The Q and A Podcast 088: Time to Play Catch Up

On today's super-sized episode, DeQuiency and Anthony discuss a myriad of topics that came up during the guys' last "vacation". They include:

Anthony's time as a seat filler for the WWE

Vince's bringing back the XFL?

Who deserves to be fired for the Texans' terrible season: Rick Smith or Bill O'Brien?

Can the NBA surpass the NFL in popularity?

Someone needs to plug in the MLB Hot stove.

And much more.

The Q and A Podcast 080

On today's episode, Anthony and DeQuiency discuss the beginning of NBA Free Agency. The guys break down the Chris Paul trade, the ridiculous light return the Indiana Pacers received in the Paul George deal, and DeQuiency rants on superteams and the irrelevant Midwest.

Quin Talk 01

On today's debut podcast, DeQuiency discuss last night NBA Playoff games. Quin talks about Rajon Rando screwing himself out of millions, the bandwagon fan that is Drake, and why the Clippers' cockiness in Game 1 might cost them the series against the Spurs.

Two Bros Play...Basketball Podcast

Welcome to the debut episode of the Two Bros Play podcast. On today's episode, lifelong brothers DeQuiency and Daniel discuss the NBA. The guys run down their MVP list, the playoff races, and pick the two teams that will make it to the Finals.

The Q and A Podcast 055

On today's episode DeQuiency and Anthony break out the Curtis Blow and start talking a little basketball. The guys discuss Derrick Rose's latest injury, KG's return to Minnesota, grade Dallas' trade for Rajon Rondo, and why LeBron James really doesn't have a shot at the MVP.

The Q and A Podcast 053

On today's podcast, we're bottle popping. DeQuiency and Anthony start off with the upcoming Mayweather/Pacquiao match and what happened to make boxing a dying sport. Afterwards, after weeks of promises, the guys finally talk about NBA Trade Deadline, name their top 5 players right now, and DeQuiency rants about Kevin Durant.

Rockets Review: The Season Shall Be Televised

Courtesy of Houstonpress.com

As a mea culpa for going on vacation right before the NBA season, DeQuiency will be writing weekly updates about the Rockets' season. Now we here at Two Eighty Eight aren't exactly sure how he's going to do this since he doesn't have CSN, but he is the boss so we're going to let him try.

Sorry that there was no column the last two weeks. We here at the Dorsey household were too busy handling the family travel plans for Thanksgiving and the week after we were just super lazy. Apologies. 

So where are we now? 
We're in a good news/bad news situation.

First the good news: last Monday at 6 a.m.,  ROOT Sport Southwest launched in Houston, bringing every Rockets and Astros games to all of Houston and ending the terrible reign of CSN. While I feel awful for the 160+ employees that lost their jobs in the wake of CSN's season bankruptcy, I cannot describe how awesome it feels to not have to pray for a non-blackout national broadcast game in order to watch the team. 

Now for the bad news: the injury bug has hit and hit hard. Terrence Jones hasn't played since November 3 because of a bruised nerve in his leg, and might miss another 3 weeks. Patrick Beverley has been in and out of the line-up with knee and hamstring injuries. No one knows how long Dwight Howard will sit out after missing 9 games and counting following a PRP (platelet-rich plasma) injection on his right knee. And with Isaiah Canaan suffering a sprained ankle last Friday, the Rocket's depth has been severely tested.

And thank God for those bench options. Kostas Papanikolaou looked like the long range shooting 4 that this team needed until he strained his knee against the T'wolves on Friday. Tarik Black and Joey Dorsey (no relation) have both filled in admirably at center for an ailing Howard. Jason Terry's been forced to start the past 4 games and has proved that age is just a number: 16.5 points on 48% shooting/50% 3-pointers.  Two weeks ago, Nick Johnson was down in the D-League dropping 20 points a game for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers; now he's pulling rabbits out of his hat like this:

Last week, I told Anthony that this Rockets team was my favorite team in the past 5 or 6 years even though it looked extremely top heavy. Now they have a proven bench and the confidence to play against any team on any night. More importantly to me, I'll be able to see it. 

