely our starter and he would destroy Odom on both ends of the court in a team or one on one game.
I didn’t rip on any Laker player. I said Kobe was the second best player in the NBA. I truly like Odom but you vastly overrate him. I think Farmar has potential but isn’t exactly a great NBA player, please tell me that you do not think he is. I like Bynum, I know for an absolute fact that Laker fans horrendously overrate who he is. Hell, even Kobe didn’t like him much until last year. I like Walton, I like Derek Fisher, I love Chris Mihm as he is a Longhorn. Show me where I “ripped on each young Laker player”.
Anyone that thinks we love Rafer is pretty funny. The first post our blog ever had ripped him to no end. One of the basic tenets of our site is that we generally don’t like him. But every team in the NBA would take him over Fisher. 70% would over Farmar with his age and potential being the difference there.
I talked about the Rockets chemistry AND the Lakers chemistry. What was incorrect about what I said? I think that both may have issues, but both will figure it out. I actually gave you a basketball discussion about Bynum coming back into the fold and Gasol having to play all 4 and Odom playing all 3. What is wrong with that? It’s completely true and I’m not the first to say it. When Bynum is in the post, Gasol won’t be for the most part. His game last year was predicated on his dominating down low and a lot of that will be taken away.
Lakers fans get a bad rep for the most part for being utterly biased. Did you really rip on me for supporting my team? I was complimentary to the Lakers, I was extremely complimentary to Kobe and called Phil Jackson the likely best coach in the league. Don’t just read what you want to. I was asked about the Rockets and I answered the questions.
As far as not pointing out our weaknesses you are incorrect. I pointed out injuries and health pretty clearly. Those are the weaknesses. We were already a top 2 D last year, adding Artest isn’t going to make that worse. We also added to our offense which last year did pretty well despite completely changing the system. Injuries are our weakness, plain and simple. The Rockets won 12 games in a row and absolutely dominated during that stretch with Yao, no team could stop us during that stretch, period. Then they won 10 in a row, including one over the Lakers I might add without Yao. So, umm, what did you want me to say? The Rockets suck? I won’t, because it’s not true.
Alston
McGrady
Artest
Scola (Landry who is a beast off the bench here)
Ming
vs.
Fish
Kobe
Odom (or Ariza I know)
Pau
Bynum
This a very interesting and exciting match up. Lets start with the bench. Their bench consist of Head, Battier, Mutombo (if he can still walk at 80), Landry and a rookie who’s name I cant recall right now but he dropped some big numbers in summer league. Against our guys, Farmar, Ariza, Sun (get well soon), Vlad, Dookie I mean Luke, Mihm, and Daccos. Our bench is younger and hopefully has a fire from the dissapointment in the finals, theirs is older and more experienced with a few very promising young guys. We are fairly even now but as the season goes on I think our bench will become dominant.
Now Point guard. Fish vs. Alston. Alston came alive last season and torched us when we played them. He is quick, can score from the outside, and is fairly unstoppable when he gets hot. But I personally think last season was a one time performance and his numbers will not be as good this year. Fish, you pretty much know what you are going to get from him which is good for a point guard because it brings in consistency. He will knock down open shots, make plays for others when needed, and flop when necessary. Both aren’t going to average double figures in assist any time soon but I guess Alston gets a slight edge as of now.
Kobe vs. Mac. Macgrady… the brides maid, never the bride. I really dont like McGrady but he has some incredible talent really. Far as straight up skill he might be a top 5 player. But he is missing something that takes you from just pure talent to elite status, CLUTCHNESS!. He hangs himself every time he gets in a position where he could put his team on his back and carry them to victory. And Kobe… we all know about him. BESt EVER PERIOD! Kobe wins this by a mile.
Odom vs. Artest. Artest is a very physical player on both ends of the court and has the skill to still drop 20 plus on somebody. I really wish we could have him on our roster. But Odom brings a lot of different things to the table. He can pass, run a offense, rebound on both ends, and score when he uses his left hand inside. Artest is better from the outside, but Odom brings a lot of different things on the offensive end that Artest cant. Odom isnt bad on defense, its just Artest is great. Overall I still give a very slight edge to Odom. But that is completely up in the air.
