SB Nation - Houston Rockets

Memo to our esteemed commenters: Stop trying to (hypothetically) trade away Luis Scola

grungedave — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:44:28 -0000

More photos » by David J. Phillip - AP

26 days ago: Houston Rockets' Luis Scola (4), of Argentina, is fouled by Dallas Mavericks' Tim Thomas during the third quarter of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2009, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

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A very disturbing trend has now reached a breaking point.

Over the summer, I saw a few comments/posts with hypothetical trades. Most were for humor purposes. Yet every now and then these trades included Luis Scola going to some other team. Back then, I ignored it and just laughed it off. Because why would we ever want to do something like that?

But now....... now it seems like every trade concocted by the ESPN Trade Machine gurus here involves pairing T-Mac's carcass with Luis Scola in exchange for some over-hyped has-been (e.g., Jermaine O'Neal, Elton Brand, Luol Deng, etc. etc.). And I am just about to snap. Almost as if you guys cheated in an academic decathlon or something.

So, just to be clear:

STOP TRYING TO TRADE AWAY LUIS SCOLA!!!!!!

Thank you. That is all.

Sincerely,

the Management.

Get Deep: Grizzlies Close to Signing Von Wafer

djturtleface — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 18:56:05 -0000

More photos » by Pat Sullivan - AP

8 months ago: Houston Rockets' Von Wafer celebrates a dunk against the Portland Trail Blazers during the second half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, April 5, 2009, in Houston. The Rockets won 102-88. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)

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The Memphis Commercial Appeal is reporting that the Memphis Grizzlies put guard Von Wafer through physicals today and could announce his signing as soon as this afternoon. Both parties interest has been acknowledged by multiple sources for over a week, though it now appears that Von Wafer will join the team sometime this week.

Von Wafer is a 6 foot 5 inch tall shooting guard who specializes in just what his job description belies -- shooting. Wafer is known to be occasionally explosive off the bench; as last season with the Rockets he was readily able to get his own shot and sink it at will on many nights.

That being said, Von Wafer doesn't just have a reputation as an explosive scorer, but also as an explosive locker room influence. While Wafer seemed to fit in well for the bulk of the season last year, he shouted at Rocket's coachRick Adelman in the playoffs and was immediately expelled from the team. The Rockets made little to no effort to bring Wafer back this season.

Of course snap reactions to the prospect of adding Von Wafer are over the jump, and be sure to add your own comments as well.

Another downside to Von Wafer is his oftentimes questionable shot selection. Like most scoring guards who primarily rely on their jumper, Wafer oftentimes looks out of control and will do nothing to improve the shortage of assists for the Grizzlies. His game is actually fairly comparable to O.J. Mayo, which could be a bad thing (lack of a "change of pace") or a good thing (consistency) for Memphis

And then, piled on top of those negatives, there is the question of playing time. The Grizzlies starters are logging enormous minutes, so it wouldn't seem like carving out a few minutes would be a struggle. The problem, however, is that the Grizz's bench has proven itself too terrible inefficient to warrant taking back any of those minutes from the starters if Memphis wants to keep winning.

Adding Von Wafer could improve this problem, yes, but I'm not sure how much better he is than Sam Young. With Wafer the Grizzlies would have a full lineup off the bench -- Jamaal Tinsley, Von Wafer, Sam Young, DeMarre Carroll, and Hasheem Thabeet. Consider me skeptical, however, that this lineup is good enough to play together without support from the starters.

Still, every bit of support off the bench will help this team, who, as Kevin Pelton has pointed out, can't keep relying on Sam Young as their primary backup scorer. His efficiency is simply too poor too rely on, especially since his shooting stroke is clearly not NBA ready from 3-point range.

Von Wafer will give the Grizzlies significantly more shooting and offense, but fans need to hope that Coach Hollins's magic is going to need to keep him playing a positive role just like the Grizzlies last two productive castaways, Jamaal Tinsley and Zach Randolph.

RGV Vipers 103, Reno Bighorns 95 - Houston Fans, Plz Luv This Team!!1!

Scott Schroeder — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 15:00:33 -0000

by Mark J. Terrill - AP

As far as I can tell from this picture, touching Antonio Anderson's head is good luck. Touch his head Mike Harris! Maybe it'll get us a freakin' call-up!

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I know, it seems like I'm forcing the RGV Vipers down everyone's throat since my last post was about calling some of these dudes up, but seriously, they deserve to play in the NBA. Someone, aside from myself and Matt Moore, should start showing these guys the love they've earned.

