SB Nation User Blog: grungedave

I'm going to miss you, Crazy Pills

grungedave — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:03:43 -0000

Dear RonRon,

I'm gonna miss you. I admit, I'm a little weepy right now. You were everything we asked for when we traded Donte Greene and a draft pick to get you last summer. We always knew it might be a short-term relationship given that you were in a contract year. We didn't care. Nor do I feel cheated today. It was worth the risk. And I fully believe that risk paid off in spades.

You helped get the Rockets to the second round this year. Which for Yao Ming and others had to seem like a myth until they actually got there. (Tracy McGrady... still a non-believer.) You brought an aggressiveness and a mindset to Houston that had been lacking for more than a decade. No one bullies the Rockets anymore.

So, thank you, Ron Artest. I truly mean it.

I do not begrudge you in your decision to join Kobe and the Lakers. It makes perfect sense. Yao and T-Mac probably won't be suiting up in 2010. The Rockets are rebuilding, whether they want to admit it publicly or not. I'm okay with all of this. Which is why I understand that you had to do what is best for you, Ron. I absolutely do understand. And I wish you nothing but the best in Los Angeles.

Though, this does make this picture seem a little weird now:

Happy trails to you, Crazy Pills. And good luck. You're going to need it.

(I can't wait to see what motivational book(s) Phil Jackson gives to Artest... )

Are there any other tall players the Rockets can pursue now?

grungedave — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:33:35 -0000

It looks like Marcin Gortat has rejected the over-the-top wooing efforts of Daryl Morey. Translation? It appears that the only legit center on the free agent market has spurned the Rockets' advances to sign with the Dallas Mavericks. Yes, Mark Cuban somehow out-bid Daryl Morey. Damn him.

So, uhhhh, are there any tall or even tall-ish players available that the Rockets can sign? Let's face facts - Yao Ming ain't walking through that door until at the earliest March of 2010, so we need someone to man the center position. There isn't a Dikembe option this year. Of the remaining options......... Brian Cook refuses to step inside the three-point line. Scola and Hayes will battle you, but they simply are not true centers and are undersized at the "4" position to begin with. Joey Dorsey would probably do anything (other than giving up strippers cold turkey) to get on the court, but he's not an NBA center.

That doesn't provide the Rockets with much good news. Shit.

Damn you, Mark Cuban!!

That pony you bought to impress Gortat better be within the salary cap restrictions!!!!!

To all those people who have been demanding the Rockets "trade Yao!" for the last five years... I guarantee that you will miss him a whole hell of a lot more once next season begins and you see how lucky we've been to have him.

(oh, and in other bad news... it looks like Ron Artest is not coming back either. LeBron is putting on the moves to get Crazy Pills legalized in Cleveland. Though a locker room with RonRon and the Fat Ass practically defines the word "volatile". Poor LeBron. He has no idea what he's getting himself into.)

Please tell me someone is hacking Daryl Morey's twitter account! Please!!

grungedave — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:40:28 -0000

Saw this today through someone else's link (yes, I still refuse to visit Twitter directly).

Gortat? Really? This can't be right.
Why are we targetting a guy we know we'd have to wayyyy overpay?

Then again... in Daryl Morey I trust.

Free Agency begins: What do we really know about the Houston Rockets?

grungedave — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 01:30:58 -0000

Free agency begins in a little more than 2 hours. The Rockets only have two players from the '09 roster that are free agents. Crazy Pills and Von Wafer. There is little doubt that in May, I wanted these guys back on the team next year. Sadly, in the weeks since the Game 7 loss to the Lakers... things have changed. Even worse, there has not been a lot of good news to share, either. Beginning with..........

There's the mystery about Yao and his cursed foot.

There's the mystery about Morey trying to trade up for a top 3 pick. And why.

There's the mystery about how much we can really spend on Von.

There's the mystery about how much we want to spend on Artest.

There's even a potential mystery as to whether any of Yao, McGrady or Artest even plays a game for the Rockets next year. That is scary, and it really limits the Rockets' immediate options in free agency. It's hard to construct a team around superstars when you are not even sure your supposed superstars will ever play for your team again. In a sad way, it would be easier to know that Yao will never play again or that McGrady will be traded. At least you have some level of certainty there. Alas, we can't make it easy on the resident boy genius GM we have.

So, as the games get ready to begin, here is what we do know about the Houston Rockets:

1. Rick Adelman will be the head coach. Yeah, in May I was hoping this might at least be up for debate, but that debate never materialized. Rest assured, Sleepy will be ~~napping~~ on the bench when November gets here.

2. Daryl Morey is a genius. Do not forget this. No matter how bad the news about Yao may be... Morey was smart enough to leave himself options. Or, as Mike McD always advises - always leave yourself outs.

3. Carlos Boozer will not be a Houston Rocket. Nor will Mehmet Okur. Thank freakin' God. At least we still have the Jazz to laugh at. Or hate. Either one. But I really, really hate the Utah Jazz.

