I used to be a ton more active on this blog before I started grad school 2 years ago, but lately I've been resorting to just reading and occasionally commenting here and there. Yet, I have to say something.

Its been about 24 hours since we pronounced our playoff status as "deceased" and while we've been mourning another promising season turned bad, we have to say this: all hope is not lost. I feel like we learned a few things here this season:

1.) We have some playa's in Goran Dragic and Chandler Parsons: And I'm not saying this because my girlfriend thinks they're both hot, but they both came to play. Along with Courtney Lee, Chase Budinger and Patrick Patterson (who will be better next season), that's an excellent foundation of solid role players who have their flaws but also can play nicely out on the floor.

2.) The Scola/Martin/Lowry trio cannot be our best 3 players going into next year: Or else say hello to a 43-39 record and 9th in the West. Morey, GET CREATIVE. We have a good 1-2 PG punch, but neither guy is a top 5 "Chris Paul" type PG. They're what I'd call "good starters" who can morph into star mode for stretches, but they're not your "closer". Luis Scola is what he is: a mid-teens scorer who is solid but not spectacular. I totally think San Antonio would have won 2 more titles EASY had they not shipped Scola here. As for K-Mart...

3.) K-Mart special...he has to go: Kevin Martin is like a Honda Accord, a quality ride that gets good mileage, but someone who cannot be your lead luxury vehicle. And guys, K-Mart is the best offensive player on this team, but he's no closer. Martin has to be used to get the Rockets next "it" guy. Guys like Dream and Yao were "it" guys, and so was T-Mac, but K-Mart is just a sound #2 at best.

4.) We need to trade into the top 5 of THIS draft: This feels like one of those 2003 draft classes. Davis, Kidd-Gilcrist and Co. look like legit NBA players. The Rockets need to make a gamble and get an "it" guy. We have our lotto pick, the Dallas Pick (hopefully) plus another 1st rounder from the Knicks. Package those 3 plus K-Mart or Lowry (or both even) and see if we can get into the top of the Lottery and come away with our "golden ticket". Standing pat and adding depth won't cut it this year. We have to do it.

5.) Look for Marcus Morris and Patrick Patterson to have good seasons next year: And yes, after this year they looked so-so, I see big things from these two. Patterson regressed, but he missed all of training camp with an injury, was rushed back to the court and struggled getting into game shape in a compressed lockout season. Morris had no time to train with the team, and when he went to the D-League his game and talent destroyed opponents out there. Look for these two to step up next year and play giant roles.

I have more optimism for next year's team, even more so than I did last offseason. The key is to get someone who could turn into that "it" guy.

Oh, and to keep Lee and Dragic while we're at it as well.

~B^2

As graduate school has taken away a good chunk of my life, I've had a hard time being able to even comment on a lot of posts these days, let alone write my own.  However, with yesterday's news, the latest great Houston Rockets center has decided to hang up his shoes and ride off into the sunset.  Yao Ming, you were a pleasure to watch: a gentle giant who could wrench it up a few notches when the time was necessary.  However, you were done in by your own anatomy, injuries derailed an amazing career that could have been better. 

I still believe that had Yao Ming not gotten hurt against the Lakers, World B. Free (or whatever Ron Artest wants to be known as) and company would have beaten LA in 6 and then thrashed both Denver and Orlando on their way to an NBA title that would have been a similar triumph to that of what Dallas did this year to the Super Best Friends of Miami.

At his best, Yao was THE Elite center in the NBA.  How do I know?  Look at him going head-to-head with Dwight Howard.  He made Howard his bitch every time they played, as Superman didn't have any idea how to deal with the Great Wall.  Yao was that good guys.  Yeah, he was slow.  Yeah he wasn't an elite defender.  Yeah, teams could beat him up on the pick and roll.  Well guess what, so was Shaq and everyone still says he was dominant. 

Yao was just like that too.

Had Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady been given a chance to play together healthy, this would have been the team of the late 2000's, not the Kobe Bryant/Pau Gasol led bunch in Los Angeles.  Its a shame too, about how much injuries have hurt guys.  I loved McGrady till he quit on the team.  Yao didn't quit on the Rockets: his body, which had been abused by the Chinese Basketball Association and the NBA just said I couldn't go further.

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How many of you guys can say you were there at Compaq Center for Yao Ming's first game?  I saw him first play against a Vince Carter-led Toronto Raptors team.  He didn't look amazing, but he played a solid game, getting about 10 points while Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley led the way.  He wasn't starting yet (big Kelvin Cato was) but it was only a matter of time before the Great Wall would make his mark.  Yao played well, and I can remember leaving the game feeling pleased about the state of the Rockets.

With this team we had some pretty good highs (13pts in 35 seconds, the first round playoff win of 09, the Mothers Day Miracle) and some terrible lows (2005-06 and the injury at the end of Game 3 against the Lakers.  Remember 2006-07 when Yao was mentioned as an MVP candidate before breaking his left knee?  Remember the 22-game winning streak season when Yao had to go down, but still cheered this team on?  We had some great times with him.

Along with the last "Rocket" mission, the latest "Rocket" center has gone down.  Yao, as Denzel Washington said in Remember the Titans: "You're a Hall-of-Famer in my book."

Boy I hope they cann this entire officiating crew because they just cost the Rockets the game tonight.  Wow.  That was pathetic.  Here's my case in point.

1.) Midway through the 4th quarter, Kevin Martin drove to his right for a field goal.  The ball bounced on the rim and hung around there before going in.  The problem?  The refs waved it off, citing that Patrick Patterson had "touched" the ball, only he had not put his hand on it at all.

2.) Vince Carter held his own scoring clinic in the 4th quarter (geez, he couldn't miss), and that included with his head.  VC head-butted Kevin Martin and got Martin called for the foul.  VC only hit 1/2 freebies though.

Horrible officiating.  I hate officials because they can't do crap.  I hope that IBM designs Watson 2.0, the computer official who never fucks up.  This was terrible, pathetic and definitely not the way I wanted to spend my Fat Tuesday night.  At least the Miami Crybabies lost.

Back to studying for midterms.

What a nice game from the Rockets.  I miss Battier and Brooks, yes, but Martin, Scola and Co. have taken charge.  Kyle Lowry has taken to being a very solid point man for this team, while Chase Budinger and Courtney Lee have done a nice job on the wing as the 5th guy.  Addition by subtraction can always be a great asset.

Here are some things I'm convinced about with the Rockets:

1.) We have a team that I think can make the playoffs: Scola and Martin, while considered character guys, are not the anchors of this team.  Lowry and Chuck Hayes have been the anchors.  Every time I watch the Chuckwagon out there I am more and more impressed.  Think a shorter Ben Wallace with a bit more offensive game. 

2.) With that said, I also think we're a legit C from being a top 4 Western Conference team.  Patterson, Lee, Budinger, Lowry, Dragic and (if he can ever get 5 minutes in a game) TWill could be a good set of role players around Scola, Martin and a legit center. 

3.) Roy Hibbert was supposed to impress me, but he just left me disappointed tonight.  So did Danny Granger.  Granger is sort of like Kevin Martin: a solid guy who could be a star, but really isn't one.  Hibbert may be more Ralph Sampson than Shaq, so we'll see how that development goes.

4.) Hasheem Thabeet, I hope you play some Summer League ball this year.  Please PLEASE play, along with Patterson, Jordan Hill and TWill.

What do you guys think about the Rockets with 18 more games to play still?

We spend most of our time talking about who is trade bait, and how our team can change or prosper.  However, there are some guys on this team who I DO NOT want to see traded whatsoever.

1.) Kyle Lowry: Not only has he steered this team pretty well for stretches, he's developed his 3-point jumper and does a better job of getting K-Mart and Scola into the offense than Brooks does.  Plus we gave him a very sold 4 year contract and Lowry plays the game nicely.  I like Kyle and I hope he's the PG to build on.

2.) Patrick Patterson: I like this kid.  Think Luis Scola meets Carl Landry.  Ok, maybe not as good as both guys are/were, but he's got the potential to be pretty darn solid out there with this team.  Get the Rockets another legit 7'0 center and put PP next to him and you're looking at a pretty solid tandem out there.  Or at least with Scola starting Patterson is that 3rd big who helps out in many different ways.

