Houston Rockets News

Rockets plumb bench's depth
Comment
February 9
Houston Chronicle
 
"In many ways, the Rockets will look like their summer league team when they visit the Miami Heat tonight. Joey Dorsey is playing again. Chase Budinger will start. Jermaine Taylor and Garrett Temple will come off the bench. This is probably not how the Rockets wanted to go into the All-Star break. Then again, their last summer league team was undefeated. "Us young guys are going to have to step up," Budinger said. "I was telling guys they're going to get an opportunity this game. All of us have to be ready to play." With Kyle Lowry (sprained left ankle) and Trevor Ariza (hip pointer) out, Budinger likely will start at shooting guard, with Temple, Monday's NBA Development League call-up, to ..."
Lowry undergoes MRI
Comment
February 9
Houston Chronicle
 
"The MRI on Rockets guard Kyle Lowry confirmed Saturday's diagnosis, showing a sprained left ankle but no further damage. Lowry is expected to be out for a week before he will be re-examined. The team then will be better able to estimate how much time he will miss. Conroy shuffle When Kyle Lowry sprained his ankle, Will Conroy was signed to a 10-day contract. When Lowry sprained his knee, Conroy was let go. But Conroy understood. The Rockets will also be missing Trevor Ariza, who is out with a hip pointer, making Garrett Temple's ability to play small forward, shooting guard or point guard valuable. And if Conroy signed a second 10-day contract, he would have spent much of that time on the ..."
Trevor Ariza will not play Tuesday; out with hip pointer
Comment
February 9
Houston Chronicle
 
"In many ways, the Rockets will look like their summer league team when they visit the Miami Heat tonight. Joey Dorsey is playing again. Chase Budinger will start. Jermaine Taylor and Garrett Temple will come off the bench. This is probably not how the Rockets wanted to go into the All-Star break. Then again, their last summer league team was undefeated. "Us young guys are going to have to step up," Budinger said. "I was telling guys they're going to get an opportunity this game. All of us have to be ready to play." With Kyle Lowry (sprained left ankle) and Trevor Ariza (hip pointer) out, Budinger likely will start at shooting guard, with Temple, Monday's NBA Development League call-up, to ..."
Lowry undergoes MRI, has sprained left ankle
Comment
February 9
Houston Chronicle
 
"The MRI on Rockets guard Kyle Lowry confirmed Saturday's diagnosis, showing a sprained left ankle but no further damage. Lowry is expected to be out for a week before he will be re-examined. The team then will be better able to estimate how much time he will miss."
Rumors: Martin, Iguodala, Butler, McGrady
Comment
February 8
ESPN.com
 
"Kevin Martin, Andre Iguodala and Caron Butler continue to be the three swingmen most frequently linked with Mark Cuban's trade-seeking Mavericks, who have been stonewalled in their attempts to pry Martin away from Sacramento and thus have not ruled out a move for Butler. Sources say that Washington and Dallas have maintained a Butler dialogue while the Wizards also continue talks with Houston in a larger deal for Tracy McGrady. As stated previously in this cyberspace, Martin tops the Mavs' list in their search for a dependable second scorer to flank Dirk Nowitzki. Sources say, however, that Dallas would likely have to recruit a third team to present the quality big man presumably needed to ..."
Temple's promotion fills out roster
Comment
February 8
Houston Chronicle
 
"With Will Conroy's 10-day contract expiring, the Rockets will dip into their NBA Development League team's roster to call up another member of their summer league and training camp teams, rookie guard Garrett Temple. Temple, who has averaged 14.9 points for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, is expected to sign a 10-day contract today. With Kyle Lowry out with a sprained left ankle, the Rockets could have brought back Conroy to serve as Aaron Brooks' backup Tuesday in Miami. But had the Rockets signed Conroy to a second and final 10-day contract, most of his time on that contract would have been spent during the All-Star break. If Lowry is still out for an extended period after the break, ..."
Rockets need options for Landry
Comment
February 8
Houston Chronicle
 
