Apollo 13

I got a call coming out of my 11:00-12:15 class earlier today from my homeboy Frank, a diehard Mavs fan.

"You alright, dog." "Yeah, I'm good," I replied, a little confused. "Oh, you haven't heard the news yet," he said, I guess trying to hold back a short laugh. "I have some bad news for you."

Then, the world became a sad place again.

"Yao is out for the season."

"Seriously."

"I wouldn't lie to you about this, Trey."

"Seriously."

All through this magical 12-game winning streak, I've been praying for the Rockets to get more attention. I mean, after they won game no. 12, the game's highlight didn't come on until the middle of the show. I understand the Lakers are riding an eight-game win streak with the game's best player on a MVP campaign Barack Obama would envy and a new big man averaging 22 ppg in his first 10 runs with the Lake Show, but damn.

Well, attention we have, and this type of pub will undoubtedly cost us The Streak, playoff position, and will make sure we don't advance out of the first round for the 11th straight year.

The funny thing is, after Sunday's game against Chicago, I told my girlfriend how happy I was with the Rockets (which was rare for me) and how optimistic I was about their playoff chances. I mean damn, with another 3 consecutive wins and some losses by other teams, we could have been number one in the West. It's just that tight.

But hey, these are my Rockets. They're cursed. Not Clipper cursed, but cursed. Or unlucky. The Knicks are cursed (though it is to their own doing).

So what do I do now, root for a late playoff push, just so we can get bounced out by the Lakers in the first round? Root for the Rockets to tank the rest of the season (since we can't be taken seriously against any team in the top 8) and go for a late lottery pick?

I know what I'll do, I'll just be (no Common). No feelings. I'll be Tim Riggins, drinking beer all day in a lifeless state. 3-game win streak, whatever. 10-game losing streak, who cares?

First the Patriots, now the Rockets. My heart is broken. Our hearts are broken.

And everybody won't shut up about it.

Streets Are On Fire

So the annual trade deadline for the previously-known-as No Balls Association has passed, just like the appropriation of that title.

Although it failed to live up to the excitement of past years, where big names like Baron Davis and Ray Allen were exchanged in the 11th hour, this year's trading fiasco (no Lupe) was definitely interesting.

Let's look at each deal (at least the important ones; nobody cares about Von Wafer for Taurean Green) and see how each team fared (especially my Rockets, who kept busy today.

Cleveland gets Ben Wallace and Joe Smith from Chicago and Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West from Seattle; Chicago gets Drew Gooden, Larry Hughes, Shannon Brown and Cedric Simmons from Cleveland; Seattle gets Donyell Marshall and Ira Newble from Cleveland and Adrian Griffin from Chicago.

Cavs - It looks like Danny Ferry came out on top in this deal, at least on the court. They got two big rebounders to make up for Gooden's inconsistent production in Medium Ben and Smith, who provides the low-post offense Wallace and Andy Vareajo are utterly incapable of. The only sucky part is that they take on Ben's horrible contract, which still has 3 years left on it.

The Cavs also receive a proven playoff shooter/scorer in Wally, who should play well off LeBron, and a young guard in Delonte West. Plus the added bonus that Wally's $12 million deal expires next summer.

Bulls - The Bulls get a relatively young forward in Gooden while getting rid of Wallace's horrendous contract, which opens up playing time for young guns Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas. The only problem? They take back Larry Hughes' slightly less horrible contract. Hughes could assume the scoring load for this Bulls team which has lacked a go-to scorer since....well you know who (if you don't count Elton Brand and Jalen Rose's brief hoorahs in the Windy City). Shannon Brown may or not be a player in the future and Simmons is...just...cap fodder.

Sonics - This was all just a salary dump for the Sonics. Nuff said.

Houston gets Bobby Jackson and Adam Huluska from the Hornets and a second round pick and the draft rights to Sergei Lishouk from the Grizzlies; New Orleans gets Bonzi Wells and Mike James from the Rockets; Memphis gets the draft rights to Malick Badiane from the Rockets and the draft rights to Marcus Vinicius from the Hornets.

Rockets - I've grown to like this deal. The Rockets get an established veteran point guard in Jackson, who has been playing well as of late for the division-rival Hornets. Of course, like every other Houstonian, I hate losing Bonzi to said division rivals. James, not so much. I thought this deal was a pre-cursor to a big deal later on in the day (like Battier and Snyder for Artest, but Snyder ending going elsewhere. More on that later.) This deal works for us because Jackson's deal expires next summer, giving us a big trade chip this summer or next season. Plus we don't have to pay Mike "Who" James $12 mil over the next two.

Hornets - New Orleans comes out of this deal looking real nice (except for the paying James $12 mil thing). Coach Byron Scott wanted to shore up his bench, and shore up his bench he did. Bonzi is a big guard with tremendous low-post scoring ability and maybe James can get off the bench in the Big Easy. N.O. is already number one in the West, and this trade gives them a better chance to stay in the home-court advantage range. If the home-court even works for them.

Memphis - See Seattle. Or Gasol trade.

Houston trades Kirk Snyder to Minnesota for Gerald Green.

Welcome home, young fella. We get hometown product Green, a former 18th pick overall, for basically nothing (sorry, Kirk). This gives us an unprecendented young core of Aaron Brooks, Luis Scola, Carl Landry and Gerald Green to go along with the veteran core of Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady (who may not be here if we don't get out of the first round), and Shane Battier (who I would have exchanged for Artest in a heartbeat). Good job, Daryl Morey.

The big news today: Isiah Thomas did not further ruin his cap by trading for the corpses formerly known as Vince Carter or Jermaine O'Neal. So that's pretty good.

And The Rockets' Red Glare

Well well, look who's back into the playoff mix.

Seven in a row and 11 out of 12 (save for that stinker at home against the Jazz without Yao) and my boys are tied with G-State for no. 8 in the West.

