The Lakers were an overwhelming favorite heading into Wednesday's game.  The Rockets, however, surprised and confused the defending champs by playing aggressively and not backing down to anything.  Not even with significant height disadvantages at every position. 

Yet in the end, it came down to Kobe Bryant simply being better than everyone else.  And he may have had an additional edge that none of the currently healthy Rockets had...

"What is that?" you may ask.  Well... it pains me to say, but we might have to lay a bit of blame on the namesake himself.  Yes, Hakeem Olajuwon spent part of the summer tutoring Kobe on sophisticated post moves and footwork.  Things which Kobe used to shred the Rockets' 4th Q defense on Wednesday.

It makes me happy that Kobe would seek out Hakeem's help.

But it makes me sad that these trade secrets would be used against Hakeem's hometown team.

Oh, I can't stay mad at you, Hakeem!  You rule.

Folks, before doing anything else, read this press release.  It will fill you in on what is going on:

DAPHNE, Ala. - There is less than a month remaining to help the United States Sports Academy in its efforts to name "Mr. Basketball."

Voting to name the new sculpture dedicated to basketball in the Academy's environmentally-friendly Sport Sculpture Park closes on Thanksgiving Day, 26 November 2009. Through the Academy's website at www.ussa.edu/ballots/basketball-player, people are invited to help name the player from a list of 15 legends of the game. Voters may also write in another nominee if their desired choice isn't on the list, giving the vote a "Sweet 16" flavor.

The list of players to select from includes, in alphabetical order: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, Kobe Bryant, Wilt Chamberlain, LeBron James, Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Michael Jordan, George Mikan, Yao Ming, Dirk Nowitzki, Hakeem Olajuwon, Oscar Robertson, David Robinson, Bill Russell and Jerry West.

I want Hakeem Olajuwon to be sculpted.  Not Yao Ming.  So vote for The Dream here.

Let's be honest: Yao Ming hasn't come close to Hakeem as a player.  As an international icon, yes.  But not as a player, nor as an all-time great.  I think we can make this happen.  VOTE HAKEEM!

[alternate title:  The rumors of Yao Ming's demise have been greatly exaggerated]

And so it begins. Yao will have surgery next week.  In response, the sportswriters of the world have already begun playing leapfrog to see who can write the first obituary for the NBA career of Yao Ming.  This week's candidate?  Adrian Wojnarowski.

In short:  not cool, dude.  Not cool at all.

By publishing such hyperbolic guesswork as:

 "All across the world, the fears that Yao never plays basketball again are real and justified..."

Objection:  calls for speculation!

oh, and...

"Whatever happens, this has turned into one of the sport’s saddest stories. Yes, it’s reminiscent of Bill Walton’s saga, but Yao is a far bigger, far more important figure in basketball history. Yes, Walton could’ve been one of the most accomplished centers in history, but Yao’s powers have been truly transformative."

Don't cry for Yao; he's a badass.  The story isn't over.

"Together, they all conspired to use him, wear him out and ultimately toss him aside."

Dammit, stop speaking in past tense as if he's dead!

"His blessing turned out to be his curse: His deftness and mobility at 7-foot-6 could’ve been his undoing. His lower body couldn’t support the agility and crumbled beneath him."

Objection:  lacks foundation; the witness is not an expert in medical issues.

About the only thing that was moderately accurate in Mr. Wojnarowski's sob story (aside from the unnecessary and continued use of past tense) is this:

Basketball has had a lot of folk heroes who never met their promise, but make no mistake about Yao Ming: He met his destiny. He brought the NBA to the world, and the world to the NBA. There are Hall of Fame players with MVP trophies and championship rings who never gave so much to the game. Yao Ming goes away for a year now, maybe more – maybe for good – but his legacy is untouchable.

