Texas Two Step: An Alternate NBA History (NBA2K20)

[trekfan]

Re: Texas Two Step: An Alternate NBA History (NBA2K20)

Mitchell is a good agent, glad he kept Scottie's trust.

I love the format of this in a retrospective, telling stories like in a past news article format.

Bless you sir, I really have enjoyed this retrospective look back format; one of the things I took away from Pearlman's incredible work is just how engaging this format is and how easy it is to take a sidetrack, explore something, and end up back on the main narrative.



And J-Dog Mitchell will earn himself some more clients in the future thanks to the way he handled Scottie's situation -- he's not on track to found a superstar agency, but his actions here impress stars in the future.

[trekfan]

Re: Texas Two Step: An Alternate NBA History (NBA2K20)


Ch. 6

The trade heard round the (NBA) world involved some other people that we would be remiss in not talking about, and among those would be one Horace Grant. The oft-forgotten third-piece of this trade, Grant was more than just spare parts tossed in to make things work; he was valued by Nate Hale and the front office.

“I had high, high hopes for Horace Grant,” said Hale. “Everyone was ready to sell low on him after that Cleveland series and you could understand that; it wasn’t a pretty series.”

That was putting it kindly, as Grant himself would admit. “Oh, I played like *hit that series,” said Grant. “No way I should have been so bad, but I just got out-played by my opponents. It really was simple as that.”

Grant’s feelings on his departure from Chicago were much more measured than Pippen; Grant was unhappy about it but he got it. Always a calming presence, Grant wasn’t known for emotional outbursts or swinging wildly from one end of the spectrum to the other. He was a player who did his work, had his highlights, flashed a winning grin, and was easily identifiable on and off the court.

That was both Grant’s greatest strength and weakness; he was a player who plugged holes (rebounds, points, good defensive rotations), but wasn’t someone you could slap on a poster and sell as the guy. Grant’s role as a third option seemed to fit him perfectly and it did, to a great extent, though it did wear on Grant.

Like water dripping onto a rock for years on end, Grant was slowly — very slowly — growing a bit frustrated with being the third option.

“I thought I could be the second guy at least and I told Hale that the first time we talked,” said Grant.

After Hale failed to reach Pippen initially, he called up Grant and the two had a pleasant conversation — Hale was a big fan, having enjoyed Grant’s college career at Clemson. He thought Grant was a piece the Bulls undervalued and told him as much; it was something Horace Grant needed to hear. Finally, someone was recognizing that he could be more than just the guy behind the guy behind THE guy.

Once Pippen was found, Grant and he would arrange to meet in Houston and go house shopping; more than that, Grant wanted to catch up with a teammate he considered a close friend. He had given Pippen his space after the Cleveland series, but now the two needed to get on the same page. Michael Jordan had unloaded them like they were dead weight; they needed to prove that Jordan and the Bulls had made a mistake.

While the two newest Rockets were shopping for houses, a former one was looking to sell — and still couldn’t believe he had to. Sleepy Floyd, the former Rockets point guard, had arrived in Houston in December of 1987 to much acclaim; the player had averaged 21.2 PPG and 10.3 APG the previous year with Golden State and he was looking forward to teaming up with Hakeem Olajuwon and getting a title.

Instead, he watched as the Rockets went nowhere and watched his own play suffer; the entire offense went through Olajuwon — Floyd would barely get his shots in and his stats dropped precipitously. Still, being in Houston had many benefits; for one, the tax laws were much laxer, allowing Floyd to retain more of his money. Secondly, the city itself was growing, becoming more diverse, and had a thriving nightclub and hip-hop scene.

“It really was a fun place to live as a basketball guy,” Floyd said many years later. “You didn’t lack for things to do; for some guys, that would be a problem, but for me it kept me engaged. Basketball players are just like any other people, they need a break sometimes, somewhere to go and have fun; there was lots of fun in Houston.”

When word had gotten out that Olajuwon wanted to be traded, Floyd wasn’t surprised — the big man had become increasingly frustrated with ownership, management, and even his own teammates. Floyd was, unlike many in Houston, looking forward to seeing Olajuwon go — with the center gone, the offense could finally use his skills to their fullest potential. Sleepy Floyd had dreams of all-star berths and resurrecting his reputation as one of the league’s best scorers.

Instead, he got blindsided by the Rockets when they included him in the trade and sent him — of all places — to Washington.

Floyd was stunned. Washington wasn’t a place he wanted to be (despite playing at Georgetown for four years), but they were willing to offer him a contract extension, sight unseen — so, Floyd went.

“Honestly, the money was the reason,” said Floyd. “I didn’t particularly enjoy the idea of playing for Washington — hell, they had just renamed their team to something pretty *hitty.”

The Washington Bullets had indeed renamed themselves to the Washington Wizards — and the origins of that trace themselves back to that night in Miami. The owner of the now Wizards, Abe Pollin, had broached the topic with David Stern entering the 1989-90 season; increasingly, Pollin had grown uncomfortable with the Bullets nickname — the crime rate was rising in DC, as well as the homicides, and the violent overtones of the nickname clashed with the ideals Pollin wanted his organization to represent.

When Stern died that night in Miami, it was a result of a coked-up 20-year-old kid, on the run from police after shooting another man — the car hit Stern and ended his life, but the car wasn’t the original inciting incident; it was a gun and some bullets.

“Pollin was resolved to end the Bullets nickname then and there,” recalled NBA columnist Sam Gray. “He couldn’t look at that team and not remember why Stern had died.”

With the owners deciding at the winter meetings to make Nike their new uniform provider, everything seemed to line up perfectly for a change. Pollin wanted it done as soon as possible — Nike, thankfully, had plenty of ideas. Pollin and a small group of people, including some players from the team, debated on many names, but eventually settled on ‘Wizards.”

“It was a compromise name,” said Gray. “Everyone had their favorites, but the Wizards were really no one’s favorites — everyone’s second choice, really, but it was a relatively inoffensive name. Just boring, really.”

Nike convinced Pollin to keep the red, white, and blue uniform colors (tweaking the shades slightly) and the Wizards were officially revealed a week before the delayed 1990 NBA Draft. The reveal generated … apathy? Silence? It really generated nothing. The players shrugged, the fans weren’t pleased but ticket sales were still strong, and when the Wizards traded for former Georgetown star Sleepy Floyd, enthusiasm for the team surged.

These weren’t the same Bullets, but those same Bullets had been ineffective for years; the team now had a legitimate point guard, someone who could score at will, and the new uniforms were snazzy. In the eyes of Abe Pollin, things were going well.

Pollin and his organization would conclude a few years later that things indeed hadn’t gone well.

[kibaxx7]

Re: Texas Two Step: An Alternate NBA History (NBA2K20)

Just leaving a comment to say that I'm so happy to see you back, trek. I'm saving some time this weekend to read everything. I know it's going to be superb.

[RMJH4]

Re: Texas Two Step: An Alternate NBA History (NBA2K20)

I had a feeling Hakeem was going to Chicago! Going to be super interesting! Another chance in Houston for Scottie too is gonna be a great watch!!

[trekfan]

Re: Texas Two Step: An Alternate NBA History (NBA2K20)

Just leaving a comment to say that I'm so happy to see you back, trek. I'm saving some time this weekend to read everything. I know it's going to be superb.

Thank you, good sir -- I look forward to seeing your thoughts. I'm happy to be back.