"This time, it was the 76ers' fronting defense. The Sixers stationed a defender in front of Carl Landry to keep the ball out of his hands and had another defender close from behind. The Rockets' offense bogged down and eventually collapsed. The Rockets can work on attacking those defenses. They saw them often enough when Yao Ming was in the low blocks to know how to defeat them, as they did in last season's first-round playoff series against the Portland Trail Blazers. The struggles Saturday, however, were a part of a different pattern. Whether dealing with teams throwing zones around the paint, switching on the perimeter, double-teaming Landry when he catches passes or starts moves, or ..."
Iverson out vs Houston; misses 3rd straight game
Comment
February 7
Philadelphia Inquirer
 
"Last night against the Houston Rockets, 76ers guard Allen Iverson missed his third consecutive game for personal reasons related to an illness suffered by his daughter. Sixers coach Eddie Jordan said there was "no timetable" for Iverson's return. "We just hope that his family and his daughter gets better," Jordan added. Entering last night's game, the Sixers had won both games without Iverson, starting a backcourt of rookie Jrue Holiday and guard Willie Green. "I don't know that we're learning something without him, just trying to find a way to play and generate what we have to do: good defense, quality possessions offensively," Jordan said. "I just haven't read into what we've done ..."
76ers win fourth in a row
Comment
February 7
Philadelphia Inquirer
 
"On a night they took 24 three-point shots, trailed by as many as 13 points, and allowed an 18-0 first-half run, the 76ers somehow defeated the Houston Rockets, 102-95, Saturday night at the Toyota Center. They did so by making 22 of 23 free throws, storming the offensive glass in the second half, and forcing Houston guard Aaron Brooks to race from sideline to sideline for his second-half points. The Sixers, winners of four consecutive games, improved to 19-31; the Rockets dropped to 27-23. Early in the third quarter, on a three from Brooks, who finished with 34 points, Houston took a 60-47 lead, its biggest of the game. A few minutes later, Houston guard Kyle Lowry, who had scored 14 ..."
Iguodala's audition drives his price up
Comment
February 7
Houston Chronicle
 
"If it were not enough that forward Andre Iguodala played the Rockets on Saturday with the intention of taking another 76ers win out of Toyota Center, he also planned to drive up the price in trade talks between the Rockets and Sixers. "It means I got to put on a good show tonight," Iguodala said before scoring 14 points and adding 10 rebounds in a 102-95 win. "I'm joking. No, I just think of it as another game. I've been here six years. I still treat these guys (on the 76ers) like my brothers. We got to go out and fight with them and try to win the game." The 6-6 Iguodala has not considered how he would fit in with the Rockets, at least no more so since the Rockets announced they would try ..."
Rockets endure painful setback
Comment
February 7
Houston Chronicle
 
"Add it to the list. There won't be team meetings to follow this time. Yao Ming and Chuck Hayes will not have to give motivational speeches. And it is no disgrace for this season's Rockets to lose another home game to the Philadelphia 76ers. But one way or another, the annual loss to the Sixers found a way to be as frustrating as the ones that preceded it. This time, the Rockets left kicking themselves for the way they fell apart in the second half as the Sixers went from a 13-point deficit to a 102-95 win Saturday night, their third consecutive win at Toyota Center. The Rockets made just 14 of 43 shots in the second half, bogging down as the Sixers fronted Carl Landry in the post and ..."
Lowry injures ankle in loss to Sixers
Comment
February 7
Houston Chronicle
 
"Add it to the list. There won't be team meetings to follow this time. Yao Ming and Chuck Hayes will not have to give motivational speeches. And it is no disgrace for this season's Rockets to lose another home game to the Philadelphia 76ers. But one way or another, the annual loss to the Sixers found a way to be as frustrating as the ones that preceded it. This time, the Rockets left kicking themselves for the way they fell apart in the second half as the Sixers went from a 13-point deficit to a 102-95 win Saturday night, their third consecutive win at Toyota Center. The Rockets made just 14 of 43 shots in the second half, bogging down as the Sixers fronted Carl Landry in the post and ..."
Lowry makes speedy return from injury
Comment
February 6
Houston Chronicle
 
"Less than a week after the Rockets feared that guard Kyle Lowry had a serious knee injury only to be thrilled he would only be out for a week or two, he was not out even that long. Lowry played against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, before he was even scheduled to be re-evaluated, after going through Thursday's practice and a Friday test before the game with few difficulties. He had seven points and four assists in nearly 19 minutes. "I felt fine," Lowry said before he was cleared. "I felt good. I felt solid. I didn't feel too hurt, a little sore, but other than that, I felt good." Lowry returned in time to play in Memphis, where he began his career. Tonight he faces the 76ers, who are ..."
Dorsey gives Rockets a pick-me-up
Comment
February 6
Houston Chronicle
 
