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Houston Rockets News

Rockets seek to help Martin as he fights shooting slump
February 12
Houston Chronicle
 
"Rockets guard Kevin Martin has been in the NBA long enough — eight seasons — to know slumps come and go. If he needed a reminder, he has seen slumps pass through the locker room this season like a bad cold. That does not make it easier to be the afflicted scorer. It does help, Martin said, that the Rockets have won three of the four games in which he struggled, with the players off the bench — Chase Budinger, Courtney Lee and Goran Dragic — making up for the lack of output from the team's leading scorer. Still, Martin, who averages 18 points per game, and the Rockets would welcome the return of his shooting touch. "I really have no idea, no idea," Martin, 29, said of how a slump caught"
Uncharted victory waters for McHale's Rockets
February 11
Houston Chronicle
 
"The Rockets' 96-89 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Thursday came unlike any other this season. For the first time this season, the Rockets came back from a fourth-quarter deficit, down 76-74 entering the period. They had been 0-9 when trailing after three quarters. "There's a lot of ebbs and flows on the road," Rockets coach Kevin McHale said. "I told those guys, 'When you're playing teams on the road, they are not just going to roll over and play dead; they're going to come back and fight.' "They made runs, we made runs. That's the whole ebb and flow of the NBA. Veteran teams understand that, and we're trying to get our guys to understand that a team making a run on you, the world"
Plenty in reserve keeps tank on 'W'
February 11
Houston Chronicle
 
"Young and ambitious, with obvious gifts and perhaps even more raging competitiveness, Kevin McHale found himself the backup to one of the all-time greats. McHale battled Larry Bird, anyway. "I liked to match up against Larry almost every day," McHale said. "It made me a lot better. I went with the second unit, got a chance to play against Hall of Fame guys every day in practice. It makes you better." By his fourth season, McHale was NBA Sixth Man of the Year and took the honor again the next year before Bird moved to small forward and McHale became the Celtics starter. But nearly three decades later, McHale the Rockets coach has a bench McHale the Celtics star can appreciate. He does not"
Rockets 96, Suns 89: Surprising defensive effort sets up late run for win
February 10
Houston Chronicle
 
"The Suns could build leads, and the Rockets' cavalry could come charging over the hill again and again to answer. Yet for all the Rockets' bench had done, none of it would be enough until the Rockets found a way to do the one thing they had not all night. They had to stop Steve Nash and the Suns' starters. With six minutes left, Nash had returned to the floor to give the Suns the lead and presumably to continue a masterful performance. But the Rockets had a last chance to make a defensive stand. And with the game on the line, they tweaked the lineup, changed the defense and stomped the Suns down the stretch, surging to a 96-89 victory Thursday night for their third consecutive win on the"
Rockets GM: I should've kept Jeremy
February 10
New York Post
 
"Rockets general manager Daryl Morey took to Twitter yesterday to express his regret over letting Jeremy Lin go earlier this season. "We should have kept [Jeremy Lin]. Did not know he was this good," Morey said on his official Twitter feed while answering questions from fans. "Anyone who says they knew misleading U." Morey added, in a separate tweet, "Finally, really happy for [Lin]. Very hard working, nice & humble. He has a great, great future.""
Rockets coach McHale follows through on benching threat
February 10
Houston Chronicle
 
"On his first day as Rockets coach, Kevin McHale said that players who are not playing hard would spend time keeping him company. "You use the bench," he said. "If they're not motivated, they can sit by me," McHale said in his introductory news conference. "I'd rather lose with guys playing hard than win with more talented guys giving me halfway effort." On Monday, he clearly demonstrated that he meant it. With centers Samuel Dalembert and Jordan Hill lethargic and ineffective, he benched both and went instead with Jeff Adrien, a rarely used forward out of the NBA Development League that the team waived the next day. McHale said he was not trying to send a message, but it would have been"
Houston 103, Portland 96: Blazers crumble late in loss to Rockets
February 9
Oregonian
 