I had a feeling Hakeem was going to Chicago! Going to be super interesting! Another chance in Houston for Scottie too is gonna be a great watch!!

Yes, Hakeem to Chicago just made too much sense storyline wise; I wanted to see Scottie back in Houston in a different situation (that entire Hakeem-Barkley-Pippen big three never really gelled). I feel like Pippen never really had a team of his own -- between his Bulls stint (and his 18 months being the lead dog of the Bulls when Jordan retired after the 93 Finals) and his brief run with the Blazers, we never saw a prime Pippen command a squad of his own.



Scottie was always the second guy, or compared to the former first guy, or a big piece of a larger puzzle ... here, he has a chance to be THE guy and the results are fun.

[trekfan]

Re: Texas Two Step: An Alternate NBA History (NBA2K20)


The SI 1990 NBA Draft Recap
By Sam Gray

The NBA is in the midst of one of its greatest eras in recent memory and welcomed in new blood into the league once more, not just in terms of players but also teams. Picking for the first time in franchise history, the Pelicans, Raptors, and Grizzlies entered the league and they get the benefit of not having to worry about rookies bolting in three years time thanks to the new CBA (which kicked in this summer and salary locks rookies to sane four-year deals).

The league did business in this new environment for the first time ever with this draft and, at least for the first pick, everything went according to script.



At the top, the Rockets went against the grain just a tad and picked up Gary Payton, the fierce PG out of Oregon State. Payton instantly becomes the starter at PG for the Rockets, who are looking to get younger after a disappointing season last year with Sleepy Floyd manning the point. With Hakeem now in Chicago after the losing season, it’ll be up to Pippen and Payton to right the Rockets.


2nd overall, the the Heat didn’t wait long to announce Coleman as the pick. The best big man in college last year, Coleman slipped a little and gets to enjoy living in Miami. Coleman was widely expected to be picked first all year long, but the combine brought that wisdom into question when he showed up a bit out of shape; his work ethic will be scrutinized in Miami and the young franchise needs him to hit for any chance at being competitive.

3rd overall, LAC opted for swing-guard Kendall Gill. Gill is a scorer, through and through, and should provide a burst of offense for a Clippers team that routinely had their offense stuck in the mud; with Gill involved, the Clippers are hoping to position themselves as a young team that, at the very least, will be interesting.

4th overall, the Raptors, in their first draft, take a big man in Antonio Davis. Davis played well in his time in college but got into some legal trouble prior to the draft (a DUI); his status for the season is questionable but Toronto believes Davis will be ready to play. The Raptors, playing in the East, know that there are many talented bigs there that they’ll need to defend against and Davis’ defense is his biggest draw.


5th overall, the Pelicans make their first ever draft selection — and that was foreign star Toni Kukoc. Kukoc is highly regarded overseas but in the states, he’s questioned; is he tough enough? Skilled enough? Is he competitive enough to hang with NBA players? The Pelicans believe he is and are working on bringing him over. Should he arrive this season, NOLA may find themselves with a franchise building block.




6th overall, the Grizzlies select their first ever draft pick in Lionel Simmons. Simmons is an instant offense, stat-sheet stuffer. The “L-Train” is an ideal building block for Memphis, who need someone exciting to draw in fans. Simmons should provide that and more; the concern with him is whether or not he can grow his game as in college he rarely took threes and even more rarely made them.

7th overall, the Hornets selected big man Tony Massenburg. Massenburg is a big man, a burly battler of boards, and someone who should inject Charlotte with a big dose of toughness. He’ll shore up their rather weak frontcourt, but questions surround his shot selection; despite playing inside and living in the paint, Massenburg has a tendency to fall in love with the post-fadeaway shot, a shot that works better in college than in the pros. Charlotte will need to encourage him to throw some elbows and go up strong inside if he’s going to be a long-term solution for them.

8th overall, the Kings select Dennis Scott. Scott can score in bunches and provides ideal size for a wing spot; he’ll join a team struggling to forge an identity as the pick of Pervis Ellison (last year’s 1st overall selection) looks to be a huge bust after an injury-riddled rookie season. Scott is one piece for a team that needs many — don’t expect Sacramento be out of the lottery anytime soon.

9th overall were the Knicks. New York had a massively disappointing season, resulting in a new head coach and a new GM; they drafted Will Burton. Another wing in New York, Burton brings size, defense, and a knack for picking his spots — nothing bad about that, but also underwhelming for Knicks fans, who booed the selection heartily. New York is standing on a precipice, teetering between contender and cellar-dweller; they need Burton to hit.

10th saw the Magic take Felton Spencer, the best center in the draft. Spencer is a big who enjoys doing the dirty work — rebounds, defense, and loud putbacks. Spencer isn’t exactly a flash pick (something the Magic lack so far in their young franchise history) but he fills a need and should prove to be a productive piece for the young franchise.



At 11, the Bullets selected Causwell. Washington had need for a young center after cycling through a bunch of unremarkable (and depressing) veteran options last year; the Wizards aren’t exactly going to win any awards for this pick, but considering that they were only a few wins outside of the playoffs (four games short) and finished with a winning record, Causwell may be just enough to get them into the postseason.

At 12, the Sonics selected Cedric Ceballos. Ceballos is a scorer and a capable defender, though where he’s going to find time to do either in Seattle is another question altogether. Already with a deep roster of wings, Seattle is selecting Ceballos to hedge their bets or trade him for help somewhere else.

At 13, the Hawks selected troubled two-guard Recasner. Like Davis in Toronto, Recasner currently has legal troubles to get through and may not be available to start the season; Atlanta is betting he can be a key bench piece to help get them into the playoffs. Much like the Bullets, the Hawks finished at 42-40 but were shut out due to the brutal competition of the East.

At 14, the Spurs select Scott Williams — San Antonio finished outside of the playoffs as well at 46-36, two games short of a postseason berth. Where they were hurt was because of a lack of depth behind Terry Cummings (a free agent this summer) and Robinson. Williams should solve that problem easily and could be the heir-apparent to Cummings, should the big man leave the team.

At 15, the Jazz pick Dee Brown. A hugely gifted offense player, Brown should be an instant upgrade to the Jazz’s bench (one of the more average benches in the NBA last year) and give John Stockton some valuable rest down the stretch of a long season. Brown is a good piece and someone Jerry Sloan should enjoy putting to work; if he ever learns to play average defense, he could be a starter in this league.



The most interesting pick here is PF Elden Campbell. Campbell should be a valuable backup in New Jersey and could replace Sam Bowie (a free agent this summer) at center. New Jersey got punished in the playoffs by Boston for their lack of size off the bench and this pick is a direct answer to that problem.



At 24 the Cavs selected PG/SG Tate George. George projects as a valuable guard off the bench, playing the one or two for Cleveland. With a good dose of defense and the ability to make plays for others, George is an ideal complimentary piece for Cleveland to develop.



The final pick of the first round went to the Pistons, who select Negele Knight. Knight is the type of guard Detroit likes; smart, hard-working, and someone who plays well within their role. Detroit, coming off a title, has a number of key bench players as free agents and Knight’s selection here is insurance in case of any big losses.

[trekfan]

Re: Texas Two Step: An Alternate NBA History (NBA2K20)


1990 Free Agency Recap
By Sam Gray



The moratorium period is over and the NBA is back to business, in a league reshaped by multiple offseason moves. As the league negotiates the new CBA, salary cap, and trade rules, these teams dipped their toes in the water and are hoping they made good deals.


