IS LOYALTY DEAD AND BURIED???

By QUETT WALKER

The NBA free agency season is here yet again and I’m sure that you have been hearing about the trades that have gone down.

So far we have witnessed the usual types of trades involving players, draft picks, contract and cash swaps etc. However, the biggest news is the fact that an unusual situation has presented itself where a coach has been traded for draft picks. That’s right folks, head coach of the Boston Celtics, Doc Rivers, has been traded to the Los Angeles Clippers for draft picks. Boston wasn’t done there. The savvy and gutsy President of Basketball Operations, Danny Ainge, orchestrated a blockbuster trade with the Brooklyn Nets. This involves trading Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry to the Nets for Keith Bogans, Gerald Wallace, Marshon Brooks, Kris Humphries and Kris Joseph, along with future draft picks. Obviously, the biggest names involved in this trade are Kevin Garnett and - yes ladies and gentlemen - long time Celtic Paul Pierce.

The Boston Celtics have traded Paul Pierce!!! Sound the alarm?? The answer would have been yes 20 years ago but in this day and age, the answer would be an astounding no. Long gone are the days where players would have spent their entire NBA career with one team. Long gone are the days of the Magic Johnsons, the Larry Birds, the John Stockons, the Isiah Thomas’, the Reggie Millers, the Kobe Bryants, the Dirk Nowitzkis and the Tim Duncans, all of whom have had their tenures with one team. Nowadays, it seems like only the pursuit of money and championships are at the forefront of every player’s mind and presents significant damage and a blatant disregard for the game that is the NBA. In this new era, the cutthroat mentality of GM’s and basketball owners whose main goal is to operate their teams within the salary cap limit so as to pay as little luxury tax as possible, also presents a notable detriment and an indifference to the game that is the NBA.

As we have experience over the last 15 – 20 years, players and teams alike don’t care as they once did. The fact that the Knicks can trade Patrick Ewing, who was the face of that franchise at one point, still baffles many to this day. The Sonics trading Gary Payton is another shock that was sent through the NBA world. Everyone at the time would have surely expected these two players to retire with these respective franchises.

The GM’s and owners are not solely to blame here. As we have seen, players have colluded in an attempt to play together on the same team in hopes of being able to win an NBA championship. Although the most publicized instance of this happened with the Miami Heat in 2010 with Lebron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, they have shouldered most of the blame and scrutiny for something that has been going on for many years now. Everyone seems to have forgotten the situation in 1996 when Charles Barkley went to the Houston Rockets to join Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler in hopes of winning a championship. What about the situation in 2004 when Karl Malone and Gary Payton joined the Lakers to play with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal in hopes of being able to lift that Larry O’Brien trophy? The majority seems to have neglected the fact that in 2007, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett came to the Boston Celtics to join Paul Pierce, which allowed them to win the championship that year. Also, many seem to have trouble recalling the signing of Dwight Howard and Steve Nash by the Lakers last year to play alongside Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol which made them the instant favourites to win, and they may have been in the NBA Finals to compete against the Miami Heat had they not been setback with all of those injuries. 

The situation with Paul Pierce saddens me quite a bit as I’m one of his biggest fans and he has done quite alot for the storied Celtic Franchise; more than anyone else has done in the last 20 years since the days of Larry Bird and Kevin McHale. However, Pierce is just another victim of the modern version of the no limits, no holds barred NBA.

We are in a growing trend today where loyalty has quickly gone out of the window and this saddens us true and die-hard NBA fans. Can the damaged image of the NBA be restored to the glory days where guys just played for the love of the game and GMs and team owners held loyalty in very high regard? 

That is yet to be seen but I wouldn’t count on it anytime soon. 

Don’t hold your breath ladies and gentlemen.

3…2…1...HOUSTON WE HAVE LIFT OFF!!!!