Carl Landry for President, or at least way more minutes. The rookie has been the running, dunking power forward we've sorely needed since forever.

Now the hard part is to wait for some other Western Conference team to drop out of the top 8, and that other team would most likely be a very good squad like Golden State or Denver. But we will have a better vision of who that will be (if there will be such a team) after the All-Star break.

Grand Opening, Grand Closing

The Franchise has officially gone under.

It was announced that Steve Francis is likely out for the rest of the season with a torn quad.

So much for the big reunion. Steve has only played in 10 games this season, started three, and had an impact in only one (the big early season W in Phoenix).

After a summer of fantasizing about whether Francis would be the piece we needed to rejoin the elite, we now can wonder if he'll even be back in a Rockets uniform in 2008-09.

Aaron Brooks Is Alive

Damn it's been a long time since I've posted here. The last time I did post, I declared that Tracy McGrady should be on the first flight outta Space City.

I've lightened my stance on McGrady getting traded a little bit - not because he's shown the potential superduperstardom that his talent should warrant, but because I've realized that no team with the star player we need would take T-Back and his massive salary.

Anyway, Tracy came back to action last night in Chicago, only to be upstaged by the Rockets suddenly awaken bench. Bonzi had 20, Scola chipped in with 14, Lu Head put up an impressive 13 in his Chi-town homecoming.

But the biggest (or smallest) difference came from greatly needed rook Aaron Brooks. He only scored four points, but he dished out six assists, and in the fashion the Rockets have been trying to implicate since training camp. Aaron pushed the ball with relent every time he touched it, forcing his veteran teammates into his tempo. And it's about time.

The emmergence of Brooks and Head the last two games seems as if it will spell the end for offseason vet pickups Mike "Who" James and Steve Francis, which would break my heart in another lifetime (like, if I was 14).

We're looking forward to more minutes for Brooks, who will turn out to be the real reason Rafer Alston should have been watching his back this summer.

Get McGrady Out of Here

No one has made more excuses for Tracy McGrady over the years than me. When he was traded to Houston in 2004, everyone here was elated. We had our superduperstar.

Sure, everyone loved Steve Francis, but was he going to lead us to a championship? No. Was he even going to average 20 ppg again under Jeff Van Gundy? Hell no.

McGrady was the guy we had been begging for, the star that was going to galvanize the team and take it back to that elite status we had been struggling to re-attain.

In the first round of the 2005 playoffs, it was confirmed that T-Mac was that dude, and all he needed was a change of scenery to Clutch City to prove it. The Rockets took the first two games of the series in Dallas and seemed poised to sweep the Mavs. Of course, Houston lost four of the next five games and got blew out by 40 in Game Seven in D-Town as it seemed McGrady had checked out of the series after Game Three, just as he had done two years before after his Orlando Magic got up on the Detroit Pistons, 3-1.

What did we say after another Rockets flameout? He needed better role players, Yao needed to step up, Coach Van Gundy needed to open up the offense. All these things were true, but they weren't the only things wrong.

The same things were said after last season's choke job against the Jazz, who the Rockets had up, you guessed it, 2-0 before getting ransacked in Utah in games 3 and 4. We need a point guard, a better power forward, higher scoring.

We forgot something again; the Houston Rockets need a leader, and you sir, Mr. McGrady, are no leader.

I had always thought in the back of my mind (and in conversations with friends) that Mac was not and never going to be the dominant player in pressure moments to lift the Rockets, or any team he plays for, to the next level. He's not aggressive enough, not tough enough, and as Monday's game (and his tenure in Orlando) proved, when the going gets tough, Tracy McGrady usually quits. Or he "sprains an ankle" and heads to the locker room.

And he has always done these things. In game seven against the Mavs, he quit so fast after it seemed things weren't going his way, and his teammates followed suit. In game seven against the Jazz, he absolutely refused to drive to the basket in the final two minutes, deferring to his less talented teammates who weren't equipped to do anything except take long contested jump shots. When Philly was driving us into the ground on Monday, he became Michael Redd.

We have no leader, whatsoever. So what do we do? Go get one. Daryl Morey, call up Jerry Buss, get us a real man. But with #23 and #24 retired, what number will Kobe wear in Houston?

The Return of the Gangsta

9 points and 7 assists isn't anything to scare the Spurs about.

9 points and seven dimes is something to excite young Trey about, because Steve Francis is not only entrenched in his rightful place in the middle of the Rockets rotation, but he looks to be getting his game (and conditioning) back to where he could really be the backcourt catalyst we in Houston have been begging for since, well, Steve Francis left in 2004.

He sure was one of, if not the, catalysts in the win over Phoenix last night in the desert. He exerted great man to man defense on Leahandro Barbosa and made some plays from the weakside to stop inside Suns' baskets.

Most importantly, he hit the shot to put us up by four with under 30 seconds left in the game. And it wasn't so much the fact that he hit the shot, but with T-Mac settling into his usual late-game jump-shooting display and nobody else on the team capable of creating their own shot, Francis stepped and did what he does best: drive into the teeth of the defense like it was his own home.

Basically, Stevie Francis doesn't give a fuck. Never did. Still doesn't.

And that's what we needed the most. Not just a point guard, but an aggressive point guard that's not scared to make mistakes and not only match up with the league's elite pgs, but carry the ego that he is indeed among the league's elite. And when it comes to egos, Francis is definitely a first-teamer.

Steve Francis Is Alive

No, it is not true that my recent hiatus from blogging was due to the recent slide by my Houston Rockets, who went from first in the West to ninth place in the span of a short week. Well, not all the way true at least.

The good news that may turn out to be great news: The minor injuries to Tracy McGrady and Bonzi Wells finally forced Rick Adelman to let go of his stubborn decision to DNP Steve Francis for 82 games.