3.) Luis Scola: He is the definition of professionalism.  I wish he was 7'0 tall and could be our center, but unfortunately he's only a 6'9 PF on this team.  I think he's underrated defensively and capable of carrying a team on the offensive end for stretches.  He's the scrappy 4 man that Patterson should hope to become and I sort of expected this kind of breakout.  Will he be a 19/8 guy the next 4 years?  Probably not, but something around 15-16 ppg and 7-8 rpg would be fantastic.

4.) Courtney Lee: In a different system, he could be Shane Battier 2.0.  He's a capable defender and a solid enough offensive player who does well out there.  Unless you can get a star to build around for Lee, then DO NOT TRADE him.

5.) Ish Smith: A stretch to say the least, but I like his game.  He plays hard, and once he develops a semi-competent jumper I think he could be a Rondo-lite type PG out there.  Besides most lists should have 5 guys right?

For the record, I would trade K-Mart (worry about injuries), Budigner/Hill (regression), Battier/Jeffries/Yao (expiring deals), Brooks (bat attitude), Miller (deserves better than this), Hayes (can we invent a growth hormone for him?) and T-Will (haven't seen enough of him yet).

Who are your untouchable Rockets?

I'll get to the real point of this article later, but right now I'm really excited with the Rockets roster we have.  Of course, beating up a bunch of patsies will do that to you, but I think we're one "outside the system scorer" away from being up there with Dallas and San Antonio for the playoff chase.  (I think by season's end [if we make a trade] Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and the Lakers will be the top 4 teams in the West, with those Utah a$$holes and OK City morons jostling for the 4-5 spots.

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Now to the point.  I read a lot of Chron.com for my local sports fix, and all I see are articles glorifying the mediocrity of the Astros and the Texans.  I read at least 4 blogs dedicated to celebrating mediocrity amongst those teams.  Clint Barmes is acquired and there's 2 blogs breaking it down plus a Richard Justice column about the move.  Bill Hall is signed and there are 4 blogs dedicated to how the Astros are shrewd in free agency and are not making any missteps on the market.

We get Terrence Williams and nothing shows up for 2 days.  WTF?!?!?!?!?!?!

What is it about our own city paper and how they don't write about our Rockets team?  Is it because we don't have a polarizing owner?  Is it because we don't have a team that has mastered the art of starting slow, playing catchup and then losing?  I want to read about the Rockets.  I want to read more about Rockets news. 

Which is why I say I love reading on Dream Shake.  Keep the news coming guys.

I feel like all of our sports teams have gotten a swift kick in the gonads lately.

The Houston Texans started out looking like this would be our year.  After six games we were 4-2, and in 1st place in the AFC South.  Now?  We're a laughingstock.  The only team in the league who made a city question whether or not last-second Hail Mary pass was the worst play of the season.  We've mastered the art of losing, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.  Mediocrity is abounding.

The Houston Astros continue to sign players with High K/Low OBP numbers.  That doesn't get it done.  I'm shocked that Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee both stunk more than a greased up oil filter last year, but this team is just a sad state, which is a shame because I think they have a Top 5 NL pitching staff in the makings.

The Houston Dynamo can't catch a break either, going through a losing season and a lot of other issues as well. 

I don't keep up with the Houston Aeros much anymore, but I'm sure our minor league hockey team has had problems.

And then (this is dear to me) I could go on for days about the Houston Cougars.  This was supposed to be the year we went 10-2 or even 11-1 and brought Houston back to the national spotlight.  The only thing spotlight worthy we had was the fact that QB's #1 and #2 both were lost on the Rose Bowl field on the same night, and that our next best QB was treated like garbage in favor of a stiff passer who looks smaller than my brother.

Of course we all know about the Rockets troubles too, which is where it hurts the most, because all these other teams, with their drama and disappointment...the Rockets were the one constant, the one thing that I had hope in.  Yao was coming back, Martin/Scola/Brooks was going to roll out and dominate.  Lowry was the best backup PG in the league, and this deep squad was going to win a fair amount of games and possibly chase the Lakers and Thunder and anyone else for the West crown. 

Funny, this kick still stings. 

Yao's out, Brooks has barely played, and that Jeff Van Gundy defense we built from 2004-2007 has become a facade.  We score a ton now, but we don't stop many people.  There's been improvement, but we don't have that closer right now.  Yao was that kind of special.  Scola and Martin are great players, but they don't have that "special" characteristic about them.  Martin is like Rip Hamilton, a guy who was always a step below Reggie Miller.  A good player yes, but never the guy you went "wow" about.  Luis is lost behind Gasol, Duncan, Millsaps, Lee and other NBA 4-men out there. 

Where is the hope then?  It comes from us, the fans.  We have to continue to support our guys, our team, for the rest of the year.  Yes, that great 2010-11 we all wanted from our teams won't come, but as long as we give our guys the support they need, I think they can still do great things.

~B^2

So what have I missed?  (Sorry for the lack of posts/comments lately.  This last month of graduate school kept me pretty busy, but its holiday break time, so more face time here hopefully).

Anyways, I like the direction of this team.  I like how when Yao and AB come back from injury this team will be a legit 12-deep team.  Even without 2 of their top-4 guys, this Rockets team still has a 10-deep roster. 

Kyle Lowry, you continue to amaze me.  I've been one of those guys who's been in love with Brooks from the start, but now that you've began to hit 3's at a decent clip, you're passing and playmaking is just outrageous.  We need a play-maker out there on the court.

Kevin Martin and Luis Scola have both played really well out there.  Martin's efficiency and Scola's effort are fun things to watch on this team.  Yes, Martin has his share of Rafer games (4-13's, but Rafer never got to the line 8-10 times a night either).  Scola should be an All-Star this year. 

That second unit of Lee, Budinger, Hill and Miller is playing some inspired basketball.  If we don't get a center this offseason I think Jordan Hill and Luis Scola are the two guys who start up front next season.  Hill still makes mistakes, but he's starting to get it out there.  Lee's proving to be a better fit than the dreadful Trevor Ariza experiment.  Lee's ability to play backup PG has been very helpful this year, and even the undrafted Ishmael Smith has played better than expected as well.

I do not want to pass judgment on Williams yes.  I know he's got attitude problems, and I know he's had his issues with coaches, but sometimes the old "change of scenery" thing works.  Besides, he's got a friend from Jersey (Courtney Lee), and a locker room full of vets who don't take that kind of crap from anyone (Shane Battier and Chuck Hayes would sort him out in a heartbeat).

Do you think Daryl Morey is hoarding pieces to make that blockbuster deal to land a wing scorer?  I can really see something like this happening for the Rockets, going out and grabbing one of the premier wing players for some youth (Budinger), draft picks (the Knick's 2012 pick), expiring deals (Battier or Jeffries) and a scoring PG (Brooks).  How about those apples?

Note: I'm probably on a high after an easy win over an underwhelming opponent, but I see the clockwork on this team working and I like what I've seen thus far from my friends in Red and White.

Oh, there are other people I'd love to call out (particularly the coaches for not running Foster/Ward enough) or Jacoby Jones (but that's like beating a dead horse these days)...hell, I can't rip on Steve Slaton for last night either...

So I'm going to call out the most disappointing unit on the Texans: the Defensive Line.

When you have 2 guys who were top 10 picks, you have to be producing better than these guys have shown so far.  Mario Williams, you were a #1 overall, yet sometimes you look like just a guy really.  Jon Gruden said something insightful last night when he said Mario plays the run pretty well...well, isn't that what our LEFT END is supposed to be there for.  Mario can also rush the passer, so put him out there against the lesser RT's of the world and let him go to work.

I didn't hear Shaun Cody's name at all last night.  Was he even playing?

Now for Amobi Okoye...oh, where do I start?  He's been nothing but a BUST since coming into the league.  When he came out with that line about playing hard at one point, I was like...'YOU HAVE TO PLAY HARD ALL GAME LONG.'  Did you guys see Freeney and Mathis last night?  All game long, they were going and going and going.  You have to press, you have to attack.