Since I wasn't able to watch the game (getting my workout on and clinching ever-so-tightly to my berth in my fantasy football league's championship), I have to break this game down using this handy-dandy boxscore (It's really not that handy and definitely not dandy, but we'll get into that later this week!). Also, for some reason, the minutes seem to be messed up (180 instead of 240) - let's get it on that, k ADB?

Since he never really gets any ink, I'm starting today off with some Jonathan Wallace love. Wallace is a player I was high on at Georgetown just because he's a solid point guard, a bit of a throwback. He's not going to score 30 points and dish the flashy passes, but he'll be solid, and on this team, "solid" is more than enough. Last night, he played 28 minutes, dishing 11 assists (just one turnover) and scoring 11 points. Obviously, some of his assists can be attributed to the talent around him, but I'm giving him credit.
Mike Harris, please just get a stinkin' call-up instead of being an efficient scorer and guarding whoever Antonio Anderson isn't. Harris put up 17 points on 8-of-16 shooting in just 28 minutes before he fouled out.
Joey Dorsey is frickin' beast. 27 points, 15 boards and, well, seven turnovers. Against Rod Benson.
If you were wondering who takes over at the point when Jon Wallace isn't playing, typically, it's Antonio Anderson. Anderson isn't an amazing point guard (which is why Tyreke Evans was given the ropes last year at Memphis), but his court vision is there, as his eight assists will tell you (one up above his 7.1 season average). Seven turnovers, however, are an issue. I have to assume he was given the assignment of defending the opponents best perimeter player as per usual, so we'll get to him next!
Desmon Farmer, Reno's noted chucker who is averaging 26 points prior this game, was held to just 12 shots (lowest of the season), though he made six of them. Hate to credit Anderson for holding Farmer to just 18 points, but I'm guessing it's warranted. If not, tell me.
Mo Charlo, just because Farmer isn't killing it, that doesn't mean you have to. Glad we got that out of the way.
Russell Robinson, quit turning the ball over. Kthxbai!
Since I didn't watch the game, I'm not going to say Rod Benson was murdered in the Dorsey-Benson matchup, because who knows what happened. Maybe the Band of Misfit Toys (oh Hai Eric Devendorf) finally got to him. Maybe his partner-in-crime Cezary Trybanski (sitting this one out due to suspension) was missed. Who knows. Still, 13 points, 2 blocks, 2 boards isn't great.

Clippers at Houston - Game Preview

Steve Perrin — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 13:00:31 -0000

2009/2010 NBA Regular Season
	vs.
12-15		16-11
Toyota Center
December 22nd, 2009, 5:30 PM
Prime Ticket, 980 AM
Probable starters:
Baron Davis	PG	Aaron Brooks
Eric Gordon	SG	Shane Battier
Al Thornton	SF	Trevor Ariza
Marcus Camby	PF	Luis Scola
Chris Kaman	C	Chuck Hayes

The Back Story:

December 2nd in LA - Houston 102 - Clippers 85 - Recap Box Score

The Big Picture:

The Clippers are now 2 and 2 on the first four games of their six game road trip. They've alternated wins and losses thus far, so since they lost in San Antonio last night, they're due for a win in Houston, right? On paper, this appears to be the most winnable of these last three wins. Then again, on paper, the Rockets shouldn't have a better record than the Spurs, but they do. Ignoring what happens in the alternate basketball dimension that is the AT&T Center, the Clippers have played well offensively on this trip. But if they're going to beat the Rockets in Houston, they'll have to do it with defense. When they played Houston in LA, the Rockets put on a three point shooting display, making 12 of 23 compared to 1 of 14 for LAC. That's a bit of a difference. Of course, the Clippers didn't have Eric Gordon in that game, and Rasual Butler was mired in a slump that he appears to have busted out of, so they should at least be capable of making a few threes in this one. Whether they can defend the Rockets remains to be seen. It would also be nice to see Chris Kaman, who has played really well in his last six games can redeem himself for a 5 for 16, 5 rebound, 4 turnover game in the first meeting. The bottom line is - without Gordon and with Kaman causing more harm than good, the Clippers aren't going to beat anybody, whether they make 12 threes or not. If Gordon and Kaman play well in this one, it should at least be competitive. I hope that the Clippers feel they have something to prove after being blown out by the Rockets in LA, and being blown out in San Antonio last night. The only good news about last night's blowout loss is that all the starters took the fourth quarter off, which will help on the second game of a back to back.

