In case the newest billboards adorning local Houston freeways failed to communicate the point effectively, let me make it infinitely clear: the Rockets and their fans are absolutely ecstatic to have acquired James Harden. And you know what? They should be.
Ever since the tragic fall of Yao Ming, Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey has been stockpiling draft picks and young players in hopes to entice a trade partner more obsessively than bayou dwellers hoard bottled water and canned goods during hurricane season. It's a process that takes time and after whiffing on names like Chris Bosh, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard most of the Rockets faithful began to question if Morey was valuing his collection of "assets" more than the rest of the NBA. Fortunately "Dork Elvis" stayed the course and was finally able to execute the blockbuster trade he had been promising for the better part of three years.
Harden gives the Rockets a centerpiece - something they haven't had since Yao Ming and Tracy Mcgrady hobbled out of town. He will join Jeremy Lin to form one of the most promising and identifiable backourts in the league. The "beard-sanity" combo looks to have the makings of something special as both Lin and Harden are exceptional pick-and-roll players. Harden's ability to create offense off the dribble will prove invaluable in clutch situations - an area where the Rockets have struggled in recent years.
Many criticize the Rockets by saying they over payed for a player who is better suited in a sixth-man role. Harden's average of 24.2 points per game, which is currently the fourth highest in the NBA, proves that the beard has more to his game than that sixth-man spot he perfected in Oklahoma City.
Even more exciting is the fact that despite the contracts the Rockets inked Lin, Asik and Harden to this offseason they can still very easily maneuver far enough under the cap to make another max offer to a free agent as soon as next year. Consider the three promising rookie bigs on the roster this year and Daryl Morey may have proved the old myth that you can't rebuild without a season of tanking to be complete bologna.
I walked into the gym Wednesday night knowing two things: I am out of shape, and my Memphis Grizzlies were on a 5-game winning streak heading into Oklahoma City.
I got on the elliptical machine toward the end of the first quarter. Memphis was down 10 as I get to work.
And right on cue, the Grizz start working as well.
The great surprises of the season, Memphis' bench players, started hitting outside jumpshots led by Quincy Pondexter and Wayne Ellington who scored back-to-back-to-back-to-back buckets to get Memphis back into it.
(Speaking of the Memphis bench, fomer Grizzly draft-dud Hasheem Thabeet is now on the Thunder . He rumbled around the court, lanky arms flapping around as the quick Grizzly guards zipped by him. Oh well.)
Memphis began to work the ball to the high post and let Gasol survey the court and act as a giant post which the guards run around to create space. After a few inside buckets from Gasol and a couple more threes from Q, the Grizzlies had the lead.
I had just broken a sweat.
As the Grizzlies and Thunder continued to attack each other, I stepped down for my first break of the evening. But Pondexter had no intentions of quitting, hitting two more buckets before a Thunder timeout.
The bench for the Grizzlies has worked wonders this season. Ellington, Pondexter and Jared Bayless all have made more than 10 three-pointers this season, more than anyone on Memphis.
Last year, the Memphis offense resembled my attempts to work out-- hardly consistent, difficult to look at and everyone was left sore and disappointed (maybe that one was just me). Last year, the Grizzlies scored 95 points per game and shot 32 percent from beyond the arc. They are up to 102 points per game and are shooting almost 40% from three-point land, both of which are fifth best in the NBA.
What I am used to seeing from Memphis is stingy defense. My favorite play-- and this seems to happen at least three times a game-- is when a player will drive to the hoop and every Grizzly he goes by will hack at the ball, inevitably popping it out as it rolls on the ground until someone dives on it, usually resulting in mayhem. This is a time when the play worked:
The half winded down, Memphis had the lead and I was sweating as hard as Zach Randolph. I was excited by the offensive flurry so far, but I think half the people in the gym were giving me odd looks when I would grunt and pump my fist after every Memphis basket.
The second half began, I resumed running and Tony Allen unleashed his inner crazy: screaming, leaping uncontrollably, diving at every loose ball and picking up two quick fouls in the process. I love Tony Allen.
On offense, Mike Conley was attacking the basket (another new feature of Memphis Basketball 2K13) and Zach Randolph was making Z-Bo shots.
A Z-Bo Shot
As I started to note all the good things that were happening, for a split second I forgot about a certain Durantula lurking on the Thunder's team. He started taking over on offense. The crowd in OKC started to heat up. I ran faster.
After a timeout, the Memphis defense stepped up, a few more steals catalyzed by the Everyone-Grab-at-the-Ball-and-Kick-It-Around-Until-We-Get-It strategy and I was feeling comfortable with the late third quarter lead.
At this point, I had been in the gym much longer than I had anticipated, so I went to shoot a few baskets to cool down.
When I got back to the game, I had missed the excitement of Z-Bo and Kendrick Perkins getting ejected for calling each other fat and tacky.
Nevertheless, the win streak extended to 6 as the Griz head back to Memphis tonight to take on the undefeated Knicks and my favorite non-Grizzly, Carmelo Anthony.
Please allow the next overreaction (in all caps of course): NO ONE CAN STOP ZBO AND MARKY-MARK! MEMPHIS CAN MAKE THREES NOW! LAKERS SUCK! DURANT IS TOO SKINNY TO PUT THE TEAM ON HIS BACK! WHAT ARE MEMPHIS HOTEL PRICES LOOKING LIKE IN JUNE?? I CANNOT WAIT UNTIL THE HOBBIT COMES OUT IN THEATERS! IT LOOKS SO GOOD AND I AM GLAD TO SEE THEY STUCK WITH PETER JACKSON AS THE DIRECTOR!
But seriously
While I'm not sure I will get my lazy self back to the gym again, let's hope Memphis does not get as complacent as me, and they continue their impressive bench play, offensive spacing and defensive aggressiveness.
