The Mythology of the 2012/13 Houston Rockets

[Mr. E]

I've noticed around this site, in the media and in conversations with others that there are a lot of misconceptions about our little band of Rockets going into the 2012/2013 season and beyond. Some have even reached Mythical proportions the way that they've been told, re-told and generally accepted as true. This thread is to serve as to both celebrate these myths while debunking them.

Myth: "The Rockets will have half of their salary cap tied up between Lin and Asik in 2014/15"

Reality: As baffling as it seems, this myth is still widely accepted as true amongst many NBA fans despite the hard facts that dispute this. The bottom line is that both Lin and Asik will count for around $8.3mm each against the Rockets salary cap for the next three years. The only way that they could possibly combine for this would be if the NBA were to suddenly drop the salary cap to $32mm in the 2014/2015 season, at which point we would be screwed...as would every other team in the NBA (many much worse).

Why does this myth persist? I think for two reasons: 1) not all followers of the NBA are like us fanatics who pay attention to all of the off-the-court details who may have just heard the headlines of what it would take for the Knicks or Bulls to match and retain Lin & Asik, respectively. 2) I truly think that some people want this to be true because it makes it easier for them to digest the decisions by those players previous teams not to match.



Myth: Chandler Parsons is a Power Forward

Reality: Simple answer: He is not. He is a Small Forward. The evidence is that he played an entire season at Small Forward (very well, for the record). Chandler Parsons is not part of the "glut" at Power Forward. Chandler Parsons is (say it with me) "the starting Small Forward for the Houston Rockets.


Myth: The Houston Rockets are DESPERATE for a superstar

Reality: OK, this one is not a myth. This one is very true. Houston is desperate for that superstar player they have not had in some time. Where this falls into the realm of Mythology is how Houston plans on acquiring one at this point. There are those who erroneously believe that Houston is more than willing to throw every young player and draft pick at some big name player with a large contract with no regard to fit, chemistry or situation. That is blatantly false. At this point it seems far more realistic that Houston has turned it's quest for a superstar inward towards it's young players and the draft picks they are acquiring.

Granted, Houston has proven quite willing to put together packages for players that none of us ever saw coming...but we have also seen that many of the reported "trade offers" from Houston were most likely not very accurate. The closest thing to the truth that we may have in regards to this is: "Houston is willing to trade anyone and anything; but that does not mean that they'll trade everyone and everything (and they'll never trade Motie)"

note - that last part may have been added by the thread author who is an unabashed Motie fan


Myth: Houston is desperate to move Kevin Martin

Reality: I blame all y'all Martin Hates on this board for this one!!! Yes, it does appear that with Houston's current direction that Kevin Martin is the odd man out, and Houston is most likely trying to move him for another player or more youth/picks...but that doesn't mean that they're just going to trade him for the sake of trading him! If Houston doesn't have a good deal involving him by the trade deadline then you haters need to be prepared for a season of Martin, resulting in a large, expiring deal. I do think that it is most likely that Martin is moved this season; but I don't think that Houston is gearing up to run him out of town on a rail like some Rockets fans would like.


Myth: The Rockets gave Jeremy Lin a second deal

Reality: They didn't. Ever. There was only one deal offered. Only one. Any argument otherwise is false.

What perpetuates this myth? I think that it's part of what seems to be a smear campaign against the kid by New York Media and Fans who are still pissed that he didn't sign with them at far below his current market value. Despite all of the bile and hatred nothing changes the fact that there was ever only one deal offered by the Rockets for Lin to sign.


Myth: The Rockets will never deal with the hated Utah Jazz

Reality: As disgusting as we all find this, I've heard the interviews with Morey where he acknowledges that despite the well-deserved hatred Houston fans have for Utah, he would deal with them if the deal was right. I don't want this to be true and may perpetuate this myth myself to sleep better at night.



What other myths are out there?

[LarsV8]

Rockets only won because Jordan retired.

[kam_soluusar]

Point Lars, but we are talking about this year's team.

This has been a confusing offseason, however, it will make more sense when training camp finishes.

Maybe we got lucky. Maybe, Lin IS the superstar we have been desperate to sign.

