Rockets' arch-nemesis Sloan resigns

Type "arch nemesis" with "Houston Rockets" into Google images and that photo below is the first relevant shot you get. Certainly, there were years when the Utah Jazz were a lowly stepping stone to Rockets championships. But John Stockton's celebration after what Jazz fans call "The Shot" became only the beginning of the Rockets comeuppance, exposing our superstar-crazed hubris at the time and unmasking our replacement stars' faults down the line.

I would like to say that since that moment, the Utah Jazz have been our Lex Luthor, our Joker, our Vader, Hans Gruber and Bill Laimbeer all rolled into one. Laimbeer aside, I'd be wrong. Heroes win, villains lose. After "the shot," the Rockets could no longer beat the Jazz. They were more like our kryptonite.

Or better yet--and I know its hard to re-cast oneself (or the home team as it were)--maybe the Rockets were the villains. Blessed in the T-Mac & Yao era with supernatural talent but hindered by faults so quintessentially human--the very essence of being the villain--it was the Jazz who prevailed over and over again. They were led by a plucky young hero with tough-as-nails sidekicks and, of course, their mighty leader, Jerry Sloan. He was a nemesis so diabolical that he effectively turned our poor, huddled Rockets into villains. Or, maybe he was just a damn good coach.

Perhaps more than any other team in the NBA, the Utah Jazz were an extension of their coach. Sloan represented everything it meant to play Jazz basketball both as a player (for the Chicago Bulls) and as a coach. Toughness, toughness and more toughness. You cannot be a die-hard Rockets fan without hating the Utah Jazz but you were forced to respect them. They exposed Houston's weaknesses like no other team in the last 10 years inasmuch as they simply displayed the resolve the Rockets did not possess.

While the face of the Houston Rockets has changed dramatically over the years from Hakeem to Barkley to Stevie Franchise to T-Mac and Yao, from Rudy T to Jeff Van Gundy to Rick Adelman, the Jazz have remained ever stalwart. While Houston even now tries to reinvent itself, the Jazz were the Jazz, all due to Coach Sloan.

That is until yesterday's announcement that Sloan and assistant coach Phil Johnson were resigning immediately. It was a shock to everyone, even Deron Williams, with which Sloan reportedly had a rocky relationship. Speculation has run wild since the duo's very publicized and heated exchange during halftime of the game played just before Sloan's announcement.

Despite the controversy, however, it doesn't matter what led to this seemingly premature departure. Sloan is riding off into the sunset, without fanfare, without a hero's farewell and yet still, it seems apropos. Because it was on his terms. He never did it for the glory. So, unlike some coaches who retire only to return, I actually believe that Sloan will never come back to the NBA. His is a bygone era, sad as that might be. As much as anyone could have hated his team, you could love what he stood for and how he coached. We need more coaches and teachers like him. In fact, I would love to see him pop up somewhere coaching high school ball.

Until then, happy trails, Coach Sloan. We won't miss you, but basketball will.

A Tale of Two Yaos

Haven't been able to watch any games since the previous post until this last back-to-back but any game (especially any B2B) is a good indication of where Yao is at physically. Looking at the stats alone, it would seem to be a tale of two Yaos but beyond the numbers, it's the same slowly but steadily improving Yao we've seen all season, just two different teams and the first without a closer.

Against the 6-15 Memphis Grizzlies, the Rockets fell behind early but managed to creep back into the game on with Luis Scola putting in work. But when they needed someone to step up and impose their will to get Houston over the top, Yao was unable. Not unwilling but physically unable to step up. Against a superior 12-8 Hawks squad, Houston got out to the early start but let the Hawks back in it. Joe Johnson was unconscious in just shy of folk tale form in the 3rd quarter and it was contagious to the rest of the Hawks. Again, it looked like Yao wasn't going to be able to keep the Rockets above water. He was getting beat to the ball on rebounds and committed costly turnovers. The difference in the second game was Ron Artest. He came in and willed the Rockets to the lead on offense AND defense--Johnson didn't just go cold late in the 4th. He also gave Yao a chance to gather his bearings and put the Hawks away late.

What should be telling about these two games is that Yao still isn't there yet. He's improving but not at the level of dominance he had attained the past two seasons before he was injured. He's solid but not dominant. I can't remember ever seeing a quieter 19 rebounds. But he's out there, just playing at about the level he was in his first 3rd or 4th season. Sometimes tentative, not as quick to the ball and not playing powerfully. He's back to layups instead of dunks.