"Saying that he has seen "slippage" in the Trail Blazers, coach Nate McMillan used the last two days to take his reeling team "Back to the basics." It might be time to go back to the drawing board. The Blazers suffered one of their most head-scratching defeats Wednesday night, falling 103-96 to the Houston Rockets before 20,350 at the Rose Garden. One game after losing an overtime heartbreaker to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Blazers started slow, mounted a furious rally midway through and then -- surprise! -- crumbled late. This is hardly the first time such an event has occurred, but it's been a rarity at home, where the Blazers (14-12) suffered just their third loss of the season."
Reserves make Rockets soar past Blazers
February 9
Portland Tribune
 
"The Houston Rockets had the right ingredients to beat the Trail Blazers Wednesday night at the Rose Garden. Namely, great shooting, plenty of energy in the first half and a band of reserves who played like starters. The Rockets (14-11) jumped to a 14-point halftime lead, extended it to 19 points early in the third quarter, saw all of it disappear and then closed strong in a 103-96 victory."
Rockets may be on outside looking in at 2013 All-Star Game
February 9
Houston Chronicle
 columnist Jerome Solomon
"The NBA All-Star Game is coming to Houston next year. Unfortunately for the Rockets, their participation in the league's premier showcase probably will be somewhat akin to hosting a swanky party at your house and being relegated to handling the valet parking. That is the Rockets' (parking) lot in the NBA landscape these days. They almost certainly won't have a player in this year's All-Star Game (in Orlando, Fla., on Feb. 26). And unless a major trade happens, they probably won't have one in next year's game either. Wait … a trade? Here is an idea."
Rockets 103, Blazers 96: Lowry's injury turns hard-fought battle into costly win
February 9
Houston Chronicle
 
"The Rockets lost their poise, their lead and their point guard. They could not bear to lose the game too. With Kyle Lowry in the locker room with a third-quarter elbow injury, the Rockets recovered from a thorough second-half collapse, turning to their bench to take them past the Trail Blazers to a 103-96 win at the Rose Garden. Lowry left the game in the third quarter with a strained right elbow, immediately going to the floor and then to the locker room. "I tried to throw a pass to Jordan (Hill) on a cut," Lowry said. "I kind of hyper-extended it, strained it a bit. I just have to do treatment. You know me. I don't want to sit out too many games. I don't want to sit out games at all."
NBA expected to officially award Houston the 2013 All-Star Game Wednesday
February 8
Houston Chronicle
 
"The 2013 NBA All-Star game is expected to officially become Houston's on Wednesday. The NBA has called for "a major NBA announcement" Wednesday at Toyota Center with Houston Mayor Annise Parker, Rockets CEO Tad Brown and NBA commissioner David Stern to appear. We have previously reported that "a person familiar with the bidding process" said Houston and the Rockets have landed the event. The game will be played Feb. 17 at Toyota Center, which also hosted the 2006 game."
Short-handed Nuggets lose at home to Rockets; Danilo Gallinari injured
February 7
Denver Post
 
"Four starters injured. A key backup away from the team. Then the backup center, who made a start, fouled out. The Nuggets were short-handed Monday night against Houston at the Pepsi Center, but they trailed by only four points with 1:21 left before losing 99-90 to the Rockets. The Nuggets (15-10) also might have lost Danilo Gallinari, who suffered a sprained left ankle during the third quarter. X-rays revealed a chip fracture in the foot. Gallinari will have a CT scan today."
Message sent when McHale calls out, "Yo Adrien," benches Hill, Dalembert
February 7
Houston Chronicle
 
"When Chase Budinger was benched for three games, he got the message. He fell out of the rotation when he fell back to his tendency to sit around on the 3-point line. When he returned, he shot well, but he was also much more active, getting on loose balls and on the boards, running the floor, playing with energy whether his shot was there or not. He had 14 of his 16 points in the second half, giving the Rockets a lift they desperately needed. But he also had five rebounds, showing he will do something besides score. Another message was sent on Monday. The Rockets hope it is as effectively received. Rockets coach Kevin McHale benched Samuel Dalembert after seven minutes and Jordan Hill after"
Rockets rookie Morris accepts demotion, again
February 6
Houston Chronicle
 