Let’s go over the major signings — good, bad, or ugly:


SG Brian Shaw/PF Tom Tolbert to CHI — Good. The Bulls had a disappointing exit from the playoffs last year (Round 1 sweep against the Cavs) and that resulted in the biggest trade of the offseason (Hakeem for Pippen/Grant/1st rounder), which effectively froze the trade market in fear; uniting Jordan and Hakeem on one team might make the Bulls a lock for a Finals run. Bringing in Shaw and Tolbert, while not nearly as impactful, is important as both players are young and versatile.

PG Danny Ainge/SG Dennis Johnson/C Bill Cartwright/SF Purvis Short to BOS — Good. The Celtics had a great year last season as Bird and McHale both looked healthier than they had in a few seasons. Boston bringing back Ainge and Johnson has a very “get the band back together” feel, and adding in veteran (and former Bull) Cartwright is a savvy move. Add in Short (who was very good off the bench with MIL last year) and Boston is prepped for a deep run if they can stay healthy and avoid Chicago long enough.

PG Scott Brooks/C Andrew Lang/PF Danny Ferry to MEM — Good. Memphis will enter their first NBA season with a solid team, though unspectacular, and each of these signings are solid; the players are young, the contracts manageable. Brooks and Ferry were two gets that were unexpected, as both their former teams seemed interested in retaining their services but Memphis worked out a deal to get them, showing that they’re not afraid to spend money if they find someone they like.


SF Derek Smith to CHA — Ugly. Smith was a backup on Philly last year but apparently did enough to convince Charlotte to overpay him on a 3yr deal. The Hornets are desperate to look better than last year, but they traded a near 20 PPG player (Kelly Tripuka) in for Smith, who only averaged 9 PPG last year. It’s gonna be a long three years in Charlotte.

SF Alex English to UTA — Good. English put up 24.9 PPG last season as the starter for the Nuggets (who finished with 48 wins) and he’ll add a much needed burst of scoring to the Jazz’s usually effective (but boring) offense. The one concern is how well English will hold up, as he’s 36 and at that age all it takes is one injury to end a career.

SG Vernon Maxwell to SAC —Bad. The Kings continue to look like a team with no direction, too many bad contracts, and little hope. Maxwell brings intensity, defense, and shooting, but that won’t get the Kings too far.

C Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to LAL — Good. Kareem, a year after retiring, was convinced to come back for the Lakers as LA saw what happened in Chicago and responded by bringing back a legend. A year off may have been exactly what Kareem needs as he splits time with Divac at C; the question is whether or not Kareem can make it through the season at his advanced age (43 and counting).

SF Sam Perkins to DAL — Good. Dallas didn’t do too much as the Mavericks, winners of 60 games last year, brought back Perkins to help them get back into the playoffs and get deeper. Dallas wants a title badly, especially with their new ownership.

PG Mo Cheeks to NJ — Good? New Jersey didn’t exactly need Cheeks, but with the Spurs waiving him and the Nets wanting a more veteran presence at point, Cheeks made too much sense to pass up. Cheeks isn’t flashy, but he can get the ball to people and keep the game from getting away.

SF Kelly Tripucka to DEN — Good. Denver watched English leave them for a rival, but grabbed someone to replace most of his point production in Tripucka, who averaged 19.8 PPG last season. With Adams, Lever, and Tripucka on the floor, Denver will have plenty of offense, though defense remains optional for the former ABA squad.


SG John Starks/PF Chris Dudley/SG Vinny Del Negro/PG Danny Young to NOLA — Good. NOLA enters their first season much like Memphis, stacked with solid young players with upside on manageable contracts. Will the Pelicans have any hope of cracking 20 wins? Unlikely. But New Orleans will get to watch a fun squad learn and grow together.

SF Johnny Newman/SG Lewis Lloyd/PG Haywoode Workman/C Alton Lister to TOR —Good? The Raptors had difficulty convincing NBA players that Canada was worth living in, so they had to go find people who were willing to take their money and be a bit desperate. The biggest red flag (and potential headache) is Lewis Lloyd, who has had drug issues in the past and didn’t exactly look sharp after being reinstated last season. It’ll be interesting to see if Lloyd can stay on the straight and narrow in Canada.

SF Mario Elie/PG Michael Williams/SG Tim Legler/SG Scott Roth to HOU — Good. The Rockets made one of the biggest trades in years earlier in the offseason and have surrounded their new franchise player (Pippen) with solid pieces. Between Ellie, Legler, and Roth, the Rockets will have plenty of shooting and defense, allowing Pippen to roam the floor and take what he wants … assuming Pippen’s playoff no-show was a fluke (what Houston believes) and not a sign of things to come (what Chicago and Jordan believes).

PG Darnell Valentine/SF Thurl Bailey to SA — Good. The Spurs just missed the playoffs last year and opted to get younger at the point (signing Valentine) and bring in good SF depth in Bailey (former Jazz member) to help get them over the hump. San Antonio has had a quiet offseason compared to the Mavs and Rockets, but the Spurs now possess the best big man in conference in David Robinson — and San Antonio’s path to a deep playoff run will ultimately run through the Admiral.

SF Eddie Johnson to PHX — Bad. Johnson, though a fantastic scorer, is leaky on defense and the Suns needed to find a better balanced wing (someone to play defense) to counter the play of players like Drexler (who demolished them in the WCF). Phoenix overpayed for Johnson and may have learned the wrong lesson from last season’s unexpected deep playoff run.

PF Buck Williams/SG Byron Irvin/PG Steve Alford to POR — Good? The Blazers made the Finals last year with this team, but overpayed to bring back Williams and Irvin. Alford may help their bench PG play (which was abysmal in the Finals), but with the changes the West has seen, is this really enough to make it back to the Finals?

C Benoit Benjamin to GS — Good. Golden State has tasted the playoffs and needed a better big man to counter the looks they saw there. Benjamin (formerly of LAC) will help them withstand the postseason big man play. Benjamin will need to stay healthy to make his deal (4 years) worth it, but if the Warriors can manage to keep him okay, they may have what they need to make a deep run.

[studbucket]

Re: Texas Two Step: An Alternate NBA History (NBA2K20)

With Coleman on the Heat, this makes me fascinated for where Larry Johnson, Dikembe Mutombo, Kenny Anderson, Steve Smith, Shaq, Alonzo Mourning, Chris Webber, and Penny Hardaway will end up the next few drafts. What weird mixes of players and teams will we see? Will we get the crazy frontcourt duo of Derrick Coleman and Shaq in Miami? Will LJ and Zo end up together again somehow?

Also - I am very biased, but Steve Alford to anyone = bad (I lived in Iowa City, going to college there when he was coach for the Hawkeyes. Iowa City is a "big town" - it was an open secret that the guy is a huge jerk and I knew equipment managers who verified this).

[RMJH4]

Re: Texas Two Step: An Alternate NBA History (NBA2K20)

Payton and Pippen finally link up in Houston instead of Seattle!

