(Thanks to @SBNationNBA for the .gif)

Apr 15, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) puts up a defensive front against the Sacramento Kings during the first half at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Biggest strength for the Thunder: Everything.

Given that the Thunder finished with the second best record in basketball, there’s about five things I could write about here. They’re just a very good overall team. With two top five players in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, the Thunder were the second most efficient offense in basketball. Durant is pretty much impossible to defend one-on-one, while Westbrook is probably the most athletic guard in the league and made significant strides running the offense this year. The Thunder finished 29th in field goals attempted because they finished 2nd in free throws attempted and first in free throw percentage. It’s hard to stop a team when they have two elite scorers and get to the free throw line about as much as anyone. In addition to their ridiculous offense, the Thunder also boast a very capable defense. Oklahoma City quietly finished with the league’s fourth ranked defense, directly ahead of Chicago, Boston, and Miami.

Apr 17, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) celebrates during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center. The Lakers defeated the Rockets 99-95 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Biggest strength for the Rockets: Analytical offense.

The Rockets aren’t fancy offensively, featuring a heavy amount of isolation and spread pick and roll, but they’re super effective in what they do. Houston was the 6th most efficient offense in basketball behind ex-Thunder star James Harden. GM Daryl Morey is considered one of the premier analytical minds in basketball and has built the Rockets offense in the mold of a computer simulation of how offense should be run. The Rockets took the second most threes in basketball, the third most shots less than 5 ft away from the rim, and the fourth most free throws. In Jeremy Lin and Harden, Houston has two ball handlers who excel in both getting to the rim and kicking the ball out to the corners for open threes. They’ve also got a plethora of shooters who are more than capable of raining in threes.

Biggest Weakness for the Thunder: Scott Brooks.

I don’t think the Thunder have one glaring weakness that will hur them in this series, but in general it’s probably the head coach. I’ve never been a huge fan of Scott Brooks. I’m not enamored with his vanilla isolation-heavy offense or his lineup management. I get the idea behind giving your best players the ball and letting them go to work, but the Thunder are painfully vanilla offensively, running basic pin downs that result in high elbow iso’s for Durant or a plethora of high pick and rolls for Westbrook. Though Oklahoma City destroys teams when playing small with Durant at the 4 and Ibaka at the 5, Brooks insists on using these lineups sparingly. In this series, Oklahoma City should employ this type of offense quite often against a Rockets team that plays small-ball most the time itself. Is Brooks going to kill them in this series? Absolutely not. Moving forward, I think he’s probably the biggest weakness the Thunder have.

Biggest Weakness for the Rockets: Defense

Houston’s two best defensive players are Chandler Parsons and Omer Asik, but overall the Rockets are a below average defensive team. They ranked as the 17th best defense in basketball, allowing 103.5 points per 100 possessions. For as great as he is offensively, Harden is just a terrible defender. Lin can match up with most point guards, but struggles with exceptionally quick ones. I imagine he’ll struggle greatly trying to keep Westbrook in front of him. I like Patrick Beverley defensively as a third guard coming off the bench and he might take minutes from Lin, but that hurts the Rockets offensively. Apart from Asik, the Rockets aren’t nearly strong enough in their defensive front court. They don’t have the depth to keep teams from scoring when Asik sits, which causes them major problems considering he played just 30 minutes a game this season.

Prediction: Thunder in 4

While these should be enjoyable fast paced games with high point totals, the Thunder will take care of business handily. Houston’s a young team on the rise and just making the playoffs was a great accomplishment for them, but they have about a 0.00005% chance to win this series. I don’t think the Thunder are going to blow them out every game, but the Rockets just aren’t talented enough at this point and time to win. Houston would have to shoot lights out and Russell Westbrook would have to absolutely implode, neither of which I see happening. Harden returning to Oklahoma City to play the Thunder will make for a fun media narrative, but he won’t get the best of his former team. Not this season at least.

The latest players to break the rules were the Houston Rockets’ Omer Asik and the Denver Nuggets’ Danilo Gallinari.

Asik’s incident came during the Rockets game against the Spurs last Sunday. As you can see in the video, Asik takes a little nudge from Tim Duncan and goes spinning around with his arms flailing. This was Asik’s second infraction, so he was fined $5,000.

Gallinari’s flop was even more outrageous than Asik’s. The Italian was the one who made contact with the Hornets’ Robin Lopez first, and then fell to the ground as if he’d been run over. This was Gallo’s first offense of the rule, so he was only given a warning.

Thomas Robinson

Last night the Sacramento Kings decided to send the fifth overall pick of the 2012 NBA draft to the Houston Rockets. In return, the Kings brought Patrick Patterson, Cole Aldrich and Toney Douglas out to California’s capital, per Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

The Rockets will send Patrick Patterson, Cole Aldrich and Toney Douglas to the Kings for Thomas Robinson, sources tell Y!

