Here's the article from nba.com.rockets: Houston Rockets Acquire Dikembe Mutombo The Houston Rockets have acquired center Dikembe Mutombo from the Chicago Bulls in exchange for guards Adrian Griffin, Eric Piatkowski and Mike Wilks, General Manager Carroll Dawson announced today. Mutombo stands as the only four-time recipient of the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award. “With the addition of Dikembe, we have bolstered our interior defense and rebounding,” Dawson said. “Dikembe has had a long distinguished career, but can still contribute on a nightly basis. We feel fortunate to be adding him to our team.” Mutombo has averaged 11.7 points, 11.7 rebounds and 3.22 blocked shots in 929 career games with Denver, Atlanta, Philadelphia, New Jersey and New York. In NBA history, the 7-2, 265-pound center ranks fourth all-time with 2,996 blocked shots, trailing only Hakeem Olajuwon, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Mark Eaton. His career average of 3.22 blocks ranks third in NBA history behind Eaton and Manute Bol. He also ranks 24th all-time with 10,907 rebounds. Among active players, Mutombo trails only Tim Duncan and Shaquille O’Neal in career rebounding average and just Karl Malone and Kevin Willis in career rebounds. In 13 NBA seasons, Mutombo has finished among the league’s top five in rebounding average nine times and blocked shots per game 11 times. He became the first player in NBA history to claim three-straight blocked shots crowns, leading the league in rejections for three consecutive seasons beginning with the 1993-94 campaign. Mutombo also stands as one of seven players in league history to win consecutive rebounding titles, accomplishing this during the 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 seasons. The NBA has recognized Mutombo for his accomplishments on numerous occasions. The eight-time All-Star received selection to the All-NBA Second Team in 2001 and the All-NBA Third Team in 1998 and 2002. Aside from winning the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award in 1995, 1997, 1998 and 2001, he earned selection to the NBA All-Defensive First Team in 1997, 1998 and 2001 and the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 1995, 1999 and 2002. He began his career with an appearance on the 1992 NBA All-Rookie First Team. Mutombo also received the NBA’s J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship award in 2001. Mutombo started his career with five seasons in Denver, where he averaged a career-high 16.6 points as a rookie with the 1991-92 Nuggets. After averaging a career-high 4.49 blocks for his third-straight blocked shots title, Mutombo signed with Atlanta prior to the 1996-97 season. He played four-and-a-half seasons with the Hawks, averaging a career-high 14.1 rebounds during the 1999-2000 season. During the 2000-2001 season, Philadelphia traded for Mutombo, who immediately helped the 76ers advance to the 2001 NBA Finals. Mutombo averaged a double-double in each of his first 11 NBA seasons with Denver, Atlanta and Philadelphia. Over the last two years, Mutombo has played a season each with the Nets and the Knicks. The Rockets roster now stands at 13 players: Reece Gaines, Juwan Howard, Jim Jackson, Tyronn Lue, Tracy McGrady, Mutombo, Bostjan Nachbar, Scott Padgett, Bob Sura, Maurice Taylor, Charlie Ward, Clarence Weatherspoon and Yao Ming. http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/Houston_Rockets_Acquire_Dikemb-117238-34.html Personally, I'm very excited about the trade. The addition of Mutombo, along with the other players functioning as a cohesive unit, could very well mean the NBA championship in the next 1-2 years. THE BIG BROADCAST OF 2006 - THE HOUSTON ROCKETS 3RD NBA TITLE.
10 years ago, the Rockets were the reigning NBA champions en route to their 2nd straight NBA title. In the last 10 years, the Rockets have acquired Drexler, Barkley, Pippen, Francis, Yao, and T-Mac. Stopgaps. Seriously. You blast Mutombo for injuries, yet promote Calvin Booth, who's coming off a career high in games with 71, and averaged 17 minutes game. Want to know something funny? The 1206 minutes Booth played last year, which was a career high is STILL less than the 1494 minutes Mutombo played last year, which was Mutombo's 2nd worst number in a career twice as long. Brilliant! JVG is a great defensive coach. Deke is still a good defensive player. I'll take my chances with JVG figuring out a way to make use of him.
