Category — Basketball

In the words of Boyz II Men: “It’s so hard to say goodbye.”

It has taken me a couple of days to fully be able to accept the fact that Yao Ming’s career is over. I’ve always been one of his staunchest supporters, I would defend him, I would stand by his side when naysayers would attack him for being too weak, too skinny, too soft or ineffective. Now Yao’s basketball playing days are over and many people will consider him a bust. But is it fair to say he was a bust? The man was a good player and a good person. A great ambassador for the sport and the NBA. He pretty much single-handedly opened up the market for the NBA in China. Almost all the Houston Rockets have shoe deals in China. But the truth of the matter is that Yao wasn’t the game-changing-life-altering-7’6”monster that we believed he would be. Yao wasn’t a basketball god, he was a mortal. A international player that didn’t bang in the post so he was labeled soft. A quiet soft-spoken gentle giant so he was labeled weak. A player who never lead his team to the finals so he was labeled ineffective.

Is it fair to view Yao’s career by the things that he didn’t do? Or should we look at the things that he did achieve. The same can be said about Yao’s playing style. Everyone was so quick to look at the things that Yao couldn’t do that they rarely looked at the things that Yao could do.

Yao didn’t grow up in the ego-driven basketball society of the NBA. He was taught team basketball. A type of basketball that prized playing as a team over playing as a stats-driven star. Yao also didn’t take much time off from playing basketball. When his NBA season ended, he would play for the Chinese national team. Why? Because Yao didn’t forget where he was from. He felt like he owed his country. (In the NBA some players pass on playing for the US team in favor of recovering from a grueling season.) Of course Yao was injury prone. He was a 7’6” monster that never stopped playing basketball for 8 years (not including his pre-NBA career). His feet became injury prone because of how much he played the game and a person’s body can only take so much abuse. It was a matter of time before Yao’s body began to break down from all the ball he played. And he wasn’t in the media complaining about it.

Jeff Van Gundy proclaimed that he believes Yao should be a Hall of Famer. Why? Because of all the things that Yao did. Not because of the things he didn’t do. So when I remember Yao’s career I’m not going to focus on the the bad. I’m not going to look at Yao’s career average of 19 points and 9 rebounds and think, “He was just one point and one rebound away from being a 20-10 guy.” I’m going to remember that Yao put up those numbers through hard work and sweat, through being under the microscope he entire career, through constantly being taunted and criticized and through playing a for his national team in his time off. Why? Because Yao had priorities. He’d put others above himself. He’d carry the weight of his teams and take the heat and work hard to be a better player.

So, even though it’s hard to say goodbye to Yao Ming when his career didn’t end up the way we wanted I’m happy he’s thinking of himself for once. And when I look back at Yao’s career I’m going to look at all the things he did do, not the things he didn’t.

I’m a Houston sports fan.

Really that’s the answer in and of itself. I grew up wearing a #1 Warren Moon jersey. I went to the Astrodome at ever chance I got. I would ordered Sports Illustrated in the Fourth Grade so I could get the “Clutch City” documentary that tracked the Rockets championship season. (I also got “Clutch City 2″.) I’m embarrassed to admit it…but I even owned a Tony Bosselli jersey. Part of being a true Houston sports fan is despising Dallas.

Dallas is basically this annoying younger brother of Houston that get’s all the love and adoration of the nation. There is an ESPN Dallas, The Cowboys were America’s Team, Nolan Ryan distances himself from being an Astro and works with the Rangers, most people assume Dallas is the biggest city in Texas because of the old TV show “Dallas.” H-Town is perpetually in the sports shadow of Big D and it makes us sick. Yeah we’re bitter! Houston is the biggest metropolis in the state, the fourth biggest city in the nation and we’re cast in the shadow. It stings. It’s as if we’re Jan to Dallas’ Marsha. (If Jan actually could compete with Marsha.)

Watching the finals this year was rough on a Houston fan. Who to cheer for? The rivals you’ve hated all your life? Or the team made by LeBron James in it’s first season?

The South Beach Heat are the target of every traditional basketball fan. It’s the result of how powerful players are in the NBA. They are basketball’s villians. LeBron James makes himself tough to cheer for, I couldn’t root for the Heat. On the other hand, how could I cheer for Jason Terry or Dirk Nowitski? I’ve despised these guys for years. If I cheered for the Dallas Mavericks I’d have to relinquish my ketchup and mustard Hakeem Olajawon jersey.