"Joey Dorsey could not make it back to the bench. The Memphis Grizzlies had called a timeout to give him a chance, and he did try. But Dorsey's teammates blocked him off with a wall as solid as the defense the Rockets had used to take over the game. Dorsey had done more in Friday night's game than in every brief cameo of his NBA career combined. But when Kyle Lowry found him for a two-fisted slam, the Rockets were flying to a 101-83 rout of the Grizzlies and to a rush of chest-bumps for Dorsey as he made his way back to the bench. "I was very excited, man," Dorsey said. "I felt like I was in college all over again. It's been a long time since I had that feeling of everybody congratulating ..."
Iguodala trade talk: Phoenix, Houston
Comment
February 6
Philadelphia Inquirer
 
"The latest trade talk circulating around 76ers swingman Andre Iguodala has him going with teammate Samuel Dalembert to the Phoenix Suns for star power forward Amar'e Stoudemire and, possibly, guard Leandro Barbosa. According to an NBA source, the two teams have discussed this and other trade scenarios, although there are a few snags with the potential trade. Stoudemire's contract situation is chief among them. The NBA's trade deadline is Feb. 18. Iguodala has four years and $56 million remaining on his contract; Dalembert will earn $12 million next season, after which his contract expires. Stoudemire's contract expires at season's end, but he has a player option to earn $17 million for the ..."
Rockets Taylor recalled from D-League
Comment
February 5
Houston Chronicle
 
"The Rockets as expected recalled rookie guard Jermaine Taylor from the NBA Development League, following a four-game stint he called "a real good experience." "I got some games under me," Taylor said. "I feel regular now. Sitting on the bench, then going down there playing, it felt real good. It was awesome, like back in my college days. I think I got a lot better. I went down there and tried to focus on playing defense, just work on my game and get better." Taylor averaged 21.8 points and four rebounds. He had consecutive 30-point games before the Rockets brought him back to provide a backcourt option for practices and in case of emergency in games. "We needed bodies," coach Rick Adelman ..."
Rockets endeavor to avoid letdown
Comment
February 5
Houston Chronicle
 
"Rockets forward Shane Battier might have stumbled upon just the strategy for the times. Rather than taking his customary role of identifying opposing team's plays and making many of the Rockets' play calls, he might be more productive whispering words that conjure distractions NBA players fight this time of year. "Mai tais." "Margaritas." "Girls in bikinis." It might just work. But the problem is it might be difficult for Battier to send those messages to the Memphis Grizzlies in a way his teammates will not hear as clearly. They have reminded themselves they cannot fall into the trap of looking ahead to All-Star break vacations as teams often do. They would accept the help if the ..."
Lowry won't rush return
Comment
February 4
Houston Chronicle
 
"Rockets guard Kyle Lowry began on-court rehab of his sprained knee Tuesday with hopes he could return before the All-Star break. Though he is not expected to play in Memphis on Friday, in what would be his first game in Memphis since being traded by the Grizzlies to the Rockets, Lowry said he would not rule out that game or Saturday's game against his hometown Philadelphia 76ers. "It may be sooner or later, it may be after All-Star (weekend)," Lowry said. "I'll take my time, and I won't come back unless I'm ready. "I'm a tough guy. I always want to be out there with my teammates. I don't like to be out. Once I got the word it wasn't any tears or anything, I'm trying to do anything and ..."
Dorsey ready to answer the call
Comment
February 4
Houston Chronicle
 
"The call Joey Dorsey had waited so long to hear finally came. But he didn't move. No way. He knew better. Dorsey had finally been summoned to check into a game, the first time he would play meaningful minutes in an NBA contest. But Dorsey kept himself parked on the Rockets bench. "I thought it was some of the guys on the team playing a joke, trying to get me to run up there and check in," Dorsey said of the order to get in the game Sunday against the Phoenix Suns. "I waited for a couple seconds to go by, then coach screamed it again. I was so excited, I ran up there and almost took my jersey off when I took my warmup off." Dorsey was not being overly cautious. As a rookie, he was scammed ..."
Warriors suffer sixth consecutive loss, falling to Houston Rockets
Comment
February 3
Oakland Tribune
 
