SB Nation - Chuck Hayes

Game Recap: Extended Burn from Rockets Downs Dallas 116-108

zdgmans — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 05:35:36 -0000

by Tony Gutierrez - AP

The 14-11 Rockets blast into the American Airlines Center hoping to steal some of the Mavericks Thunder in the Southwest division. The Mavericks look to push their winning streak to six games and continue rolling along in the West.

Did forces conspire against the Mavericks to keep them down?

Game as a Whole:

This rivalry has gotten a lot more intense in the last couple of season. Could it be that the Rockets could be poised to overtake the Spurs as the rivalry match that every Dallas fan looks forward to with bitter hatred in their hearts? Even with a Maverick loss this was a very entertaining, albeit a bit frustrating, basketball game to watch (both teams clearly came to play).

The Mavericks jumped out to a hot start and looked like they were firing on all cylinders in the first quarter (looked like we were on our way to a severe routing). The Rockets proceeded to push back, and to complicate matters the Mavericks lost Dirk on a layup in traffic that led to a “deep laceration” of the golden elbow.

The Rockets continued their dominance in the 3^rd quarter and this is normally where Maverick fan would begin to cringe a bit thinking that the Dallas 5 game win streak would be coming to a horrible end. That was the Mavericks of old; the new Mavericks have been staking their claim as closers with the 4^th quarter of tonight’s game being a prime example.

The end of the 4^th quarter was a joy to watch for the Mavericks as a whole. Overcoming a ten point lead to tie the game on the back of a strong defensive showing is something that only veteran teams can do consistently, it’s unfortunate it had to end in an overtime collapse.

Let’s look at the quarters...

1st Quarter:

4th time in less than two months that both the Rockets and Mavericks have met.
JJ Barea gets the start again. I think Roddy is officially in the dog house unless Barea royally messes up.
Trying to get Marion going early but he blows the layup. Great idea to get Marion active inside at the start of the game.
10:52, Barea snakes right to the baseline and hits a smooth layup after getting around the help defender.
10:11, Coming off a screen, Barea takes and makes a three-pointer. He is definitely looking for his shot early. Pokes the ball away on the next Rockets possession, which leads to a shot clock violation.
Erick Dampier should really be dominating Chuck Hayes as he gives up six inches in height. Mavericks need to start throwing it inside.
8:31, Mavericks ugly turnover as Erick Dampier tries to thread the needle to Marion under the basket. No way Dampier should ever be making that pass.
7:57, Dirk with the up and under. He doesn't use that as often as he should.
7:26, Barea gives Dampier a pass, which I swear the old Dampier would have fumbled. Super Dampier actually catches the pass and hits a reverse. I don't know what alternate reality I am in but I like it.
6:56, The Mavs are playing stifling defense, causing a second Rockets shot clock violation.
5:56, Barea makes a left-handed circus shot that hits high off the glass. He gets an "and 1" for his troubles. Everyone is looking really aggressive tonight.
5:24, Marion is back in the paint for a two point basket. Barea gets beat by Brookes :(
4:24, Dirk takes it to the rim for a dunk in traffic. He rarely dunks after blowing by his man. A sign of confidence?
Marion seems to have a bit of trouble getting his rebound and putting it back in the basket. You have to applaud the hustle but they don't have a column for that on the stats sheet.
3:26, Gooden comes in and grabs an offensive board. Gets fouled on the put back attempt. He nails both free-throws.
Marion and Gooden are both in the paint gathering offensive rebounds and looking to score. 16 points in the paint this quarter. We keep putting up this many points in the paint and we will grab our sixth win in a row.
Gooden has gotten a ton of offensive rebounds this quarter.
:47, Josh Howard hits a trailing jump shot on the fast break from Kidd.
If we were making all these put backs we would be up be 100 points (hyperbole).

2nd Quarter:

Aggression getting the best of the Mavericks? Offensive foul for Barea, play before that he loses the ball.
10:29, transition three from Josh Howard. Jump shot looks great, think the ankle is fine.
9:28, Dirk drives and gets fouled by Carl Landry. Huge cut on his elbow, doesn't look like it feels too good. Dirk hits 1 out of 2 left handed, because he’s good like that. Goes back to the locker room.
Humphries, time to step up man.
8:09, Josh Howard misses an 18 footer and does his best Shane Battier impression against Shane Battier (draws charge). No, a black hole did not open up.
7:20, Gooden gets called for an offensive play. Refs have decided that they want to call the game extremely tight now.
6:33, Barea shows why you hustle for every ball. Decides to let a ball go out which he could have easily grabbed. Possession went to Houston.
Dirk has to get stitches after the collision.
Houston has scored seven straight to take the lead 37-30. Howard counters back with a 2 point layup. Where did the Mavericks from the 1st quarter go?
Need Dirk back. Kidd steal with 3:48, nothing comes of it.
3:12, Barea takes it into the paint and has to throw up a wild shot. Dampier offensive rebound and draws a foul. 1 of 2 free-throws made.
2:24, Dampier goes back to the line. He should start going strong to the basket and dunking it.
There is no one who is even close to his size on the Rockets. Hits 1 of 2 again.
0 for 5 Jason Terry. Is there a lid on the basket for him?
The Rockets are helping the Mavericks out so much but they are still completely failing to score anything in the last three minutes.
Side note, the "Ketchup and Mustard" uniforms for the Rockets are horrible. Who thought that was a good idea? Unless they wanted to blind the Mavericks with ugly…
:51, Jason Terry is a shooter and hits a timely three. Jason Terry rushes a three in the attempt to go 2 for 1.
:2, Marion dunk off a nice assist from Barea to end the half.

3rd Quarter:

11:41, Brooks continues the hot start. Can someone please step up and stop this guy?
10:03, Two Barea back-to-back baskets are what is keeping us in the game right now. Dirk will not be returning. Can I dub Barea mini-Dirk?
8:51, only down four, thanks to a Shawn Marion two point shot. The Matrix is having a great game tonight.
8:02, Barea draws the Mavericks within 1. The Mavericks are starting to get back into a groove.
6:18, Practically two minutes without a basket? What the heck is going on here?
4:54, Trevor Ariza starts his highlight reel for tonight. Going on a bit of a scoring tear.
3:44, Drew Gooden two point shot keeping it close. Shawn Marion filling the stat sheet with an assist on the play.
:02, Tim Thomas cuts off a Rockets surge with a three pointer to end the quarter. Not much good happened in this quarter.

