T-Mac's Toughness

Tracy McGrady may or may not realize it; but, he's fighting a perception that he's soft.

Case in point...

Tracy left Tuesday night's game versus Minnesota during the first half. He walked back to the training room with the team's trainer. At halftime, the Rockets' media staff handed out a press release stating McGrady "suffered a bruised left side." and; his "return to the game is questionable."

When the media read the release, many of us, including yours truly, had a shared reaction of: "You've got to be kidding." "He's going to sit out the second half because his side is sore." "Give me a break!"

I'm going to assume fans watching and / or listening to the game had a similar initial reaction when the news of his health status was first announced during the broadcast. Including "He's getting paid all that money; and, he can't play with a sore side?!"

To his credit, T-Mac returned to the game in the third quarter; however, his past injuries have clearly clouded people to believe he's injury prone and cannot play with pain.

Rice's Almond Named C-USA Player of the Week

Rice senior guard Morris Almond averaged 35.0 points for the Owls as the C-USA Preseason Player of the Year earned Player of the Week honors for the week ending Nov. 26.

MORRIS ALMOND, RICE Senior, Guard, Powder Springs, Ga.
Almond tied the Conference USA record with a 42-point performance at Utah on Saturday, hitting 13-of-16 field goals, including four 3-pointers, and nailing 12-of-14 from the free-throw line. He made his first eight field goal attempts and hit seven straight free throws before a miss. It was his 10th career game with more than 30 points and the second time in his career he scored more than 40 points (the 42 points was a career-high). For the week, Almond averaged 35.0 points, with 28 points in a Nov. 20 game with Oregon, and shot .634 (26-41) from the field despite being double teamed during most of both games. This is his first C-USA Player of the Week honor for the season and fourth of his career.

I'm pleased Morris received the honor; however, the sooner the rest of the "Little Almonds" improve their play, the better the Owls will be the season which I'm sure is more important to Morris than receiving weekly accolades.

T-Mac's 13 Dimes Helps Rockets Beat Memphis

Saturday night, the Rockets faced a team, the Memphis Grizzlies, who runs a more methodical offense than they do. Thank goodness for Tracy McGrady. The Rockets won the snoozefest 85 to 76 before an announced crowd of 16,707.

T-Mac tied a career-high with 13 assists. He also scored 19 points. Yao Ming added 28 points and eight rebounds. Foul-prone forward Chuck Hayes scored six points and pulled down eight boards as well.

The Rockets played a very effective and efficient first quarter. They made 11 field goals (out of 18 attempts); but, 10 of the baskets came on assists. Houston led Memphis 24 to 18 at the end of the first quarter. Unfortunately, Houston's magic stopped in the second period as Memphis outscored the Rockets 21 to 13 to take a snail's pace 39 to 37 score into halftime.

"The thing that concerns me is that every time we break our line-up," said Rockets' head coach Jeff Van Gundy. "The scores are going down in a dramatic fashion. I'm going to need to figure out a better way to rotate our bench because it's not being as productive as we need it to be."

The Rockets awakened from the second quarter slumber in the third period and sliced and diced the Grizzlies' defense for 28 third quarter points. McGrady dished out four assists in the period while Yao scored 11.

The more the game progressed, the more the Grizzlies struggled on offense. Memphis shot 6 for 17 in the third period and managed one meager assist in the quarter.

"We played two distinctively different halves of basketball," Mike Fratello, Grizzlies' head coach said after the game. "In the first half we played well defensively and passed the ball well, but in the second half, we turned the ball over and missed too many shots. We let the game get away from us. We had a very good first half, but in the second half we weren't the same team. We didn't pass or move the ball and we gave up too many transition baskets. I was not happy with our play in the third quarter as we got away from what we had been doing well."

Memphis pulled within six points (65 to 59) early in the fourth quarter; but, instead of folding like they've done in recent games, the Rockets responded with an 8 - 0 run to put the Grizzlies away. Luther Head drain two three-pointers during the run.

"I'm just going to keep trying to do what I've been doing," said Head.

As usual, the game was not a thing of beauty; but, a win is a win.

"They are going to have to score more than 85 points a game to win against the good teams in this league, said Grizzlies' guard Chucky Atkins. "It's going to be tough for them. I tip my hat to them, they beat us and that is all that matters."

Chucky may be partially correct. The Rockets (now 9-4 with the win) may need to score more than 85 points to beat the good teams; however, his statement also indicates his Grizzlies (now 3-10) are not a good team.

