SB Nation User Blog: UofTOrange

Rockets Fans: What would you trade Shane Battier to the Portland Trailblazers for?

UofTOrange — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:32:16 -0000

I have a full analysis of what I want the Rockets to do on deck for early next week (hopefully Monday). However, I want a little help. Dave from Blazer's Edge and I have been tossing around an idea. What would you want from the Trail Blazers for Shane Battier. Now, believe me this is all a hypothetical, but, what if the Rockets were going into rebuilding mode? You have to sell high on Battier, right? And he fits into Portland epically well.

Here's my opening salvo:

Rudy Fernandez and Travis Outlaw for Shane Battier.

Let me get this out of the way. I know 95% of you would never "want to trade" Battier. I'm in that boat too. That said, I know that, so let's try and be productive. If you had to, what would you accept? And let's keep it within reason, Brandon Roy nor LaMarcus Aldridge is coming over.

Blazer's Edge is running a similiar question

1560 The Game - No Layups Draft Edition - Daryl Morey Cameo

UofTOrange — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:36:16 -0000

The guys from 1560 are at it again with No Layups, and this time Daryl Morey makes an appearance

No Layups Draft Edition from Chance McClain on Vimeo.

Hakeem Olajuwon vs. Shaquille O'Neal - Jerome Solomon says it all

UofTOrange — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:33:16 -0000

I was thinking about writing something on this, as Shaq's loquaciousness has made some believe that he was the better player than Hakeem was. That's absolutely absurd in my opinion and apparently in Jerome Solomon's as well.

Here is where Shaq is so much less a basketball player than Olajuwon, that we should never talk about it again.

Shaq was swept out of the playoffs six times. SIX times. Swept. And three other times his team won just one game in a series.

I know some around here don't like Mr. Solomon. I, for one, think he and Feigan are the two best writers at the Houston Chronicle. I don't have to agree with everything the man says. He says it with gusto and actually backs up his words. Yes, sometimes it is with opinion, but that's the only thing you have in a lot of cases. If I couldn't write or talk without opinion backing up my points this blog wouldn't exist.

Rockets Talk - So, what does everyone want to talk about?

UofTOrange — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:31:54 -0000

More photos » by Elise Amendola - AP

about 1 month ago: On Wednesday, May 6, 2009, Orlando Magic's Rafer Alston, left, reaches out to slap the head of Boston Celtics' Eddie House in the second half of Game 2 of the NBA basketball Eastern Conference semifinal series in Boston. Alston was suspended for one game Thursday by the NBA for the slap. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

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Seems like every time I get off my rear (or sit back on it) and go to typing, Tom has trumped me. I guess that's what happens when you go pilfer a guy that was better than you in the first place at this stuff. So, while I try and think of more to write about and then somehow find time to do so before Tom gets to it, what's on everyone's minds right now?

I have two things I'm asking for:

1. If you want to write something in depth and with purpose (I don't particularly care the topic as long as it is Rockets involved), just tell me when you put it in Fan Posts and we will put it on the front page. I'd say 400 words at a minimum. Also known as longer than anything Dave has ever written and more combined words than I have written in the last month!

2. Is there anything you want us to write about? Something we may not have hashed out yet?

I can tell you this: Once the Finals are over I'm going to do a "Statistically, what happened in the Rafer Alston trade." post. And I called it Tom, DON'T STEAL MY IDEA AGAIN!!!

1560 The Game No Layups - NBA Finals Edition

UofTOrange — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 16:17:51 -0000

No Layups: NBA Finals- Gortat from Chance McClain on Vimeo.