Francis played 23 minutes against Phoenix and looked good despite a lot of rust. He got 20 minutes in a blowout W against the Denver Nuggets, who were obviously ready to get out of the building to get ready for the many parties they were scheduled to be hosting/attending. Steve scored 10 points and got 3 assists, but his impact on the game was a lot stronger than the numbers indicated.

Francis' mini-resurgence couldn't come at a better time for the Rockets. The point guard tandem of Rafer Alston/Mike James has been less than solid (read: they've sucked) and the two have proven that they're both suited for limited roles off the bench on good teams, especially Rafer, who should never start for a team with serious championship aspirations. Daryl Morey is going to have to make a decision on one of the two, especially with Steve rounding into shape and rookie Aaron Brooks destined to steal minutes by April. (If you want my opinion, which you're here for, I'd get rid of Skip. I mean James. Skip. James. F it, flip a coin. Seriously, get rid of James.)

And if Steve can grab the starting spot he was brought in for, count it as a major upgrade to the position we've been behind in all season.

Heart-Attack Houston

Was all that really necessary?

As my boy Blaze and I always say, the Rockets can't just blow a team out in peace. They were up 14 with two minutes left and almost blew it. Typical Rox.

If we want to be a championship squad, which we should be, we have to learn how to finish off games, especially road games against teams (like the Lakers) that won't even sniff the postseason. That's the reason T-Mac was crying after Game 7 last season.

With that said, great game and I'm glad we won. 1-0, 81 more victims. You're next, Jazzies.

Thank God For The Preseason

The NBA is back! Thankfully, this means I won't have to search the inner chambers of my brain (and the internet) for ideas for these daily posts, mostly because most of them are bullshit (team captains?).

Anyhoo, the Rockets tipped off their preseason schedule last night against the Hornets in Oklahoma City. The Hornets won 94-92, continuing their recent domination of the Rockets, though our first team completely dismantled their first squad in the first half. A few notes from the game:

- The Rockets outscored the Hornets 30-9 in the first quarter, which should be the best evaluation of how good the team is.

- The Rockets starting lineup: Yao, T-Mac, Battier, Chuck Hayes (?) and Rafer. Don't expect that to stay the same over the next few weeks.

- Yao ran well in the first half and kept up with the quicker pace of Adelman's new offense. He had 13 points in the half and looked good in the offense. He hit one long jumper just inside the 3-point line that, if he hits consistently, will make him 5.7 times more dangerous.

- There was a lot of fast-breaking last night, which makes Trey go happy.

- Bonzi Wells, welcome back to the NBA. We missed you.

- I know it was just the first game, but Luther Head and Kirk Snyder were trying their best to play themselves out of the rotation. Head struggled getting the ball up the court sometimes and looked worthless in the half-court.

- Steve Francis caught one tip dunk off the rim on Hilton Armstrong that was just nasty. It was waved off because he had his other arm on Armstrong's back. Shame.

- Don't expect Luis Scola to be the savior just yet. He looked good in the offense, showed some presence on the boards, but was struggling with the change from international rules to NBA rules. He got called on at least three moving screens.

- I hate to admit it, but Rafer is still the best pure point guard on the roster. He looked improved last night. He knocked down some 3s and made some nice passes (including a one-handed fast break assist off the dribble to Mike Harris in traffic).

- No sign of Aaron Brooks last night. I'm disappointed. Mike Harris got some nice burn, though. He knocked down a few mid-range jumpers and ran the floor well. Still don't see a roster spot for him.

- Mike James and Francis give us that "we don't give a fuck" attitude we need to overtake the elite Western Conference teams in our way. Say what you want about Steve, but during his first stint in Houston, the Rockets never backed down from anybody.

- Chris Paul is almost unstoppable. He had one in-and-out crossover that turned Scola completely around. CP3 definitely makes the All-Star Game this year, especially since it's in Lilweezyana.

An Enigma Wrapped In a Mystery

There's a story in today's Houston Chronicle about how Bonzi Wells is so happy to be playing with the Rockets under Rick Adelman and other blah blah shit.

Of course, I, like everybody else in Houston, waited patiently for these predictable comments ever since he announced that he would be coming back to the team. Of course, that was after Adelman was in and Jeff Van Gundy was out.

Do I believe Bonzi's newfound exuberance to be a Rocket? I'm not sure. I still haven't fully forgiven him for inexplicably quitting on the team last year just before the playoffs when we needed him the most, though who can blame an offensively talented player for not wanting to play for Coach Fester?

Regardless, the fact remains that Wells remains one of the keys to the Rockets' elevating to elite status this season, though not as much as last year when there was a shortage of impact playmakers outside of McGrady and Yao. This year, there's Scola, Francis, Mike James, and Aaron Brooks to help lighten the two superstars' load.

And you can add Bonzi's name to that list. He only played 28 uninspired games last season (and 21 minutes per), averaged 7.8 points, and was not the Bonzi Wells we were hoping to get when he signed. He was slow, out of shape, whiny, and was a far cry from the 2006 Bonzi who played in 52 games under Adelman (32 minutes per), averaged 13.6 points per game, and gave the Spurs fits in the Kings/Spurs first round series.

Hopefully, Adelman can turn back the clock on Bonzi's rollercoaster career. First, he's gotta get him healthy. He's been sitting out much of training camp with the same groin injury that sidelined him for so much time during last season's preseason.

If he keeps up this shit throughout the season, I'm gonna have to put him over teammate Skip to Another Team on my Rockets Shit List.

Who Ya Got? Steve Francis vs. Mike James

Before you start laughing, know that this is only a comparison in the sense of the Rockets' starting point guard position, not who's better overall.

The team's guards have already talked about the glut at the position, with the starting spot widely seen as Francis' to lose. Of course, I second that opinion.

But I'm trying to be fair here. Francis has the most ballyhooed history in Houston, being a three-time All-Star and easily the most exciting player in franchise history. James, however, has the most recent history with the team, starting for the Rockets 2005 playoff team.