Rockets Hold off Wizards, 86-82

Apparently, I don't know much about basketball. I thought Wednesday night's game between the Rockets and the Washington Wizards was ugly because of bad offense. I'm mistaken. The Rockets 86 to 82 win over the Wizards was due to good, tough defense.

My bad.

Check out some quotes to prove I'm wrong:

Eddie Jordan, Wizards' head coach:
(on his team's play) "They put up a gutsy effort. I like the way my team played but we just couldn't make our shots. Houston does a tremendous job on defense. I like the way we defended and got some good rebounds. We want to push the ball and be organized on the fast-break baskets."

(on the fourth quarter Wizard run) "We made a nice run to cut the score to 72-71 and then both teams got in the same mode, with five or six possessions that nobody could make a basket. It was a test of wills at the end. Both teams missed shots down the stretch because of tough defense."

Gilbert Arenas, Wizards' star guard:
(on the game) "It was a defensive game. A grind-it-out game, one of those ugly games. It was two teams that fought hard all game. We fought our hearts out and don't have to hang our heads."

Baloney.

The game looked ugly because the teams couldn't put the ball in the basket. Washington scored just 28 first half points. They only had three assists on their 11 (out of 25) made first half baskets in the first half which tells me they're playing too much one-on-one basketball.

The Rockets scored only 40 points in the first half.

Houston led 60 to 45 in the third quarter before they began their regular swoon. Arenas led a Wizards comeback which cut the Rockets' lead to one (72-71) with about 5:50 left in the fourth quarter. Then, the poor play got worse. Neither team scored a single point the next three minutes. Those three minutes seemed a lot longer.

The drought was broken when Arenas was called for a foul on Rockets' guard Luther Head while Luther attempted a three-point shot. Luther made a three free-throws to give the Rockets a 75 to 71 lead. Arenas took a forced shot; thought he was fouled; and bitched to the officials while Head drained a three-point shot to put the Rockets up by seven.

Arenas continued griping to the referee during the Wizards' time-out. After the time-out, Arenas swished a three to make the score 78-74. Washington pulled within one point (80 to 79) with about 29 seconds remaining.

The Rockets called time-out. Houston got the ball in Tracy McGrady's hands. The plan was for T-Mac to created either for himself or his teammates. He created for Rafer Alston. McGrady beat his defender off the dribble; penetrated; drew a double-team; and passed to a wide-open Alston who drained a three with six seconds left in the ball game. (I have no idea why the Wizards would swarm McGrady and leave open a three-point shot attempt; but, instead of giving up a two, the Wiz gave up a three.)

The crowd of 15,300 erupted; but, Arenas banked in a three to make the score 83-82 with three seconds remaining. Washington fouled Luther Head. Luther made the first free throw; but, he intentionally missed the second one. The missed shot bounced off the rim; over Jarvis Hayes' head; and Head retrieved his own miss. Foul Wizards. Luther made both free throws to ice the game and give the Rockets the four point victory.

Yao Ming had a solid game with 25 points and 14 rebounds. McGrady was effective (13 points; 12 boards and a game-high eight assists). Rookie Rockets' guard Billy Spanoulis was very good. He scored 10 points; dished out 3 assists; and played good individual defense in his 17 minutes of action.

Spanoulis played so well, Jeff Van Gundy actually gushed (for JVG anyway) about him after the game.
(on the play of Spanoulis) "I thought Billy wasn't good...he was outstanding. I thought he was really good. In fact, if you watched him move his feet against some very hard guys to guard, he was able to stay in front of the ball and that's one thing that we've struggled with all year. I couldn't have been happier with how he played. I think he's gotten more disciplined. I was really happy with how he played. He gave us a great boost off the bench."

The game wasn't pretty by any means; but, the Rockets did the most important thing -- win.

Good defense. Bad offense. The bottom line is to win; and, the Rockets (8-4) did just that.

UH Offers Half-Price Tickets To Three Basketball Games

The University of Houston announced Tuesday that it is offering half-priced general admission tickets to all fans wishing to attend its men’s basketball games against Grambling State on November 22 and Prairie View A&M on November 29. Both games tip off at 7:00 p.m. in Hofheinz Pavilion on the UH campus.

In addition, UH is offering half-priced tickets to Sunday’s women’s basketball game against Michigan State that tips off at 4:00 p.m.