"Warriors coach Don Nelson flew in from Dallas where he got treatment on his aching back, and made it in time for Tuesday's game against the Houston Rockets. No doubt, by the 9:18 mark of the fourth quarter, when he subbed in little-used center Chris Hunter, Nelson had to be thinking he should've just stayed in Dallas. Because although his back is now fine, his eyes probably ache after watching the 119-97 punishment his Warriors endured at the hands of the Rockets. "Win or lose, they're my guys," Nelson said. "It's my job to be here if I'm physically able. And I was. I'm feeling (pain) now." Hard to tell if he was referring to his back from the rigors of coaching an NBA game, or to his ego ..."
Rockets break out of funk with blowout of Warriors
Comment
February 3
Houston Chronicle
 
"Way back in January, the Rockets were disappointed with the bulk of the season's longest homestand. They thought a month largely spent at home would give their season a needed surge, but they got the calendar page wrong. After suffering through much of January weighed down by sudden expectations and self-examinations, the Rockets got to February and happily did what they always do in February. They breezily routed injury-depleted Golden State 119-97 on Tuesday night for their ninth consecutive win against the Warriors and their 17th in a row at home in February. The Rockets, who have not lost a February home game since 2007, led from start to finish for the first time this season. After a ..."
Time is of the essence
Comment
February 2
Houston Chronicle
 
"Rick Adelman is adamant about figuring out how guard Will Conroy and forward Joey Dorsey might help the Rockets. Finding the minutes to do so, though, has been the issue. Conroy was recently called up from Rio Grande Valley, replacing injured guard Kyle Lowry, and he played 9 minutes and 38 seconds in the Rockets' 115-111 overtime loss Sunday to Phoenix, scoring two points and handing out an assist. "The two times he went in, we dropped off, and it wasn't him," Adelman said. "We have to remember what to run and what we want to do when he's in the game, where he's comfortable. It was pretty easy with Kyle, but right now, we threw him out there, and (Monday) we went over some things that I ..."
Warding off dry spells
Comment
February 2
Houston Chronicle
 
"Either Aaron Brooks was intentionally being coy, which isn't out of the question for the playful Rockets point guard, or he really wasn't aware that his team suffered a six-minute first-quarter stretch during Sunday's 115-111 overtime loss to Phoenix in which 14 consecutive field goals were missed. "We did?" Brooks asked. Then again, maybe it just wasn't that big of a deal, nothing worth noting — especially since Brooks and the Rockets had a chance late to win. And maybe those dry spells were excused when the wins were plentiful, but now, with nine losses in 14 games in 2010, isn't that type of a lull a little alarming? Even with Golden State, the NBA's third-worst team, in town? Brooks ..."
Battier playing through pain
Comment
February 1
Houston Chronicle
 
"Rockets forward Shane Battier has been playing with a sprained left shoulder that has bothered him since he became entangled with the Spurs' Tim Duncan on Jan. 22, but it became especially painful Friday against the Trail Blazers. "It's still sore as hell," Battier said. "It feels better not getting hit (Saturday). It was good to have a day not running through the screens Juwan Howard and LaMarcus Aldridge were setting." Battier said the pain increased most when he fell after driving to a charge against Aldridge on Friday. On Sunday he said, he was in pain "every time I drove the ball." Rockets center Yao Ming was cleared to work out in basketball shoes for the first time Sunday. He did ..."
Rockets trip over foul line, stumble in OT
Comment
February 1
Houston Chronicle
 
"The Rockets had overcome everything. They had survived the Phoenix Suns' run to an 18-point lead and their own awful shooting. They had overcome Amar'e Stoudemire's season-high 36-point answer to sitting out down the stretch of the Suns' previous game and even stayed within a chance when Aaron Brooks' drive for an overtime lead on just the shot he wanted rolled off the rim. But a lane violation was more than they could handle. With the Suns leading by two in the final seconds, Brooks intentionally drilled a free throw off the rim and back to him. But he was called for crossing the free-throw line just before the ball caromed off the rim, sending the Suns to a 115-111 overtime win Sunday at ..."
Suns' Nash has abdominal issue that may sideline him
Comment
January 31
Arizona Republic
 