4th Quarter:

7:37, Clear path foul on Terry. This is clearly a blown call as you watch the reply JET is step for step with his man. This may be a game changer.
6:53, Kidd gets a tech for fighting? This is just pure comedy, seems that Tim Thomas was the instigator as he comes in and throws the first push.
4:35, the refs are taking over the game. Now Dampier gets a technical foul.
87-95, it’s looking all down hill for the Mavericks. Brooks is currently picking the Mavs apart.
2:43, Kidd taking (and making) a long two. Not the type of shot you want to be taking right now. Low percentage.
1:53, Kidd grabs his 10^th board and gets fouled. We are coming back thanks to the free-throw line.
1:05, Shawn Marion stops a Rockets fast break, starts a Mavericks fast break, and then he is rewarded with a layup. That could go down as a top play of the year.
:19.1, Kidd fouls but Brooks misses his first free-throw. Who do you go to now for the three pointer to tie? Jason Terry is having an off night.
:10.5, Tim Thomas with the clutch three to knot the game at 100 all. It really was a great shot fake.
Shawn Marion deserves the game ball tonight. He has done it all. Time looks like it is going back on the clock. Who would you give the ball to with Dirk out?
Scratch that, refs don’t put any more time back on the clock, :04 left in the quarter. Matrix can’t put it in for the win.

Overtime:

4:08, Jason Kidd with a bank shot. I cannot believe this.
3:53, Josh Howard hurts the team by getting a technical foul after a made basket. Luckily the Rockets miss the free throw.
3:31, Scola tried to flop on Dampier but the refs don’t buy it. Easy score for Dampier, I’ll take it.
3:00, Jason Terry takes an ill-advised three. Bad choice, everything should be going to the paint.
Brooks has been destroying us all night, only fitting he continues to kill us in overtime.
Flagrant foul on Brooks gives us an extra shot plus 2 free throws.
Eric Dampier also gets a technical and is ejected (means the opposing coach gets to choose the free throw shooter). We get Kris Humphries at the line, makes 1 of 2.
Jason Terry, takes another poor three to kill the Mavericks chances.
Rick Carlisle gives the Rockets a nightcap by getting ejected on his second technical.
Mavericks lose 116-108

Some Choice Statistics:

Mavericks longest winning streak is 17 games (06-07). Golden State Warriors ended the streak.
Dirk, on the quest for 20,000, currently sits at 19,784 points scored. Don’t think he will be catching Kareem by the end of his career.
5 plays were reviewed by referees in tonight’s game. That has got to be a record.

Closing Thoughts:

Overtime losses hurt the most.No matter what anyone would like to believe, this games outcome, while tempered by refs, was not absolutely determined by the “zebras”. The Mavericks had their chances in overtime but they, suffered from an uncharacteristic loss of composure, perhaps due to the loss

Game 24 Preview: Houston Rockets vs. Detroit Pistons - 7:30PM CST

UofTOrange — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 18:06:04 -0000

More photos » by David J. Phillip - AP

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This is going to be quick and maybe sweet. I'll be at the game in section 405 tonight with my 3 year old and we plan to have a blast.

Point Guard
Aaron Brooks - Last preview I asked if he is a top 10 PG, I think it is pretty definitive that he is. He's slotted number 9 on my ballot. Can he pick it up even more with Ariza out? Will the Rockets even ask him to?
vs.
Rodney Stuckey - Good player, fun to watch and always plays hard when I see him. He's the future in Detroit, and while he's one of the few bright spots in that future, it's a good start.
Edge: Rockets

Shooting Guard
Shane Battier - It is hard to say anything more about Shane Battier, we are at the saturation point with his awesomeness. Now it's time for Shane to back all that talk up (not his talk obviously) and get his shooting percentages north of Rafer-esque.
vs.
Richard Hamilton - Came back last game from an injury and had a solid game. He's still a really good basketball player but doesn't seem the same without Chauncey Billups. I know he still regrets signing that extension.
Edge: Pistons

Small Forward
Chase Budinger - I can only assume that he's getting the start at small forward to keep Landry doing his work off the bench. Obviously that's open to interpretation. But the future NBA rookie of the year has played well all season and should get this reward.
vs.
Jonas Jerebko - I didn't even know he was an NBA player. What is going on? That's three teams in a row that I honestly didn't know a player. I mean, I vaguely remember him getting drafted in the second round, but that's it.
Edge: Rockets

Power Forward
Luis Scola - There are a few guys in the NBA that I just enjoy watching, and Scola is clearly in my top 5 on that list. He works hard every single possession and much like Battier, you have to work hard to truly quantify his value. I'd love to see him get his scoring up 3-5 points a game, but that's not really in the cards given how strong Landry is with the second team and how the offense runs with the first.
vs.
Jason Maxiell - I expected more of him since Pistons fans have been touting him about as much as Lakers fans tout Andrew Bynum. Instead his production has dropped off pretty much across the board, and it really didn't have a long way to fall.
Edge: Rockets

Center
Chuck Hayes - If you asked me, given how they are paid, and their production, I'd take Chuck 100 times out of 100 over Ben Wallace.
vs.
Ben Wallace - Never have I been a fan of Ben Wallace making more than 5-6MM a year. Not because he hasn't been a hard worker, but because he is an extremely limited player. His rebounding and defense are still strong, but not what they used to be. The only reason the Pistons get the edge is because he is a better rebounder than Hayes because of his size.
Edge: Pistons, but not by very much

Injuries/Suspensions
Houston Rockets
OUT - Trevor Ariza is suspended for tonight's game and Tracy McGrady is still serving his penance.
Detroit Pistons
DTD - Tayshaun Prince looks to be out for tonight's game and half of the team is nursing some ailment or other.

My Prediction: Rockets win by 4

Last Night in the D-League: Where Desmon Farmer Happens

Scott Schroeder — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 12:00:34 -0000

Just looks like he belongs in the NBA, no?

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Good morning, RU crew. I'm covering for Jon L today, so if this night in review isn't as filled with Simpson's references as usual, deal with it. I'm also just highlighting individual players because, after a look at our viewership, most people don't care if Fort Wayne fell behind 22-6 and never recovered.

