Our season starts tonight in Portland, at 9 p.m. Central. For those of you wondering at home, that's 10 p.m. Eastern, 8 p.m. Mountain. And I believe around 2 in the afternoon for our fans in Vanuatu. Tomorrow. In any case, this is going to be one hell of a game. There's the obvious reasons: it's the first game of a new season, this is the most unpredictable Rockets team in recent memory and because it's the 155th anniversary of the day Swedish writer/pacifist Klas Pontus Arnoldson was born. (In a semi-related note, while searching on Wikipedia for that last event I noticed that today is Andrew Bynum's birthday. I also noticed that today is also Yi Jianlin's birthday, except nobody is sure because his birth date is "disputed." So there's that.) In any case, tonight's game is more than just a season opener. It's a season opener against a team we ousted in the playoffs last season, only we've gotten a lot worse and they've gotten better. So it's safe to say they're going to want to come out and destroy us. So my only request for the Rockets tonight is to attack. To play with no mercy, to play like this game decides whether or not we win a championship. I know it's just a single game, but there's a real possibility that we're not going to have many meaningful games come March and April. So that's why we need to take advantage of the ones we do have. And tonight, with everyone already counting out the Rockets, would be a great time to prove them wrong once again. Even if it's just for a day, beating the Blazers on the road without our three leading scorers from last season would be something. So if nothing else, I want the Rockets to fight today. I want us to come out swinging and let the Blazers, and the rest of the NBA, know that nothing is going to come easy against this team. We're going to be scrappy, we're going to be impossible to keep down and we're going to give nothing away. And Portland, just know that it all starts with you. Tonight we're coming for you. You were probably expecting a nice, vindictive blowout to announce to the NBA world that you're ready for the big time, but that's not happening today. Today we're going to look like the team that's supposed to contend for the title, today we're going to be the only ones enjoying a blowout. And, as Ice Cube would say, "You run up with that bullshit I'll [mess] your ass up." It really doesn't relate to this exact situation, but those are some fighting words and I thought they went with the general mood of the post. I should stop. In any case, go Rockets.
10/27/2009
10/23/2009
Rudy Gay? More Like Rudy Not-Gay!
That was in poor taste. Rudy's sexuality has nothing to do with his basketball ability and he'd be a great asset to the team regardless of what kind of ass he's chasing. Get it? Asset. But to be entirely serious, his sexual orientation couldn't matter any less, I just really couldn't think of a title.
If anyone remembers the 2006 NBA Draft, they remember the Rockets explicitly saying that we would trade the number 8 pick if we didn't get Brandon Roy. They also remember us not getting Brandon Roy and trading away Rudy Gay. They also remember the frustration they felt when Rudy Gay was having a fantastic sophomore year and we were wondering how much he would have helped when after the inevitable Mcgrady injury. They also remember feeling slightly vindicated last year when he regressed. If they remember all of this, asides from being more than a little too invested in the Rockets, they remember that Rudy Gay was already unhappy sharing the ball with O.J. Mayo last year and that will be made worse this season by adding this guy and this guy. (For those of you scoring at home, that's two times I've used Allen Iverson's mug shot. My goal for this season is 48.) As Bill Simmons says in his latest article:
"You will be able to get Gay for the right price. Just save the Grizzlies $3 million, give them someone half as good, take one of their bad contracts as window dressing and throw in a No. 1 pick so the deal looks better than it is, and Chris Wallace is going to say, 'I should probably shop this around, but screw it, I'll just panic and say yes.'"
That team getting Gay could be us. We'd probably have to give up Ariza in the deal but I say it'd definitely be worth it. Gay is a guy who can score 25 a game and lead a team, and once Mcgrady gets hurt (I know, the theme this year is believing in T-Mac, but doubting him has a purpose here so bear with me) he will be our undisputed number one guy. Then next year we come back with a bonafide superstar in Rudy Gay, the best center in the NBA with Yao, what will still be the perfect supporting cast and cap space from letting Mcgrady go. I'm not saying this is going to happen, I just think that Rudy Gay would be a great guy to buy low on and invest in. If it doesn't work out, he can still fill whatever role Trevor Ariza was going to fill this year pretty well. If it does, we would have just managed to get a guy we all thought would be the next Tracy Mcgrady while still keeping the original Tracy Mcgrady happy. It's like when you go to a fast food chain and make sure to ask for ketchup, only they've already put ketchup in your bag, so you get twice the amount of ketchup, except it's a lot less pathetic and that the two things aren't actually all that related.