The Antagonist:

I thought the Rockets were overachieving when the teams met at the beginning of December and Houston was 9-8 at the time. I'm at a loss for what's happening now that they're 16-11. I mean, this has always been a league predicated on pure, unadulterated talent. Princeton running backcuts and beating UCLA in the NCAA tournament, Valparaiso making threes and beating xxxx, George Washington - that's all well and good in college hoops. In fact, it's great. I love it. I root for the Clippers, so of course I love an underdog story. But in the NBA, talent wins. And the Rockets don't seem to have enough talent to be 16-11. In a league of superstar power, there's nary a star, let alone a super one, on their active roster (ignoring Tracy McGrady, who is back on the court, but severely limited in his minutes right now). Part of me would love to believe in the Rockets - I'd love for team play and hard work to be enough, as it would give more of the underdog teams a chance. But at the same time, it makes the failings of the Clippers over the years that much more painful. It's easier to rationalize all the losing if the team has simply not had elite level talent. "We'll get them next year! We'll win the lottery and we'll have enough talent then!" But if you could be winning simply by identifying the right pieces in the second round and getting them to play hard? Well, that's a bitter realization. And frankly, I'm not ready to accept it quite yet. So part of me wants the Rockets to continue to do well; and another part of me believes (wants to believe?) that they're eventually going to come back down to earth. By the way, may be missing two key reserves in this game. Chase Budinger is out with a sprained ankle. Meanwhile, Carl Landry recently had oral surgery after losing five (FIVE!) teeth in a gruesome meeting with Dirk Nowitzki's elbow on Friday. Incredibly, Landry says he'll play tonight.

The Subplots:

Landry. Last game, Luis Scola has a cut over his eye, and everyone said he'd be out against the Clippers, but he played and played well. Landry was back at Rockets practice on Monday, and I have to figure he's going to play. After all, this is the guy who was shot in the leg last season and barely missed any time. The dude is tough. If you haven't seen the video of the collision with Dirk, check it out. The most amazing part to me is Landry's reaction. Bear in mind, he just lost five teeth. He heads over to the Rockets bench and calmly signals that he needs to come out of the game, as if to say "Excuse me, Mr. Adelman, sir, you might consider placing a substitute in the game for me as I am losing a lot of blood at the moment." When he gets to the bench, he starts spitting teeth and blood into Keith Jones' towel. Unbelievable how tough this guy is. He'll probably destroy the Clippers tonight.
McGrady. The Rockets finally activated TMac when Trevor Ariza was suspended a week ago for the Rockets game against Detroit. He's on severely restricted minutes right now - he's played fewer than 8 in each of his four games back. Will Adelman be tempted to dial that up some with Budinger out?
Steal a road game. If the Clippers are going to keep their slim playoff hopes alive even until Blake Griffin's return, they're going to have to beat some good teams. If they lose tonight in Houston and Christmas Day in Phoenix, they'll drop five games below .500, as low as they've been this season. It's pretty important to get one of these, and this one seems like the easier of the two.
Just enough to win. How are the Rockets getting it done this year? Are they an offensive team, or a defensive team? The answer is, a little bit of both. League wide, teams score 106.6 points per 100 possessions. The Rockets score a little more than that on offense (107.7, 16th best out of 30 NBA teams) and give up a little less than that on defense (105.9, 15th in the league). Lacking a lot of guys who can create shots, they play at a fast pace, and look for shots in transition. They love to shot transition threes, so it will be important for the Clippers to find their shooters right away.
Rebounding. The Rockets aren't a great shooting club, yet they're above average in offensive efficiency. One big reason is because they get a lot of extra shots. They're the fourth best offensive rebounding team in the league. One key will be keeping them off the offensive glass.
Kaman and Baron size advantages. In the first game, we expected both Chris Kaman and Baron Davis to exploit their size advantages in the post against significantly smaller defenders in Chuck Hayes and Aaron Brooks. It didn't happen. In Kaman's case, because Hayes is just crazy strong and wouldn't let him go where he wanted to. In Baron's case, because the Clippers just didn't go to him in the post. They went to it against Tony Parker last night, so I assume they'll go to it tonight. As for Kaman, he's longer and quicker than Hayes. He may need to face him up, and he could have a big night if the jump shot is on.
Defending the three. The Rockets are third in the NBA in three point attempts. The Clippers are 6th best in defensive three point percentage. Of course, those facts were more or less the same in the last meeting and the Rockets made 12 of 23. But Houston has trouble winning without making threes. The Rockets are 11 and 4 if they make 8 or more threes in a game - 5 and 7 if they make fewer than 8.
Speaking of threes. I've already mentioned that the Rockets made 12 threes to the Clippers 1 in the first meeting. 12 is tied for the season high for the Rockets - 1 is the season low for the Clippers. Odds are, that won't repeat itself, right?
Ariza. Trevor Ariza continues to shoot under 40% from the field on the season. In fact, Houston's top two scorers, Brooks (43%) and Ariza (39%) are inefficient. How are these guys 16 and 11 again?
Movie Quote:

If you wanna know how to build a rocket to fly a man into outer space, don't come to me. If you need somebody to perform a delicate brain operation, I'm not your man. However if you have any questions what so ever on the quality of a good pair of pants, look no further!