Poor Antonio Smith wishes he was back in Arizona I bet, b/c this team's DL just is killing me.  And yes, I can rip on Smith too, because he's not been half as impactful as I thought he'd be.  Still, he's been more consistent at times than the rest of the line. 

If you want to see the Texans in the playoffs this year, that defensive line has to STEP IT UP.  The young secondary looks a bit better now, and Cushing should be solid at MLB for the rest of the year.  It starts with the line.  No pressure = no playoffs.

Tomorrow night is the much anticipated opening night of the season.  Everyone's got something to be excited about.

Miami trolls out the 3 Kings
Boston brings out the "old men"
LA gets their new championship rings

And we, well we get to see Yao Ming in his first regular season game, and hear Kevin Harlan's annoying commentary about how "short" the Rockets were last year, and how scrappy they play (b/c lets face it, Marv's calling the Boston/Miami game).

We get it already.  Houston's the nerdy science girl who you don't think about dating, but when you see dolled up, you go "DAMN!  You're hot!"  Yeah yeah, blue collar all the way guys.  Kobe may have his glitz, Boston has the prestige and Miami is the hottest thing since sliced bread, but you better watch out for this team guys.

So here are my keys to success for the year.

1.) Health- Not just for Yao, but for Kevin Martin, Luis Scola, Aaron Brooks, Chase Budinger, Kyle Lowry and Jordan Hill as well.  This team is a low playoff seed without Yao this year, but with him, I'm with Chris Sheridan over at ESPN saying they're the #2 team out West.   The key guy is Scola though.  You take him off, and this team is dead in the water.  Yao may get back to his 18/8 numbers, but for now he's a 12/7 guy.  Scola's gotta keep staying healthy for this team to have a shot.

2.) Chemistry- The national media is making a big fuss about Brook's contract demand...and I just don't see this as an issue.  This is the most unselfish team in the league (more on chemistry later)

3.) Defensive Identity- A lot of this falls on Shane and Chuck, but if Kevin Martin and Aaron Brooks don't start to resemble even mediocre defenders, we're dead meat.  Still, I've seen teams with pathetic defensive individuals put in Top 10 team defensive efforts (2006 Dallas Mavs for instance).  Get back to that defensive identity and you're in some good shape.

4.) The Two-Faces- On one end, Yao on the floor makes them a legit dump to the post and pop shots team.  With Yao on the bench, they become last year's more disciplined Golden State Warriors team.  That could make for some exciting basketball, as long as the team keeps straight the mode they're playing in.

5.) Making the RIGHT trade- I love Carmelo Anthony.  I'm not going to lie, but he's NOT the kind of guy we need on this team.  If we add a small forward to the lineup, it has to be someone who can shoot EFFICIENTLY, will play willing defense, and can fit with this team.  Danny Granger and Andre Igoudala are two guys who come to my mind (and a lot of other Dream Shakers as well).  If we do make a move, be it for someone who can help the team, not be T-Mac II.

So what do you guys all think?

Hey Battle Red!  I've been meaning to write more here, but graduate school has decided to suck my life away.  I still have Sunday's, and after peeking over a bar at Miyako's to watch Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson will the Texans to another escape that would make Houdini proud, I thought it would be good to grade the performance of this team so far...starting with the Defense

Defensive Grades

Defensive Line: C+
Mario Williams in the first 2 weeks had these guys at a B- level, but I was tempted to put them lower too.  They need more push on their pass rush, and in the past 3 weeks, the run defense hasn't been very good.  With DeMeco Ryans out, this is a good opportunity for the line to step up and make a push.

Linebackers: C
They have done what they've needed to do, but Ryans, Cushing, Dials and Adibi weren't really lighting the world on fire out there.  Now with your defensive QB out for the year, what's going to happen next?

Secondary: D-
The Oakland game keeps this from an F, but its been some serious growing pains.  Kareem Jackson and Glover Quinn will be a good tandem out there, just probably not till 2011 or 2012.  Right now, the two will take their lumps.  We need a free safety who can help make up some of the deficiencies that Bernard Pollard has.  I love Pollard to death (he's my favorite defensive player) but he's not a good player in coverage.

Offensive Grades

Quarterback: B+
Schaub's been solid, but the hiccups keep him from getting an A.  Still, 2 comeback wins this year has been pretty impressive so far.  Keep up the magic, and stay on your feet Matty!

Running Backs: A
Arian Foster, I SAW THIS COMING!!! Keep playing well sir, and you're bound for Hawaii with Johnson and Schaub.  Derrick Ward is a great compliment and the less we see of Steve Slaton, the better (though, its disappointing considering where Steve was 2 years ago).

Wide Receivers: A-
Andre Johnson alone is an A, but the rest of the group has been kind of mediocre so far.  Yes, Kevin Walter has that big Week 2 game, and Jacoby Jones has been injured, but overall a nice job.  Is there any doubt about who the #1 WR in football is after getting the officials to call pass interference on Flowers yesterday?

Tight Ends: B+
Joel Dreessen has impressed me, and Owen Daniels looks like he's on his way back nicely.  Great combination of weapons.  2 tight end offense makes you more balanced, and makes you all that more lethal.

Offensive Line: B
I drop them from a higher grade because the sacks are terrible.  Otherwise they're blocking nicely, and they're controlling the line of scrimmage as well.  Great work for a group that doesn't really have well-regarded interior linemen and have been playing with a backup LT for the past 4 weeks.

Special Teams: C
Steve Slaton as a KR?  Seriously???  Why not just line up Vonte Leach out there.  I mean, for all we have invested, we couldn't find a halfway decent returner so that Jacoby Jones could focus on playing as a receiver.  Kicking and Punting have been good so far, but (other than in Washington), Neil Rackers hasn't been asked to do anything too special.

Coaching: B-
Some good moments, but some bad ones too.  Kubes, you gotta put some fire into these guys so they don't come out flatter than 3 week old coke.  Its disgusting out there sometimes.  I like comeback wins, but you can only go to the well so many times before it just doesn't work.  Overall, they look a bit better out there than last year.

What do you guys think so far this season?  Was I too lenient, too harsh?  Could I have bashed more?

Hey fellow Dream Shake bloggers, I'm back (well, I haven't been gone, just buried under a compilation of organic chemistry reactions and mechanisms...sigh, grad school).  Anyways, in the midst of all this, I've been trying to keep up with all things Houston (Astros, Texans, Cougars and of course, the Rockets).

I saw this article in Chron.com last night about Yao: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/7202701.html

Anyways, for those of you who are not in a reading an article mood, the jist is that Yao will be limited to a 24 minute cap each game.  That doesn't mean he'll play 24 minutes per game; it just means we won't see Yao out there longer than 24 minutes for any given contest.

Playing the New York Knicks: 24 minutes
Playing Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic: 24 minutes
Squaring off with Kobe in LA: 24 minutes

You get the idea.  Guys, what do you all think about this?  Does this minute cap force our hands to acquire Carmelo Anthony from Denver?  Does this mean we get 2 different offensive styles now (the 1/2 court Yao time, and the Speed Racer/ABZ attack?)

I'm teeming with some insight on this Courtney Lee trade (I had to do a double take when I saw the sports ticker on PTI today...we traded WHO???)  Some people have said that I have some pretty good insight onto our beloved Rockets team, and let me break it down (besides, this totally beats studying for diagnostic exams in physical and inorganic chemistry).

1.) The Rockets traded away our swiss army knife- and got better in the process

Wow, I didn't think I would see that coming.  The team traded away a guy who could get you 12ppg/5rpg/3apg/1.5spg regularly for a player who is just a bit more consistent and has a higher ceiling.  Depth wise, this makes more sense.  I think Budinger is more of a SF than a SG, and Battier did not belong on the bench with this team.

Oh where are my manners?  You guys wanna hear about Courtney Lee right?  Courtney Lee is a 3rd year guard who averaged 12 1/2 ppg for New Jersey last year after being called one of the best defenders on the East Finalists of 2008, Orlando.  This is a good pickup.  He shoots solid (last season in Jersey non-withstanding), and he can be a pretty solid defender.  This is a nice piece behind the offensive minded Martin.  That second unit led by Lowry and Lee will be pretty good...with Budinger providing some fiery offense and Hill/Patterson/Miller/Hayes bringing the interior presence we like with the second team.