The Cougars enter the Grambling State game with a 2-0 record after defeating Rhode Island and Monmouth last week. The Cougars won a 102-99 overtime decision at Rhode Island on Monday, Nov. 13 when senior guard Oliver Lafayette nailed a 26-foot three-point basket at the buzzer.

Houston also defeated Monmouth, 89-80, last Saturday in its home opener. This marks the first time since 1997-98, the Cougars have started a season with a 2-0 record.Junior guard Robert McKiver leads Conference USA in scoring with 29.0 points per game after he opened the season with 33 points at Rhode Island and scored 25 points against Monmouth.Lafayette scored 29 points against Monmouth after netting 20 points against the Rams. Junior Marcus Malone added 25 points at Rhode Island.

For more information on the half-price tickets, please call the UH Ticket Office at 713-GO-COOGS (713) 462-6647.

Kirk Snyder out 8 to 10 weeks with Hand Injury

Rockets guard Kirk Snyder had his injured right hand examined this morning by Dr. Idris Gharbaoui at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center. The examination confirmed that Snyder sustained a spiral fracture of the second metacarpal bone in his right hand during the second quarter of last night’s 97-90 victory against the New York Knicks.

Dr. Gharbaoui performed a surgical procedure this afternoon to repair the hand. The typical recovery time for this type of injury is between eight-10 weeks. Snyder will be evaluated on a regular basis by the Rockets medical team and his timetable will be adjusted as needed.

Cougars' McKiver Named C-USA Player of the Week

ROBERT McKIVER, HOUSTON Junior, Guard, New Haven, Conn.

Robert "Fluff" McKiver made his Cougar debut with a 33-point performance in an 102-99 overtime road win at Rhode Island. His output set the UH school record for most points in a debut and he became the first player since 1976-77 season to open a season with at least 30 points. He followed that up with 25 points, five rebounds and five assists in UH’s home opener on Saturday - an 89-80 victory over Monmouth.

For the week, McKiver averaged 29.0 points (first in C-USA), 5.5 assists and 3.5 steals to win his first Player of the Week honor.

The Cougars (2-0) host Grambling State Wednesday, November 22, at Hofheinz Pavilion. Tip-off is set for 7:05 pm.

Owls Lose Lead Late; Fall in OT to Ducks

It's tough to lose a ball game leading by nine points with 92 seconds remaining; however, missed free throws and mental lapses resulted in 79-73 overtime loss by the Rice Owls to the Oregon Ducks Monday night at Rice University's Autry Court.

The Owls led the Ducks 61 to 52 with 1:32 seconds left in the second half. Oregon's Tajuan Porter hit a three-point shot to trim the lead to six (61-55).

The Ducks fouled Owls' freshman guard Chris Hagan. Hagan made both free throws to give Rice an eight point lead with 1:18 remaining. Oregon's Marty Leunen converted a lay-up 10 seconds later to narrow the lead back to six.

Hagan was fouled once again; and, he connected on both free throws yet again with 56 seconds left in the second half. Porter raced the ball up the court and drained another three-point basket to make the score 65 to 60, Rice.

Time-out, Oregon. Fifty-one seconds left.

The Owls inbounded the ball; broke Oregon's full-court pressure defense; and sophomore guard Corey Pflieger passed to open big man Marius Craciun near the basket. Instead of wasting precious seconds, Craciun, for whatever reason, attempted a reverse lay-up and missed (badly) the shot. Oregon rebounded the miss and senior guard Aaron Brooks knocked down a three-point shot to trim the Owls' lead to just two points (65-63) with 35 seconds left.

Oregon fouled Owls' guard Rodney Foster with 23 seconds remaining. Foster split his two free throws to put the Owls up three. Four seconds later, Porter tied the game (at 66) with his third three-point shot in the last 65 seconds.

Rice called time-out; after the time-out, Pflieger turned the ball over; however, Porter gave the ball to Rice when he was called for a travelling violation with 2 seconds left in regulation.

Rice called two thirty-second times-out; but, Morris Almond stepped out of bounds with just 0.4 left on the clock. Oregon failed to get a shot as the clock expired which sent the game into overtime tied at 66.

Almond started the extra session with a a made jump shot; but, Oregon scored seven straight points and took command of the overtime. The Owls pulled within four points (77-73) with 25 seconds remaining; unfortunately, a turnover by junior forward Patrick Britton gave Oregon possession. Aaron Brooks iced the game with two free throws for the final scores of the game.

