A Change for the Better

And the winner is (drum roll)…the Houston Rockets!

True, the Rockets got their asses handed to them by the Utah Jazz these past playoffs, but what’s done is done. The past is exactly that. The past

What matters most is how you improve upon failure. For success is simply moving from one failure to the next without losing your mojo. It’s between those failures when you truly succeed. There’s no better way to learn than from one’s own mistakes. That’s why it’s so hard to repeat as champions these days. The winning team one year becomes a stagnant target the next. While the winners bask in their glory, jerking off to their shiny new trophy, the losers evolve with a stronger desire to take that trophy away. Just look at the Miami Heat. One year they win the championship. The next year they get swept in the first round of the playoffs.

You have to keep evolving if you want to win. And that is exactly what the Rockets have done this off-season.

First and foremost, the Rockets traded Jeff Van Gundy’s outdated (and extremely boring) defensive style for the more fast-paced play of Rick Adelman. You got to admit, watching the Rockets under Jeff Van Gundy, at times, was more boring than a French avant-garde film.

So once the Rockets decided to upgrade to a 21st century basketball coach, it was time to recruit players to surround the two-headed monster called YaoMac.

First, the Rockets traded an elderly Juwon Howard to the Timberwolves for Mike James. Okay cool, add a little depth at the PG position. Understandable. Especially considering the Rockets struggled to put points on the board last year with YaoMac on the bench. And Mix Master Mike can definitely do that.

But plugging one hole is bound the poke another. And with that trade, the Rockets basically became power forward-less. No disrespect to Chuck Hayes (who I love for his dedicated hustle), but if you want to win a championship, you need depth in the frontcourt. And height (The Chuck Wagon is only 6’8”).

So here comes June 28—draft day. After the Greg Oden/Kevin Durant mania subsided and 25 other teams made their selections, it was time for the Rockets to fill that PF void, right? Wrong!

What many people criticized as poor management may turn out to be the best sleeper pick of the draft. The next Tony Parker. The next Sam Cassell. The only Aaron Brooks!

I for one can honestly say I loved the pick from the moment David Stern announced it just after downing his seventh Crown & Coke (C’mon, what else is the little Jewish man going to do for four hours?).

Anyway, the Rockets were smart in drafting pure talent instead of trying to fill a position. They could have drafted a mediocre power forward and made plenty of people happy with empty hopes of getting the next Otis Thorpe. But instead, they added even more depth to the guard positions with Aaron Brooks. As a huge fan of the little man, I loved the pick.

Just look at the slew of little guys who have been wreaking havoc on the hardwood lately. Earl Boykins, T.J. Ford, Chris Paul, Allen Iverson, etc. These little (in perspective to their counterparts) ballers create crazy mismatches all over the floor. Aaron Brooks will prove to be an invaluable asset to the Rockets lineup.

That’s all gravy, but what about the black hole sucking in all matter at the PF position?

Oh yeah, that. Well, little did we know, the Rockets had a European excursion on their minds. Last week the Rockets traded Vassilis Spanoulis and a 2009 second-round draft pick to the Spurs for Luis Scola and Jackie Butler. Butler will provide depth at the center position. But it’s Scola who could prove to be the difference maker next year. Scola is a 6’10” Argentinean superstar who’s won MVP twice in the Spanish basketball league.

So there you have it. This off-season the Rockets upgraded to an offensive-minded coach, traded for, possibly, the best foreign player currently not in the NBA, and drafted a stud-of-a-guard with a knack for clutch shots. Oh yeah, not to mention picking up Mike James and Steve Francis. Which if you think about it, are pretty funny pick-ups. Here’s why:

A couple of years ago, the Rockets traded Mike James to Toronto for Rafer Alston. Now they have both players. Additionally, the Rockets once traded Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley to Orlando for Tracy McGrady. Now they have TMac and Francis. So it looks like the Rockets basically traded Cuttino for TMac. A pretty good swap if you ask me.

I forgot to mention that Bonzi Wells resigned with the Rockets, too. Assuming he lays off the Texas BBQ and drops a few dozen pounds, Bonzi will be a great sixth-man (especially being reunited with his old coach in Adelman).

If all that’s not enough to make Avery Johnson shit his pants, don’t forget that one of the Rockets many talented Summer League players could turn out to be the next Chuck Hayes—an underestimated player who straight hustles (something most NBA players lack these days). All I’m saying is look out for Carl Landry or Mike Harris.

The Rockets failed miserably last year, not living up to expectations. Which is all the reason why they are poised to come back with a vengeance in 2007-2008. It’s because they failed, that they can now succeed. So watch out San Antonio. Wipe off that trophy, because the Rockets are coming for you.