Reno Bighorns 109, Bakersfield 88

Desmon Farmer is good at basketball. Ridiculously good. Also, he has some upside. Before we look at what he did yesterday, let's look at what he's done in the past. The 28 year-old off-guard has played in the NBA in parts of two different seasons (most recently with the San Antonio Spurs last year). When he's not in the NBA, however, Farmer's playing (mostly) in the D-League, totaling 118 games over the past four seasons. This season, Farmer's averaging 26 points per game, the fourth highest in the D-League. His scoring, however, isn't what the NBA is looking for, which is why yesterday's game was probably great for his call-up outlook.
Farmer's shot wasn't falling (7-of-17 from the field), so he took on the ball-handling duties because regular point guard Russell Robinson's shot was falling (we'll get to that later). Primarily handling the rock, Farmer finished with 20 points, 11 boards and 10 assists, the first triple-double in the D-League this season, while turning the ball over just twice and only going to his left. Yo, NBA (except Donnie Walsh because we're fighting), call this man up!
Rod Benson picked up a DNP because, according to the announcers, he's got some food poisoning issues. Hopefully he didn't contract swine flu. Update: He apparently does not have swine flu.
Russell Robinson, who nearly, inexplicably, made the Cleveland Cavaliers roster this season, has developed a jump shot - or at least a spot where he can hit jumper's from. The 6-foot guard from Kansas spotted up in the exact same spot for, I think, all but one of his five 3-pointer's. R-Squared (sweet nickname, no?) led the team with 21 points and also dished five assists, but his five turnovers probably cancelled that out.
Apparently this is the week that the Milwaukee Bucks don't look ridiculous for deciding Marcus Hubbard and Mark Tyndale deserved camp invites. Tyndale exploded for 31 Saturday and yesterday marked Hubbard's coming out party, picking up 19 points and 18 rebounds. As soon as I find a position for him and don't have to worry about why he's been cut or traded by two separate D-League teams, I'm ready to sing his praises a bit more.
Bakersfield is a point guard, a decent big man, and a couple of perimeter players away from competing. Seriously. They're bad.

Sioux Falls Skyforce 110, Fort Wayne Mad Ants 100 (Link includes "Highlights")

Reggie Williams was a late scratch, due to food poisoning. Williams leads the Skyforce with 26.4 points per game, including 27 in a nine point loss the previous night. Fort Wayne play-by-play man Bill Hazen said Williams would probably be healthy by Tuesday, so our Wednesday call-up rankings shouldn't be affected by the groin of Williams.
Joe Krabbenhoft took Williams' spot in the starting lineup and, surprisingly, picked up exactly where Williams left off the night before, scoring 28 to go along with eight boards and four assists. The 6'7" forward isn't quite the scorer Williams is, but he did work on Ryan Ayers, torching him on his way to the basket for a decent amount of his points.
If you combined Raymond Sykes and Greg Stiemsma, you'd have the ugliest player in the D-League an amazing defensive, rebounding big man with almost no offensive skill. Actually, even separate, that's what they amount to - if Stiemsma could work on his offense just enough to hit the gimme's, he'd be NBA bound with his size. Sykes, while more raw than Stiemsma, brings a huge amount of energy and athleticism, which is fun to watch, if not good for anything else.
Remember when Rob Kurz used to be a good shooter? Well, he shot 0-for-7 yesterday, which isn't really what I was hoping to see. The former NBA big man was averaging 16 and 12 through five games, including shooting a ridiculous 56% from beyond the arc, but the 6'9" stretch big just didn't have it on the offensive end. He did pick up 12 boards and two blocks, but Fort Wayne really could've used his offense.
Ron Howard should never settle for a jump shot. Howard finished with 32 points, including 14 off drives to the hoop and another 15 from the charity stripe. That's 29 of his points off non-jumpers. Howard, who is one of the better perimeter defenders in the D-League, needs to stick to driving to the lane and playing hard-nosed defense if he wants his first call-up, after coming close the past two summers. Jumper's are never going to be his calling card.
Kyle McAlarney is white. Actually, between Fort Wayne and Sioux Falls, I'm sure this game led the league in white dudes on the court at the same time (seven players and three of the four coaches, if you're keeping track). I bring this up not because I love white people, but because Kyle McAlarney was recently featured on ESPN's Outside the Lines for being white, and we've never linked to it previously. Anyway, back to the subject at hand: McAlarney shot 7-of-10 from the field, scored 17 points and didn't excel on defense.
Indiana alum Rod Wilmont is a catalyst. Of all Fort Wayne's players, he seems to be the only one that wants to do something with the ball when he gets it. That doesn't mean good things always happen (6-of-15 from the field), but at least he's trying. Wilmont finished with 20 points.
I hate to compare Joey Meyer to Jaren Jackson (and I'm guessing President Potter won't like it either), but both, for whatever reason, seem to have an affinity for jerking Sean Sonderleiter's minutes around. Whatever Anthony Kent does in practice to prove he deserves more playing time doesn't translate to the games, and yesterday was no different. Kent started, had four fouls, three turnovers and two points in 25 minutes. Sonderleiter got 13 minutes off the bench and finished with six points and seven boards.

Los Angeles D-Fenders 123, Idaho Stampede 112

Gabe Pruitt is probably call-up worthy. The second round pick of the Boston Celtics in 2007 looked great in the D-Fender's offense, making eight of his 11 attempts from the field and shooting 10-of-15 from the line to finish with 26 points. He filled out the rest of the box score nicely as well, grabbing nine boards and adding six assists and three steals during his 44 minutes of court time.
Diamon Simpson gives me the Lou Amundson vibe. I'm not sure if that's good, bad or ugly, but that's what I'm going with. Simpson finished with 17 points, eight boards, three blocks and a steal, filling the box score sufficiently. He's only 6'7", but in the D-League they have him playing a bit at the 5, which probably isn't going to be ideal for him in the NBA (unless he's guarding Chuck Hayes). On both of his offensive boards, he went back up strong and got to the line (though once he got to the line, he hit just 7-for-12). In both games I've watched of Simpson, I've been impressed, so kudos.
Ryan Forehan-Kelly had 21 and Dar Tucker had 20, but neither does enough things well to really impress me. I apologize to each of their respective fan bases.
Anthony Tolliver has got to be the next person to get a call-up (Note: If the NBA keeps going the Jonathan Bender route, replace AT with Chocolate Thunder Darryl Dawkins). The 6'9" Tolliver continued to be a sniper, hitting 6-of-10 from beyond the arc to finish with 28 points on the day. He picked up seven boards as well, but that was kind of negated by his five turnovers (which are more a result of the Idaho offense than anything). He can play inside and outside on offense, does the little things on defense and generally seems to care - which isn't, unfortunately, a given in the D-League.
Sundiata Gaines, I have no idea what to do with you. Another day, another 25 points off the bench in just 29 minutes. I really want to believe that he can make this translate to the NBA, but it just seems so unlikely. In the D-League, he gets to the basket so easily, gets fouled, gets to the line, rinse, wash and repeat. He also dished out seven assists, but his five turnovers and eight missed free-throw's probably nullify the assists. Regardless, the NBA's not looking for starters, it's looking for guys that can come in and play off the bench, and he's doing exactly that.
Cedric Simmons is becoming polished. He actually looks more NBA ready now than he did when he was in the NBA. Showed off a nice hook shot at one point, and the rest of his 15 points didn't come all that difficult either. His defense was on point as well, but I kind of expected that when matching up against Michael Fey, Boo Jackson and Diamon Simpson.

