Houston Rockes @ Utah Jazz Preview

Unsurprisingly, right as the Rockets manage to rediscover the slightest glimmer of optimism, the NBA hits us with its deadliest weapon: the back-to-back. Known for its innate ability to eliminate any residual confidence from the previous night's games, the back-to-back is the mortal enemy of the sanguine. And, to make matters worse, this second game is in Utah, against a hated rival in a forsaken state. Okay, so that last prepositional phrase was a little overboard, my apologies to the good people of Utah. In any case, to get back to the point, the Jazz really, really suck. Winning tonight is going to be tough, but luckily for us, tough is the perfect adjective to describe the Rockets.

-The Jazz also played yesterday, which is important because, well, we did. They lost to the Kings, so not only will they be tired, they'll also be (slightly) demoralized. If we can come out early and attack there's a strong chance we'll be able to build a stable lead like the one we had against the Spurs, which came in extremely handy later in the game.

-Just as an aside, the Jazz game on February 16th was Carl's last game as a Rocket. And if you think this was just an excuse to mention Carl Landry again, you're damn right. 

-I watch the games we play in. We're playing the Jazz. The Jazz have Andrei Kirilenko. Through transitive property, this means that I will be forced to watch Andrei Kirilenko. This makes me unhappy.


-The Jazz have one of the worst opponent's free throw rates in the league, which plays right into Kevin Martin's wily, crafty hands. As we saw yesterday, Kevin Martin can make a living at the free throw line, and going against the foul-happy Jazz is an absolute blessing for Martin. If Martin can get the Jazz into the penalty early, look for a contest akin to last night, in which the Rockets won the game at the free throw line. 

-The Jazz also have one of the worst turnover rates in the NBA, which means there will be plenty of opportunities for the Rockets to push the ball and score easy baskets. The Jazz are in the top third in the league in terms of defensive efficiency and every point in transition is a point we don't have to work at, so the more the better.


-Unfortunately for the Rockets, the Jazz take the third most shots directly at the basket in the NBA, which could prove problematic for us since we lack a true shot-blocker down low. We're going to need either Jeffries, Armstrong or Hill to step up and protect the paint to prevent the game from becoming a layup line for the Jazz. 


-We're going to have to deal with the incessant flopping routine that is the Utah Jazz, as Kirilenko has taken a sort of twisted pride in desecrating the sanctity of basketball by falling indiscriminately, regardless of whether or not he was actually touched. Just another reason to hate him. 

-The power forward battle will be critical tonight, as Boozer and Scola are both essential to their respective teams. They both also had spectacular nights yesterday, and the winner of this matchup could go a long way in determining the outcome of the entire game.  

 In case you haven't figured it out, I really, really don't like this man.

Overall tonight should be excellent to watch, as both teams have very little affinity for one another and it shows whenever they get together. Every time we play the Jazz it's chippy, rough and borderline violent, and tonight should be no different. Both teams will be tired after last night, which could lead to harder falls and deader legs, and if you add the inherent dislike these clubs share for one another you have a deadly concoction. Hopefully the momentum from last night's win over the Spurs can carry over to tonight, especially for Kevin Martin. I think we can definitely leave Utah with the victory, but it'll most likely be a hard-fought contest either way. So, with unbounded emphasis tonight, go Rockets. 

Houston Rockets: 29-28, 96.3 possessions per game (7th), 103.4 points scored per 100 possessions (19th), 104.2 points allowed per 100 possessions (15th) 


Utah Jazz: 37-21, 95.5 possessions per game (14th), 106.4 points scored per 100 possessions (8th), 101.9 points allowed per 100 possessions (10th) 

All stats from hoopdata.com

One Up

And we're back. After a short stay as a .500 team, we've now once again moved to above the half-water mark with a win over the Spurs. And what a win that was. The story of the game was, in my opinion, the discrepancy between our starters' production and theirs. While three of the five Spurs who began the game didn't score, we had three starters pour in at least 30 points. So while the absence of our bench tonight might be a little disconcerting (we let the Spurs get too close in the fourth and the starting five had to stay in), we should still appreciate the brilliant performances from Kevin Martin, Aaron Brooks and Luis "The Argentine Machine" Scola. So without further ado, I bring to you, the recap. 