Pau vs. Scola. Scola is also a hard nose player with very little skill set but still gets the job done. He is not going to break out the arsenal on you on the block but he has a big body and some how he finds a way to will the ball in the basket. Pau is just the opposite. He has all the moves you want in the post, can score with either hand, can pass, and rebounds decent. But he lacks a necessary aggressiveness it takes to bang with the best down low. Scola has a long way to go, Pau is in his prime right now and his moves are to smooth to be stopped. Pau gets this one.
Finally the big guys Bynum and Yao. Yao is the best center in the league right now overall. Howard doesnt have any moves at all besided dunking and laying up the ball a foot from the basket. Yao has alot range on his shot, which we saw this summer in the Olympics. He also has a huge body that is impossible to move if your name isn’t Shaq. He can also score with either hand, blocks, and rebounds. But Bynum is the future. He is the third best true center right now and I believe has the potential to be the best. He has the dangerous combination of athleticism, a arsenal of moves, and a fierce competitiveness. He is stronger and even faster than he was last year which is scary to think about. He also gets it done on the boards, can pass better then people think, blocks shots and plays great overall defense. Even though Yao is the best right now, Bynum out played every big man (besides Garnett) last year and I expect a repeat performance this year but better. Bynum over Yao.
The Rockets will be better this year. They will compete. But its our year baby. Lakers> Rockets.
“Surgery - something McGrady has NEVER had to go through.”
Hang on - he had surgery on his knee and shoulder just a few days after the playoffs ended this year.
” a rookie who’s name I cant recall right now but he dropped some big numbers in summer league.”
I shouldn’t have even bothered to read the rest of your message. If you can’t get a basic fact right, you have no credibility. I can only assume this rookie you refer too is Donte Greene. You know, the guys we TRADED to get Ron Artest!?!?
Also - the Rockets bench is (in order of ability): Shane Battier, Brent Barry, Chuck Hayes, Aaron Brooks, Joey Dorsey and Luther Head. Dikembe isn’t signed yet.
Bynum over Yao? Hahahahahahahaha. Let’s see, “true” centers better than Bynum right now: Yao, Howard, Shaq (still), Chris Kaman, Tyson Chandler, Marcus Camby. And I’d even throw Greg Oden’s name in there…
Again, remember, it’s a team game. You can stack up all the individual all-stars you want and still lose by 25 (see, for example, the 2004 U.S. Men’s Olympic Team).
also, my other favorite: “but Odom brings a lot of different things on the offensive end that Artest cant.”
Really? is that so? Hmmm, let’s go to the stats!
Odom: http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/o/odomla01.html (career 15.6 ppg, best season = 17.2 ppg)
Artest: http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/artesro01.html
(career 16.0 ppg, best season = 24.6 ppg and has 6 seasons greater than Odom’s best ever season of 17.2 ppg)
You guys make some great points. But you guys horrendously underrated Andrew Bynum. I’m assuming you just didn’t get to see him play much before he got hurt. For the first half of the season he was putting up lines like 28 and 15, or 18 points, 18 rebounds, and 4 blocks. He was doing that at 20 YEARS OLD. He simply couldn’t be defended in the paint.
Now that his knee is 100% healthy again, you expect a pedestrian 13 and 10 out of him? Guys who have seen him play often are expecting 19-20 ppg with 12-13 rpg. He was putting up those numbers and better every game when he was a starter. I don’t expect his production to take a dramatic dive this upcoming season.
And Bynum was never a chemistry problem before he got hurt, and he won’t be one once he comes back. He just wants to get back on the court and play with the guys, and a front line of Pau, Odom, and Bynum is scary.