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) February 21, 2013

Feb 19, 2013; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings power forward Thomas Robinson (0) drives in against San Antonio Spurs center Boris Diaw (33) during the second quarter at Sleep Train Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

In my opinion, this trade works out pretty well for both teams. The Kings brought in some more depth at both the center and guard position with the acquisitions of Aldrich and Douglas. In addition to that, the Kings may have found a way to make Demarcus Cousins a little happier for the time being. Cousins and Patterson played together at the University of Kentucky. Look for those two to work well together in the post and increase the very low level of chemistry this team has. On the other side of the deal, the Rockets not only add a little more cap space to play around with in free agency but they also get the hard working Thomas Robinson who has plenty of upside. Robinson is a tough guy both mentally and physically. Although this is true, I don’t believe Sacramento is a good place to grow and develop as a rookie. I don’t care who you are, the Kings don’t have any veteran leadership and as I mentioned before, have very little chemistry. I fully expect to see Robinson increase his productivity in a Rockets uniform. He will get regular minutes with the loss of both Patterson and Marcus Morris, (more on Morris later).

Marcus Morris

As I mentioned above, Thomas Robinson wasn’t the only Kansas product to be traded prior to the deadline. The Houston Rockets sent Marcus Morris to the Phoenix Suns for a second round pick, according to Adrian Wojnarowski.

The Houston Rockets have traded Marcus Morris to the Phoenix Suns for a future second-round draft pick, league sources tell Y! Sports.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) February 21, 2013

Mar 20, 2011; Tulsa, OK, USA; Kansas Jayhawks forwards Marcus Morris (22) and Markieff Morris (21) during a game against the Illinois Fighting Illini in the second half during the third round of the 2011 NCAA men

This is another trade that I approve of. The Rockets again give themselves a little more cap room and they also get the second round pick to either use or trade after the season. The Suns get a slight edge as winners in the deal though because they managed to complete the Morris twin puzzle. If you followed college basketball at all when these two were at Kansas, you know how well they play together. They know what each other’s strengths and weaknesses are and where and when they’ll be at a specific spot on the floor. What else do you expect? They’re are twins after all. In their last season in Kansas, Markieff lead the team with 8.3 RPG while Marcus was second with 7.6. In addition, Markieff and Marucs averaged 13.6 and 17.2 PPG respectively. Marcus’ 17.2 were good for best on the team. I’m really looking forward to seeing the Morris’ take the floor together in Phoenix. If their time together in college is any indication of how they’ll play together in the NBA, then the Suns have something to be excited about.

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Feb 13, 2013; Dallas, TX, USA; Sacramento Kings power forward Thomas Robinson (0) warms up before the game against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. The Mavericks defeated the Kings 123-100. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Just minutes ago, Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski announced the first deadline deals. Both of these trades involve the Houston Rockets, who had been rumored to be active in the trade market.

The first deal is between the Rockets and the Sacramento Kings.

Sacramento has traded forward Thomas Robinson to the Houston Rockets, league source tells Y Sports.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) February 21, 2013

Along with a second-round pick, the Kings will send Francisco Garcia and Tyler Honeycutt to the Rockets, sources tell Y!

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) February 21, 2013

Thomas Robinson was the fifth pick in last year’s draft, and has averaged about 5 points and 5 rebounds a game, while playing just over 15 minutes a night. Patrick Patterson has been solid for the Rockets this year, but they clearly view Robinson as having more upside.

If Robinson is able to reach his potential, then this will have been a great steal by GM Daryl Morey.

The Rockets also made another move tonight, this time with the Phoenix Suns.

The Houston Rockets have traded Marcus Morris to the Phoenix Suns for a future second-round draft pick, league sources tell Y! Sports.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) February 21, 2013

Marcus Morris has been okay for the Rockets this year, averaging 8.6 points and 4 rebounds a game. Morris will be joining his twin brother Markieff in Phoenix. These two moves will also save the Rockets money, as Grantland’s Zach Lowe points out.

Assuming HOU declines ’14 option on Garcia, the two moves tonight save HOU about $1.6M combined in 2014 salary. Ahem.

— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) February 21, 2013

These were two solid moves by the Rockets. They picked up a top-5 pick from last year, while maintaining their core, and saving money for a potential free-agent signing in the summer of 2014.

Jan 12, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) brings the ball up court during the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center. The Sixers defeated the Rockets 107-100. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Rockets have lost enough games now to drift out of the Western Conference top eight, and into distant mediocrity.

Dec 26, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Houston Rockets shooting guard James Harden (13) dribbles against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the first quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Greg Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Heat might be the best team in the NBA, but concerns about their inability to rebound seem valid (they are the league’s second worst rebounding team according to ESPN.com). Hey, that’ll happen when you’re undersized. Has an NBA club ever been more infatuated with players of 6-feet-8-inches? The bottom line is that when you jack up hasty shots and don’t, well, rebound, poor stats follow. Forward Chris Bosh said the team needed to figure out a way to fix the problem. Here’s a suggestion Chris – try rebounding.