Houston Rockets Off Season To Do List : Part 2

UofTOrange — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 13:11:33 -0000

More photos » by Chris Pizzello - AP

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Last week (or has it been longer?) I mentioned 5 off season items that the Rockets need to address. Number 1 was Ron Artest/Von Wafer, and that will likely take the entire summer (possibly shorter in Wafer's case). Number 2 was back up center, and since I have not had the time to really research the Rockets draft pick buying options yet (I have done the free agent/trade ones) we're going to skip to number 3 today. I'll put my thoughts up here, but I really want to hear from you on how you think it should/will go down:

3. Address the Tracy McGrady situation, specifically making sure Tracy is doing every single thing in his power to be ready and at 100% as soon as he can. Now, does that mean I want McGrady back? I'm honestly not sure. McGrady is a good guy; he's not the evil that a lot of us (maybe even me) have depicted him as. No, he's not a hard worker, but maybe that can change with him seeing his teammates do something he never has. Sometimes it takes an event like this to get a guy like him going. If he doesn't, he's the most trade-able guy in the NBA with a huge contract that comes off in time for Lebron-a-palooza

That's what I wrote before and I still feel the same way. Tracy McGrady is a good guy and despite not always knowing how to show he cares, by all accounts, at the very least, does care. With freakish athletic ability the league has rarely seen, the guy has never had to work out hard in his life until the last 2 years and honestly, I'm not sure he knows how. I liken it to me in high school, I made As and brought a book home exactly once the entire time and graduated in 3 years. I arrived at The University of Texas a cocky 17 year old jackass. I promptly realized I didn't know anything about anything and what was worse; I had no idea how to fix it. It took almost failing out of school to realize I needed help and to find out how to obtain it. I took a study class and then actually attended class (a novel concept I know) and finished with a 3.7 GPA in my major, not too shabby for a guy that had to beg to stay for the fun. So, in that rambling answer I swear I have a point Billy Madison principal: Tracy McGrady likely doesn't know how to do what he needs to do and also doesn't know how to ask for it.

While his knee surgery came at an inopportune time and the announcement at even a worse time, I don't doubt that the surgery was necessary. As Daryl Morey has said, on more than one occasion, you don't have micro-fracture surgery (and a doctor doesn't perform it) if you don't absolutely need it. I for one am going to give McGrady a break on this. The guy saw a problem, he knew his knee wasn't healthy and went around until a doctor finally realized what he was talking about. Lots of jokes were tossed around here and other places about doctor shopping. And I'm sorry but, as much as we joked, no doctor would prescribe the most invasive knee surgery possible without it being the only option. And what's even worse is his shoulder wasn't completely fine either. On Friday he informed fans through his blog that he had more shoulder surgery.

In that same blog post, McGrady spoke of his plan to be ready by training camp. Training camp will start around the beginning of October and while that is a very fast time frame to recover from such a serious surgery, it was done on a much smaller skill than what Kidd/Stodemire/Hill had done. This means that October could be enough time for cartilage to grow back and for McGrady to have workout time to regain strength. The real question is: Will Tracy McGrady finally dedicate himself to weight lifting? By all accounts, and I mean all of them, he’s the last guy to arrive and the first guy to leave. There is no argument to this; every media member that has ever talked about it has stated the same. I have no reason to not believe their accounts or that it came from first hand knowledge or out of the mouths of McGrady’s teammates. That said, a healthy Tracy McGrady can do exactly that and it was always a joke around the locker room so no harm was done. Maybe he left so he could get some sleep, I don’t know what the reason was, and I really don’t care. The important thing is that this precedent is no longer his modus operandi and that McGrady can become one with the free weights, and from the lack of lift he had, maybe toss some Yoga in too.

That gets us to the question we have at hand. Let’s pretend for a moment that McGrady is ready to go by Rockets training camp. Let’s pretend that he can pass a physical. What are the other possible variables? The Rockets could buy their way into the draft. Previously we’ve mostly thought of this as a move to get a back up center. What if it is, as Tom predicted, to get a guy like Sam Young? And what if the Rockets have already resigned Von Wafer who, because of his little tantrum, had no other solid offers and they got him cheaply? The Rockets would then have 2 shooting guards and 2 small forwards. I for one would then look to trade McGrady for a starting center that wouldn’t have their feelings hurt if they were a backup and some draft picks (yes it’s ill informed, but Chris Kaman comes to mind). What would you do?