If we're going by overall talent, as you all know, Francis takes that by a landslide. But, in an offense predicated on half-court movement, superior talent isn't as important as in most systems. Let's compare the two NBADraft.net-style:

Mike James -- A 6'2, strong-built combo guard...undrafted out of Duquesne University.

Strengths: Played six seasons in the league and has averaged 11 ppg and 4 apg....He averaged 12.4 points and 2.9 assists in 27 games with the Rockets in 2004-05...Career 38% 3-point shooter...15.5 PER...43% shooter from the field...tough player, which is needed on a Rockets team that has been perceived as too nice over the past few years...solid perimeter defender...he's been shipped around the league a lot, so he's humble...gets along well with his teammates, good chemistry guy...played for a championship Detroit team in '04.

Weaknesses: Nowhere close to being a pass-first point guard or even a facillitator of the offense...struggles handling the ball against intense pressure at times...tends to get out of the offense much to take low-percentage shots...struggled playing with Kevin Garnett last season, which is unjustifiable...there has to be a reason why he's played for 8 teams in 6 seasons.

Steve Francis -- 6'3, 200 pound bundle of amazing athleticism, even after a couple knee injuries. Drafted 2nd overall by the Grizzlies out of Maryland in '99, traded to Rockets in August '99.

Strengths: More of a scoring point guard than combo guard or undersized 2...only played off the ball in Orlando and New York, two teams who, to put it nicely, weren't good at all (sorry, Don)...one of the most athletic point guards ever...single-handedly saved my freshman year in high school, which coincided with his rookie year in Houston (okay, I could have left that out)...always been a good mid-range shooter...has averaged 18.4 points and 6.4 assists in 8 seasons...averaged 19.4 points and 6.3 assists in five seasons in Houston...helped continue the trend among great guards wearing the #3 (which was started by Allen Iverson and, to a lesser extent, Stephon Marbury)...averaged only 16.6 points and 6.2 assists in his only season playing for Jeff Van Gundy, then followed that up with 21.3 points and 7 assists in his first season in Orlando...an underrated passer in his first stint in Houston, should be a great distributor with all the new talent this year...very strong, won't be overmatched physically by big guards like Deron Williams like Rafer Alston last season...good defender...always hit big shots in the clutch...can post smaller guards...older, so he's more of a leader than when he was younger...great player, cheap contract...3-time All-Star, one-time starter...Houston legend...has lost a little bit of a step, but still gets to the rim whenever he wants.

Weaknesses: Has always been known as kinda moody and selfish...pissed off Rockets fans with his selfish acts his last season in Houston...had a big tendency to play out of control...never a great 3-point shooter, career 34% shooter...only played in 68 games combined the last two seasons in New York due to knee injuries...averaged a career-low 10.8 ppg in '07...has only played in one playoff series (2004 with the Rockets, losing in five games to the Lakers)...didn't gel well with Yao Ming in their two years playing with each other...needs to be more of a complete point guard than big-time scorer, which is a concern as to whether he can do that right away...also a concern about whether he will be able to deal with the multiple point guards on the roster...had a tendency to over-dribble and go one-on-one, though that was pretty much the offense during the Rudy Tomjanovich Era post-Hakeem...doesn't play that well off the ball, which he might have to do sometimes with all the guards on the roster...has never played with a big-time scorer the likes of Tracy McGrady, better yet two big scorers...I wonder how he'll handle going from franchise player 3 years ago to 3rd or 4th option in '07.

With all this said, the obvious choice is Stevie at the point on October 30 in L.A. He's the better player and the better point guard. But, watch out, Steve, Aaron Brooks is still the future.

I Know You Like My Style

It's October, in the midst of the beginning of the first training camp under a new coach, so, as is always the case, players are expressing their love of the coach's new style of play and throwing politically correct shots at the previous regime.

The Rockets have already started continuing this trend, greasing up to new coach Rick Adeldam, the free-flowing, former leader of high-scoring offenses, while dispelling the previous system set by former coach Jeff Van Gundy, the posterboy of grind-it-out, defense first and second, and consistent scoring in the 80s.

For the record, count me in as another supporter of Adelman over JVG. That's mostly because of Adelman's fluid offense and up-and-down style fits perfectly with the roster Daryl Morey has built this offseason. Van Gundy's head would have exploded if he had to coach a team with 7 point guards, 3 of which used to scoring big numbers, and 1 of which is Steve Francis.

The world knows the story between Stevie and Van Gundy. There was the constant bickering, the Super Bowl fiasco in 2004, and the simple fact that Francis had his worst season as a Rocket under Jeff, and you can see how him coming back to Houston would have limited the types of players we could have added this past summer.

Instead, Steve will thrive under Adelman, who will most likely have the point guard facilitate the offense instead of Tracy McGrady, who was the prime distributor under Van Gundy. Mac led the team in assists last year, mostly because we had an inconsistent starting point guard that simply wasn't ready to lead a great team. But he's gone now....oops, sorry Rafer. Anywoo..

Career-wise, Adelman trumps Van Gundy, but only slightly. Rick took the Trail Blazers to the NBA Finals in '90 and '92, losing to the Pistons and Bulls, respectively. Jeff took the Knicks to the Finals after Patrick Ewing got hurt in the '99 lockout season that absolutely never happened.

Adelman, however, led another team to the brink of the promised land. The 2002 Kings were one win away from going on to sweep the Nets in the Finals, but faltered late in Game 7 against the Lakers. Van Gundy hasn't gotten past the second round since that mystical Finals run.

So, yeah, the Rockets players are saying the mandatory "I love his style of play" jibberish that dudes always say under new head coaches, but at least it isn't for naught. We should see a lot more 100-point games this season and we definitely should see a second-round playoff game at Toyota Center.