The only thing anyone knows for sure is that Yao is going to have surgery next week.  Oh, and that his foot kinda hurts, but not really.  Even Yao said he was surprised at the diagnosis last month because he wasn't feeling pain.  A little bit farther north geographically, there's a 7'4" dude named Zydrunas who had a very similar procedure done to his troublesome foot eight years ago.   Big Z came back from that surgery to be a multiple-time All Star.  Yet people want to bury Yao and prematurely assume that he's never going to be the same again.

It's all hogwash. 

If anyone can overcome this injury it's Yao Ming.  There isn't another player in the NBA who is more dedicated to his team and to his sport (okay, maybe Kobe).  This article written a few years ago is a pretty good description of how much Yao wants to be great.  It's well worth your time to read.  And I have no doubt Yao Ming will return from this surgery ready to kick ass again.  He may not average 25 and 10 for a full season again.  He may not be able to play 40 minutes a game for 82 games... but who can?  We've always asked way too much from the Great Wall.  Maybe for once we can do him a favor and stop writing him off so early.

Yao Ming will walk through that door again. 

 
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I've been reading the FanPosts lately, and there's been this strange common theme: Some people aren't aboard the Daryl Morey bandwagon.  Yes, by choice.

Complaining about Daryl Morey's body of work is senseless and greedy.  It's like handing your parents back the twenty Christmas presents that they got for you because you wanted twenty-one.

It's like asking Ted Williams to hit .500.  Or blaming LeBron James for the Cavaliers' postseason failures.  Or refusing to take $21 million over three years because you've "got a family to feed."   It just makes no sense.

Thankfully, this is a lesson for the minority, and as unnecessary as it should be, it needs to be delivered.  I'd like for our community to stop embarrassing ourselves.  Especially by the time we find a Grizzlies blog for SB Nation. Once they see how much we've been harassing a guy like Morey, they'll wonder if anyone out there has even heard of Chris Wallace.

Just so you know, Lee, Dave, and myself are not the only folks singing Morey's praises.  ESPN's Bill Simmons gave Morey his due, writing that Morey should be admired simply because "he is batting .900."   Kelly Dwyer of Ball Don't Lie picked Morey for Executive of the Year.  Simmons is golden when it comes to basketball, and Dwyer is practically a blogging legend.  You'll rarely find more rational opinions out there.

To review, here is what Morey has managed to do over the past couple of seasons:

The Impossible Moves

1. Swapped an aging, costly, and selfish point guard in Rafer Alston for a young, cheap, intelligent, and efficient point guard in Kyle Lowry.   This is extremely hard to do. Impossibility Scale: 9/10
2. Signed a cheap journeyman in Von Wafer and gave him a chance to compete in the pre-season.  Wafer turned into a lethal shooter and aggressive wingman and kept our season from tumbling.  All of this, from a guy to whom we paid a minimum salary and lost nobody to acquire. Impossibility Scale: 8/10.
3. Swapped Vassilis Spanoullis for Luis Scola.  From the inter-division San Antonio Spurs. Impossibility Scale: 9/10 + 1 = 10/10.  Bonus points for being one of the most badass moves in franchise history.
4. Somehow found a way to acquire talented players even with Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady taking up 70 percent of the cap.  Trevor Ariza is the first player that Morey has had to really open up the wallet to sign.  And that was just the MLE.  Impossible Scale: ???

The Generally Smart Moves That Other GM's Might Flub

1. Kept Carl Landry in Houston and out of Charlotte by matching an offer sheet.  Oh, and who drafted him out of Purdue?  Morey.
2. Signed James White for an extra year to develop him.   Dude scored 26 points per game in the NBDL.  Why not spend a few bucks to give him a shot?
3. Traded Steve Francis in order to sign Dikembe Mutombo.
4. Re-signed Chuck Hayes.  This took more balls than you might think.
5. Got rid of Bonzi Wells and Mike James.
6. Convinced Trevor Ariza to come to Houston for the MLE, thus filling the spot voided by Ron Artest.  Ariza could have gone to Cleveland and won a championship.  But he chose Houston instead.

