What a week, my friends! The excitement is palpable: The WRANT IS BACK! That’s right, tens of people are raving about my humble little blog and, according to my parents, it’s been a smash hit. To the readers who have left encouraging comments and love, I thank you. This has been something I have been wanting to get back to for some time and I hope I can continue to entertain.
Alright, enough mush. I promised you some hate - so let’s dive in. The following is a list of my personal most Hated/Respected NBA players from the perspective of a Rockets fan who really started paying attention around 2005. This is a list of players who have broken my heart at one point or another, but I cannot help but deny their greatness. Ladies and Gentlemens, boys and girls of all ages, I present to you:
The Reluctantly Respected List
Something I've learned over the years: hate and love aren't opposite. Hate and love come from the same place: a burning passion. I love my Rockets because I'm passionate. I want to see them win. The following group of players actively tried to prevent that outcome and for the most part succeeded. My passion for the Rockets leads me to hate them while their greatness on the court begs me to reluctantly respect them. You won’t find any dirty players or heels on this list. That will come later. No, these players are the ones that combine their unparalleled talent with actively tormenting my Houston Rockets.
Everyone remembers their first. If you read my last post, you'll remember how Kobe Bryant introduced me to the hate. His Lakers were one of the most dominant teams I have ever had the displeasure of watching. Kobe could miss 20 shots against your team, but hit the game winner with the same confidence of a man who has never missed, all while trash talking everyone on the court, even his own teammates. He was relentless, he was tireless, and he was probably a little bit insane. He was the Black Mamba and the Mamba mentality was real. Kobe was the first man to make me watch a game just because I wanted him to lose. The first man to make me realize that hate and respect aren’t opposites, no, they go hand in hand. I wanted that man to lose for years, but I couldn’t help but marvel at his greatness. I watched as he put up 60 points in his last ever NBA game against the Jazz and I remember the bittersweet feeling. Finally, the constant terror was gone, but the league wouldn’t be the same. There has only been and will ever only be one Black Mamba, and may he rest in peace
One of the most consistent thorns in the side of the Rockets. Elite defender, perfect bank shot, and coached by one of the greatest coaches of all time in Gregg Popovich. Full disclosure, I am actually a huge Tim Duncan fan. One of my good friends was a Spurs fan and he would invite me to games before I really got into the NBA. I even had a number 21 t-shirt. The Big Fundamental is, in my humble opinion, the best Power Forward of all time. Nevertheless, I hated Tim Duncan when he would play the Rockets. He was the strong silent leader of one of the most successful dynasties of all time, leading the Spurs to 5 titles, his first in 1999, his last in 2014 - a testament not only to his longevity, but his consistent skill and dominance in the league for nearly 20 years. Tracy McGrady may have scored 13 points in 33 seconds to beat Timmy D, but Tim Duncan absolutely dominated the Rockets while he was in the Association, and I hate him for that while respecting what he brought to the game.
That feeling when a tall, goofy looking German hits a one legged shot against your team is hard to describe, but I do know it all too well and I know that it leads to a good amount of hate. Nowitzki was one of the first true stretch bigs, and he revolutionized the Power Forward position. Unfortunately, he found immense pleasure in refining his technique against my Rockets. The Dallas - Houston rivalry is real and Dirk was the face of that rivalry for years. I will admit, I did root for him against the Heatles in 2011, but outside of that bout of temporary insanity, I never wanted the Mavs to win. He would constantly put up monster numbers against the Rockets, making my hatred of Dallas burn brighter. However, I cannot deny the immense talent present in the German Wunderkind and, even though he made Dallas relevant, I will always respect Dirk.
Z-Bo may have the least impressive win total against the Rockets on this, but wins aren't the only currency for hate. The Grit ‘N’ Grind Grizzlies were defined by hard nosed defense and extremely physical play. The Grindhouse was the most intimidating stadium to me as a Rockets fan, because I knew Zach Randolph was going to wear the team out. Nothing came easy against the Grizzlies except hate and respect. Zach Randolph was a machine, pulling down “Z-bounds” and scoring buckets with relative ease. The Rockets always came away from these games exhausted and beat up, the physical play of Z-Bo was always the reason. The non-stop motor of Randolph makes him one of my favorite non Rockets players of all time.
Perhaps the most random name in my list, Donovan Mitchell has been on my hate/respect radar for a while. First off: I bleed Rockets Red (although that may be coincidental) so I automatically dislike any Jazz player. Now why did I add Spida to this list specifically? For an admittedly extremely petty reason. After a Game 4 Jazz loss to the Rockets in the 2018 playoffs, Mitchell was caught on camera saying some colorful things about the MVP winning James Harden. "If that's what he needs to win ******* MVP, **** it." The combination of him trash talking my favorite player and him being on the Jazz made Mitchell an easy target for my hate. However, as I write this, Mitchell’s Cleveland Cavaliers are 16-1 and Mitchell is easily a favorite for MVP. He is an immense talent and I’m very glad he is no longer on the Jazz.
