In an interview with Jason Friedman of Rockets.com Morey said that he did not think of himself as "Dork Elvis", the moniker supplied him by Bill Simmons, but instead as Dork Cat Stevens.  This could be an ominous sign for Rockets fans.

Continue reading this post »

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

Houston Rockets center "Mad Dave" Andersen of Australia, prepares to hammer Denver Nuggets guard Anthony Carter into the hardwood like the annoying garden gnome he is. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski). This proves Morey is an uber genius.

Browse more photos »

We're now 25 games into the 2009-2010 season.  The Rockets are 14-11, after playing one of the more difficult, and possibly ludicrous, schedules in the NBA.

We've seen a bit more than 30% of the season completed, and I'd say we're past the "jump to conclusions" portion of the schedule. We're starting to accumulate stats, and form rational impressions, but 70% of the year remains. I think that is an interesting point.

I'm planning on a 1/2 mark capsule on each player, but I'm interested in general impressions you might have of the Rockets season thus far.  

Early on I had suggested a series where I gave a perspective based on going to most of the home games. Unfortunately, we've only played 10 games at home, compared to 15 on the road.  Only Toronto and NJ have played more road games thus far (one more each).  I think this suggests good things to come as the schedule evens out for the Rockets.

I'll look at some broad themes we discussed in the off-season and give my opinion on them after seeing 25 contests.

Continue reading this post »

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

Houston Rockets head coach Rick Adelman just can't believe the BS tonight. But then again, he's used to getting jobbed, isn't he?

Browse more photos »

If your question was:

"What would happen if you sent the Rockets to Denver on the 2^nd night of a back-to-back , let the Nuggets do pretty much whatever they wanted on D, called the Rockets for all the ticky-tack crap you could think of, including six, S-I-X, travels, bought into every single Melo Whine-for-a-Whistle(tm), and literally wrenched the game out of the players’ hands in the early 4^th quarter?"

Well, now you have your answer.   Nuggets 111 – Rockets 101.

Sure, sure, serious writers don’t ever complain about the refs, because after all, we know nothing could ever, ever, go wrong with them.  Or, really, because their actions can pretty much invalidate any thoughtful analysis of a contest.  You take every game as a fair test, and hope all of the BS evens out over a season.

That does nothing to address the granularity of individual games, however.  Games where one team (the Rockets) gets called for SIX travels, and the other team for two, both on Nene, who eschews dribbling if at all possible.  This was a game where Carmelo Anthony shot 20 FTs, or as much as the whole Rockets team shot, despite the Rockets attacking the basket as much if not more, than Denver.

Or how about this?  With the game still a contest, Houston is called for 6 fouls, including a technical from 11:04 in the 4^th, to 8:25  in the 4^th.  That’s right, in the space of 2 ½ minutes the Rockets are whistled six times, or once every 25 seconds.  And it only got worse.

Continue reading this post »

More photos » by Matt Slocum - AP

Houston Rockets' Tracy McGrady is proud to represent the nation of China in the 2009-2010 NBA All-Star Game. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Browse more photos »

This game was viewed through the prism of an ill child (nothing serious), so my thoughts are more fragmented that usual.  I'll rely more on that last resort of scoundrels, statistics.

 When one looks at the 76er starting lineup, it is pretty impressive:

 Elton Brand, Andre Iguodala, Allen Iverson, Samuel Dalembert, Thaddeus Young.

That's a lot of talent, a ton of athletic ability.  Elton Brand has in the past, been one of the finest players in the NBA at his position.  Iguodala has one of the more well-rounded, athletic and interesting games in the NBA.  Iverson, well, he's raging at the dying of the light, at any rate, and he looks to have something left.  Yet the Sixers have now lost 12 straight games.  Why? I (imagine I) hear you asking.  Two words:  The Bench.

Players seeing minutes from the Philly bench tonight include: Willie Green (25), Jason Kapono (17), Jrue Holliday (8), Jason Smith (3), Primoz Breszec (5).

Total points in 58 out of 240 possible player minutes?  Six.  I repeat. S-I-X. 

Let's compare that to the Rocket's bench, total points: 46 in 84 player minutes.  So Philly's bench scored roughly one point every 9.40 minutes.  The Rockets bench scored a point  every 1.5 minutes.

This is an object lesson in bench construction (and another reason why "WE © or Ω or √ MOREY" Guess what?  No little "heart" thingy.).  Houston, with 40% of an NBA payroll, has a bench that, frankly, buried Philly's in this contest.

That is not how the game started.  Phily jumped on Houston early, prompting fears of the 76ers once again being a team that's pure poison for the Rockets, no matter how bad they look against the rest of the league.  Then the benches matched up, and the Rockets closed a Philly lead that stood at 10 after the first quarter to 3 points at the half.

When outside observers look at the Rockets, I think they often make the mistake of looking at the starting lineup and saying "That's not a high caliber NBA lineup."  Well, maybe not (though I disagree).  But to understand the Rockets, you have to go 9-10 deep.  You could start the Rocket's second unit and give up very little, overall. 