2.) Shane Battier plays well with Yao Ming

A starting 5 of Brooks/Martin/Battier/Scola/Yao is better than one with Ariza playing instead of Battier.  Ariza's youth and contract would have dictated him starting over Shane Battier, but Ariza's a runner playing in a spot where you need a solid spot-up shooter, something that he could do, but something Shane is just a bit better at.  That and Shane is to the defense what Yao Ming is to the offense.  Houston's defense really fell apart in the last 20 or so games last year without Battier.

Side note: I could see Courtney Lee starting at SF eventually, but for now, the cerebral defender in Battier is needed on the floor.

3.) Will there be another deal?

Getting rid of Trevor Ariza, does that mean we'll see a move for an established SF who can score the ball and play defense?  Will we pick up a guy who shoots well to compliment Martin and Brooks on the drive or Yao and Scola in the post?  Or will we just sit tight and watch our team grow? 

To be truthful, this is what I want to see happen next: nothing.  Lets ride this team out.  Lets see the Brooks/Lowry PG combo in action, Martin/Lee/Taylor at SG, Battier/Budinger running wild at SF, Scola/Hill/Patterson at PF, and Yao/Miller/Hayes running wild at C. We've got a team that stacks up well I think with the rest of the league.  Its just unfortunate that so much depends on one guy...but we'd say the same thing about the Lakers, Thunder, Mavs or Trail Blazers if Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Dirk Nowitzki or Brandon Roy were as consistently injured as Yao has been.

I can't wait for training camp to start!

Even after the losing streak last weekend, I'm really impressed with the opportunities that the Astros have for the coming seasons.  Chris Johnson has played out of his mind (as has Angel Sanchez and Brett Wallace).  Hunter Pence has been solid, and the Myers/Rodriguez/Happ starting rotation could be good too.

In 2011, we'll have a young lineup together next year.  Here's what I project next season's lineup will look like.

CF- Michael Bourn (L): Bourn has slumped this season, but I don't see anyone else who can lead off next season.  I like Bourn at the top of the lineup, but he's gotta improve his contact.

2B- Jeff Keppinger (R): Solid #2 hitter, while Sanchez has been good, Kepp has done it a little longer than our young shortstop has been doing it.  

RF- Hunter Pence (R): New face of the franchise, the 3 spot is ideal here.  Pence will never be Jeff Bagwell or Lance Berkman with his bat, but he's a solid hustle player and one of the veterans of the lineup.

3B- Chris Johnson (R): I want to see Johnson hitting 3rd by the end of the year, but I can see him in the #4 spot too.  Johnson has been hitting out of his mind recently.  I want to see him up higher in the order.

1B- Brett Wallace (L): I can't wait till he hits his first home run and justifies being up here.  Still high average and good hitting makeup, Wallace is the next great Astros first baseman.

LF- Carlos Lee (R): I'd rather write in Bugosevic in this spot than El Sucko, but we're stuck paying the giant mess 19 million next season and that's that.  Lee belongs down here at this point.

SS- Angel Sanchez (R): 7th seems low considering his play this season, but I'll take his bat down here.  No Keppinger = Sanchez as the team's #2 hitter.

C- Jason Castro (L): Still waiting for the hype.  Did we rush him?

P- Brett Myers (R): I could see Wandy here in the #1 spot, particularly if we go Wandy/Myers/Happ/Norris/Paulino with the rotation, but I'll give our new "moneyman" the ace title for now.

Thoughts on the lineup?

I know that there's still a ton more left in the offseason, and teams will definitely attempt to make more trades to move parts/pieces around (wouldn't it be funny if New York picked up Gilbert Arenas?).  Anyways, I digress.  This offseason has seen the most vicious traitorism since Brett Favre switched to Minnesota Viking purple with LeBron's "Decision".  Here's how the rest of it all played out.

The Good:

Miami would stand out as the top team here, landing the greatest collection of talent this side of anything we could dream up on NBA 2K10.  Throw in Mike Miller, and you've got your lethal 3-point threat.  They even managed to get a couple of decent big men (if this were 2005) who in 2010 are nothing more than space-eaters who will help this veteran team out.  They still need someone to play the point guard position but when you've got LeBron James and Dwyane Wade on your team, you only need to find a good knock-down shooter who can play decent defense.

I hate to put them here too, but Utah made some good moves too.  Al Jefferson is a tad more athletic than Carlos Boozer ever was, and he should do well with Deron Williams and company.  Raja Bell's a good signing too, as he should provide a defensive stopper who can spot his 3's pretty well.

My third team in this "good" category would have to be the Bulls in Chicago.  They went 0 for 3 with the big names, but got Boozer to man the post and grabbed Ronnie Brewer and Kyle Korver to help Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah out.  They're a better team too with Tom Thibeadux as the new coach, a guy who know's his X's and O's, and will do wonders with the team who will end up losing to Miami in the East Semis next year.

The Bad:

Memphis AND Atlanta really screwed up here.  You have Marc Gasol, OJ Mayo and Zach Randolph all on your team, yet you break the bank to keep Rudy Gay for 5 years/85 million?  Geez, that's just fiscal irresponsibility on your part there.  Gay's got talent, but he's a one-dimensional scorer who does nothing else of merit.  Then you look to the Hawks, who basically outbid themselves to keep a guy who's more of a #1B or #2 guy and will pay him over 120 million for the next 6 years.

The guys who lost their superstars, Cleveland and Toronto, get lumped together here...and to an extent I'll throw in the Phoenix Suns too.  Their clubs are clearly worse off next season.  Cleveland has gone from the penthouse to the near outhouse in the league, and Toronto should challenge Minnesota for the league's worst record next year.  The Suns losing Amare is painful to watch, and so will watching Hakim Warrick play PF on that club.  Robin Lopez looks promising though.

Bad news comes for Golden State, as they've watched their two newest big men go down with injuries (Epke Udoh and David Lee).  Shame shame guys.  Some teams just never really catch a break.

The Ugly:

This first one goes out to the free agent losers: New York, New Jersey, and the LA Clippers...come on down.  Only one of the top 6 free agents signed on to these guys (Amare in New York).  You not only blew your opportunity at landing a star when your wallets were itching to spend, you literally were left with scraps.  Jersey got sorta screwed when they lost John Wall and were stuck with Derek Favors, and while Travis Outlaw is a nice consolation prize, he's not what the masses envisioned next year.  However, the worst of it has to be watching the Clippers CONTINUE to be...well, the Clippers as they've not done much of anything really.

Dan Gilbert also got a bit ugly, but I'll add everyone's favorite spoiled child to this page too.  LeBron James has tarnished his individual legacy.  If he's looking at being "the man," then he's basically ruined that in his career by bolting for South Beach.  However, Gilbert basically catered to his every whim and demand.  James and Gilbert lost a lot of public respect with their ongoing public feud.

Finally, what in the world is Minnesota doing these days?  You would rather keep Donnie Darko Millicic over Jefferson?  I'm just glad there are idiots like David Khan out there who Daryl Morey can continue to swindle on a nightly basis.

And what about us?

We all wanted the big splash.  Admit it.  We wanted Bosh, we wanted Big Al.  We still want to get one of the premier SF's out there (Granger or Iggy), but considering we took Patrick Patterson at #14 and nabbed Brad Miller for a 3year/15million contract while keeping Scola and Lowry at market value, we've done quite well.

What do you guys all think about the 2010 Free Agency Bonanza?

Ok gang, I've been wanting to post something for awhile, but I've been a bit sidetracked the past few weeks with work and all.  Anyways, this offseason has basically treated the Rockets like a group of guys who are forced to stand outside of a night club waiting for all the hot chicks (Chicago, Miami, New York, Atlanta) got the top free agents, and some of the gorgeous cuties had massive breakups (Toronto, Cleveland, Phoenix).  We had to fight to keep Kyle Lowry from heading to the Cavs (4years/24mil is pretty fair, except in the eyes of Aaron Brooks, whose definitely going to cash in next July).  We also had tons of speculation about Scola, but I have no problem with the 5year/47mil he's getting to remain Yao Ming's sidekick down low.