In an entirely unrelated note, I cannot believe that Josh McRoberts isn't not white. I used the double negative there because when you first hear his name, you're sure that he has to be a white guy. Then you get so sure that you start to wonder if there isn't something strange at work, if a name like Josh McRoberts might just be too obvious. Then, if you're like me, you convince yourself that he's actually a black guy masquerading around in a white guy's name. And, if you're also like me, you feel like an idiot when you Google him and get a thousand photos like this (hint: he's not the black guy), none of them making him look even the slighest bit anything-other-than-white.
But yeah, I really want Rudy Gay. And there's nothing gay about that.
Damnit, I did it again.
If anyone remembers the 2006 NBA Draft, they remember the Rockets explicitly saying that we would trade the number 8 pick if we didn't get Brandon Roy. They also remember us not getting Brandon Roy and trading away Rudy Gay. They also remember the frustration they felt when Rudy Gay was having a fantastic sophomore year and we were wondering how much he would have helped when after the inevitable Mcgrady injury. They also remember feeling slightly vindicated last year when he regressed. If they remember all of this, asides from being more than a little too invested in the Rockets, they remember that Rudy Gay was already unhappy sharing the ball with O.J. Mayo last year and that will be made worse this season by adding this guy and this guy. (For those of you scoring at home, that's two times I've used Allen Iverson's mug shot. My goal for this season is 48.) As Bill Simmons says in his latest article:
"You will be able to get Gay for the right price. Just save the Grizzlies $3 million, give them someone half as good, take one of their bad contracts as window dressing and throw in a No. 1 pick so the deal looks better than it is, and Chris Wallace is going to say, 'I should probably shop this around, but screw it, I'll just panic and say yes.'"
That team getting Gay could be us. We'd probably have to give up Ariza in the deal but I say it'd definitely be worth it. Gay is a guy who can score 25 a game and lead a team, and once Mcgrady gets hurt (I know, the theme this year is believing in T-Mac, but doubting him has a purpose here so bear with me) he will be our undisputed number one guy. Then next year we come back with a bonafide superstar in Rudy Gay, the best center in the NBA with Yao, what will still be the perfect supporting cast and cap space from letting Mcgrady go. I'm not saying this is going to happen, I just think that Rudy Gay would be a great guy to buy low on and invest in. If it doesn't work out, he can still fill whatever role Trevor Ariza was going to fill this year pretty well. If it does, we would have just managed to get a guy we all thought would be the next Tracy Mcgrady while still keeping the original Tracy Mcgrady happy. It's like when you go to a fast food chain and make sure to ask for ketchup, only they've already put ketchup in your bag, so you get twice the amount of ketchup, except it's a lot less pathetic and that the two things aren't actually all that related.
In an entirely unrelated note, I cannot believe that Josh McRoberts isn't not white. I used the double negative there because when you first hear his name, you're sure that he has to be a white guy. Then you get so sure that you start to wonder if there isn't something strange at work, if a name like Josh McRoberts might just be too obvious. Then, if you're like me, you convince yourself that he's actually a black guy masquerading around in a white guy's name. And, if you're also like me, you feel like an idiot when you Google him and get a thousand photos like this (hint: he's not the black guy), none of them making him look even the slighest bit anything-other-than-white.
But yeah, I really want Rudy Gay. And there's nothing gay about that.
Damnit, I did it again.
10/21/2009
What Can Trevor Ariza Do For You?
Two posts in one day? After an extended hiatus? At Bring Back Novak, we are still red and rowdy, no matter what ESPN says about our team.
I've been hearing a lot of people in the media say that Trevor Ariza's only success in LA came off wide open corner threes that Kobe assisted on. These haters claim that Ariza will be a flop in Houston because he won't benefit from Kobe's undeniable, unobtainable greatness. There are two problems with this thought process. First, everyone knows Kobe is a blatant ball hog that hates his teammates and never passes. (He averages two passes per fourth quarter in the playoffs). Second, according to 82games.com, Ariza was assisted on 64% of his total field goals. This is lower than every non-point guard on the Rockets last year (except Yao, because he's the franchise). This proves that Ariza is adept at getting his own shot off and creating off the dribble. If the Rockets hope to stay in the playoff race with a lineup that lacks a traditional number one scoring option, they will need to utilize Ariza's ability to manufacture points.
