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Courtney Lee News & Rumors

Lee's free-agent destiny is in team's hands
April 24
Houston Chronicle
 
"Because guard Courtney Lee is a restricted free agent, his future is in the Rockets' hands. The team can match any offer sheet he signs, but he said that would be fine with him. "I'd love to stay in Houston," Lee said. "I have little control over that. The only thing I can control is how I play every night and give 100 percent effort. The off-the-court stuff is up to the front office and owner. I'd like to stay, but that's their decision. "Houston is always going to be my first choice. It's up to those guys, if I get an offer, whether they match it or if they just come out and give me an offer.""
Rockets' Lee enjoying refound role as starter
March 29
Houston Chronicle
 
"Courtney Lee never stopped thinking of himself as a starting shooting guard, despite the small detail that he was not starting. He had no way to know if others thought of him the same way, though he knew he would soon find out as a restricted free agent this summer. But after most of two seasons as the backup to Kevin Martin, the Rockets' top scorer and highest-paid player, Lee barely gave it a thought as he moved into the starting lineup with Martin out with a strained and torn right shoulder. "I think the two years I was in the league as a starter at the beginning of my career kind of solidified what I'm capable of doing," Lee said. "Coming here and having a different role, then having"
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."
Bulls still could add Lee or Mayo
February 24
Chicago Tribune
 
"With the NBA trade deadline arriving at 2 p.m. Thursday, the Bulls continue to explore adding a shooting guard, perhaps the Rockets' Courtney Lee or the Grizzlies' O.J. Mayo - on their terms. That translates to offering draft picks and absorbing money into their roughly $2.9 million of salary cap space. A player would have to be included to offset the remainder of Mayo's $4.45 million deal, but a league source said the Bulls are rebuffing teams' requests for Omer Asik and Taj Gibson for now. Coach Tom Thibodeau said Tuesday's acquisition of another first-round pick for James Johnson "gives us flexibility moving forward." The Bulls don't feel pressure to make a deal. Familiar face: He wore"
More playing time, points for Lee
February 16
Houston Chronicle
 
"Rockets guard Courtney Lee has averaged 18 points in his past three games, earning more consistent playing time that he said has helped lead to more effective scoring. "You get a chance to get a rhythm, get a feel for the flow of the game," Lee said. "The second group, we were playing for each other, we were getting out and running. We were getting stops. And we were having fun. That makes everyone's job a lot easier. "Any given time, opportunity can change. I was just waiting patiently. The times I was out there, I was just trying to help the team as much as possible, whether it was on the offensive end or defensive end. Now that minutes have increased, I just want to continue doing those"
Lee concerned before trade deadline
February 15
Houston Chronicle
 
"Rockets guard Courtney Lee, who had been traded after each of his first two NBA seasons, said he is concerned with the trade deadline next week, but will be fine either way. "I'm happy," Lee said. "I've been traded twice so that doesn't faze me at all. Wherever I'm at, I enjoy. I'm going to be a professional and work hard. If that leads me to be somewhere else, I'll do the same." After the Rockets committed a season-high 30 fouls and allowed a season high 43 free throws in the previous meeting with the Nuggets, Shane Battier began his day Monday by checking on the officiating crew assigned to the game. "That's the first thing I look at," Battier said. "I come in the gym — who are my"
Lee's big night for naught
February 10
Houston Chronicle
 
"Courtney Lee scored a season-high 23 points in Tuesday's loss to Minnesota and helped the Rockets keep the game tight when they went cold. He sat down the stretch, however, and missed his last attempt when the Timberwolves led by three in the final seconds. "It means nothing; we didn't come out with a victory," Lee said of his scoring. "That's what everybody on this team is going out there to do. ... It's definitely frustrating." The Rockets' loss to Minnesota began a four-game homestand, their longest of the season so far. They are just 4-6 at home in 2011, with three home games — against Dallas, Denver and Philadelphia - remaining before the All-Star break. "We have not been a good team"
Lee was shocked by trade from Magic
January 8
Houston Chronicle
 
"Stunned as he was to be traded by the Orlando Magic after his rookie season ended with a trip to the NBA Finals, Rockets guard Courtney Lee has since learned it could happen to just about anybody. It nearly has. Only Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson and J.J. Redick have not moved on since the end of the 2009 season. "It was definitely a shock," Lee said. "If they would have moved anybody on that team, they would have been shocked after that year. It took a lot to get over. But I'm happy for the organization, happy that they have continued to get better." "It was definitely a shock," Lee said. "If they would have moved anybody on that team, they would have been shocked after that year. It took"
Coach seeks bench mark
November 24
Houston Chronicle
 