[trekfan]

Re: Texas Two Step: An Alternate NBA History (NBA2K20)

With Coleman on the Heat, this makes me fascinated for where Larry Johnson, Dikembe Mutombo, Kenny Anderson, Steve Smith, Shaq, Alonzo Mourning, Chris Webber, and Penny Hardaway will end up the next few drafts. What weird mixes of players and teams will we see? Will we get the crazy frontcourt duo of Derrick Coleman and Shaq in Miami? Will LJ and Zo end up together again somehow?

Also - I am very biased, but Steve Alford to anyone = bad (I lived in Iowa City, going to college there when he was coach for the Hawkeyes. Iowa City is a "big town" - it was an open secret that the guy is a huge jerk and I knew equipment managers who verified this).

Yes, there are gonna be some really fun combinations down the line -- I can tell you that history bends towards some new things and some familiar ones (in different circumstances mind you).



Alford being a jerk doesn't surprise me in the least.

Payton and Pippen finally link up in Houston instead of Seattle!

Indeed, Payton and Pippen are together at last -- two of their generations greatest defenders now on the same team. These two are a fun combination.

[trekfan]

Re: Texas Two Step: An Alternate NBA History (NBA2K20)


Ch. 7

The 1990 NBA Draft wasn’t full of many surprises, least of all for the Houston Rockets. While some believed Derrick Coleman to be the best player in the draft, the Rockets went and selected Gary Payton out of Oregon State; it was a draft pick that Nate Hale made not only because it made sense (Houston needed someone at PG to replace Sleepy Floyd) but also because it would set a tone. Gary Payton was a tough competitor and had attitude.

“I loved Gary’s competitive fire, his defensive chops, and his ability to lead,” said the Rockets GM. Hale was convinced Gary Payton could be a championship point guard; the rest of the NBA wasn’t so sure. Oh, yes, the talent was there, but the maturity was in question. Payton was quite the trash-talker, something that would become his calling card throughout his NBA career.

“GMs around the league loved Gary Payton the player but questioned Gary Payton the person,” said NBA columnist Sam Gray. “Payton was an exciting talent, but he talked trash so much … he egged guys on, all game, and that had resulted in some fights in college. You had to understand, Payton grew up in a tough place and played on some tough courts, so this was a part of him, but some GMs really thought Payton would get himself — or someone else — hurt with all the trash talking.”

But trash-talking was a core feature of Gary Payton, for good and ill, and it was a feature Payton had no intention of burying. “Look, they were either going to like me for me or they weren’t, that was my thoughts on it,” said Payton. “They don’t want me, cool, don’t — but get ready to get *ucked when I play your squad, cause I wasn’t gonna forget.”

Payton wanted to win — and he wanted to embarrass his opponent while he did it. For the Houston Rockets, that was an edge they loved and it wasn’t just the front office, it was the new Rockets head coach as well. Hired only two days before the draft and with limited input on Payton’s selection, Randy Kern was thrilled to have the motor-mouthed point guard on his team; it was those types of unique players, Kern believed, that would elevate a team.

Kern wasn’t a splash hire. In fact, his hiring was greeted with confusion. “A lot of people were asking who the hell I was,” recalled Kern. “They had never heard of me.”

It wasn’t a surprise that Kern’s name rang no bells because Kern wasn’t a former head coach or even a lead assistant. Kern was the third assistant, in charge of offensive gameplanning, for the Detroit Pistons (the most recent NBA champion). It wasn’t a glamorous position and, often times, it felt superfluous — exactly what kind of gameplanning did a coach need to do with Isiah Thomas running point?

“Some days it really felt like I did nothing and just stole money,” Kern admitted. “But Chuck Daly saw in me a talent and he nurtured it — I didn’t get to fully display it in Detroit, but I was proud of what I contributed to those teams.”

Kern, just 35-years old, was young for a coach, but more than anything he was relatively unproven. However, the Rockets were fine with that, as they expected the upcoming season to be one of growth, not necessarily championships. “Our expectations when hiring Randy were moderate; it was his first head coaching job and our team was filled with a lot of firsts … we were a young squad, trying to build,” said Hale.

Kern and Payton hit it off almost immediately. “Randy came in and didn’t *uck around with coach speak; he told me he wanted our team to play fast, play loose, but play *ucking hard. He said that, he was dropping *ucks every other word almost, it was incredible.”

“Yeah, I was someone who cursed a lot with players and my coaches,” admitted Kern. “I wasn’t going to stand on ceremony or pretend I was better than I was. I liked to curse or I guess I should say, I *ucking liked to curse.”

The Rockets additions didn’t stop with their new coach or top pick, either — Houston was a player in free agency as well, admittedly a player that wasn’t grabbing any big names. The Rockets signed SF Mario Ellie, who had spent the past few years playing overseas. They added PG Michael Williams, a player Kern had coached with the Pistons in the 1988-89 season before Williams was traded to the Suns. They signed SG Tim Legler, a fringe NBA talent, and SG Scot Roth, a player who had bounced around the league for a few years.

“None of those guys were remarkable, except in that they had fallen through the cracks in some way,” said NBA columnist Sam Gray. “Elie had gotten lost overseas, Legler had bounced around a couple of smaller fringe basketball leagues, and Roth had barely managed to hang onto his roster spot with the expansion T’Wolves; only Williams was really an NBA talent and he was, at best, a role player — and one Detroit had won a title without, so how much did he really matter? The moves all seemed like reaches and smacked of a front office that was struggling to convince real NBA players they knew what the hell they were doing.”

This was an unfortunate truth for the Houston Rockets: agents were steering their players away from the team. The trade of Olajuwon, the hiring of an unproven head coach, and the front office being run by the owner’s inexperienced son? It was a mix of factors that made agents around the league wary of Houston.

That was not the case in Dallas. The Rockets offseason had been filled with changes, many questionable, but the Mavericks had been a beacon of stability. When the Lewis family bought the team and Trent Lewis was put in charge of it, Nate’s only brother was looking forward to having to do virtually nothing. The Mavericks coach and GM had guided the team to a 60-win season previously; the team was a well-oiled machine. That was part of the reason Trent Lewis had encouraged his mother to buy the team.

“It was already winning, why mess up a good thing?” recalled Lewis. “The organization was stable and I wasn’t like my brother or my father; I didn’t have to walk into a place I just bought and immediately change things in order to justify the cost. I wasn’t that insecure.”

Lewis, even in his own cattle ranching business, valued stability over potentially-beneficial volatility. It was a core value of a man who had a lot to take care of. Trent Lewis married his high school sweetheart, Melissa Bedford, after the two of them graduated and immediately the two began a family — what started as one child turned to five by the summer of 1990, and Lewis’ years as a father had taught him that stability wasn’t something to take for granted.

When he was put in charge of the Mavericks, his one and only directive to the front office was to keep the team together as best they could — that’s exactly what the Dallas front office did, bringing back Sam Perkins (a free agent that summer) and adding only their draft picks to the roster. Dallas saw no benefit in upsetting the apple cart, so to speak.

Dallas, in fact, got back an important piece who had been missing for a chunk of the 1989-90 season: PF Roy Tarpley. Tarpley had been suspended by the NBA due to repeated drinking issues and there were many in the NBA who weren’t sure if Tarpley would ever play again. Lewis was sure, however; when he took control of the team, he reached out to Tarpley and had a one-man intervention.

A complete stranger to Tarpley, Lewis and he shared something in common: both were haunted by demons in the bottle. Lewis had a bad drinking problem in his mid-20s, a result of too much stress and too few healthy coping mechanisms. He went into rehab for six months in South America to get himself clean.