"It makes sense that the Rockets sent rookie forward Marcus Morris to the NBA Development League for a second stint. It is understandable that Morris isn't happy about it. Few players would be. No competitor likes being told he isn't good enough. When you believe you can play at the top level, you want to play at the top level. Period. As much as the NBA would like to shape the D-League into a copy of MLB's minor league system, it isn't anywhere near that point. Players do not deem being sent to the D-League as a positive. And Morris, 22, is in the unique situation of having a twin brother, Markieff, who plays 20 minutes a night as part of the rotation in Phoenix. It had been generally"
Kyle Lowry getting back on track
February 6
Houston Chronicle
 
"Guard Kyle Lowry has struggled for several weeks offensively, but the Rockets believed he was coming around even as he broke through Saturday. Lowry scored 24 points with 11 assists, getting more points in the second half (17) than in any game since scoring a season-high 33 on Jan. 12. "It's just a mental thing, a mentality I have to go out there with," Lowry said. "I definitely was a little bit tired the last couple weeks. That's part of the minutes I've been playing. It's all good. I just have to go out there and play the way I know how to play." But coach Kevin McHale said he saw Lowry bouncing back in the Spurs and Suns games and in practice. "In this league, you work really hard and"
Rockets see Nuggets as model for success without superstar
February 6
Houston Chronicle
 
"Given the option, Rockets coach Kevin McHale would gladly drop Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Hakeem Olajuwon into the middle of his lineup and work from there. He presumably meant Olajuwon or Abdul-Jabbar in his prime, but if either were open to it, McHale likely would consider it now, too. Rockets general manager Daryl Morey would go barefoot and tap dance on hot coals (as if imitating Kevin Love's treatment of Luis Scola's face) if it could get him the superstar centerpiece he has coveted. Yet as the Rockets — whose roster has a combined zero All-Star appearances — considered the success of the Denver Nuggets, the idea of building with balance did not seem so bad."
Timberwolves 100, Rockets 91: Rockets show some fight after Love steps on Scola, but fall as Wolves surge late
February 5
Houston Chronicle
 
"For much of the night, the Minnesota Timberwolves pounded the Rockets so thoroughly it felt like a stomp in the face. Still, the Rockets could not be sure without a side-by-side comparison. So after Kevin Love took down Luis Scola on a drive, he looked down, took aim and planted a size-19 as if putting out a cigar on Scola's face as Scola's head bounced off the court. The Rockets were livid and quickly hit with technical fouls, one after another. But after they got up, they finally fought back. They slowed the Wolves long enough to cut a 16-point lead to three, but by then, they were out of defensive stops as the Timberwolves surged one more time to close out a 100-91 win Saturday night at"
Western Conference race already scrambled
February 5
Houston Chronicle
 
