At approximately 9:57 p.m. on Tuesday, July 29, 2008, the Western Conference's Southwest division became the most competitive division in the NBA. Ron Artest was traded to to Houston Rockets for Bobby Jackson, a No. 1 draft pick and a player to be named later.
What does this mean? Simply this: a trio of Big Three's triangled around Texas. Duncan/Parker/Ginobili. Dirk/J-Kidd/Josh Howard. Now Yao/McGrady/Artest.
Or how about Paul/West/Peja?
But unlike the other squads, Houston now has a dominant center, and two smothering defensive presences (Artest and Battier). Houston also has two All-Star caliber forwards in Scola and Carl Landry.
They could plug in a homeless man in the Point Guard slot and still win close to 60 games.
While it's good news for Rockets faithful, New Orleans, San Antonio, Dallas and Memphis have got their work cut out for them.
The Rockets could be poised to become the Mavericks of 2005-07. Good at everything. Solid defenders, solid jump-shooters, solid on the offensive glass.
But could they meet the same fate as those Mavericks? They were a Jack of All Trades, but a master of none. They couldn't dominate one aspect of the game, so when teams adapted, they didn't have anything new to throw out.
If anything Houston will make for an interesting case study. Provided they don't get Igoudala, they won't be very relevant at the PG. They will now have to compete with two hall-of-famers (Kidd and Paul) and a rookie who threatens to redefine the position (Mayo).
It should prove once and for all just how important a PG is. Can a team run a decent offense with firepower at every position, but no distributor? Can a big man, a lock down defender and one of the best all-around players in the game duplicate the chemistry and commitment that brought the 2007-08 Celtics the title?
Some things I know for sure:
—If T-Mac can't get out of the first round this year, he should hang up his spikes, he never will.
—Imagine the penetration of Artest and T-Mac with the inside presence of Yao and the outside shooting of Battier. I bet Jeff Van Gundy wishes he could come back and coach.
—Unless Dallas can pick up J-Smoove and San Antonio pulls off a whopper, Houston and New Orleans will be duking it out for the No. 1 or No. 2 seed come April 2009.
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