“The hardest six months of my life,” Lewis said. “When I took over the team and the front office brought me up to speed on Roy, I knew exactly how to help him because I had been where he was.” Lewis laid out the plan with Tarpley in great detail — Tarpley would enter rehab immediately, and he’d be ready to go for training camp. Lewis would cover the costs and provide Tarpley with anything he needed; all Tarpley had to do was stay clean and play basketball.

“He was emphatic with me that I could beat it,” said Tarpley. “And I had heard that from a lot of people, but when the owner of the team walked in and put his money where his mouth was … I felt like I had to try.” Tarpley made it through rehab and stayed clean through training camp, a major victory in the player’s mind. “I could do it then,” said Tarpley. He and Lewis remain close to this day.

When Lewis wasn’t helping Tarpley, he was watching the Rockets make questionable move after questionable move — and get questioned by the local and national press. He spent his days that summer following Houston’s moves with a vengeful glee; his father and brother were finally facing consequences for the way they conducted business. Karma had finally caught up to them.

Houston, for their part, wasn’t really concerned with Dallas at all. “Frankly, we had a lot on our plate and we weren’t really comparing ourself to Trent and his organization,” admitted Nate Hale. “Between the Hakeem trade, the draft, and free agency, we just didn’t have the time to obsess over other things.”

While Dallas’ local press was singing the praises of Lewis’ stewardship of the team — something Trent Lewis quite enjoyed — the local press in Houston wasn’t as effusive in their praise. Wrote Houston Chronicle columnist Chris Judge:

The Rockets free agency period looks like the basketball equivalent of what happens when you’re the least-liked family member at Thanksgiving. Houston was given the wrong time to show up and when they did, the best food was gone — all that was left were scraps, some sad fast-food fried chicken, and the sense that everyone else in the family enjoyed their Thanksgiving without you.

“The mood in Houston wasn’t one of optimism, it was one of disappointment,” recalled Judge. “Local fans, sponsors, and some longtime organizational fixtures — people who worked the ticket booths, the equipment people, those types — didn’t like the vibe. Everything felt like it was happening too fast; the team barely resembled the previous year’s squad, which was fine because that squad lost a lot. But people weren’t sure what to make of this team and so they assumed the worst, especially after trading Hakeem. Hakeem leaving really shook people’s confidence.”

The city was unsure of what to make of these new Rockets and their new ownership — though the Hale family was well-regarded in the city and in the state, running a cattle operation was a very different thing than running a basketball team. “We were suffering in the PR department,” said Hale. “My father didn’t like the way the press was reporting on us and he didn’t like the way we were being portrayed. Everyone thought we were in over our heads, that we knew nothing about basketball, and that we were going to make things worse. It was hard to do business in that kind of environment.”

The Rockets decided that the only way to win people over was to actually win NBA games, so rather than pull a training camp stunt (there was talk the Rockets would use the University of Houston for camp and open it to the public), the Rockets instead went away from Houston to a little town in southeast Texas, San Patricio. With a population a shade under 300 people, the town had virtually none of the amenities a professional basketball player wanted.

“It was in the *ucking middle of nowhere,” said Gary Payton. “*hit all to do, no where to go … Randy brought us there, we stayed in the town’s only hotel, and we bused to the local high school gym and back. Day after day, it was the same *ucking thing and it gave us no choice but to focus on basketball.”

Kern wanted his team to bond and come together — there were a lot of new faces on the Rockets. Over the offseason, Houston had added seven new players and had extended training camp invites to five more. The only returning Rockets from the 1989-90 season were Otis Thorpe (now the starting center), backup forward Larry Smith, and deep backup center Tim McCormick (who played three minutes the previous season).

That was it. The Rockets roster had turned over so completely that the returning players weren’t sure if they were going to make it through the season in Houston.

“When I left for training camp, I told my wife to start packing,” recalled Otis Thorpe. Thorpe had arrived in Houston in 1988 and was thankful to be out of Sacramento, but knew the signs of a team about to unravel; he’d seen it time and again with the Kings. “We had so many new faces and we had ownership that had zero experience in the NBA … it was heading towards disaster territory. I was expecting to be traded at some point, it was just a matter of time.”

The first few days of training camp were a feeling out period for everyone, from players and coaches all the way down to the towel boys. What became apparent to head coach Randy Kern was that, though the Rockets had a lot of talent, they also had players who were trying to do too many different things.

Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant were trying to prove their old team wrong. Gray Payton was trying to live up to being the top pick of the 1990 draft. Tim Legler and Scott Roth were trying to do enough to stick on an NBA roster. Otis Thorpe was trying to prepare for the inevitable trade he believed was coming. The bench players were each trying to figure out their role and the training camp invites were all trying to show they belonged.

Basic offensive concepts like passing, running the floor, and taking good shots were either done well or not done at all; the team wasn’t a cohesive unit. “Everyone was speaking a different basketball language — guys like Scottie and Horace were coming from the Bulls playing one way, while Gary was coming straight out of college playing another. We needed to find our common ground,” said Kern.

After three days of watching his players go from playing incredible to playing brain-dead possession to possession, Kern suspended any on-court scrimmages and instead took everyone back to the classroom. Rolling out a chalkboard, a bunch of chairs, and a projector, the basketball court was turned into an assembly. “I would ask a question and call on players to come up to the board and write the answer,” said Kern. “We had to get back to basics.”

Players, rookies and veterans alike, weren’t thrilled at the prospect, but quickly one player proved to be the best student in class: Terry Moncrief, an undrafted rookie center out of Baylor. Moncrief was one of many tall centers (a seven footer) and had no real outstanding skills on the basketball court; he was average at a lot of things.

But what the coaching staff of the Rockets quickly found was that Moncrief was excellent at taking basketball concepts and translating them into a language every player understood. “He was absolutely wonderful at it — he’d mix humor with the concepts, he broke it down beautifully in a way everyone could understand,” said Kern.

Moncrief’s outstanding basketball IQ would secure him a spot on the Rockets then and there; after two days of classroom studies, the Rockets cleared off the court and resumed scrimmaging. The difference was noticeable to everyone.

“We just needed to get all of us on the same page,” recalled Pippen. “That first training camp we had guys coming from a lot of different places, a lot of different systems … but once Randy sat us down and explained what he wanted in a way we all got, it was like a whole new team.”

What Kern wanted was the Rockets to play within a deceptively simple system he came up with: the three Ps. “The three Ps was a system I had built over the years but never really got a chance to deploy before,” said Kern. “It was like a recipe that I thought would work in theory, but I never got to cook — not until I became a head coach anyway.”

The three Ps emphasized the parts of the game Kern believed would, when it came down to it, determine the outcome of any basketball contest. “First, passing — it was the most crucial element. The ball had to move, because the ball was faster than any man. You move the ball, you can bend the defense to your will,” said Kern. “Second, penetration: you have to be willing to mix it up inside. You can’t shy away from the paint and you can’t run away from contact; get inside, get bruised and beaten if you have to, because the hits you take wear down your opponent. They have to expend energy to defend you, they have to watch you get back up, and that chips away at their will, at their mental fortitude. Finally, persistence: you can’t give up on a play. You can’t give up on your teammates or yourself. If you start giving up, it acts as a sickness, spreading — if you’re persistent, it boosts the resolve of everyone. Persistence pays off.”

