Saturday Dream Links: Pre-Christmas Hullabaloo
by Only_A_Lad on Dec 24, 2011 7:29 PM CST
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PrintI spent Wednesday night at the AT&T Center. For those of you not "in the know," watching sports live in "enemy territory" is probably the best experience ever. I loved doing it when I was in New Orleans, and I loved it when visiting San Antonio, as well. And while I usually ended up (bizarrely, because it was unintentional) in the middle of contingents of Rockets fans while in NOLA, that has never been the case in SA. But being by your lonesome (or, at least, only with your crew) is a lot better.
I think there's a weird sort of commonality between the visiting team's fans and the home team's hardcore fans. That's not always the case (I never really felt all that much in common with the drunken, abusive and obnoxious Cubs fans who filled up MMP before their team sucked as much as the Astros; maybe it's a success thing), but I think it's true more often than not. Anyone who has decided to turn up and see the visiting team must have a more-than-passing interest in the sport -- they didn't just get the tickets from work in the charity raffle, probably -- which means they're probably a better conversation than any of the more casual fans in the house.
So for the three hours of Wednesday's game, I was going at it verbally with the loudest Spurs fan in my section. I'd chant "MVP" for Scola at the line, he'd laugh and mock. I'd laugh at Manu's flopping skills, he'd start his own MVP chant. I never have that kind of thing happen at home games. Not if I'm sitting in the lower bowl, anyways. The fan interaction is one of the best parts of a live sporting event, and when you're "with" the visiting team, you've placed yourself right in the middle of that as visibly as possible.
Anyways, my favorite part of the night was when this happened:
I don't remember what I said when that happened -- I think it was probably just a guttural "Oooh" like everyone else in the building, but followed by cheers for "Squid" -- but I remember very clearly what the boisterous Spurs fan said: "Unnecessary!" That had me laughing for a while.
That joke might have had me chuckling for the rest of the night, but even the next day, while driving back to Houston, that dunk had me shaking my head and muttering "sick" to myself. It was easily the best dunk I've ever seen in person. Just shockingly amazing. It probably shouldn't, but that dunk (and his very smart play that night) made me believe a lot more in Williams.
More after the jump!
SBN's very own Mike Prada has released his NBA Watchability Scale for the shortened season, and the Rockets don't look so hot to him (we're a "Hipster Choice," which I'll take as a badge of pride):
21. Houston Rockets: The Rockets tend to appeal to the crowd that loves to talk about how efficient Kevin Martin is, how Kyle Lowry never gets the respect he deserves in a league of point guards and how Luis Scola always throws people off their games. Me? I'm one of those people. I love watching Kevin Martin, Kyle Lowry and Luis Scola play. But seeing as the Rockets have spent several years now in this stage of mediocrity trotting out those random productive NBA players that never catch mainstream acceptance, the hipster shine's bound to come off sooner or later. Once that happens, what do you really have here that catches the eye?
I would point to Terrence Williams. Holy shit what a dunk. Sick.
Seriously, though, I think the Rockets have a lot of young pieces who are absolutely worth watching. I think, in all seriousness, that they will be more watchable than the Lakers this year, who will only be watchable out of morbid curiosity. Of course, Prada only has Los Angeles ranked #19.
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Bill Simmons has done a full season preview. It's comprehensive, he makes a lot of good points, and I enjoyed listening to it. On the other hand, he always does these with one of his dumb friends rather than someone who knows their shit (best part: House continuously showing he doesn't know how to multiply and divide; he can't really figure out how to convert 82-game win totals to 66-game totals).
Simmons' prediction for the Rockets is a slightly-below .500 record and (naturally) no playoff berth. His most important points: the Rockets have "too many guys who expect to get minutes" (a point he's been making for years now) and that the schedule is very conference-heavy, so Houston won't be able to feast on the soft underbelly of the East like they usually can. Unlike Simmons, I don't think depth is every really a problem, but the second point is a crucial one. The Rockets' record against the West was below .500 last year.
However, Simmons keeps emphasizing the value of youth and depth with the other league's teams, and these are things the Rockets have in abundance.
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Terrence Williams reads ClutchFans.net, and he got a bit miffed when somebody said he sucked.