Almond finished with 28 points; but, he was not the game's leading scorer. Oregon's Aaron Brooks led all scorers with 30 points.

Rice committed 23 turnovers and missed 14 of 30 free throw attempts.

The Owls (2-3) play Utah on the road Saturday evening, November 25. Game time starts at 7:00pm CST.

Rockets Hold on to beat the Bulls by One

Once again the Houston Rockets got a double digit lead this season; and, once again, the Rockets let that lead dwindle. Thursday night, the Rockets led the Chicago Bulls 74 to 53 with 4:21 left in the third quarter. Then, Bulls' guard Ben Gordon went to work.

The Rockets defeated the Bulls 101 to 100.

The important thing is, unlikely Tuesday night versus the Spurs, the Rockets held on to win. However, the question remains "Why are the Rockets blowing big second half leads?"

After Thursday's game, Jeff Van Gundy told the media he needs to "put out a smarter team that gets to loose balls" on the court in order to help maintain those leads.

Tracy McGrady and Rafer Alston both said they were thinking about the previous games this season when they lost big leads as the Bulls were making their comeback which definitely tells me the players are very conscious (almost to a fault) about losing big leads. I believe the team is pressing too much -- especially on offense when teams make runs at them.

When the Rockets struggle on offense, I believe their defense suffers as well. Ben Gordon destroyed the Rockets' perimeter defense. When the perimeter defense broke down, the team defense didn't do a good job to recover. Gordon scored 33 (of his game-high 37) points in the second half.

The Rockets need to shore up their perimeter defense instead of getting smarter players who'll hustle after loose balls. If the perimeter defense does not improve, blowing big leads will lead to more losses instead of narrow victories.

Rockets Blow Big Lead and Lose to Spurs

I didn't arrive to Toyota Center Tuesday night until the fourth quarter because I attended the Houston Lady Cougars' season opener at Hofheinz Pavilion. However, I listened to the Rockets - Spurs' game on may to TC. When I got in my car, the Rockets led San Antonio 75 t0 60 with a few minutes left in the third quarter. This is what I heard next:

McGrady misses;
Robert Horry hits a three; 75 to 63.
Alston misses; Yao misses;
Beno Udrih hits a three; 75 to 66.
Alston bad pass;
Udrih scores a lay-up; 75 to 68.
Yao misses a lay-up;
Udrih hits a three; 75 to 71.

In just two minutes, the Rockets lost their big lead and headed into the fourth period with a 75 to 71 lead; but, the Spurs had all of the momentum. Well, the momentum continued in the fourth and the Rockets' collapse did, too.

San Antonio outscored Houston 28 to 9 and won the ball game 92 to 84 before a stunned sold-out TC crowd.

After the game, Rockets' head coach Jeff Van Gundy and forwards Shane Battier and Tracy McGrady talked about the Rockets' defense letting up and allowing the Spurs to get into a rhythm. Points taken. The Spurs couldn't miss during their ridiculous scoring run; however, the Rockets put up very little resistance on the defensive side.

More later. I'm off to work.

Hawks' Johnson, Yao Ming Earn Weekly Honors

The Atlanta Hawks' Joe Johnson and the Houston Rockets' Yao Ming today were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, Nov. 6 through Sunday, Nov. 12.

Leading the Hawks to a 2-1 mark last week, Johnson tallied 29.0 points and 8.7 rebounds per contest, while handing out 4.3 assists.

Yao led the Rockets to a 4-0 record, averaging 29.0 points on .557 shooting and 11.3 rebounds, while shooting .903 from the free throw line.

Rockets' Hayes Out for up to Two Weeks

The Rockets are going to have to adjust to life without Chuck Hayes for a little while...

Hayes is expected to miss up to two weeks after suffering a hyperextension and contusion of his left knee following a third-quarter collision with a brick wall known as Miami center Shaquille O’Neal in last night’s 94-72 victory over the Heat.

Results of an MRI test performed this morning at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center revealed no further damage and Hayes will be re-evaluated by Rockets Team Physician Dr. Tom Clanton later this week.

Yao Outscores Shaq; Rockets Blast the Heat

People will still doubt him; and, I'll still support him. That's cool with me because Yao Ming is the best center in the NBA. Period.

Yao Ming scored 34 points and pulled down 14 rebounds and helped his Houston Rockets blow out the Miami Heat 94 to 72 in front of a stunned and disappointed Heat crowd.

Tracy McGrady added 12 points and 8 assists as he ran the Rockets' offense in the fourth quarter which put the Heat away.