4. Tracy McGrady is still under contract for one more season (at $23M)....

5. ... Tracy McGrady is still a whiny bitch. Whether healthy or not.

6. The following players are still on the roster. And, presumably, healthy: Luis Scola, Shane Battier, Aaron Brooks, Carl Landry, Kyle Lowry, Brent Barry, Chuck Hayes, James White. I'm not sure about Joey Dorsey. He hasn't said much recently.

7. I'd have listed Brian Cook in the group in #6. Except that Brian Cook is more worthless than Alec Baldwin. Naturally, that means Cook is the fourth highest paid player on the team next year... behind T-Mac, Yao and Battier. For real. It's sad, but true.

8. Luis Scola is still the best value of any player in the NBA. He's still only making $3M a year (though his contract also expires next summer) and he's one of the most efficient players in the league. Behind Yao, there was no doubt who the Rockets' MVP was last year. It was Scola. He's a badass.

(Luis Landry to the rescue!!!)

9. Robert Horry is still available as a free agent. Just a thought, Mr. Morey.

10. At least we aren't the Utah Jazz.

So, you see... it's not all bad. And there are things we can build on. In Daryl Morey I trust.

Here's hoping Yahoo is wrong about Yao Ming

grungedave — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:25:16 -0000

Mondays are bad enough...

Then I see this on Yahoo. Apparently Tracy McGrady has a better chance of suiting up for the Rockets before Yao Ming ever does again. To which I really have only one response. And Ned Flanders will say it's the loudest profanity he's ever heard.

Ugh. Why???? Why!??!?!?!

Is the doomsday rumor for real? I have no idea. But I can't say I'm optimistic about the chances of the report being wrong. The whole smoke/fire aspect of this thing scares me.

UPDATE: The Rockets have responded to the story. And the bad news is they aren't exactly denying the substance of it. Daryl Morey was right -- he sucks at spin control!

Could Ricky Rubio be traded to the Rockets??

grungedave — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 14:17:25 -0000

I am wholly speculating here, but with the Minnesota Timberwolves trying to become the Detroit Lions of the NBA last night (three draft picks... three point guards), and with Ricky Rubio now claiming that he might stay in Spain for another 1-2 years and that he does not like cold weather...

...could this be the perfect opportunity for Daryl Morey to pounce?!?

I know there were early rumors that Morey tried to trade with Memphis to get the 2nd pick overall. And the only logical reason would be so the Rockets could acquire the Spanish Chris Paul. With Minnesota's GM proving to be Isiah Thomas-esque already... I could definitely see this conversation taking place:

[Daryl Morey places collect phone call to Minnesota... T-Wolves GM David Kahn accepts the charges.]

Boy Genius Daryl Morey: [trying hard to refrain from laughing] Say... David... what's up?

Minnesota GM David Kahn: [confused] What? Who is this? Is this Mr. Rubio?

Morey: [barely able to keep from laughing] No... no. This is Daryl Morey. I'm with the Houston Rockets. I see you had quite the, uhh, interesting draft last night. You certainly solved the hole you guys had at point guard last night. I really loved the Jonny Flynn pick at #6. That guy is a keeper.

Kahn: Well, my mom met Jonny and liked him. My hands were tied after that. He seems like a nice kid.

Morey: I hear ya. You just can't say no to mom. So, uh, listen, I hear you might be having some problems with one of the other players you drafted. Something about a threat to stay in Spain for another year or two? I also heard he might not be fond of the weather up there in Minnesota? That's a tough break, David.

Kahn: Tell me about it... all this time I thought it was cold in Spain. But now I have his dad saying threatening things to the guys at ESPN and making me look foolish! It's not fair!

Morey: What if I told you I might be able to help?

Kahn: You can help me? Aww, shucks, how nice of you! Thanks!

Morey: No problem. No problem at all. If you want, I can take that problem child Ricky Rubio off your hands. You won't even have to buy-out his contract with the team in Spain. We can do that for you. And there's more. I'll even give you a couple players from our team so that you can have something to show for it. And I know your mom will just love Aaron Brooks... he dresses very nice.

Kahn: Oh, I remember that outfit. That's a sharp-looking suit there! And the bow-tie was a nice touch.

Morey: So, do we have a deal?

Kahn: Hmmm, I'm not sure... I think I need to run this by the owner guy. I also need to make sure Kevin Love is okay with it. Last thing I need is for him to criticize me on Twitter again.

[Morey waves his hand over the speaker part of the phone]

Morey: These are not the droids you are looking for. Oh, uh, I mean... you don't have to run anything by them, do you? You're the man in charge! The main decision-maker! I'm here to help... no need to make this complicated! Let's just finish this trade. You and me.