"I’ve been reading you guys’ blog, ClutchFans.net," says Williams. "I read it throughout the day."
Williams said he started doing it recently, then offered a very unique and candid perspective — one of a player reading fan comments about himself on the internet. He cited a specific example of criticism — a post on our site made early in Saturday’s preseason opener about how he "sucks" and to "get him out of here."
I knew exactly the thread on our forums he was referring to. A user had reacted prematurely to T-Will’s rough first half against the Spurs only to get clowned by the community for the rest of the game as Williams hit 7 of his last 9 shots in the second half.
"As you see as the game goes on, the posts start to change," said Williams. "My whole thing is it’s easy to critique a basketball player going to your 9-to-5 and sitting behind a desk when we know when we put our shoes on, we’re subject to get criticized from those that never played the game, or they played in a School of the Blind League or church league when they were younger."
I sympathize with Williams, but the guy probably needs to stay away from Twitter and the internet for a while. You know, until he retires.
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ESPN has a series of discussions on tomorrow's season openers. The Rockets won't start their season until the 26th, but I'll be spending much of Christmas watching the other games, which all promise to be good ones for different reasons.
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The New York Times has a great article on the American Basketball League, which introduced a variety of innovations to the game that the NBA eventually adopted:
"It was a ‘spite league,’ " said the Cleveland sports journalist Dan Coughlin, who recounted the early days of the league in his book "Pass the Nuts." Saperstein’s league was hastily thrown together, and teams relocated and disbanded before a season was completed. The league survived for only a season and a half. But give Saperstein credit; the A.B.L. pioneered the wider free-throw lane in the professional game and introduced the 3-point shot, both of which became permanent additions to the pro hoops game with the more successful American Basketball Association later in the 1960s.
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I didn't see this until last night, but Basketball Prospectus released its 2011-'12 edition a few days ago. It is well worth the $9.98: it includes projections and commentary on every team and player in the league, several articles on different NBA-related subjects (my personal favorite is one revisiting the relationship between pace and usage), and excellent explanations on the statistical methodology BPro uses. The link will take you to BPro's free preview, which includes the book's introduction, forward, and commentary on the Wizards and Wolves.
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That's pretty much all I've got right now. So here's something from a few weeks ago: EvilTed's (of Basketbawful fame) guide to LarryLand:
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Never been to a road game.
I will certainly have to at some point.
"I’m not dumb. I just have a command of thoroughly useless information." Bill Watterson~Calvin and Hobbes
by The Chuckwagon has rolled on on Dec 24, 2011 7:45 PM CST reply actions
Funny story: Road game in Minny, dead of winter...
I was visiting a friend in Minny. We got tickets to the Rockets-T’Wolves game. I had a few beers.
During a timeout, they were showing a video of Troy Hudson, in a studio, recording a rap track. When the video ended, I waited a beat, then yelled, “BOOOOOOOO….!!!!” It was so stinking quiet at the Target center, everybody heard, including the players still in their huddle. I could swear I saw Troy Hudson flinch.
I felt terrible. For some reason, it didn’t occur to me that Troy Hudson would hear me. I was just trying to be funny, like when you’re watching the game on TV at a bar. But oh man, he heard me for sure.
From what I hear, Hudson is supposed to be a good guy, which made me feel worse, but at least that meant there would be no Artest-like response. But what can I say, his rap skills were pretty weak.
by Moochie's Fro on Dec 24, 2011 8:39 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
I went to one against the Clippers last year in LA
I actually had some Clipper fans next to me and we were talking for a fair bit of the game, it was really fun. It was a close game too, we barley pulled it out so that was a bonus.
"I always keep a ball in the car. You never know."
-Hakeem Olajuwon
"Stern Sucks"
-Me
by Rockets4LIFE on Dec 24, 2011 11:46 PM CST up reply actions
I live about 90 minutes away from Houston
so it’s a bit of a hassle sometimes to go to games, especially when there is traffic. So my favorite place is to watch it in HD at home. Although, there’s nothing like the atmosphere at the actual game.
by twinkilling0303 on Dec 24, 2011 9:21 PM CST reply actions
NBA standard is so much higher than NBL
But I do love going to see the road games of the Tigers only problem is you can’t exactly drive to the next city in a few hours, that’s a bit of a bummer. The crowds are also usually less than 5,000 which is a little depressing.