By QUETT WALKER

 

The on-going saga of where the best centre in the NBA will end up has come to an end. The Houston Rockets have landed the biggest free agent in the NBA this offseason, Dwight Howard, signing him to a 4 year, $88 million deal. Houston has taken a huge step towards turning itself into a contender in the Western conference after they just barely made the playoffs last year for first time in 3 years.

Pundits around the league aren’t surprised with Howard’s decision to play in Houston given the rocky relationship with the Los Angeles Lakers front office and their coach Mike D’Antoni. It has been widely speculated that not only was Dwight Howard disappointed with the fact that the Lakers didn’t hire Phil Jackson as their head coach, but he also had a turbulent relationship with current head coach Mike D’Antoni. Howard felt that D’Antoni’s system didn’t correctly utilise his skillset. Furthermore, when the Lakers met with Howard with the intention of persuading him to re-sign with them, Mike D’Antoni didn’t interact much with Howard. This might have been the icing on the cake and a mistake which may have allowed Houston to look like more of a favourable destination for Howard.

Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey has definitely earned his paycheck since this is the second year in a row that Houston has made a big splash in the offseason. Last year, the Rockets were able to secure swingman James Harden away from Oklahoma City Thunder and sign Jeremy Lin in an attempt to boost their back court and add Omer Asik to play the centre position. Based on the performance of the Rockets last season, its obvious that these signings have paid off greatly, but the addition of Dwight Howard is certainly bound to improve upon last year’s success.

The addition of Howard gives Houston a legitimate threat in the front court since the days of Yao Ming. Many are even comparing the Howard and Harden combo to the duo of Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming that was present in Houston from 2004 – 2008. Harden is not nearly as dominant as Tracy McGrady was, but let’s not forget that he is only 23 years old and still has a lot of time to further develop his game,thus he could potentially become a superstar in the league.

Can Morey be given all of the credit for luring Howard to Houston? I’m sure that the Youtube video involving a compilation of childfans coaxing Howard to go to Houston had some influence. In addition, the persistent efforts of Houston rapper Slim Thug who sent a few messages to Howard on Twitter encouraginghim to come to Houston didn’t hurt either. The biggest encouragement was probably the fact that Jim Parsons, who plays the character Sheldon Cooper on the hit television series The Big Bang Theory and who is also a Houston native, posted a video requesting that Howard come play for the Rockets. Lastly the presence of Hakeem Olajuwon, who won 2 NBA championships in Houston and is one of the best low post players in NBA history, was a huge factor in Howard’s decision. Olajuwon’s offer to work with Howard on improving his game if he came to play for the Rockets was one of the biggest reasons why Dwight decided to go to Houston. 

Although this signing will definitely make them more competitive, there are a few concerns that many Rocket fans will have. Dwight Howard had back surgery last year and although he led the league in rebounds with approximately 12 a game, there were clearlymoments where his athletic ability has declined due to the fact that he still rehabilitating from the surgery. Furthermore, James Harden is accustomedto being the first option on offense and has never played with a dominant big man. Will he be able to adjust his game to cater to sharing the ball with Dwight Howard?

The biggest concern of all is the fact that Omer Asik has actually expressed his disapproval with the Howard signing, and he has put in a request to be traded from Houston. Asik was the starting centre for Houston last year and it seems as if he feels underappreciated with the Rockets’ decision to add Howard to the roster, as it is most likely that Asik will be replaced by Howard in the starting line-up. Although the Houston Rockets have declined his trade request, it is very worrying that the Rockets are planning to commence this season having a disgruntled big man.

One thing I am sure of though is that it’s safe to say that Kobe Bryant ‘unfollowing’ Dwight from Twitter because of his decision to leave the Lakers should not be of grave concern for Houston fans.

Overall, the addition of Dwight Howard to play with Jeremy Lin and James Harden is a huge boost to the franchise. The Rockets still have a few more pieces to obtain if they want to be able to compete for a championship, so more trades and the addition of a few players should be expected.

Can the Rockets return to being the best team in the Western Conference like they once were in the mid 90’s?

Watch this space.