The players aren't exactly comparable, with some offering more offense, some defense, so let's look at Win Shares so far in 2009-2010.  The typical Rocket starting lineup boasts a 7WS total at this point.  The second unit (of 4 players) is contributing 5WS - add an average rating of one starter from the first team and you get a total of 6.4WS for the second unit (as we've yet to see much of Taylor thus far).  Point being, the Rockets give up little, or nothing, switching out almost their entire lineup.  This, I submit, is a powerful, and under-appreciated, advantage.

Every Philly starter played 34 minutes or more, with the exception of Dalembert, who played 29.  Brand logged 43, sitting down 5 minutes of the contest, and Iguodala saw 40.  Only Ariza came close to that, going 42.

Continue reading this post »

More photos » by Greg Wahl-Stephens - AP

A sight that is sadly all-too-familiar in Portland, Ore., Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Greg Wahl-Stephens)

Browse more photos »

First, my sympathies go out to Greg Oden, the Trailblazers and their fans.  I happened to change over briefly from the UT v Nebraska game, just in time to see Oden hurt his knee in a particularly grisly way.  In my preview I had made jokes about Oden/Odin and how he was starting to become a basketball god.

I feel a bit bad about that now, but it was well meant.   It looked like Oden had gotten his feet under him, and was starting to fulfill his potential.  Sadly that is not to be for another season at least.

In my preview I also said: "Unless a raven whispers something in our ear...it is not given for us to know what may transpire."  So I guess the moral is don't ever name-check Norse gods unless you want something weird, tragic and painful to happen.

Some people compare Oden to Yao, but I'd point out that Yao has played literally hundreds more pro basketball games.

The Rockets lost the game on yet another Brandon Roy last second miracle shot.  Does he do this to anyone else or just save it for the Rockets?  The Blazers, on the other hand, lost Greg Oden for the year.  I'd say the Blazer's loss was worse.  

Houston got beaten by one, on the road in one of the toughest places to play, by a team rallying around its superstar after a terrible event.  Let's not make a meal of this one.  I honestly think we win this one if Oden doesn't get hurt.

Andre Miller did what he can often do - fool you into thinking he's a great player.  He's not, but he saved Portland's bacon in the 3^rd when the Rockets looked like running away with the game.

Brandon Roy apparently woke up and realized he's a top 3 SG, and edged Carl Landry in a duel for the 4^th quarter and the game.  I'm curious as to whether or not Roy can do that on the road, away from the amazing Rose Garden crowd. 

It's a shame that such an amazing effort from Scola and Landry was wasted tonight.   Despite the terrible events in Portland, we need every win we can get, and this was a winnable game.

Well, a couple of nights off, then we meet LeBron and the Bronettes in Houston.

PS - What the hell was going on at the end of UT v Nebraska?  Anyone?  

Bittersweet sentiments at Blazer's Edge.

Nihil Obstat.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Continue reading this post »

Pelton's article deals extensively with the Rockets, and their defensive slide in the absence of Yao Ming.  The conclusions are not much different than has been discussed before, with the unexpected element being that the correlation between height and winning is real, but not terribly strong.  Lots more in the article and Pelton explains it better than I ever could.

The Long and The Short of It @ Basketball Prospectus

More photos » by Russel A. Daniels - AP

V for Victory? Not tonight, Don.

Browse more photos »

This is your game thread.  It's not that preview below.  That's a preview.  We must maintain the taxonomy of postings.

Also see the fine folks at:

Golden State of Mind

More photos » by Mark J. Terrill - AP

Marcus Camby demonstrates the principle that rookies will not set career scoring marks on dunks in garbage time.

Browse more photos »

Team Records:  Warriors 6-11, Rockets 10-8

Tonight we revisit the ongoing soap opera that is the Golden State Warriors.  So much talent.  So much drama.  So little defense.  So much Don Nelson, wandering around, drinking scotch, and alienating people.

 The Warriors are coming off a big loss to Denver, while the Rockets pulled away from the LA Clippers with a strong 4^th quarter showing, turning a tight game into a cakewalk in the space of 8 minutes.

When we last saw the Warriors, again on the 2^nd game of a West Coast back-to-back, they featured Stephen Jackson.  Jackson, after much public outcry, whingeing, hand wringing and hoopla, is now a Bobcat.  Coming to the Warriors is Vladimir Randmanovic - a man who can truthfully boast one of the worst contracts in the NBA, which is saying something.  The Warriors also feature man-child Anthony Randolph - a player I think should become a Rocket, if only to get back to Texas.

No one played that much in last night's win against LAC, with what we call our "2^nd Unit" closing out the game, and the opponent.  This is to say, the Rockets have the bench to run up and down with the Warriors on the 2^nd night of a back-to-back.

I think the Rockets can largely keep up with the Warriors scoring, and certainly play a lot more defense.  If the Warriors can't field Biedrins or Turiaf, Randolph, Moore and Radmanovic might have a tough job holding down Scola and Landry.

Monta Ellis has been on fire recently, effectively winning some games himself.  The Rockets need to stop this from happening in order to win tonight.

Let's look at the match-ups:

Continue reading this post »