I just don’t know what will come first.
T-Will starting over Bud & Morris, or T-Will just getting traded again.
For now, I’m just glad to see him get minutes and make the most of them.
There’s no telling how much better he could have improved if he’d been given more minutes last season. Man, am I glad Adelman is gone.
I have to agree with Simmons point on the bench player’s desire for more minutes.
At the front of that list of players would have to be T-Will, followed by Lee and Patterson.
It won’t be but another season before you can expect Morris to look for more time too. I don’t know how many minutes Hill will log, but if it’s less than 15 minutes, he may also be a player to add to that list. The young guys are going to play hungry and we should see strong signs of improvement from them. But the minutes won’t always be there to share. When that happens, you can’t expect them to accept a limited role for limited pay for much longer.
When watching Rockets games, most times, at my home or a friend’s house is better just for the convenience.
But the bigger games, like when hosting L.A. (both the Clippers and Lakers), the Heat, Bulls, Celtics, also Dallas and OKC, those games have such a different buzz about them, and the crowd has more energy. It’s a better experience then, and worth the price of admission. Other games aren’t always as good of an experience, but can still have great value if the game remains very competitive throughout, has an intense fourth quarter and maybe overtime. You see players step their game up to new levels in those situations and the crowd is on the verge of collectively losing it.
by Nobody is Better Than Jordan on Dec 24, 2011 9:55 PM CST reply actions
Simmons says good teams will just let certain games go, to rest their teams.
He says that depth is the key with the schedule.
Except for the Rockets, it isn’t. Basically the narrative is that the Rockets are better than average, but not a playoff team. No one is assuming any improvement in their roster. No one has noticed that the Rockets have a center, or if they have they don’t think it matters.
So either we blow up the narrative, or we’d really best try for Perry Jones or something.
"Each in turn... volunteered his suggestions, his invaluable suggestions."
The trouble w/tanking is
The top teams in Lottery lose about 75% of their games.
Lets assume Morey trades away Scola and Martin for nothing but TPEs and draft picks.(He wouldn’t do that,he’d want at least 1 decent young player,but let’s assume.And we’ll ignore that doing so would put the Rockets UNDER the minimum salary.) Further,let’s assume Wiliams totally flames out.
The Rockets starting line-up would be Lowry,Lee,Bud,Patterson,Dalembert.
The bench would be Dragic,Flynn,Taylor,Morris,Parsons,Adrien,Hill,Thabeet and whoever was brought in to give depth.
The remaining starters are better than at least 4 or 5 teams and the bench is better than many in the League. Yes the Rockets are young,but unlike other past young NBA teams,they have a competent floor general entering his prime in Lowry.
Considering other teams are going to be in full tank mode,the chances of the Rockets getting one of the top 4-5 picks are pretty remote. Is the 2012 Draft so deep that a Franchise Player will be available at 7,8,9?
The point often made about the Rockets feasting on the East,overlooks the minor fact,that almost every West team feasts on the East.
I like games at TC
but all that “entertainment” during commercial breaks? The music drops? The games between quarters? Damn it gets really old. I’d prefer some old lady playing the organ. I swear I would.
All that stuff is fun for like two games a year. At 40ish it’s dismal.
"Each in turn... volunteered his suggestions, his invaluable suggestions."
Yeah, I agree.
It’s not as bad as the entertainment at, say, Minute Maid, however.
Arenas’ belief that they need to keep visitors constantly stimulated is kind of annoying, frankly.
Fun to watch in another team's house
but the rocket’s put on a good show. They have the marketing down. Get the team right and it will be special.
On the Simmons podcast.
It’s kind of great to watch him praise the depth of other teams as what will carry them this year. But for the Rockets, it’s bad. I feel like the Rockets are almost like Manchester City or Chelsea – we can roll out a respectable lineup for Europa league games. Of course our starting lineup isn’t that class.
"Each in turn... volunteered his suggestions, his invaluable suggestions."
In all fairness, Chelski is old...