Houston Rockets superstar, James Harden, no longer second fiddle in Oklahoma, has taken the league by storm since his relocation. Harden top scored for the Rockets in most of their December games and also dropped 20-plus points in a 14 straight contests (at the time of writing). His beard, too, continues to be the benchmark for NBA facial hair, and has moved past Bill Walton’s werewolf era fuzz on the all-time list.

Like Washington’s politicos, the city’s Wizards face an unnerving precipice, one which could see its entire future fall into disarray. Okay, let’s be honest: the Wiz haven’t cast a good spell since Harry Potter sought the Philosopher’s Stone. And yet, amid all the turmoil, the ineptitude and disgrace, rookie Bradley Beal has been a beacon of hope on The Hill. Beal led all Eastern Conference rookies in scoring (13.4 ppg) and total assists with (41) in December. He also had six games with 15-plus points during the month.

It took an unlikely opponent in the Brooklyn Nets to upend Oklahoma City’s 12-game home winning streak with a recent 110-93 victory. This was, in part, helped by the ejection of a rather conversational Kevin Durant. The other part was a combination of Joe Johnson scoring 33 points, and Deron Williams taking charge with 19 points and 13 assists. Amazing how quickly he’s adjusted to his new coach, isn’t it?

Don’t look now but the Detroit Pistons are motoring, winning five of six en route to a 12-22 overall record (as of January 4). Sure, their record is still woeful, but we’re talking about the Eastern Conference here folks, where a sub-500 record is fashionable, and making consecutive free-throws is cause for All-Star consideration.

Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics are flat out of luck, losing four straight and dropping below .500. Most alarmingly, the Cs have lost each of these game by an average mark of 20 points. Things haven’t been this bad in Beantown since the Celtics 15-win season of 1996-97 on the back of Antoine Walker’s 33% from three-point land. Good times.

Portland Trail Blazers point guard, Damian Lillard, has fast become Rookie of the Year favorite. With the Blazers playing mid-tier ball, it was surprising to see them rattle the New York Knicks at home, let alone beat them. But Lillard is a big reason for that. He’s fearless, and plays an all-around game—scoring, rebounding, passing, you name it. For the Knicks, Amare Stoudemire returned to a standing ovation. He then proceeded to light up Madison Square Garden with 6 points, one rebound and two turnovers. Spike Lee was beside himself.

No round-up would be complete without something about Kobe Bryant. In recent days, the league’s best scorer has called his Los Angeles Laker team “old” and “slow”, and admitted that their Staples Center roomies, the once lowly Clippers, are in the mix for the NBA crown. Kobe even called the Clips, currently among the Western Conference’s elite, “one of the top contenders”. Presumably L.A. reporters are now seeking Bryant’s view on Daniel Day Lewis as an Oscar favorite, and his take on other outrageousness circling the internet.

Oct 19, 2012; Tulsa, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard James Harden (13) warms up before a game against the Phoenix Suns at the BOK Center. Thunder defeated the Suns 107-97. Mandatory Credit: Beth Hall-US PRESSWIRE

I was not expecting this at all. After reportedly turning down a 4-year, 55-million dollar deal, the Oklahoma City Thunder traded 2012 Sixth Man of the Year and Gold Medalist James Harden to the Houston Rockets along with Daequan Cook, Cole Aldrich and Lazar Hayward in exchange for Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb, 2 first-round picks and a 2013 second-rounder. NBA players took to twitter to express their shock with this blockbuster deal. After all, it was almost a foregone conclusion that James Harden was going to be a integral part of a potential Thunder dynasty alongside Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and newly resigned Serge Ibaka, right?

There are many ways to look at this trade but I will start off by saying I think this is as rational a blockbuster move as I have seen since Deron Williams was traded to the then New Jersey Nets in February 2011. I give kudos to both teams as I think both the Rockets and Thunder made out very well in this trade. How the Thunder arguably got more in return for James Harden than the Orlando Magic received for Dwight Howard still boggles the mind but I digress. Harden chose long-term financial security and a chance at being “the guy” on his own team over being third on the food chain on a squad that was three games away from winning a championship.  I will break down what this deal means for James Harden, the Houston Rockets and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

James Harden

I can’t knock a man for looking out for his long-term financial security and I applaud James for getting the max deal he feels he deserves. Much like Joe Johnson when he asked the Phoenix Suns not to match the 70-million dollar contract the Atlanta Hawks signed him to in the summer of 2005, Harden wanted a bigger role elsewhere. With that being said I believe unless the Houston Rockets have other big moves planned going forward, Harden will realize that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. It will be very different for James being the focus of opponents on a nightly basis and I absolutely expect Harden’s shooting percentages (49.1 percent from the field, 39.0 from downtown) to take a dip.

However there is some hope for Rockets fans that Harden can shoulder the bigger load. In the 526 minute sample where James Harden played without Kevin Durant on the court, he averaged an insane 34.7 points per 40 minutes. Harden became much more aggressive off the dribble with Durant out, with his free throw attempts leaping from five per 40 minutes to more than 13 (Bradford Doolittle/ESPN).