None of what Kern was coaching was revolutionary, but the — to borrow a term from the coach — persistence of his teaching paid off. Kern would discuss concepts, plays, anything really and somehow always brought it back to one of the tenants of the three Ps. For the players, it became a good-natured running gag to challenge their coach on a subject and watch as he brought it back to the system.

“Randy knew we were doing it too,” said Horace Grant. “He wasn’t stupid, but he played along and that endeared him to the team. There were a lot of coaches out there who took themselves too seriously, who were disciplinarians, who couldn’t relax; Randy wasn’t that guy. He was a coach who knew when to tug at the reins and when not to.”

The Rockets concluded training camp, adding SF Mike Woodson, C Terry Moncrief, and SG Tharon May to the roster — entering the first season in the 1990s, the expectations for Houston weren’t high. Most experts believed the Rockets would finish middle of the conference, maybe miss the playoffs, and find themselves with a lottery pick in the teens.

The season would begin with the Rockets taking on the Bucks in Houston — a game that would set the tone for the entire year.

[trekfan]

Re: Texas Two Step: An Alternate NBA History (NBA2K20)



Ch. 8

Game 1 of 82: that was the reality of the NBA regular season, something that went by like molasses going down a glacier. Complaints of the season being too long were, as always, lobbed before being struck down; this was the way the NBA had always done business and, thanks to the money, would be the way the NBA would do business for the foreseeable future.

Houston and Milwaukee played on November 2nd, 1990, a Friday night. NBC was on hand to see the former Bulls — Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant — on their new team. It was a night where Houston would debut their new uniforms, something many NBA teams were doing; the new Nike deal had made jersey sales explode in the last few months, justifying the owners panic move.

Houston had decided to go away from the “ketchup and mustard” uniforms of the past — though they were loved by a segment of the fanbase, those uniforms would forever be associated with Hakeem Olajuwon and he was gone now. Houston’s new ownership had instead decided to lean into the name of the team — Rockets — for inspiration. Out went the condiment uniforms, in came ones inspired by NASA.

When the uniforms had been revealed to the public, the local fanbase was enthusiastic — jersey sales increased far more than expected. “It was really our first win as the new guys on the block,” said Rockets’ GM Nate Hale. “We had, up to that point, been losing the PR battle; everything we did seemed to make things worse. But those uniforms won people over and when we revealed the court, well, that definitely won over the younger demographic.”



The Rockets court was like their top overall pick, like their new ownership: bold and loud. Featuring a cartoon rocket exploding away from the ground, it was a ridiculous court design on the face of it. The press and fans alike were split on whether the ridiculousness was a bug or a feature, but the Rockets marketing department was wise to only affix the logo on merchandise for the younger (mostly children) demographic.

For their part, the players loved the uniforms and grew to appreciate the court.

“That court was a *ucking eyesore,” recalled Gary Payton. “But it was a distraction to our opponents … we were used to it by the time the season kicked off, we had been practicing there for weeks, but our opponents walked in and saw the *ucking rocket, and just couldn’t help but notice it. I used it as a tool to get in their head.”

That tool was put to good use against the Bucks — a playoff team the year before (first round out, 3-1, to Detroit), Milwaukee made no big additions in the offseason; they were content to run it back and bet they would have better luck in 1990-91.



The first few minutes of the game were a mixture of turnovers, rust, and poor shooting by both teams — whether it was good defense or bad offense, the Rockets managed to score the first points of the new season with 10:01 left in the opening quarter — a pair of free throws by SG Scott Roth (starting, primarily, for his defense). It would be the only free throws Roth would hit all night.

The first bucket by Houston’s new star, Scottie Pippen, would come on a fast-break dunk generated by a Roth block.



Houston would start to find their way then and rookie Gary Payton would start warming up, getting himself a defensive steal and a transition dunk of his own minutes later, electrifying the crowd.



The Bucks would collapse after that as the Rockets went on a run that lasted, basically, the entire first half — Houston would enter the second half up 69-40, a score so lopsided that NBC’s broadcasters had to assure the TV audience that, yes, the Bucks had been a playoff team just months before. Milwaukee lost 121-94 and it wasn’t even that close.







“It was an incredible first game for us,” recalled Houston head coach Randy Kern. “You work in training camp and the preseason to become proficient as a team and to have a win that dominant does nothing but give you confidence.”

The Rockets top three players were the three most important ones: 1st overall pick Gary Payton, 28-5-9 with 4 steals. Newest Rocket star Scottie Pippen with 27-6-4 and 4 steals. Big man Horace Grant with 20-12-5 on an extremely efficient 10-15 from the field.

The good vibes from the first game of the season would carry on for the next week, as Houston lost only one game in that time span (a 127-114 beatdown by Charles Barkley and the 76ers) before they rolled into a key Sunday afternoon matchup with the Dallas Mavericks. Both teams were performing well, each with only one loss and multiple wins.





The game had national attention and both organizations viewed it as a statement game. “Obviously, we wanted to win it and win it by a good margin,” said Hale.

His brother felt similarly. “Beating Houston, besting Nate and my father, that was the goal — they had gotten off to a hot start, but their early season schedule hadn’t been that hard,” recalled Mavericks owner Trent Lewis. “We had stability, we had experience, we had the better team.”

The game was close in the first quarter — Houston and Dallas traded buckets, traded fouls, and generally didn’t seem to like one another despite the rivalry between the two teams being rather tame in past. The intensity in the first quarter was playoff-game level.

“I felt it as soon as we tipped off,” said Pippen. “It was early in the year and usually you don’t get guys going hard after you that early; the vets like to ease up some to save themselves for later. The younger guys might do it, but Dallas’ starting five had been together awhile now — they came out and didn’t take it easy on us.”

Houston watched as their star rookie, Payton, got put on skates repeatedly by Derek Harper — despite Harper’s stats not reflecting it, the veteran baited Payton into multiple bad plays.

“He got me good, I can admit that now,” Payton said with a laugh. “In that game, though, damn man … I was mad at myself. I was taking shots I shouldn’t have and getting embarrassed.”

The second quarter saw Kern sit his rookie PG and insert the backup, Michael Williams — old reliable. “I knew what Randy wanted from me and knew how to give it to him,” said Williams. “We went back and he wanted me to get things under control.”

Williams running the point early in the second saw the Rockets get under control — after a few minutes on the floor, Houston’s offense was starting to hum.




That second quarter saw the Rockets take off for a lot of points (33-17) and they repeated that feat in the third (34-20) before Kern subbed in his deep bench in the fourth; Dallas authored a large 44-27 quarter, but it was too little, too late for the Mavericks. “I walked away from that game disgusted,” recalled Lewis. “We could barely make it competitive … we got showed up on our home floor.”





While Lewis and the Mavericks took the loss somewhat poorly — Derek Harper referred to the loss as a “gut-check that we failed” — the Rockets continued to roll, despite IRS agents taking one of their players into custody after the game.

That player would be third-string shooting guard Tharon May, who falsified his tax returns … for three years running. “It was dumb but I hated doing math,” May would say years later. May would miss the next 9 games for the team, but his absence was hardly felt; Houston was rolling.

The next major game the Rockets had was against the Cavaliers, an inter-conference matchup that normally wouldn’t generate a lot of press three weeks into the season but this was Cleveland, who was indirectly (or very directly, depending on who you asked) responsible for the series of events that led to Pippen and Grant getting traded.