Shaquille O'Neal is not as good as he used to be; but, don't let Shaq's getting older stand in the way of what is more and more obvious -- Yao Ming, at 26 years old, is the best center in the NBA.

Period.

Owls Blast Paul Quinn College

I'm not going to spend much time discussing Saturday night's Rice Owls game versus Paul Quinn. The game was over before it started. In fact, the game was over when it was scheduled. The only question would be the final scoring margin. Well, the answer to that question is 52. Rice defeated Paul Quinn College, an NAIA school, 118 to 66 before an announced crowd of 1154 at Rice's antiquated Autry Court.

The 118 points is a school record. The Owls also set a school record by connecting on 71.7% of their field goal attempts (43 for 60). Rice tied a school record by knocking down 14 (out of 22) three-point shots.

Morris Almond, All-American candidate, scored 24 points in just 21 minutes. Sophomore guard Cory Pfleiger scored a career-high 17 points and Rodney Foster also scored his career-high with 16 points on perfect shooting: 5 for 5 from the field (4 for 4 on threes) and 2 for 2 from the free throw line.

The Owls (1-0) take a huge step up in competition with their next game: at Gonzaga, Tuesday, November 14, in a NIT Season Tip-off game. The game will air on ESPN2. Tip-off is set for 11pm (yes, 11pm) CST.

Yao Ming's 35 Helps Rockets Beat the Knicks

Some people will never give Yao Ming the credit he deserves as a basketball player. I'm not one of those people.

Yao Ming is the real deal. He's the best center in the NBA today. Period.

Don't tell me he's not the most dominant center. Yao Ming is the best center -- overall. Offense plus defense. More importantly, he's getting better. Ask the New York Knicks.

The Rockets defeated the Knicks Friday night at Toyota Center 103 to 94 in front of an announced sell-out crowd of 18,109. (I sure noticed a lot of empty seats for a so-called sell-out).

Yao scored 35 points on 15 for 21 shooting from the field and 5 for 6 from the free throw line. Plus, he pulled down a game-high 17 rebounds and swatted a game-high seven shots. At least four of those blocked shots were against Knicks' center Eddy Curry. Curry seemed overwhelmed by Yao Ming's skill level on both ends of the court.

In addition to Yao's 35 points, five other Rockets scored in double figures: Tracy McGrady and Rafer Alston each scored 13 points; Shane Battier added 12 points; Luther Head poured in 11 points off the bench; and Chuck Hayes banged his way around for 10 points.

The Rockets led 54 to 46 at halftime; and, they pushed the lead to 19 points (71 to 52) with 6:27 left in the third period. The Knicks made a run to get back in the ball game by utilizing a small, quick line-up which forced Yao Ming into four fourth quarter turnovers; however, the Rockets kept the Knicks at arms' length in the final period for the nine point victory.

T-Mac's 32 Helps Rockets Beat Bucks

After the Rockets' victory over Memphis Tuesday night, I wrote the Rockets are Yao Ming's team. Period.

Well, Wednesday night in Milwaukee, Tracy McGrady played his best game (thus far) of the young season. T-Mac scored 32 points and helped the Rockets hold on for a 97 to 93 road win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Yao Ming added 23 points while Milwaukee's Michael Redd scored 34 in defeat. Yao and McGrady combined for 22 points in the third period.

The Rockets led the Bucks by as much as 23 points in the third quarter before they went cold and the Bucks began to percolate on offense in the fourth. With a chance to pull within five points, Bucks' guard Charlie Bell missed two free throws which McGrady followed with a short jumper in the lane and a free throw for a three-point play to push the Rockets lead to 10 with three minutes to go in the game.

Milwaukee pulled with five points with less than a minute remaining; but, McGrady's free throws in the final minute allowed the Rockets to hold on for the win.

Houston (3-2) finished their three-game road trip 2 and 1 and return home for a Friday night game with the Knicks.

Jakubowski, Saunders, and Williams Sign with Rice Owls

Rice University head basketball coach Willis Wilson has announced the signing of three recruits to National Letters of Intent to attend Rice and play basketball for the Owls starting with the 2007-08 season.

Signing with the Owls were Joe Jakubowski from Rossford, Ohio and St. John's Jesuit High School (Toledo, Ohio), Scott Saunders from, Franklin, Tenn., and Battle Ground Academy, and Jasen Williams from Humble, Texas, and Nimitz High School (Houston, Texas).

