Artest Makes the Rockets Roar

The latest news on the NBA betting front is enough to make even Tracy McGrady happy.

After 11 seasons of futility, the star swingman and two-time league scoring leader might finally have the right players around him to advance past the first round of the playoffs. The Houston Chronicle reported Tuesday night that the Sacramento Kings have reached an agreement to send forward Ron Artest to the Houston Rockets. Going the other way would be former Kings point guard Bobby Jackson, a first-round pick in 2009, and (probably) forward Donte Greene, who was the 28th selection in this year’s draft.

Assuming Greene is indeed part of this package, the trade cannot be made official until Aug. 14 because of league rules. But the deal is as good as done, and McGrady was beaming when he found out he’d likely be joining forces with Artest.

“If this is true,” McGrady told local TV station KRIV, “this is definitely what I have been waiting on for 11 years in my career, for a team to really improve and put the talent that I feel that we can compete with the best.”

That’s a glowing assessment from a player who has seen his share of failed attempts to build a title contender around him. Houston was a popular dark horse pick last year, with forward Luis Scola leaving Europe to join McGrady and center Yao Ming to form an impressive nucleus. Scola did his part with 16.7 points and 10.4 rebounds per 40 minutes, plus strong defense and passing. However, both McGrady and Yao were yet again limited by injuries, and the Rockets lost to the Utah Jazz in the first round for the second year in a row.

Artest is expected to slip into the power forward spot in the starting rotation; Scola found himself in a sixth-man role more often than not last year, so this should not be too disruptive for the Euroleague veteran. Meanwhile, Artest adds a critical offensive element to the Rockets (21.5 points per 40 minutes last year) that they sorely lacked whenever McGrady or Yao was on the bench. This part of Artest’s overall game often goes unnoticed due to his various controversies and his reputation as one of the top defenders in the league. It will not go unnoticed in Houston.

This looks like a good trade for both clubs, but the NBA odds have already dismissed the Kings, who are joining the legion of teams clearing cap space for 2010. It’s all about the Rockets, who were +1400 at press time to win the title. Those odds won’t be getting longer anytime soon.

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