James Harden intends on signing a max contract with the Rockets and though I expect his percentages and efficiency to drop, with more minutes he should score more and should build on an impressive 2011-2012 campaign where he averaged 16.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 31.4 minutes. A 20, 5 and 5 stat line should be attainable for “The Bearded One” as the Rockets will need him to perform at an All-Star level if they want to contend for a playoff spot.

Houston Rockets

Feb 15, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard James Harden (13) dribbles against the Houston Rockets during the second quarter at the Toyota Center. The Rockets won 96-95. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Campbell-US Presswire

After years of accumulating assets only to be turned down in numerous overtures for star talent, GM Daryl Morey finally found his guy. Morey was fed up of being in the NBA’s middle class and knows that in this day and age you need stud talent to win in this league. With acquiring Harden, him and Jeremy Lin will surely form one of the most intriguing back courts in the game. Will they be a hype machine that doesn’t produce at all? Will they propel to Rockets to the playoffs? Who knows? if nothing else the Rockets faithful have much reason to be excited for the 2012-13 season and beyond.

I was talking with my brother about it last night and I still don’t understand why the Rockets haven’t been able to get a big-name superstar in recent years. Houston isn’t like Salt Lake City or Cleveland where athletes rarely play there by choice (though money does talk). Its the fourth biggest city in the country so there is plenty to do in terms of nightlife, the women are beautiful by all accounts, there is warm weather year round and no state tax. Add to that a now promising core of Harden, Lin, and Omer Asik along with other young pieces that could turn out to be solid players such as Terrence Jones, Royce White, Donatas Motiejunas, Patrick Patterson, and Marcus Morris the Rockets should be a player in a loaded 2013 free agent class.

I truly respect Daryl Morey’s aggressive nature when it comes to making moves and I believe the Harden acquisition should pay huge dividends, particularly in the long-term. I doubt Morey is done in his quest to add another star talent and when he does, they will be a force in the Western Conference sooner than later.

Grade: A-

Oklahoma City Thunder

Oct 17, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard Kevin Martin (12) rests against the Memphis Grizzlies during the second quarter at the Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Campbell-US PRESSWIRE

I would like to squash one myth before talking about how this trade affects the Oklahoma City Thunder. This is not a sob story about how the Thunder couldn’t “afford” Harden, because if OKC really wanted to they could have signed Harden to a max extension but chose not to. Its debatable whether Harden is worth that money but that is why the games are played and he will have his chance to prove his worth. The Thunder are a marketable and likable team that has made significant money over the past three seasons and have yet to pay the luxury tax. There is a 0 percent chance that owner Clay Bennett will sell this team any time soon because of the revenue they have brought in and will continue to bring in so long as they are a championship contender. The Thunder have a great home court with their fan base that has sold out every game for the past four seasons and have an equally strong bandwagon following. Does that sound like a team that is struggling financially?

While it may be sad to see James Harden leave all of a sudden, the Oklahoma City Thunder fared about as well as they could if they didn’t intend on keeping him after this season. The Thunder elected to maintain financial flexibility, acquiring Kevin Martin who is in the last year of his contract paying him more than 12 million this season and a potential heir apparent at shooting guard in Jeremy Lamb. They also acquired two first-round draft picks and a second-round pick so they can continue to restock their team with young talent. This trade while it may not be received great by the Thunder faithful is a micrcosm of what makes Sam Presti such an excellent general manager.

People forget that Kevin Martin has been one of the most prolific scorers in the league over the past seven seasons. He has averaged 18.4 points over his career and this total is skewed due to limited playing time in his first two seasons. Much like Harden, Martin does a great job getting to the foul line and is a career 86.5 percent foul shooter so he makes defenses pay for fouling him. While he is a sieve defensively and isn’t as proficient initiating the offense, Kevin Martin should be able to match much of Harden’s scoring production and be a welcome addition to the Thunder bench.

Oct 15, 2012; Dallas, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard Jeremy Lamb (1) during the game against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. The Mavericks defeated the Rockets 123-104. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-US PRESSWIRE

The piece that I’d be most excited about as a Thunder fan however is Jeremy Lamb. I liked him a lot coming out of UConn and  the guy can flat out score. He has plus athleticism and has a ridiculous 6’11” wingspan which should be helpful defensively. Lamb shot 47.8 percent from the field last season and scored 17.7 points a night as a sophomore. While I don’t believe he will ever be a first option on a team, he won’t have to playing alongside Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Lamb’s ability to move without the ball should make things easier for the Thunder offense.

OKC made this deal with an eye towards the future and were able to save money while not dropping off significantly in talent. Depending on how well Sam Presti uses the three draft picks he acquired in the deal and I wouldn’t bet against him finding another gem, the Thunder may have made themselves an even more dangerous team in the long term.