It's hard to know what it is exactly. Stamina, a subconscious unwillingness to stress the healing leg, longer stretches on the bench, longer stretches on the court. Or maybe he's on to something. Maybe Yao's consciously taking his time. So long as T-Mac and Artest can make it to a few games here and there, they should be able to get into the post-season in the West where it won't matter what seed they are. They'll just have to win. So maybe, just maybe if Yao can save it up until the playoffs, it might be more conducive to Yao making it a season injury-free. But he's too much of a competitor and team-first guy to be so calculating, isn't he? It is certainly a less dominant Yao we are seeing on the court right now. And its still too early to tell if he's incapable of resurrecting the other one but if 24 and 19 is still a quiet game, I think we'll take it.

Originally posted at Yao Central on 2008-12-10 12:43

Rockets in the Head: Daryl Morey... Still Genius

Don't know how we missed this, uhm, let's say in-depth, and very much so, story on Rockets GM Daryl Morey, but Henry Abbott picked this up over at True Hoop and that's why he's on ESPN. It's where we get all our blog news anyway. Yea, we've been phoning it in a little, but we'll pony up for the regular season. It's time.

Which brings us to Rockets.com's catchphrase this season... "it's time." You're goddamn right it's time. "Beat it, beat that dead fucking horse," works, too. Rockets in Utah tonight at 8:00pm. We're gonna have to stream that shit.

Yao's Bottom Line 10.30.07

Yao's Bottom Line 10.30.07
from Yao Central

25 pts, 9-16 FGs, 7-8 FTs 12 rebs, 3 asts, 1 stl, 3 blks, 4 TOs, 5 PFs, 40:32 min

Was this the most leisurely 25 pts and 12 rebs Yao's ever seen? Though the Rockets struggled to get Yao into the low-post for much of the game--and it wasn't exactly clear whether it was the play calling or Yao's still growing familiarity with the offense--they did manage to get it to him when it counted, on consecutive possessions that seemed to put away the Lakers in the last 4:00 minutes of the game. Then the little collapse.

But what was promising was Yao's team-leading 40:32 minutes played, and he wasn't exactly lumbering by game's end. Certainly a combination of Yao's improving fitness and Adelman's system, but either way the result was Houston was able to get Yao 1-on-1 looks in the paint late in the game when they needed him on which he scored decisively and quickly in the way someone does when they are not fatigued--something rarely seen last season.

Is this too easy? Should Yao be more assertive in making his presence felt? Maybe not. It seems that Yao may benefit from laying low right now until he fully grasps the system. Players with dynamic perimeter skills like T-Mac are better suited to wing it in the meantime while everyone gets acclimated to the system. And the 19 TOs means there's still plenty of acclimating to do. Adelman's Kings teams were always on the low-end of that particular statistic.

But it's apparent now, the Rockets have more weapons in Mike James and Bonzi Wells (and perhaps Steve Francis by mid-season), so Yao should have plenty of single coverage looks to come and more chances to make it look this easy... at least, on offense.

YaoMingMania.com as always with the best courtside pics.

The Yao Ming of our Immediate Future

2007-08 Yao Ming Preview

Yao Ming | C | #11
Years Pro: 5
Height: 7-6 / 2,29
Weight: 310 lbs. / 140,6 kg

Age: 27 (Born: 11/12/1980)
Drafted: 2002, #1 overall by HOU
2008 salary: $13,762,775.00

LAST SEASON
'06-'07 was another season of ifs and maybes, if Yao hadn't gotten injured, then maybe he would have played well enough to win MVP. He definitely received enough hype early in the season. But while his game has certainly been on the rise (not only in the eyes of players and coaches but also in the consciousness of fans worldwide as his popularity as a player--and not just a global icon--has surged, I've even seen Yao jerseys in Washington Heights, NYC); his number of games played has not. Yao was able to make it back in time to finish up the regular season and enter the playoffs with some games under his belt, but he never quite looked comfortable in Van Gundy's offense of attrition.

Yao's been "due" for a breakout season for two years running now. So you can think about that in different ways, but I like to think of it as Yao's been ready for this for two years. His dying to let it out.

THE 2007-08 REGULAR SEASON
This isn't a fantasy basketball type of preview, but going through fantasy basketball projections gives you an idea of how the general public (or anyway, the media that represents the general public) predicts Yao's individual statistical productivity for the coming year. Most sources have Yao at least in the Top 3 of their center position picks. And based on statistics alone, we know John Hollinger has given Yao pre-season demagogue status for his new Cult of PER.