The Good

-We were able to get to the free throw line 38 times to the Spurs' 30, for free throw rates of 48.1 and 35.3, respectively. We also shot nearly 90 percent from the stripe while they only made 73 percent of their attempts, meaning we were +12 at the line. In a game this tight, that's the difference. Not only did Martin get to the line at will, as he is accustomed to, he was also able to get us into the bonus, allowing other Rockets to get free throws for the Spurs'...foul play. Yeah, you see what I did there. 

-Kevin Martin finally had a coming out party of sorts, netting 33 points on 24 shots. His shooting percentage wasn't ideal, but he more than made up for it with a perfect 14-14 night from the free throw line, which, incidentally, Luis Scola matched. That last addition doesn't really mean much, I just wanted to extend the previous sentence. And now the paragraph.

-This may seem like a Cop Out (in theaters now, starring Tracy Morgan and Bruce Willis), but getting the win was definitely a big part of yesterday, as we had been in a bit of a slide of lately and a win over the rival Spurs could do wonders for our confidence. 

The Bad 

-I don't want to pick nits after an uplifting win like yesterday, but the fourth quarter still bothered me, if only slightly. We struggled to create and finish and allowed a potential blowout to become a tight game, and against better (read: not already decomposing) teams, that could be dangerous. 

-We also struggled on the offensive glass, a trait very uncharacteristic of this team. It's not really a worry, as I'm sure we'll right the ship sooner rather than later, but offensive rebounding has been a substantial part of our success this season and we've been out-rebounded on that two games in a row. Yet, since one of those games was against Dwight Howard, I think we get a pass.

The Ugly

-The Spurs in the first half looked slow, out of sorts, aging and, quite frankly, decrepit. I'm not complaining though, as this allowed us to build up a (needed) 18-point lead in the first half. We're in Utah tonight, so remember to tune in to give the good guys some much needed support from back home. And, as always, go Rockets. 

Houston Rockets vs. Orlando Magic Game Preview

I don't know if I've mentioned this before, and I probably have, but damn the NBA. After sticking us with back-to-back back-to-back's in our first four games back from the All-Star Game (forgive the superfluous use of "back"), we get to host an Eastern Conference contender just hitting its stride. And to exacerbate our already exacting travails, we play the Magic after losing nine of our last thirteen games, a stretch in which we've looked dogged and unfocused while displaying an alarming predilection for concession rather than persistence. 

But, if there's one truth we as Rockets fans should have already familiarized ourselves with, it's that one of the most egregious offenses a person can commit is to minimize the fighting spirit and willpower of a proven winner (never underestimate the heart of a champion, bitches). And on that note, let's move on to some previewing. 

Trevor Ariza won't play tonight with a "severe" hip-pointer and is expected to be out for a few more games. Hopefully he gets well soon, because as painful as he can be to watch, it never hurts to have an athletic swingman on your active roster. 

Ariza's absence means that newcomer Kevin Martin will get his first start as a Rocket, so hopefully that will be enough to get him going after his recent mini-slump. For all of our sakes, let's pray that he and Brooks got in some good practice time together. 


For both the Magic and your favorite team named after space-traveling vessels, threes are essential. The Magic take 28 a game and we take 23 of our own, although the Magic do averaged 2.1 more makes than we do. Getting out on shooters will be an essential part of tonight's contest, but you don't need to tell Shane Battier twice to keep his hand in his man's face. Or once, for that matter.


Unlike the Rockets, the Magic's dominant center is actually healthy. It's really unfortunate that Yao won't be around tonight, as he always enjoys taking it to Dwight when they go head-to-head. Hayes is going to have his hands full trying to keep Howard out of the paint, and it's going to take a team effort to prevent a 30-15-7 night from the Magic's all-world center. And frankly, even that might not be enough to stop the man. 


Brooks will need to be aggressive to start the game, as Jameer Nelson's knee still isn't healthy, which means he probably won't have the quickness to keep up with ABZ. On the other end of the floor, Brooks will actually need to, you know, play defense, as Nelson, even in his current state, is still a far more capable point guard than TJ Ford ever will be. And yet Ford scored 19 points in the second half against Brooks. So yeah, that was not good. 

The Magic also have one of the best free throw rates in the league, and although Dwight Howard taking 16 free throws isn't exactly the scariest thought in the world, he gets them into the bonus so when Jameer gets fouled on a silly reach at half-court or Rashard Lewis gets tripped up coming off a screen, they too get to go to the line. And those guys aren't shooting anywhere near 60 percent. Playing active defense without fouling will be key tonight, as the last thing an already-potent offense needs is free points at the line.

