FanHouse BobbyJackson

In an NBC Philadelphia piece, one Timothy Parker lays out a case that the NBA stinks because guaranteed contracts and cavernous arenas have erased the presence of heart, hustle and excitement.

Instead of a point-by-point refutation of Parker's points (which would just bore everyone), I'd like to provide a counter-example to the writer's thesis. I'd like to tell you about Bobby Jackson and ask how he fits in this pessimistic view of the crushed NBA spirit.

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.

Trevor Ariza is one of six NBA players who have come out of Westchester High School in Los Angeles. In this video, he talks about his days at Westchester, where he won two state titles. We also learn that teammate Kobe Bryant visited the school when Trevor was a student, and talk to longtime coach Ed Azzam.

Check out the video after the jump.

One thing the NBA has too many of: swingmen. The D-League is littered with shooting guards and small forwards good enough to play in the bigs, and you'll find most domestic players who end up taking a European payday fall in the swing positions. It is a bountiful position.

The Kings currently have one healthy non-rookie swingman. One. Francisco Garcia strained his calf in the preseason, and will be on the sidelines another week at least. Quincy Douby (a failed point guard, now an Eddie House-style two-guard) twisted his ankle early in camp and has only been back long enough to re-injure himself.

Most recently, Kevin Martin sprained his ankle hard in Sunday's win over Golden State, and he'll be out 7-10 days.

That leaves starting small forward John Salmons and the rawest rookie of them all, Donté Greene, as the only swing players left.

Rookie hazing is as much a part of the NBA fabric as tattoos and the Cheesecake Factory. However, I am having trouble figuring out the rule on how long the hazing has to last.

This pre-season I saw some Rockets vets tell their second year teammates that they were rookies through the pre-season and that the hazing wasn't ending until tip off of the regular season. Then I read this Sam Amick report on second year player Spencer Hawes' in-house classification and became even more confused:

Veteran center Brad Miller has said Hawes must continue with the many humbling rookie rituals until he's logged 82 career regular-season games, the number in one full campaign (he's at 72). But veteran guard Bobby Jackson told Hawes he's free and clear after the first official tipoff of his second season.

Considering Jackson is the elder of the two, Hawes was asked if he should tell Miller that Jackson's ruling stands.

"That's a heck of an idea," Hawes said with a smile.

Oh, what a day it has been.

The Houston Chronicle is reporting that a deal is in place for the Sacramento Kings to send volatile guard forward Ron Artest to the Houston Rockets, in exchange for Bobby Jackson, a first round pick, and an additional player not yet named. Sources suggest it is most likely rookie forward Donte Greene.

When I talked to Daryl Morey at Summer League, I asked him if 90% of the trade rumors were false. He replied "Oh, 100%." I also asked if he felt like the Rockets roster was finished. He replied "We'll see." I guess we have.

The addition is both exciting and puzzling. On the exciting side, this is Morey's first major deal, and possibly the one acquisition to get this team into the championship contention that has so long escaped it. It's puzzling because the Rockets already have a defensive guard forward, and an excellent one in Shane Battier. This now brings the possibility of a Tracy McGrady, Artest, Battier, Luis Scola, Yao Ming lineup. And that just makes my brain hurt.

For the Kings, if the Lakers weren't going to take Kenny Thomas (woof), they weren't going to take Kenny Thomas (woof). The Kings wanted a shooter guard, a slasher wing, and a draft pick. They got it. They could have gone for the homerun big star, but they're looking at their long-term cap flexibility. The Kings are going to be considered the "losers" in this trade, but if you analyze the different goals of both teams, it's a win-win.

The Tru Warier and the Dynasty. Get your tickets.

In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the Rockets-Jazz game tonight.

1. Home Is Where The Last Stand Is: Let's make this clear. Yes, Utah won Games 1 and 2 in Houston. But that was the old new Houston. This is the new new Houston. With Alston back, a nothing-to-lose attitude, Tracy McGrady resembling an actual player of substance, and a rotation starting to click again, a loss tonight in Utah for the team with the best home record would be an absolute disaster for the Jazz. There seems to be a prevailing current that this is a mere formality. Maybe I'm tempered by some anti-statutory-rape feelings. Maybe I'm tired of kicking dirt on the Rockets and promptly having their hand shoot out of the ground and attack me. Or maybe it's because all season long I've had the same feeling about this Jazz team. Good. Not great. And very succeptible to a hot team. A game seven would be nightmarish pressure for the Jazz, much the same way the Rockets felt (and whithered under) pressure last year in Game 7. The Jazz have to end this, tonight.