And yet, through all of it...I still think we had a successful offseason.  Why is that?  Let me break it down in 3 points.

1.) Teams with gobs of cap space did not steal Scola or Lowry.  That's right.  Once the "Fab 5" free agents all decided on their location, teams like New Jersey, Chicago and New York were left looking for guys who were good enough to overpay.  Scola and Lowry fit that billing because they're both talented, blue-collar guys who on the right team would be the "enforcers" next to stars (oooo put Lowry next to a dynamic scorer like Amare Stoudemire, or Luis next to Brook Lopez).  We kept two of our 4 "lunchpail guys" (With Shane Battier, and Chuck Hayes the other guys in that conversation).  You need stars to win titles, but you also need role players who can fit in with your stars to win titles too.

2.) Patrick Patterson looks like a great pick, and the young guys look really good.  I loved this move from the minute we made it.  Carl Landry II was the initial dubbing, yet PP is looking like a guy who could play some SF out there as well as inside at the 4 spot.  We got another versatile lunchpail guy who I look forward to seeing develop into a quality NBA player.  He may never be a star, but he will definitely be someone who's going to be a player in this league.  As for Hill, Jermaine Taylor and Chase Budinger, I'm impressed with their play from last year, and I can't wait to see what they do this fall.  Jordan Hill may not be putting up huge offensive stats, but when you can get offense from Yao, Kevin Martin, Brooks, Scola, Ariza, Budinger and Lowry, I don't think that Hill's struggles with scoring in the Summer League are a tell-tale sign we ditch him.

3.) We didn't make the knee-jerk trade for some overpriced big man.  I will openly admit that I wanted Al Jefferson like the next guy.  I'll admit that I've had fantasies of stealing David West from New Orleans.  Yet, we did not make a move to get any big guy.  Tyson Chandler would have been nice, but he makes starters money and will stunt the growth of Jordan Hill and Patterson.  Brad Miller would be a nice addition as long as the money (and years) are right.  Yao, AB and Shane are all free agents in 2011, so making sure you're not in salary cap hell would be great.

So while this isn't an A++ of an offseason, I'd give us a solid B for staying the course, keeping the core together, and actually, well you know, developing our young talented assets.  Other teams have done better and more to improve, but self-improvement is always the thing that shocks people the most.  Houston is in great position to get back to the 2009 success we had.

Dear Crazy Pills,

I am not a big Laker fan, and so its pretty hard to swallow up my pride and say this, but you have earned yourself an NBA Championship.  I wish that it had come here in Houston playing next to world-class guys like Yao Ming, Aaron Brooks, Shane Battier et al, but I understand your reasoning: you joined forces with the Mariano Rivera of Basketball, the one man who can make a 6-24 night into something amazing. 

Take time to enjoy this.  I enjoyed your chat with Doris after the game man.  You looked like the weight of a million men just came off your shoulders.  Dude, enjoy this opportunity.  Championships don't come around too often, and you just played an instrumental role in getting your team that ring.  That 3-pointer you hit at the 1 minute mark was the kiss that sealed the deal right there.  As soon as you hit that, I knew there was no way Boston would come back.

But Ron, remember where you came from.  Remember your playing roots.  You came from the worst scene ever back in 2004.  You were down in Sacramento when the team was rancid.  You got one year in Houston with us, where you had a chance to take us further than we have been in 12 years.  Remember your time there.

And please, don't get into a war of words with Trevor Ariza.  You and him are both different guys.  You're not the athlete that Ariza is, and Ariza does not have the physical tenacity that you do either.  Had he come to LA for this run instead of you, the Lakers don't win this title.  You were perfect for this team this season because you added a dimension of toughness this Laker squad needed and missed.  You were the guy this team needed to beat Boston because you added that smashmouth brand of Basketball the Lakers missed in 2008.

You did it for us in Houston last year.  When a team would hit us, you'd hit back.  I'll always remember Game 2 of the 2009 West Semis against LA when you went after Kobe.  Very few guys would get in Bryant's face after an elbow like that.  Yet you did.  Its what still makes me a fan of yours.

So Ron, have a shot of Hennessy.  Kick back and relax.  Hell, release that album you're about to put out there.  But get ready for next season, because defending your title is a different ballgame from chasing your first.

Sincerely,
Nitroberg
Houston, TX

I'm gonna say it, but there is NO WAY this team makes a "tombstone run" this season.  You are what you are, and at the 1/3 mark of the season, this team is what it is.  You can kick and scream all you want to about how Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee are going to rebound, about how Hunter Pence is going to "break-out", about how Wandy Rodriguez will find his curveball, and all the rest, but they need to make some SERIOUS CHANGES.

1.) Roy Oswalt NEEDS to be traded this month: I love Roy O.  He's been one of my favorite pitchers in the game since I first saw him pitch back in 2001.  The guy competes, has fire and wants to win.  Who can blame him?  He's been to the World Series and he's been in some incredible games.  And based on what he's shown so far this season, he could go to a team like the Dodgers and be their Ace RIGHT NOW.  The longer we wait though, the less value our Ace pitcher will have, so get him out of here before the break and bring in the prospects.

2.) Promote Chris Johnson: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE.  I don't care if he hits .220.  Heck, that'll be better than Pedro Feliz has been so far this year.  Out with the old, and in with the new.  Remember when Pence came up?  It was a breath of fresh air.  There were so many "Pro Hunter Pence" Facebook groups out there that it was bordering on ridiculous.  Bring up our most "MLB ready" prospect already.

3.) Fire Sale: Pittsburgh did this last season, and I really feel like we need to do so this year as well.  Deal some of the vets off this team, even if it means picking up an "average" prospect. It looks like Bourn, Pence, Lindstrom, Lyon and Keppinger are our "untouchables" on the big club right now.  Everyone else, (even Lance) can and should be had if the price is right.

4.) Bench Carlos Lee: This one hurts a bunch because our fattest paycheck has become our fattest nuisance in the lineup.  Carlos has regressed TREMENDOUSLY this season.  Until he shows up, why not just bench him and bring up one of our hot hitters in AAA and play him regularly.

Otherwise, lets hope Castro's as good as advertised.

Thoughts?

I'm tired of talking about free agency and the upcoming draft, so I turned on ESPN and I was shocked to find an NBA playoff game going on.

With all the LeBron talk, the rejected "prom date" (Bosh) and trade requests for Al Jefferson, we're forgetting that Orlando, Boston, Phoenix and the LA Kobe's are still playing ball.  The 2010 NBA playoffs aren't over yet.  So far, Boston put Orlando in a 3-0 hole, only to watch Orlando steal game 4, and now they look commanding in game 5.  As for the LA-Phoenix series, both teams have held serve.

Before that, the first round provided some quick series (Orlando swept Charlotte; Boston and Cleveland won in 5), 4 good west first round matchups (LA/OK City, Dallas/San Antonio, Phoenix/Portland and Utah/Denver were all over in 6, but were pretty good games)...and that 7 game series between an undermanned Milwaukee team against Team Jeckell and Hyde (Atlanta).

The second round: 3 sweeps (Orlando over Atlanta, LA over Utah and Phoenix over San Antonio) and then there was "Apathy Gate" in the Boston/Cleveland series.  Boston would win and catapult the LeBron talk.

My questions guys are this: do we just not care about these playoffs because the 2nd round spoiled it for us?  Do we just not care since the Rockets did not make it to the postseason?  Did Boston take some of the air out of the Conference finals with that 3-0 lead?

The answers: no, 3 2nd round sweeps did not spoil the playoffs; yes it stinks that Houston's not in, but there are some good matchups out there; and they sort of did, but Orlando looks good in Game 5 now, making it more of a series.

What does everyone else think so far?

Ok, this NBA postseason has been as suspenseful as an Astros game is these days.  Too many sweeps/5-game series.  The best playoff rounds were Dallas/San Antonio and LA/OK City thus far.  We can talk all day long about LeBron-Gate, but the truth is, its just BORING and annoying. 

