It's getting late, but it has been a very eventful day. I should I'd post in my blog again.
I shall comment on two things tonight: the passing of Michael Jackson, and the Rockets' selections in the NBA draft
as a 25-year-old, I WISH I could say that I grew up listening to Michael, but I didn't. I knew about Michael, but I only read about him in newspapers and the occasional TV news coverage on his success when I was a kid. I didn't have a stereo, a computer, and the Internet didn't exist yet. Despite never hearing any of his songs, I knew about him and respected what he did. It wasn't until when I moved to US at the age of 15 did I start getting exposed to his music. One by one:
Thriller,
Billie Jean,
Smooth Criminal, You Are Not Alone..... I liked his singles. I realized that he revolutionized music at the time and created what we know as Pop today. My respect for him grew larger and larger.
However, this was the early 21st century, when Michael became more and more discombobulated (I looked "crazy" up in the thesaurus) and was often the butt of jokes, the target of ridicule, and his success became a thing of the past. He turned to drugs, became more reclusive, and must've been suffering mentally and physically. While I found his appearance weird and freaky, my images of him remained as the King of Pop in 80s and early 90s. I knew that he will never be the same Michael as when he was at his peak, maybe he really was a child molestor, maybe he really was endangering his baby, but in my mind it doesn't taint his legacy in music. To me, they were not the same person.
And that's why, even though I haven't listened to most of his great songs yet, tonight I pay tribute to one of the greatest innovators and musicians in history. Rest in peace, Michael Jackson.
Now I turn to the Rockets' draft picks in the 2009 NBA Draft. While Rockets had already traded away all of their draft picks this year, and this draft having the weakest depth of talent in years, GM Daryl Morey still seeked to buy his way into this draft. Daryl has displayed a knack of finding diamonds in the rough, finding talents for cheap and almost always find a way to improve the Rockets' overall talent level and depth. This year, he did not disappoint. The Rockets managed to buy not 1, not 2, but THREE second round draft picks. They were #32 Jermaine Taylor, #34 Sergio Llull, and #44 Chase Budinger, all for $6 million and our second-round draft pick next year.
This is where the genius comes in: we don't really NEED all these players. Sergio, for example, will be stashed away in Spain for more years. Chase Budinger is a lanky SF with a shooting touch, and Jermaine Taylor is a talented scorer at the 2-guard position. Rockets were covered last season at both of these position. What the Rockets gained this year, however, is MORE DEPTH. There is always a need for a sharp shooter on the bench, and JT has an excellent chance to compete for a roster spot with Von Wafer. If Wafer doesn't sign with the Rockets, JT will be competing with James White for the back-up SG spot. The added depth also allows the Rockets to add trading chips to trade for other players. The worst case scenario, the players don't pan out after work outs, practices, and summer league play, and they are again stashed away in NBDL waiting for their chase to be called up again. This draft shows that Daryl Morey and owner Lex Alexander again turned nothing into three important pieces for the immediate and further future.
While I wanted the Rockets to draft other players, such as Sam Young and Patrick Mills, both of whom were drafted after the Rockets' picks, I still trust Morey and his team of scouts in picking up the best talents that fit the Rockets team. To that, I say: Kudos Morey.
, and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. Was very heart-pounding and entertaining.