North's Dad, North (1994). I include this quote not because North was a good movie, but because it was a bad movie. Director Rob Reiner had a perfect game going when he directed North in 1994. Spinal Tap, Sure Thing, Stand By Me, Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, Misery, A Few Good Men. He couldn't miss. And then came North. Reiner's movies have been hit and miss since.
Get the Rockets perspective at The Dream Shake.

Game 26 Recap: Houston 95, Oklahoma City 90

Zorgon — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 10:27:59 -0000

Yahoo! Box Score:

I like to call this one "The Statue of Liberty".

Note: I just realized the very beginning of this article is pretty arrogant. If it seems so to you as well, pleas ignore it and move on. I guess they were just the first two things on my mind.

Yet again, my prediction is only 2 points off! (I predicted it to be 97 to 90, albeit after the first quarter.)

Regardless of that, the Thunder lost, yet again, to the Houston Rockets. It's no surprise to me, as I declared the Thunder would not beat the Rockets this season (including our next and final meeting on March 24th). But what did surprise me is the manner in which it happened. I made the 97-90 prediction thinking that the game would end on a ho-hum note, with the Thunder down by 12 and then throwing in 5 points at the end just for the heck of it. But here, the Thunder made a legitimate run for it, and should have had a decent shot to win it, barring a couple of rebounds at the end of the game.

But, I'm getting ahead of myself. The name of the game for the Thunder on this night was "catch up". Nearly the entire game was spent behind the Rockets. There was a brief 34-31 lead with 6:01 to go in the 2nd, but other than that and the early minutes of the first, the Thunder were behind the entire time. And things were always looking grim. It seemed like every time the Thunder took 2 steps in the right direction, they'd take 3 steps back, and then all of a sudden, Houston would hit a 3 and say, "Boom! In your face!". This was especially emphasized in the 4th quarter, where every time the Thunder got within a 3 or 4 point deficit and you thought, "Man, this might get interesting!", the Thunder fell flat on their faces and got nay-sayed by Trevor Ariza or David Andersen. There were a lot of missed Golden opportunities in this game, don't get me wrong, but the most obvious to everyone was the one at the end of the game, and it pretty much summed up the entire game in 64 agonizing seconds.

After a HUGE second-chance 3 by KD to put it within 4 with 1:04 to go, the Thunder needed a stop. The Rockets dribbled the ball around, making sure not to shoot too early. Then, Aaron Brooks goes for the corner 3....and misses it. The rebound is tipped right out of Jeff Green's hands by Aaron Brooks, and the Rockets get to reset their offense. After a lot of holding, Trevor Ariza takes a spot up jumper, and it misses. The rebound goes right out of the hands of Westbrook and Durant and into the arms of Chuck Hayes. Aaron Brooks is finally fouled, and he misses the first freethrow, opening up a not-deserved opportunity. Then, Durant and Harden miss 2 good-looking threes, and the game is over. Yikes.

Below: Analysis, Awards

Well, the one positive you can take from this game is the fact that the Thunder actually put up a fight. But, even though the score was different, the stats still tell the same old, sad story. The 3 Point Shooting was non-existant. Thabo Sefolosha did horribly defensively. Trevor Ariza bulldozed. What else is there to say?

Ibaka puts up another strong performance.

The Thunder Wonder for this game is Jeff Green. Yeah, he pretty much failed to show up in the fourth quarter, but he carried the Thunder through a lot of the game, and, compared to the other Rockets games, this one was a drastic improvement. 21 Points, 8 Rebounds, and 3 Assists in 39 minutes complete his night. The Thunder Down Under is Serge Ibaka. Okay, I know I've been riding his bandwagon a lot over the last couple of recaps, and I tired to avoid it tonight, but there was no way around it. He was extremely efficient considering the minutes he got, and he helped out the scoring during an especially desperate time in the 2nd quarter and helped to ignite the run at the beginning of the fourth which got the Thunder within winning range. 10 Points, perfect 5 of 5 Shooting, and 8 Rebounds in 23 minutes. What more could one possibly ask? Accolades also go to Westbrook, who had a solid 15 Points, 5 Rebounds, and 7 Assists.