So one of the first basketball video games I played when I was younger was NBA Live 1997.  I think it had Mitch Richmond's picture on the front of it, but it gave the 1996-97 rosters of the 29 teams (at the time).  It was the year where Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, AI, Antoine Walker and others were rookies.  Anyways, I just thought it would be creative to do some comparisons to see if we have any similarities.

Best Player:
Now-> Kobe Bryant or LeBron James
Then-> Michael Jordan (listed as "Roster Guard")
Was there some rule that denied EA Sports from listing Michael Jordan in their games?  I can't tell, but the Bulls had the best player in the league on their team.  Nowadays, the best player is a wing as well, be it "Cutthroat Bitch" Kobe or "Marketing Mogul" LeBron.

Best Team (by statistical rankings):
Now-> LA Lakers or Cleveland Cavaliers
Then-> Houston Rockets
You pull up the statistical listings, and the Houston Rockets are the #1 team in NBA Live 1997.  Funny right?  #2 was the Seattle SuperSonics and #3 was the Bulls (granted, "Roster Guard" wasn't listed as a starter or even a regular reserve).  Today's best two teams are LA and Cleveland, though the Cavs are not good in the postseason as constructed.

Player's still on same team from 1997 game to today:
Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher, Allen Iverson (also listed as "Roster Guard"), Steve Nash, Jason Kidd and Zydrunas Ilgauskus.  They were the only names that I could remember offhand that were playing in the NBA and are on the same team in 1997 as they are now in 2010.  However, only Kobe has played for the same team in that span. Z has too, but Kobe wasn't traded, released and resigned.  The worst teams were the Toronto Raptors and the Vancouver Grizzlies (yes, the Griz used to play in Canada eh?)

Shortest Player
Now: Earl Boykins at 5'6"
Then: Muggsy Bogues at 5'3"

Tallest Player
Now: Yao Ming at 7'6"
Then: Gheorghe Muresan 7'7"

Notable Players today-->Then and Now
Ray Allen: Milwaukee (then); Boston (now)
Kevin Garnett: Minnesota (then); Boston (now)
Grant Hill: Detroit (then); Phoenix (now)
Michael Finley: Phoenix (then); Boston (now)
Stephon Marbury: Minnesota (then); Chinese League (now) -->that last one was a stretch, but you could say something about Kenny Anderson (Boston then, College graduate now), Chris Webber/Charles Barkley (Wash/Phx then, TNT pregame team now) and Robert Horry (Houston then, UH Campus Rec Center now).

Also, certain teams have certain tendencies in looking for players from the past and in today's league

Atl: Strong athletic shot blocking big man (Mutumbo then, Josh Smith now)
Hou/SA: interior post presence who does lots both on and off the court (Dream/Admiral then and Duncan/Yao now)
LAC: talented team but mediocre records shown
Utah: PG and PF are two of the game's premier guys
NJ: Terrible team (I couldn't think of anything else)

Well that's it for memory lane.  Now back to our regular scheduled LeBron chasing, Bosh lamenting, trade suggesting readings that we've grown accustomed to.  (I'd ask for a thread about the other playoff series, but then again, I did say that the Astros games are more entertaining at this point.)

OK gang, before we get all "wild and crazy" about yet ANOTHER trade proposal, I just want to say that the way the Lottery went down last night makes LeBron James's potential suitors change that dramatically.  This is part 1 of a 3-part dream scenario, so here goes nothing.

Cleveland would have to agree to a Sign-and-Trade in order to move LeBron to Houston.  Houston doesn't have the cap space to sign King James to an outright max contract, and getting the 6-year deal from Cleveland would give him the maximum deal.  For Cleveland it would be best that if they lose their star piece to pick up something in return.  The salary values are approximate and are based off the ESPN trade machine.  Salaries could be higher for the 2010-11 cap.

Trade option A: Houston sends Kevin Martin (9.7M), Jordan Hill (2.5M), Jermaine Taylor (0.7M) and Jared Jeffries (6.5M) to Cleveland for LeBron James (16M) and Delonte West (4.6M).  The Cavs get a chance to start over.  Adding Martin gives them a 20ppg scorer to pair with Mo Williams and Antwan Jamison.  Hill can come off the bench behind Jamison and Varejao to be a 3rd big man.  Taylor takes West's spot off the bench and Jeffries is an expiring deal.  Houston moves Ariza to the 2-guard spot and goes with Brooks/Ariza/James/Scola/Yao with Lowry/Budinger/Battier/Hayes/Andersen on the second unit..  The major weakness is the frontcourt depth, but the addition of a big man with the 14th pick could mitigate that with time.  After all, David Andersen did look at least OK for stretches last year before getting hurt.

Trade option B: Houston sends Martin, Hill, Taylor and Shane Battier (7M) to Cleveland for James and Jamario Moon (3M).  This seems more realistic in that Cleveland would pick up a team leader in Battier, a scorer in Martin, a reserve big man in Hill who they can grow and groom and a potential sparkplug off the bench in Taylor.  Houston gets King James and Moon to backup the SF position.  Combining Brooks/Ariza/LeBron/Scola/Yao with Lowry/Budinger/Moon/Hayes/Jeffries doesn't seem bad, but there's no interior offense off the bench.

Trade option C: Houston sends Martin (9.7M), Jeffries (6.5M), Hill (2.5M), Taylor (0.7M), and Shane Battier (7M) to Cleveland for James (16M), West (4.6M) and Daniel Gibson (4.1M).  Does this really happen?  No, 99.99% not, but a move like this would change both teams up.  For us, we'd get a nice wing player in West and Gibson does have talent to be a 3rd PG or if we can't bring Lowry back be Brook's backup.

Could this work out?  LeBron in Houston would be similar to the 09 Cavs though: Yao may become Ilgauskas offensively, Scola is a better offensive Varejao, and Brooks is probably a duplicate Mo Williams.  Would that entice James to join Houston?  We don't really know.

What do you guys think about this idea?

I would love to add Chris Bosh.  I would enjoy seeing Al Jefferson, David Lee and any other solid big man out there on this team as well.  There are good things about each guy playing on this team next year, but I'm not here to argue about these guys coming to Houston.  I'm here to say why its probably best to say that "no deal" may be the best move that Daryl Morey makes.  Here's some reason's why:

1.) Meshing a superstar with a strong core team

Its not easy to do guys.  Some superstars have their own habits and ways that are against a team's culture or identity.  Adding a new big man changes the team, and it will alter the way some of the Rocket's core players will play next year (IE Brooks and Martin lose some of those penetration lanes with 2 giants inside).  Superstars command plays, command shots and command at times that the offense at least feature some of their goals.

2.) 4 stars = too many hands in the cookie jar

Ok, Yao Ming + Aaron Brooks + Kevin Martin + "New PF" I mentioned above = too many stars on a team.  That's 4 alpha males in the starting lineup competing for looks, shots and leadership in the offense.  I think back to 2004 with the Lakers.  You had Shaq, Kobe, Payton and The Mailman on that roster, too many stars and not enough role players.  Role players are very important to a team and you need them to do the 'little things' that stars don't necessarily do.  Plus with 4 guys who can get 20ppg you have to sacrifice that some.  Who cuts back?  Yao will probably cut back, but Brooks, Martin and "New PF" will still command shots too.

3.) Breaking in 2 post presence players

Remember, Yao Ming is also coming back from injury...adding "New PF" will also affect how Adelman runs the post game.  Plus, you need to determine combination's of players in the post...Yao may work well with one guy but terrible with another. 

4.) What about Luis Scola, Kyle Lowry and Shane Battier (glue guys)?

Glue guys are essential to any championship team.  You need them for the key pass, the key 3, the key rebound, etc.  You need them everywhere you go.  For every Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, you have Robert Horry, Steve Kerr and Derek Fisher's galore.  You remember the stars, but you also remember the guys who hit the big shots as well in the playoffs.  For Houston, Scola is a scoring glue guy, but a guy who could drop to 12-13ppg while adding 8rpg and playing solid defense at the PF spot.  Battier plays great defense and is like a coach on the floor.  Lowry?  Well, a 4-8 record without him...do I need say more?

