I have returned!
The Great Wall has returned, too. Sort of.
Yao Ming scored 21 points in a warm-up game yesterday. And he did it in only 28 minutes. And he also did it on only 10 shots (are you taking notes, Mr. Donte Greene? You don't have to take 30 shots to get 20 points!!). And he made his free throws (are you taking notes, Mr. Joey Dorsey? No? Well, at least get the stripper to take notes *for you*!).
It's good to have the big fella back. Yes, from everything I have read, he looked rusty and slow and not anywhere near good game shape. And the game was against Angola, who once again did not bring spears with them. Yeah, yeah, that was a terrible joke - and only Charles Barkley can get away with it. I still thought it was funny. Even 12 years later.
Anyway, within that first link, you'll also see that the other resident Rocket badass, Luis Scola, had 23 points to lead Argentina past Iran.
Wait, what? Iran has a basketball team?? Uhhh, okay.
Back to the point though...
Yao is back. And somewhat healthy. At least healthy enough to walk around and make 80% of his shots. I'll take that.
Meanwhile, T-Mac is moping around town talking about "winning" to Stephen A. Smith. Why would you direct complaints to SAS? All he's going to do is twist your words around and yell about it on ESPN or whatever journalistic medium was most recently dumb enough to give him a forum. Furthermore, if you want to win so bad - why would you be so eager to get traded to the freakin' Detroit Pistons? 2004 was a long time ago, dude. That team is old and slow now. And they just signed 2001 Draft Bust Kwame Brown (that's his full name now, by the way). Not to mention they have a rookie coach trying to keep Rasheed in check. Good luck with that.
Teams that are not winning next year include Detroit... apologies to my Pistons fan friends. But not too much of an apology - you guys did distract Shaq enough to win four years ago.
I do think it's funny to see that things have not changed much in the last year. To recap:
1. Yao Ming is a badass.
2. Luis Scola is a badass, too.
3. Tracy McGrady remains the Cowardly Lion.
Oh, and Stephen A. Smith?? FOAD.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
50% of Yao ... still better than everyone else
Friday, July 18, 2008
Yao and LinkedIn
I'm a day late on this, but here is some information I got from LinkedIn:
Link to Yao's Question
Yao's LinkedIn Profile
On Thursday morning, July 17th, Houston Rockets' player Yao Ming will post a question on LinkedIn, an online professional networking site with more than
24 million members. This is the first featured question that an athlete has ever posed on LinkedIn.
Unlike some celebrities and athletes that use flashy profile pages on other sites as a way to publicize their glamorous lifestyles or latest sneaker designs, Yao decided to create a profile on LinkedIn to help others (by drawing attention to his foundation) and to reach LinkedIn's professional audience.
Here's the question that Yao will be asking LinkedIn users on Thursday:
Playing basketball has allowed me to realize my dream of playing in the Olympics. It has also given me the ability to establish a foundation that can help people in need. Has participating in sports made an important difference in your professional life?
Five people who answer Yao's question on LinkedIn will be selected to win 20 raffle tickets each from The Yao Ming Foundation. The winner of the overall raffle and his/her guest get an all-expenses paid trip to the Beijing Olympics to see Team China play Team U.S.A.. They will also get to see a Houston Rockets game and meet Yao afterwards.
Yao is asking LinkedIn members the question in an effort to promote The Yao Ming Foundation (www.theyaomingfoundation.org). The foundation was created by Yao to support the rebuilding effort in China (after the deadly earthquake that hit the Sichaun province in May) and to create youth programs in both China and the United States. Yao's presence on LinkedIn will also help him draw attention to a raffle that he is running to help benefit the foundation.
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
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Rockets vs Cleveland in Summer League Action
Catch it online at NBA.com at 9:30PM CST
The Cavaliers roster looks terrible, so I'm thinking the Rockets win by 10+
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Greene drops 40 in Summer League Action
One day after agreeing to his slotted contract offer, Donte Greene showed his range last night shooting 5-10 from behind the arc, and 7-10 inside it. Put that with 11-12 free throw shooting and it adds for 40 points. He also had 3 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals and 0 turnovers. That's right, the guy shot 20 times and didn't commit a single turnover. Now, I know what you're thinking, "It's the Summer League, no one plays defense", and partially you are correct. The problem with that assertion is that in the Summer League, these guys aren't exactly polished yet, so turnovers are inevitable, even if it's one bad pass, or a good pass where the other guy didn't make his spot in time. The rest of the team shot 47 times and turned it over 13 times, Greene went 20 and 0. His 3rd assist of the night to Leunen put the Rockets on top for the first time all night, 98-97 and Houston went on to win 100-97.