“Scottie and I had that one circled as soon as the schedule was announced,” said Horace Grant. Grant and Pippen had spent the offseason training and bettering themselves to prove their former team wrong, but they had a bone to pick with Cleveland; that playoff series was humiliating to the both of them.

Their new teammates were determined to make Cleveland pay, too. “We had their back,” said veteran Otis Thorpe. The starting center of the Rockets, Thorpe was putting up 14-8 at that point in the season — not spectacular numbers by any means, but his numbers didn’t show his full effect.

“Otis was a guy who was very important to our defense; between him and Horace, we felt we could guard anyone on the inside, no matter how good they were. The two complimented one another beautifully,” said Hale. “It was one of the reasons we hadn’t traded him … after training camp, the coaching staff was convinced the two would form a great big-man duo.”

Horace Grant couldn’t agree more. “Otis and I, we were guys who just played such complimentary styles … both of us could hit the jumper, we could unclog the paint for one another, we could get boards, run the floor … it was like playing with my brother in a way.”

Funnily enough, Harvey Grant — the twin brother of Horace — had been signed three days before, taking up Houston’s last roster spot. But Harvey wasn’t getting any time and wouldn’t do much more than cheer on his brother all season.

He had a lot to cheer for in this game.




That night, Houston would unveil one of their alternate uniforms, the “NASA Rockets” which celebrated the city of Houston and its relationship with NASA — the first alternate court in NBA history also debuted (it would set off an explosion in alternate courts as other teams copied the idea, to much praise). Houston played the entire night, pardon the pun, out of this world.



The Cavaliers — one of the league’s best defenses usually — couldn’t cope with, what the press referred to as, “the Runnin’ Rockets.” Houston simply played too fast, too aggressive, for Cleveland to get in their sets, get in their positions, and execute.

“It was frustrating as hell,” said star Cleveland guard Ron Harper after the game. “We would get a shot, miss, and they’d be off … we had no time to get where we needed to be. They kept us on our heels all night.”

Pippen would punctuate the opening quarter with a double-clutch slam over Brad Daughtery, sending the Houston crowd into a frenzy and putting the Rockets up 29-19 at the end of one. That would be the closest Cleveland got as Houston steamrolled them the rest of the game — Pippen would finish with 32-9-6, while Grant would add 20-11-3 and Payton would throw in 26-6-10 for good measure. It was a complete throttling.





Destroying Cleveland so thoroughly, 113-81, was revenge served sweet. It was made better by the all-round play of Houston’s three best players; it was barely a debate at this point that Gary Payton had been the right pick first overall and it was even less of a debate that Pippen and Grant were worthy of being of stars. The Rockets, as a team, were thriving anytime those three players were doing well.

“It was apparent after that first month that Pippen and Grant were really out to prove everyone wrong,” said NBA columnist Sam Gray. “In Chicago, Hakeem and Jordan were melding beautifully — it was like the two were meant to play together. But it was all the more surprising that Houston was doing so damn well; this side of Pippen and Grant, Pippen in particular, hadn’t been seen before.”

Scottie Pippen was a man on a mission. Putting up nearly 24-6-5 with 2 steals and a block, Pippen was roaming the floor on both ends. He was playing with an edge, a menace to his opponents, and his rookie point guard was the perfect defensive partner; the Pippen and Payton show was appointment viewing.

“They made defensive plays that turned into offensive highlights at a higher rate than I expected,” said NBC executive Issac Walsh. “It was one of the reasons we put Houston on so many of our broadcasts; they made every game fun to be part of, even when they were blowing out their opponents.”

Houston would continue the good times in December, as they met up with the Spurs in the other battle for Texas; San Antonio wasn’t grabbing headlines like Houston or Dallas, but they were good all the same. They also possessed the biggest advantage in the Western Conference: David Robinson.

The Dream and The Admiral had engaged in some notable battles since Robinson’s arrival in San Antonio, but Olajuwon seemed to come out on top even when his team lost. Statistically, Robinson was close to Olajuwon, but narratively the press — and the NBA — regarded Olajuwon the superior center. When Olajuwon was traded to Chicago, it opened a gaping hole in the Western Conference — a hole many felt David Robinson would fill.

No longer would Robinson have to deal with Hakeem. No longer would the San Antonio press question if he was really tough enough to battle with the best center in the league. “It was kind of a relief to see Hakeem go out east,” David Robinson said with a laugh. “He was just so good and I could never quite catch him; every time I thought I did, he just added something else.”

December 8th, 1990 was the time and the place was on San Antonio’s home floor. The Spurs, like the Rockets, had updated their branding with new jerseys and a new floor: say goodbye to the straight-laced black and silver, say hello to the fiesta. The Spurs’ new uniforms and color scheme leaned into the idea that the 1990s would be a party for the organization; few in San Antonio disagreed, as the new uniforms and court went over well with the locals.





From the start of the game, defense was the calling card for the Spurs — Houston could barely get a shot off. “We simply couldn’t convert when we got into the paint,” recalled Kern. Despite the lead being just 2-0 with a little under 10 minutes in the quarter, the Rockets’ head coach had seen enough and called a timeout.

Kern didn’t consider timeouts sacred, like some coaches. “You couldn’t take them with you and they were there for a reason,” said Kern. “I would rather use them to help my team when they needed it instead of holding onto it for some unknown point in the future.” The timeout message was short and sweet: *ucking relax.

The team was tense — San Antonio was one of the best teams in the conference and beating them would give Houston the edge in the battle for Texas. More than that, besting Robinson — the conference’s best center — without Hakeem would make a statement to the rest of the league. “We wanted this game in a bad way,” Grant said. “Everyone thought our lack of a superstar center was going to kill us: that was insulting to Otis and it was insulting to me, but our feelings didn’t matter a damn. We had to prove them wrong.”

The timeout didn’t seem to do anything at first as Houston once more went inside and once more was met with David Robinson rejecting their shot; the Spurs went down the floor and got another bucket, making it 4-0 with just over 9 minutes to go in the first.

It was then that Gary Payton and Scottie Pippen would run a play that became a staple of their partnership, one that shushed the crowd: the alley-oop.



“Scottie set the pick, I drew his guy, and there was the opening,” Payton said after the game. “It was something we’d been practicing.”

That play would energize the Rockets and send them on a 19-7 run, a run that would see David Robinson get some pretty shots up but also get in foul trouble.



With two fouls and just under two minutes to go in the quarter, the Spurs sat Robinson. The Spurs wouldn’t lead again after that as the Rockets took off in the second, held serve in the third, and left the Spurs in the dust in the fourth. It was a deflating, embarrassing, and quiet defeat. “We really went out there and had a tough night,” said Robinson after the game. “It’s my fault, I got in foul trouble and we got buried when I was out. I own this loss.”





With the Spurs put away in emphatic fashion, Houston’s next few games were all wins. The Rockets had been granted a game on a day all their own, a Christmas Eve primetime matchup.

It was time to welcome Hakeem Olajuwon back to Houston … as a Chicago Bull.

[trekfan]

Re: Texas Two Step: An Alternate NBA History (NBA2K20)


Ch. 9

One of sports great truisms is that winning solves everything — when teams are losing, seemingly nothing goes right. Stars complain about touches, role players complain about minutes, contracts are on everyone’s minds, and the coaching staff is less worried about trying to win games and more worried about trying to keep their jobs. Winning, though, solves all that — or at least covers it up well.

