An Evening with Dream Shake

With the acquisition of Ron Artest, the Houston Rockets have become the popular pick to put their mark on this season and go deep into the playoffs. Generally, history has not been kind to the October media darlings. But the Rockets remain a top team, and Dream Shake is one of their top blogs. SJ has the chance to exchange questions with David Clark, so thanks to both. Until this interview, I had almost been able to quarantine the Clyde Drexler trade in that same dark region of my brain where the Kobe-to-Shaq-two-hands-raised-armpit-hair alley-oop from the 2000 WCF’s reigns supreme. Rest assured, I just gave SJ nightmares.

And now, the answers:

1. From an outsider’s perspective, what are your thoughts on the Blazers this year?

The Blazers have it great this year… they could win the Championship and no one would be that surprised. They could also miss the playoffs and still not ruin any goodwill among their fans. That only means there is no pressure, and young players tend to exceed expectations when there is no pressure. As a Rockets fan, this scares me to no end. I do not expect Oden to have much of an offensive game, and yet – Shaq has survived almost 20 years without having much of an offensive skill set other than “dunk the basketball.” I do wish the Blazers would just give us Steve Blake though. He would help us a lot. I am sorry to hear about the stress fracture to Martell Webster though, he was ready for a breakthrough year. I guess Travis Outlaw gets more opportunities now?

In the end I say the Blazers are the 6th or 7th seed – which should make the fanbase happy.

2. How do you see your matchup with them playing out? What part interests you the most? Any worries?

Playing out? Like beyond 2009? Right now the Rockets have a 1-2 year window of opportunity with Yao, Tracy and Artest. Hopefully we can get two rings out of that deal before Oden, Aldridge, Outlaw, Roy and the rest learn how to play. Good God the Blazers have some scary young talent. I must say I am very anxious to see how Yao plays against Oden. Yao typically has big games against big name centers, he may relish the opportunity to school Oden for a year or two. As for a matchup, I think the Rockets will have the edge this year – the Blazers are still young and may not have the patience to grind it out against a defense led by Artest, Battier and Scola. I’ll be watching every second of every game though… and it will be intriguing on many levels.

Lee and I went a Rockets/Blazers game last year… the one where Brandon Roy forgot how to shoot free throws. The Blazers owned us in the first half. Then they stopped giving the ball to Aldridge for some reason and Roy got re-injured and missed most of the 2nd half. Needless to say, the Blazers could be really, really good if they learn how to play as a team with all that talent.

3. With all the hype surround this team do you consider the Blazers as “better” than the Rockets?

No. At least not this year. (Then again, no one will be better than the Rockets this year, so don’t take that as too much of an insult!) Yao will probably make Pryzbilla and Oden foul out every game this year. But I do like the Blazers’ long-term prospects for the next decade… maybe more than the Rockets’ prospects.

4. If you could grade the Rockets’ off-season, what would you give it?

In July, I would have given them a C- for not being able to solidify the 3rd scorer role and still allowing Rafer and Luther Head to be on the roster. Then the Rockets somehow pulled a fast one on Sacramento and obtained Ron Artest. That moved the offseason grade to an A-. The “minus” is because we got rid of Novak instead of Luther Head (who was graded as the worst player in the entire 2008 playoffs). We also should not forget that the Rockets obtained Brent Barry, drafted Joey Dorsey as yet another big-body PF, and then re-signed Carl Landry. Not bad, not bad at all, Mr. Morey.

5. What excites you most about the Rockets in this upcoming season?

To see how Crazy Pills meshes with Yao and T-Mac. Artest and Yao have to be the two most dissimilar personalities in any NBA locker room. And yet I think they might work perfectly as teammates. I also can’t wait to see how Artest deals with T-Mac’s tendency to have bad body language… does Artest join T-Mac in being moody, or does he challenge him?

6. Realistically, where would you put the Rockets’ ceiling, high and low?

Certainly not low. Even a worst-case scenario likely finds the Rockets in the playoffs. The team can go 14 deep right now, and Adelman will probably run a 10 man rotation to keep T-Mac, Yao and Artest fresh. Add in the fact that Scola, Landry and Aaron Brooks are now beyond their rookie seasons and we could see a whole new level of improvement from our core role players. Best case scenario is 60+ wins and the 1 seed. Worst case scenario is 45-50 wins and the 7th seed. Once the Rockets punch through the glass ceiling formerly known as “the first round” the sky is the limit.