"Suns guard Steve Nash is "very optimistic" that he will be able to play tonight's game at Houston despite a lower abdominal strain but his coach is remaining cautiously pessimistic. Suns coach Alvin Gentry put Nash's chances of playing at "50-50" for this evening's 5 p.m. game at Toyota Center. Nash was held out of Friday's and Saturday's practices in Phoenix but he participated in this morning's team shootaround and Suns head athletic trainer Aaron Nelson said his condition had improved today. Nash's ability to move well and pain-free is always paramount but perhaps even more so tonight against a point guard as quick as Houston's Aaron Brooks. Gentry said he is willing to use ..."
Conroy won't miss a beat
Comment
January 31
Houston Chronicle
 
"Will Conroy believed he was done with life as the Crash Davis of the D-League. At least, he knew he had done all that could be asked. He was the league's all-time leader in scoring, assists, minutes played, free throws made and free throws attempted. He knew he was ready for the show. The Rockets knew it, too. But as nice as that affirmation might have been to hear as they told him they were cutting him from the team, Conroy knew he was being cut. He returned home to Seattle to weigh offers in Spain, China and Italy, as well as a return to the NBA Development League. But the Rockets thought that eventually they would need another point guard. In the first season of their partnership ..."
T-Mac or bust
Comment
January 31
New York Post
 columnist Marc Berman
"Be yond President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, a more significant guest to Knicks fans appeared at yesterday's Duke-Georgetown game at Verizon Center. Attending the preliminary event to last night's Knicks-Wizards battle was Tracy McGrady. The Rockets superstar-in-exile has been training in Chicago and waiting for Rockets general manager Daryl Morey to deal him by the Feb. 18 deadline. McGrady did not meet with Mike D'Antoni before yesterday's awful 106-96 loss, but certainly the Knicks coach wished he had T-Mac's athleticism on the court last night against the Wizards. If the Knicks' goal is truly to make the playoffs to set the right vibe for July's free agency, they are going to ..."
Lowry will be missed
Comment
January 31
Houston Chronicle
 
"Though Rockets coach Rick Adelman said guard Kyle Lowry's value has not been seen just in statistics, one stat seems to do a good job. Lowry, who is out at least a week with a sprained left knee, is by far the Rockets' leader in plus/minus scoring, with the Rockets' second team a key to many games. "In the next two weeks, the second unit, we're going to have to keep doing what we've been doing," reserve guard Chase Budinger said. "We're going to have to keep on running. We know how much Kyle loves to run, to push the ball. The rest of us are going to have to keep that up."
Houston 104, Portland 100: Line of heartbreaks in Houston grows
Comment
January 30
Oregonian
 
"The comeback of the season was in the works for the Trail Blazers at the Toyota Center on Friday night as the Rockets kept missing free throws and Rudy Fernandez kept making three-pointers. But it was the smallest of details that denied the Blazers a chance at completing a 13-point turnaround in the second half: Rebounding a missed free throw. "That's my bad," forward Nicolas Batum said. "I didn't do my job. The last one is on me." It became the latest in a long line of heartbreaks in Houston for the Blazers, as Friday's numbing 104-100 loss to the Rockets was the 14th in the last 15 games, including last season's playoffs. The Blazers (27-21) have lost three in a row -- all to Western ..."
Brooks, Rockets too much for Blazers
Comment
January 30
Portland Tribune
 
"Too much Aaron Brooks, too little production in the clutch. That was the antidote for defeat for the Trail Blazers Friday night at the Toyota Center, the Houston Rockets making just enough big plays to win 104-100. Brooks scored 33 points and doled out seven assists in helping Houston (25-21) send Portland to its third straight loss and fifth in seven games. The Blazers also had a rough time slowing down Carl Landry, who scored 15 of his 21 points in the second quarter. Portland has lost nine straight games to Houston, including three in the playoffs last season The loss spoiled a terrific performance by Rudy Fernandez, who came off the bench to score a season-high 25 points in 25 minutes ..."
Webster's game no surprise to Brooks
Comment
January 30
Houston Chronicle
 