"One by one, the Rockets' young reserves were called to Rick Adelman's office Sunday afternoon. First Courtney Lee, then Chase Budinger and finally Jordan Hill were brought in for meetings that a day later Adelman called "give-and-take." The coach would give them more minutes of court time. They were ordered to take advantage of the increased opportunity. "It meant a lot," Lee said. "He's holding us accountable. Us three guys, we've been waiting for an opportunity to get out there and try to impact the game and help the starters out. It was a good feeling. "By the time Jordan came out, it was like, 'Hmm, he just talked to us three. We have to turn it up.'?" To varying degrees they did. Lee"
Options picked up on Lee, Hill
October 29
Houston Chronicle
 
"Today, the Rockets will pick up their options on the deals of players on rookie contracts, exercising their 2010-11 rights to Courtney Lee's fourth season and Jordan Hill's third season. Lee, who was traded after each of his first two NBA seasons, felt no added sense of security from being under contract next season. "Not at all," he said. "I went to New Jersey. They picked up my option and traded me, too. It's a business. Anything can happen on any given day. I never feel secure. Just go in, be a professional, and do what you're asked every single day. "Any player would like to get somewhere and get comfortable and be there for a while. But if it happens again, I'll be prepared.""
Courtney Lee's a Rocket man but a Magic fan
October 6
Orlando Sentinel
 
"Former Orlando Magic starter Courtney Lee feels right at home with the Houston Rockets. Going from a team that went 12-70 last season to a playoff contender would cheer anybody up. That's the case with Lee, who moved in August from the New Jersey Nets to the Rockets as part of a four-team trade. Lee, 25, likes his role with Houston. He probably will back up starting shooting guard Kevin Martin. The Rockets want him to serve as a defensive stopper on the wing and attack on the offensive end. "On offense, I have the most freedom I've ever had playing in the NBA," Lee said Tuesday. "If I'm open, I shoot the ball. If I can create, I create." On draft day last year, Lee went to the Nets in the"
Guard Lee to face former team
October 5
Houston Chronicle
 
"The day Courtney Lee was traded to the Rockets, he quickly checked out the schedule, laughing upon learning that his first game with his latest team would be against his first team, the Orlando Magic. Lee, however, has had a full season between his time with the Magic and the trade from the Nets to the Rockets, making tonight's reunion more interesting for him before and after the game than during. "The only difference is I know all those guys and the whole staff," Lee said. "We get to see each other again and talk before and after the game. During the game, it's just another team.""
Hornets trade Darren Collison, James Posey and Julian Wright, get Trevor Ariza, Marco Belinelli
August 12
New Orleans Times-Picayune
 
"Just when the rumors of discontent and trade speculation surrounding the New Orleans Hornets seemed to have subsided, new general manager Dell Demps finally relented and traded a point guard. Only not that point guard. Demps shipped Darren Collison and veteran forward James Posey on Wednesday to the Indiana Pacers as part of a four-team, five-player deal that netted New Orleans swingman Trevor Ariza from the Southwest Division-rival Houston Rockets. As part of the trade, the Pacers sent Troy Murphy to the New Jersey Nets, who sent Courtney Lee to the Rockets. The move was Demps' first tinkering of a roster that remained virtually in tact after missing the playoffs, which had been a point"
Courtney Lee 'on board with everything' as Nets look ahead to next season
April 10
Newark Star-Ledger
 
"The Nets' Courtney Lee is going home next week with a list of things to work on and a very uncertain role, and that suits him just fine. He could be the starting two-guard again next season, if he comes back with an improved off-the-dribble game, and retain his place as the Nets' third option and primary on-ball defender. Or he could be demoted to the bench if the free-agent market brings the kind of wing scorer too good to pass up. But either way, both he and the Nets know this much: He's a keeper, and he's going to be around for a while. "That's why I just have to continue to work on my game. If I'm in the same position, I'm in it. If they bring in all-star players, I'm willing to"
Nets tend to stagger without Courtney Lee
March 9
Bergen Record
 
"Courtney Lee never thought that playing the way he did in college would be such an adjustment. But the Nets' shooting guard has had to recondition his body as well as his mind. His role as a rookie last season with the Orlando Magic was to move the ball, play defense and take open shots. He had plenty of shots with all the attention paid to Dwight Howard, Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis. As a Net, Lee is looked upon to create shots and score more. He's on a roll and fulfilling his role. Lee, who scored 30 points in Monday night's loss to the Grizzlies at FedExForum, lately has been playing his best as a pro. He had scored at least 20 points in his previous three games and five times in his"
Courtney Lee returns to NJ Nets lineup after missing three games with ankle injury
March 7
Newark Star-Ledger
 