Expect a highly-contested, very competitive game tonight. We're struggling but know how to get up for the big games, and the Magic are just very damn good. We don't have the size to battle with them down low, but you can bet your ass we're still going to try. It's going to be tough, but if we minimize our mistakes and catch a few breaks, we can definitely come away with the win.


And as a bit of added motivation, we're only one game above .500, so losing tonight means we're nothing more than an average team. I'd like to avoid that, so, with a little more emphasis than usual, go Rockets. 


Houston Rockets: 28-27, 96.2 possessions per game (8th), 103.6 points scored per 100 possessions (18th), 104 points allowed per 100 possessions (15th)


Orlando Magic: 38-19, 94.5 possessions per game (19th), 106.8 points scored per 100 possessions (7th), 94.5 points allowed per 100 possessions (4th)


All stats courtesy of hoopdata.com

Oh No! Mcgrady Is So Much Better Than Kevin Martin: Houston Rockets vs. Indiana Pacers Game Recap

Sarcasm, my friends. The title is in jest, I'd just like to take a moment to reassure our easily startled co-fans who are suddenly regretting the Mcgrady-Martin trade while addressing a few other issues. For starters, Tracy Mcgrady is not back. In no way shape or form is he back, actually. Yeah, he'll averaged 20 a game for the Knicks to close out 2010. The Knicks are also a shoot-first team with no qualms about winning or losing games, a perfect fit for Mcgrady. On a Rockets team all about the whole being greater than the individual and winning at all costs, Mcgrady would have struggled.

To continue, it's not going to be long (right after he gets his guaranteed money, in fact) that T-Mac goes back to his typical drama. He'll get hurt, complain, the usual. And if not, so what? The man poured his heart into his years with us until last season, he deserves success. I don't think he's going to get it, but that doesn't mean we can't root for him. If he enjoys a career renaissance, we should be happy for him. This is the same player who put us on his shoulders and carried us to a 22-game winning streak. So although it may be validating in some sickening way if Mcgrady's career continued it's downward spiral while Kevin Martin blossomed into an absolute superstar, we can't think like that. Mcgrady did all he could and provided us with fantastic memories, and at the end of the day, we were contenders nearly every year with him. So although it may be painful to see him putting up 25 a night for someone else, we should find a way to embrace his success and, most of all, stay away from comparing Martin to Mcgrady.

Yes, Martin and Mcgrady will forever be linked in our minds as we essentially swapped them, but that's unfair to both players to judge them solely through relative performance. Mcgrady would not have succeeded on this Rockets team, and Martin was not brought in to be a replacement for T-Mac. Martin is a versatile, efficient scorer who, and this is critical, can score without dominating the ball. As brilliant as Mcgrady was, scoring with a low usage rate was never a strength of his. Martin is going to love coming off screens, spotting up and letting his teammates do the work for him, something Mcgrady would never be content with, which is why we need to accept and appreciate Martin for who he is while enjoying Mcgrady's success through entirely separate lenses. And that's enough of my going on for now, here's the game recap. 

The Good 

Someone who's not accustomed to being in this section but surely deserves it, Trevor Ariza. He continued his hot shooting yesterday, going 6-11 from the field, including three makes in five tries from beyond the arc. Oh, and all of this was while playing through an injury. He's 14-22 in his last two games, and that makes me smile.

Brooks and Scola were also stellar today, as they had 26 and 25, respectively. Scola especially looked very comfortable as the primary power forward, and that may or may not have to do with Landry's absence.

There were a few other good aspects to the game, like shooting 12-25 from three, winning the rebounding battle, having 28 assists on 42 made baskets and getting to the line 29 times, but nothing really noteworthy.

The Bad 

The last fifteen minutes of the game were painful to watch for Rockets fans. With about three minutes left in the third, the Rockets were up 88-79 and looked ready to continue onwards to the win. From that point, the Pacers outscored us by 19 to win by the eventual final margin of ten.

Not coincidentally, TJ Ford (yes, that TJ Ford) had 21 points during that stretch, including 15 in the fourth. If you had told me a week ago that TJ Ford would be the reason the Rockets lost the game, I probably would have screamed. Well no, that's not true. But I wouldn't have believed you.

We also could not stop Danny Granger, who poured in points from all over the floor on his way to 36 points. He's been a bit off this year due to injuries, but looked dominant last night.