Dear RonRon,

I'm gonna miss you.  I admit, I'm a little weepy right now.  You were everything we asked for when we traded Donte Greene and a draft pick to get you last summer.  We always knew it might be a short-term relationship given that you were in a contract year.  We didn't care.  Nor do I feel cheated today.  It was worth the risk.  And I fully believe that risk paid off in spades.

You helped get the Rockets to the second round this year.  Which for Yao Ming and others had to seem like a myth until they actually got there.  (Tracy McGrady... still a non-believer.)  You brought an aggressiveness and a mindset to Houston that had been lacking for more than a decade.  No one bullies the Rockets anymore.

So, thank you, Ron Artest.  I truly mean it.

I do not begrudge you in your decision to join Kobe and the Lakers.  It makes perfect sense.  Yao and T-Mac probably won't be suiting up in 2010.  The Rockets are rebuilding, whether they want to admit it publicly or not.  I'm okay with all of this.  Which is why I understand that you had to do what is best for you, Ron.  I absolutely do understand.  And I wish you nothing but the best in Los Angeles. 

Though, this does make this picture seem a little weird now:

Happy trails to you, Crazy Pills.  And good luck.  You're going to need it.

(I can't wait to see what motivational book(s) Phil Jackson gives to Artest... )

More photos » by Eric Gay - AP

4 months ago: FILE - In this May 8, 2009, file photo, Houston Rockets center Yao Ming (11), of China, walks off the court following the team's loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of a second-round Western Conference NBA basketball playoff series in Houston. Yao's broken left foot could be a "career-threatening" injury. Dr. Tom Clanton, the Houston Rockets' team physician, told the Houston Chronicle on Monday, June 29, 2009, that Yao's injury "has the potential for him missing this next season and could be career-threatening." (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

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We don't know a whole lot about Yao Ming's foot troubles.  All we've gotten are a slew of maybes.  Maybe Yao will be out for the season.  Maybe he will be done forever.

Maybe he will miss a few months and come back right on schedule.  We just don't know yet.

Don't expect any sudden moves from Daryl Morey.  It's too early.  The minute this thing blows up, he'll be on the ball.  But it hasn't yet.  As far as we know, Yao went to the doctor, and the doctor didn't see improvement.  The only question is: How much has Yao's foot failed to improve?  If it suddenly begins to heal, then we're all set.  If not, I quit.  Not sure exactly what it is that I will quit.  I won't quit anything specific.  All I know is, if Yao Ming is forced to retire, I quit.

Assuming Yao's foot doesn't begin to heal, where does this place us on the list of candidates to go nuts in the Summer of 2010?  Say we decide not to re-sign Yao, after doctors have stated that he can no longer play.  We'll have a giant wad of expiration cash lying under our noses, ready to be spent.  And if we decide not to wait that long, the Amar'e Stoudemire trade suddenly makes more sense.

But all of this is speculative.  We're going to have to wait longer.  Turn off the radio.  Don't read the "everybody panic!" articles.  Stop listening to everyone whose sole job description as of now is to make a big deal out of this thing.  The minute that a definitive diagnosis is announced, you can go crazy. 

However, for right now, just forget about it.  Fahgettaboutit.

Mondays are bad enough...

Then I see this on Yahoo.  Apparently Tracy McGrady has a better chance of suiting up for the Rockets before Yao Ming ever does again.  To which I really have only one response.  And Ned Flanders will say it's the loudest profanity he's ever heard.

Ugh.  Why????  Why!??!?!?!

Is the doomsday rumor for real?  I have no idea.  But I can't say I'm optimistic about the chances of the report being wrong.  The whole smoke/fire aspect of this thing scares me.

UPDATE:  The Rockets have responded to the story.  And the bad news is they aren't exactly denying the substance of it.  Daryl Morey was right -- he sucks at spin control!