Grade: A

• 

  Sep 28, 2012; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks shooting guard O.J. Mayo (32) poses for a portrait during media day at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-US PRESSWIRE

  O.J. MAYO, SG, Dallas Mavericks
  Last season: 26.8 MPG, 12.6 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 14.76 PER
  Mark Cuban and the Mavericks are welcoming some newcomers to Big D this season. While Darren Collison, Chris Kaman and Elton Brand will all be featured on a changed Mavs squad, it’s O.J. Mayo that I expect to be the guy who can make the true difference. After almost two full seasons (120 of 137 games) of coming off the bench for the Grizzlies, Mayo will get a chance to start in Dallas. He went as far to say earlier today that his time in Memphis was a “failure.” Think he has a chip on his shoulder? Until very recently (Championship Tyson Chandler), the Big “D” in Dallas certainly didn’t stand for “defense.” Mayo is considered one of the top perimeter defenders in the league, so his contributions on that end will improve at least the Mavs shooting guard slot. From an offensive perspective, it’s easy to forget that Mayo averaged 18.5 and 17.5 points per game in his first two seasons. He should give be able to give Dirk a boost as a third or even second option.

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  Oct 1, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets point guard Jeremy Lin (7) poses for a portrait during media day at the House of Blues. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-US PRESSWIRE

  JEREMY LIN, PG, Houston Rockets
  Last season: 26.9 MPG, 14.6 PPG, 6.2 APG, 19.97 PER
  Linsanity makes his way back to a very unfamiliar Houston Rockets roster for the 2012-13 season. With a lineup very absent of veterans, one of the biggest questions for the Rockets this year will be if Jeremy Lin can repeat what he did last year for the New York Knicks, especially coming back from a major injury? With a potential starting lineup of Lin, Kevin Martin, Chandler Parsons, Patrick Patterson and Omer Asik, Lin will need to be a carbon copy of what he was in NY for this team to win any amount of games. Martin, a career 18.4 ppg scorer, will be option number one, but Lin will need to be option number two. With some fresh-starting bigs this season, Lin will need to be an even better distributor this time around.

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  May 5, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Memphis Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay (22) reacts after missing a shot at the end of game three of the 2012 Western Conference quarterfinals against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center. The Clippers defeated the Grizzlies 87-86. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

  RUDY GAY, SF, Memphis Grizzlies
  Last season: 37.3 MPG, 19.0 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 17.85 PER
  Rudy Gay is certainly paid like a team’s best player, but with more focus on Marc Gasol (and even Zach Randolph) these days, are we sure he’s even that anymore? Look, I love Rudy Gay and his skill set. When he was rumored to be in talks with Toronto, I was excited that I might get to see him play more than a few times. Now there is nothing wrong with 19.0 ppg, but for Memphis to get over the playoff hump, Gay may have to assert himself even more on both ends of the floor. I may be setting the bar extremely high, as Rudy is already a fine defensive player, but when I see a guy with physical attributes like that, I selfishly demand more. This team has several “stars,” but I want to see Rudy Gay strive to make an All-Star team in the West and become that superstar the Grizzlies need.

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  April 4, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Hornets shooting guard Eric Gordon (10) during the first half of a game against the Denver Nuggets at the New Orleans Arena. The Hornets defeated the Nuggets 94-92. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

  ERIC GORDON, SG, New Orleans Hornets
  Last season: 34.4 MPG, 20.6 PPG, 3.4 APG, 19.23 PER
  Yes, Anthony Davis is an obvious X-Factor for these young Hornets. He will be a defensive monster and likely coast to the Rookie of the Year honor. However, with Davis still lacking some offensive polish, Eric Gordon will be the MAN again to provide the biggest chunk of the points for the Hornets. Having only played in 9 games last season for New Orleans, he’ll also have to work his way back into the chemistry of the team, which has definitely added some new parts in Davis, Ryan Anderson, Robin Lopez and Austin Rivers. Gordon certainly has those intentions and was quoted recently as saying, “I definitely want to be an All-Star this year and play a lot of games, because that’s the only thing that’s been holding me back. It’s all about being a leader and helping the team win games.” I’d count on Eric Gordon having a BIG year.

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  Mar. 27, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard/forward Kawhi Leonard during game against the Phoenix Suns at the US Airways Center. The Spurs defeated the Suns 107-100. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

  KAWHI LEONARD, SF, San Antonio Spurs
  Last season: 24.0 MPG, 7.9 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 16.66 PER
  In a season or two, it’ll be all about the youth movement in San Antonio. Duncan will likely be retiring, Ginobili and Parker will be aging veterans and a new core will have to be formed. That’s why the continued improvement of Kawhi Leonard is extremely important to this franchise. In terms of this season, Leonard’s second, he will see his share of minutes and will be counted on for his efficiency once again. The valuable thing about Leonard is that he doesn’t need to score to be effective. Although I would expect his point average to get up near double digits this season, he’s a terrific defender and when he does score, he does it very effectively (.493%). The Spurs shouldn’t need a ton of “extra,” as they’re successful every season, but an even more dynamic Kawhi Leonard may be enough to deal with the other powers in the West.