Time To Play Fantasy GM

It's the first of the month, people (Wake up, wake up, wake up), which means NBA training camps have officially started.

The Rockets opened up camp today in Austin, with some new news to spread. The team resigned 41-year-old center Dikembe Mutombo to a 1-year deal today and signed second round pick Carl Landry.

Mutombo and Landry make 21 players headed into camp, with 16 of them with guaranteed contracts. Obviously, GM Daryl Morey stole the idea from Bryan Colangelo to invite as many players as possible to camp and make them tryout for spots on the team. (What is this, high school?)

This worries me a little (and I mean a little. There are a plethora of teams that wished they had the number of quality players we do) for a couple of reasons:

1. Lack of chemistry -- Having that many guys on the team may sound good on paper when looking at the many options it offers, but, realistically, you can't ask 21 guys (with that number being cut to 15 before the season starts) to gel in three weeks. Add to the fact that a few players in camp actually have the same exact game (ex: Mike Harris/Carl Landry/Chuck Hayes; Luther Head/Mike James; Aaron Brooks/John Lucas III; Justin Reed/Shane Battier) and the Rockets are guaranteed to have some serious chemistry issues this month.

Lack of excess cash to throw around -- As I already mentioned, we have 16 players with guaranteed contracts and $31 million already tied into T-Mac and Yao this season. The rest of the team, outside of the $5 million owed to Battier, have cheap salaries for the most part, but with so many players on the team, those cheap salaries start to add up.

All this means that it's time for Morey and Rick Adelman to shape up this roster as quickly as possible. And who better to aide in the shape up of the Houston Rockets roster than your resident Rockets fanatic, yours truly.

Let's start with the players who are a lock to make the team:

Yao Ming -- Let's see, he's easily the best center in the league, Houston's franchise player (sorry, Mac. You too, Steve), and would have been a top MVP candidate had it not been for a toe injury that sidelined him for 34 games. If he plays well in camp, there might just be a starting spot waiting for him this season. Of course, he's going to miss a part of camp to attend the Special Olympics. Go figure.

Tracy McGrady -- Hopefully, young Lazy Eye is fully healed (or at least close to it) from that whole chronic back problem thing. I have a lot riding on that back this season. Of course, I don't know if I should be worried or enthused that he's traveling all the way to Africa.

Steve Francis -- Another young (old?) man that could be the reason we're planning a downtown parade or calling for Adelman's head in May. I would be very worried if he doesn't beat out Rafer "Slash To My Lou" Alston, Mike "Who" James, and rookie Aaron Brooks for the starting point guard position. Of course, like everyone else in basketball does when things go wrong, I'll just blame Isiah Thomas.

Shane Battier -- I put Shane after Francis for the simple fact that Battier's game and contract are so league-friendly that he'll always end up in loads of trade rumors, and it's not even his fault. I see him furthering his role as "the token glue guy who is the key to so many wins" this year.

Luis Scola -- If you want to gauge how excited I am to have Scola in a Rockets uniform, know this: I secretly smiled with pleasure as he won the MVP award in the TOA's, even though LeBron and Carmelo got absolutely robbed. (Note: There's no changing my mind on that.)

Aaron Brooks -- As I've previously wrote, I truly believe that Brooks is one of the most important pickups in recent franchise history, if only because he's the rare late first-round pick that can contribute immediately off the bench yet still be primed to carry the torch for the future (think Tony Parker and Sam Cassell before the Rockets pulled off that idiotic 4-for-1 Charles Barkley deal in 1996. I still haven't gotten over that shit). He would have been a slight favorite to start had Francis not come back.

Bonzi Wells -- As is the case with the Bonz, he's one emotional meltdown from being a total non-factor this year....and he could be the catalyst for a championship. Only he knows, which scares me.

Kirk Snyder -- It absolutely baffles me that Snyder isn't a prime member of this team. He's the Glue Guy 1.5 version of Shane Battier. He's athletic as hell, has a fairly consistent shot, gets to the line when he's in the game, can post up smaller guards, drive past slower forwards, and defends. These are rare qualities in the 3rd or 4th guy off the bench. He needs to get a lot more minutes, especially after we get rid of....

Mike James -- Almost forgot about you, Mike. Maybe it's because you stunk it up in Minnesota last season, or maybe it's the fact that you really don't have a defined position. Wait, I know why, it's because you're going to be eating up Aaron Brooks' minutes because you're older. I hate you. Just kidding (kinda). James can defend the perimeter and knock down shots, even if those are his only meaningful assets.

Luther Head -- Lu Head (note: I think that should be his permanent nickname from now on) has been the forgotten man this offseason, even though he helped submarine our chances of beating Utah in that Game 7 (shit, actually the whole series) and got exposed for being an undersized 2 that can't create his own shot or make plays for others and freezes up in big moments (you know, like the '05 title game against North Carolina). But besides that, he's cool. I say shop him around the league and hope for a late first-rounder/second-round pick.

Jackie Butler -- I was extremely elated to see his name get included in that Scola deal. He's a big bruiser, decent rebounder, and he'll act as the enforcer/backup to Yao.

Chuck Hayes -- As Yoda from Star Wars would say, "Back to the bench, you go." Or something like that. Chucky had no business ever starting for the Rockets, just like the Rockets had no business ever expecting anything substantially efficient from him. Another glue guy, though. He reminds me of a nicer Cliff Levingston. You know, the guy they show in the Jordan highlights on the bench saying, "He. Is. Hot. Whooo!"

Steve Novak -- The Spurs have Brent Barry, we have Novak. Sure, he'll never see the light of day in Adelman's system, but we still have him.

Dikembe Mutombo -- Old man river returns again. Why? Beats me. Adelman's style is quick and fast-paced, and Dik is 41. I repeat, Dik is 41. Put it this way: he looked super slow in Jeff Van Gundy's style of play.