"The sudden growth of Portland guard Martell Webster with Brandon Roy out might be a surprise to many, but he has not come nearly as far as Rockets guard Aaron Brooks had seen. In 40 games with Roy playing, Webster averaged 9.9 points in 27.1 minutes, hitting 39.8 percent of his shots. In the first seven games with Roy out, Webster has averaged 18.3 points in 38 minutes per game, hitting 41.1 percent of his shots. But Brooks remembered how Webster, 23, tagged along in Seattle. "He was just a young guy," Brooks, 25, said. "I remember Martell would be in the gym. He was younger than everybody, so they wouldn't let him play. He hit a big growth spurt, turned into a 6-6, 6-7 guard and he's been ..."
Rockets sweat out end to three-game skid
Comment
January 30
Houston Chronicle
 
"The losing streak, and maybe the slump, would end. But the Rockets would have to suffer. The Rockets had resurrected their resilience, recapturing the quality that marked the best parts of their season. They had overcome another double-digit first-half deficit and the Portland zone defense. They had taken what seemed to be a commanding lead into the final half minute. But the win they had sought so desperately would not come easily. The Rockets missed just enough free throws and Portland's Rudy Fernandez made just enough 3s to make the Rockets' stomachs churn. But with one final Trevor Ariza free throw — and the help of a bizarre halftime scoring correction — the Rockets snapped their ..."
Rockets find their defensive nature
Comment
January 30
Houston Chronicle
 columnist Jerome Solomon
"With some 10,000 promotions, dance routines and assorted gimmicks to make you forget you're at a basketball game, they don't get to crank up the defense-clap-clap-defense-clap-clap chant at Toyota Center too often. Fitting. The Rockets don't crank up the defense too often, either. They did for several lengthy stretches Friday night, though, and that's why they were able to fend off the Portland Trail Blazers 104-100 to stop a three-game losing streak. After scoring 28 points in the first quarter, Portland needed more than 11/2 quarters to get its next 28. The Rockets got stingy all of a sudden, holding the Blazers to 19 points in the second quarter. The Rockets played so much better ..."
Best advice for Rockets? Avoid trade
Comment
January 29
Houston Chronicle
 columnist Jerome Sullivan
"Now what do you think of your Rockets? A championship is out of the question, unless a historic run is in the offing. Their making the playoffs is questionable unless they right themselves soon — with a little more offense and a lot more defense. Unless the Rockets do something dramatic in the next couple of weeks, the most asked question in May might be: Did they do all they could to avoid a wasted season? No stars? No hope? No sellouts? No reason to freak out. With Tracy McGrady exiled, the Rockets are sitting on a hefty expiring contract that is among the most desired in the NBA. Teams from coast to coast would love to trade their undesirables for the Rockets' unwanted. Let 'em beg. The ..."
Shortcomings evident as Rockets spirals downward
Comment
January 29
Houston Chronicle
 
"Because NBA teams shall from time to time give information on the state of their union, the Rockets did not deny the downturn. The indicators had not been good for some time. There had been successes, some that had been celebrated by their supporters, but the Rockets also had stumbled through missteps, and the time had come to call for action and change. "I am concerned," forward Luis Scola said, a day after the Rockets dropped a third consecutive home game. "I believe everybody is concerned. We're not doing what we want to do. That's what hurt the most. "If you play hard and you play the way you're supposed to play, you follow the game plan and play our style, there is a different way to ..."
Rockets to sign Conroy, send Taylor to D-League
Comment
January 28
Houston Chronicle
 
"Rookie Jermaine Taylor, limited to just 17½ minutes this season, likely will be sent to the Rockets' NBA Development League affiliate today, a move considered the next step in getting him ready to play with the Rockets, confirmed Gersson Rosas, the Rockets' vice president of player personnel and Rio Grande Valley Vipers general manager. The Rockets likely will sign Vipers point guard Will Conroy, their final cut in the preseason, to a 10-day contract Friday. "The coaching staff felt (Taylor) has really helped himself doing what he can off the floor," Rosas said. "We all as a group want to see him in a game setting to see what he can apply at this point and how he can handle big minutes and ..."
It's a different route to defeat for Rockets
Comment
January 28
Houston Chronicle
 