Last three weeks: 7-3
For the Season: 16-4

Rockets Review: Viva La Mexico

Courtesy of NBA.com

As a mea culpa for going on vacation right before the NBA season, DeQuiency will be writing weekly updates about the Rockets' season. Now we here at Two Eighty Eight aren't exactly sure how he's going to do this since he doesn't have CSN, but he is the boss so we're going to let him try.

So where are we now? 
Extremely happy that no one came back from Mexico with Montezuma's Revenge.(Although watching James Harden limping on a twisted ankle gave me a queasy feeling). Another column, another winning run, as the Rockets wrap up the week with a 3-0 record with wins over the T'wolves, 76ers, and the cheap-ass Thunder.

Quick tangent: I watched the HOU/OKC game on NBATV last night, and as a fan, there is nothing worse than watching a game and being forced to listen to the other team's broadcast. Every foul on the Rockets was the best call ever and any call on the Thunder is "ticky-tacky" and "absurd". In the third quarter, Thunder PG Sebastian Telfair damn near puts his elbow through Beverley's throat, knocking him to the ground, all while the broadcast team accuse him of flopping. Ugh give me Bill, Matt, and Clyde any day of the week. Now back to our regular column... 

If you have read any of my baseball columns, you know that I am a bit of a believer in sabermetrics. I like to use the numbers to validate what is happening on the field and to predict future performance. 

On offense, the Rockets are 18th in scoring at 98.3 points per game and 20th in Offensive Rating* at 101.7. No team has attempted and made more 3-pt shots per game, 32.4 and 12.3 respectively, while also in the top 10 for free throws attempted (30.1) and made (20.7). They take the fewest amount of long 2-point shots, which NBA describes as between 15-19 feet, at 4.8 per game.  I swear, the Rockets' playbook only has these 4 plays:

• A Harden drive that leads to either a foul, lay-up, or dunk
• An entree pass to Howard that again leads to either a foul, lay-up, or dunk.
• An entree pass to Howard that brings a double-team then 3 or 4 passes around the court that leads to a wide open 3 in the corner
• Harden over dribbling and jacking up a long 3

*Offensive Rating is the number of points a team scores per 100 possessions 

On the defensive side, the Rockets allow the least amount of points per game at 88.9 per and are first in Defensive Rating with 91.5 points surrendered. They are the stingiest team allowing opposing teams to score on only 40.3% of field goals and a ridiculous 28.1% on 3's, both percentages are best in the league. Top 10 in both steals and blocks and....wait a minute....

Hold on....the 3-point chucking, sometimes ball-hogging, foul drawing Houston Rockets are winning games because of DEFENSE? I'm as shocked as you are.

The real question is, can this new defensive shift continue? I'm leaning towards yes; with 3 starters who rate between above-average to excellent defensively (Howard, Beverley, and Ariza), and Harden trying and not looking like this anymore, the sky is the limit. 

Last week: 3-0
For the season: 9-1

Rockets Review: Keep on Rolling

Courtesy of NBA.com

As a mea culpa for going on vacation right before the NBA season, DeQuiency will be writing weekly updates about the Rockets' season. Now we here at Two Eighty Eight aren't exactly sure how he's going to do this since he doesn't have CSN, but he is the boss so we're going to let him try.

So where are we now? 
So is it cheating to say that we are in the same place that we were last week? It is? Oh well; it's my column and I'll cheat if I want to. Last week,  the home team went 3-1 suffering the first loss of the season thanks to the Golden State Warriors. Let's break down the games and I swear to you, these games will get a lot more in depth when I am able to record and actually watch the games. Come on ROOT Sports! 

• Beat the Sixers who are on their way to 0-82.
• Beat the Heat who are when healthy are a 3/4/5 seed in the East this year but definitely not what they once were. 
• Beat the Spurs but since Pop sat Duncan, Ginobili (age) and Splitter (right calf injury), the Rockets basically blew out the B-squad.
• Lost to the high-scoring Warriors squad albeit without Howard (flu-like symptoms) and Jones (brusied right leg)

And that's why I said that nothing has changed  The Rockets won against a team that blatantly trying to lose and a team resting superstars for a play-off run in June apparently, but whatever. They lost to a very good Warriors team but with out 40% of their starting line-up. Their one "legitimate" win was over a Heat team that plays in the horrific Eastern division. One legit win out of six. I'm not saying that the Rockets are not a good team because they are. I'm just saying that the schedule has been a huge help.