Mike Harris/Carl Landry/Justin Reed -- I don't see the need for any one of these dudes, truthfully. They're all undersized 4's with no offensive game whatsoever. Tell you what, just pick one of these three and move on. Neither one has any shot of stepping foot on the court this year. I guess this is the wrong time to mention the Rockets paid $1 million in that Sonics trade to get the pick that they ultimately took Landry with.

And finally....

Rafer Alston -- The only, I repeat, only, reason Skip is still employed in Houston is because he single-handedly killed his own trade value by getting arrested twice in the span of three weeks. Even Mike Tyson is embarrassed. O.J. is shaking his head at you, Skip. If you want to know how I really feel, read and read.

That would give the Rockets a roster that looks like this (at least when the regular season starts):

Starters:
C - Yao Ming
F - Luis Scola
F - Shane Battier
G - Tracy McGrady
G - Steve Francis

Bench
G - Mike James
G - Aaron Brooks
G/F - Bonzi Wells
G/F - Kirk Snyder
F - Chuck Hayes
F - Steve Novak
F - Mike Harris/Carl Landry/Justin Reed
C - Dikembe Mutombo
C - Jackie Butler
G - Luther Head
G - Rafer Alston

After a few trades here and there, the roster top to bottom should be just about right. And if Morey needs a fantasy GM to pull off those trades to, he knows where to find me.

Back To The Future, Gotta Slow Up For The Present, I'm Fast

How does it feel to be Aaron Brooks right now?

When the former Oregon standout was drafted in June, he instantly had a really good chance of starting for the Rockets, who were noticeably thin at the point guard position, at some point during his rookie year.

New GM Daryl Morey had already traded for scoring guard Mike James, who came from the Timberwolves in exchange for Juwan Howard, in May after losing to the Jazz in the first round. Everybody in Houston was relieved at the return of James (who played here during the 2004-05 playoff season), and with the arrival of Brooks, it was clear to all that Rafer Alston, who was widely inconsistent and struggled against any pg that would be rated an 80 or above on NBA Live. We had just gotten rid of David Carr, and Skip was next.

Then, Brooks ran through the NBA Vegas Summer League in July, winning top rookie honors (averaging 21 ppg and 5 apg in the process), and I was two seconds away from putting 26's on the Aaron Brooks bandwagon. After his impressive showing as a member of the U.S. Select Team playing against the U.S. Senior Men's Team, it was crystal clear that this kid was ready for the big time. If everything would have stayed the same, Brooks would be going into his first NBA training camp with a chance of being the starting point guard on a potential championship team.

Then the Rockets traded for Luis Scola (and Jackie Butler), and Aaron became the second most important offseason addition; then the Rox (Houston, when did we start calling the team the Rox? Who authorized this?) signed former franchise Franchise Steve Francis, and Brooks was the third most important acquisition. Then the predictions and expectations started to roll in, and the little rookie was barely even being mentioned. Shame.

No biggee, because, Aaron Brooks is still one of the most vital players the Rockets have added in years. Actually, I think he's the 3rd most important acquisition (with Tracy McGrady and Yao 1 and 2, obviously) Houston has made since we brought back Clyde Drexler in 1995.

Here me out here. The Rockets' history with point guards has been kinda average. Yeah, we had Calvin Murphy and then John Lucas, Sr., but after the Lucas era ended in 1978, our starting guards were Mike Dunleavy (who never led the team in assists) and Allen Leavell (who?). Lucas, Sr. came back in 1984 and helped lead the Rockets back to the Finals in '86, and then he was pretty much out of the league after that.

Then there was Rodney McCray and the non-Spur-like Sleepy Floyd before Kenny Smith came arrived in 1990. Smith, though a solid point and an accurate outside shooter, was never a spectacular guard (his Rocket-high in assists was 7.1 in '91), though it was mostly because he didn't have to. The Rockets were run exclusively through Hakeem Olajuwon and didn't have much space in the offense for creative penetration, as evident by the fact that Vernon Maxwell, a two guard, and Sam Cassell, then a second year role player off the bench, led the Rockets in assists during their two-year run as World Champs.



Then there were the gawd-awful Matt Maloney years, followed by the (thankfully) temporary Cuttino Mobley point guard experiment during the lockout season in 1999. Then, with the trade for rookie Steve Francis in '99, we finally had a dynamic, game-changer at the 1. But, after Steve was traded out (for T-Mac) in '04, we were subjected to the inconsistencies that were James and Alston. Both are serviceable NBA guards; neither is the pure point guard the Rockets need.

Brooks is. He's quick, speedy, can handle and shoot the ball with precision, score in bunches, get into the lane at will, and find the open man consistently. Not to mention he's a pure, pass-first pg and is undoubtedly clutch. I've been watching him since his freshman season at Oregon, where he started all four years, and he's one of those few players that steadily get better every year. I liken him a lot to Tony Parker. Both are super-quick, undersized guards with major scoring ability. Both have the ability to drive past bigger, stronger defenders to get into the paint. Both were drafted at the tail end of the first round by playoff teams, from Texas at that. And, like Parker, Brooks has a chance to make an immediate impact on a very good team. Parker took over the starting point guard position from the aging Terry Porter in the first month of his rookie season in '01-'02, and the Spurs took off from there. He later became a key part of a championship team ('03, '05, and '07) and is poised to be so for years to come.

The same can possibly be said for Brooks. Sure, he's probably not going to get a ton of minutes this year (hey, he'll get more minutes than Greg Oden. Oops.), and he most likely won't start over Francis in '07-'08, but he'll work his way into the rotation. Talented players with heart always seem to. I think he'll show that he's one of the new era guards that will be a force in the league over time (I put him ahead of Mike Conley, Jr., easily).

The future of the Rockets franchise starts in two weeks. Don't say I didn't warn you.