Trevor Ariza also re-aggravated his hip flexor, and although he returned to the game it's going to be a situation to monitor, as his game relies heavily on exploding into passing lanes and for dunks. He's been playing heavy minutes this season and hopefully Kevin Martin will allow us to rest Trevor a bit more until he gets healthy.

The Ugly

I hate to do this to you Kevin, I really do, but the ugliest part of this game was Martin's 3-16 shooting night. This is certainly an exception rather than the rule, and don't be surprised of Martin hits many of the looks he was missing yesterday as early as tonight.

Overall it was a slightly disappointing game, and I definitely did not see our late-game collapse coming, especially against the Pacers, but we have to bounce back tonight in an important divisional game against the Hornets. And, as always, go Rockets.  

Double Preview: Houston Rockets vs. Indiana Pacers, @ New Orleans Hornets

Another game, another back-to-back, another excusing of half-assing a blog post. In true Bring Back Novak spirit, instead of writing two separate previews I'm fusing the previews for the Pacers and Hornets games. I know, I know, I exemplify the ideals of journalistic integrity. These two games will mark Kevin Martin and Jordan Hill's first as Rockets, as well his Hilton Armstrong's glorious homecoming to New Orleans. So yeah, that'll be fun? I guess? You know what, it's probably for the best if you forget that I mentioned Hilton.

First and foremost, the focus of these two games will be the impact our newcomers have. It's unfair to rationally expect immediate results from anyone except possibly Kevin Martin, but that does nothing to change the fact that a lot of us will have already formed premature opinions of the newest additions to the Rockets team by Monday morning.

Kevin Martin should play the most minutes and have the greatest effect on the game, as he's easily the best player we received and is already somewhat familiar with Adelman's style (though I'd like to point out there that there's really no such thing as "Rick Adelman's Offense," his offensive system from last year to this year alone has drastically changed). But like I mentioned earlier, Martin is adept at moving without the ball and a deadly shooter, so don't be surprised if he looks like he's been spotting up from three and coming off screens for his entire life because, well, he has. 

Jordan Hill will probably be the second player to watch, as he'll most likely be forced to take some of Carl Landry's minutes immediately. Hill is a skilled, athletic player and could potentially be an upgraded version of Landry as he polishes his game. Hopefully spending time with Scola and Yao, two of the most well-developed post players in the league, will speed up his growth.


Too keep things to the point, don't expect much from Armstrong or Jeffries just yet.

I've never done one of these double previews before, but my plan of attack right now is to go over general stuff that will apply to both games before breaking down each game separately. I have an unsettling feeling that this is going to end up needing more work than if I had previewed each game separately, so we'll see how this unfolds.

As always, a component to our success will be how efficiently and quickly we run the offense. Adelman's offense this season has been predicated on reading-and-reacting to the defense, crisp, quick player movement, familiarity between players and rapid decision-making. It'll be interesting to see how well Martin and Hill mesh with the rest of the team after only a few days to learn the playbook, but if they can at least avoid breaking plays and stopping ball-movement we should be in good shape. 


Another key to both games will be Trevor Ariza. Ariza's been hot as of late, at least by his standards, and his 8-11 explosion against the Bucks was truly beautiful to watch. I'm worried about how he's going to react to the Rockets signing a true alpha-dog wing player, as he's been a bit, well, testy, to put it nicely, all season and seems like a player who requires a bit of ego-stroking to stay happy and invested, so hopefully he and Martin don't have issues gelling.


Our bench play is going to be essential these next few games, as many times the only factor stopping the Rockets from those sub-twenty point quarters has been the stellar energy and play of Carl Landry and Kyle Lowry off the bench, and since we'll be missing both these next two days, somebody is going to need to step up off the pine and provide some offense. And, by someone, I mean you, Chase Budinger. This photo has been my background for the past couple of weeks, don't let me down now. 


Finally, this weekend's games very well may turn into three point shootouts, as the Rockets, Pacers and Hornets rank third, fifth and seventh, respectively, in three pointers attempted. Here's hoping Brooks, Ariza, Martin, Battier and company can knock down their triples. 


vs. Indiana Pacers

Before I say anything about the Indiana Pacers as a whole, I feel like this is an appropriate time to point out my inexplicable fondness towards Mike Dunleavy. I love the man, I really do. I loved him when he was on the Warriors, I loved him during his breakout season as a Pacer, I've even loved him through these past one and a half, injury-plagued seasons. Dunleavy is currently locked in a vicious battle with Mike Miller for the position of my third favorite non-Rocket (behind Steve Nash and Josh Smith). So glad that's out of the way.