He has his own basis for why that is, but you'll have to read his breakdown and see if it makes sense to you. I for one am a newly converted Hollinger-man. You will be, too, when you check out the Rockets preview on ESPN, he's picked the Rockets to be #1 in the Southwest and #1 in the Western Conference. I didn't even do that. He even says don't be surprised if they win it all. So yea, I like how this guy thinks. But PER is one thing, I've got Yao will solidify his position as the top center of the league this season and much of it will do with the following observations:

The Adelman Way of Assisted Living
Low-post Yao brow-beat style will end up being thought of as a necessary experiment in a few years. Van Gundy's system instilled in him the type of grit and determination it takes to be a dominant player. You learn that best in the trenches. All that work required Yao to be a beast or get beat night in, night out. It also wore him down. So, it's a good time to change it up. Get the lesson without the beating. We already knew he had high post capabilities from the Rudy-T days and the ability to pass. Now, with this new system that switches it up so that defenses can't really get a bead, he'll continue to be one of the most versatile big men in the league.

With Yao operating in and out of the high post we'll see his assists go up (to about 3+ a game) and his turnovers go down. The more mobile he gets the better he will be. The motion-style offense makes everyone around him a threat to score and everyone a threat to find a teammate to score. The assists should add up to easier buckets. More cuts and more passes equals more open looks. But it wouldn't work without the additional weapons Adelman/Morey have added (and kept) on the roster. So, they got that going for them.

Efficiency vs. Dominance
It still impresses me that Yao finished '04-'05 shooting .552 percent from the field, and since his rookie year, he's never shot less than .500 from the field. Moving him from the low-post won't hurt that percentage. He'll only get more open looks; and we'll get to see how deadly that jump-shot is, particularly with back-cutting Rockets guards drawing heat to the paint.

Yao's trips to the line have increased every season and his FT% is ridiculous compared to other big men in the league (86% last season). But really, no one doubts his efficiency from the field or even his impact has a team player, meaning his effort, leadership and work ethic. What might be questionable, particularly to some in the national media, is his ability to take over games and carry a team to victory. But Rockets fans who are more than casual observers know he's gotten better at that every season and showed real signs of real dominance last season.

Again, Adelman's system will help. Whether in the low-post or high, Yao will facilitate the offense with T-Mac. They will initiate things, but not necessarily from the same spot. Even if neither of them take the actual shots, their adjustable presence on the floor forces opponents to have to constantly adapt on the fly, making it difficult to lockdown any one player. In this way, Yao can be dominate as a playmaker and finisher. No one will have to try and force it into the low-post with three defenders just waiting for the entry pass.

What will be interesting to see is if he's transfered that dominance to the defensive end of the court. That's a huge part of what Hakeem Olajuwon addressed in their workouts together this summer. Yao's already highly regarded as the best scoring center in the league, Hakeem and Jack Sikma's work with him over the summer should only make him better, but more can be done to improve Yao's D. He'll never be the kind of dominant defender Dream was, but there is certainly room for improvement in efficiently using his size and presence.

Setting the Tempo and the Magic of Mobility
The idea of Yao not being able to keep up with a more uptempo offensive style is overblown. Adelman has always had big men on his rosters that were effectively integrated and sometimes with a lesser skill set. The new offense will actually do much to cover for Yao's less-than-Amare-like footspeed by keeping him moving in the half-court--that sounds counter-intuitive, but perhaps ironically, the more Yao moves (in an offense that has him covering less ground that JVG's old pick and roll setup), his size and versatility--and the inability for defenders to play a sit and wait style of defense--will open things up. Yao will actually appear more mobile, much in the way Vlade Divac and Brad Miller did.

Drop the 'Injury Prone' Stuff
Again, you'll notice very quickly if you read those fantasy previews that no one disputes Yao's statistical productivity. But Amare is consistently given top pick status over Yao because they think he is less injury prone. Yao is "high risk" due to past injuries. It's funny, they never seem to say that about Amare, who's missed 47 more career regular season games than Yao and hadn't played an exhibition game until last night due to arthroscopic knee surgery. Amare has a recurring situation with his knees, Yao doesn't.

Yao was a horse for three seasons until he finally had surgery to fix an old toe injury; and then of course, last season's freak accident. Neither of these is necessarily recurring... but keep an eye on that toe. So think positive, there's no sense in expecting injury. Yao's leg is not Amare's knee and certainly not T-Mac's back.

THE PLAYOFFS
The Rockets will get out of the first round. With this much talent on the roster, to not reach the conference semis is simply unacceptable, even in the top-heavy Western Conference. I predict them to finish 2nd in the Division and 3rd in the West. There's more at Globetrotter's' Houston Rockets '07-'08 preview.