While the Houston Rockets have seen moderate success over the past ten seasons, you would be hard pressed to find many teams more snake bitten by bad luck. Between numerous injury problems for superstar players Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming, basketball reasons robbing them of the opportunity to acquire Pau Gasol and being in a perpetual state of basketball hell, it has been tough to be a fan of the Rockets lately.

Daryl Morey for being an incredibly active and creative general manager has not been able to find that superstar piece to play in Houston. He has assembled a nice collection of assets in hopes of acquiring a franchise player but has been unsuccessful, most recently failing to get Dwight Howard though they had perhaps the best package to offer the Orlando Magic. It is quite difficult to compete with teams like the champion Miami Heat, Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers who are all superstar heavy squads without matching their star power. Morey realizes that in this current NBA landscape and though the Rockets project to be a worse team in 2012-2013, building a championship team from the bottom is easier to deal with than being not bad enough to hit the lottery or good enough to be a serious contender.

The Rockets finished 34-32 last season and missed the 8th seed of the Western Conference by 2 games under first year coach Kevin McHale. While Houston remained competitive, they missed the playoffs for the third consecutive season and change was severely needed. Gone from last years team are Luis Scola, Chase Budinger, Marcus Camby, Samuel Dalembert, Goran Dragic and the criminally underrated Kyle Lowry who had an irreparable rift with coach McHale.

Scola was amnestied and later picked up by the Phoenix Suns. Dragic and Camby left as free agents, with Dragic joining Scola in Phoenix and Camby returning to the New York Knicks. Budinger, Dalembert and Lowry were all traded in separate deals in order to gain more assets for a bigger move which STILL hasn’t happened.

Obviously the major acquisition for the Rockets this past off-season was signing restricted free agent Jeremy Lin to a 3-year, 25 million dollar offer sheet that was not matched by the New York Knicks. Lin is one of the more polarizing players in the NBA right now, opinions of him vary from guy that has no left hand and had a lucky stretch to a guy who some believe can be a very good starting point guard. Either way it is important to keep perspective on Lin. The fact of the matter is the man came out of nowhere to have one of the truly great runs the NBA has ever seen. Whether you love or hate Linsanity, the Knicks very likely would have missed the playoffs without him in 2011-2012.

The thing that makes me a believer in Lin is watching the effect he has on teammates. When Lin was running the point under then Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni, his infectious energy and team oriented play was at the time a welcome contrast from the hero ball they were accustomed to with Carmelo Anthony. Though 26 games is a small sample size, Lin averaged 18.5 points and 7.6 assists as a starter and the Rockets are hoping he can have similar success. Its a given Linsanity will be a huge hit in Houston from a marketing standpoint and Morey clearly knows this.

Apr 18, 2012; Charlotte, NC, USA Chicago Bulls center Omer Asik (3) knocks the ball away from Charlotte Bobcats guard Cory Higgins (11) during the second half. The Bulls defeated the Bobcats 100-68 at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-US PRESSWIRE

The other notable acquisition the Rockets made was signing restricted free agent Omer Asik to a 3-year, 25 million dollar deal offer sheet which the Chicago Bulls elected not to match. This was a questionable signing to say the least for the Houston Rockets, any time a guy who averages 3.1 points and 5.3 rebounds a game gets signed to a 25 million dollar contract eyebrows will be raised.

It is important to note that Morey has had a hard on for Omer Asik for years and it is not unheard of to overpay for an athletic center who is a very strong defender. Because the Bulls are in luxury tax territory, it would have been tough to justify keeping Asik to this contract considering he only played 14.7 minutes a night in Chicago last season. In fairness, Asik is only 26 years old and will surely be an anchor for the Rockets defense. He also should be able to learn a post move or two from McHale who is one of the all time great post scorers the NBA has ever seen. Omer has hands of stone but expect him to have some opportunities for easy baskets running pick and roll with Jeremy Lin.

The Rockets also made some noise with in the NBA Draft having the 12th, 16th and 18th overall picks. Jeremy Lamb is a capable scorer with nice athleticism at the shooting guard position. He averaged 17.7 points and 4.9 rebounds as a sophomore at UConn. He will immediately provide depth at the 2-guard position and may possibly end up the starter at some point if the Rockets elect to trade Kevin Martin to a contender. Though Lamb looks like he’s half asleep much of the time, if you aren’t careful as a defender you might become a poster.

July 18, 2012; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Houston Rockets forward Royce White (30) during the first half of the game against the Chicago Bulls at Cox Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

Royce White was selected with the 16th pick and is a do-it-all small forward. He averaged 13.4 points, 9.3 rebounds and 5 assists for the Minnesota Gophers and is also a beast physically, weighing in at close to 260 pounds at 6’8”. He could have very well gone higher in the draft given his talent but teams were scared off by his diagnosis of Generalized Anxiety Disorder explaining his being available at 16.

With the 18th pick, the Houston Rockets selected Terrence Jones. His stats naturally suffered during his sophomore season at Kentucky playing alongside elite freshman Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist but he has an NBA body and is a very well rounded player. Jones could have a Lamar Odom type impact on games, handling the ball, scoring and playing solid defense.