5.) What about Jordan Hill, Chase Budinger and Jermaine Taylor (the kids)?

Adding another stud big man will stop the growth of these 3 players (plus whomever we take with our "Lottery Pick").  Seriously, Hill may just be another "guy", Budinger could turn into Steve Novak Jr. and Taylor may never be anything more than an occasional 'pocket scorer', but you never know.  Each guy has potential to start in the NBA.  A "New PF" is going to take minutes from Hill, and probably could cost the team Chase or Jermaine.

Now, if Daryl pulled out Bosh, Jefferson, or Lee, then I'd trust him in the trade.  However, we may just need a tweak, that 14th pick or a simple free agent pickup.  Resign Scola and Lowry, and see what happens with Yao Ming too.  This is a really deep team next year.  I'm excited about 2010-11.

Thank goodness that CBS is streaming the NCAA tournament online, otherwise I don't know what I'd do with myself tonight.

Houston Cougars vs Maryland Terps at 8:40pm
Celtics at Rockets at 7:30pm

On one hand, I gotta support my college team (go Coogs!) but on the other end, this is potentially a big game tonight for the Rockets.  So yeah, with that aside, here's some thoughts to the Rockets game tonight.

1.) We're going to get to see 2 of the more underrated PG's in the NBA go head-to-head in Rajon Rondo and Aaron Brooks.  Both guys do it differently; Brooks is more of a pure scorer where as Rondo is more of a playmaker for the Celtics.  Either way, whomever wins the battle at the point will go a long way to determining the winner of this game.

2.) Luis Scola is playing like a man possessed lately.  Its like he's been ON FIRE lately.  I love what I'm seeing from this Argentine, and I hope it continues against Kevin Garnett and the Celts defense.  Controlling the interior will go a long way towards winning this game.

3.) I'm looking at the Ray Allen vs. Kevin Martin and the Trevor Ariza vs. Paul Pierce matchups tonight.  Should be exciting.  Also, look for Shane Battier to get some time checking Pierce tonight. 

4.) Jordan Hill continues to impress.  I didn't see the Memphis game on Wednesday but Hill continues to show growth and lots of potential.  We FLEECED NEW YORK.  Man, getting their 09, 11 and 12 picks was a STEAL guys.  A Yao/Scola/Hill 3-headed monster next year, with mixes of David Andersen and Chuck Hayes (for matchup purposes) is going to be awesome.

5.) Oh, and of course there's always this: Kyle Lowry, please keep your promise and play tonight.  We NEED you.

So how is everyone feeling about the game(s) tonight?

I've only seen about a quarter and a half of the "Speed Racer" Rockets, I see the potential for this team to grow and become a dominant unit next season.  However right now, they're still 'short' a post presence inside.

Kevin Martin will become more of a dominant offensive player in this offense once he is moved into the starting 5.  

Jared Jeffries is a guy to keep an eye on.  I remember watching him during Indiana's Final 4 run (a run which concluded with a loss to Maryland in the championship game, but all the same, he looked good).  I don't know what he'll bring on a night-to-night basis, but for those of you clamoring to bench the Chuckwagon, Jeffries played rather well last night.

However, I have another glaring concern from the Rockets: how come the team's now best offensive post presence has only passed the 30 minute mark in minutes played ONCE this month.  Lets take a look at this month so far:

Feb 2: vs GS: 23:16min, 10pts, 8rbd
Feb 5: at Mem: 23:10min, 12pts, 6rbd
Feb 6: vs Phi: 24:44min, 8pts, 1rbd
Feb 9: at Mia: 28:43min, 12pts, 7rbd
Feb 16: vs Utah: 29.12min, 14pts, 6rbd
Feb 17: at Mil: 25:47min, 10pts, 9rbd
Feb 20: vs Ind: 37:15min, 25pts, 11rbd
Feb 21: at NOR: 23:18min, 12pts, 11rbd

The Carl Landry trade pretty much makes it even more necessary to play Scola more than a mere 30:18 per game.  I've always thought Luis was Houston's best all-around player this season.  Anyone want to explain this to me?  While we've gotten taller, we have lost some of that girth and physicality that Landry so desperately infused into this team.  

Either that, or perhaps the Rockets team MVP this year is Kyle Lowry?

Perfect title for what I hope will be a great trade for the Rockets.  Onto our winners and losers of the deal:

Winners:

1.) Kevin Martin: you go from being second fiddle in Sacramento to top billing in Houston for the next 2-3 months.  You are reunited with Adelman, given a PG who does NOT hog the action, and a pair of wings who will cover the oppositions best offensive guy on the other end.  You came out well here.

2.) Sergio Rodriguez: Spanish chocolate, you're Aaron Brooks's backup for the next week or so.  I think that Kyle Lowry will be out a little longer than expected, so look for Rodriguez to razzle-dazzle with some of that Lowry flare.

3.) David Andersen: Congratulations, your 18 point effort in Utah must have endeared Morey to make this move.  You just became the first big off the bench now.  So don't wimp up and go out and make your city proud.

4.) Yao Ming: You got yourself a pretty good wing player who will no doubt defer to you next year.  So go be an NBA center and DOMINATE next season when you come back from foot surgery next year.  2011 is shaping up to be a nice Rockets season, with a team led by Yao, Brooks and K-Mart

5.) Bryan Cook: Hey Bryan, meet Kenny Thomas and Hilton Armstrong.  At least one of them will get playtime before you do...but that doesn't mean you can't strike up a friendship/decent bench conversation with the other guy.

Losers:

1.) Carl Landry: hate to see him go.  This guy has more hustle than anything you could ask for.  But often to get something good you have to give away something too.  The truth is, while Landry is a better scorer, there's still a reason Luis Scola is the starter at PF.  Rebounding and Defensive play do not go unnoticed Carl.  Have fun becoming a 20ppg scorer in Sacramento, and I hope you and Tyreke Evans do something good there, but you went from the penthouse to the outhouse.

2-4.) Shane Battier, Trevor Ariza and Chase Budinger: you guys will see your minutes cut down.  Martin's getting his minutes (32-36), but the remaining 3 will not.  Of the 3, Shane's the cerebral guy, Trevor's the athletic guy, and Chase's the best offensive guy.  Look for across the board minute decreases, particular with Ariza and Battier.

5.) Tracy McGrady: Did you think I forgot about you buddy?  This turns into a "win" if and only if you are either A.) sent to New York or B.) released.  Until then, have fun sulking in Sacramento.

Your thoughts guys?

And replacing injured guard Brandon Roy in the NBA all-star game will be:

Los Angeles Clippers C Chris Kaman

Yes, folks, you read that right.  A GUARD goes down, and the NBA has the gall to spit on Houston's face YET AGAIN.  Keep spitting folks, keep kicking us while we're down.  Ok, maybe he didn't initially deserve to be in this years game, but with all the injuies, how can Aaron Brooks NOT be in Dallas?  How ironic and funny is it that the Rockets are the ONLY WINNING TEAM without ANY representation at this years game.

Nobody made the Frosh/Soph game

Nobody will play on Saturday night at any of the skills competitions

Nobody will partake in the action in the Sunday night exhibition

Wow, way to kick us when we're down folks.  For that I hope we sneak into the playoffs and put an end to those thoughts of awesome grandeur starring LeBron and Kobe.  Heck, how about we just be the team that ENDS the Laker's season.

I'm hopping mad right now.  I hope AB goes for 40 tomorrow night against the Heat in Miami.  Thoughts?

Edit: Ok, I did some other reading, and where in the world are people getting this thought that Roy's replacement should be a forward or center?  Why?  You lose a GUARD, you replace him with another GUARD.  Duh!  Yes, Carlos Boozer and Andrew Bynum (and to a lesser extend our boy Carl Landry) are all having great seasons, well...better than Kaman.  But still, this should be Aaron Brook's spot.  Man, the NBA royally goofed this time.

