Tag: Basketball

Tribute to Kobe Bryant

13 April 2016

Kobe Bryant is not our favorite athlete, has never been and never will be.

With him holding the ball for most possessions, the 6302 assists comes as a by-product of his selfishness. He is a control freak. He can’t let go and trust his teammates.  He drives teammates away with his single-mindedness.

These are the reasons why we could not like Kobe Bryant as a basketball player like we do Stephen Curry (who found a better balance between the selflessness of Steve Nash and selfishness of Kobe), but they are also why we admire Kobe Bryant as a human being.

He has every reason to be selfish, to only trust himself at the most crucial moments. Who else has worked on that fade-away hundreds of thousands of times? Who else has practiced that precise footwork every night? Who else is consumed by basketball and the desire to win as much as he is?

It’s not about the five championships that he won, or the number of times he’s been on the all-defensive team, or the Finals MVPs. It’s about his drive to win, his growth through the years, and his desire to be better. Kobe taught us there is no need to be ashamed of the hunger to improve.

While we could never like a basketball player that played so selfishly on the court that does not mean we could not admire the person that Kobe is. ‪#‎ThankYouKobe

Could This Rocket Team Win a Championship?

This Rocket team closing (1) the 2015-2016 season and the one finishing 2014-2015 isn’t that different. There’s Patrick Beverly and Jason Terry at point. The controversial (2) James Harden at the 2 (but really point). Trevor Ariza and the greyhound, Corey Brewer, (being a game-changer one game then bricking away the next five) at the 3 (3). Donatas Motiejunas (Donuts!)/Terrence Jones/Josh Smith/Michael Beasley at the 4. Dwight Howard and Clint Capella at the 5.  Only difference would be at the 4, where the T Jones and J Smoove duo is replaced by the even funkier Donuts/ Beasley duo.  Also, for today’s win over the Thunder, KJ McDaniels got some burn as well (4).

So we can say that the team in 2015 over-performed and this one in 2016 is underachieving (5).  If we can somehow replay the last two years multiple times, would the Rockets win the chip in any of these parallel universes? In other words, is this roster closer to being a championship contender or a dreaded perennial 9th place finisher (that the Rockets were before the Harden trade)?

I would say they are not even “a piece away” from contending.  They are good when fully engaged (6), but only second-round in the playoffs good. The Ty Lawson experiment obviously failed, but that’s not what I am talking about here. A team with James Harden as the alpha needs stability and the right type of characters.  I have more respect than most for guys like Dwight, J Smoove, Beasley, and Lawson, but even I wouldn’t accuse them of being high character, grounded athletes.  Harden is ‘special’ and special people are needed to build around him. Not JaVale McGee ‘special’, but Andre Igoudala, Shane Battier special (7).

Time to blow it up, Rockets.

 

—The Loose Ball—

Up next: More rant on the importance of character

 

 

  1. To be more colorful: Limping, crawling, squirming, writhing…
  2. I guess he is no longer controversial to most. Lazy on defense, ball hog on offense, burns the entire shot clock then then toss the ball to whichever unfortunate teammate. But to me Harden is still captivating. Why? Maybe later.
  3. C’mon Daryl Morey, get an actual NBA wing to backup Harden and Ariza please.
  4. Again… Morey, get a real wing please!
    1. Footnote for footnote: A real wing- defined as an athletic human being between 6’5” and 6’10” that can shoot the NBA 3 (and make them… sometimes… unlike Brewer or McDaniels), that understands the game.
      1. Footnote for footnote for footnote: Understanding the game- defined as being able to pump fake when a defender is closing out, make the one-dribble pull-up or straight line drive with either hand, and kick to the next wide-open shooter. Simple…
  5. For various combination of reasons. 2015: Caught teams off-guard, better chemistry/flow/excitement. 2016: Freshness wearing off, distractions, Dwightmare part 3 or is it 4.
  6. which, with their set of characters, can’t be done for a full season
  7. Sorry Daryl, your days of cutting corners were over three years ago. It’s no longer about getting the most value for your assets, it’s about building around Harden. You’re stuck with him, might as well make the most out of it.