Maine Red Claws 87, Tulsa 66ers 82

Full disclosure, I only watched about three minutes of this game due to no live stats and something crazy going on with the audio. And there's no recap and nobody really stood out that I enjoy talking about (sorry, Mustafa), so we'll make this one quick.

This game featured Byron Mullens, Alexis Ajinca, Steven Hill and DeVon Hardin. That's roughly 28 feet of untapped potential.
Mario West didn't play. I don't know why. There should be a box score that says DNP-SOMETHING rather than that he just played 0 minutes. I assume he's good enough to play in front of Mike Williams.
Tony Bobbitt was ejected. In my secret over/under's for everything D-League related, I had Bobbitt going crazy in his fifth game, but he lasted until his 6th. Good job to all of you who took the over.
The Red Claws arena(?) looks nice and cozy. And has big windows that defeat the dimming of the lights during starting line-ups.
Fine. Mustafa Shakur had 21 points, seven assists, six steals, four rebounds, four fouls, four turnovers and a blocked shot. I still don't think he's a point guard.
If you're looking for more, check out JFoss's recap.

Game 23 Recap: Ariza, Rockets can't buy a basket, fall to Raptors 111-88

Tom Martin — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 00:36:25 -0000

More photos » by Frank Gunn - AP

7 days ago: Toronto Raptors forward Chris Bosh, right, and Houston Rockets forward Luis Scola chase down a loose ball during second-half NBA basketball game action in Toronto on Sunday, Dec. 13, 2009. Bosh scored 27 points as the Raptors won 101-88. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Frank Gunn)

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You know what's odd? People are going to credit Toronto's defense with this win. But isn't it funny that a team that shoots 36% from the field can still manage eighty-eight points? Though the Raptors may have improved their defense over the last couple of games, they only forced ten turnovers, and the Rockets were able to put up 87 shots, many of which were decidedly open. Once Houston finally started making the open shots, they were too far behind to make any sort of comeback.

Looking at the stat sheet, the Rockets' three point shooting, a paltry thirteen percent, screams out like its purely responsible for the terrible offensive output. But what you won't see are the numerous misses from point-blank range. Chuck Hayes has struggled recently around the rim, after getting off to a fantastic start in October and November, and folks like Ariza and Kyle Lowry missed layups as well. Like I said, it wasn't necessarily Toronto's defense that stifled us; we just missed shots that teams have to make to win games.

Once again, however, the blame cannot be placed on the shoulders of Carl Landry, who has been simply stunning. I don't care what Jet Terry is doing in Dallas; Landry's impact on our team off the bench has been much greater than Terry's in Dallas. Jonathan Feigen noted yesterday that Landry is second in the league in fourth-quarter scoring, at 6.6 points per game. Ahead of him on the list is Dwyane Wade. Behind him on the list is LeBron James. Go figure.

Even more amazing is the fact that Landry has been receiving additional attention over the last few games, and has still managed some of his best scoring outputs on the season. The Raptors piled up the paint today in an attempt to stop him, and he still collected 25 points to go with six offensive rebounds. If only the other Rockets could have helped him out by knocking down the open shots that they were given, then we may have been able to pull off one of those Philadelphia comebacks. If it were to happen against anyone, it would be Toronto.

That's all I've got for today. The only good news from this is that the loss wasn't a product of poor effort, but rather of poor shooting. You make some, you miss some - that's how basketball goes. However, if the Rockets want to continue their winning ways, guys like Chase Budinger, Dave Andersen, and Ariza had better start hitting those open shots more often.

Oh, and about that Ariza forearm? Whatever. He'll probably miss one game at the most. He's got to be frustrated with himself. Perhaps he will use it as motivation.

Raptors HQ

Boxscore

Game 23 Preview: Houston Rockets at Toronto Raptors 11:30AM CST

UofTOrange — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 16:12:30 -0000

More photos » by Matt Slocum - AP

8 days ago: Philadelphia 76ers' Samuel Dalembert, center, tries to hang onto a loose ball under pressure from Houston Rockets' Carl Landry, left, and Aaron Brooks in the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 11, 2009, in Philadelphia. Houston won 96-91. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

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Point Guard
Aaron Brooks - He's like good and stuff. I wish he would attack the basket with fury every single night, but for a guy his size, not named Iverson, that's probably not as good of an idea as it sounds in my head. Either way, Aaron has taken a huge step forward, he's clearly a top 10 point guard right now, right? Can anyone name 10 better?
vs.
Jarrett Jack - I was surprised to find out that Jack has only been in the league for 4 years. I swear it feels like decades ago that he was with Portland. Good basketball player that really is a 6^th or 7^th man. He has a long career ahead of him in that role. Starting in the NBA is only a stop gap measure for a team though.
Edge: Rockets

Shooting Guard
Trevor Ariza - His shooting has picked up a quite a bit in the last 5 games and shot selection has a lot to do with it. Of course only playing one good defense, and having his worst shooting night of the five against Portland, has helped. Sometimes the NBA is all about momentum and I think this recent stretch can go a long way towards Trevor's confidence.
vs.
DeMar DeRozan - I like this kid. He was a good player at USC and while he's somewhat raw it may be exactly what the Raptors need. He's a strong attacker and finisher and he's energetic. Like most young players his shot leaves a lot to be desired, but that will come if he's willing to work hard.
Edge: Rockets

Small Forward
Shane Battier - Another season, another great season long effort by Battier. Every single team in the NBA would put him in their starting lineup no matter what it meant to other guys they have on the team. I think I can say that with supreme confidence.
vs.
Hedo Turkoglu - For Portland fans I'm ecstatic that this signing didn't work for them. For Raptors fans, I honestly thought it would be working out better right now. Not because Hedo is a superstar, he's simply a really good basketball player, but because there isn't a lot to take away from his taking another step. I don't know what has been happening with him, maybe it's the style of ball they are playing, but that 9MM contract is looking horrible right now
Edge: Rockets - Yes Hedo scores more but Battier's effect on the game is infinitely more.