Bring on the Jazz again in the first round, which is likely. It would be nice to see Yao draw Boozer out to the perimeter the way he so effectively did to him last season; not to mention having a PF like Scola who can track down both AK-47 and Mehmet Okur. Having Bonzi, Mike James and Stevie around will make it awfully hard to double Yao or T-Mac. This far in, they should both be very familiar with the offense. It could be a beautiful thing watching Yao pick apart the defense from the high post.

The second round is another beast entirely. Likely facing San Antonio, Phoenix or Dallas, to advance against any of these three will be an upset to be sure, but I wouldn't it past this team if they hit a groove to reach the Finals. They've had the necessary parts to do it in place for three seasons, now they've just added some premium add-ons and more than just a little chrome.

Our Houston Rockets Preview

HOUSTON ROCKETS
'06-'07 Record: 52-30
3rd in Southwest Division
4th in Western Conference

Projected Record: 58-24
2nd in Southwest Division
3rd in Western Conference

2007-08 Houston Rockets NBA Season Preview
You know what, I'm not quite ready to give them 60 wins, no matter Duke says some guy at ESPN said. And I'm not ready to give this team more than the most wins in franchise history. The wounds from that exit that shall not be named don't sting anymore, but they're sore and nagging like after knee surgery. Still, there's plenty of reason to be optimistic. The team dressed in black and gray off I-10 that shall not be named has gotten so complacent with their rings, they're giving away Euroleague MVPs. We accept. Steve Francis is back. So is Mike James. Bonzi Wells is in shape. The Rockets have a deep, endless bench and they have plenty of firepower to go around. But...

KEY ADDITIONS
(G) Mike James, Steve Francis, Aaron Brooks
Yes, we asked for another point guard--and Duke's been begging to get Steve Francis back since the day he was traded--but isn't this a little overboard? While Adelman's system doesn't need a pure point per se (alliteration), combo guards will due, do we really need four (if you don't count JL3) undersized score-firstguards on the roster (Head, James, Francis and Brooks)? We imagine Adelman will quickly thin the herd and stick with two go-to guys at the point that might spend time on the court together in smaller line-ups like Mike Bibby/Bobby Jackson. We also imagine it might be a complete surprise who it is. And with that, how's reduced playing time for the other going to affect team chemistry. We won't be surprised if Morey moves a couple of these guys.
(F/C) Luis Scola, Jackie Butler
You almost couldn't ask for a better NBA rookie to add to this roster. Maybe Greg Oden for some twin towers action, but he ain't exactly playin' this season is he? Scola comes in with savvy and a proven track record, though admittedly, not at the NBA level. Still, the gap between NBA and the highest international ball is noticeably small now. Butler is still a project but has great tools and could become a solid backup for Scola and Yao with a little guidance from Deke.

KEY SUBTRACTIONS
Juwan Howard, Vassy Spoons, Jeff Van Gundy
Howard is not a starter in this league anymore--even though he did an admirable job picking his game up during Yao's absence--but he is a veteran leader on and off the court, someone everyone loves to play with and a solid choice off the bench. Unfortunately, he's out and Mike James was what received in return. Might seem odd with all the guards, but this deal was made before Francis on the table and the selection of Aaron Brooks... it's hard to imagine Adelman won't find a combination that works with this much talent in the backcourt, but it's a shame to lose Howard for that experiment. Spoons was fun to project, but not too fun to watch. He'll never get another shot if he goes back to Greece. It's too bad. I'll miss all the Greek fans. Van Gundy, I was a fan even if 99% of Houston was not. He did his thing, it's a new era. Good luck to JVG at TNT, we're fans.

PROJECTED STARTERS (with stat projections)
These are projected starters based on who will start for the majority of the games, not just who starts early in the season, plus the projected rotation the Rockets will use going into the playoffs.

(C) Yao Ming: who else? [25.6 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 3.2 apg, 2.1 bpg]
(F) Luis Scola: starter by 20 gms. [9.7 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 2.3 apg]
(F) Shane Battier: always solid. [6.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg]
(G) Tracy McGrady: ...come on. [21.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 6.2 apg]
(G) Steve Francis: reg. starter by 30 gms. [11.8 ppg, 3.2 apg]
Bench
(F) Bonzi Wells: will be biggest contributer off bench [10.1 ppg].
(G) Mike James: fills in for either 1 or 2 spot. [8.6 ppg]
(G) Luther Head: also get some time at 2 spot. [5.3 ppg]
(C) Chuck Hayes: still the energy guy, will still get burn.
(F) Jackie Butler: may get bulk of minutes at backup F/C.
(G) Aaron Brooks: mostly garbage time unless there's an injury.