That said, I completely get your point. The Rockets won’t get any respect until they, like City this season, make a statement no one can ignore. I don’t think anyone expects the Rockets to do anything of merit, even though the West is facing a down year for teams that were perennial Top 8 finishers. I myself am not expecting anything wildly significant, but I think we CAN crack the Top 8 this year with all of our young guys giving us needed depth. How much our youth can carry us is the biggest enigma this year. I can’t wait to see what happens.
On a bit of a tangent, when people talk about T-Will’s attitude, it makes me think of Balotelli on City. However, Balotelli takes the cake on the arrogance factor; I don’t think I’ve seen anyone so blatantly in love with their self.
Spurs (Tottenham, not SA) fan here. It’s an exciting first half for the top half of the table. Can’t wait to see what happens during the upcoming transfer window and the second half of the season!
My thoughts are like Brian Cushing on the field: Everywhere.
by f22a4bandit on Dec 24, 2011 11:02 PM CST up reply actions
I listen to the BS Report all the time
I remember when Morey did a few podcasts with Simmons a while back. It really seems like they are buddies and I just think that Simmons is being harsher on the Rockets so that it doesnt seem like he is favoring a friend or that he knows too much inside info. Thats just my take about it because I do think he really knows his basketball and it shows that his criticism of the Rockets is inconsistent with his criticisms of other teams.
"I always keep a ball in the car. You never know."
-Hakeem Olajuwon
"Stern Sucks"
-Me
by Rockets4LIFE on Dec 24, 2011 11:52 PM CST up reply actions
I love hittin up the TC.
Since I’m still in High School all I gotta do is get good grades to pick up some money for tickets from my folks. easy work.
Sonicsgate: A movie about how the Sonics were stolen from Seattle.
will see the rox-clips game
Jan-4 at staples. It’s usually fun to watch the rockets in la when they play the clippers. The fans are more down to earth and aren’t pissed about paying $300 for nosebleed seats only to realize yao isn’t still playing, like laker fans. With the bandwagon shifting in la this year though, we might see more wanabees for lob city than for the lake show.
by thatguyisgood on Dec 25, 2011 12:25 AM CST via mobile reply actions
Wow, someone believes in T-Will.
I’m glad to see people coming around to him a bit. They guy has game.
I hate david stern!
Of all the ‘09 lottery picks we’ve collected in the past two years, he has the most potential. I don’t think it’s particularly likely that he’ll turn that into something worthwhile, but he has all the tools and he’s in a good situation now. He has a patient coach, a patient front office, and even relatively patient fans, and if he devotes himself to improving his rebounding, defense, and jump-shot, he can become something very special.
The NBA’s history is filled with athletic swingmen who didn’t make it. From a certain perspective, Williams has a lot going against him because of that. But he seems to be using his athleticism in the right ways: getting to the rim, rebounding, etc. He has the court vision to contribute on the offensive end even if his shot kind of sucks right now.
I don’t know. I just think that now is his chance, and he seems motivated enough for that to matter. If he doesn’t start putting it together this year, I suspect he never will. But if he begins to improve, the Rockets have found something.
Yeah. I was never a TWill fan. There have been so many people with all the athleticism who have flamed out in the NBA.
But TWill actually has the basketball skills to go with the athleticism which is something I did not appreciate at all.
I hope this year he can get into a 6th man role initially and work up from that.
I think Twill can be something special for us.
Hoping he lives up to his potential. He’s one of the few Rockets who can create their own shot off the dribble and top that with his athleticism, he could be a goto guy down the rode for us.
by Dmo_Htx on Dec 25, 2011 9:31 AM CST via mobile reply actions
'09 Playoffs, Game 6 against the Lakers. The postseason when we were the only team to LA to 7 games
I was in the top row of the nosebleeds. Paid out the ass for the ticket, but watching the Lakers’ fans get destroyed by the Rox fans in the upper sections of TC as Landry, Brooks, Scola, and Battier beat the Lakers with no T-mac, Yao, or Mutumbo was the greatest scene I’ve ever witnessed. Easily the best live sporting game I’ve ever been to. TC was shaking and my ears were ringing for 24 hrs afterwards because the fans were so loud
"San Antonio is the best falling down team in the league"- Bill Worrell
by TheLastDynasty on Dec 25, 2011 11:21 PM CST reply actions
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