Power Forward
Luis Scola -
vs.
Chris Bosh - With Calderon out, Bosh is the only guy on the Raptors that has the ability to scare you night in and night out. I am not in any way a fan of the Rockets signing him in the off season. He makes a team better, but not in max dollars ways. And the Rockets have two PFs that could be here for the next 4-5 years together pretty easily. And under no circumstances is Bosh a better center than even a hobbled Yao.
Edge: Raptors

Center
Chuck Hayes - Chuck has done his job for the most part all season. He has defended everyone that he has been asked to with heart and determination. Early in the season he seemed to take on the need for scoring, and has since realized it isn't necessary. Though part of me wishes he would go back to that same effort on the offensive end to score.
vs.
Andrea Bargnani - Shows sparkles all of the time, but never seems to truly break out. For Raptors fans, some of the best, and oddest, in the NBA I wish them more from him. Considering he makes 6.5MM, he's actually a heck of a basketball bargain at 16 and 6 a night.
Edge: Raptors

Injuries/Suspensions
Houston Rockets
OUT - Tracy McGrady
Toronto Raptors
OUT - Jose Calderon

My Prediction: Rockets build a lead early, keep it up most of the game, Raptors go on a run in the late third or early fourth and the Rockets pull back away to win by 8-14

RECAP: Warriors 91, Bulls 96 – Brick!

Fantasy Junkie — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 06:58:58 -0000

More photos » by Nam Y. Huh - AP

8 days ago: Golden State Warriors' Monta Ellis (8) reacts after missing a shot during the fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game against the Chicago Bulls in Chicago, Friday, Dec. 11, 2009. The Bulls won 96-91. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

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Final Boxscore | Warriors Web Links | Open Thread (1100+ comments)

With all these young guys playing prominent roles, I guess you have to expect this kind of inconsistency. A blowout win over the Nets followed by a head scratching loss to the Bulls. The Warriors "should" have won this game? I guess my optimism got a little ahead of me. The Bulls, losers of 9 out of 10, maybe aren't as bad as I thought. But I'll still maintain that this loss wasn't so much that the Bulls beat the Warriors, but the Warriors shot themselves out of the game. Plain and simple, the Warriors desire to shoot tons of jumpers instead of getting aggressive and driving to the hole, cost them the game. Hopefully these young guys learn from this game.

Shooting Woes
The Warriors made the Bulls look like a great defensive team tonight. 38% shooting? You realize the last few games the Bulls have allowed 50%, 45%, 48%, and 51%? This is not a bad Warriors shooting team. What was with all the jumpers and lack of drives? Were they saving themselves for the second game of the back to back? 37-97 from the field. 8-28 from 3, 28.6%. Ouch. Oops. Oy.

And what's with the 12 free throws? Monta had 6. So between the other 7 players for the Warriors, they shot a combined 6 free throws. Ummm guys? You're allowed to go inside of 10 feet from the basket more than once a quarter. Corey Maggette usually gets to the line 6-7 times per game - tonight he never made an appearance.

The lack of free throws means a lot of jumpers which means not very many assists and also means lots of rebounds. The Warriors got pounded on the boards 58-44 with many thanks to the twin towers, Brad Miller and Joakim Noah. Yeesh. 14 rebound differential.

I have a beef with Anthony Morrow. 15 shots. 13 three pointers taken! Only 4 made. I can understand the 13 three pointers if he was hot, but like with alcohol, know when to say when. He went a little overboard with the 3's tonight. Every now and then you have to take the ball to the hole if you're not shooting so well from the perimeter. Or maybe take a few steps in for a jumper. C'mon young fella. I guess this is part of the maturation process? For awhile there it seemed like he was varying his offensive game by driving it to the hole, pulling up from 15, and making some decent passes. Tonight was not one of those nights.

Monta was bad as well. 10-26 from the field. At least he had more assists (5) than turnovers (3). Steph Curry was 3-9, Vlad was 4-13. The starting 5 was 24-66 (36%).

Just a bad offensive night for the Warriors. Too many jumpers and not enough drives to the hole. Not the Warriors style of play. Not a style of play they'll be successful at. They were nearly successful but that's because this was against the Bulls.

Corey MEgette
There's not a whole lot else I want to write about this game, so I'll write about Corey MEgette. I like how in Marcus Thompson's interview with MEggette that they make the argument he's not selfish because he takes care of the young guys off the court or buys expensive presents for teammates. THAT'S NOT THE SELFISHNESS FANS CARE ABOUT. Nobody gives a crap if you're a kind, generous person off the court. He may be the nicest guy, helps old women cross the street and rescues kittens out of trees. Again, nobody cares.

The selfishness fans care about is his play ON THE COURT. He's selfish on the court, no matter what Monta says. If you directly ask Monta if Corey's selfish, you really think he's going to say "Yes, Corey's selfish. He's a black hole and dosen't try on defense." Uh no.

Does MEgette work hard? Yes. Does he give up his body on offense while driving to the hole? Yes. Flopping on defense does not count as giving up one's body, that's just flopping and nobody likes a flopper. Nobody's saying he's not trying. I write "MEgette" because he plays like he's never heard the word "pass" before. I'm not asking him to be a point guard but at least make the defense think that you might drive and kick or rotate the ball around the perimeter. The second reason I write "MEgette" is because he doesn't give a crap on defense. He flops all the time and will rarely get a charging call. More often than not the offensive player either makes an uncontested shot or goes to the line. And while guarding guys on the perimeter, he's more matador than defender. Good defenders know that it's all about hustle and desire. If you're not a good defender, you lack hustle and desire.

That said, he had a nice rebounding game off the bench - 10 boards in total.

I think he's a good guy and does some great things off the court. I don't think he should be booed at the Oracle. He's far from one of the bad players on the team. He's just not a team player. He doesn't make anyone better. I don't think it's because he doesn't want to, I think it's because he doesn't know how.