"The Rockets did not buy into the idea that the season's longest road trip, which began Saturday with a loss in Minnesota and ends Feb. 14 in Memphis, could have make-or-break potential. They did believe the six-game trip could indicate their progress this season. "It's just six games," Rockets forward Luis Scola said. "It's not like if we don't do good it's over, or if we do good then it's going to be OK. We have a lot of way to go after that. But it's going to be very important for us. "We're going to play some good teams. We're going to play on the road. We're going to have a good, long trip. If we're able to succeed, it will be a good indication.""
Love's story — he had nowhere else to put his big feet … won't fly. Suspension for Kevin Love should be coming.
February 5
Houston Chronicle
 columnist Jonathan Feigen
"Despite their best efforts, Kevin Love and the Timberwolves should have no chance of convincing the NBA it was just a Love tap. Love went Savion Glover on Luis Scola's face. Love might be one of the league's best young players, but the league presumably still frowns on players treating other players' faces as starting blocks. Knowing he is in jeopardy of getting hit with a suspension – and this should be a no-brainer one-game suspension — Love did his best to spin the answer. In fact, he danced around it so well, he could have tap-danced on the head of a pin, which makes it difficult to buy his argument that he has feet so large, he just could not miss Scola's face. He did, however,"
Love pleads innocence over stomp on Scola
February 5
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"There were about 8 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter Saturday when Houston's Luis Scola put the ball on the floor and drove towards the basket. Timberwolves forward Kevin Love appeared to foul Scola, though none was called. But what happened next was on YouTube within minutes and had people talking after the game. Scola went to the floor. Love, as he was getting ready to run up court, stepped on Scola's face and chest with his left foot. Referees didn't see it. But that moment changed the tenor of the game. At the other end, the Rockets bench got called for a technical for complaining about the no-call. Luke Ridnour hit the free throw, extending the Wolves lead to 13. Emotionally"
Rockets' balanced scoring attack cripples Suns
February 4
Arizona Republic
 
"The only momentum the Suns seem to be able to gather this season is when they head downhill. With a chance to follow up a win in New Orleans and set up one tonight at home against Charlotte, the NBA's worst team, the Suns went the other way like a dog with its tail between its legs. The Suns were competitive until the substituting began and then went reeling to a 23-point second-quarter deficit and a 99-81 loss Friday night to Houston at Toyota Center. The Suns (8-14) never threatened after a 59-39 Rockets halftime lead, fading away just as when they were buried with a 47-33 deficit at Portland last week and a 66-48 halftime deficit Monday at home against Dallas. The only thing shorter"
Seven Rockets score in double figures in rout
February 4
Houston Chronicle
 
"Just hours before beginning the longest trip of the season, the Rockets enjoyed themselves a bit before leaving town. The Rockets got in a decent workout without extending themselves. They worked on a few things that needed their attention after Wednesday's loss in San Antonio. And while they were at it, they picked up a 99-81 blowout of the Phoenix Suns on Friday night to tuck in the suitcase before boarding the charter to Minnesota. The Rockets won so comfortably that it might have been difficult to notice the one line on the to-do list they checked off before the tests to come. After getting run off the floor Monday against the Timberwolves and similarly taken apart in the second half"
Rockets' Goran Dragic prepares for third reunion with Suns
February 3
Arizona Republic
 
"It has been nearly a year since Goran Dragic was awakened by Steve Nash on a Suns team flight and told that he had been traded. It seemed like a joke, like when Nash converted Leandro Barbosa into an Avatar to wake up Robin Lopez on a flight for a video. But it was the stark truth and it felt like a separation from the only American family the Slovenian had. Dragic missed Phoenix, but let it go quickly last year to finish strongly with Houston in a season that his struggles reflected the Suns' bench problems. Dragic would like to make a better showing against the Suns than in two post-trade meetings last season, when he did not make a shot in 20 minutes, and show how he feels he is in a"
Rockets' grueling road trip will test their progress
February 3
Houston Chronicle
 
"The Rockets did not get the win Wednesday night. Kyle Lowry did not break through or leave his shooting slump behind. But the changes were obvious. They played much better, even in blowing a 19-point lead against the Spurs, than they had in the defensive debacle against the Timberwolves. But as the Rockets await one more home game, tonight against the Suns, before taking off on their longest road trip of the season, the changes go beyond improved defense or effort. The finger-pointing and second-guessing that followed Monday's loss were gone. The video session was shorter and nowhere near as painful."
Blame the refs? Not until Rockets learn to play defense for four quarters
February 2
Houston Chronicle
 