PREDICTIONS
ESPN says the Rockets are the most upgraded of any NBA team (not Boston?) and it should show right away. Most losses early on will come from slight chemistry issues and mastering the Princeton offense. The most significant upside for this deep roster is that it has enough firepower to weather some minor downtime from either Yao or T-Mac, but the hope, obviously, is that their injury troubles are over.

Yes, our predictions on the site say Championship, but that's because we have to say that, but if I were someone else, someone objective, I'd say the Rockets tie their franchise record in wins this year and finally get out of the first round. How far they get after that almost doesn't matter, because they will surely either face Dallas, San Antonio or Phoenix in the second round and an ability to hold ground or beat of these three will do much to dictate expectations for the next season.

A Championship is a little fanciful with so many established powers in the West, and by no means, is it the only idea of a successful season... but we wouldn't mind.

And with the 26th pick, the Houston Rockets select....

And with the 26th pick, the Houston Rockets select...
From Yao Central

Less than 3:00 min now and both McRoberts and Big Baby are still on the board... then again, so is Nick Fazekas... who will it be?

Aaron Brooks?!?! ...the quarterback!?! No, the Oregon point guard nobody's heard of... Why did we trade our only real power forward for Mike James?

This makes no sense at all... another little guard to add to James, Alston, Spanoulis... isn't that why we have Lil' John Lucas... who's a far better shooter? What a terrible and disappointing pick. What a waste of a chance to get some solid bigs... I would have rather had Thiago Splitter.

Well, the Rockets still have the 54th pick (acquired from Orlando)... which they should have been using to pick Aaron Brooks.

Holy crap, it just got worse... Brad Newley? That's it. I'm shuttin' down and goin' to watch Planet Earth on DVD. I'm on Disc 3, Rainforests. The whole thing is endlessly fascinating... can't say the same for this draft. For gadsakes, Herbert Hill was on the board.

Houston Rockets Draft Preview

Finding a new mate for Yao... in the frontcourt
From Yao Central

It's not that we don't love Chuck Hayes. His work ethic and tenacity are everything you ask for in a professional athlete, but Hayes is a sparkplug type of player that really should really be coming off the bench. Everyone in the franchise loves Hayes, but no one is shy about saying Houston needs another legit big.

Rockets GM Daryl Morey, though, has significantly downplayed Houston's prospects of finding an appropriate fit in this year's NBA draft. Whether strategically or by getting thoroughly underwhelmed by the players available, he's skillfully not revealing any motives. But he is very aware that this a deep draft. Rockets.com lists Italy's Marco Belinelli, Georgia Tech swingman Thaddeus Young, Rice's scoring guard Morris Almond and LSU's Glen Davis as Morey continues to promise Houston will be drafting for talent

Included below is a short list of candidates for the power forward position that would best complement Yao Ming and the Rockets new offense should they be available when Houston picks. For as much as Morey claims a wait-and-see attitude, there's an inkling that he's downplaying prospects with a purpose. Some of the selections below are based on John Hollinger's (ESPN) new rating system for college prospects. You'll have to read a lengthy description to fully appreciate the system, but the reason why it resonates to me is that all three prospects I list below were ones I thought should have been much higher than their current rankings. So how can I argue with Hollinger's findings? The draft experts seem to have it wrong on these guys, so why shouldn't Houston take advantage?

So far, at the power forward position, the Rockets have apparently looked at forward-center Jason Smith out of Colorado State. They've also brought in Israeli forward Lior Eliyahu to workout and see if he can't secure a spot on next year's roster. Some draft preview sites (and now, Chron.com) have the Rockets taking Nick Fazekas out of Nevada. Fazekas rates high on Hollinger's chart (7th), but there's one problem with Smith, Fazekas and Eliyahu... they're all a little soft. Each forward has been criticized for their less than impressive upper body strength and all tend to shy from contact. And talent or otherwise, that's not what the Rockets need, especially when they can find comparable talent with more of a predilection to bang with the big boys. Of course, if the Rockets move up as Morey would prefer, then it would make it somewhat easier, or it could change who they're looking at completely. Here are the three best forwards likely to still be available at the 26th pick:

Sean Williams (BC) Ht: 6-10, Wt: 230 lbs, Age: 20
Boston.com has an in-depth story about that workout and Williams efforts to reform. Many draft sites have Williams as a stretch to even to make the first round, but Morey knows better than that. He isn't even expecting Williams to be around at the Rockets 26th pick. The truth is, he'd be a great addition, perhaps the most athletic forward in the draft, he should have been a lottery pick. Williams seems to be a humble individual that is making the effort to put his troubles behind him, but if anyone is thinking of taking a chance on Williams, he'll go way before the Rockets can get him. So the real stretch here is whether or not he'll actually be available at the 26th pick.