Let’s try another scenario: McGrady is ready. The Rockets lost out to a high bidder for Wafer and bought into the draft for a backup center. This addresses every problem but the SG area. So what would you do? Do you keep McGrady? Still package him for another SG or two? Maybe some SF help, maybe some draft picks?

Dream Shakers, what say you?

As an aside, either this week (hopefully) or next I will begin a series with other blogs around the blogosphere about some possible trades that could help the Rockets. I want some serious ideas on what to ask for. The first will be with Blazers Edge who are trying something similiar with Blog a Bull with a favorite of ours in Kirk Hinrich. So, specifically what do you want ,and what would you give to get it, from the Blazers. And for the future, what about other teams?

Open Discussion : How much should the Rockets pay Ron Artest and Von Wafer

UofTOrange — Wed, 20 May 2009 11:40:02 -0000

More photos » by Andrew D. Bernstein - NBAE/Getty Images

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It's officially the off-season for the Rockets. We have had a few posts up about where the Rockets go from here and we will have numerous others before and after the draft. Here is the order I see the Rockets issues in, not necessarily the order they'll be addressed in, just the order of importance:

1. Resign Artest and Wafer

2. Get a back up center for Yao. There are two option here: A. Young guy that has the potential to be a starter in the next 3 years or B. Get a relatively established back up that can come in and provide size, that can run with the second team and at least some modicum of offense

3. Address the Tracy McGrady situation, specifically making sure Tracy is doing every single thing in his power to be ready and at 100% as soon as he can. Now, does that mean I want McGrady back? I'm honestly not sure. McGrady is a good guy, he's not the evil that a lot of us (maybe even me) have depicted him as. No, he's not a hard worker, but maybe that can change with him seeing his teammates do something he never has. Sometimes it takes an event like this to get a guy like him going. If he doesn't, he's the most trade-able guy in the NBA with a huge contract that comes off in time for Lebron-a-palooza

4. Numbers 1 and 3 play into this: If Artest or/nor Wafer signs with the Rockets and McGrady is not ready/gets traded, huge holes are left at SG and SF. And that has to be addressed. We'll address 1-3 for sure in seperate posts and this one will be addressed in those

5. Negotiate : The Chinese Basketball Association needs to understand that Yao Ming is done with international basketball. His body cannot handle it and they are killing their cashcow /international basketball respect. I truly believe the Rockets have to negotiate this, and Daryl Morey will probably go learn Chinese to do it.

So, today let's discuss number 1. I don't expect everyone to agree with me on it, but I really, truly believe it's the correct scenario. Ron Artest is a Houston Rocket and needs to remain one. Too many people treat him like he's a number one option just because he was in Sacramento. He's not, he's a number 2 or 3 and he's getting paid like a 3 or 4 right now. Ron Artest at his current contract is an absolute steal in today's NBA and Daryl Morey knows this and traded for him for exaclty that reason. He plays both ends of the court and can do every basketball skill at least decently well. Artest is one of the few complete players left in the NBA and is worth every penny that he is getting.

Von Wafer on the other hand I don't know what to do with. He's the type of player you want to play with full emotion, but that you have to have playing both ends of the floor. He absolutely improved on that over the season and with a full off season and summer league I expect him to improve further. But how much do you give a guy that obviously has deficiencies and butted heads with his coach? The number is probably more than we'd like, but something that can be dealt with. I've been racking my brain and no team really has any cap space this season that Von Wafer would get an offer from that the Rockets wouldn't match, so that's not as much of a worry as I first thought.

There is a poll up for Artest but let's discuss both. What say you DreamShakers?

Poll

What's the most you would pay for Artest? And you aren't going to get him to agree to less than 3 years

4 years 37 MM

247 votes

3 years 30 MM

501 votes

3 years 27 MM

321 votes

3 years 25.5 MM - Basically his current contract

201 votes

Let him go - I don't understand it, but I'll give y'all that option

59 votes

1329 votes | Poll has closed

GameThread for Houston Rockets at Los Angeles Lakers, May 17, 2009 2:30 PM CDT - First Half

UofTOrange — Sun, 17 May 2009 19:01:15 -0000

More photos » by Eric Gay - AP

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I'd be lying to you if I said I knew this would happen after Yao went down. But here we are. Game 7 in LA for a chance at the Western Conference Finals vs. Denver.