WOW Dave, I can’t believe your harpin on someone that didn’t know a name, when you get on here and blog like a biased a** hole. DUDE Kaman, Camby, Tyson Chandler,better than Bynum? didn’t you see Bynum SMASH all of these players last year? or do you just the rockets play? Lets talk about chemistry if you guys are sayin Rockets are going to have a better chemistry. First off who made it through one of the toughest western conferences EVER last year???? and matured GREATLY as a team? NOT THE ROCKETS. That experience is going to be huge for this Lakers squad next year. And second, Bynum disrupting the team? since when has that happened? Artest on the other hand, that’s all he knows how to do. This Laker team knows the missing piece on this team is Bynum. Our Team just got better and we were two games away from winning it all last year. Now on to Yao. I like him don’t get me wrong, I think he’s a great center…. for half a game. Yao’s got a great shot from outside and good inside game. But if he can’t even go all out for a full game? it’s just gonna get worse. But what we saw from bynum last year before he went down, is a glimpse at what we are going to be seeing this year. He has a bright future ahead of him. ONE THAT YAO WILL LOOK AT IN AWE. Rockets are going to be good, but Kobe, Bynum,LO, Pau, and Phil are just too much for them. Ask Adelman if he likes to matchup with the lakers. This is Lakers year baby!
Okay, now I know that you two were very biased (Laker fans are too but right now I’m not being biased). Rockets are a top 4 team. I agree with that but I do not believe they can beat the Lakers in a 7 games series. And I especially don’t see them sweeping the Lakers in the regular season. Also not many people outside of Laker fans know how good Bynum is. You say he’s a 13-10 guy who showed sparks but is not that good. However before he got injured (I forgot what month) but the avg was about 16 pts and 11reb (something like that). And his stats were just going up and up before the injury. I don’t blame you for this but to say that Kaman and Camby and Chandler are better is riduclous (Maybe on defense since Bynum is young). Maybe he’s not the next hall-of-fame whatever but he certainly is on his way to become a all-star. But I still admit that right now Yao is the better player (C’mon now, he’s noe of the 2 best centers in the NBA. He would be the clear cut number 1 if only he didn’t get injured all the time). Also the Lakers bench was considered by many to be the number 1 bench last year (maybe not in the finals). The rockets have a pretty good bench though. Also you guys keep saying that chemistry stuff. The Lakers have better individual players than the Rockets but that doesn’t mean they have crappy chemistry. Just because Bynum comes in doesn’t mean their chemistry is going to get screwed up. They are for sure going to be a different team than last year, espcially with the new generation twin towers now in place. Lakers have good chemistry and will most likely keep their good chemistry even if the playing style will change a little. Also the triangle offense doesn’t matter if there never was a good scoring pf in it before. When Phil came to LA after Chicago he never had a good center like Shaq, but he used the same triangle. The triangle is not based on a single player, it’s based on the whole team so the pf issue will not be a problem (if you understand how the triangle works then you will get what I’m saying). Okay now that I said all this stuff and you Rocket bloggers are prob thinking of ways to rip me I have 2 more things to say. First I believe that the Rockets will prob beat the Lakers only once this year but in a seven game series I see the Lakers winning in 5-6 games regardless of home court (though the Lakers will most likely have it if they meet in the playoffs). Second, although I may sound like I hate the Rockets, I actually like the Rockets. They’re my 2nd favorite team after the Lakers. I love Yao, he is currently my favorite center in the NBA (after this season though I think it might change to Bynum depending on how much better he gets). So I’m not a Rockets hater. I AM a Spurs and Celtics hater though but that has nothing to do with this.
Anyways, those are my thoughts on this blog and the comments that I read.
Overall, you were about 50% ridiculously biased in that write up and 50% just a little biased. I’m okay with that. I’m not okay with you saying that Bynum is even on the same planet as Yao right now. Yao IS the best center in the game (and you respectfully acknowledge that). Bynum could possibly be a very good center. He does not have Yao’s skill set on offense and hasn’t outproduced Yao at similiar ages on the defensive end. I know people like to act like Yao isn’t a good defender because ESPN keeps saying that incorrectly, but that is preposterous. Jeff Van Gundy thought he was pretty damn good, and that’s about as good a compliment as you can get. He held his own with Shaq from game 1 on the defensive end, that’s all you need to know. There have been numerous crazy athletes at center and other than Hakeem, Shaq and Wilt (two Lakers not bad), there haven’t been a lot to take advantage of that athleticism. I hope Bynum can do it, but you are wishing upon a star when saying you’d rather have him than Yao. That’s just silly. I promise you your coach, GM and owner would trade Bynum straight up for Yao faster than our GM could say “Just kidding”.