P.S. Spurs and Mavs fans, be scared.

Dear Summer

Dear Summer,

This isn't a hate letter, Summer. After all, we've been together like Nike Airs and crisp T's. It's been an eventful few months, Summer. Not good, not great, but eventful.

You started with one of the worst NBA Finals series in history, with the San Antonio Spurs coming out on top, like they always do. (Summer, do you hate the world when you put the Spurs in your most popular series? They're good and all, but we would rather stand outside all afternoon during one of your blistering, 110 degree days then watch them bore out the planet.)

Then, to further punish me (and the rest of the city of Houston), you endure us with the most rain we've had in 65 years. Now, that was just cruel.

You provided the world (sports and other) with scandals that proved just how crazy this world we live in really is, including one of my favorite athletes effectively ethering his own career for the love of dogfighting, with the added bonus of his so-called friends and co-defendants ethering the rest of him to save their own asses. There was also the referee betting scandal that gave NBA fans even more reason to re-think their loyalties, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, and Nicole Ritchie fucking up, and, to end your time with us off right, some more Brittney Spears fuckery. (More here.)

And, sadly, you ended The Sopranos. Though, with the series finale, you could have done a tad bit better than this.

But, Summer, you weren't all that bad. After all, you do harbor my birthday and all. You gave ignorant baseball writers and fans another reason to totally hate Barry Bonds. You brought the gold back to where it rightfully belongs. And you found time out of your busy schedule to resurrect the hopes and dreams of one of the NBA's greatest franchises.

And despite your obvious hatred for Houston sports, you finally showed some love to my Rockets, and even the Texans. (The Astros, not so much. But never mind them anyway.) You brought back an old friend, and introduced us to a couple new ones. And you finally gave the city of Houston quarterback worth cheering for. Of course, I had already turned my back on the Texans, thanks to what that bitch Spring did last year.

So, Summer, my beloved, since we're getting some time away, I wanted to praise you. Even though you deprive me of my addiction to basketball, you've improved over the years and gave us the Internet and all its lovely gifts. No longer do we have to rely on ESPN Classic and NBATV all day in anticipation for Winter. Your best invention yet, YouTube, is truly a present from God.

And you also give us the great game of football just as you're leaving, and we can't thank you enough. And we all long for you when school arrives in the Fall. NFL Madden's release should double as your Christmas. Hell, you were even the inspiration for one of the greatest Jay-Z songs of all time, which was the inspiration for this post. See how it all spins around.

So, I have to say goodbye to you Summer, while you play out the last few days of your stay. Next time I see you, hopefully we can talk about how the Titans suprised some AFC team in the playoffs, how A-Rod dominated in the World Series, and plans for a championship parade downtown in July. But, until then, I'm done for now, so one for now.

P.S. Please tell Winter and Spring to show the same love to my Rockets.

The Rise And Fall of Skip To My Lou

Damn, Skip stays losing. Blaze already tackled this subject on his blog, On top of the World, but let me delve a little deeper.

Rockets guard Rafer Alston, better known through the playground moniker of "Skip To My Lou", was arrested yesterday in New York for allegedly being involved in the stabbing of some random dude in a nightclub.

This is Rafer's, who is from Queens, NY, second assault arrest in three weeks. Dude got anger issues.

In this latest fuckup..er, arrest, a member of Skip's entourage got into an argument with a 41-year-old man (what are 41-year-old dudes doing in the club, anyway?) and it turned into a brawl. (Side note: when will athletes learn that entourages are only good on HBO?)

What's up with Skip? He's been mild-mannered since he came to Houston in 2005. He hasn't gotten into any big trouble, no arrests. Shit, he didn't even try to pull a Sprewell on Jeff Van Gundy while he was here. He's been a model citizen and teammate. Has Rafer become Snap To My Lou?



I think it's the fact that he's seen his career go from solid starter on a playoff team to possible fourth stringer in the span of four months. After the Rockets were bounced from the first round of the playoffs by the Utah Jazz in early May, new GM Daryl Morey went about an obvious path to dramatically improve the point guard position, Rafer's position. He traded Juwan Howard for Mike James, drafted Aaron Brooks in the first round, and signed former franchise (pun intended) guard Steve Francis in consecutive months. Skip's ego should be in Ja Rule-mode right now.

After his first arrest this month, it pretty much sealed his fate in Houston. He wasn't good enough to match up with the other elite guards in the West, we upgraded the position x3, then he turns around and publicly fucks up -- this dude must think he's Ron-Ron or something. What's up with Queens?



It wasn't always like this, though. When I was in the ninth grade, Skip To My Lou was the main focus of the
classic first And 1 mixtape that swept through hoods everywhere. It showed him balling at Rucker Park in real games, not the manufactured, commercial mess it is now.



That tape pretty much had me. I watched it as soon as I got home from school everyday, before I went to the park. But it was more than the playground stuff for me. I researched him and found out that not only did he start at Fresno State for a while, he was featured on the cover of Slam Magazine and was in the league, playing for the Milwaukee Bucks.



He became somebody to root for. Sure, he was a third-string pg in Milwaukee (behind Sam Cassell and Vinny Del Negro). Sure, he was known as just a playground streetballer whose game would never adapt to the NBA system. We watched and waited, hoping that he would get a chance to be that 16-year-old kid from Queens in that sketchy videotape no one could stop watching. It never came. This was a good thing.

He stayed with the Bucks for a couple more years before playing in the NBA Developmental League. He signed a 10-day contract with the Raptors in 2003 and played well. He solidified his spot in the league when he signed with the Miami Heat in 2003, playing the backup role for a suprising Heat playoff squad. He then hit it big, signing back with Toronto for a guaranteed six years, a long way from being a second-round pick that supposedly wasn't going to make it in the league.

