No matter what, Long Beach will be happy next NBA season.
Long Beach State Basketball alum James Ennis III signed a two-year $3.4 million contract with the Houston Rockets.
“Rockets general manager Daryl Morey rushed into Cox Pavilion, said a few words to Mike D'Antoni, then retreated to the corner dressing area for the only privacy the UNLV gym could offer. When he emerged minutes later, his Blackberry still pressed to his ear, he had begun restocking the Rockets' small forward position and drew a huge smile from his coach.” –Houston Chronicle
First off and most importantly, I had no idea Blackberry cell phones still existed and I’m seriously considering making the switch because everybody knows all the big ballers carried a Blackberry back in the day. Second, all this means is Long Beach is going to win an NBA championship next season.
Think about it…there are only three teams in the league that can win a title next year in the NBA: the Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, or LeBron James.
Long Beach is mostly made up of LA Lakers fans and I’ve got some BREAKING NEWS if you fit those criteria. LeBron will be a Laker next season! Immediate championship contender (please credit 908 Sports).
Poly alum Jordan Bell already has one NBA title in his trophy case when the Warriors won their third championship in four years last season. They somehow added another superstar by signing DeMarcus Cousins, who is one of the best big men in the league. They only had to give him $5.3 million, which is like a box of Cheerios in terms of NBA money.
Plus, if you haven’t been watching the NBA Summer League, Bell is starting to pull from three-point land with great consistency and if that starts to happen, the Warriors might go 82-0. That would be the first time a team has gone undefeated in league history, folks. Some other great undefeated teams in history: the United States of America in World Wars, IBM Watson on the Jeopardy set, and the internet.
And now that Ennis has signed with the Rockets, Long Beach solidified another championship. The Rockets were one game and a 15-point lead away from the NBA Finals last season. Then, Bell set some all-time great screens, which helped catapult the Warriors to the title.
Last season, with the Memphis Grizzlies and Detroit Pistons, Ennis averaged 7.1 points in 22.3 minutes per game. His length and athleticism make the Rockets way better defensively and they don’t lose anything on the offensive end. The Rockets live and die by the three (because why have two when you can have three?) and Ennis shoots 36 percent from behind the arc. All the Rockets need now is LBSU basketball alum Peter Pappageorge and they’re golden.
Honestly, Long Beach is the most spoiled sports town in America and I love everything about that. Imagine being from Yucaipa where their most famous athlete is Taijuan Walker. Oh, you’ve never heard of Taijuan Walker? Exactly.
I can’t wait for next year when we as a city get to take home another ring.