"Courtney Lee had worked hard to get his sprained ankle in good enough shape to allow him to play for the Nets on Friday, when his old team, the Orlando Magic, visited New Jersey. Ultimately, the Nets decided to hold him out of the lineup one more day. But after missing three games, Lee was finally given the green light to return to action Saturday night, when the Nets visited the Knicks in Madison Square Garden in the opening game of a five-game road trip that heads West Monday, when they visit Memphis. "Timmy (Walsh, the Nets' athletic trainer) said, 'When you have a situation like this, a back-to-back, it's always best to play that second game,' '' Lee explained. "He didn't want me to"
Courtney Lee aiming to return against Orlando
March 4
Bergen Record
 
"Courtney Lee already has missed one game against his former team and doesn't want to miss another. The Nets' shooting guard is aiming to return Friday when Vince Carter and the Orlando Magic visit Izod Center. Lee missed his second straight game Wednesday because of a left ankle sprain suffered Saturday in Boston. "It being Orlando kind of adds to the motivation to get back and play," Lee said. Lee had been playing well, averaging 19.5 points in his past four games, including back-to-back games of at least 21 when he got hurt. "It's definitely frustrating because I was starting to find my rhythm and get in a groove," Lee said. "Now I've got to make sure I find that rhythm when I get back.""
Courtney Lee sprains left ankle against Celtics, questionable for tonight
February 28
Bergen Record
 (scroll down)
""We're starting to play together as a team," Courtney Lee said. "We're starting to get everybody involved. We're starting to make the right plays on the defensive end." Lee played a big part Saturday, although he sprained his left ankle and couldn't finish the game. He came down on Brian Scalabrine's foot after shooting a jumper. Lee hit the two free throws and left early in the fourth with 21 points. He's questionable for tonight."
Nets' Lee rediscovers shooting touch
February 25
New York Post
 
"On a 5-52 Nets team stumbling toward the worst record in NBA history, there are precious few bright spots or silver linings. But one has been Courtney Lee, both his recent return to form, and all the unseen hard work it took to achieve it. Lee scored a career-high 28 points in Tuesday's 102-93 loss to Portland, the clearest sign that he has broken out of his shooting slump, and interim coach Kiki Vandeweghe said Lee's revival has been more hard work than work of art. "Courtney's been working on his shot — a lot." Vandeweghe said. "And I'm proud of him, because he's a classic example of somebody who just worked himself back into shooting well, into playing well.""
Nets' Courtney Lee staying positive about shooting woes
January 5
Newark Star-Ledger
 
"Sometimes the numbers nag at him like a demanding spouse. Do something, they tell him. Fix your broken jumper. Be more like so-and-so. Courtney Lee is trying to get his inner voice to shut up. He knows exactly what the numbers say. Nobody shooting 19 percent from downtown over the last month can ignore it. Nobody who's at .395 for the season can act like nothing's wrong. "But it's numbers," the Nets' shooting guard said after another post-practice shooting session Monday. "I'm not going to worry about it. The whole month, I think, has been more productive for me. I feel it — I'm trying to impact the game in a number of ways, and I'll just try to carry it out on the road now." That's the"
Nets' scorers finding shots hard to make
December 18
New York Post
 
"Nets interim head coach Kiki Vandeweghe says there are two types of players in the NBA: scorers and shooters. In the midst of this infamous season, asking which the Nets have seems like a trick question. But as a former sharpshooter, Vandeweghe has the answer, even if the Nets are averaging a league-low 89.3 points per game. "We're more scorers. We're athletic, we're quick, we can get to the basket," Vandeweghe said yesterday. "You talk about Devin [Harris] and Terrence [Williams] and Courtney [Lee] and Rafer [Alston] . . . a lot of our guys are quick to the basket. We have to swing the basketball and attack the basket continually and eventually they start calling fouls for you.""
Kiki's squad starts new streak
December 7
New York Post
 
"Face it, the Nets just aren't the same team on the road. So after celebrating their first victory of the season, they became a case of one and done through a fourth-quarter collapse yesterday at the Garden. For a while, though, the Nets looked as if they might carry over the heady momentum gained from the victory that stopped their historic season-opening losing streak at 18 games Friday in the Meadowlands. By halftime, they had 61 points. They ran into a Knicks zone but still were in position to make it two straight. They trailed, 93-90, after Courtney Lee drove for his second and last basket of the game, with 7:39 left. Then the Nets of 0-18 surfaced. They committed five turnovers,"
Bobcats help lift Nets to 1-18
December 5
Charlotte Observer
 