Other notables from the night:
Maaaaaaarty Leunen had 16 points and EIGHT fouls
Mike Harris was a beast scoring 21 and boarding 13, to go with his 6 fouls. I thought there was no way he'd be making the team this year when he came on a the end of last year. Now I'm not so sure about that.
Joey Dorsey was a DNP last night
Little known fact: (h/t Clutchfans)
Since 2004 the Rockets are now 20-1 in Summer League play
My shout out to our Aggie readers:
Your boy Joe Jones was the antithesis of good last night. He shot 0 times and rebounded the ball once. He did somehow manage 5 fouls in his 11:44 on the court. Or for the mathematically challenged 1 every 2.34 minutes or so. I still think he has potential in the NBA though, everyone has a tough night.
The worst stat of the night:
Aaron Brooks posted 9, that's right 9, fouls. I'm guessing he's in a cold bath still after the beating he delivered and I'm sure he received. Brooks did not have a good game, shooting 4-14 and had a 4-6 Assist to TO ratio.
One Released, One Signed on, Minor Trade coming?
Loren Woods was released from his contract after requesting to be yesterday. Morey said that he appeared to have a big deal to play overseas and he didn't want to hold him back. They quickly signed Chris Daniels out of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. He was the Southland player of the year and went undrafted. Morey also stated that a minor trade would happen within the month. I think he's getting rid of Novak, Head or Hayes, maybe more than one of them.
My personal pet peeve of the Summer League: Get these guys some jerseys that are better than the local YMCA kids league. If you are on the Rockets Summer League team, you deserve a Rockets jersey.
Another reason I love the NBA:
Slotted cost for a first round pick. This rules on every level. No hassles, no ridiculous singing bonuses, and a guarantee that you get a guy for 3 years.
Ron Artest:
Yes please! If you don't like Artest as a player, then you know less than you think about basketball.
Links:
Clutch written recap at Clutchfans
NBA.com writeup
Box score
Rockets Summer League page at NBA.com
I guess I missed this(Nike - Hyperdunkrecoverycenter), but isn't this a little cold after the McGrady dunking over James Felton article recently?
And if you haven't seen the article, it is a must read.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Make plans for the parade! Brent Barry a Rocket!
Just like his dad and his brother........
Brent Barry could not resist playing for the Houston Rockets.
Allow us to be the first to welcome the missing link...
the important "3rd scorer" we've been talking about since May...
the player who can create off the dribble and pressure the defense...!!!
SCHEDULE THE CHAMPIONSHIP PARADE!!
Oh. Wait a second...
[checking biography for Barry, Brent]
Hmmm, the Rockets signed a 36 year old white dude to a 2-year contract.
A dude who plays no real defense.
A dude who is going to profit from ONE good game in the playoffs....
yeah, maybe we should all take a moment.
Relax.
Breathe.
Calm the #(@*& down.
Let's realize that while Brent Barry is going to be a nice addition to the rotation, he's NOT the missing link or the final piece to the championship puzzle. Yes, he can shoot threes (but so can Novak!). Yes, he's very good shooting free throws (but so can Yao! Though I do like this part of Barry's game, too.) Yes, he's got a championship pedigree (but so does Robert Horry... who just happens to also be a free agent!)
Yeah, maybe it's just me but I don't get the fascination the Rockets have with Brent Barry. He is no longer the dunk champion guy he was a decade ago. He's a nice role player - and role players are important to championship teams, but if he was that important, don't you think San Antonio would have made more of a push to keep him?
So, uh, yeah, in conclusion - I sorta like this signing by the Rockets. I don't completely understand it, but it's not going to backfire on us the same way the Corey Maggette signing is going to backfire on the Golden State Warriors. It's a safe play by Mr. Morey.
But we're still going to need that 3rd scorer...
no rush on that.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Yao Ming is quite the multi-tasker (raffle info)
I just received this from a rep of Yao Ming.
(The hidden good news is that Yao must be healthy enough to play some basketball already and we'll get to see him face off against the United States in just a few weeks!)