"Weary of digging early and deep holes, the Rockets went another way. This time, they led early and saved the offensive droughts for later. The change did not help. After five consecutive games of falling behind by at least 10 points in the first half, the Rockets rolled to a 15-point first-quarter lead Wednesday night. It was just a matter of time, however, until the familiar offensive power outages arrived. When the offense ran dry through seven fourth-quarter minutes, the Denver Nuggets surged to a nine-point lead and took a 97-92 victory, the Rockets' third straight loss — all at home — and their fourth loss in five games at Toyota Center. "We talked about this all year long, about ..."
Rockets trust Morey to make the right move
Comment
January 28
Houston Chronicle
 
"Sometime in the next three weeks, Daryl Morey will face what might be his toughest decision as general manager of the Rockets. Here's the rub: There's probably not a right answer. At least not now, which makes every answer the wrong one — or maybe the right one. Take your pick. Good thing Morey got that contract extension. He went days without sleep around the trade deadline this time last year, and those moves were easy compared to the stakes he's dealing with this time. These decisions could impact the franchise for years to come. If Morey does something stupid, there's five years of second-guessing column material. Let's go to the big board and review Morey's options before the ..."
Staying patient with Ariza
Comment
January 27
Houston Chronicle
 
"Coach Rick Adelman said the changes to his Rockets rotation, with Trevor Ariza coming out of the game in the first quarter of Monday's Atlanta game and not playing at all in the fourth, were particular to the matchup with the Hawks, and not necessarily an ongoing change. "I think he's just lost a little bit of confidence," Adelman said. "Every player is different in how he gets through it. We've had a number of guys struggle recently, be up and down. Trevor has to play with more aggression and be more positive. "With Trevor, there are so many ways he can help us win. It's not just shooting the ball. He can be a very good rebounder. He can be active defensively. He can be a facilitator with ..."
Rockets fear change is in the air
Comment
January 27
Houston Chronicle
 
"Nearly a week after Chuck Hayes issued his post-practice address, a pep talk that was part Knute Rockne, part John Blutarsky rallying Delta House, Rockets coach Rick Adelman put it more succinctly. "There's no cavalry over there," Adelman said. The Rockets, he noted, would have to solve their own problems. As Hayes had said with teammates and coaches surrounding him, the Rockets could rely only on those in that circle. Hayes said he was making a call for confidence and self-reliance. And for a game, it seemed to work. The Rockets came back from a midseason break to win in San Antonio. In the Rockets' front office, however, the bugle call for help had gone out weeks ago when Rockets general ..."
Sixth men in spotlight
Comment
January 26
Houston Chronicle
 
"Monday night's game might have provided a good look at a couple of the candidates for the Sixth Man of the Year award — Atlanta's Jamal Crawford, who is tied with New York's Al Harrington for the league lead in scoring off the bench, each averaging 17.3 points per game, and the Rockets' Carl Landry, who is next at 16.4 per game. Landry makes a strong case for Crawford. "He's been in the league a while, had some success," Landry said. "He's a great player. He can score the ball. He can pass. He can dribble well. It's an honor to be mentioned with guys like him, Jason Terry, (Manu) Ginobili, (Anderson) Varejao. I'm going to continue to play my game and whatever happens, happens. "That's been ..."
Hawks outclass Rockets 102-95
Comment
January 26
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
 
"Rockets coach Rick Adelman feared it might happen just like this. Before his team faced the Hawks Monday night, Adelman said the visitors are not only athletic but boasted skilled one-on-one scorers. He also worried about the Hawks getting out in the open floor to spark big runs. The Hawks proceeded to show what he meant. The Rockets try to win with scrappiness but their overachieving formula was no match for the Hawks when they are scoring like this. The Hawks overwhelmed the Rockets with Adelman's premonition in a 102-95 victory at the Toyota Center. Josh Smith scored 22 points with 10 rebounds, Joe Johnson added 20 and Jamal Crawford added another 17 off the bench. They led by ..."
Up-and-down Rockets need to refuel
Comment
January 25
Houston Chronicle
 
"The scowl was a clear indication of how the evening had gone, but nevertheless, Chuck Hayes attempted to explain. "We went through the motions," the Rockets center said. "I don't know why (the intensity) wasn't there, but it wasn't." One night after an impressive 116-109 victory in San Antonio, Hayes and the Rockets never seemed to get started in a 104-97 home loss to Chicago. A split of the two games seemed likely, but how it occurred was unexpected. To most, anyway. "Our team has been very strange in respect to when you think you know, or when we have it all figured out, we lay a clunker down," forward Shane Battier said. "And when you write us off, we come out with a great performance ..."
Hawks bring roster filled with athleticism
Comment
January 25
Houston Chronicle
 