One More Rant
Why is Mikki Moore still starting? When your starting center gobbles in 3 rebounds in 26 minutes, you're in trouble. Except for his revenge game against the Nets, Moore has been bad. He played a combined 19 minutes in the games against Houston and Orlando. Is it any coincidence that the Warriors had legit chances to win those games? Heck he grabbed as many rebounds as I did against the Thunder, except he played 21 minutes. How does your starting center suck so bad at getting 2 hands on an orange ball? If he was a good defender ala Chuck Hayes, I could forgive him. If he swatted shots like Turiaf, then at least he'd have something desireable about his game. But the guy is a non-factor. Can we mix up the starting lineup just a bit? It might be just me, but starting Mikki hasn't seemed too successful so far.

Anthony Randolph may have regressed and has been pretty ugly this season, but he's still better than Moore. He might even find a groove if you change it up and throw him in the starting lineup. I don't care if he hasn't earned it. Neither has Moore. Randolph at least has shown some flashes that you might be able to get something out of the 5 spot if you started him. Might even boost his confidence. What do you have to lose?

Right now, you need to change things up. Keith Smart? Don Nelson? Hello?

Silver Lining
The only silver lining? A better chance at getting John Wall. Nobody will match the Nets and Twolves ineptitude, but that 3rd worst spot is up for grabs. LGW!

No Warriors player deserves this. Nor does any of the coaching staff, front office, or waterboy. So instead I'm going TMZ style and giving it to Elin Nordegren for no other reason than I can imagine her coming after the Warriors with a 9-iron after watching them play tonight. And she's not even a Warrior fan.

And this is just a funny picture. Even Corey is about to laugh.

Poll

For the rest of this road trip, Pistons and 76ers, how many games will the Warriors win?

Loud Links: 12|09|09

daddydai — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 23:15:41 -0000

The Thunder spent yesterday afternoon giving $1,000 dollar shopping sprees to 10 families at a local Target. How cool would it be to go basketball shopping with KD?

The Thunder Will Make the Playoffs | Dime Magazine
[Dime magazine give the reasons why the Thunder "will" make the playoffs this year.] The focal point of the team is undoubtedly resting on that kid from Texas’ shoulders, but his surrounding entourage has a bright future ahead. Clay Bennett may not have made the right choice in moving his team from Seattle, but choosing young GM brainchild, Sam Presti, to lead the Thunder was genius. Presti has managed to pull the proverbial rabbit from a hat with many of his decisions.

For starters, the Thunder’s team core is built upon Top-5 Draft picks: Durant (2), James Harden (3), Westbrook (4) and Green (5). Presti also swung deals for Thabo Sefolosha—who has become their definitive defensive stopper around the arc—and 7-footer, Nenad Krstic, to roam the paint in OKC.

The young nucleus of this team, comprised of those four Top-5 Draft picks, is already playing at a high level. Durant is leading the team with over 28 points and 7 rebounds a game. While in the midst of a breakout season—which is strange considering he averaged 25.3 a year ago—Durant is also averaging the most rebounds, assists and steals of his short career.

The 6-9 Green, who’s averaging 14.7 and 6.3, is a solid inside-outside presence and will be very, very good in Oklahoma City for many years. Even at 23 years old, Green has only showed glimpses of what he is capable of doing.

Harden is also playing well and as he continues to loosen up to the NBA game, he will begin playing more fluidly—although he did drop 26 and 9 in a 104-88 win over the Warriors Monday night. With these pieces in place—and help coming from more experience—the Thunder are looking surprisingly composed this season. Wait, did I forget someone?

Oh yeah, that Westbrook guy.

In my opinion, Westbrook is the key to the Thunder’s success. Durant is your go-to-guy and can drop 40 whenever he feels his averages slipping, but Russell is the fire starter. Besides Aaron Brooks and Ty Lawson, Westbrook might be the fastest guy in the League with or without the ball. He clearly has a second gear and dices through defenses effortlessly. Westbrook gives the Thunder a stable point guard that knows—and can—when to score and when to pass (He dished out 15 helpers in a win against Philly a week ago). Westbrook understands the flow of the game and can adapt to what the defense gives him.

Durant On Oden: "I almost drew a tear" | Thunder Rumblings
[KD speaks out about the Oden/Durant debate.] "Once I heard he was having surgery, to be honest with you I almost drew a tear for him," said Durant, who became the no-brainer No. 2 pick behind Oden in one of the most highly-debated decisions in the draft’s history. Durant understands the link he will forever share with Oden and the unavoidable games of "What if?’ some are sure to conjure up. And Oden’s newest hurdle only heightens the historical significance of their selection order. After three seasons, Oden will have played just 82 games, or the equivalent of one full season. Durant, meanwhile, has taken his projected place as the face of a franchise.

He’s on his way to becoming an All-Star and an Olympian. Durant has missed only 10 career games and this season is averaging 28.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.8 steals, all career-highs. But in no way does Durant feel vindicated for being passed over, and he said the constant comparisons are pointless. "It’s unfair to him because people don’t know how hard he works every day," Durant said. "But they’re already ready to tear him down. That’s life I guess. But he works hard every day and he does his job every day and people don’t give him credit for that."

Despite their differing levels of individual success, Durant humbly credited the Blazers’ team success and said he doesn’t think Oden should have to worry about living in his shadow as a player. "Those guys are a playoff team and are one of the top teams in the West," Durant said. "Without him they wouldn’t be there. So I guess I’m living in his shadow. He was the No. 1 pick. I was the No. 2. And his team is doing better. I’m just trying to fight toward that with my team. So I wouldn’t say he’s in my shadow."

First-Quarter Report: Teams: Identities Have Developed, for Better or Worse - The Baseline - Sporting News
[The Baseline mention OKC while discussing the league surprises and disappointments.] Rising in OKC. They hustle. They play defense. They have better-than-expected depth. The Thunder are on the way up, and there's a lot more to this group than Kevin Durant. They're going to challenge for a playoff spot.

NBA Power Poll: The Baseline - Sporting News
[The Baseline also rank OKC #13 in the NBA.] 13. Thunder (13). Tough enough for the Blazers to watch C Greg Oden go down again to a knee injury. Even tougher when you get a look at Kevin Durant.

CANOE -- SLAM! Sports: DeRozan takes slow route
[Just in case you didn't know who else Harden is friends with...] Jennings and DeRozan were teammates back in the sixth grade and through high school played AAU and Nationals together. DeRozan counts Jennings, James Harden, and Jrue Holiday among his closest friends in the NBA. Jennings and DeRozan share the longest bond and have been

Thunder notebook: Practice time | NewsOK.com
You won’t see it on a stat sheet, but one area the Thunder has improved is deflections, a stat Brooks and his staff tracks in practices and games. Deflections lead to steals or can milk seconds off the shot clock. OKC recorded 10 steals and several deflections in Monday’s win over Golden State. "We’re doing a good job getting our hands on balls," Brooks said. "That’s what we want, to use our length."

