Merry Christmas, Houston!

Hey,

So tonight's game was the first full Rockets game I've seen this season and what an ugly joy it was. Moving from NYC to Portland, at least the local team is fun to watch, but no more Rockets games here than on the east coast. Oh well. I started a bball blog a few weeks ago and this was my first opportunity to write about the Rockets so I figured I'd cut n paste it below.

Best,

Mike.

***

Merry Christmas, Houston

That the Rockets won tonight is a testament to their…they sucked. Oh man, did they suck. When they missed their fourth or fifth free-throw attempt in a row, it seemed like the entire building new what was going to happen. Every player who went up there looked like they were taking the winning shot with their shoe-laces tied. Ridiculous. They ended up blank for blank and at one point they were like 1-14. And the missed layups, the passes off fingers tips, losing dribbles, argh, it was an ugly, ugly game.
It was beautiful too. TMac drives me nuts sometimes, but he’s also pretty fantastic. And Yao had it flowing tonight, until he didn’t. God what an ugly game, but I still love watching my Rocket boys go.

Notes:

• Hubie Brooks says that Luther Head is an outstanding defender. Does he know something I don’t? He seems fine, but gets pushed around really easily and stays so far away from Billups when Billups is not a lightning quick penetrator and can shoot quickly and accurately from anywhere. Was he scared Billups was going to take him off the dribble? If Head needs to be more scared of Billups penetrating than shooting, then I don’t want him guarding point guards, period.
• Chuck Hayes loses the ball with no one around him for the second time, awful hands, then he busts his butt, boxes out, blocks Maxiel from behind, runs back down the other side, moves without the ball, makes a nice backdoor cut and gets a little layup that’s goaltended.
• The ups and downs with Hayes. There’s nothing he does pretty well. In all other areas, he’s either terrific, maybe even one of the best in the league or he’s god-awful. He’s fantastic defender. Part of the reason he’s able to guard guys that are so much bigger is that he constantly applies pressure to them, always pushing them without making a show of it. This is why when big guys turn to shoot over him; they’re always off balance, always falling away to one side or the other. But he does it subtly, maintaining contact, not bumping them and drawing officials’ attention.
• Hayes is also a classic go-get-em rebounder. He just runs it down, pushes it out, gets his hand on the ball one way or the other. There isn’t much art to it. He doesn’t seem to do a great deal of boxing out, not to the level that Maxiel does. He just pops in at the right times to get his hands on the ball and then he seems to have good hands.
• Even Hayes’ passing. He’s not a pretty decent passer. He’s a very good passer and an awful passer. He makes excellent reads and one-hand dishes catching guys backdoor in-step from the top of the key and then will just throw the stupidest passes, poorly aimed, to no one for turnovers.
• Forget all the things Hayes can’t do (shoot, handle the ball, create shots) there’s only one thing keeping this guy from being an outstanding starter: finishing. If he could finish plays, dunk easily off passes, ally-oops, he’d be a top-notch 5th option—no allstar, but you wouldn’t have anyone question his starting spot or his height. As it is, he’s an offensive liability. He moves so well without the ball and finds ways to get open—also because they’re not sticking too closely to him—but he doesn’t finish well. It’s like he punishes TMac for having great court vision and being unselfish. And maybe TMac should be less unselfish, but that’s a bigger thing I won’t get into right now. I don’t have the stomach for a TMac soliloquy tonight.
• Billups doesn’t have more than average NBA quickness, but he wastes no motion and he plays with great control and handles the ball exceptionally, so he gets everything out of his quickness. That’s what makes him seem to move so quickly. Jason Kidd and Steve Nash do it too.
• I wonder if that’s Head’s problem, ball handling. I am trying to get a read on him and I’m still undecided after three years. He seems like he’s a good athlete, He dunks so easily on the break, gets high for rebounds, moves quickly without the ball, seems to move his feet quickly, but with the ball I feel like he’s a step behind and has to focus on dribbling when he’s under pressure so he misses opportunities to pass or create his own shot. I’ve seen him lose the ball off the dribble so many times when he looks to pass. As soon as his attention strays from dribbling, his handle falls apart I’d like to see footage of him in college so I can understand how he dominated there. All first round picks either dominated in college or were at least highly effective. What was his thing? Was he a gunner? Was that it or did he have more to his game? I guess I just wonder because normally first round picks…they make sense, they have a thing something they specialize in, a role they are comfortable playing. Sure, he shoots, but he’s not a scorer like many of the undersized shooting guards coming out of college. He doesn’t create his own shots like a Tony Delk or Lindsay Hunter Shawn Respert. He doesn’t work off the dribble, post up…I don’t know. I can’t figure the guy out.