Odom is not in any single way better than Artest. On offense Artest is a better pure shooter, a better post up player, a better ball handler, a better passer and a better slasher. Odom is a better no factor on a lot of nights. On defense the gap is phenomenal. Are you serious with your comments? Honestly, I can’t think of a single thing Odom does better other than be a nice guy. And again, I REALLY like Odom. I wanted him on the Rockets when he left the Clips in the worst way. But there is not a chance that anyone that is not a Lakers fan thinks he’s even close to the complete player Artest is. One on one or with a team, Artest would own Odom.
I broke down the benches. Ours is better, it’s not even arguable. But I guess I can show you ours again now that we got ANOTHER guy in Landry that is better than any single player on your bench.
Rockets
Battier - As of right now he would be second in the running for 6th man of the year behind Manu. If you argue this, I can’t help you. Battier can and has shut down Kobe, how many other players can say that?
Landry - Singly better than any young player on your bench. That’s not arguable. Sasha is not very good and Landry’s per 36 destroy any on the Lakers bench. Check the per 36 from last year, you won’t believer your eyes: http://www.basketball-reference.com/fc/pcm_finder.cgi?request=1&sum=1&p1=landrca01&y1=2008&p2=vujacsa01&y2=2008&p3=farmajo01&y3=2008&p4=waltolu01&y4=2008
Chuck Hayes - The worst free throw shooting form since Chris Dudley. He also happens to be able to guard every position but PG and has. The guy has no one singular great skill but has a ton of very good defensive ones. He’s an offensive liability.
Brooks - Young, but at the very least equal to Farmar. Both have a lot of potential, unfortunately Brooks is really short. So I’d give Farmar the potential category and the ability right now category. But if that is your best bench guy, then OUCH
Barry - A better shooter than anyone on your bench, and it’s not close. He is old though
Dikembe (Hopefully) - We ask him to rebound and block shots, he does this very, very well. You have no bench player that does either thing as well as Deke
Luther Head (who sucks, you won’t see bias there) - He had potential, but is a terrible ball handler. In short, he sucks
Mike Harris - A better rebounder than anyone but I guess Mihm on your bench. And this is a 0 day contract type guy.
This is too funny, apparently rockets fans think we are overating the lakers, I feel they are doing the same with their team.
grunge dave, bynum over yao.. I have to agree with you. Yao is the better player at this point in time. However I feel our bench is a bit stronger than the rockets simply becuase I feel the Rocket roster has to much duplication..meaning there are players on your team that all share the same skills. I think the Lakers definetely have more versatility in their lineup while the rockets have more defensive toughness. All in all the one thing I feel puts the Lakers over the Rockets is Kobe…but I guess well just have to wait and see….
Oh, and something I thought about. No other two teams have had centers in the same world as the Rockets and Lakers. A decided nod to the Lakers for having better overall but still, the Rockets have some all time greats. My rankings of greatest centers of all time: 1. Wilt 2. Hakeem 3. Kareem 4. Kareem 5. Shaq Now that we have that out of the way
Rockets
)
Elvin Hayes
Moses Malone
Ralph Sampson (overall obviously he didn’t have a full career, but I do seem to remember a certain 1986 tip in
Hakeem Olajuwon
Yao Ming
Lakers (Damn 3 of the top 5 of all time, 4 of the top 15 IMO)
George Mikan (I guess he counts for LA)
Wilt
Kareem
Shaq
Not too shabby
Quick fact, the Rockets were the only team to keep the Lakers out of the championship in the 80s.
To John,
If you are going to have an X Factor, Kobe sure as heck is a hell of a good one to have. And I truly believe the Rockets have the better starting 5 and the much better bench. If the Lakers are going to beat them, it is going to be all Kobe, all the time. I think it would be a hell of a series. I also think we’ll get to see it this year, so I guess we’ll see!