2. Bench Evaporation: An excellent article out of the Salt Lake Tribune today brought up an excellent analysis about the Jazz bench: it's completely evaporated. Jerry Sloan is a pretty tight-reined coach. He's not going to let a lot go by. So if you're out there and you're not producing, he's going to yank you. Especially in a series as tense as this one has gotten. But if you're not playing, how do you work out of your slump? The Jazz need to be a force on the boards and on the perimeter. Paul Millsap and Kyle Korver can go a long way in that direction. They need to step it up tonight to end this.

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded NBA Correspondent, brings his exclusive NBA reporting to FanHouse. Check back here regularly for more videos.

In this video, Lakers star Derek Fisher shares with FanHouse something few people know about his pregame routine. Around 2:05 into the video a veteran NBA Pastor tells us how faith saved his life.


AOL Video link. Youtube link.

In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the Jazz at Rockets game tonight.

1. Bueller? Rafer?: So much for the speed of Aaron Brooks. Brooks' size was insufficient to deny Deron Williams and his passing lanes, and Bobby Jackson looked like he might as well have been wearing clogs against Williams. Rafer Alstonis not supposed to play tonight, and that could mean more T-R-O-U-B-L-E for the boys in red. The big problem is that with Steve Francis long ago put on the shelf, and Rafer still doubtful, the Rockets have no one with the skills necessary to guard Deron. They jump directly from inept guards to tall forwards. So they are limited in what they can do. And with the way the Jazz are spacing the floor, a trap is just too risky. The Rockets can't stop Deron, they can only hope to contain him.

2. Will The AK Firing Continue?: The big question on everyone's mind in this series is if Andrei Kirilenko will continue the kind of shooting that he displayed on Saturday night, scoring 21 points on 50% shooting. He torched the Rockets with everything from the outside games to the post and mid range jumpers. And all of this while holding Tracy McGrady to 20 points on 7 of 21 from the field. It's probably too much to ask for this every night from Kirilenko, but even if he only performs like this twice more, that could likely be the difference.

It's like a liveblog, but not! Here's what one blogger saw during the electric battle for first place Sunday afternoon.

First Quarter
Mike Breen! Jeff Van Gundy! Yeah! Mark Jackson? ... Seriously though, JVG calling the Rockets is an added joy for this season.

Actual caption* for the photo to the right: A young Houston Rockets fan is offered as a human sacrifice in exchange for a 22nd straight victory by a possibly misguided parent during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on March 16, 2008 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.

Nothing tickles my corkles like a good BEAT L.A.! chant.

The finger wag will not wait! Dikembe Mutombo's first block comes 55 seconds into the game.

Breen just accused Luis Scola of a flop. But the fanatics among us know an Argentine would never ever exaggerate contact to get a call. Never.

This has already been one of the most active trade deadlines in recent memory, and the Hornets, despite sitting pretty as the current No. 1 seed, didn't want to miss out on any fun. They didn't shake up their roster by adding a Jason Kidd or a Shaquille O'Neal or a Pau Gasol, but they are on the verge of making a smaller move that will nonetheless improve the team, sending Bobby Jackson to the Rockets for Bonzi Wells and Mike James.

Check out Jonathan Feigen's article in the Houston Chronicle for the fine print -- the Rockets are also getting rookie guard Adam Haluska, as well as the right to swap second-round picks -- but the real gist of it is that the Hornets will be adding some much needed depth while the Rockets are gaining a bit more salary flexibility. This deal is all but official -- it's just waiting the league office to open and grant it's stamp of approval.

This isn't just a straight salary dump for the Rockets -- Jackson does have some game left, and it helps that he's familiar with coach Rick Adelman from their time together back in Sacramento's heyday. But from where I sit, the Hornets are getting the better end of the deal. Both James and Wells are underrated reserves capable of making an instant impact on both ends of the court, especially with a needed change of scenery. Plus, they both have playoff experience, which will be important not only in the actual postseason but also in the stretch run as the Hornets try to hold off the five other teams within three games of their top seed.