The Thunder Blunder is unquestionably Kevin Durant. 13 Points and 6-18 shooting isn't terrible, but it's pretty darn bad. I mean, 1 out of 5 3 Pointers? Really? You're our clutch shooter? In a night where all of the pieces were in place for a Rocket upset, the Thunder's main pillar crumbled. If he would have had a good day, there's a much higher chance that the Thunder would have won. Thabo Sefolosha doesn't escape blame either. 4 Points and 8 Rebounds are nice, but he's let Ariza destroy the thunder night in and night out.

James Harden: Worth Mentioning?

There was a comment in the Dallas thread saying that I didn't talk enough about James Harden. Well, in my opinion, there's not a lot to talk about. His effort will look decent, as he'll add around 10 Points, 3 Rebounds, and 3 Assists every game. But, the big hole in his game that needs to be fixed is 3 Point Shooting. Sure, he'll have a game where he'll go off and make 4 of 6 or 6 of 7, but usually his statline comes out as 0 of 3, 0 of 2, 1 of 4. If he's going to be taking 3s, he's got to make them, especially on the Thunder, who are a horrible 3 Point Shooting team. Look, I know he's a rookie, and I know he's done well considering that fact. But the thing this team needs is a consistent 3 Point shooter, and I wish he'd bring that to the table on a consistent basis, rather than on the occasional off-night. So, he'll be good enough to escape the Thunder Blunder, but not good enough to obtain a Thunder Wonder,Down Under, or recieve further mention. Thus, I don't mention him very often.

And....Ariza, Ariza, Ariza. Arriba! Once again, he captures the Thunder Plunderer Award. 31 Points, 11-20 Filed goal Shooting, 5-8 3 Point Shooting, 8 Rebounds, 6 Assists, only 1 Turnover, and 2 Steals. Honestly, I had no idea he was capable of such numbers. Major props to the guy for conquering the Thunder night in and night out.

Next Game: At the Los Angeles Lakers, Tuesday, December 22nd, 9:30 PM Central Standard Time.

Poll

Will the Thunder Beat the Rockets in March?

Game Recap: Dirk-less Mavs Blow Past Cavaliers 102-95

zdgmans — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 03:33:52 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

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Can the Dallas Mavericks actually be called "the Mavericks" without Dirk Nowitzki manning the four? The 19-7 Mavericks are coming off of a heartbreaking overtime loss to the Houston Rockets hoping to start another winning streak. The 20-7 Cleveland Cavaliers come in looking to extend their five-game winning streak by taking advantage of a Mavericks squad missing its star player.

Does the underdog have his day?

Game as a Whole:

Tim Thomas led the Mavericks to a resounding win against Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight. The Mavericks tonight have proven, somewhat, that they are officially one of the deepest teams in the NBA, as it is never easy to replace your franchise player and pull out a win at the same time (against the East elite no less).

There were points where the game could have easily gone Cleveland’s way, however the

Mavericks seemed to have a response to everything the Cavaliers tried to execute. Defense was the Mavericks bread and butter tonight. Not only did they hold Lebron James to just 23 points (on 19 shots) they allowed only one other Cavalier to hit double figures (Anthony Parker with 12).

When the defense is as active as it was tonight and the Mavericks are attacking the paint, they look like one of the deadliest teams in the NBA.

Let’s look at the quarters…

1st Quarter:

The Lebron powder ritual delays the game for at least three minutes while they clean up the floor.
Tim Thomas misses a short jump shot and Dampier gets an offensive rebound. Not a good sign when Dampier misses the put back.
Jose Juan Barea, seems to like to start off with a three pointer almost every night. He makes it.
10:07, Barea hits Marion for a fast break layup. Unsure whether the Mavericks should try to run tonight when Shaq is on the floor.
9:03, Erick Dampier is playing Shaq well in the first few minutes (forces a travel). Lets see which big man gets in foul trouble first.
8:24, Another fast break basket (this time Tim Thomas) after a defensive stop.
7:24, How do you fall for a pump fake from J.J. Hickson? Don’t jump to block the shot, stay on the ground.
7:11, Marion misses a mid-range jump shot. Has Marion made anything more than 15 feet away from the basket this year?
6:27, Tim Thomas hits a three pointer. He needs to have a big game tonight.
6:05, Gooden makes a great decision by putting the ball on the floor and attacking Shaq (2^nd foul).
5:30, Cleveland defensive breakdown leaves Gooden with an open baseline jumper. Gooden is moving well without the ball.
4:50, Howard nice defensive play to keep the ball out of Lebron’s hands. Turnover leads to a Jason Kidd three (no toe on the line).
4:05, Howard rolls perfectly to the basket and hits a layup off of a Kidd assist.
3:29, Gooden hits a put back. The offensive tempo of the game is really fast right now.
Josh Howard and Shawn Marion are a great tag team against Lebron.
2:08, back-to-back traveling violations by the Cavaliers. Mavericks haven’t capitalized.
1:38, Terry hits a mid range jumper. Most of his shots haven’t been falling these past few weeks. Need scoring from Terry tonight.
:50.7, Thomas puts the Mavericks up by two with free throws. Grabs a rebound on the defensive end.
Shoot out in the first quarter is over. Cavaliers up one.