Kahn: You know what -- you are right. Mom always said I need to stand up for myself! Here's my chance. You have yourself a deal. Now I can concentrate on getting Mr. Flynn to start spelling his first name properly. Thank you, Daryl!

Morey: Anytime, David. Anytime. You let me know if you ever have any problems controlling Al Jefferson, okay? If he ever becomes a disruption, you can be sure we will take care of him here!

Yao's foot still hurt? Noooooo!!

grungedave — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:21:45 -0000

Bad news on the Yao Ming foot injury front...

seems his foot still has not healed. Nor is it responding to the treatment. So much for only being out 8-12 weeks. [insert sad face emoticon here.]

Then again, my optimistic take is that maybe this is just a big ploy to trick the Chinese government and allow Yao Ming to actually rest during the summer for once? And I'm all for pulling a fast one on a government entity so long as it allows Yao to be healthy and kicking ass again in October.

Hey, I'm trying to think positive here. Otherwise this is just horrible news that might ruin my day. Made even worse by the fact that Yao only gets to beat up on the Fat Ass twice a year now that LeBron got a new teammate yesterday. Then again, Shaq will probably be stricken with "Yao-itis" on those two occasions.

I'm torn - who was a better #11 overall pick: Reggie Miller or Robert Horry?

grungedave — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 22:17:33 -0000

Ian Thomsen must have been bored of doing mock drafts, because this week he did an article ranking the best players to be taken at a particular spot in the NBA draft (Magic Johnson being the best overall pick ever...).

Now, it kills me that Olajuwon barely got mention in the "best #1 overall picks" discussion... somehow ranking behind the Fat Ass, but I digress. No, my concern today is about the #11 overall pick. Thomsen chooses Reggie Miller, who was drafted by the Indiana Pacers way back in 1987. Damn I feel old. But was Reggie Miller the best player ever chosen at this spot? I mean... he was great, and I am a huuuuuge Reggie fan, but this is what Mr. Thomsen said about it:

11. Reggie Miller, Pacers, 1987: This has been a good slot in which to acquire shooting: Allan Houston, Robert Horry and Kiki Vandeweghe were all No. 11 picks, as was Jamaal Wilkes. But none made a bigger impact on the team that drafted him than Miller, a clutch scorer who matured to set a standard of leadership for the Pacers.

Sure, yeah, go ahead and reduce Robert Horry into the Allan Houston/Kiki Vandeweghe category of "good shooters". I find that to be blasphemous. Do any of those guys have seven rings? I think not. Reggie Miller doesn't even have one ring. The one time Reggie did get to the Finals, Big Shot Rob was there to block him from the promised land. For his third ring. Of what would be seven. One for both ring fingers and both thumbs.

Man, I'm torn... who was a better pick there? Reggie Miller or Robert Horry. Both are future Hall-of-Famers, so it's not as easy as it may seem. And while I am obviously partial to anything Horry does, I gotta admit that the Indiana Pacers might not even exist today if not for Reggie Miller. So, championships or not, I think I gotta give him the edge here. He saved a franchise. That's something that not even Horry can say.

It isn't said enough... Reggie Miller was a badass.

For full disclosure... there are exactly two players whose jerseys I own that never played for the Rockets. One was Penny Hardaway (that guy was awesome until the knees gave out). The other is Reggie Miller. Of course, I own *two* Horry jerseys. I even own the Rockets' pajama jersey with Horry's #25. Not that I ever wear it.

Back off Cleveland! Yao Ming is ours!

grungedave — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 20:06:44 -0000

I have a message for the LeBrons... and the wealthy dudes who sign his check who are putting feelers out there about Yao Ming possibly being a Cleveland Cavalier in 2011:

BACK THE F--K OFF!

Yao Ming is ours! And we aren't giving the Great Wall away. Ever.

That said, we have a 6'9" ~~former~~ all-star small forward who could be had for about the same price... and a year early, too! Is that something you might be interested in?

Anything to keep "that man" from broadcasting NBA games ever again is okay with me!

grungedave — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 13:16:56 -0000

Anything to keep "that man" from broadcasting NBA games ever again is okay with me!

Mark Jackson rumored to be the candidate to coach the Minnesota Timberwolves.

SB Nation User Blog: grungedave

I'm going to miss you, Crazy Pills

Are there any *other* tall players the Rockets can pursue now?

Please tell me someone is hacking Daryl Morey's twitter account! Please!!

Free Agency begins: What do we really know about the Houston Rockets?

Here's hoping Yahoo is wrong about Yao Ming

Could Ricky Rubio be traded to the Rockets??

Yao's foot still hurt? Noooooo!!

I'm torn - who was a better #11 overall pick: Reggie Miller or Robert Horry?

Back off Cleveland! Yao Ming is ours!

Anything to keep "that man" from broadcasting NBA games ever again is okay with me!

Anything to keep "that man" from broadcasting NBA games ever again is okay with me!

Are there any other tall players the Rockets can pursue now?