With the combination of defensive versatility (Battier and Artest were Second Team All-Defense that year), size and shooting, it’s not hard to imagine a world where they could have made life difficult on the the Kobe Bryant, Paul Pierce, and LeBron James’ of the world.Īny counterpoint of “what could’ve been” starts off by acknowledging that T-Mac was already on the wrong side of, I can’t believe I’m saying this, 28. Obviously this is just fan fiction at this point, but now knowing that these guys would turn out to become valuable role players on title-winning teams makes it bittersweet to reminisce on. He went on to become a multiple-time All-Star on the Toronto Raptors and finally, a champion, in 2019. While Lowry didn't truly start to blossom until two year’s later, he built himself into a sought after commodity in Houston. Artest went on to play a crucial role in the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics the following season, cementing himself as a champion, and somewhat alleviating the stigma around him that followed the Malice at the Palace.īattier eventually turned up on the Miami Heat and went on to become the missing three-and-D wing that truly unlocked the Heatles’ small ball lineup that has become a fixture in today’s game.
#2008 houston rockets roster series
Alston was instrumental in filling in for the injured Jameer Nelson as the Magic made it to their second and most recent NBA Finals’ appearance.īut seriously, between those three, the two stars, and the other contributors (Luis Scola, Aaron Brooks, Carl Landry, Chuck Hayes and VON WAFER), that would have been enough to compose a legitimate playoff rotation.Īfter losing a hard-fought seven game series versus the eventual champion, Los Angeles Lakers, Artest departed for those same Lakers and essentially swapped roles with Trevor Ariza. That’s not even including former Rocket Rafer Alston who was traded mid-season to the Orlando Magic. All three of those players I just named played integrals parts on championship teams.
Now of course the success of this team started and ended with the two All-NBA talents, but when you consider that they also had Shane Battier, (at the time) Ron Artest (formerly Metta World Peace and now Metta Sandiford-Artest) and Kyle Lowry, it’s truly a bummer that injuries washed away that window. Somehow, I ended up on Basketball Reference and that eventually led me to the 2008-09 Houston Rockets page.Īs I scrolled through all of the numbers and names on the page, my first thought was “It’s a shame that Yao and Tracy McGrady couldn’t stay healthy.”, but then as I glanced at the supporting cast, my more pressing thought was “WOW! This team would have thrived had they had more time together.” So there I was, randomly stumbling upon Yao Ming highlights the other day, and as you probably have experienced, just one video on YouTube can quickly lead you down a click hole.
0 kommentar(er)