2nd Quarter:

11:40, Josh Howard hits a running banker (and 1). He converts the three-point play to give the Mavericks the 2-point lead.
11:02, Terry is on the line for two shots. The Dallas bench already has 15 points.
10:38, nice save by Barea to put the ball back into play. Josh Howard makes an ugly play toward the basket (running one hander) but it turns into a score on a broken play (Drew Gooden with the tip in).
9:51 Six-point lead for the Mavericks. The Mavericks are attacking Cleveland off the dribble and drawing fouls. Drew Gooden is on fire, hits a hook shot to give him 10 points.
8:37, Barea throws a lead pass that leads to a turnover. Dirk says "nice pass" from the bench. Dirk needs to do color commentary more.
8:00, Jason Terry is doing a pretty good job staying in front of Delonte West. He isn’t necessarily stopping him but at least he is slowing him down.
7:05, Cleveland goes on a run as the Mavericks get complacent shooting jump shots and not attacking the rim.
6:24, Shawn Marion draws a shooting foul. Lebron picks up a foul almost immediately after coming off the bench.
6:01, Jason Kidd with an 18 footer.
5:46, Jason Terry takes it to the basket for a scoop. Mavericks are now attacking the basket again, thank you very much.
4:37, Josh Howard baseline teardrop gives the Mavericks a two-point lead.
4:08, Kidd takes it to the basket and gets fouled. It’s weird/nice to see Kidd taking it to the basket tonight as well.
3:20, Shawn Marion hits Eric Dampier with a nasty assist. Dampier shot fake to dunk. That was a beautiful play.
2:49, I don’t know what Jason Terry was thinking when he decided to try and dunk on Andersen Varejao in the paint but it pays off with a trip to the line.
2:09, Varejao is confused and thinks he is shooting free throws (no such luck).
1:40, Tim Thomas with the up and under. Mavericks are still attacking the basket.
Mavericks lead by two going into the half (Lebron misses a three off the front of the rim to end the quarter).

3rd Quarter:

11:48, Illegal defense (technical foul on Shaq). Didn’t know Tim Thomas would be shooting the free throw (he misses).
11:38, Tim Thomas makes up for the missed free throw with a 13-footer jumper.
11:18, Jump ball as the ball gets wedged between the rim and backboard. I think possession should go to the other team.
10:54, Barea gets a fast break layup after a nice block from Marion.
9:57, Dampier gets another lob at the rim (his second tonight) but misses the shot. Takes his third foul at the other end.
9:29, Three-pointer from Tim Thomas. He has really stepped up tonight in the absence of Dirk.
8:47, Barea goes around the "Big Slowness" and hits Dampier rolling to the basket. Run that play again out of the time out, Carlisle.
8:09, Tim Thomas is streaky and currently on fire. Look for the ball to continue to go to him.
6:42, 18 points for Tim Thomas. That knee injury is a thing of the past.
5:23, Bad choice from Jason Kidd on the three. Mavericks are currently only up by three.
3:22, Jason Terry jumper to give the Mavericks a four point lead.
2:49, Marion hits a runner in the lane with the assist from Kidd.
2:00, Marion goes with the exact same runner in the same spot except Jason Terry assists.
Josh Howard has been relatively quiet tonight. Defense has not been too bad.
:12.1, Terry hits a contested jump shot at the elbow. Lebron James picks up an offensive foul on the other end.
They review the play and put time back on the clock, the Mavericks just let it run out.

4th Quarter:

11:25, Jason Terry seems to have found his shot again (makes a runner).
10:54, Terry hits Gooden with an assist for a nice layup.
10:17, Skip pass to Josh Howard who hits a three. The Mavericks are still keeping the scoring up but the defense has fallen off a bit.
9:27, Splendid block by Gooden on Lebron, leads to a basket on the other end by Howard.
8:27, Lebron picks up his third foul catching Tim Thomas in the act of shooting with the shot clock running out. Thanks for bailing the Mavericks out, Lebron.
8:10, Mavericks only up by three. Need to get back in the paint.
7:20, Tim Thomas has cooled off. He has missed three consecutive three pointers.
6:30, Josh Howard takes himself out of the game after missing a short shot and almost getting his own rebound.
5:52, Dampier with the up and under. Glad to see him exploit that mismatch.
5:12, Tim Thomas gets fouled going to the rim. That is much better than him taking another three.
4:46, Great defensive stop by the Mavericks leads to a Marion post score on the other end. The Mavericks are closing the quarter out strong.
3:56, Jason Kidd might have just hit a dagger three. However, the game is never truly over if you have Lebron.
2:35, Jason Terry hits a big three as well.
1:49, It always shows you how hard your team wants to win the game when one of your top players goes to the floor for a ball. Jason Terry tries to get the jump ball call on Moe Williams.
1:14, What a pass from Tim Thomas to Marion in the lane! Marion extends the lead to three possessions with a layup.
:10.8, Terry isn’t making his jumpshots but he gets a contested scoop shot in the lane.
Mavericks win 102-95.

Some Choice Statistics:

The first time Eric Dampier has ever been ejected in his NBA career came in the Mavericks loss to the Houston Rockets on Friday.
Jason Kidd this year is the only player in the NBA with a rebound/assist double-double. Pretty amazing that he rebounds so well for a guard.
Tim Thomas has only missed one free throw this year. He is 17 of 18 from the line.

Closing Thoughts:

Six players in double figures and 38 points in the paint is usually going to put your team in a good position to win a ball game. The Mavericks should look to consistently attack the paint and not fall in love with the jump shot on consecutive possessions to keep their offensive efficiency up.

Houston Rockets' Chase Budinger Out 2-3 Weeks with Ankle Injury

Scott Schroeder — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 03:06:30 -0000

According to the Houston Chronicle, Chase Budinger is out two to three weeks with a sprained ankle. Budinger was averaging eight points and three boards, but shooting just over 40% from the field.

Since we're a D-League blog, that probably doesn't matter to you, so lets get to the meat and potatoes of this story.

According to Rockets GM Daryl Morey, they don't expect to call anyone up to fill his spot in the rotation. Had Carl Landry, who lost some teeth in Dirk Nowitzki's elbow, been out for more than a game, the Rockets would have "likely" signed Rio Grande Valley standout Mike Harris.

This perplexes me. Why not sign a D-Leaguer to replace Budinger, who was averaging just under 20 minutes a game, but sign someone to replace Landry instead of just bringing back Joey Dorsey from the D-League?

Well, Daryl "Dork Elvis" Morey knows a bit more about basketball than I do, but it seems like a great chance to help the Vipers while giving future prospects more of an incentive to develop in their D-League system. See, it's not exploited like it once was (Oh hey 2007-08 Austin Toros! (see December 26th-29th call-ups here)), but if a player is called up from your team for three weeks, you move to the top of the D-League waiver list, giving you your choice of the best player to enter the D-League pool - this is how the Fort Wayne Mad Ants recently picked up Jared Reiner, since it'd been three weeks since the Golden State Warriors called-up Chris Hunter.

So, in the end, signing a player off the Vipers for the three weeks that Budinger is out:

gives a Viper a chance to earn some extra income so he doesn't have to defect to China after the D-League Showcase to feed his family
Gives the Vipers a chance to add yet another talented player to their already stacked lineup
has no foreseeable downside (correct me if I'm wrong in the comments!)

Continue reading to see which Vipers I'd have in mind!

Mike Harris - I know, I know; He doesn't play the same position as Chase Budinger, this would be stupid! Well, actually, oddly, he's learning to play more to his size(6'6", 235) while biding his time in the D-League. Spending a considerable amount of his time out on the perimeter, Harris is averaging 26 points, seven boards and shooting 9 of-26 from beyond the arc. I know that's not astounding, but it does show that he's playing on the perimeter, and playing quite a bit out there. If Morey was willing to call him up in place of Landry, why not give Harris a shot at some of Budinger's minutes for a few weeks to see if he's really developing as more than a 6'6" power forward or if the D-League is just that bad.

Antonio Anderson - Thus far in the D-League, the 6'6" rookie is averaging 17.6 points and seven assists, shooting 45% from the field. He went to vet camp with the Charlotte Bobcats, which wasn't a great decision considering they drafted two wings, but there were a few NBA teams that could've actually used him. He's a great defender (C-USA Defensive POY) and can defend all three perimeter positions. His offensive game isn't outstanding, but he's not going to try to do things he can't, so this isn't going to be an issue. Plus, while at Memphis, he was a proven winner, which is always going to help.