"IF this if that!" Who fricken cares! It had to be done! We needed a backup center! It's not like we had a lot of options in the FA/trade market. I mean, I bet you WANT Deke to have an injury just so you can say, "See, I told you so..." You have so eloquently pointed out a big "if" for a Deke injury. While simultaneously stating that "if" CD gets it right, he'd would have hit the "jackpot." Nice way to cover your comments. Just for your information. The reason we have not won a championship, has little to do with minor trades like these. It has a more to do with head coaching, our talent level, on-the-court leadership, chemistry and many other factors. Remember our past 9 years? We had an aging Hakeem, turnover prone Francis, young Yao, coaching changes, etc... Now, please explain to me how we will not win the championship because Yao is not wearing the "right type" of basketball shoe. I'd love to hear that one.
By the way, HillBoy. Here's a more likely outcome. ***If*** Deke gets injured, yet we still manage to make it to the 2nd round. It will be in spite of Deke. Not because of him. And I'd still be glad we took the risk and got rid of Pike and Adrian Griffin. This is the nature of role players. They help, if they can. They do not MAKE or BREAK our TEAM (our stars do). Enough with the "this is a dumb trade" ***if*** Deke gets injured. How's that for an "if?" P.S. Want to know about a *great* trade? It's called McGrady! Way to go CD!
a look from the Bulls perspective: http://www.nba.com/bulls/news/piatkowski_040908.html Sharpshooting veteran will help open up the floor for the frontcourt while hitting from the outside Addition of Piatkowski to Benefit Bulls’ Big Men 9/8: Bulls Acquire Piatkowski in Four-Player Trade September 8, 2004 – Besides the obvious—adding a proven shooter from downtown—the addition of Eric Piatkowski figures to benefit the likes of Eddy Curry, says GM John Paxson. “With a post player like Eddy Curry, who demands some attention, and two guards in Kirk Hinrich and [Ben] Gordon who can create and get to the lane, you have to have other guys who can spot up and make a shot,” Paxson explained. “Eric fits that bill.” To acquire Piatkowski, the Bulls dealt Dikembe Mutombo, who moves on just a month after his trade to Chicago. The 38-year old native of Zaire moves on to Houston, where he will back up Yao Ming. Chicago also received guard/forward Adrian Griffin and guard Mike Wilks. “We’d been trying to address our perimeter shooting all summer long and we feel we’ve done that with a couple guys in Ben Gordon and Luol Deng from the draft,” Paxson stated not long after the deal became official on Wednesday. “But we needed some experience, and Eric brings experience to the team, along with the ability to make a perimeter shot.” Piatkowski's presence figures to add an extra dimension to the Bulls backcourt while helping out the frontcourt at the same time. “You can’t have enough good shooters, especially with more teams playing zone,” said Paxson. “Eric’s a professional. He’s a worker and he goes about his business the right way. He’s been better than a 40 percent three-point shooter for most of his career. He really knows how to space the floor and knock down shots. I think he’ll be a good fit for our team.” Paxson expects both Griffin and Wilks to report to the Berto Center for camp this fall. “Adrian’s a nice guy who had a knee injury last year. He fits the mold of the kind of guy we are looking for, too. Mike Wilks is going to have a chance to fight for minutes behind Kirk [Hinrich]. We’re looking for somebody who can play in that 10 to 15 minute range at the point guard position. Mike is a tough, hard-nosed kid and he will work very hard to earn a position.” “We definitely have a glut of smaller guards and we’re going to have to do something to resolve that issue,” Paxson concluded. “Obviously we’re going to try and work on that. But it makes it a very competitive position and it will be interesting to see how it all shakes out.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I don't know why but I always get sad when we trade away players that played hard for us.
Man, Paxon's quotes about Pike in the above article sound EXACTLY like the things CD and JVG were saying about him last summer. Scary.
Deke, Ewing, Yao in H-town.... Three great Centers.... I hope Olajuwon is watching and he knows what kind of franchise he built. I'd be happy if Deke played 10 minutes... stay healthy and fresh. Yao gets 30 minutes... and Motay or JHoward splits the 8 depending on the matchup. Just keep Yao and Tmac healthy and ready to play when we get to the playoffs. I think Deke will definitely help with keeping Yao fresh. Pike, see you when we see you... it sucks to be you, the clippers... finally a winning organization... one year... BOOM... back to the one of the worst teams in the league.