He was traded to Houston for Mike James in 2005 after clashing with head coach Sam Mitchell. We were happy to have him. I was happy to have him. It all came full circle, I thought. The playground legend I loved watching was now balling for my city, my team. We were going to do big things with Skip at the point. *sighs*

Two years, no championship, no second-round, a lot of public spectacles of abuse from opposing point guards, and now two embarrassing arrests. Starting point guards don't do buck 50s across old men's necks, allegedly. (Of course, if he would've slashed a canine's jugular, David Stern would have him thrown out of the league, pronto. Remember kids, you can harm innocent people all you want, just don't hurt any animals. Got it. Ok.)

The larger issue looming is, what kind of value does he have now? Teams obviously know the Rockets are shopping (re: trying to get rid of him at all costs) him, and they all justifiably have the upper hand in any deal Morey tries to do. He's scheduled to make $4.5 million this year. Do we buy him out?

I don't know, we just have to get him out of here. This isn't a Michael Vick-type fall from grace, here. He was never going to lead us anywhere, anyway.

Besides, Skip To My Lou will live in playground basketball fans forever. Rafer Alston is pretty much dead to me.

Rockets Make An Offer To Old Man River

Hoopshype has a blog from Fran Blinebury of the Houston Chronicle saying that Rockets GM Daryl Morey made a one-year contract offer to 41-year-old (50?) free agent center Dikembe Mutombo last week.

My question is "Why?" Even though Morey is teetering on "unquestionable" territory, I still have to inquire about bringing in another player to this team, especially one who's ancient and doesn't fit in with our now more youthful and quick style of play.

Besides, has he looked at our roster since May? We have 18 players under contract (the team still hasn't signed second-round pick Carl Landry yet). We still haven't dealt any one of our six point guards. Also, the recent addition of backup center Jackie Butler (he was included in the Luis Scola deal) should have all but sealed Mutombo's fate in Houston.

Let him walk, Daryl. He's probably going to need a cane anyway.

What You Want Me To Do? I'm Sorry, I'm Back

Yeah, I'm back home. Back in the zone.

Got a lot of posts coming to you this week. There hasn't been a lot (re: any) of NBA news, at least anything relevant, and I'm getting antsy for the college hoops season to jump off so I'm going to run through some college hoops-related stuff.

I'm going to give you my top amateur squads to look out for this upcoming season (UNC, Memphis what's good?), top players to look out for, and top freshman to look out for. Plus, I've been scrambling in my mind (and on the internets) to find out who is the best point guard not in the NBA. Being a former pg myself, this is very important, trust me.

In the meantime, here's a nice little Sport's Illustrated Stevie Franchise article to hold you over. The Rockets, like yours truly, are back bitches!

Skip Celebrates His Impending Departure A Little Too Much

According to the Houston Chronicle, Rafer Alston was arrested early Sunday morning in downtown Houston (typical) for public intoxication and assault. (Come on this is downtown H-town, everybody is publicly drunk)

"We are aware of the situation and are attempting to get more details about the incident," Rockets GM Daryl Morey said. "While we do not have all the facts yet, it is nevertheless very disappointing to have one of our players involved with any police activity. We will continue working with the authorities in order to get to the bottom of the situation."

Translation: If "Skip to my next team" wasn't already on his way out (after the recent point guard additions of Mike James, Aaron Brooks, and Steve Francis), then this latest incident infinitely sealed his impending departing.

Alston's been a forgotten man for the last few months after the Rockets first round loss to the Utah Jazz. He was somewhat abused in most games by second-year guard Deron Williams, and the Rockets need for an upgrade at the 1 was as evident as ever.
Add to his season-long inconsistency and it was clear he was inching close to David Carr status. (And folks, you don't want to enter that territory here in Clutch City)

After the season ended, the Rockets traded aging forward Juwan Howard to the Wolves for Mike James; the thought being that James could spell Skip off the bench and possibly take over the point at the end of games.

Then the team took the speedy Aaron Brooks out of Oregon with the 26th pick in the draft; it became ever more clear that Rafer was no longer the long term answer as Houston's pg.

The final blow came when the franchise welcomed back its former "Franchise" and signed Steve Francis, who, even not 100% is a better guard than Rafer will ever be; it became 3 o'clock-in-mid-July clear that there was no longer any room left for Skip to my Lou. We hardly knew ya.

Lost in translation is the fact that for a considerable number of stretches, Rafer Alston was a solid, competent point guard in a conference (hell, a division) that punishes those who lack such. He was an underrated defender, a B+ passer, and a sometimes reliable open shooter. His biggest problem: he was a point guard playing under Jeff Van Gundy, who absolutely kills pgs. Name one point guard who has thrived under Van Gundy. Charlie Ward? Chris Childs? Mark Jackson? Didn't think so. If Van Gundy was still employed in Houston, Brooks would be in Phoenix and Francis damn sure wouldn't have thought once about returning to the city. Maybe JVG wasn't that much of a problem to Skip.

But Van Gundy supported Rafer and at the same time held him back. He refused to allow him to create his own offense when he had become famous to the whole world for doing just that. He refused to allow him to run the team when at the same time he was being abused by the point guards who had that free reign to abuse. (Ever noticed how the Rockets' defense goes Grizzlies on us when they play New Orleans? Chris Paul absolutely kills Skip and there's nothing we can do about it.) And to add fuel to the fire, Van Gundy left him out to dry. He played him 36 minutes a game when it was clear he wasn't (and never was going to be) accustomed to being out there that long.

So it has come to this. Just two years after he was signed to be the solid pg we needed, Rafer Alston is all but gone from Houston. Let's just hope he ends up somewhere he is allowed to be Skip. Hey, Jason Williams is hurt. Miami needs another erratic, inconsistent, playground pg. Give us Udonis Haslem, Pat. Besides, we need to get rid of one less point guard.

But you may need to lift that ban on South Beach, we hear Rafer likes to celebrate a little harder than others.