I said it in some other thread. Houston is going to be very interesting to watch this year. A bunch of youth, guys eager to make the roster, nearly every position is open for court time. A proper length season, isn't the A/S game in Houston this year as well? (I think I know who might start at PG for the West this year. If Asians stay true to their Yao Habits!)

I think McHale might be gone, if our players don't show significant improvement. I am not talking about his W/L ratio, that's probably a given. I am just saying if players don't develop quickly. Just a thought.

Mr.E, I am on your side re: not trading with Utah. EVER!!

Finally, I think this might be a make or break season for Daryl Morey.

[Guy986]

Myth: Lin is chinese.

Reality: Lin is chinese the way Lebron James is African. He is a deeply religious, Harvard educated, American born Christian of Taiwanese descent. He doesn't speak a lick of Mandarin and his favorite food(from what i've heard) is buffalo wing. If he isn't American, nobody is.

[Guy986]

Myth: Kevin Martin is a good ball handler

Reality: He is depending on who you compare him to. I think he might be a bit better than Yao Ming at dribbling. Not completely sure.

[TMACFORMVP]

Myth: Kevin Martin is a good ball handler

Reality: He is depending on who you compare him to. I think he might be a bit better than Yao Ming at dribbling. Not completely sure.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvvAMDrMcO0[/youtube]

If that was KMart, we're looking at a turnover.

[NOODLESTYLE]

Myth: Lin is chinese.

Reality: Lin is chinese the way Lebron James is African. He is a deeply religious, Harvard educated, American born Christian of Taiwanese descent. He doesn't speak a lick of Mandarin and his favorite food(from what i've heard) is buffalo wing. If he isn't American, nobody is.

It would go more like this:

Myth: Lin is a born and raised Chinese National.
Myth: Lin is a born and raised Taiwanese National.

Reality: He is deeply religious, Harvard educated after accepting since Stanford and UCLA or any other D1 school did not offer him a scholarship, Asian-American [this matters in the U.S. at least] Christian that is of Taiwanese and Chinese descent [He has both, not just one]. He can speak some basic Mandarin, even though it isn't much, he can still understand [In public, he tends to introduce himself in Mandarin but that's it] and his favorite foods includes(which he's stated in interviews) is In-N-Out, Sushi, Steak, Buffalo Wings (CCTV interview?), etc. He's just as American as any other kid that was born and raised in the USA but with a highly exceptional background that's become a great story.





SOURCES:


Chinese and Taiwanese being part of his heritage, not his actual Nationality or Citizenship. Heritage not politics.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ2c3rvEJN4[/youtube]

http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/etn/news_c ... id=1331817

"You can call me a Taiwanese basketball player, a Chinese basketball player or just a basketball player," Lin added.

http://blog.chron.com/believeitornot/20 ... ng-advice/

Lin grew up among first and second-generation immigrants at an evangelical body of the Chinese Church in Christ, the Religion News Service reported. He went on to lead the head of the Asian American Christian Fellowship at Harvard and remains a pious athlete even on the NBA courts, where he wears wristbands displaying Christian sayings (They’re made by Lakewood Church members).

http://www.christianpost.com/news/who-i ... tor-69676/

Lin's family attends Redeemer Bible Fellowship, the English ministry of Chinese Church in Christ Mountain View, in the Silicon Valley. His pastor, Stephen Chen, spoke this week to KQED radio station of northern California.
"He (Lin) attempts to play for his God, and to honor Him and glorify Him," explained Chen, who had spoken to Lin just before his breathtaking 38-point game last Friday against the LA Lakers.

Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/who-i ... ozUZAXc.99

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7daS-VU2c1Y[/youtube]



Favorite foods and restaurants (5:40)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvx9io2MdXQ[/youtube]



Something that people don't really talk or overlook about Jeremy Lin is that he's very competitive and has looked to improve and get better.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/philosophi ... ttle-girl/