NBADraft.net scout Matthew Maurer writes that he "possesses all the physical tools to excel, long wingspan, quick hands, timing and the ability to produce multiple jumps in succession." Though perhaps less polished than McRoberts in basic skills, Williams is more athletic, just as aggressive on offense and defense (not to mention one of the best shotblockers in the college game) and still has plenty of room to grow, exactly what Houston was hoping for in Stromile Swift. Williams' off-court problems are his only red flag--will Eddie Griffin ever let us overlook that again?--but if Williams' problems are too much for the 23 picks after Durant/Oden, then Morey seems certain to give the kid a chance--on his "drafting for talent" policy alone. Oh, and he's a hometown boy, too.

Josh McRoberts (Duke) Ht: 6-10, Wt: 240 lbs, Age: 21
You can see for yourself what kind of athleticism McRoberts brings via these clips (1, 2) on YouTube. He's no Sean Williams but he's a strong finisher and aggresive around the rim and loose balls. On top of that, he has solid footwork in the paint, can face up, handle the ball and occasionally step out for 3. NBADraft.net relegates his similarities to a less athletic Chris Webber--not true, you can't get less athletic than Webber right now--what they probably meant was Webber as a rookie. But what McRoberts has over C-Webb, to a fault, is an endless store of competitive fire. The Rockets could use some of that. McRoberts seems more accurately described as a less low-post-capable Rasheed Wallace. But he doesn't need much prowess in the low-post, that's what Yao is for. Because of that inability to really create for himself, McRoberts is a late first-rounder, but he has plenty of the other skills and intangibles that seem to complement Yao.

ESPN's Chad Ford has McRoberts rated right at 26th where the Rockets pick, but his name hasn't popped up much in Houston. According to Hollinger's system, he's easily a lottery pick. Expecting that Williams will be gone and McRoberts is available at 26, could there much argument against the pick?

Glen Davis (LSU) Ht: 6-9, Wt: 290 lbs, Age: 21
Assuming a few scouts read Hollinger's system and actually give it any credence and McRoberts goes high, maybe Glen "Big Baby" Davis is the way to go (then again, if scouts listened to Hollinger, then Big Baby would go 12th on that list). But at Ford's ranking at 25, there is a chance Davis will be available when the Rockets pick.

Davis is an unparalled athlete in this draft, but in a much different way than players like Durant, Oden, Thaddeus Young or even Sean Williams. He is simply bigger and stronger than everyone else; and he's aggressive with his size, not shying away from contact. But what separates him from the rest is the combination of that size with NBA-level explosiveness and agility. He can't jump but he can move. Think of the ballerina hippopotami from Fantasia. Now imagine that elegant hippo guarding Carlos Boozer in Game 7.

Davis is somewhat undersized in height (though matching Boozer), but great rebounders have never needed to be that tall (see Ben Wallace, Charles Barkley, Dennis Rodman), they just have to have a nose for the ball and the tenacity to get to it. Big Baby appears to have those tools and the work ethic to improve. His weight has been an issue, but he's showed that he is willing to make the commitment to slim down, dropping 15-20 lbs between his sophomore and junior year. Nevertheless, Davis' bulk and aggressiveness, combined with a knack for ball-handling, passing and knocking down the open jumper, seem more than adequately complementary to Yao in the low post.

The Playoff Hustle: We're Still Unbeatable

... maybe we didn't play hard enough. maybe utah played harder. maybe boozer & deron played over there heads. maybe we weren't ready. maybe we need another penetrator...maybe we suck.......i don't know. i love the rockets & i love cheering for them. these moments are tough, but i understand these things happen. hearts get crushed...shit, we did it to new york in 94'. we did it to san antonio in 95'. we did it to L.A. in 86'. we did phoenix the worst..two times...you do it to other teams, & it happens to your team...but if i learned anything growing up watching hakeem, its that you don't bury yourself in the maybe's, you learn from them, and build.

in 1993, after the rockets lost in game 7 to the sonics, the locker room was stagnant with sorrow. hakeem looked up at his teammates and said, " we go from here". ...2 championships later, the whole world knew never to underestimate the heart of a champion...

yes, touching story, blah blah blah. what does that have to do with these rockets? not much, but give a die hard rockets fan a little hope.. hope needs food though, you still need something. a little something to hold on to..tmac said he tried. i believe him. i also believe he'll try harder next year.. yao said, "There is no short cut. The only way to go through this is if you get the next chance, don't let it pass."....that's something. i'll take that.

you can't achieve anything meaningful in life without adversity. this is some tough adversity as far as basketball is concerned...if the rockets are destined to be champions, then they will have to overcome this. -- D.H.

