"We'll assume, given the time constraints, the Rockets won't be packing up a caravan of face painters in an effort to impress Nene.

It is not so much that the ploy failed last time, though the bandwagon did head to Florida when Chris Bosh was in Dallas. The idea was to get some attention for the pursuit of Bosh when no one seemed to be noticing. It did not have to accomplish much if it could do that. Maybe it did. It didn't matter.

Daryl Morey did get his sit down with Bosh and Bosh later said he was impressed. We assume he liked the iPad, too. The Rockets could not, however, offer a chance to join The Heatles. Bosh went to Miami as if there never were a chance he would do anything else.

The interest in Nene seems similar, except that they would not offer Nene the max contract $17 million, even if they work out the salary cap manipulations necessary so that they could.

The results, however, will almost certainly be the same.

Nene is the Rockets' top target. They probably won't get him."