Romel Beck - Now this wouldn't help the Vipers because Beck plays for the Dakota Wizards, but with the rumor being that the Rockets loved him this preseason, why not give him a quick look in the regular season? Beck, as I tweeted today, is the best scorer in the D-League. If anyone wants to debate this with me, I'm prepared. Lately, his defense is stepping up (he stifled his match-up, Orien Greene) and has picked up double-digit rebounds in his last two games. If his effort continues to be there, Beck's on the fast track to getting a call-up, and I don't think the Rockets would be making a mistake by being the team to give him one.

Poll

What's the best option for the Rockets?

Poll: Budinger out at least two weeks with sprained ankle; What should the Rockets do?

Tom Martin — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 00:46:25 -0000

Budinger out at least two weeks -- Houston Chronicle

It's also worth noting that while I assumed we may have been looking to replace Budinger with a guard, Morey was looking in a different direction. Here's an exert from the above article:

The Rockets are not expected to add a player to their open roster spot with Budinger out. Had forward Carl Landry been out for more than just Saturday’s game, however, Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said the team was likely to sign Mike Harris, who is averaging 26.2 points per game for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the NBA Development League.

Poll

What should the Rockets do now that Chase Budinger will be out at least two weeks with a sprained ankle?

UPDATE - Denton: Jameer Nelson to Play Limited Minutes on Monday

Ben Q Rock — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 22:07:41 -0000

More photos » by John Raoux - AP

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It appears as though Jameer Nelson's return to the Orlando Magic from left knee surgery will come earlier than expected. According to John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com, Nelson will play "limited minutes" tomorrow night against the Utah Jazz.

At shootaround yesterday, Nelson and coach Stan Van Gundy said Nelson could return Wednesday, against the Houston Rockets, at the earliest.

Nelson has missed the Magic's last 16 games. Orlando went 12-4 in that stretch, with Jason Williams taking Nelson's starting role.

UPDATE: Denton expands upon the news in this story for the team's website. An excerpt:

Part of the reason the Magic want to get Nelson back on the court is because of what [Deron] Williams did to them two weeks ago in Utah. He repeatedly battered the Magic in pick-and-roll sets, going for 32 points, 15 assists and eight rebounds in a 120-111 Jazz victory.

If Nelson does return Monday, he could be in for a week of facing Williams, Houston speedster Aaron Brooks and Boston’s Rajon Rondo. But that is of no concern to the Magic’s 6-foot point guard.

"They will also have to guard me, too," Nelson said brazenly. "I’m not trying to be cocky or anything. It wasn’t like I was in practice not being aggressive. I’m trying to be aggressive and make plays."

That's the sort of attitude that I imagine the Magic love to see from their co-captain... and that other teams (and their fans) may not appreciate.

The Sunday Roundup

Wes Cox — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 18:37:42 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

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Dallas Mavericks' Nowitzki expected to miss Cavs game | DMN
Nowitzki is questionable for tonight's game against Cleveland. The Mavericks were preparing as if he won't be playing. "Everybody's going to have to be ready to step up and take up the slack," coach Rick Carlisle said. "We obviously hope for the best. But we don't know what the timetable's going to be. We've got to have other guys ready. We've had a lot of guys play well this year and I expect them to continue to do that in his absence."

Dallas Mavericks' Dampier still baffled by ejection | DMN
"You could tell watching their review and how long it took them to go over it three or four times that nothing good was going to come out of it. I mean, I'm thinking he's going to review the foul and all of the sudden he says there's a T on No. 25 and he's ejected. I didn't really understand it. But we're not going to blame the game on that one call."

Mavericks to protest at least three calls | ESPNDallas
"We believe there were multiple misapplications of the rules," Cuban said.

Dallas Basketball - Sunday Morning Mavs Donuts: Dirk At The Elbow
I mentioned in my review of Rockets 116, Mavs 108 that the idea that poor refereeing might result in some sort of "do-over’’ is too unlikely to bother even mentioning. I’m reminded by Ziller, though, of what happened once in modern NBA history, and just a short time ago: So I guess I’m wrong to say it CAN’T happen. But I’m still right to say it WON’T.

All-Star trinket: Mark Cuban's vivid memory | DMN
Cuban said the All-Star Game has evolved from a spectacle to just a part of the season, though he believes it has expanded in many ways, including popularity, in recent seasons. "That's the biggest difference, the exposure," he said. "You used to see games so rarely that the All-Star Game was a big event. Now you can see games every night of the week. But the All-Star Game will always be special."

Spurs' Bonner sidelined by broken hand
Bonner will be re-examined on Monday before a final timetable for his return is announced, but he is certain to miss a significant number of games. He is optimistic his hiatus will last no more than a month. "It's not broken all the way through, so it should heal itself in about four weeks," he said. "That's about it."