NBA Rookie Rankings: Who has the most upside? - ESPN Insider
[ESPN ranks Harden the #10 rookie with the most upside. Not to be confused with ROY rankings, which Harden is still sitting pretty at #3.] To be fair, Harden is this low on the list only because he's already so polished. He has learned to play a smart and crafty game -- and has done so for years -- because he's not superathletic. As I've said before, he plays like a veteran with a steady pace, under control almost all the time. Sure, Harden can improve his athleticism to some degree, and that would help his overall game, but given the reasons the Thunder drafted him -- his passing skills, shooting and ability to mesh with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook -- the pressure on him to develop into a superstar is just not there; he may never even be an All-Star. But make no mistake, he has the talent to put up big numbers on a championship team.

SLAM ONLINE | " Chuck Hayes Hates LeBron’s Dancing, Too
[So the Rockets share their opinion of LBJ's antics.] James has already ticked off Joakim Noah, and now Chuck Hayes has voiced displeasure with LBJ’s dancing on the sidelines during blowouts: "Yeah (it was wrong), but if Joakim Noah and the Bulls have a problem with it, beat him, he won’t dance,’ Hayes said. ‘I notice that the Cavs, they do all their sideline acts in the game when they’re up big. When it’s a close game, they don’t do that. Make them respect you and they won’t do it. To showboat another professional, it’s disrespectful. If you feel disrespected, do something about it within the game, nothing dirty. Eventually, all the dancing and acting will stop. They only do it when they’re up big.’ Shane Battier, however, had another theory about why James danced. ‘Dancing With The Stars is quite the platform to launch a career,’ Battier said. ‘Maybe, he’s trying to launch a career. LeBron’s a smart businessman. I wouldn’t put anything past him."’ [Just in case you missed this fiasco last week, check out the youtube video.]

Twitter / Ric Bucher: Sources @ the bench on wha ...
[Oh and if you were wondering what Noah said...] Sources @ the bench on what Joakim said to LeBron: "This is so ****ing old" + the clincher that got LJ coming at him: "You're a b****."

Game 21 Preview: Houston Rockets vs. Cleveland Cavaliers - 12/09/2009 7:30PM CST

UofTOrange — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:24:59 -0000

Point Guard
Aaron Brooks - A 5 to 3 Assist to Turnover ratio has to be fixed, but that is to be expected when he's being asked to be the team leader for the first time in his career. Brooks had 3 solid games before a tough game against a team he typically torches in Portland. He'll bounce back tonight as Mo Williams isn't big enough to body him off of his shot.
vs.
Mo Williams - Williams is not the assists man that I thought he would become playing with LeBron. A lot of that has to do with James wanting the ball in his hands to create (who could blame him given his results). He's doing everything on the court well, however. Solid shooter (great 3 point shooter), and is automatic from the free throw line. Toss in 1.48 steals a night and you have the makings of a very good point guard for the Cavs.
Edge: Even

Shooting Guard
Trevor Ariza - He's shooting too much, but therein lies the problem, because he's doing exactly what he is being asked by Rick Adelman to do. The Rockets have said all along that they want to see what they have in Ariza so they are going to force this one him. It's a work in progress, but you can see him making a little better decisions with how he sets up for his shot every night. I do wish that he would never, ever shoot a three without being set. I think I've seen exactly one of those go in all season.
vs.
Anthony Parker - In complete honesty I had no idea that Parker was with the Cavs. I've even watched a couple of their games this year. Daniel Gibson is statistically having the best season shooting of his career (save from the free throw line on only 70 attempts), so I guess the Cavs just like having him come off the bench.
Edge: Rockets

Small Forward
Shane Battier - It would be crazy to expect another defensive performance by Shane like he had last year against LeBron, or would it? Did LeBron learn from last year? Because I guarantee you Battier studied the film and saw what he did differently the rest of the season and what he's done different this year.
vs.
LeBron James- When his team has an off night it is rarely due to James not playing well. He's shotting 51% from the field this year, by far a career high. Add that to his career high 8.2 assists per game and 7 rebounds and the man could legitimately challenge the triple double average in another 2 seasons. All in all, I'm finally saying it, he's better than Kobe (but not by very much).
Edge: Cavaliers

Power Forward
Luis Scola - With Carl Landry seemingly scoring 20 a night, it has been lost how good Scola has been on the defensive end as well as fitting in perfectly on the offensive end. He scores when he gets the ball and is averaging 9.2 rebounds a game. If anyone doesn't know why Landry doesn't start, there you go. I've overestimated Scola's scoring this year, but that is more due to the way he is used in the offense. For a guy that shots a lot of elbow jumpers, 51% shooting is exceptionally good.
vs.
JJ Hickson- Hickson was a strong player at NC State and continues to show why the Cavs were high on him. He still has a long way to go, but 56.85 shooting is going to keep him on the court in a starters role.
Edge: Rockets

Center
Chuck Hayes - Chuck has been shooting the ball exceptionally poorly, even for him as of late. The Rockets have to have him hit the majority of his 3-5 shots to beat a team like the Cavs. They simply cannot be wasted possessions. His defense is still very good. There is one problem...
vs.
Shaquille O'Neal - is one of the few players in the league that Chuck simply cannot guard without Shaq having an off game on his own. If O'Neal is being his typical last 2 seasons self, there is nothing Hayes can do. If he is being his 2002 self Shaq could score 100. That's not a knock on Chuck, he's a great defender, not all matchups are going to go his way though.
Edge: Cavaliers

Injuries/Suspensions
Houston Rockets
OUT - Tracy McGrady, well I don't know if he's still hurt, just that he isn't playing
Cleveland Cavaliers
DTD - Jamario Moon

My Prediction: Cavaliers win by 7, the Rockets simply are not the defensive team they were the last two years

Yes, LeBron is in town tonight... No, don't get used to it.

grungedave — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 15:44:12 -0000

More photos » by Amy Sancetta - AP

2 months ago: FILE -- This May 28, 2009, file photo shows Cleveland Cavaliers basketball player LeBron James during Game 5 of the NBA Eastern Conference basketball finals, in Cleveland. James tells a newspaper that a cancer scare earlier this year was "nerve-racking" and had him on edge for a few days. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta, File)

Browse more photos »

Richard Justice is at it again. Instead of writing about something interesting (or writing about Vince Young for the 436,849th time)... he is taking the opportunity to "pitch" the city of Houston to LeBron James. Who just happens to be in town tonight to take on the Rockets.