"Atlanta's roster is filled to the brim with athleticism — Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Marvin Williams, Al Horford, Maurice Evans, and so on. The Hawks offer a balanced scoring attack — five players in double figures, and another at 9.2 points — but it's how they score that can be effective (according to the hoopdata.com, Atlanta makes 62.6 percent of its shots at the rim, fourth-best in the league) and, well, demoralizing. They'll use their athleticism, and it might not be pretty. "They have so many high flyers, they'll embarrass you," Shane Battier said. The last time the Rockets and Hawks met, Josh Smith crammed home a miss by Mike Bibby with 0.7 seconds left in regulation to lift Atlanta ..."
Experimenting with guard-heavy lineup
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January 24
Houston Chronicle
 
"The Rockets went with Carl Landry surrounded by four perimeter players to finish Friday's game, an option they could use late in games when Rick Adelman wants guards Aaron Brooks and Kyle Lowry on the court and to still keep Shane Battier and Trevor Ariza on the floor. "We didn't really work on it that much, but we were trying to run some things that work with that lineup," Adelman said. "Shane's pretty easy to put out there because he's familiar with playing the big guy in those spots. Carl has to look to post up, and they've got to look to play pick-and-roll and roll hard. "It's a pretty good lineup to have as long as we can defend and rebound with it. We have some of our best offensive ..."
Rockets chase Bulls all night, come up empty
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January 24
Houston Chronicle
 
"There were 17 scintillating seconds in which the Rockets did not trail the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night at Toyota Center. The Bulls won the opening tip. Kirk Hinrich sank a jumper. And as they have for four consecutive games, the Rockets spent the night trying to climb back from an assortment of double-digit deficits. This, Aaron Brooks hastened to point out, is not actually the Rockets' strategy. But it has become a habit, as has their apparent inclination to follow wins such as Friday night's in San Antonio with the sort of disheartening, defensively challenged performance that sent the Rockets to a 104-97 loss, the first home game in which they never led since the 2006-07 season. The ..."
Defensive woes dog Spurs
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January 24
San Antonio Express-News
 
"Spurs forward Tim Duncan recorded his 20,000th NBA point during Friday's loss to Houston. Contrary to popular belief, the Rockets did not match him point-for-point in the second half of their 116-109 victory. To the beleaguered Spurs, who were helpless to stop Houston's never-ending layup line, it only felt that way. The Rockets scored 61 points in the second half, a figure that could be considered an anomaly had Utah not torched the Spurs for 60 second-half points one game prior. "We seem to be two different teams at different times," Duncan said. "Through five- and six-minute stretches, we play really well. Then, for five-minute stretches, everything breaks down, and we go into total ..."
Bulls finally come up big with back-to-back wins
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January 24
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"Back-to-back games, especially the second night, haven't been kind to the Bulls, but they scored their most impressive set of wins on consecutive nights in perhaps the most challenging back-to-back on the schedule. A day after a solid win in Phoenix, the Bulls fought off fatigue for a 104-97 victory Saturday night over the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center. That's consecutive road wins for the Bulls (20-22), who only a couple of days ago seemed likely to go winless on the seven-game trip. But after two victories against teams with winning records, things are looking up again. ''This was the toughest one,'' point guard Derrick Rose said of the back-to-backs. ''But we just came together. ..."
Bulls surprise Rockets 104-97
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January 24
Chicago Tribune
 
"Go ahead and try to figure out this Bulls team. Scratch your head analyzing how they can lose to a Development League-laden Warriors team and the thoroughly average Clippers and then pile positive performances on top of each other over 24 exhausting hours. Or maybe just savor their gritty 104-97 victory Saturday over a hustling Rockets squad that had been 13-5 at Toyota Center before the Bulls again flummoxed their followers. Playing for the first time this season without the injured Joakim Noah and one night after thoroughly outplaying the Suns, the Bulls led from the first possession onward in just their third victory in 10 tries in the second game of back-to-backs. Factor in that the ..."