"Since the Rockets cannot – no matter what they do or how hard they try or how much wish they could – change the charging call against Courtney Lee or several others they still can't believe, there is a little matter of those 60 second-half Spurs points. They can't do anything about that, either, but they do play the Suns, who put up 120 on Wednesday, on Friday. They face the Timberwolves, who whipped them on Monday, the next night. They go to Denver and Portland where the home teams are rolling. If they can't find a way to stop somebody, games won't be coming down to a call or two very often. The defense made huge strides, at least for awhile, on Wednesday. The improvements were not"
Why the defensive switch on Kevin Martin changed the game
February 2
San Antonio Express-News
 
"After Kevin Martin blistered the Spurs for 21 points in the first half on an assortment of jumpers, Gregg Popovich had seen enough. The Spurs coach changed his defensive strategy with the idea of forcing Martin to drive more after the break. A rotation of fresh defenders was employed, with Danny Green and Gary Neal getting most of the work. "A guy like that, once he gets going, you have to throw different things at him," Green said. "We had multiple guys guarding him. All you can do is to try to deny him catching it. And when he catches it, just be annoying so he doesn't get rhythm and make shots. Luckily, he cooled down when we needed him to.""
Rockets trying to acquire Kaman
February 1
SI.com
 
"The Houston Rockets have had extensive discussions with the New Orleans Hornets about center Chris Kaman and appear to be in the lead to trade for him, numerous sources told SI.com. The NBA-owned Hornets, who acquired Kaman from the Clippers in the Chris Paul deal on Dec. 15, rendered him inactive last week and publicly acknowledged their decision to trade him. Hornets general manager Dell Demps has been shopping for a deal involving young players and draft picks while the big man awaits his next destination. Kaman, 29, an All-Star in 2009-2010 when he averaged 18.5 points and 9.2 rebounds, is making $14 million in the last year of his contract. Dealing with the Hornets means any trade"
Rockets decide the court is for playing, not talking
February 1
Houston Chronicle
 
"As the Rockets gathered Tuesday after practice, forward Luis Scola — the team's oldest and longest-tenured player — delivered a message more meaningful than the usual group shouts of "Rockets!" "Shut the … up and play!" Scola said. Guard Kyle Lowry followed that directive, refusing comment a day after saying coaches failed to "adjust" to Minnesota. The Rockets did say, however, that Scola's message was about more than a few postgame quotes after a bad loss. They cited finger-pointing on the court during the game and "chitchat" during practice the next day."
Scola's solution to Rockets' issues is to work harder
February 1
Houston Chronicle
 
"Long after Monday's game and again after Tuesday's practice, Rockets forward Luis Scola pushed himself through sets of shooting drills, cutting through imaginary screens to take 18-foot jumpers. "I try to do it all the time," Scola said of the extra work. "Sometimes we don't have time. I don't like the way I'm playing. I know just one way to get back to what I do — just work hard." Rockets coach Kevin McHale described the effort as typical of Scola but not everyone. "Luis is just a hard worker," McHale said. "There's a reason that guy's a winner. … He's just a grinder; he's a worker. He makes it easy to come to work. I can't say that for everybody.""
When Rockets let up, they're in for a letdown
January 31
Houston Chronicle
 columnist Jerome Solomon
"Astros owner Jim Crane sat courtside at Toyota Center, occasionally biting his fingernails. Perhaps he was contemplating a name change for the Rockets. A wise guy on press row suggested the Matadors. But that might be too kind. I vote for the Beaswax. If you saw what Minnesota's Michael Beasley did to the Rockets on this night, you would understand. Most certainly, the Defenders wouldn't make the cut. Not after the Rockets played defense like they were in the Pro Bowl. Do keep in mind, in this case we're using the term defense loosely, which, as it were, is precisely how the Rockets played defense, so perhaps it is poetic."
Rockets blame lack of "adjustments" for blowout loss
January 31
Houston Chronicle
 