The Pacers seem like an outdated prototype for the Rockets, as they too are a fast-paced, three-happy, bottom-third offensive team, it's just that we're a lot better at doing what they do. The Pacers are currently second in the league in pace but fourth from last in offensive efficiency, although they're actually a slightly better defensive team than we are, which, frankly, comes as a surprise when you consider that, well, it's the Indiana Freakin' Pacers. 


Chuck Hayes may or may not have his hands full with Roy Hibbert, who's been the paradigm of inconsistency this season. He's had his minutes yanked around by Mr. O'Brien, even losing his starting spot for a stretch to Jeff Foster before the aforementioned suffered a season-ending injury, but if Hibbert can stay out of foul trouble and remain composed through Chuck's relentless ball-hounding and charge-drawing, we could be in for a battle down low. If not, well, don't be surprised if the Pacers get four points and four rebounds in 30 minutes from their starting center. 


Bench play will especially be a key in tonight's game, as the Pacers have been bringing Dunleavy off the bench for most of the season because of his knee troubles, and although Mike has had his fair share of struggles this season, if he gets hot we'll need someone off our bench to counteract his scoring. Again, no pressure, Chase.


If you're into the Four Factors, the Pacers struggle to keep their opponent off the free throw line, and although we have a very similar free throw rate to the Pacers, the addition of Kevin Martin, who averaged ten trips a night to the line last season, should change that. If K-Mart can get to the line the way he usually does it will make things that much easier on the rest of the Rockets. Plus, if the Pacers are in the bonus for most of the game, it will hopefully help us to avoid the dry-stretches our offense is prone to suffering. 


All in all, we're the better team, are at home and will be exciting after our blockbuster deal, while the Pacers, quite frankly, haven't looked invested in a basketball game since about 2004. I'd be surprised if we lost tonight, but stranger things have happened in this league. Like real strange. Like real effin' strange. 


@ New Orleans Hornets

The Hornets will be without Chris Paul, who's slated to miss four-to-six weeks due to knee surgery, and a year ago that would mean the Hornets would essentially be playing, well, without their team. But thanks to revelatory rookie Darren Collison, who's truly been break-taking, and a career renaissance from Peja Stojakovic, we should still be in for a game on Sunday. 


A key to this game will be pace, as the Hornets are the twelfth slowest team in the league while we're the ninth fastest. If we can dictate the tempo and keep them out of their half-court sets it would greatly improve our chances tomorrow. 


The Hornets have been better than us offensively this season, and a big part of that success has been their lights out shooting from deep. Although they take two less threes a game than we do they make just as many, and staying with Peja and Marcus Thornton will be a necessity if we'd like to leave New Orleans with a win.


Brooks is going to have his hands full with Darren Collison, who, as a starter, has averaged 17 points and 8 assists a night on 45 percent shooting. If those numbers sound familiar, it's because Paul averaged 16 and 8 on 43 percent shooting his rookie season. Suffice it to say that yeah, this Collison kid is damn good. He posted his first career triple double against the Pacers yesterday, and the team that wins the point guard battle tomorrow has a great shot at winning the game. 


I'm going to cut off the preview here because it started dragging about four paragraphs ago and even I'm getting bored of reading my own writing. These two games aren't particularly enticing on the surface, but, if nothing else, tune in for the sole purpose of seeing how Kevin Martin looks in a Rockets uniform. We're still fighting for a playoff spot, and every win counts. The last thing we'd want is to be sitting at home in April because we blew that mid-February game against the Pacers since you weren't cheering us on at home. So good luck, new-Rockets, and in fact, good luck to our older ones too. And, as always, go Rockets.