... enough stalling, here's the info:
______
Yao is going to be having a raffle to help provide relief for the earthquake victims in China. The grand prize is for the winner and a guest to be Yao ’s special guest at the 2008 Olympic Games and get VIP treatment. In total, the winner will receive:
Winner and Guest will receive 6 nights 7 day hotel accommodations in Beijing China (Single Room, Double Occupancy, From August 7, 2008 to August 13, 2008)
Winner and Guest will receive roundtrip airfare from any international airport worldwide to Beijing
Winner will receive a $1,500 cash stipend for meals and expenses
Winner and Guest will enjoy a Team China vs. Team USA Olympic Basketball Game
Winner and Guest will each receive an autographed Official Yao Ming NBA Jersey
Winner and Guest will enjoy a meet and greet with Yao Ming in the United States after attending a Houston Rockets NBA game (at a mutually agreed upon time)
Winner and Guest will enjoy a Guided Tour of the Great Wall of China
*** Winner will also receive a cash prize in the amount of $3,995.00 to mitigate the Winner's tax liability that results from winning the raffle. This prize is withheld and paid, on behalf of the Winner, directly to the IRS ($3,300.00) and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts ($695.00)
The auction ends July 21st.
The Website is: https://www.celebritiesfor charity.org/raffles/raffle _yao.cfm
There are people who doubt Daryl Morey?
/beginning rant... NOW.
The Rockets, not surprisingly, have been minor players in this market.
Very, very minor.
So, stumbling around the Chronicle this morning, I saw this interesting little post. Apparently, some people don't trust Daryl Morey to get the Rockets moving in the right direction. More specifically, I saw this quote in Mr. Campbell's column:
"a lot of fans are skeptical or downright pessimistic Morey will deliver. Is that indicative of the sentiment of thinking Rockets fans, or are you willing to wait and see?"
Yeah, Luis Scola is a badass. And he was acquired by a badass GM... and Morey did all this in his FIRST season as GM. In a city where we've had to watch Tim Purpura and Ed Wade destroy the talent level on the Astros, I can't believe there are people out there who question and doubt Morey.Sure, the T-Mac/Yao combination has yet to produce a playoff series victory. That's more of an unfortunate bit of timing and scheduling than a lack of talent. Does anyone doubt the Rockets would have won at least a couple playoff series if they were shifted over to the Eastern Conference?
Along those lines, what is it that we can reasonably expect Morey to do? The Rockets had the 25th pick this year -- they were actually willing to trade *up* to acquire Donte Greene (according to all reports). Instead, Morey did his homework... traded *down* in the draft... still acquired the player he was targetting AND got more players/picks in the process. That's genius-quality stuff there. I just wish more people noticed and appreciated it!
And yet...
"How much do you trust the GM who got Landry as a second-round steal — and whiffed on his acquisitions of Steve Francis and Mike James?"
Let's break this down. Francis and James were acquired for next to nothing. We dumped Juwon Howard to get James. And we gave Francis as close to the minimum contract as possible without insulting the guy. They were calculated risks... which didn't pay off exactly. Though we did turn James into BobbyJ, and when Francis was healthy last year he had some very good moments in the 4th Q. One game against the Knicks he practically willed us to victory. And Francis is still on the roster... we have nothing to lose there. It's a complete freeroll.
But I guess the simple-minded fan is just sick of seeing this:
sure, yeah, from a macroscopic viewpoint, it sucks that the Rockets haven't delivered in the playoffs. It sucks that Morey isn't exactly the Wizard of Oz who can deliver T-Mac a heart. Or courage. And it sucks that Morey isn't a doctor who can magically heal Yao's freak injuries.
To that I say: be patient. Dynasties are not built overnight. The best transactions are the trades that don't make big headlines. And sometimes the smartest thing to do is to not make rash decisions that decimate the quality and character of a team and have decades-long impacts (see, e.g., Thomas, Isiah - New York Knicks 2003-2008). Our boy wonder GM is like a genius or something. He has given us every reason to believe he is trustworthy. The Rockets are going to make the playoffs barring another unexpected fluke series of injuries. And any "moves" to be done might better be completed in February than in July.
training camp starts in a few months... and I'm certain we will like what we see come November.