@Rachel__Nichols it's early although the game that will magically determine if we are any good keeps getting moved back on us
— Daryl Morey (@dmorey) November 7, 2014

Story of the week:
We are taking a slight detour this week and talking about the Spurs and their habit of resting the older players.


Highlight of the week:

All together now............DAAAAAAAAAAAAMM!!

Last week: 3-1

For the season: 6-1

Rockets Review: Beating up the worst of the worst

Courtesy of Bleacherreport.com

As a mea culpa for going on vacation right before the NBA season, DeQuiency will be writing weekly updates about the Rockets' season. Now we here at Two Eighty Eight aren't exactly sure how he's going to do this since he doesn't have CSN, but he is the boss so we're going to let him try.

So where are we now? 
Thankful to the schedule makers for the easy start and that's it. The Rockets took care of business this week by trouncing the Lakers, Jazz, and Celtics by 18, 11, and 14 points, respectively. No disrespect to those three teams (on second thought, I'm throwing a lot of disrespect towards the Lakes) , but these games were wins at the opening tip. The Rox are a playoff team and teams like that are suppose to beat up on lottery teams especially terrible ones like the Lakers. We'll know more about this teams this week; one more cream puff game against the 76ers tonight, followed by the Miami Heat, the defending champion San Antonio Spurs, and the high scoring Golden State Warriors.

Biggest story
Duh. Fight night in downtown L.A.! Let's get ready to ruuuuuuuuuuuuuumble!

I've watched this video about....oh......20 times and two things jump out every time. First, I can not tell you how much joy it brings to me to watch Beverley, by far the smallest player on the court, get in between Howard and Kobe and push guys away. Coming in second is Kobe yapping "Try me" while snaking away between two Lakers. 

Oh and Kobe? Bro you can't call anyone "soft" while this picture exists on the internet:

Courtesy of LAtimes.com

And because you deserve it, here's another one free of charge:

Courtest of LAtimes.com

Weirdest subplot of the week:
Screw week. This will be the weirdest sight of the season.

Quick tangent: My friend, Raisa, is a huge Rockets fan. She's a hater of Dallas and everything that comes from that cursed city, including Jason Terry. When the Rockets signed Terry, I believe she curled up in the fetal position and cried for about eight hours. This will be a roller-coaster.

Last week: 3-0
For the season: 3-0

The Q and A Podcast 003

DeQuiency and Anthony discuss all the recent moves in the NBA, including LeBron heading back to the Cavs, the Rockets striking out in free agency, and who rules the roost in the Eastern Conference.

Click here to listen

A Handsome Dilemma

Big money for Chandler Parsons brings big problems for the Rockets

Really should have seen this coming. After all, the Rockets have been extremely lucky when it comes to personal decisions the past two years. Between the straight up robbery trade with OKC for James Harden in 2012, then followed by the miracle signing of Dwight Howard in 2013, we fans have been living the good life. Until today. Sigh.

Funny thing is, there really isn't anyone to blame for this situation. As an NBA player, Parsons only has 10-15 years to maximize his earning potential, so reaching for the most money was a no-brainer. The Rockets declined Parsons' fourth year option on his rookie deal in order to A) free up money to chase after free agents this offseason and B) to avoid letting the 25 year old starter become a unrestricted free agent next year. While the Mavericks are doing everything possible to get Dirk another shot at a ring (and if they screw the Rockets in the process, bonus!)

I guess the question boils down to is Chandler Parsons worth the money? Let's check the numbers:

Season	Age	FG	FGA	FG%	3P	3PA	3P%	2P	2PA	2P%	FT	FTA	FT%	ORB	DRB	TRB	AST	STL	PTS
2011-12	23	3.9	8.7	.452	1.0	2.8	.337	3.0	5.9	.507	0.7	1.2	.551	1.4	3.3	4.8	2.1	1.2	9.5
2012-13	24	6.0	12.4	.486	2.0	5.2	.385	4.0	7.2	.559	1.5	2.0	.729	1.0	4.3	5.3	3.5	1.0	15.5
2013-14	25	6.3	13.3	.472	1.8	4.7	.370	4.5	8.6	.528	2.2	3.0	.742	0.9	4.6	5.5	4.0	1.2	16.6
Career		5.5	11.6	.473	1.6	4.3	.370	3.9	7.3	.534	1.5	2.1	.705	1.1	4.1	5.2	3.3	1.1	14.1

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Seems ridiculous huh? Paying a guy who averages 14 and 5 over 15 million a year? Well, time to look at a different set of numbers...