Houston Rockets: 28-25, 95.9 possessions per game (9th), 103.3 points scored per 100 possessions (19th), 104.0 points allowed per 100 possessions (17th)

Indiana Pacers: 18-36, 99.9 possessions per game (2nd), 99.3 points scored per 100 possessions (27th), 104.2 points allowed per 100 possessions (15th)


New Orleans Hornets: 29-26, 94.2 possessions per game (19th), 104.9 points scored per 100 possessions (14th), 105.5 points allowed per 100 possessions (11th) 

All statistics courtesy of hoopdata.com

Rockets Trade Deadline Day Recap

Or, "Thank God, We Can All Stop Pretending We Even Kind of Liked that Original Knicks Deal." In case you haven't heard (and if you haven't, and are still reading this blog, you're either very selective with your website choices or are my mother...hey mom), we just completed a three-team deal that sends Joey Dorsey and Carl Landry to the Kings and Tracy Mcgrady's corpse/expiring contract to the New York Knicks. Yes, this man is now referred to as Tracy Mcgrady's Expiring Corpse of a Contract. I know, I know, it's depressing to think about. I'll have a reflection on the T-Mac Era up a little later, but right now it's time to talk turkey. And by turkey, I mean trades. 

In exchange for our efforts (players), we receive Jordan Hill, Jared Jeffries, Kevin Martin, Hilton Armstrong and "draft considerations" from the Knicks in 2011 and 2012. I believe that means the right to swap picks in 2011 and their 2012 pick (with some protection), but I'll update when the details are released. 

My first reaction to this deal was, of course, that we were getting Kevin Martin. Which, by the way, I called the hell out of. This response was almost immediately followed by regret at the loss of Carl Landry, who truly had grown to be loved in Houston. In fact, I guess you could say he was be-loved. Yeah, you see what I did there. 

The implications of this deal are, in my mind, quite simple: we're going all in next season (the only moves we could possibly make would be resigning Scola and Lowry because of their Bird Rights or another trade) and if that doesn't work out, we have Battier and Yao coming off the books in 2011. Which, by no coincidence, is when we get the right to exchange picks with the Knicks. I've already outlined my views on the Knicks' picks, as I think they'll be making the playoff these next two seasons thanks to whatever free agent they're able to land, so I don't think the picks will be of as much value as if they were this season's, but the Knicks already let the Jazz steal, I mean have, their 2010 pick, so let's not cry over spilled milk. Or, in this case, wasted draft picks. For now, let's take a look at what we're getting. 

Kevin Martin - If you've never seen Kevin Martin play because he was rotting away on the Kings, you've been missing out. He's a natural scorer (with an unnatural shot), who puts points on the board in nearly every conceivable way. He's adept at slashing, gets to the foul line with ease (and makes his free throws, Trevor), is excellent at coming off screens for catch-and-shoot's and can spot up from three with the best of them. What's more is that he doesn't need the ball to score his points, and will be perfectly content with letting the ball-movement do the work for him. He'll love coming off screens and working on the weak-side for wide open jumpers, a staple of Adelman's offense. Oh, and what's more is that he's already familiar with Rick's offensive system, having played under him in Sacramento. 

My only concern is that the man is 6-7 and weighs only 185 pounds, which directly relates to his inability to play 62 games any of the past three years (including the current season, he's already missed too many games). If there's one NBA prototype that makes me cringe, it's dynamic scoring two-guards with seemingly chronic injury problems. But let's not dwell on the negatives right now. Can you win a title with Yao and Kevin Martin as your top two? I don't know. But won't it be fun as hell to watch those nights when Kevin puts up 47 on 22 shots? You're damn right it will.

As for this season, Martin gives us a legitimate go-to crunch time scorer (even more so than Landry was), as well as a better chance at making the playoffs. The real value of this deal will only be discerned next season, when we'll be true contenders, but as for now, let's sit back and watch one of the smoothest, deadliest players in the league do what he does best. 

Jared Jeffies - Not much to see here. Tall, athletic swingman, quality defender, probably not going to play much. And he expires in 2011, so he's not hurting our long term prospects. Here's an interesting True Hoop piece on him, he seems like the kind of player that would fit well with us.

Jordan Hill - I think he's probably the most intriguing part of the deal. We know what we're getting with Martin, but we have no idea what Hill can do. He was the eighth pick in the 2009 Draft but hasn't been able to find a way off the bench for the Knicks this season. He's far from a throw-in, and I think that Morey might be pegging him as a potential replacement for Landry. If anyone in this league has an eye for talent, it's our General Manager, and Hill, though a bit raw, definitely has the promise of a producer in the NBA. He'll most likely get minutes immediately, as we're currently lacking someone who can spell Scola for stretches, so we'll get to see more of him as the year progresses. Wow, that paragraph was a-littered with alliteration. Damn, now I'm just forcing it.