"Whether it was the intention to second guess Kevin McHale and his staff or not, whether it was just pride covering for an atrocious defensive performance, Rockets guards Kyle Lowry and Courtney Lee said the Rockets failed to 'make adjustments." The translation was that the coaches let them down. And the accusation came with Rick Adelman, the coach they wanted to have back this season, sitting down the hall in the visiting locker room with a fresh 120-108 butt-kicking of his former team."
A record-setting night for Michael Beasley
January 31
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"Greetings from Houston. Youngblood here. I had the distinct privilege to cover tonight's game. It was something to watch. You probably already know the numbers. That the victory, the Wolves' fifth on the road, matches their road win totals from each of the past two seasons. That the Wolves' 42 third-quarter points was the most in the third quarter in franchise history. That Michael Beasley's 34 points off the bench matched the franchise record for a Wolves reserve."
Timberwolves 120, Rockets 108: Wolves use 42-point third to roll past Rockets
January 31
Houston Chronicle
 
"It might have seemed like the Rockets did nothing special to welcome Rick Adelman back to town. There was no special announcement, no thanks-for-the-memories video. Then the game began, and they could not have been more accommodating. When Ricky Rubio drove to the rim, they got out of the way. When Kevin Love took jumpers, they watched closely. Most of all, when Michael Beasley went to work, they were helpless. Back in Toyota Center for the first time since he was allowed to leave, Adelman walked out with a 120-108 blowout as his Timberwolves reached their season high in points while scoring more than any team had this season against the Rockets. "We never found anything defensively,""
Rockets' Courtney Lee involved in serious car accident
January 30
Houston Chronicle
 
"Rockets guard Courtney Lee escaped without injury from a serious car accident several hours after Saturday's game at Toyota Center. Lee said Sunday that he and two passengers in his vehicle were not hurt, but that the driver of the other car was badly injured. "The other driver ran a red light doing like 100 mph," Lee said via a text message on Sunday. The other driver was rushed to a hospital. Rockets spokesman Nelson Luis said the accident occurred "four or five blocks from Toyota Center around midnight." A Houston Police Department spokesman said a police report was not available on Sunday."
Compressed schedule forces Rockets to revisit routines
January 30
Houston Chronicle
 
"Rockets guard Kevin Martin made his way downstairs from the Toyota Center practice court confident he would play Saturday night's game against the New York Knicks. "Looking good," he reported cheerily. Minutes later, trainer Keith Jones sat Martin down for a talk. Martin would remain on the inactive list for a second game as the doctors considered the swelling in his right heel and the Rockets looked to the lockout-season schedule. In any other season, Martin, 28, would have been free to play. Instead, he received another reminder this is a season unlike any other. "Everything we do is geared toward recovery. Everything," Jones said. "We changed our whole routine for this compressed"
Rockets 97, Knicks 84: Reserves lead way in another rout
January 29
Houston Chronicle
 
"Kevin McHale's plan to tighten his rotation has not worked out at all as he planned. He thought the Rockets had reached the point of the season, as they approached their 20th game, in which he would go with a short bench with well-defined roles. Instead for the past two nights, he's been able to go 13 deep. More than just giving him a chance to clear his bench, his second unit keyed consecutive blowouts, adding a 97-84 rout of the Knicks on Saturday to the romp past the Wizards on Friday. After chances to play everyone as if he was coaching a YMCA team, McHale is ready to let his rotation grow by at least one player when Kevin Martin's sore right foot allows him to return."
With another rout, Rockets have whipped some weaklings, but have gotten stronger, too
January 29
Houston Chronicle
 
"For those so inclined, it would not be difficult to diminish the Rockets turnaround. They beat bunches of bad and injury-depleted teams. They beat the Spurs without Tim Duncan, the Hornets without Eric Gordon, the Timberwolves without Michael Beasley, Martell Webster, Wesley Johnson, J.J. Barea and Brad Miller. The Knicks were without Carmelo Anthony. The Wizards were without a clue. All that might be true, but it ignores larger points. The Rockets did what they were supposed to do, winning nine of 10 games to climb to the top of the Southwest Division and to fourth in the West. And as they move on to a tougher portion of the schedule, they are a better team than when they limped to a 3-7"
Rockets orders: Martin sits out against Knicks
January 29
Houston Chronicle
 