7. Looking at the team from all angles, what is the one thing that worries you about the Rockets?

Whether Rafer Alston can keep it together for 82+ games. Aside from the obvious injury concerns and whether Ron Artest is willing to play nice with others this year, everyone knows that point guard is the biggest “weakness” of the Rockets. If Rafer can find some level of consistency, I will be surprised and stoked. If, on the other hand, Rafer starts the season like he did in November last year, I might just lose it like the principal from Billy Madison.

8. If you were able to be GM but could only make one move, what would it be?

I’d trade Luther Head for Steve Blake. How simple is that?

9. What is the key to the Rockets success this year?

Staying healthy. If the Rockets can get to May with Yao , Tracy , Artest, Battier and Scola all close to 100% – there isn’t a team in the NBA that would be happy to match up with Houston . Not even Utah.

10. Any sleepers we should be aware of?

Aaron Brooks could really break out this year. Being as he’s from Oregon , I’m sure you’re familiar with his college exploits. And while he may be a midget who looks alarmingly like Chris Rock, Brooks can play some basketball. If he learns how to play a competent level of NBA defense, he could be invaluable.

11. How do you feel about Rick Adelman as head coach?

I will always be a Jeff Van Gundy fan and supporter. He got a raw deal getting pushed out as coach. Then again, Adelman did an absolutely phenomenal job in maintaining the defensive intensity JVG brought, while also getting the players to play a more free-flowing offense that made the most of McGrady’s ability to be a play-maker. You can tell by the way the players respond to him that he’s very well respected.

12. With Yao ‘s injury, the record-setting streak (that made everyone forget about the Blazers streak), loss in the first round and acquiring Artest…How much of an emotional roller coaster ride was last year?

It was a manic depressive year to be a fan. From November to late January, the Rockets were a source of nothing but angst and frustration. Even Yao called the team “soft” – and Yao rarely calls out anyone who isn’t named “Chris Kaman.” Then the proverbial light went on (which Lee and I both predicted). The team started playing
MUCH better – and then T-Mac finally bought in to the system. Next thing you know, there’s a historical winning streak (which, by the way, we also predicted. Really.) Then the Utah playoff series happened. And I ended up drinking heavily for a month. I wish I were joking.

13. With the recent streak of losses in the first round….do you almost hold your breath until the post-season starts, or allow yourself to get wrapped up in everything?

I enjoy basketball. Whether it’s pre-season, regular season, the All Star game, or the playoffs. I know the Rockets will more likely than not be a factor in the Western Conference playoff race. Which means I get to pay attention to the more intricate details – who is playing better/smarter; who is getting more opportunities; who is sulking (usually T-Mac). There’s always something interesting with this team. With Artest aboard – I’ll never lack for blogging material again!

14. Ron Artest…is talented but also certified crazy. Was this the correct sacrifice to make before the window closes, or a desperate Shaq-to-the-Suns like move?

Please don’t ever compare Ron Artest to the Fat Ass. Artest plays defense. The Big Aristotle has yet to lead the league in rebounds or block shots. Seriously, look it up – the most physically dominating player of his era *never* led in the two statistical categories that exemplify defense by a center. So, uh, no – I do not think this is a desperate move. The Rockets gave up a rookie who had one good game in a summer league for an all-star who can easily score 20 points a game in a real game. Plus, Artest has respect for Adelman and is in a contract year. If for some unforeseen reason Artest loses his mind, we can trade him as an expiring contract. I just do not see that happening.

15. Favorite Rockets/Blazer memory?

You giving us Clyde . Thanks, by the way.

16. How great was it to watch Hakeem?

Considering I go to YouTube every month just to watch Hakeem own David Robinson over and over… I’m not sure I can truly express how awesome it was to watch Hakeem every season for almost 20 years. I have him (and Robert Horry) to thank for the only 2 major sports championships in Houston history.