The Dream Shake - a Houston Rockets blog: Yao Back, Summer League and Other Notes

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Yao Back, Summer League and Other Notes

Yao Ming, Yao Ming, Yao Ming Yao Ming
Yesterday Yao Ming took part in a warm up game for the Olympics with his native Chinese National Team. He put up 11 points in 12 minutes and looked rusty by all accounts that aren't full of crap. AP on ESPN article here I have no idea if Yao is rushing back at all, but it seems to fall in line with what most thought, he'd be out until July or August, and here we are right in the middle. My hope is that he doesn't play any more in the warm ups, but I highly doubt I get my wish. And since that is the case, I'll just amend it to say that I hope he plays less than 15 minutes in any non-Olympic game before the NBA season starts. Yao and Lebron also have a pretty cool new Coke commerical out (h/t on the video to Clutchfans)



Summer League Game 2 Action
Unfortunately I did not get to see last nights game, because, well... as much as I love the Rockets, I can only watch so many Summer League games. They are BRUTAL in a lot of ways to watch. I can read a box score though.

1. Greene Machine
Donte Greene had his inevitable fall back to earth. He shot 4-17 (3-8 from behind the arc, so 1-9 inside it) and scored 17 points. I know we've been watching Tracy McGrady for a long time, so we all know that this was not a good 17 points. Greene also went from 0 turnovers in game one to 4 in game two. He did go 6-6 from the line though, so that is nice.

2. The Midget
Great to have a better game from Aaron Brooks. He shot way too many times and not so well at that, but he had 7 assists and only 2 turnovers. MUCH better than Monday's debacle of a game for him. Brooks even cut down on on his fouls from 9 all the way down to 3!

3. The Guy I'm in No Way Thrilled with
Joey Dorsey made his debut last night. I have no idea why I didn't realize the issue on Monday is that he didn't have a contract. Dorsey is still without one, but the Rockets have insurance in place in case he gets hurt so he will play the rest of the Summer League. He went 4-4 from the field, but paired that with a cute 0-6 from the line. He had 14 rebounds, but they were almost all nullified by his 6 fouls and 6 turnovers. I want to like this guy, but he was a lazy bastard in college, played for a coach I think is sleazy and I just genuinely didn't like him before he was a Rocket. But Joey, I tell you what, I'm going to put all your stripper loving, lazy stuff behind us. From now until you screw up, and hopefully you never do, I'm going to try and like you.

4. My parents loved the letter A Leunen
Like I said, I didn't get to watch the game, but it sure seems like Maaaaarty is better than I was hoping for. 17 points on 5-9 shooting (3-5 3s and 4-5 FT) and 5 rebounds for him. I don't think there is any room on the roster for him, but maybe later in the season, or even next season we'll see how he make the NBA transition

Stephen A Smith
F you. Actually, F you and anyone that employs your pathetic excuse for an NBA reporter existence. First of all, screaming something louder makes it seem more wrong, not all of the sudden un-idiotic. Second, Tracy telling you he just wants to win does NOT mean "I want to be traded". It means, I want to win. You cannot extrapolate out that now he'd "Welcome a trade to Detroit". All you can take out of that is that he wants to win, period. And guess what fuckstick, he IS winning in Houston. 55 times just last year alone, even 22 in a row. Yes, they lost in the first round, but no Yao had at least a little effect on that, don't you think? In short, you are the worst NBA reporter with any sort of exposure that I've ever seen, please stop talking completely. Actually, stop talking, writing, typing or even using sign language.

Luther Head
Yes, I saw that Head was selected to the USA Select Team, no I do not think he deserved it. Here is my hope: Luther plays phenomenally, moves without the ball and shoots lights out. This in turn ups his value to a stupid GM, somewhere that has a low 2nd round pick up for grabs and the rights to someone they can't sign even. Then we trade him and get him off of the Rockets. Personally like him as just a guy, but not as a basketball player on my team. It's all business

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dude, you are a major jerk!!
That stuff you wrote about Dorsey
was all bullsh** and not true!!
Dorsey is a friggin beast! He will show your softy team how to get a
friggin rebound! You're trashin him for getting 14 rebounds! You're a joke, dude!

Unknown said...

Fouls don't matter in summer league. It is a shit show.

UofTOrange said...

To Micheal,
How am I a jerk? I said I am going to try and like him. And it's been well documented that he is lazy on the court. Even Calipari says he had to get him up for the games. I need some more clarification? Are you his brother or cousin or something? It's also been told, by people I trust that he has/had a stripper girlfriend and likes the strip club, and it's not exactly a secret out there in general. How does telling the truth make me a jerk or a joke?

And yes, fouls are a joke in the summer league, I get that. However, 6 fouls AND 6 turnovers are not a joke, they are poor play.

Xiane said...

Hi, just thought I'd comment on your Dorsey comments. I fully understand what you're saying, and I agree with you about Calipari. But here's the thing, Dorsey looks/acts like a guy who can make another player afraid to to go to the rack. He looks like a guy who can punish other players for egregiously smacking Yao around, since the refs refuse to call even a fraction of the things that get done to Yao on a regular basis.

The Rockets NEED a guy who is a rebounding beast. I, personally, like the idea of sending a PF version of Ray Lewis onto the court to sort out the likes of Carlos Boozer.

If Dorsey plays the D he's capable of, grabs the boards he's capable of, turns trash into points and knocks the snot out of any number of tedious bastards on other teams, I think you're going to like him. A lot.