Hey, while you are at it Dickie, why not just ask for a raise... or for a $50M car... or for the Texans to trade Mario for VY (Oh, wait, bad example)?

For the last time, people - The Rockets have a 0.00000% chance of signing LeBron this summer. It's not going to happen and making public pleas for the impossible reeks of desperation. Not to mention a lack of ideas when it's your job to write about the Rockets.

I mean, how hard must it be to come up with interesting topics for tonight's game?

I know the mere mention of the name "LeBron" generates page views/hits, and it usually makes for good headlines. But there are soooo many more interesting topics for tonight's game. In fact, off the top of my head, here are 5:

1. Chuck Hayes vs. the FatAss. Will Shaq mistake Chuck for a donut and try to eat him? We're talking about the biggest player in the NBA versus what may be the smallest starting center in the history of the league. And the smaller player is better.

2. If only Tracy McGrady were healthy, today would have been one of the three days all season he would play real, actual defense! (He only plays hard on defense when facing LeBron or Kobe).

3. What the hell is up with Mike Brown's glasses? Did he get a special discount if he ordered frames that covered every shade in the spectrum of colors?

4. Can Trevor Ariza and Shane Battier shut down LeBron the same way Shane and Crazy Pills did last year in Houston? (sidenote: I miss Von Wafer. So much.) The Rockets' beat-down of the Cavaliers last year was one of the best games I've ever watched. Can a repeat be in the making?

5. Without Yao Ming available, we miss out on what may be one of the final Yao/Shaq matchups. And as much as I like the make fun of the FatAss, his games with Yao have always been epic.

See, there's five topics that are far more interesting than the drivel Justice published this morning. And I'm not even a journalist (nor do I want the title). I'm sure Tom has even better suggestions for Dickie - considering that Tom is actually good at journalistic stuff.

Oh, and...

GO ROCKETS!!!

update: Looks like Feigen and I were on the same page! Cool.

Rockets vs Trailblazers Game Preview

Xiane — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 01:43:34 -0000

We are playing the Portland Trailblazers. We have always played the Portland Trailblazers. We have always been at war with Oceania.

Well, not quite. But if there's one team we've seen a lot of lately, it is Portland. And overall this is a good thing, because the Blazers are an entertaining team to watch, the fans at Blazer's Edge are generally bright and reasonable, and they aren't the Lakers (whom we have also seen a lot of lately).

Both teams come into tonight's matchup with fairly similar records, but quite likely, very different feelings about those records. Rockets fans seem to be reasonably pleased with what the Rockets have achieved with their star-deprived roster. Trailblazer fans? Not so much, I think.

There are no panicked Blazer fans running shrieking through the firs yet, but it might not be far off if Portland drops a 4^th consecutive game. Thus far, instead of consolidating their gains of the past two seasons, and stepping up to contention, Portland seems to be struggling to find consistency.

I can't say I'm surprised that the addition of Andre Miller has not stabilized their PG situation, but instead made it, somehow, worse. Miller just seems to have that effect, despite there being nothing essentially wrong with his game. Miller is presumably on the trading block now, which given his summer signing, is not a ringing endorsement. Perhaps if Miller is traded Bayless might get a chance, but I doubt it.

The real story thus far is the continued development of Greg Oden, a concept not unlike that of process theology. Greg Oden is not omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, polyamorous. But Greg Oden is becoming omniscient, omnipotent, etc, etc. It is the faith of the believers that makes this process true.

Of course, for a center to be truly effective, the offense needs to run through him. This is a concept Portland has thus far failed to grasp. Tonight would be a poor night for them to start, and if the drama in PDX's frontcourt continues to steer the ship, then we have little worry in that direction. Even so, Oden has been highly effective cleaning up garbage and playing D. Chuck Hayes will have his hands full. We'll see if David Andersen can draw Oden out of the paint, or if he will be trampled on defense.

Portland has, it is true, suffered from some injuries, but this is where their vaunted depth should shine. Meanwhile, we'll continue to be scrappy, stroppy, gritty and hustleful and pray it sees us through yet again. That or sound, unselfish, basketball.

Matchup Analysis - I always get this wrong. Write Your Own Punchline!

Portland has been experimenting with its starting lineup. What we see tonight may in no way resemble this description.

PG - Blake vs Brooks

Steve Blake is a good player with some real limitations. One is that when defending a player like Brooks he often resembles a turnstile. Andre Miller is somewhat better at defense, but has his own limitations - mainly that he sometimes fails to understand his role in the offense and takes shots away from more productive scorers.

Advantage: Rockets

SG - Roy vs Ariza.

Brandon Roy, for my money, is one of the top 3 SG in the league at this point. Trevor Ariza is the sort of player who can slow him down. Will he? We'll see. Roy has put up some huge games against us recently.

Advantage: Blazers

SF - Webster vs Battier

If Greg Oden is becoming God, then, Portland fans seem to reason, Nic Batum is obviously an archangel, if only because he actually seems to enjoy playing D. Unfortunately for them, he's hurt and they merely have a recent top 10 draft pick to replace him in Martell Webster. Some criticism has Webster content to loiter around the 3pt line, and not much else. I have no idea what Webster will bring. We all know what Battier will bring, but will he add 6 blocks? Let's hope so.

Advantage: Even

PF - Aldridge/Cunningham vs Scola/Landry

LaMarcus Aldridge is no doubt an effective player, with a sweet jumper. He's not really my preferred style of PF though. He can get hot and score points in bunches certainly, and his mid-range game seems made to work with an offense running through an omnipotent center. For now, that offense isn't Portland. Cunningham is another talented young Blazer player, a rookie in fact. I think Scola and Landry bring more to the party, especially the way Landry has been playing.

Advantage: Rockets

C - Odin vs Hayes

We discussed the incipient divinity of Odin in great detail. The All-Father remains a great unknown, perhaps a great-unknowable to mere Rockets' fans. Unless a raven whispers something in our ear soon, then it is not given for us to know what may transpire. Hayes can frustrate nearly any big man, but a Big God? Well, that could be different. We may see lots of Andersen, drawing Odin out of the paint, as Australians just don't show proper respect to anyone.

Advantage: Portland

Prediction: A tough game, but Portland may be in some disarray. Rockets by 4.

For coverage greater than that which can be conceived - Blazer's Edge.