The Playoff Hustle: To Duke, I Call Bullshit!

In our, what now appears to be ongoing, debate on how to appropriately watch the big game, Duke responded to my criticism of his actions during a Game 4 Houston loss in Utah through his Duke Hogwild's Rd 1 Observations on the I Love (Luther) Head blog. He sums it up as something to the effect of: when your team is playing bad, sometimes you need to distract yourself for them to win. Then he proceeded to call me out for going to play with my girlfriend that ate into the first 3 quarters of the Rockets Game 6 at home. Very classy. You see, I'm a man of principle. My girlfriend and I made those plans before Game 6 was ever scheduled. I wasn't going to back out on them, and I never said otherwise.

The truth is, the first post I wrote was just a set up for this bomb right here. I didn't want to have to do it, but Duke couldn't let it drop. Bullshit. I call bullshit. You made that up, dude. You left to go play pool at halftime of that game, when the Rockets were only down 5. Yea, they were really terrible being down a whole 5 points. And even if, for some odd reason, that was what you were thinking, what matters is that you broke our flow of viewership. Whatever you had going on consciously or subconsciously, you didn't bother to tell us about it, so the flow was broken.

And really, what it comes down to is the Rockets lost that game, that's it. The game which I arrived late, the Rockets won. That's all that matters. But on principle alone, I didn't break the flow by showing up, creating flow, then leaving, disrupting flow and returning. I don't know why Duke went to play pool that night at halftime, but it cost us Game 5. We could be preparing for Golden State right now. My actions have had no such negative implications. In fact, the Rockets made a run right when I showed up to Game 6, so one could only surmise that I only boosted the flow in that win. Game. Set. Match.

Duke will only live this down when Houston wins the series.

The Playoff Hustle: And Everyone Rejoiced... Except Utah

Finally, some playoff-calliber fire from Houston. It wasn't pretty, and the Rockets looked outplayed at times, even outsmarted, but not outdone. In the playoffs, a W really is a W no matter how you Ginzu that shit.

All this with Yao struggling from the field this series. Yao Central has more on that. But finally, Houston, we have a bench. Luther Head finally did something this series--hitting two big shots in the 4th. I Love Head Fan Club shows him some love. And Chuck Hayes, our favorite unlucky so-and-so, drew the charge late in 4th that pretty much sealed the deal.

The fire T-Mac showed in Games 1 & 2 finally returned for Game 5. As well as the "ugly face," lesser known as the "something smells face," but brought to fame by Lebron James in last year's playoffs. Hopefully, it's there to stay.

We're all gonna watch the Golden State Warriors in Dallas tonight. If not for the Warriors' offensive spectacle that obliterates all that is good and fair in the eyes of basketball purists worldwide, then for our sheer hatred for Dallas itself. It can't be exaggerated how much we are enjoying this.

The Playoff Hustle: Happy Trails... 2nd Best Center in the League (Arguably)

I know I'm not the only one who picked Chicago to win. I had the not-so-Baby Bulls in six. But after Game 3, I knew they were sweeping the Heat, which was no small feat given the 50-some-odd seasons of veteran pride sitting on that bench. So... I guess this means Shaq's coming back next mid-season?

We are also happy that Los Angeles is down 3-1. Happy because our friend Justin is sad.

Rockets-Jazz series is tied 2-2. We're not talking about this. Except that Duke spent the 2nd half of Game 4 winning five bucks at the pool table at Barfly. Somewhere the integral need for complete focus on the game was forgotten. My concentration was certainly shaken if for but shock itself that even the most die-hard of fans--which Duke once was--has no commitment to the Rockets winning this series.

The Playoff Hustle: Making Grown Men Cry Since 1994...

Well, after all that business with Andrei Kirilenko crying on the bench over PT--and Charles Barkley having to get cut off to commercial break as TNT producers anticipated a violent eruption upon hearing his about it and still twitching after coming back from commercial break--Utah coach, Jerry Sloan gave him another chance in Game 2. I don't think we'll be seeing much of AK-47 in this series anymore... and shhh, that's the way we want it. Jazz blogs, Retire Sloan and Harpring Sucks channelling Retire Sloan (blogs we actually like in that they hate exactly these elements of Jazz-ness even more than we do), blame Sloan. Big up to Henry at True Hoop for the link.