Trevor Ariza's 82games.com profile:
http://www.82games.com/0809/08LAL7.HTM
I've been hearing a lot of people in the media say that Trevor Ariza's only success in LA came off wide open corner threes that Kobe assisted on. These haters claim that Ariza will be a flop in Houston because he won't benefit from Kobe's undeniable, unobtainable greatness. There are two problems with this thought process. First, everyone knows Kobe is a blatant ball hog that hates his teammates and never passes. (He averages two passes per fourth quarter in the playoffs). Second, according to 82games.com, Ariza was assisted on 64% of his total field goals. This is lower than every non-point guard on the Rockets last year (except Yao, because he's the franchise). This proves that Ariza is adept at getting his own shot off and creating off the dribble. If the Rockets hope to stay in the playoff race with a lineup that lacks a traditional number one scoring option, they will need to utilize Ariza's ability to manufacture points.
Trevor Ariza's 82games.com profile:
http://www.82games.com/0809/08LAL7.HTM
10/08/2009
Bringing Back Novak
After a slightly extended off-season summer of heartbreak-recovery after the Lakers series, we're finally ready to resume posting. And if you're thinking that it didn't take this long for us to get emotionally ready to post again instead we just got lazy and realized that we should probably starting writing again since our season's started, you're damn right. And, per the usual, when I say "we" I really mean "me," so just try and keep that in mind. I had a lengthy season preview planned out in which I would reference the lyrics to Beatles songs and talk about how they related to our season, but, again, that's a lot of work. I had actually gotten about halfway through when I realized it was much more effort than Billy or I were capabale of putting in, so instead of an articulate, well-prepared preview you're going to get whatever I can think of in the next 15 minutes.
I guess it actually is kind of fitting that I'm not writing a researched preview of the Rockets this year because, as every sportswriter who talks about the Rockets will be quick to point out, all bets are off for this season. And if you manage to overlook my flismy justification for not writing a worthwhile article, you'll see that what I just said actually makes sense. On one hand you have nearly everyone writing us off before the year starts, (get it, writing is a pun because they're writers) but on the other hand, you and I and anyone else who's watched this team knows to never, ever, ever count us out, regardless of the situation, regardless of how stacked against us the odds might seem, and, most importantly, regardless of how overmatched the twelve guys we're putting on the floor every night might look on paper. If there's one thing about this team that we know, it's that we will fight. We'll also be undersized, undermanned and under-talented most of the nights that we're doing the aforementioned fighting, but we'll be fighting nonetheless.
We still have Luis Scola, a double-double machine when he's the third option on a team and 20-10 threat since he's now our go-to guy. We still have Aaron Brooks, who, despite his limitations as a pure point guard, can beat anyone off the dribble and score with the best of them (Pictured:them). We've still got Battier, we've still got Landry and we've still got Hayes. Deke is still with us in spirit, and, the man that makes this team the slightly dangerous and even more interesting, Tracy Mcgrady, is reportedly coming along as planned and will hopefully be ready to resume practicing by Sunday. In case anyone's forotten, Mcgrady is one of the best players in the NBA when healthy and is entirely capable of putting a team on his back for a year. Granted, his back will probably spasm on and off over the course of that year and he'll probably require some sort of offseason surgery afterwards, but that's irrevelant. [In an entirely unrelated note, while I was looking for that Top Ten article I saw something about the WNBA Finals currently going on. I don't know what it says about you when people find out about your league's championships while searching through blog archives, but I'm sure it says something.] Anyways, we also have an NBA-ready rookie in Chase Budinger who's only going to improve as the season goes along. And, lest anyone forget, we are still blessed with Joey "Tarzan" Dorsey, who I've become quite the fan of after he autographed my shirt. So I guess that brings the Joey "Tarzan" Dorsey Fan Count up to one.