I watched this series hating booth teams wondering how I would feel when one of them would eventually be crowned champs. As the series went on I was able to watch Dirk Nowitski’s offensive prowess without being on the receiving end of the attack. I was able to watch LeBron continually become the invisible man in the fourth quarter. I was also able to laugh at Dirk’s ability to play defense and be saddened by what’s left of Juwan Howard. And now the Mavericks are champs. My annoying neighbors to the north will have the spotlight on them again and I’ll hear about it incessantly.

This is what I have learned from this year’s finals:

• LeBron can’t win alone. But the Heat will be back. Stronger and hungrier.
• JJ Barea just reminded me of Aaron Brooks.
• I have a newfound respect for Dirk. I still hate him and probably always will.
• Dirk is not a top ten of all-time player because of atrocious defense. He’s a skilled offensive weapon. A big guy that shoots above his head with a nearly unblockable shot.
• Spolestra is a decent coach but will only last until LeBron speaks out against him, next season?
• I’ll never like Jason Terry.
• Dwayne Wade deserves more of LeBron.
• Brian Cardinal might be my favorite Mav. That dude didn’t let anyone have an easy shot. You need a guy like that, ready to foul, old school yo.
• Dallas may have a championship but unless they win again next year and have back-to-back, I don’t want to hear it.

When your team isn’t having a great season it’s a known fact that someone is going to be traded at the trade deadline. It’s just a fact of life. And as with life sometimes it can be a bit painful. The last couple of days I’ve been telling my girlfriend, “Hey, I think we’re trading Shane Battier.” She would shake her head and say, “No way! Why would we do that.” I felt the same way but the reality of the situation is that Shane’s days as a Rocket were numbered. Our swingmen core consists of Kevin Martin, Chase Budinger, Courtney Lee and Terrence Williams. Young, fast and deep. Shane is getting older and the Rockets want to find some playing time for their younger and in a way more exciting players.

But this is Shane Battier! The ultimate team player. A man who inspired an amazing Wall Street Journal article about the underrated powers he possesses. He makes teams better, he’s unselfish, he rises to the occasion and does what it takes to win (even if that means doing the little things casual fans and highlight reels will not notice). But then there are the facts of life in basketball: Shane is getting older (critics say he’s a step slower and his production is on the decline), he is in his final years of his contract with the Rockets and would most likely not be signed back next year and he is a valued commodity. People still want Shane Battier on their team. You have to sell while you can.

I didn’t want to see Shane Battier go. I wish he’d be a Rocket forever, retire a Rocket and run for Mayor of Houston and hold karaoke competitions until he’s an old man. But that’s not how life works. Rockets GM Daryl Morey has critics watching his trade deadline move to see how he improves the team and Shane Battier is a logical choice to move out.

And then there’s Aaron Brooks. The speedy little point guard who was handed the keys to the Rockets when we wisely traded Skip-to-my-Lou and won over Rockets fans with his quickness and underdog-type mentality. He even won Most Improved Player last year. However, this year he got injured early and hasn’t bounced back. He lost his job to Kyle Lowry who plays the point guard position better but not with the same pizazz. Brooks has been struggling to get back in his groove and now he’s been traded to Phoenix. I’ve always liked Brooks, even if he wasn’t a pure point guard. But this is good for him. He needs a change of scenery and a fresh start.

It’s never fun to see players you actually like go. It’s not fun to think that Yao’s feet will never be the same. But he’s been putting 310 lbs. on them for years now and he’s wearing down (and his contract is up at the end of the season). You want to keep the good, fun, entertaining players but that’s not how it works because at the end of the day the Houston Rockets is a business. But we’ll always have the memories. Battier’s bloody eye in the ’08 series against the Lakers. Aaron Brooks wearing a ridiculous red suit and bow tie to a press conference. The 22 game winning streak.  Countless moments of, “How fast is Aaron Brooks. He’s untouchable!” and Shane Battier singing My Way. Well guys, if I had my way, you’d still be Rockets and we’d be having that winning season that proves you don’t need a superstar, just great teamwork. But that’s not how it works, it’s just a sad fact. I wish you all the best, we’ll always have the 22 game winning streak.

Jerry Sloan was always the enemy for me. I grew up a Rockets fan and most Rockets fans can remember the post-season clashes between the Rockets and the Jazz. I always hated the Jazz. They were a tough team. They played tough, they fouled tough and beat them was tough. I remember in 2003 being excited that the Jazz were losing the Malone-Stockton combo. Finally, the Jazz would suck and I wouldn’t have to worry about seeing them in the post season. But the Jazz have always been more than just Malone-Stockton. They were Jerry Sloan’s team.