I admit, the Rockets bench is better right now, I said that. But when those old side busters Barry, Mutombo, and Battier get a few games under their belt, they will fold. I tried to be nice, but now I have to be frank. THE ROCKETS SUCK! Ok. Why are you B!tch Azz Hoes even arguin wit me. Yall cant even get out the first round! Yall suck. T-mac is yall best player. Yao who is good but inconsistent will probably play fifty games. He didnt even look that good this summer against USA. Get over it guys, we wont see you in the West finals and if we do, we will launch you rockets back out of the playoffs where you belong. How bout you guys worry about getting out the first round before you talk about what I said. By the way fucc yall
Off topic but since were talking rockets, when you have a chance go to nba.com and check out the highlight from the finals the year the rockets played the Knicks. Incredible to watch Hakeem and Ewing go at it……back when the nba had real centers..
FUCC THE ROCKETS HOE! Im tired of these Rockets fans man. Oh and Lee you a real hoe, while you talkin about me forgettin a name, unless its another Kareem I dont know about, you put his name twice if you want to get technical. So personally you can break down my nuts in yo mouth. Oh and I almost forgot, GO MIZZOU TIGERS HOE!
I think there are some misconceptions here:
1. I like Andrew Bynum. I really think he’ll be good one day. BUT right now he has not done anything that Kevin Duckworth and Benoit Benjamin did in their day. Yes, Bynum had some AWESOME games last year, truly truly awesome. But he has yet to display any semblance of consistency. Then he got hurt. Missing this much time is not going to help his growth. (And while potential is great, Bynum is not above Camby, Kaman and Chandler yet as far as actual NBA production.)
2. I picked on Bynum because the mere thought of comparing him to Yao is laughable.
3. Last year, the Lakers had one of the best benches in the NBA. I loved watching them. The problem is that your BEST bench player just signed with an in-state rival. And there is no clear-cut 6th man on your bench now. Whereas the Rockets have Battier.
4. I like Lamar Odom in theory, but I think in the end we are all going to view his career as a disappointment.
5. The following players suck and I will not hear arguments otherwise: Rafer and Luther.
Oh, and next to the Rockets, there isn’t a team in the NBA I watch more than the Lakers. Kobe is my favorite player next to Reggie Miller to have never had an association with Houston. I make time to watch his team play.
I may be biased (hell yeah I am), but I do back it up with facts and stats whenever possible.
dave and less…biased…plain and simple.
I used to live in houston, for one year…
one thing you guys cant beat…is the fact you live in #$@# texas…
Lakers greater than Rockets anyday…
I wont even bother arguing or saying anything else..you also spelled “overespousure” wrong…
I hate all that is associated with texas..
screw UT…screw everything texan..
thanks
LAKERS 4 life.
I guess its only about time that the NBA starts developing talent at center. With the emergance of Bynum and Oden, along with players like Yao and Howard, this could make an intresting decade.
Oh, and nice username! Ha!
Sorry, 4 should have been Russel
andrew bynum overrated? in 35 games played last year he put up 13 and 10 with a 63FG%. oh and he’s only 20.
and btw, a friend of mine recently went to a conference where bynum was interviewed and met the kid himself. apparently he has BULKED up.
and luis scola? 28 years old 10 and 6 with a 50FG%. yep, we’ll see alright, some upper level mediocrity.
and i don’t know if you understand this about gasol or not, but next year, he’ll be playing in his NATURAL pf position. yes he’s considered a softy, but now he doesn’t have to spend so much energy banging with the bigs. and i’m sure you all (talking to laker fans and rocket bloggers alike) saw how pau tore it up in the olympics. and back to luis scola…
http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fe/08/olym/men/teamPlay/play/p/competitioncode//eventid/4004/fixeddate//langid/1/langlc/en/season//teamnumber/362/roundid/4004/playernumber/28569/opponentteamnumber/237/opponentplayernumber/22714/fe_teamPlay_playStat.html
check the numbers, gasol averaging 19 a game with a RIDICULOUS 68FG% to scola’s 19 and 58FG%. i’ll give it up to scola for putting up numbers, but gasol only slightly better than gasol? please. oh and btw, gasol, 3 offensive rebounds/4 defensive rebounds a game to scola’s 2 and 4, and this is the FIBA people, i’m sure you all saw how rough and physical it was. again, luis > gasol? not even worth discussing.