/end rant.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Summer League Team Announced and Carl Landry Notes
Yesterday the Rockets set the roster for their summer league team:
Aaron Brooks - PG
Donte’ Greene - SG/SF
Joey Dorsey - C
Maarty Leunen - SF/PF
Mike Harris - SF/PF
Loren Woods - C
Lanny Smith from UofH - PG
Joseph Jones from A&M - PF
Russell Robinson from Kansas - G
Dijon Thompson out of UCLA- SG/SF
Mark Tyndale out of Temple - SF
Gustavo Barrera out of Uruguay.
I had not seen the Joseph Jones or Lanny Smith pickups before that. While I'm a professed Longhorn grad and fan, I really like Jones and hope he can do something in the NBA. He'll be a good backup 4 for someone down the road I believe.
I am wondering if Landry will join this team if he signs in the next few weeks. That would make a lot of sense for his seasoning, but given all the forwards on the team, as it already stands, it might not. The Rockets may want to see what the other guys can do. I've been hearing rumors that Landry is working on his outside shot, and if so, that he could potentially move to SF. That would be a move that would help the Rockets if he can seriously improve his shooting and somewhat improve his handles. I don't see it actually happening, but hell, it's the off-season, a guy can dream, right?
I'd also like to say this to Mr. Landry's agent, STFU. That's right, STFU. Stop spouting off that Carl Landry is getting all kinds of offers, it's not true and it will eventually hurt your client. As a guy with only one client you are not allowed to even attempt to bully a team. All that will get you is fired by your one client. Don't be stupid, negotiate with the team that can give you the most money and that fits your client's game very well. Figure out what similar players have asked for, then ask for that plus 5%, don't go asking for that times 3 which is effectively what $8MM a season is. Your client has proven that he can play well when given minutes, he's also proven that his knee is a hazard to an NBA club's payroll.
NBA Draft - buyer's remorse?
I've now had almost a week to process all the manic activity that was the 2008 NBA Draft.
I'm relieved I do not have to cheer for Pip.
Very much so.
I'm quite stunned that the Rockets got Donte Greene.
Very happy about this.
Greene looks to be a keeper. The dude appears to have been a fan of the Rockets before we drafted him and was utterly disappointed when the 25th pick came and went and two french dudes were drafted before him. For a time, I shared in his disappointment. But, as we've been saying for months now, our boy Mr. Morey is like a genius or something - managed to turn the 25th pick into Greene AND Dorsey AND another pick in '09...
even though the Rockets were more than willing to trade up in the draft to acquire the rights to Mr. Greene. Who legitimately has NBA skills and has been compared to all sorts of different players ranging from Tracy McGrady to Rashard Lewis to Kevin Durant. Yes, we all know he's a "project" player, but what else did we expect from the 25th pick in a draft completely lacking in sure-fire no-doubt can't-miss prospects?
That said - this entry is not about Mr. Greene...
I'm worried about Joey Dorsey.
The news is only getting worse about the Rockets' chances to re-sign Carl Landry. Certainly, drafting Joey Dorsey was intended to give the Rockets options if Landry decides to get too cute in his contract negotiations. (And, yes, I *definitely* want Carl Landry to come back -- if only for us to be able to use "Luis Landry" tags in the future. Though I do *not* want the Rockets to commit $8M+ per season for his services. That's just bad business.)
If another team takes some crazy pills and does offer Landry $8M or more per season... the Rockets would be looking at a PF rotation of Scola (who is a badass), Chuck Hayes (who I like, but I like winning more) and... Mr. Dorsey. Uhhhh, yikes.
Why am I worried? Well....... I don't really have any inside sources in the NBA. But I do have some people I know who knew Dorsey quite well during his stay in college. The moment we acquired him, I got messages ranging from:
1. He is a pretty big baby and doesn't put in the necessary work;
2. He has/had a stripper girlfriend but wasn't exactly faithful;
3. He likes to "make it rain" all over town.
Did we just draft a 6'7" 265 lb. NBA version of "Pac-Man"??? Uh, oh.
On the flip side....... it turns out that Dorsey already knows Tracy McGrady and they've been friends for a while. I have no idea if this is a good or bad thing -- but it is worth noting. I've just never considered T-Mac to be the mentoring type. Besides, Dorsey's rep has always been that when he plays he is good -- but that it's hard to get him truly motivated to play. With the NBA full of distractions (read: groupies and parties), can we really rely on Dorsey to get his act together and give us what Carl Landry gave us in '07/'08?
I'm not sure... I'm just sayin' I'm concerned.