When I spoke with one of Jeremy’s teammates, Brian Baskauskas, about Jeremy’s high school days, he told me a lot about Coach Diepenbrock’s unorthodox training methods, and about how Jeremy was the last person to be dragged through all the tough training regimen. After his injury, Jeremy in his senior campaign became the hardest working guy on the team, and he was leading the team to work harder and harder. But one pre-injury illustration had to do with Jeremy’s determination to shoot jump-shots instead of set-shots (where your feet stay on the ground) from three-point territory. ”I don’t know if he was just being a punk or if he really thought it was best for him,” said Baskauskas (who was one year older, and the team leader before Jeremy), but Jeremy refused all the encouragement from the coaches and from Baskauskas to practice his set-shots, which he hit at a much higher percentage. And as Jeremy notes here in this testimony, he was 1 for 13 on the season on three-point shots from the top of the arc, prior to the game-winner he hit against Toronto in game 6 of their seven-game winning streak. No wonder Jeremy felt such disbelief that he made the shot.

http://www.bostonherald.com/blogs/sport ... pus/?p=417

Jeremy Lin didn’t become an international superstar overnight because he’s the luckiest guy in the world. Sure, things broke perfectly in New York for him to finally get his opportunity to shine, but plenty of players get similar shots and let them slip away. Lin seized his opportunity because of the work he put in to be prepared for that moment, even though there was no guarantee it would come.

“He had crazy workout regimens this summer,” Harvard senior Oliver McNally said. “A lot of people weren’t doing as much – some of the vets probably in the league – and he was working out crazy. He was pretty open-minded about everything. He was like, ‘I know how the league works. I may not get an opportunity, but I’m just going to put it all into this and see what happens.’ I think he had a better attitude and more positive outlook on everything this year than he did last year.”

McNally’s first exposure to Lin’s work ethic came in the summer of 2009. Both players returned from their Bay Area homes to Harvard a few weeks before the fall semester began to prepare for the upcoming season. Lin was entering his senior season and McNally was preparing for his sophomore year.

It was an eye-opening experience for McNally.

“He goes three times a day, every day,” McNally said. “In the morning he does a basketball skill, like ball-handling or attacking different moves. He’d workout for about an hour and a half. Then he’d go get lunch, and then he’d go lift for an hour or an hour and a half — and it was hard. I did it this summer and it’s very difficult. Then he’d go rest for a little bit and then at night he had a key to the gym and he’ll go get the shooting gun out and he’ll shoot jumpers for a couple of hours. He does it hard and it’s every day. He doesn’t miss a day. He’s not going out and being an idiot. He’s all about getting better and being a basketball player.”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIQJGIkIvog[/youtube]

[Guy986]

Myth: Kevin Martin is a good ball handler

Reality: He is depending on who you compare him to. I think he might be a bit better than Yao Ming at dribbling. Not completely sure.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvvAMDrMcO0[/youtube]

If that was KMart, we're looking at a turnover.

I think you might be right.

[Crackfool]

Myth: The Rockets lost all their players trying to go after Howard.
Truth: The Rockets did not "lose" Dragic, Lowry, Scola, and Budinger. They chose to trade them or let them go in order to acquire assets that would put them in a better position that would either allow them to make a trade for a star player, or build a contending team in a few years down the line. Kyle Lowry wanted a trade, and got the Rockets a guaranteed lottery pick. Luis Scola is over 30 and had 3 more years on his contract. Chase Budinger is a bench scorer, easily replaceable, and is hardly worth more than a mid round pick in a deep draft. Goran Dragic wanted a 4th year player option that would hurt the team's cap flexibility in future years. Also note that all 4 of these players were components on a team that had failed to make the playoffs in consecutive years.

[NCHeels2008]

Looks like y'all have 20 players under contract, am I reading something wrong or does Houston have to cut 5 guys by October 30th and still pay them

[Mr. E]

21 invited to camp so far. several non-guaranteed contracts or low buy-outs. There could likely be a roster-reducing move in the cards.

[NCHeels2008]

so that myth is true

[Mr. E]

No, it's not a myth at all.

I guess that the "myth" about the current state of the roster is that it is cause for concern. Probably the only issues cutting the roster down before some salaries become guaranteed is that they may have to eat some salary (not a big concern for Les), or let someone go whom they'd rather keep (like Lin last season).

[NCHeels2008]

it would just suck if they have to cut someone that has value on the trade market but i think it's safe to say Daryl will call people till he's blue in the face to try and get value back before cutting them

[LarsV8]

Heres your best source of the roster and cap:

http://rockets.clutchfans.net/3181/hous ... p-edition/