I'm not saying we're going to win our division and I'm not saying we're going to the playoffs, I'm just saying we're not going to roll over this year and wish May would hurry up and arrive. I've watched the Grizzlies and Clippers play last year and I can promise you that will not be the Houston Rockets. There will never be nights when we look like we don't want to play basketball, there will never be games in which we don't pour our collective hearts out for 48 minutes, there will never be moments in which as fans we aren't proud-as-hell of this team. I've seen the Rockets overcome adversity before, and I'm sure I'll see them do it again. I know better than to count this team out, and while I'm not getting my hopes up, I'm definitely not hopeless. All I ask of you is to give this team a chance. Cheer for them like you would if Yao and T-Mac were healthy to start the year, follow them like you think we're winning it all, if nothing else just because you damn well know that we deserve it. I'm looking forward to another year of writing and following the Rockets and I hope that you guys are too.
And if you're feeling a little more than slightly unsatisfied by this poor excuse for a preview, we are going to be doing a "Meet Your Rockets" series after the final roster comes out. I'm not promising that it'll be any good, I'm just promising that it'll be there.
Finally, as always, go Rockets.
I guess it actually is kind of fitting that I'm not writing a researched preview of the Rockets this year because, as every sportswriter who talks about the Rockets will be quick to point out, all bets are off for this season. And if you manage to overlook my flismy justification for not writing a worthwhile article, you'll see that what I just said actually makes sense. On one hand you have nearly everyone writing us off before the year starts, (get it, writing is a pun because they're writers) but on the other hand, you and I and anyone else who's watched this team knows to never, ever, ever count us out, regardless of the situation, regardless of how stacked against us the odds might seem, and, most importantly, regardless of how overmatched the twelve guys we're putting on the floor every night might look on paper. If there's one thing about this team that we know, it's that we will fight. We'll also be undersized, undermanned and under-talented most of the nights that we're doing the aforementioned fighting, but we'll be fighting nonetheless.
We still have Luis Scola, a double-double machine when he's the third option on a team and 20-10 threat since he's now our go-to guy. We still have Aaron Brooks, who, despite his limitations as a pure point guard, can beat anyone off the dribble and score with the best of them (Pictured:them). We've still got Battier, we've still got Landry and we've still got Hayes. Deke is still with us in spirit, and, the man that makes this team the slightly dangerous and even more interesting, Tracy Mcgrady, is reportedly coming along as planned and will hopefully be ready to resume practicing by Sunday. In case anyone's forotten, Mcgrady is one of the best players in the NBA when healthy and is entirely capable of putting a team on his back for a year. Granted, his back will probably spasm on and off over the course of that year and he'll probably require some sort of offseason surgery afterwards, but that's irrevelant. [In an entirely unrelated note, while I was looking for that Top Ten article I saw something about the WNBA Finals currently going on. I don't know what it says about you when people find out about your league's championships while searching through blog archives, but I'm sure it says something.] Anyways, we also have an NBA-ready rookie in Chase Budinger who's only going to improve as the season goes along. And, lest anyone forget, we are still blessed with Joey "Tarzan" Dorsey, who I've become quite the fan of after he autographed my shirt. So I guess that brings the Joey "Tarzan" Dorsey Fan Count up to one.
I'm not saying we're going to win our division and I'm not saying we're going to the playoffs, I'm just saying we're not going to roll over this year and wish May would hurry up and arrive. I've watched the Grizzlies and Clippers play last year and I can promise you that will not be the Houston Rockets. There will never be nights when we look like we don't want to play basketball, there will never be games in which we don't pour our collective hearts out for 48 minutes, there will never be moments in which as fans we aren't proud-as-hell of this team. I've seen the Rockets overcome adversity before, and I'm sure I'll see them do it again. I know better than to count this team out, and while I'm not getting my hopes up, I'm definitely not hopeless. All I ask of you is to give this team a chance. Cheer for them like you would if Yao and T-Mac were healthy to start the year, follow them like you think we're winning it all, if nothing else just because you damn well know that we deserve it. I'm looking forward to another year of writing and following the Rockets and I hope that you guys are too.
And if you're feeling a little more than slightly unsatisfied by this poor excuse for a preview, we are going to be doing a "Meet Your Rockets" series after the final roster comes out. I'm not promising that it'll be any good, I'm just promising that it'll be there.
Finally, as always, go Rockets.
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