Projected Starting Lineup for the Houston Rockets:

PG – Jeremy Lin

SG – Kevin Martin

SF – Chandler Parsons

PF – Patrick Patterson

C – Omer Asik/Donatas Motiejunas

April 16, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets shooting guard Kevin Martin (12) warms up against the Denver Nuggets before the first quarter at the Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Campbell-US PRESSWIRE

On paper, this is a clear downgrade from last season’s roster. Having said that, sometimes you have to build from the bottom up in order to build a championship caliber squad in the NBA. I think that Daryl Morey is doing the right thing by accumulating young assets while still maintaining cap flexibility to be a player in a LOADED 2013 Free Agency class. Kevin Martin’s contract will come off the books and though he is a very efficient scorer at the shooting guard position, he is very limited in other aspects of his game. He and Jeremy Lin form a nice starting back court and should be entertaining to watch at the very least, even if they struggle greatly on defense.

Chandler Parsons had a solid rookie season, averaging 9.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 28.6 minutes a night and displayed a well-rounded game at the 3. While he should have the starting small forward position to start the season, it would not shock me at all to see Royce White starting before long. Carlos Delfino was also recently signed by the Rockets and should be in line for minutes. Delfino can play the 2 or 3 and should benefit greatly from Jeremy Lin’s drive and kick style with his solid outside shooting.

Patrick Patterson like Terrence Jones is a fellow Kentucky alum who has solid offensive skills and is projected to be the starting power forward in Houston. He is not particularly good on defense or on the boards and could also lose his starting position if Terrence Jones  plays well. Donatas Motiejunas could also see some time at the 4.

It is unclear whether Omer Asik or Donatas Motiejunas will be the starting center in Houston. Motiejunas is a relative unknown being that he has played in the Euroleague and is of Lithuanian descent. However, he is a skilled big man who has nice ball handling skills and can score inside and out. The Rockets have high hopes for him and he could prove to be a very important piece for them down the line. Asik probably should be the starter at the 5 given his defensive abilities, he will be expected to cover up a lot of the mistakes Lin and Martin make and will be asked to be a strong rebounding presence.

Shaun Livingston and Toney Douglas will provide the depth at the point guard position. While injuries robbed Livingston of possibly becoming a superstar at the point guard position he has made himself into a decent role player in the NBA, averaging 5.5. points and 2.1 assists in 18 minutes off the bench for the Bucks last season. Douglas is a streaky shooter and aggressive defender who drew the ire of Knicks fans everywhere last season. Perhaps in Houston he can rebound from the subpar season he had in 2011-2012.

April 22, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Houston Rockets head coach Kevin McHale against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

Overall I expect the Rockets to be near the bottom of the Western Conference in 2012-2013. Kevin McHale is a great teacher of the game and I think we will see some progress from Houston’s younger players but this is not a team that will likely contend for a playoff position. Part of that is by design too so all isn’t bad in Houston in regards to this season. They could end up with potentially two high picks, their own and Toronto’s which they acquired in the Kyle Lowry deal and will have money to spend in free agency.

With possible free agents including Chris Paul, Dwight Howard, Al Jefferson, Andrew Bynum and James Harden, Houston SHOULD be able to sign someone. No state tax, nice weather year round and an active night life are factors that could make Houston an appealing city to play in. Then again this has been the plan for a while now so I completely understand if Rockets fans aren’t trying to hear that.

• 21.8 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 2.5 APG, 3.1 BLK, 1.7 STL
• 51.2% FG, 71.2% FT

In-Prime Statistics:

• Prime = 1985-1997
• 24.7 PPG, 12.1 RPG, 2.8 APG, 3.5 BLK, 1.9 STL
• 51.4% FG, 72.4% FT

League-Wide Awards/Accomplishments:

• NBA Champion – 1995, 1994 Rockets
• NBA Finals MVP – 1995, 1994
• MVP – 1994
• Defensive Player of the Year – 1994, 1993
• Olympic Gold Medalist – 1996
• All-NBA First Team – 1997, 1994, 1993, 1989, 1988, 1987
• All-NBA Second Team – 1996, 1990, 1986
• All-NBA Third Team – 1999, 1995, 1991
• All-Defensive First Team – 1994, 1993, 1990, 1988, 1987
• All-Defensive Second Team – 1997, 1996, 1991, 1985
• All-Star – 1992-1997, 1985-1990
• All-Rookie First Team – 1985
• Named One of 50 Greatest Players in NBA History  – 1996
• Elected to Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame – 2008
• Only player in league history to retire as top ten all-time in scoring, rebounding, blocks, and steals
• Only player in league history to win MVP, Finals MVP, and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season – 1994
• Only player in league history to record at least 200 blocks and 200 steals in the same season – 1989, 282 blocks and 213 steals
• Third player in league history to record a quadruple-double (3/29/1990)

Video Highlights:

• Hakeem Trains Dwight Howard
• Hakeem Trains Kobe Bryant
• “The Dream’s” Greatest Hits
• Hakeem Olajuwon – The Dream Shake
• Hakeem Olajuwon Top 10 Career Plays
• 1995 Finals Top 10 Plays
• 1994 Finals Top 10 Plays
• Hakeem Dominates David Robinson

We now have the official draft order for the upcoming NBA Draft:

1. Cleveland Cavaliers
2. Minnesota Timberwolves
3. Utah Jazz

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1. Chicago Bulls

The Bulls continue to come on strong, led by MVP candidate Derrick Rose (24.9 PPG, 7.8 APG on the season). The Bulls have held their opponents under 85 points seven times in the month of march and have won eight of their last ten.

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Early Wednesday, the New Orleans Hornets, New Jersey Nets, Houston Rockets, and Indiana Pacers agreed on a four-team trade that involves a number of notable personnel moves. Here’s the breakdown of what each team got:

Hornets get: Trevor Ariza (from Rockets)

Nets get: Troy Murphy (from Pacers)

Rockets get: Courtney Lee (from Nets)

Pacers get: Darren Collison and James Posey (from Hornets)

The ostensible winners of this deal are the Pacers, who get the long-awaited point guard in Collison — who’s quite a catch — and the defensively sound Posey. With Collison, Danny Granger, and first-round pick Paul George, the Pacers are developing quite a stock of young talent.

The Hornets make a move to appease Paul, getting rid of his surprisingly talented competition at point guard and adding a seasoned defender and shooter to help the team in the short term. It’s evident now that Paul won’t be going anywhere in a deal, as New Orleans no longer has the safety net of Collison to fill Paul’s absence.

For the Rockets, this move starts to clear up a potential power struggle at the wing position, as Ariza wants to be a top option and Kevin Martin already is. Now there’s no doubt in Houston who the No. 1 scorer is. Lee adds defensive toughness for the Kobe Bryants of the Western Conference, and he showed in Orlando that his shooting can be an asset when he’s a fourth or fifth option.

As for the Nets, this move is all about the future. While the move does a lot to constrict their cap space for this season, Murphy is only a temporary solution at power forward so that Derrick Favors has a year to develop coming off the bench and making spot starts if Murphy can’t play. Furthermore, Murphy’s expiring $11.1 million deal makes the pursuit of Carmelo Anthony next summer more of a viable option.

Dallas Mavericks (55-27, Lost First Round): A-

Dallas once again succumbed to a Western Conference foe a little too early last season, falling to the Spurs in the first round. This summer, the priority for Mark Cuban was to re-sign Dirk Nowitzki, who stunningly opted out of his contract, and the team succeeded. Then they further bolstered their frontcourt by re-signing Brendan Haywood to start at center and parlaying Erick Dampier’s bloated expiring contract into Tyson Chandler and Alexis Ajinca from Charlotte. The Mavericks will, once more, be contenders in the West, even as the roster gets yet another year older.

San Antonio Spurs (50-32, Lost Western Conference Semifinals): A

The Spurs’ window for capturing another title under the reign of Tim Duncan is quickly closing, but R.C. Buford did everything he could to make this year will be a full-scale assault. That started with keeping the big three together, and Manu Ginobili will stick around for another year. Richard Jefferson’s also coming back after opting out of his deal and not finding a bite on the open market — and he’s getting significantly less money, too. They’re also bringing 2007 first-round pick Tiago Splitter over to the NBA this year, and many believe he can be a standout big man from the get-go. Finally, they drafted James Anderson, who can fill minutes at the 3 right away.

Houston Rockets (42-40, Missed Playoffs): B

The Rockets suffered last season in the absence of Yao Ming, who will be back this year — no one’s sure if he’ll play up to his previous standard of greatness, though. Other than that, the Rockets re-signed Luis Scola, who had a great year last year, and Kyle Lowry, a defensive point guard who has the potential to improve. Throw in Patrick Patterson, who many believe is the most NBA-ready prospect in the draft, and Houston will almost definitely be in the playoff picture next Spring.

Memphis Grizzlies (40-42, Missed Playoffs): B-

Although I disagree with the negotiation strategy used by the Grizzlies to lure RFA Rudy Gay back to Memphis, I don’t deny that it was a completely necessary move for the development of the team. Not letting him get away was the best thing they could have done this summer. In addition, they brought in Xavier Henry, a plus shooter, via the draft, so they continue to stockpile the young talent. They might make the race for eight interesting, at least, come April.

New Orleans Hornets (37-45, Missed Playoffs): F

The Hornets had a bad year last season amid injuries to Chris Paul, and they didn’t do anything this summer to remedy the problem, leading to Paul’s distrust in the team and desire for a trade. Darren Collison might be the next big thing, but there won’t be anyone around to help him. The Hornets didn’t add any draft picks, and the only free agents they signed are basically negligible. If Paul decides to quit on this team next season, it could be a brutal campaign in New Orleans.