LET'S GO ROCKETS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Game Preview: Houston Rockets at Los Angeles Lakers - Game 7 - NBA Playoffs - Conference Semifinals- 2:30PM CST

UofTOrange — Sun, 17 May 2009 03:03:22 -0000

More photos » by LM Otero - AP

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We've gone over the match-ups for 6 games. Now, let's go over what the Rockets need to do to put themselves in a position to win. I'm not saying every one of these things has to happen, but 3 out of 5 will keep the game close.

Point Guard
Brooks/Lowry vs. Fisher/Brown/Farmar - To win this match-up Lowry and Brooks need to bring their magic to the road. Brooks has to drive the lane and look for the open man, but not be afraid to finish. You could say the exact same thing for Kyle Lowry, run, drive, score or pass. One things for sure, this HAS to be one of the 3 spots the Rockets win. A loss of an edge here will just about guarantee a blowout. Even a close match-up will make a Rockets win iffy. The good news is that even when they haven't played well, the Rockets have won the point guard battle. If I could have three things they would be 1. Smart passes 2. Come to the ball at all times 3. Drive the lane, repeatedly
Edge: Rockets

Shooting Guard
Battier/Wafer/Artest vs. Bryant/Vujacic - Battier has held Kobe for 3 of the 6 games, and it has been the biggest key to Rockets victories. That's not to say Kobe didn't score or shoot well, it's just that he worked about 30% harder to do so and it was at the expense of his teammates to some extent. Will Kobe's teammates show up? Hopefully not, but even if they don't, making Kobe into a one man scoring show can help the Rockets win, as long as he has to work extra hard and long for those shots. Force him to the places he likes to shoot least and Chuck Hayes continue to defend the pick and roll well (just watch the fouls). If Kobe shoots more than 25 times the Rockets will have a chance to win. Von Wafer coming off the bench and adding a spark with the second unit could really come through as well. This could be a break out of the doghouse type game. If he goes for double digits, it's a very good sign for the Rockets.
Edge: Lakers

Small Forward
Artest/Battier vs. Ariza/Odom - Artest on Odom has been a defensive masterpiece, it needs to continue in Game 7. If Lamar Odom goes for more than 16 the Rockets could find themselves on the wrong end of the war. Keeping Odom from energy plays that he needs to stay focused is important and Ron Artest is exactly the guy that can do that. No dunks for him or Ariza, that's a good recipe for a Rockets win. Ron needs to take care of the ball as well. No lazy passes, not even one and no crazy jumpers. It's time for the Ron Artest of Game 6 against Portland to show up. No one on LA can or has guarded him, it's been on his shoulders whethere a shot went down or not. It's time to pump up that Ron Ron magic.
Edge: Rockets

Power Forward
Scola/Landry/Cook vs. Gasol/Odom/Powell - Luis Landry had a night in Game 6, but Game 7 needs to be the game of their lives. It's time to show the league that you can be a star Mr. Scola. Come out with the passion and fire that makes you who you are. Rebounding out of this group is absolutely key. A line that I expect from the duo is somewhere in the neighborhood of 28 and 22, if it's close to that, the Rockets will have a shot. Gasol will score, Odom will be guarded by Artest, and Powell hasn't contributed much. It's just important to contain all of those guys on the offensive glass. Box out and get good position and good things will happen.
Edge: Lakers

Center
Hayes/Scola vs. Bynum/Gasol/Mbegna - This one is easy: Stay out of foul trouble Chuck, it's just that simple. Do what you always do, but stay away from the ticky tack calls.
Edge: Lakers

Prediction: I'm going full homer, Rockets Win, Beat LA

1560 The Game: No Layups: Game 6 Recap

UofTOrange — Fri, 15 May 2009 15:54:46 -0000

No Layups Game 6: Take that Pow! from Chance McClain on Vimeo.