"Rockets guard Kevin Martin reported to Toyota Center planning to play against the Knicks, having sat out Friday's win over the Timberwolves. He went through shooting drills in the morning and a walk-through in the afternoon. He was then told to take another night off to give the inflammation in his right heel more time to heal. He is day-to-day. "He would like to play," coach Kevin McHale said. "We talked to the doctors this afternoon. They just started him on a pack of anti-inflammatory stuff. They want to let that take hold a little more. He was disappointed he wasn't going to play. This is a crazy schedule. We'd much rather have him be a little more cautious tonight. We have eight games"
Budinger earned a return to the rotation
January 28
Houston Chronicle
 
"For the first time in more than a week, Chase Budinger got off the Rockets bench with an opportunity to show he could still help the Rockets. When he last played, in the game the Rockets scored seven fourth-quarter points, he took two shots, both 3-pointers, and missed them both. With Courtney Lee back, Kevin McHale opted for more small lineups, with Lee playing with two guards. Budinger watched. When he returned to the court on Friday, he nailed his first shot, another trey, and would knock down three more. He finished with a season-high 21 points, making 8 of 14 shots, 4 of 6 from distance. But he knew that those numbers would have little to do with earning a consistent spot in the"
Flu takes toll on first-time victim Jordan Hill
January 28
Houston Chronicle
 
"Rockets center Jordan Hill returned to practice Friday after several days of battling the flu, an experience that included an ambulance ride and night in the hospital where he received four liters of fluid intravenously. "It was the first time I ever had the flu," Hill said. "Now I know what to expect. It felt like it was going to be the last time. I was scared. I never felt like that before." It's a rarity — practice time The Rockets on Friday held their first practice since Jan. 9 and worked on execution. "We had to clean up on some things defensively, then some stuff offensively," coach Kevin McHale said. "It was nice to be on the floor where you can actually watch video, show the guys"
Budinger comes off bench to star in blowout win
January 28
Houston Chronicle
 
"As Chase Budinger went through his pregame shooting drills, there was none of his usual pregame cheeriness. There was little conversation, none of his frequent showy slams on his way off the court. Budinger was in no mood to goof around after a run of games stuck on the bench. He also believed his chance to return to the floor was coming with Kevin Martin out. Either way, when Budinger got his chance, he jolted the Rockets out of some first-half doldrums en route to a 103-76 blowout of the Washington Wizards on Friday night at Toyota Center, their biggest rout of the season. "It was very (difficult), especially when you've been playing for a couple of years, getting consistent minutes,""
Rockets' McHale brings new meaning to 'small ball'
January 27
Houston Chronicle
 
"When Rockets coach Kevin McHale said so often he would shrink his rotation, it was assumed he meant he would play fewer players. McHale has, but the downsizing has been bigger than that. The starters have remained the same through nine games, but McHale has played his point guards, Kyle Lowry and Goran Dragic, together. He has played his backup shooting guard, Courtney Lee, as a small forward. He has played his small forward, Chandler Parsons as a power forward. When small was not small enough — for five minutes as the Rockets ran away from the Timberwolves — McHale even had all 185 pounds of Kevin Martin as a "power" forward."
Rockets' Kevin McHale has "no thoughts" on Wizards' coaching stiuation
January 27
Washington Post
 
"Kevin McHale hired and fired both Flip Saunders and Randy Wittman in Minnesota. But now that Wittman has replaced Saunders in the latest Wizards' coaching shakeup, McHale was in no mood to reminisce about the time he shared with either man in Minnesota or discuss their current situations. "I'm not too worried about Washington," McHale, now coach of the Houston Rockets, said after a lengthy practice at Toyota Center on Thursday. "We'll play them tomorrow night and that'll be the last time I think about them till next year because we don't play them again. So, I don't think too much.""
Lowry misfires during loss to Bucks but hits on target with criticism of his performance
January 26
Houston Chronicle
 