• Maxiel just got through Yao and Scola for an offensive board, no boxing out. That pisses me off. The only thing that pisses me off more are those offensive sets where a guy (frequently Yao) will have the ball on the post and as he’s turning to shoot none of his teammates are within 15 feet from the rim and most are falling back into defense before the shot is released. That gets on my nerves, and it isn’t just the Rockets. I don’t know why teams do that. Crash the damn boards, at least one or two guys.
• I can’t say much for Alston at this point except that he doesn’t lose the ball like Head, doesn’t have lousy court vision like Mike James does, doesn’t dribble the ball forever and his own little world like Stevie does (used to, haven’t seen him so far this year). Other than that…well, I don’t like to join the crowd, but… The one thing is that there’s no alternative. Mike James and Stevie and Head just create more PG work for TMac when they’re on the floor and I really want a real PG on the floor with TMac. Sure TMac can play PG, but no one else can play TMac.
• I wonder if I never realized Stevie had lousy court vision because he was always actively looking for Mobley? He looked great with Mobley, easy ally-oops and backdoors, no-looks. But I mean, that was their game. It was always like the two of them were playing together and the rest of the team was just there chilling.
• Players switched off TMac on a pick and roll and I don’t mind TMac shooting long distance off the dribble on those. I just mind him shooting off the wing when he’s facing up. That’s the thing Hollinger gets on Carmelo Anthony for and TMac does it too. He faces up, bent over at the waist, classic triple-threat posture and then time, and time, and time again he just pulls up for the quick shot. I want driving to be his first and second option, even if picks up and shoots off the dribble during the drive, that’s fine, but I want him to force shots at the rim and rather than force shots 19 feet from the rim. Or even off a post. He always seems to shoot better off a post then in those stare-down jumpers. And coming off curls, around screens, cool, go for it. He’s one of the best mid-range shooters to ever play the game, but it’s just that the degree of difficulty on the shots he takes is absurd and unnecessary when he can get to the rim so freakin easily. And as long as he is, as well as he lays the ball up or throws it down, it’s not like he needs a clear lane. He just needs enough space to turn the corner and elevate with a line to the rim, slip his arm in to flip the ball up. He’s a star; he’ll draw contact and go to the line all day. Hmmm, more on that in a bit, maybe tomorrow when I get on his cousin too.
• Cincinnati Coach Bob Huggins was Maxiel’s coach and the guys say “If Bob Huggins compliments your toughness and intensity, woah” I feel like beefy Sean Penn would play Huggins in a movie. Although I think Huggins is more movie-of-the-week style. Yeah, Sean Penn like when he was in the Interpreter, when he had no character and so he bulked (and fattened) up till he looked more like Stallone in Get Carter to compensate. That’s his Bob Huggins look.
• Hubie Brooks mentioned the Houston offense and says it’s not the full Princeton that they played at Sacramento. They do not have the ath-a-letes or the passing abilities–who? Who doesn’t have the athleticism on the rockets to move effectively without the ball? I mean, Yao ain’t quick, but he’s as quick as Sacramento-era Divac. It’s Webber. Webber was the key that the Rockets don’t have. The Rockets have one guy in Yao who passes exceptionally out of the post when he’s not looking to score. He doesn’t do both at the same time very well. He passes better out of the double teams, but he tends to telegraph his passes when he’s not being careful. But Yao plays Divac’s role. There is no Webber on the Rockets. Miller’s not the key. Hayes is much faster and a better athlete than Brad Miller. So are Scola and Battier, when they play the power-forward. Battier is as good an athlete or better than Peja at the three. Scola, I think, might be a good enough passer and have good enough court vision and athleticism to play that high post in the Sacramento version of the Princeton offense, the Webber role, but to do that he has to get good enough to be a full time starter in the NBA, and he’s not there yet. He’s definitely got that potential, but he’s not there yet. Still isn’t fully commanding on the floor. Fouls too quickly. The game is moving a little more quickly than he is. He just needs more time to acclimate to the NBA game. Who doesn’t have the passing ability to find cutters? That’s easy. And it’s true. I remember reading a scouting report about the Kings under Adelman one year and it said that they were all such terrific passers that Bibby was the worst passer among the starters, their pointguard and that he was definitely no slouch either. Alston is a good enough passer, but he’s not great. TMac is a phenomenal passer. Yao is a good enough passer. Battier isn’t a great passer, but he’s good enough. Scola is good enough. Hayes is good enough to be the weak link. But most of the reserves? Stevie ain’t no passer; nor is Head or James.
• I love Bonzi Wells. I love his game. I didn’t realize he was such an aggressive off the floor guy. I thought he was lots of jazz on the low post, but the guy is a throw-it-down as first option kind of guy and I dig that. He can’t shoot much, but whatever. I’m a big fan. I remember when they paid Mo Taylor 8 or 9 million to do what Bonzi is doing, providing instant offense outside of a set. He can just take the ball and do his thing and put it in the basket and play off the ball and score off rebounds and garbage stuff. He’s no allstar, but he’s a hell of a 6 man if he can be consistent.