For Hakeem Olajuwon, it was nice to be winning again and, more than that, it was fantastic to have a great teammate. Olajuwon and Jordan were two different types of competitors, but competitors nonetheless. That competitive fire drove them both, as neither had been able to win a title on their own. “Great players need great teammates, and Michael and I can be that for each other,” Olajuwon said upon his first press conference as a Bull.

The Bulls season had gone well so far — sitting near the top of the East, Chicago was establishing a new pecking order. Jordan was distributing the ball more (many of his assists to Olajuwon), Olajuwon was locking down the paint and making an MVP-case with his offensive and defensive numbers. Bulls head coach Phil Jackson was witnessing the birth of a true triangle offense.

All that said, the Chicago press hadn’t forgotten about Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant; the pair’s success in Houston was a constant topic. “We asked often and, often, we got non-answers,” said Chicago Sun-Times columnist Greg Bender. “Hakeem and Michael were masters at charming their way out of questions they didn’t like. You could press them on it if you felt really brave, but there was hardly any return with that strategy. Press Hakeem and Michael like that and you’d find yourself getting nothing from them for an extended period.”

Olajuwon had been paying attention to Houston and found himself surprised at how well it was all going. Was there regret in leaving Houston? “No, not then,” he would later admit. “I loved Houston, but I needed a new challenge.”

Michael Jordan was also paying attention to Houston, but his attention didn’t come from a place of fondness, like Olajuwon; no, Jordan was paying attention to Houston to study these “new” versions of Pippen and Grant. Jordan didn’t believe for an instant that either had really figured it out. “They were playing in a weaker conference,” Jordan said. “Point-blank, the West wasn’t what it used to be before. Magic and the Lakers were aging, Portland had only Clyde, and the rest of conference was unpredictable. Scottie and Horace thrived because they were in a weaker environment, not because they were stronger.”

Jordan looked over Houston and found them lacking; this team wasn’t on his team’s level. Pippen and Grant hadn’t really evolved into something greater. It was all an illusion, part narrative and part wishful thinking.

December 24th, 1990. There was only one game that day and it was Bulls-Rockets. Olajuwon’s return to his old stomping ground, Pippen and Grant taking on their old team, and a battle between two good teams that looked important. It was the best kind of cocktail for TV and NBC played up the drama angle for all it was worth — the promos for the game were like trailers for a hard-hitting, Oscar-worthy movie.




The game’s starting five was punctuated by mismatches on both sides; Jordan was clearly better than Scott Roth. Pippen was better than Buck Johnson. Olajuwon was better than Thorpe and even Thorpe knew that. Was Grant better than big man Stacey King, taken 6th overall in 1989? Likely. Was Payton better than John Paxton? Probably, especially considering how he measured up against the rest of his rookie class.




Gary Payton was clearly worthy of being the top pick; his mixture of scoring, rebounds, and assists made him incredibly valuable. Derrick Coleman had a strong case as well and Kendall Gill was no slouch, but Payton seemed to be in another tier. Rookie PF Derek Strong — the pick the Bulls traded as part of the Olajuwon deal — also was impressive as the first big off the bench.

The game looked like a near-even match — it started off that way too. Chicago took an early 10-6 lead on a pair of Jordan free throws. The Bulls seemed in control of the game and, despite the lead being only four points, it felt like more than that. “When Michael had a lead,” Pippen said, “he was out to kill you. He wanted to crush your spirit, make you squirm. His killer instinct was unlike anyone else’s, ever.”

Jordan was ready for this game and was playing like it. Houston looked a little unsure — out of all the opponents the Rockets had faced so far that season, these Bulls were by far the toughest matchup. It had a lot to do with Michael Jordan, yes, but also the emotions at play for the players involved. Those emotions made things shaky early on for Houston.

The Rockets had a penchant for slow starts in games; it would become a defining characteristic of teams coached by Randy Kern. Kern was a believer in feeling out one’s opponents in the initial moments of a game and not trying to be too fancy — if that led to basic, uninspired play in the first few minutes of a game, so be it. The information gathered was well worth it in the coach’s opinion.

“We called it the Rockets ‘Countdown to Liftoff,’” recalled Houston Chronicle columnist Chris Judge. “Kern’s teams started off every game kinda cold offensively and stout defensively. He made great adjustments as the game went along, but there was always the chance Houston would get buried during the opening minutes and never recover.”

Once Jordan sunk those free throws, putting up the Bulls 10-6, the countdown to liftoff seemed to end; Houston got out and ran.



Otis Thorpe wasn’t expected to stop Olajuwon, but he had to contribute — his turnaround jumper to cut the lead to just two did that and bolstered the big man’s confidence. The defensive play by Roth, a calling card of his, led to a fastbreak that Pippen finished strong and Houston’s offense had found its fuel.

The quarter would end with Houston up by just two points, 31-29, and the game was turning out to be everything expected. Still, it was strange to see Hakeem Olajuwon in a Bulls uniform and entering the second Olajuwon would be the star on the floor as Jordan hit the bench for some rest.



The second quarter went poorly for the Rockets former superstar. The Bulls second unit wasn’t as proficient at running the triangle as the starters and it showed with the turnovers; it also made Olajuwon’s life harder and Scottie Pippen was just fine with that, getting a poster dunk on Olajuwon that still sells well to this day.



Chicago would fall apart in the second quarter and Houston would begin to run away with it, putting up a 32-15 run in that frame. Despite Jordan’s incredible play (36-7-2) and Olajuwon’s equally impressive box score (23-16-3 and 7 blocks), the Bulls supporting cast wilted under the pressure while the Rockets excelled. Houston won 114-102 in a game that would pull in the season’s highest ratings.




The postgame narrative was readily apparent to anyone with a pen and paper: did Chicago make a mistake by trading Pippen and Grant for the game’s greatest center? “That game,” said NBA columnist Sam Gray, “turned the narrative on its head. Before it, everyone was wondering if Houston was for real, if those guys were as good as they seemed. After the game, everyone was wondering if Chicago had given up too soon on Pippen and Grant. The jury was still out, there was tons of season left to go, but now people were asking and that was different.”

Jordan was unhappy about the loss, saying it “never felt good to lose” but wasn’t stressing to the press about it publicly. Privately, he was quite displeased; Olajuwon had done his job but the bench unit had been thoroughly demolished. Jordan would lobby for more trades before the deadline, but GM Jerry Krause was unwilling to sacrifice more assets and would end up standing pat.

Pippen and Grant were thrilled with the win and so was the entire Houston team; the game had been a big one and the Rockets had shown up. The NBA was finally starting to notice that Houston didn’t have a problem, Houston was a problem. One the rest of the NBA was going to have to solve.

[georgiafan]

Re: Texas Two Step: An Alternate NBA History (NBA2K20)

Just now seeing this and while I've not catched up yet I wanted to go ahead and chime in. It's good to see you back as you def make this is section a better place. I've been in the nostalgia mind lately using my historic draft classes so this will be fun to read. I'm looking forward to seeing what becomes of Hakeem and what team he goes to.

[studbucket]

Re: Texas Two Step: An Alternate NBA History (NBA2K20)

It's hard to imagine Jordan being OK with this. It seems like the type of loss that puts him on the warpath and I feel sorry for any Eastern teams they play next.