Jerry Sloan was a great coach. Jerry Sloan was the Utah Jazz. The team took on his personality and without him in the lead I’m afraid they will now lack personality. It might not be a night and day difference but by this time next year we will be able to tell this is not the Utah Jazz we once knew. In The Book of Basketball, Bill Simmons repeatedly argues that coaches don’t matter much in basketball. He says only a handful of coaches matter. Jerry Sloan mattered, he was the longest tenured coach off the four major sports in the US and he’s the second on the list in career wins. As a young basketball fan I grew up hating him and his Utah Jazz. The fact that I knew who a coach was at a young age proves his worth as the leader of the Jazz. And now he’s gone. Possibly because Deron Williams didn’t get along with him.

It’s unfortunate that superstars are slowly gaining this much clout. Or maybe they had it all along (a la Magic Johnson in ’81). But it seems that the Jazz were scared off being LeBron-ed. You know banking on a player to stick with your team, trusting him and then feeling betrayed when he chooses money and titles. Which admittedly isn’t that bad it just means your star player doesn’t think your team has what it takes to win, so it’s insulting to the team  and fan base. The Jazz didn’t want to get LeBron-ed by DWill so they probably helped Jerry Sloan consider retirement.

It’s a bittersweet day. I’ve always rooted against the Jazz and against Jerry Sloan. But today I feel like I’m losing a villain. There might not ever be another Jerry Sloan. Coaches last maybe three years and rarely get the respect of their players. Jerry Sloan lasted 23, seemed to always be in control of his team and star players and in my mind WAS the Utah Jazz. I always rooted against him. It’s like Lex Luthor or the Joker retiring. An iconic enemy saying goodbye and you’re glad he’s gone but you know in your hard of hearts you hate to see him go because villains like that are one in a million.

I’ve been thinking a lot about basketball lately. (Mainly because I’ve been reading the amazing Book of Basketball by Bill Simmons. And partly because of my recent move to Los Angeles.) My girlfriend and I decided that we needed to see a Rocket’s game this season. No, it wasn’t me persuading her to let me go to a game…she’s  a Rocket’s fan and enjoys basketball games. I’ve got a great girlfriend, what can I say. We both disagreed on which game to go see. She wanted to see tonight’s game. The Lakers game. I was against giving my money to the Lakers and I wanted to see the dunking monster that is Blake Griffin. Obviously I won because we’re not at the game tonight. All this basketball talk and basketball reading got me excited and I started looking up all the Rockets rosters from ’93 to present. (I got a little depressed in the late nineties rosters.) And then I saw the glimmer of hope with the McGrady trade.

So I started thinking of T-Mac, who is now the starting point guard for the Pistons. I remembered that horrible bashing I gave him last season and the angry mob that would have torn him apart in 2009. I remember seeing him in like August of 2009 after bashing him so much and feeling bad. I was at work and I saw T Mac. He looked out of shape and humbled. He was sort of slouching, like he was trying to make himself smaller or hoping no one would notice him. I felt bad for demanding for him to shut up and leave Houston. I felt bad for all the crap I talked about him. I saw him for the first time as a person and not a basketball player. I’ve been lucky enough to run into T Mac a couple of times but this time was different. This time he was different–not just because he seemed out of shape. I wanted to run up to him and say, “Look man, I know you don’t know me but I’m sorry you’re going through crap.”

Now, I’m not excusing the man. What he did to the Rockets was wrong. He announced he was having surgery without consulting the team. He knew he was in pain, he knew his contract was expiring, and he knew that there were trade rumors. He knew that if he had surgery nobody would trade for him and he’d rehab on the Rockets dime and hopefully come back in time to be on a contender in the last year of his contract. The only thing is he came back and was not the same T Mac as before surgery and he was not in his old T Mac shape. He looked like old T Mac. And then he complained about his minutes. He wasn’t up to snuff to play good minutes. His body probably wasn’t capable of starters minutes and he complained. He was a distraction and he was only thinking of himself.

All of Houston turned against him. Almost everybody hated him. His antics made us all forget all of the great things that he had done in a Rockets jersey. 13 points in 33 seconds. 30-7-7 average in his first playoff series as a Rocket. Being part of the 22 game winning streak. Just to name a few.

It’s tough to see profession athletes as people sometimes. He constantly was attacked for never advancing past the first round of the playoffs. He put the Rockets on his shoulders and tried to win games, advance in the playoffs and it just never happened. He heard trade rumors and made some horrible decisions and then turned into one of the most hated men in Houston. We were always hard on T Mac. We expected a lot out of him and when I saw him in 2009 I didn’t see a jerk. I saw a man that looked beaten down.