Did the Rockets Really Win Their Trade?

Typically, whenever I set out to analyze trades, I try to put myself in the shoes of the general managers that are making them. Back in 2008, the popular belief was that Memphis Grizzlies’ general manager Chris Wallace had just completed the worst trade in NBA history by shipping off then one-time all-star Pau Gasol to the Los Angeles Lakers for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron Mckie, the draft rights to Marc Gasol, and two first round picks that ended up as Darrell Arthur and Greivis Vasquez. I felt differently. The team has made several missteps along the way—trading Kevin Love for OJ Mayo while also bringing on Antoine Walker and Marko Jaric, signing Hasheem Thabeet over pretty much anyone else in that draft, trading Kyle Lowry for only a late first round draft pick, trading Vasquez for Quincy Pondexter—but things have turned out for the better based on that trade.

The cap flexibility gained from Brown’s expiring contract allowed Memphis to sign Zach Randolph, while Marc Gasol has blossomed into a better player than his brother, and one of the three or four best centers in the league. The duo now forms the NBA’s most fearsome front court. The pick from the Lowry trade produced DeMarre Carrol, who was later traded for Shane Battier, who played a key role (including hitting the game winner of the franchise’s first playoff victory) in guiding the Grizzlies past the Spurs and into the second round of the playoffs in 2011.

All that to say, we won’t really know how any of the trades that went down yesterday will affect each team moving forward. The popular thought today, could be ultimately proven wrong a couple years down the road.

Which brings me to the Sacramento and Houston Deal in which Houston received: Thomas Robinson, Francisco Garcia, and Tyler Honeycutt. Sacramento received: Patrick Patterson, Cole Aldrich, Toney Douglas, and $1 million

Laker Dwight Needs to Be More Celtic

This post just seemed fitting seeing as the Lakers are playing the Celtics tonight.

Also, now that Mitch Kupchak has come out and made statements regarding “not trading” Dwight Howard that are so definitive that he would never get anyone to believe him again if he went back on them, it is time (for those outside of Orlando who didn’t already know) to accept these facts.

Howard, in my opinion, is not a franchise player. He is not a leader. He doesn’t just shy away from conflict and scrutiny, he passive aggressively avoids them. He is not serious—ever. He still remains noncommittal on his future with the Lakers. He is a one-dimensional player who believes himself to be three-dimensional. He refuses to consistently do the two things that he is better at then everyone else in the league—pick and roll to the hoop, and defend. He has not improved any of his weaknesses since entering the league. He has built an impressive career off his unmatched athleticism, but has come nowhere close to returning to that athletic level following offseason back surgery. He’s talked a lot about his injuries and how they have aversely affected him this year, but was still able, and willing to do this. Despite getting everything he said he didn’t get in Orlando (big market, championship caliber roster, first class front office), he has pouted and somehow managed to rub all of his teammates the wrong way—even Steve Nash, the world’s preeminent teammate.

Second Half Season Preview: LA

Lakers

It’s been one crazy ride. The most recent development was the passing of owner Dr. Jerry Buss who finally succumbed to his nearly two-year battle with cancer. For those in the know, this was an inevitability just waiting to happen. For the rest of us, this came as somewhat of a surprise—though in this Lakers season, nothing really is surprising anymore.

Rest in peace Dr. Buss—the greatest sports owner in the history of American professional sports and a true visionary who helped mold and create the game that I love.

To Franchise or Not to Franchise

In today’s NBA, what constitutes a franchise/cornerstone player?

Star power. Elite or versatile skill set. Youth and/or superb health record. Superior athleticism. Leadership/dependability. Obviously, in an ideal world, you want your franchise cornerstone to have all five of those qualities (and really, I listed eight qualities)—but there’s only one Lebron James and only one Kevin Durant.

That said, if you have a player that checks off four of those five boxes, you’re definitely thinking about offering him a max contract and feeling confident that he can be a vital piece if not the foundation for a championship-caliber franchise.

So, the question the Los Angeles Lakers should be asking themselves is—is Dwight Howard a franchise player?

Let’s go down the list after the jump.

Chris Paul’s Disciples: Intro

The NBA is full of players who possess the gift of making others around them better. Whether discussing Steve Nash, Rajon Rondo, Jason Kidd, or Chris Paul, the NBA is chalk full of lead guards that are capable of leading a team to greatness.

But leadership is made up of several factors—many of which are not directly basketball-related.