and the bench overachieving? the benchmob put up 73 against the bulls last year. and the stats… averaged 31 points and a 44.8FG% with a 35.2 efficiency rating (source = http://www.hoopsstats.com/basketball/fantasy/nba/los-angeles-lakers/bench/stats/08/13/7-1-id) to the rockets 30 point average, 45.2FG%, and efficiency rating of 34.3. (http://www.hoopsstats.com/basketball/fantasy/nba/houston-rockets/bench/stats/08/10/7-1-id)
now lets take it to the team level in which the rockets bloggers oh so highly praise their team over the lakers. the lakers received an efficiency rating of 125.8 (source = http://www.hoopsstats.com/basketball/fantasy/nba/los-angeles-lakers/team/stats/08/13) to the rockets 109. before i continue, one note… YES I AM A LAKER FAN, HOWEVER THESE ARE NOT BASED ON BIAS OR SPECULATION. THESE ARE PURE HARD FACTS AND STATISTICS.
now, the rockets bloggers are saying how adding bynum into the mix will disrupt our chemistry. how so? all laker fans AND espn, foxsports, yahoosports (you name it) sports analyst agree on the fact that only greener pastures lay ahead. as i’ve mentioned pau gasol is moving back to his natural 4, a healthy and young bynum back to the starting 5 spot, with odom moving to the 3. and we still have some guy named kobe.
now over to the rockets. yes you’ve added artest, yes i wouldve given my left nut to trade him for odom, but thats in the past. somebody in this blog mentioned how the rockets bloggers singled out the lakers team chemistry when bynum is back in the mix… when adding Artest who has proven time and time again that he is F*CKING crazy is a situation way more susceptible to cause damage to a team chemistry. remember, the lakers have had bynum for 3 years now and gasol has proven himself in the half year (and post season past the first round… can any one of the rocket players even throw in an argument here?) that he is more than capable in the triangle.
so i don’t understand how one can clearly say rockets over lakers in 6. if it was based on pure numbers, it would be REAL close. i myself would not even say LAKERS in however much number of games(despite me being a laker fan… i’m being unbiased).
however, the rockets bloggers decided to add in the whole TEAM chemistry thing. now it’s time to get biased. based on what I’VE stated and the FACTS AND STATISTICS given, how can one even pick the rockets over the lakers? actually i take it back, i’m not even being biased right now, lakers over the rockets in a 7 game series.
btw, efficiency rating = ((Points + Rebounds + Assists + Steals + Blocks) - ((Field goals attempts - Field goals made) + (Free throws attempts - Free throws made) + Turnovers))]
“3. Last year, the Lakers had one of the best benches in the NBA. I loved watching them. The problem is that your BEST bench player just signed with an in-state rival. And there is no clear-cut 6th man on your bench now. Whereas the Rockets have Battier.”
I have to respectfully disagree here. Our top player off the bench last year was Sasha. Luckily, he’s back with the team. Watch out for Trevor Ariza to make a big impact (likely) off the bench this season. He came in mid-season for us and didn’t even get a chance to play along side the ‘Gasol team’. Trevor was a starter for us, before getting hurt.
So, you think Sasha is better than Shane Battier?
Ronny our best bench player? I think not. He was probably the best locker room presence and a good energy guy but not the most productive guy off the bench. Don’t get me wrong he will be missed, but it’s not his productivity that we’ll miss!
1. The point I was trying to make is that Ronny Turiaf was NOT our best bench player like he stated. In fact, he’s been easily replaced.
2. Sasha is not better than Shane. He COULD be around Shane’s level this upcoming season, but I don’t see that happening. The kid is a work-a-holic and apparently he’s been very focused this off-season on taking his game to the next level. On the other hand, I can see Trevor Ariza making a Shane Battier like impact. He has it in him, and we know it, we’ve seen it.
so both dave and lee have the rockets winning in 6 over the lakers in a 7 game series……….puahahahahahahaha!!! i’m glad you guys admit you’re biased. lakers fans are obviously biased, but at least we’re in the majority this year. almost all the ratings that i’ve seen have the lakers coming out of the west. i guess america’s biased towards the lakers…
that lucky tip in 86 by sampson should’ve never happened… i remember that vividly, and my reaction was exactly the same as michael cooper. i was on the floor asking myself, “what just happened???”