Don't know why the Jazz let Williams play after Shane Battier Brian Dawkins'd his ass last night. Kid's gotta have a concussion. Rockets up 2-0. Next game in Utah, Thursday (4/26) 9:00pm EST. No fucking around, T-Mac.

Rockets Playoff Musings by Train

For the past couple of days I've been waking up at 6:30 in the morning. Thats about three hours earlier than when I need to wake up. No alarm. No loud banging from upstairs. No smell of fresh dog shit blowing in through the window. Just waking up...and feeling refreshed. I drink my morning coffee and Head to work. I've been taking the longer walk to the B train cause the weather is just so damn nice. The birds seem to be singing their wonderful song just for me. People that pass me by smile and say good morning and I politely nod my head and flash that sexy smile of mine right back at 'em. I feel like I'm in love and yet I don't have a girlfriend and I haven't had sex....for quite some time (we'll leave it at that). Something is definitely in the air and I can't quite put my finger on it....oh wait, thats it. Rockets are up 2-0. I just wiped a single tear off my face. We're Heading to Utah. -- Train

The Playoff Hustle: Return of the Mac

After a rough 0-6 start from the field, we never lost faith. After 1 point in the first-half we didn't lose faith... and we were rewarded. T-Mac played as big in the second half as he looks randomly holding that mini-ball. Huge. And Yao was solid, tipping the free throw line 12-14. But we think that's what Yao's gonna pull night in vs. Utah.

The difference will be T-Mac... as I stated in The Basketball Jones Playoff Preview podcast... if you happened to catch it. Duke called the line. More antics from Game 1... like the Jazz "defense" on Yao.

In a not so stunning upset--Duke actually picked New Jersey in this series--the Nets beat the Raps in Game 1 of their series... and not because of Vince Carter. Which should offer some consolation to Raptors fans. Of all the first round series' this one has the biggest potential for upset (sorry, Basketball Jones).

I for one believe, however, that Bosh will have to prove he's a big game hunter--is that right?--and carry the Raps to the next round. This is his chance. They need Bosh like lil' Carole Anne needs Tangina Barrons if they're gonna vanquish the ghoul of Vince Carter. Make this house clean! -- R.H.

Detroit beat Orlando... who cares? Chicago beat Miami... head slap!

Duke's Line of the Night

Rockets will win by at least 7.

Rockets in the Head: We're No. 2! Rockets No. 4!

After just missing the Final Four last year, the Houston Rockets Power Dancers have dropped Seattle and Denver consecutively to reach the NBA Dance Team Bracket Finals where they will face the Auerbach Celtics of dance teams... the mighty Miami Heat Dancers.

We would've had coverage of this sooner but we felt like we jinxed the RPD last year with our *ahem* in-depth coverage and subsequent Battle of the Tokens. The Power Dancers tried classy while the Seattle Sonic Boom Boom went and ho'd it out. Seattle won. But the Rockets saw their mistake and like many a tart pop star, went ho for themselves this year. Result.

So, here they are... on the brink of a fantastic moral victory... as the RPD has gone back to classy 'cause even they seem to know this Final is little more than a formality. Nobody can out-ho Miami. But ho, er, hey, you can vote anyway.

Yes, we are hoping our rampant use of the word "ho" will get us a piece of this Imus media circus.

Former Rockets coach, Rudy Tomjanovich, used to say "never underestimate the heart of a champion" during Houston's back-to-back title run in the mid-90s. We say never underestimate how bad your rivals can choke on their own. That's right... quote it. Houston is somehow the 4th seed.

After dropping three straight to Utah, Golden State and Portland last week, the Utah Jazz couldn't pull away going only 1-4 during that stretch. A loss last night to the Warriors and two-straight Ws by the Rockets since then has Houston a half-game up. For now.

Rockets in the Head: Countdown to 35 (cont'd)

Yea... it was a little anti-climactic. Oh well. Playoffs then...

Rockets in the Head: Countdown to 35 (cont'd)

Eat it, Shaq. One. More. Game. Until. Rockets. Top. Last. Season's. Win. Total. Chron.com's J. Feigen observes some great in-game tidbits that only a courtside reporter, or bastard with courtisde seats--could see... and he's got a little trade talk, too. No self-respecting paper could get on without some.

As for Wade, I feel you, man... I had that same injury in '03 and it effectively retired me from competitive basketball. I didn't get a wheelchair, but then, my arm's never fully recovered either. But hey, take comfort in knowing that I am not you.

Rockets in the Head: Countdown to 35 (cont'd)

The countdown (up) continues. One more and the Rox top last season's total W's. If the Knicks can do it...