Draft Picks - New York Knick draft picks are always nice in theory, but you can't help but wonder how much better they'll be than ours these next two seasons. As I elucidated (what a word) earlier, they're probably making the playoffs these next two seasons with whatever free agents they're able to sign, so their picks might not be as high as we'd have liked, but if they manage to screw up this off-season and continue their incompetency for at least two more years, we'll be right here waiting.

Hilton Armstrong - The definition of add-in. He's been a bust since he entered the league, but he'll at least give us some size down low and a near-seven-footer to back up Yao. Hopefully, Morey's eye for talent saw something worthwhile in the ex-Hornet. 

Losing Carl Landry - I love Joey Dorsey. I do. But the real story of this deal is Mcgrady and Landry. I'm going to put up pieces on both of them, Landry after I can have some time to mentally process his loss and Mcgrady after I can figure out a way to articulate just how heartbreaking his tenure with the Rockets was. For now, suffice it to say that he will be missed. He applies to both, but more so this season to Landry.

All in all, not a bad trade in the slightest. We retooled for now and are set up nicely for rebuilding, if necessary, after 2011, so I think it's fair to give Mr. Morey an "A." We're only going to be able to really evaluate the deal next year, but at this moment I can't help but say that I'm definitely a fan of what we did. We play Indiana at home on Saturday, so hopefully this tides you over until then. And, as always, go Rockets.

Update: The picks we're getting will be the Knicks' in 2011 (top-pick protected) and in 2012 (top-five protected). Here's to two more sub-par years from the Knickerbockers!

Tracy Mcgrady Trade Saga Update

According to Chris Broussard of ESPN.com, we've pretty much decided that we're accepting the Knicks' offer, now it just comes down to which picks we're getting and the protection the picks will have. I wanted to hold out as long as possible to pass judgment, but now that the moment of reckoning has seemingly arrive, I'd like to kindly ask: what the hell just happened?

We're essentially taking on six million dollars worth of salary in Jared Jeffries' contract to add another power forward, Hill, and get the Knicks' picks two and three years from now. That's right, not this season's pick, when they'll actually have a good one, since they gave that one to the Jazz, but their 2011 and 2012 picks. You know, the 30th pick in the draft thanks to the Lebron-Bosh super-team they're assembling. But in all seriousness, let's say the Knicks "only" get Joe Johnson and Rudy Gay this summer. Doesn't that still make then a top four or five seed in the East? Maybe even higher? So what's the point of going for these picks?
This deal also effectively takes away the few million dollars we might have had to work with over the offseason, so we're essentially returning this team next year, plus Jordan Hill, Jared Jeffries and a [hopefully] healthy Yao Ming. Is that a championship core? I don't think so, but I'd love to be proven wrong.

To be fair, it's only just that we give Morey the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise. There were plenty of naysayers after the made the seemingly-baffling Rafer-Lowry deal, and look how that's turned out. Here's hoping he has a little more magic up his deftly-calculating sleeves.

And to continue the defense of our math-loving hero, it's highly possible that Morey realized that we could get nothing out of just letting Mcgrady expire and decided to try and snatch up two extra draft picks (remember, this is the same guy who landed Aaron Brooks and Carl Landry) while he could. Even with Mcgrady coming off the books, we'd have little cap space this summer unless we renounced the rights to both Scola and Lowry, and even that would only give us about twelve million (I'm operating under the assumption that the salary cap will be 52 million next season). So maybe the deal isn't as bad as I originally portrayed it as. But still, I just feel like we could have gotten more for a 23-million-dollar one-year deal months before one of the most highly-anticipated clusterfucks, sorry, free agency periods, ever.

Welcome, Bring Back Novak Reader(s)

Hello, dear reader. We (I) would like to thank you for following us on our ardous trek to our new and current location. Due to an unfortunately-planned ponzi scheme, four misinformed hired guns and an inordinate amount of masking tape, we've been forced (by Google) to move our operations here. And, Clutch City Crusaders is a fuckin' sweet name. But that's irreleveant. Mostly. In any case, check here for frequent (I promise, it'll be frequent) Rockets updates and news.  Basically everything Bring Back Novak did, except, you know, there'll actually be posting. We're looking forward to an exciting second half to the season, and we hope you're coming along for the ride. And as for my new name, The Artist Formerly Known as As Red As It Gets was taken (and just really stupid) so I decided on bk219. Initials and birthday baby, as simple (red) as it gets. In any case, welcome to Clutch City Crusaders.