			Salary
Rk	Player	Tm	2014-15 ▾
1	Kobe Bryant	LAL	$23,500,000
2	Amar'e Stoudemire	NYK	$23,410,988
3	Joe Johnson	BRK	$23,180,790
4	Dwight Howard	HOU	$21,436,271
5	Chris Paul	LAC	$20,068,563
6	Deron Williams	BRK	$19,754,465
7	Rudy Gay	SAC	$19,317,325
8	Kevin Durant	OKC	$18,995,624
9	Derrick Rose	CHI	$18,862,875
10	Blake Griffin	LAC	$17,674,612
11	Carlos Boozer	CHI	$16,800,000
12	Zach Randolph	MEM	$16,500,000
13	LaMarcus Aldridge	POR	$16,006,000
14	Marc Gasol	MEM	$15,829,688
15	Brook Lopez	BRK	$15,719,063
16	Russell Westbrook	OKC	$15,719,062
17	Kevin Love	MIN	$15,719,062
18	David Lee	GSW	$15,012,000
19	Eric Gordon	NOP	$14,898,938
20	Roy Hibbert	IND	$14,898,938
21	James Harden	HOU	$14,728,844
22	Tyson Chandler	DAL	$14,598,888
23	John Wall	WAS	$13,701,250
24	DeMarcus Cousins	SAC	$13,701,250
25	Paul George	IND	$13,701,250
26	Al Jefferson	CHA	$13,666,667
27	Josh Smith	DET	$13,500,000
28	Nene Hilario	WAS	$13,000,000
29	Andrew Bogut	GSW	$12,972,973
30	Rajon Rondo	BOS	$12,909,091
31	Derrick Favors	UTA	$12,833,333
32	Tony Parker	SAS	$12,500,000
33	Serge Ibaka	OKC	$12,350,000
34	Andre Iguodala	GSW	$12,289,544
35	Joakim Noah	CHI	$12,200,000
36	Nikola Pekovic	MIN	$12,100,000
37	David West	IND	$12,000,000
38	Kevin Garnett	BRK	$12,000,000
39	Al Horford	ATL	$12,000,000
40	Nicolas Batum	POR	$11,765,500
41	Ty Lawson	DEN	$11,595,506
42	Andrea Bargnani	NYK	$11,500,000
43	DeAndre Jordan	LAC	$11,440,124
44	JaVale McGee	DEN	$11,250,000
45	Larry Sanders	MIL	$11,000,000
46	Danilo Gallinari	DEN	$10,854,850
47	Tyreke Evans	NOP	$10,763,500
48	Stephen Curry	GSW	$10,629,213
49	Gerald Wallace	BOS	$10,105,855
50	Tim Duncan	SAS	$10,000,000

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Now those numbers tell a completely different story. You would much rather pay an up-and-comer like Parsons than retreads like Rudy Gay, Tyson Chandler, or Andre Bogut. Or talented knuckleheads like Josh Smith, DeAndre Jordan, JaVale McGee, or Larry Sanders. And while Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook are obviously more talented, do you really trust them to stay upright for 82 regular season games plus playoffs? I don't.

Last set of numbers, I promise you. Last Wednesday, the NBA announced that the salary cap and the luxury tax threshold for the upcoming year will be at all-time highs. More money in the pot equals bigger contracts for the middle class of free agents. $46 million over 3 years (with a player op-out after year 2) may seem like an overpay now, but trust me it could have been much, much worse.

Is Chandler Parsons a great player? No not yet, but he definitely has room to grow into an All-Star and third best player on a team with champion aspirations. He's worth the contract and the Rockets should not hesitate to match the offer. And besides....

How can you say no to that face?