Skeets at Ball Don't Lie took FOXSports to task for its absolutely absurd "Top 5 Overrated NBA Players" slideshow, which is attributed to no writer but is mentioned as being supplied by Yardbarker. Dwyane Wade checks in at #5 and Yao Ming places #3. Those are ridiculous enough to not warrant dispute. Anyone who watches basketball will know to ignore those assertions.

But Shane Battier at #1, with the following justification, that really chafes my soul:

Battier is as consistent as winter rain in the Northwest - if by consistent you mean consistently mediocre. Despite playing nearly 37 minutes per game, he averaged only nine points and five rebounds last season.

You can tell a ton of research was involved here. I mean, citing both points per game and minutes per game? Heavy, heady stuff. Battier's role is not as a scorer or rebounder, of course. He's a defender, and a role-playing shooter. Houston happened to be the second best defensive team in the NBA, as it was in Battier's first year with the Rockets. Memphis, when Battier played there, also regularly ranked high on defense consistently. Battier has been his team's predominant "stopper" since he entered the league. Hmm...

FOX also mentions his shooting percentages, which on first glance look poor. This is why we take more than one glance! Battier is #99 all-time in career True Shooting percentage, a figure that accounts for threes and free throws in adjusting raw field goal percentage. Only 98 players in the history of the NBA and ABA have shot more efficiently than Battier. As for consistency: Battier has missed 14 of a potential 572 regular season games in his NBA career. He's among the most durable wings in the game.

He has never made so much as an All-Star team, and has been voted onto the All-Defense second team once despite a reputation among those who know as an elite stopper. Who exactly is overrating him? Back to the drawing board, fellas.

You know what the Houston Rockets need, now that they've been bounced from the first round again, Yao Ming is recovering from a severe foot injury by playing in the Olympics, and they've added one of the most volatile players in the NBA in Ron Artest?

Drama. And that's exactly what Rafer Alston is here for.

Alston was busted for driving while intoxicated on Friday, and posted a $500 bond. This comes almost exactly one year after he was arrested for public intoxication and assault, though he was cleared of those charges. He was also cleared of charges from August 28th last year stemming from allegations he slashed the throat of someone. Now, Skip To My Lou is the only truly competent point guard the Rockets have, and they're going to need him. But someone might want to tell him not to leave the house during August. At all. Just stay indoors, Rafer!

Take a look. It's in a book. It's Reading Rainbow.

(HT: Dream Shake)

Plenty has been said about the many, um, idiosyncrasies of Ron Artest. But no matter what your opinion is of the man, no one should have to find out about being traded to another team while live on the air on a national sports talk radio show. That's exactly how Ron-Ron discovered he was headed to Houston though. As he called in to wish Sirius radio host Scott Ferrall a happy birthday, he was given the news, and seemed relatively unfazed, all things considered.



I love how, once Artest realized what had happened, he immediately focused his attention on the primary reason for the call: the host's birthday. This proves one of two things: either Artest isn't as self-centered as some people have perceived him to be, or that he's not all there mentally. You make the call.