I think that just like TNT, ESPN and ABC, the All-Star weekend festivities have shut out the Rockets from their part.  Granted, ESPN did wise up and added a game in April against our beloved friends in Utah.  However, I guess I speak for most of the choir in saying that most Rockets coverage is centered around 2 stories right now:

1.) Yao Ming's rehab
2.) Tracy McGrady's trade status

There's nothing really about the emergence of Aaron Brooks as a top 10 NBA PG this year, the explosion of Carl Landry as the NBA's best 6th man, the continued resolve of Luis Scola and the toughness of Kyle Lowry.  Yes, Trevor Ariza has "Rafer-ed" himself this year, and Shane's been a little less of a defensive superstar, but this group of scrappy Rockets has been endearing to many, and its time more coverage hit this team.

Like how Chuck Hayes could potentially be the next Ben Wallace?
Or how Lowry and Brooks may be the smallest backcourt, but have the biggest heart?
Or how Landry came back from a friggin GUNSHOT wound last year to make a profound impact on the team?
Or how about something on Chase Budinger, the 2nd round steal who has been a nice piece?

Lets also give some love to Rick Adelman, the coach who has had to adjust his roster left and right to put together a team that has surprised everyone out there.  They've been phenemonal.

But yeah guys, over the next 3 or so games, lets let our guys know we've got their backs.  These next couple of games are pretty important with the playoff race as is (We're 4 games out of the #4 spot right now, and with 11 teams competing for 8 spots, this should be an epic post-season chase).

LA is in for sure.  Denver, Dallas, Utah and San Antonio are probables.  From there, you have Portland, Oklahoma City, Memphis, Houston, Phoenix and New Orleans battling out for seeds 6-8.  The next 3 months will be EPIC.

Go Rockets!!!!!

As I was watching the game last night with my girlfriend, we both got pretty disappointed.  She was sad because the Rockets lost their 3rd straight at home and me because we lost a tough game against a team that looked like it was out of Tim Donaghy's book (did you see HOW MANY TIMES Denver went to the foul line?)

I've always loved Yao Ming, and next year Yao will solve a number of problems for this team.
1.) a guy to go to when the offense is starting to stall
2.) a defensive anchor who made Brooks, Scola, Landry and Co. that much better...not to mention he'll elevate Ariza next season as well I'm sure
3.) create easier offense for Brooks, Landry, Scola and Ariza next season, the 4 guys who've had to carry the offense this season

Yeah, we could use a #2 (well #1 option) this season, but for now, since Morey wants to just cash in his best chip (that would be T-Mac's carcass that I commonly refer to), I feel its time for the team to give more minutes to Jermaine Taylor who I believe is just the spark this team nee-

Oh, wait a minutes, we just sent him down to the D-League.

If you're not going to make that major shake-up trade, then why not let your other 2nd round draft pick, someone who you say has mad offensive skills, have a shot.  Forget the deals out there.  We're NOT getting Amare Stodamire as long as this teams defensive culture exists.  There's no way we are going to get Chris Paul either (since New Orleans would NEVER trade him to a division rival).  Andre Igoudala and Samuel Dalembert for McGrady sounds like a managable trade, but I feel we'd have to lose someone like Lowry or Budinger to make the move work.  Caron Butler and Kevin Martin are not bad players, but they're sorta on the injury prone side.  Chris Bosh and Joe Johnson are definite longshots and ANYONE who mentions a deal with the Bulls for John Salmons or any of the junk that is on that roster (Derrick Rose and MAYBE Joakim Noah are exceptions), well...just forget it.

Why not just let Taylor pick up some minutes.  Battier's struggling, Ariza's struggling and Budinger hasn't been lighting it up lately.  Give Jermaine a chance to show us what he can do on a night-to-night basis.

Thoughts?

Hey guys, this is my first post on Battle Red and the Texans.  Looking back at this season, the Texans were in every game they played this season except for the disasterous opener against the Jets (which in turn, turned out to play a pivotal role in this season's postseason race). 

A lot of people are going to say that we need help on both the offensive and defensive lines, at running back, and in the secondary.  Also, after the disaster that was Kris Brown's season, we may want to look at kicker as well.  Here's a breakdown position by position for the Texans next year:

QB: Matt Schaub starts and Dan Orlovsky backs up next year.  I feel a lot more comfortable about QB on this team because Schaub stayed healthy, but if he gets hurt in 2010, Orlovsky scares me.

RB: I'm actually pretty high on Arian Foster and Steve Slaton for next year.  Foster looks promising and Slaton will come back determined.  Look for another RB in the draft, maybe a 2nd or 3rd rounder, and do what the Jets did with Thomas Jones, Shonn Green and Leon Washington.  Its up to Kubiak and our next offensive coordinator to figure out which back is best.  Vonta Leach is set at FB.

WR: Kevin Walter is a free agent, and has been a good compliment to Andre Johnson.  However, if the Texans look elsewhere, Jacoby Jones has come along nicely (albiet slower than I expected).  David Anderson is a good 3rd WR.  Andre Davis could be a cap casualty.  Finally, I'm anxious to see what Glenn Martinez offers next year.

TE: We're set.  Joel Dreessen stepped up his game in the last 4 weeks, and James Casey and Anthony Hill will be better as 2nd year players.  Owen Daniels could be the wild card coming back off ACL surgury.

OL: Duane Brown and Eric Winston are good bookends, but the interior line is kinda iffy.  Chester Pitts should help shore that up next year, but the team needs more at C and the G spots.

DL: Mario Williams had a down year, but battled a shoulder injury.  Antonio Smith looked good at times, and frustrating other times.  The DT's were ok, as Amobi Okoye looked a little better this season.  We may need to look for ANOTHER DL this offseason.

LB: Set with DeMeco Ryans, Brian Cushing and Zach Diles.  Kevin Bentley and Xavier Adibi are good backups.

CB: Dunta Robinson, Brice McCain, Glover Quin and Jacques Reeves are the top 4.  Robinson was OK this year, and Quin had his moments.  If Dunta does not come back, look for our first round pick to be the corner we need.  By the way, what happened to Fred Bennett?  He has disappered in the past 2 years.  We will probably draft another corner for next season.

S: Bernard Pollard is my pick for defensive MVP for the Texans.  He came in and added an edge that this team hasn't had in years.  Its pretty obvious.  Take the defensive stats from the first 3 weeks, and then factor in Pollard's addition for the last 13, and you have 2 different defenses.  We need a ballhawk free safety still, and I could see that as the first round pick.  I wish we could get Berry from Tennessee, but he's going to be a top 5-10 pick this year.

K/P: Kris Brown...I don't know what to say buddy.  Matt Turk was still solid on punts.  Look for some kicking competition.  Hey, isn't Matt Stover unemployed right now?

What do you guys think about the prospects for next season?

Hey guys, I just want to say that with the disappointments that have been the Texans and Astros this year, watching Rockets games has been a pretty positive and much-needed experience for me this year.  What's great about this team is that they play the game the "right way" on the floor.  Yes, Trevor Ariza should stop the "Rafer Alston" audition, but otherwise, this team has been led by the play of their PG's, SF's and PF's.

Speaking of those PF's, Carl Landry has had perhaps one of the most impressive seasons so far off the bench.  As of 12/27 (post New Jersey Nets game), Landry is now 2nd of the team in scoring, just 0.2 points per game away from Aaron Brooks, and he's gaining.  Landry has become the ultimate offensive threat on this team.

However, while Landry has been the best offensive player on the team, Luis Scola (the 4th leading scorer at 14.8 per game) has been the team's BEST OVERALL guy.  Scola gives you that nightly 14/10 with heady defense and a flare for being in the right place.  He's been one of the team's go-to guys down low, and his nifty spot-up jumper has been pretty darn consistent.

Do both guys have their flaws?  Absolutely.  Scola has his moments where he can put strong numbers on the board, but he doesn't look like the guy who's going to carry a team on his back at the end like Landry has.  And for what its worth, Landry's not necessarily one of the better rebounders at PF.  Of course, the team could put Chuck Hayes next to David Andersen on the bench and start the two strong scorers (especially since Andersen has shown he can put a solid offensive night on the board).  So guys who should start?