"Three simple steps to making the New Jersey Nets rapturous Friday: 1. Miss a dozen free throws. 2. Commit 19 turnovers. 3. Generally play dopey, disinterested and presumptuous basketball. Add that up, mix in a desperate opponent on an 18-game losing streak, and you get the Charlotte Bobcats' 97-91 loss at Izod Center. "It is embarrassing to be the first ones to lose to this team,'' Bobcats guard Stephen Jackson (28 points) admitted, without even being asked the question. "We should have won this game.'' If by "should have,'' he meant the 7-11 Bobcats were more talented, more experienced and seemingly better-coached, then he'd be right. But when you perform as sloppily, particularly down"
Misery finally ends in Kiki's 1st game as coach
December 5
New York Post
 
"The Nets pushed their season-high winning streak to one game last night. Darn, they didn't gain any ground in the Atlantic on the Celtics, who also won. Adhering to interim coach Kiki Vandeweghe's call to relax, have fun and block thoughts of the 0-18 worst start in NBA history, the Nets looked like a team enjoying a fresh start as they hustled, dove, defended, responded after taking some gut punches and, above all, won. They turned the Charlotte Bobcats into that squad with a team-oriented 97-91 victory that featured spectacular individual efforts by Courtney Lee, Brook Lopez and Devin Harris to make Vandeweghe a winner in his coaching debut. "You know what felt good? How hard our guys"
Things go from bad (Nets) to worse (injured) for Indy's Lee
November 18
Indianapolis Star
 
"Luck has not been on Courtney Lee's side the past five months. There has been the foot problem for the former Pike High School standout. The ankle problem. Now a groin problem. And, oh yeah, Lee was traded from a team that reached the NBA Finals last season (Orlando) to one that is rebuilding and won't be a playoff team anytime soon, the New Jersey Nets. "He's just been snakebit," Nets coach Lawrence Frank said. "Every time he starts to make a little bit of progress, he's gotten hurt. He's had basically three different injuries in 52 days." Lee has missed the past five games with a strained left groin. "It's just I had some fiber tears on top of my groin, the groin muscle," Lee told New"
Nets hope to get Devin Harris, Courtney Lee healthier this week
November 17
Newark Star-Ledger
 
"These days, this is progress for the 0-10 Nets: With Devin Harris back on the floor and Bobby Simmons back with the team after missing the last game because of a personal matter, coach Lawrence Frank actually had 10 players practicing for the first time in who knows how long yesterday. "We had some bodies out there, so it was good to see some guys back," Frank said. Of course, everything is not yet back to normal. Harris, who practiced for the first time since the day before the regular-season opener Oct. 28 in Minnesota, won't play tonight when the Nets host the streaking Indiana Pacers at Izod Center. One day of practice isn't enough for Harris, who has been battling a groin problem"
Courtney Lee Update
November 7
Newark Star-Ledger
 
"Just in case you don't pick up a late edition of the newspaper, here was Courtney's take on his left groin strain: "It's not bad at all. Rest as much as possible. Go from day-to-day," the winger said. "It wasn't a tear. They said it was a micro-tear below my groin. So it's day-to-day. It's minor through.""
Injury-riddled Nets lose sixth straight
November 7
New York Post
 
"There are matters in life that defy belief. Like the Nets losing another player to injury last night. Courtney Lee exited early in the third quarter with a strained left groin and did not return. That left the Nets with eight players, one of them Sean Williams who, suffice to say, played as much as Buck and Jayson Williams. Hard to believe, right? But then, there are matters that are completely believable. Like the Nets losing again. It happened, but this one, a 97-94, down-to-the-last-play defeat to the Sixers that gave the Nets the worst start in their NBA history, 0-6, had a different feel. Make no mistake, the Nets weren't giddy but they knew they gave effort. OK, a losing effort but"
New Net struggling mighti-Lee
November 6
New York Post
 
"There was Courtney Lee on the practice court yesterday, twenty minutes after everyone else on his team left: one dribble, jumper, one dribble, jumper. Emblematic of the Nets' 0-5 start, Lee is struggling to find his stride, shooting 30.6 percent from the field and going 2-of-14 (14.3 percent) from 3-point range. He has played more minutes than anyone else on the team, averaging 38 per game, and spends this time after practice to try and make those minutes more productive. "I'm kind of forcing the issue a little bit on the offensive end," said Lee, who is averaging 12.6 points per game. "I need to just let the game come to me and keep my preparation up and [keep] getting extra shots." For"