I'm glad Dikembe has so much global awreness and gives back to those less fortunate than himself. http://www.nba.com/bwb/bwb_africa_040810.html NBA players to dedicate Dikembe Mutombo Foundation Dormitories at Ithuteng Trust NBA Summer of Goodwill Continues With Basketball Without Borders Africa NEW YORK, Aug. 10 -- One of the highlights of Basketball without Borders Africa will be the dedication of the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation Dormitories at Ithuteng Trust, a school for troubled and underprivileged youth in Pimville, South Africa, on Thursday, September 9 at 2:00 p.m. featuring NBA Hall of Famer and NBA Legend Bob Lanier and NBA players from 10 different teams taking part as coaches for the camp including New York Knicks teammates Kurt Thomas and Mutombo and NBA players from Africa DeSagana Diop and Ruben Boumtje Boumjte. The newly constructed dormitories, the first of its kind at the school which will provide proper housing facilities for the many orphans who live on school grounds, were the result of a donation made by the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation during last year’s Africa 100 Camp. Sept. 6-10, 2004 Johannesburg, South Africa American International School of Johannesburg Last year’s trip to South Africa also featured Read to Achieve events and the unveiling of what was then the first Reading and Learning Center outside North America at Ithuteng Trust, a Youth Empowerment Program founded in 1990 by Jackey “Mama Jackey” Maarohanye. The school works to assist “at risk youth” with life skills and education. The Trust instills love, discipline, responsibility and respect to the almost 2,500 students enrolled in the peer tutoring educational program. Most of these students come from extremely poverty-stricken families and the majority are orphans due to political violence, crime and AIDS. The students meet after school as well as on weekends to tutor each other, study, participate in sports and musical activities, using music as a mechanism for healing. “I feel very happy to come back to South Africa and help Mama Jackey and the Ithuteng Trust,” said Dikembe Mutombo. “These dormitories were in need for a very long time, and I am happy that the NBA has helped us to build an environment that will be a safe haven for children for years to come.” Basketball without Borders highlights the league's strong and lasting commitment to creating programs that improve the quality of life for all people and has created and implemented programs that address important social issues, with a special emphasis on reading and on-line literacy initiatives for children. Each year the league, its players and its teams donate millions of dollars and thousands of hours to charities and community outreach programs. The camp, which will take place in Johannesburg, South Africa, September 6-10, at the American International School of Johannesburg, is co-organized by the NBA, FIBA and BSA and sponsored by Molten, Reebok, South African Airways, Spalding and Sprite, among others. In addition to basketball instruction and competition, the young players, 16-18 years of age, taking part at the camp will share living quarters with their new teammates and participate in daily seminars featuring Lanier that promote leadership and healthy living, HIV/AIDS and drug abuse education and prevention. “The NBA is committed to use the sport of basketball as an international language to promote global friendship and sportsmanship,” said NBA Commissioner David Stern. “Through Basketball without Borders, we bring together young people from all walks of life to create important dialogue and to teach them about important social issues such as HIV/AIDS education and prevention.” The U.S. Embassy in Pretoria and the U.S. Consulate in Johannesburg will again partner with the NBA in activities scheduled during this year's Basketball without Borders camp, including activities focused on HIV/AIDS education and prevention and other community outreach. “We are very pleased to assist Commissioner Stern and the NBA with the Camp," says U.S. Ambassador to South Africa Dr. Jendayi Frazer. "Basketball is a special sport. It has been a positive influence in the lives of millions and millions of young men and women. If we can help share the sport with South Africans, we're more than happy to do that.” The American International School of Johannesburg, last year’s location for the Africa 100 Camp, will again host Basketball without Borders Africa. Co-organized by the NBA, FIBA, and BSA, the camp is sponsored by Molten, Reebok, South African Airways, Spalding and Sprite, among others. Joining Mutombo at the camp will be Minnesota Timberwolves center Michael Olowokandi (Nigeria), Cleveland Cavaliers teammates Ruben Boumtje Boumtje (Cameroon) and DeSagana Diop (Senegal), Dallas Mavericks center Shawn Bradley, San Antonio Spurs forward Malik Rose, Portland Trail Blazers forward Zach Randolph, New York Knicks forward Kurt Thomas, Toronto Raptors center-guard Chris Bosh and Toronto Raptors forward-guard Michael Curry, who is also