• TMac going to the rim at the end of the half, after getting pushed and shoved by Rip Hamilton, dammit, that’s what I want to see from TMac all the damn time. Push through these b*tches and sledgehammer the ball through the hoop. TMac should take 10 or 12 free-throws a game.
• I love basketball game commercials, either about cars, fast food, or erections. “When my doctor told me my high blood pressure may have led to my erectile dysfunction, I was surprised” I said, Doc, have you met my wife?
• Every time Alston hits a three pointer I think “oh, today’s a lucky day” It’s like sometimes he remembers to arch the ball (that’s when he’s that 38%–40% three point shooter) and then sometimes he forgets and flings the ball at the rim, uselessly. This is when I want to throttle him.
• OK, so if we don’t get Rick Adelman’s fancy schmancy offense…why did they let one of the top two or three defensive coaches of all time go? Every few possessions I think to myself “this offense is nothing that JVG couldn’t run. Hmmm, this defense isn’t half as good as what JVG could run.” I miss him on the sidelines. I really do. I remember the day he was hired and I called NiceNEasy who’s as big a JVG fan as I am. He was jealous.
• Yeah, I agree with Bill Simmons, the NBA is so p*ssified it drives me crazy. Bonzi takes it in to Rasheed Wallace, Wallace gets ball and plenty of body, trying to block the shot. He talks a little smack and Bonzi goes up and gives him a little chest bump and talks a little smack back. They get double technicals. ******* Ron Artest. This is what happens when players jump into the stands and go after fans. Every little ******* comment gets a tech. Bonzi and Wallace were totally peaceful. It was good natured (apparently they’re good friends) just getting up in each other’s faces. That’s basketball! That’s competition! That’s belly-fire! In football they call it…football!
• I love how Hubie Brooks even speaks in the second person when he’s speaking in the first person. He was asked, have you ever coached a team short of 6th grade that shot this badly from free-throw line in a game? Hubie says “no you haven’t.” I love him. He’s amazing. He makes NBA basketball so much better. Oh, and I love how Hubie gets on Adelman again and again for taking Yao out of the post. I mean, yeah, no *****. You have an incredibly efficient low post scorer who shoots almost 90% from the FT line and a foul-plagued front-line on the opposition and…he’s running a pick and pop? Are you kidding me?
• I can’t believe that Yao takes only 15 shots a game. I want Yao to take 20 shots a game and TMac to take as many as he wants. I don’t worry about TMac taking shots. I’m cool with him taking 15, 20, 30. He’ll score and take his shots. One thing I can say about TMac that I can’t say about almost any other player. I never feel like he shouldn’t have taken a shot. That shot? Sure, I question his shot selection, but I never feel like he shoots too much, ever. I never think oh, I wish he had passed the ball that time, moved it around, looked for an open man. Every time he shoots the ball, it’s the right call. I just wish more of them were layups and dunks. Yao though, Yao will go through a game and only shoot 12-15 times. Drives me up the wall. That’s coaching. You have to force it down his throat. You have to take Head out of the game the moment he’s supposed to pass it to Yao in the post and he gives up. Give him the ball two or three times in a single sequence. They did it with Hakeem all the time. He’s get the ball in the post, “Nah” he’d toss it back, back a little, establish better position and they’d immediately go back in to him.” Of course, this reminds me of one of my favorite stories of all time. I think...yeah, it was from Jayson Williams' classic Loose Balls. Who was the player? They were having a shoot around and Hakeem shot the ball, swished it and they passed it back and he shot, swished and got it back, and he shot, swished and this rookie decides to take the ball, so Hakeem goes over and open-hand slaps him down and says “Give the Dream his change.” I love that. Man, I wish Yao had a little of that in him. That’s the kind of guy I wouldn’t want to hang out with, but yeah, I like that in my post player.
• Head goes for every single fake. That sure doesn’t help his quickness. Yeah, in the same way that Billups and Kidd and Nash maximize their quickness through body control and lack of wasted motion, Head is all wasted motion and jitteriness. The guy should be much quicker than he effectively is.

That’s all for tonight.

 

Oh that's funny—not being an ******* at all. The joke is that it's late and I'm tired and need sleep. Hubie Brooks is the Mets player who was a fan favorite in the '80s and sucked and then brought back as a 34 year old savior '91 and he sucked even worse. I'll have to go change that on the blog.

Thanks for the heads up.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/b/brookhu01.shtml

 

Thank you. I'm just happy that Hubie Brown can make me smile and laugh at even the worst basketball game. And I think he should do every other guy on helium. That would make things really interesting.

 

It's probably the greatest book ever written.