Westbrook is on this list by virtue of his MVP battles with James Harden. Unlike any of the other players on this list, Westbrook actually played for the Rockets and was on the playoff team in the Bubble Playoffs of 2020. Unfortunately, he did not do well for the Rockets in the second round against LeBron and the eventual 2020 Champion Lakers. Westbrook is a constant ball of chaotic energy whenever he steps on a basketball court. His relentless playstyle led to him averaging a triple double over the entire 2016-17 season, the first player to do so since Oscar Robertson in 1961-62. A tremendous feat and worthy of an MVP. If I were an objective observer, I could understand how he won, but I'm not. I'm a homer and a certified hater. Westbrook stole James' MVP and that's why I reluctantly respect him.
Like Westbrook, my hate for Giannis comes from his competition for James Harden for the MVP. I agree with James, it doesn't take much skill to run and dunk, although Giannis does more than run and dunk. Giannis is a terror on the court. His strength is unrivaled and his defense is elite. My hate comes from his 2018-19 MVP year, a year which I believe James Harden should have won the award. Nevertheless, Antetokounmpo’s basketball skill cannot be denied, and The Alphabet does have one accolade that The Beard does not, he has led his Bucks to a Championship, and that demands respect in the face of irrational hate.
I love lunch time, quitting time, and vacation time. I hate Dame Time. Full disclosure, watching Damian Lillard hit the 2014 Game 6 series winning shot against the Rockets was the only time a professional sports moment has made me cry. (Of course I have cried in an adult softball league, but who hasn't?) A combination of the game ending around 1 AM local time and the frustration of losing in the first round was enough for a tear (or two, or a hundred) to leak out and make me hate Dame forever. Damian Lillard was born with the clutch gene and he has used his supernatural ability to rip mine and many fans across the NBA’s hearts out. Just ask fans in OKC. Dame Time is all too real.
Kevin Durant is the most pure basketball player I have ever witnessed. His rare combination of length, handles, and shooting makes KD the perfect basketball machine. Even though he would knock my Rockets out of the 2013 playoffs, I loved Kevin and his young upstart OKC team.I watched as The Durantula took his OKC Thunder into the playoffs against the unstoppable Golden State in the 2016 Western Conference Finals and lost in 7 games. I knew that if my Rockets couldn’t eventually beat the hated Golden State, then Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook could. Then, in the summer of 2016, I was sitting on my uncle's deck looking out onto the bay enjoying a beautiful Fourth of July day when I decided to check my phone. My mood quickly soured, and the day we set aside to celebrate our freedom to hate was ruined as I read Kevin’s Player Tribune article announcing his decision to join the Golden State Warriors. My respect and admiration quickly shifted to the other side of the passion coin, and KD earned a new hater that day. Well, a couple of million new haters. I still love watching Durant play but I will always hold a bit of hatred in my soul for the way he ruined the parity in the NBA for several years.
I don't think I actually need to write why I hate this man, but that wouldn't make sense because this is a blog. Where to start with this man? The shimmy? The night night? The way he chews on his mouthguard? How about the seemingly endless amount of 3s this man has rained on the Rockets? I could go on and on but the bottom line is that Steph Curry (and 27 straight missed 3s) is the main reason that the James Harden led Houston Rockets never won a championship. Watching Curry stirred feelings in me I had not felt since Kobe and he rekindled my love for hate watching. Maybe it's sick, but I almost feel more happiness watching the Warriors lose than when the Rockets win (I'm almost joking). Steph has revolutionized the game of basketball, his 3,799 (and counting) made 3 pointers in the most in NBA history (Harden just became second all time). Kids in the parks are shooting the ball from further and further out and big men in the Association are now judged on their long range ability. The 3 point revolution is real, and Chef Curry is the Michelin Star leader of the new Era of the NBA.
Well dear reader, we have come to the end of my Reluctantly Respected List. I hope it was a good read or, at the very least, a good way to pass the time on the bus.
Each week I’m gonna review and recommend random things - TV shows, music, or a restaurant. Whatever I feel like. This is my blog.
This weekend I had my annual rewatch of Peter Jackson’s adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. If you haven’t seen these masterpieces of high fantasy, please put your phone down and get in front of a TV. This timeless story follows the hobbit Frodo Baggins as he takes the journey from his home in the Shire to destroy the Ring of Power in Mount Doom. I recommend the extended editions - totaling 11 and half hours of beautiful cinematography and top notch casting as the land of Middle Earth is explored and the greatest fantasy story of all time is told. I watch it every year and every year I am completely blown away. I also recommend reading the books as well.
NEXT WEEK: Walker’s Wrantings Presents “My Totally Unprofessional Review’’ of the first couple of months of the 2024-25 NBA season.