"Kyle Lowry blamed himself. He has done that before. It's a pretty stand-up way to react to a poor game. But this was different. Lowry missed his first 13 shots on Wednesday, but this time, Lowry was not talking about his shot. "When they went on their runs, we put our heads down," Lowry said. "That's partly me. That's something I did as a leader. I take that loss on me. They made a shot, we put our heads down, walked the ball up, didn't play our game. It was a bad outing for myself. When I put my head down, my teammates follow me.""
Rockets pass on lottery picks options, extensions; will save money for summer.
January 25
Houston Chronicle
 
"The Rockets have told each of their four lottery picks from the 2009 NBA Draft – Hasheem Thabeet, Jonny Flynn, Terrence Williams and Jordan Hill – they won't be picking up the fourth-year option on their rookie contracts, a person with knowledge of the talks said. The moves were not unexpected. Only Hill is playing. The Rockets, however, made the decision not as much because of the play of the four lottery picks, but to create room for a max contract should there be a free agent (Dwight Howard, Deron Williams lead the class), according to the person familiar with their thinking."
Former Timberwolves guard Jonny Flynn glad to be out of Minnesota
January 24
St. Paul Pioneer Press
 
"Former Timberwolves guard Jonny Flynn does not have good memories about his final season in Minnesota. Flynn, traded to Houston on the night of the 2011 NBA draft, expressed disappointment about the criticism he received from Wolves fans last season and the ongoing speculation about Ricky Rubio joining the team. "I let that get to me too much," Flynn said before Monday night's game against the Timberwolves at Target Center. "Everybody was always talking about Ricky coming here. What I went through here taught me a lot about life." Flynn, who did not play Monday, was selected by the Wolves with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2009 draft. Rubio was taken with the No. 5 pick but chose to remain"
McHale chooses to leave the memories at the door
January 24
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"Kevin McHale walked -- actually limped is the more accurate description -- back into Target Center on Monday morning, dressed in jeans, sneakers and a winter coat, fresh off a two-hour snowy commute from his home in North Oaks. McHale entered through the visitors tunnel, instead of the opposite end of the court, a path he took hundreds of times as Timberwolves executive and coach. Feel weird coming in that other door? "I've walked in that end a lot of times," he said. "No different." OK, what about the emotion of being back inside Target Center, his workplace for so many years, a building he's seen filled with emotion and life but also as dreary as a graveyard? "Ah, it's been three years,""
Feeling Minnesota, Minnesota? McHale booed, but not beaten, in homecoming
January 24
Houston Chronicle
 
"Kevin McHale might not have succeeded as general manager in Minnesota, but he was a neighbor, a local from Hibbing that made it big and made his home state proud. So when McHale made his return to Minneapolis – they booed like crazy. It was a weird way to treat a "Northwoods boy." The guy did trade a first-round pick for Marko Jaric and the Wolves have failed to make the playoffs for so long that the pick is no longer lottery protected. But he also did trade the rights to O.J. Mayo to get Kevin Love, who is not only a wonderful player about to get a max contract, the best hope of the franchise he left, but also some vindication. The bulk of those booing McHale thought he was an idiot for"
Kevin McHale returns to Target Center as Houston Rockets coach
January 23
St. Paul Pioneer Press
 
"McHale back, but on the other bench There will be a different version of Kevin McHale coaching the Houston Rockets tonight at Target Center. He doesn't have an interim tag in front of his name, and he didn't take over the job in midseason. That's one of the memories Timberwolves fans have of McHale, who twice left his front-office position as vice president of basketball operations to replace a struggling coach: Flip Saunders in 2005 and Randy Wittman in 2009. McHale, 54, who has had a fresh start since Rockets owner Leslie Alexander signed him to a four-year contract June 1, returns to the Twin Cities with a team on a six-game winning streak."