President of the National Basketball Players Association. In addition, NBA coaching and team personnel from 10 different NBA teams including Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars, Toronto Raptors assistant coach Alex English and Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Donnie Nelson will coach at the camp. The camp’s directors Dallas Mavericks Director of Scouting Amadou Fall, a native of Senegal, and Sam Vincent, head coach of the South African national team, also headed last year’s Africa 100 Camp. Since its founding in 1946, the NBA has truly become a global phenomenon that transcends national boundaries. With 29 teams in the United States and Canada, NBA games and related programming are broadcast to 212 countries in 42 languages; they are one of the largest suppliers of sports television and Internet programming in the world. The NBA is a recognized leader in global sports marketing with 13 offices around the world. At the end of the 2003-04 NBA regular season, the League featured 67 international players from 33 countries and territories on team rosters, resulting in global media coverage and increasing fan interest worldwide. The NBA works with its strong roster of global marketing partners to create integrated marketing platforms for many of the world’s most recognizable brands. For more information on the NBA, visit www.NBA.com. http://www.fiba.com/pages/en/news/latest_news_article.asp?cookietest=done&r_act_news=3727&r_cat=8&page=1 FIBA - International Stars join fight against AIDS JOHANNESBURG (NBA) – Chicago Bulls icon Dikembe Mutombo spoke on Wednesday for the first time of his passion to help African children overcome their fight against HIV/AIDS in the coming years. Mutombo, who just got transfered to the Houston Rockets to join Chinese NBA star Yao Ming next season, spoke of his personal family fight to overcome the pandemic, as he and his fellow NBA players joined several South African celebrities and were publicly tested for the virus while preaching the message of safe sex. The Congolese player, a firm crowd favourite with the 1,000-strong youth brigade that turned up in the Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown in Johannesburg’s central district, said his family’s brush with the disease had made him determined to do something. “Each one of us knows someone who has died of HIV/AIDS and I recently left Kinshasa having found out that two of my cousins are infected with the disease,” he revealed. “We all share the responsibility to stop this and help those living with the virus. I have made it a point, and spoke at last year’s Aids conference, and want to use the inspiration I have to inspire Africans to improve their living conditions. “They can protect their health and use their sport to accomplish their dreams in life. Whatever you want to do can come true.” The giant player, who was mobbed by children after his speech and posed for several photographs with admirers without flinching, said it was important to know his status and to show others that there was no shame in getting tested for the virus. “I have decided to get myself tested in public today and people need to know how the virus is killing our youth. “It kills 16,500 people per day across the world and there are 30 million infected people worldwide. “The United Nations predict that up to 15 per cent of our youth under the age of 15 will be affected in the next 20 years and we need to do something to stop that. That’s why I have taken the decision to get involved.” Also present at the Open testing were Cricket World Cup director Dr Ali Bacher and four foot six former World boxing champion ‘Baby Jake’ Matlala, who entertained the crowd by sparring with seven foot seven Dallas Mavericks player Shawn Bradley.
There are worse places to go, better to find a team on the rise than one on the downturn (not saying the Rockets are one of those teams, obviously). In an ideal world, Piatkowski should be open plenty with the Baby Bulls forcing teams to collapse their defenses inside. Anyway...as Rockets fans can you offer any insight on whether Wilks or Griffin will be of any use? From what I'm reading Paxson is liking Wilks enough to say he may challenge for the backup PG spot with Frank Williams, Pargo, and Duhon. I thought he was just NBDL fodder. oh, and visit my blog if you want to keep abreast of the former Rockets' exploits. (bulls.blogspot.com) [/shamlessplug]
Both good guys, but AG is supposed to be cut and Wilks is an ok 3rd stringer. If either makes your season better then your season was doomed (is doomed anyway?).
While they could improve after this solid draft, the only way they actually improve significantly will be if Curry or Chandler make the leap towards what they can be. (pretty much the same story as last year) What is Wilks' skill-set? Good defender, shooter, anything?
Wilks is quick and knows who is supposed to get the ball. He has no outstanding skills, but no glaring weaknesses, either. If there's an injury at point guard, Wilks can slide in without making your team appreciably weaker.