As a junior for the Titans of St. John's Jesuit H.S., Jakubowski, a 6' 2" guard, averaged 15 points a game, seven rebounds and 6 assists for coach Ed Heintschel. He is the son of Doug and Kay Jakubowski.

"Joe plays with a passion and has fun on the court," says Wilson. "He's a deft passer with a nice three-point stroke to match."

Saunders, a 6' 9" center, averaged a double-double last year as a junior for Battle Ground Academy and coach Gary Smith.

Saunders poured in 17 points per game and grabbed 10 rebounds a game in addition to blocking 4 shots per game for the Wildcats. He was named to the Tennessee Class A Div. II all-state as a junior. Saunders transferred from Jesuit High School in New Orleans, La. to Battle Ground Academy following Hurricane Katrina. He is the son of Larry and Debbie Saunders.

"Scott brings needed height and a skill-level above and beyond with what we've had this early in his career. He does it all - shoots, rebounds, passes - he's a throw-back to the way post players played in the '70's," comments Wilson.

"Williams is a 6' 3" guard who averaged 12 points per game, 4 assists, three rebounds, and three steals for the Nimitz Cougars under coach Randy Gilmer. Jasen is the son of Darrell and Twanna Williams.

"Jasen has so much potential and so much up-side. When his body grows into his game he will be an explosive scorer," states Wilson. "He's a nice combo guard who can make other guys better and can take into his own hands when he needs to."

With the signing of Jakubowski, Saunders, and Wiliams Rice basketball has completed its recruiting for next year's incoming class.

2007-08 Incoming Class
Joe Jakubowski G 6-2 180 Rossford, Ohio/St. John's HS
Scott Saunders C 6-9 240 Franklin, Tenn./Battle Ground Academy
Jasen Williams G 6-3 170 Humble, Texas/Nimitz HS

Almond on 2006-07 Playboy All-America Team

Yet another honor for Rice Owls senior Morris Almond...

Nov. 7, 2006

Rice Owl senior basketball player Morris Almond, a 6' 6" guard, has been selected to the 10-member 2006-07 Playboy All-America Team. This year marks the 30th Playboy All-America Team and Almond is the very first Rice Owl to be selected to the squad.

Playboy began announcing it's college basketball All-America team prior to the start of the 1977-78 season.Almond, last year as a junior, led Conference USA in scoring at 20.9 points a game and he set a league record by averaging 25.1 points during 14 conference games. He also led Rice in rebounding at 5.8 rebounds a game.

Almond has already been selected as the C-USA Preseason Player of the Year and has been named to the CollegeInsider.com Preseason All-America Team.

2006-07 PLAYBOY ALL AMERICA TEAM
Morris Almond, Guard, Rice
Taurean Green, Guard, Florida
Ronald Steele, Guard, Alabama
Alando Tucker, Guard, Wisconsin
Glen Davis, Forward, LSU
Nick Fazekas, Forward, Nevada
Tyler Hansbrough, Forward, UNC
Jason Smith, Forward, Colorado State
Joakim Noah, Center, Florida
Greg Oden, Center, Ohio State

Billy Donovan, Coach of the Year, Florida.

Rice tips off the 2006 - 2007 season this Saturday, November 11, at Autry Court, versus Paul Quinn College. Tip-off is set for 7:05 p.m.

Rockets Beat Grizzlies in Memphis

Without reading the final stats from the game, here are just a few thoughts from tonight's road win by the Rockets (86 to 80) over the Griz:

The Rockets are Yao Ming's team. Period. The Rockets are 2-2 this season. In those two wins, Yao scored 36 versus the Dallas Mavericks and 24 tonight versus the Memphis. Conversely, Tracy McGrady scored eight points versus the Mavs and less than 20 versus the Griz; yet, the Rockets won.

Next, for all his words proclaiming he feels great, T-Mac doesn't look completely healthy to me. His body seems stiff as he moves up and down the court. I know the season is just four games old; but, a healthy T-Mac means the Rockets' chances of being a very good team increase coinciding with Yao Ming's continued improvement.

The Rockets are turning the ball over too much. They committed at least 20 turnovers tonight; and, the frustrating part about those turnovers is many were unforced which means the Rockets turned over the ball on their own with no added pressure from Memphis.

Lastly, 86 to 80 is bad NBA basketball. I'm a firm believer in good defense; but, I also believe bad offense exists also. Neither team scoring 90 points in a 48 minute pro basketball game stinks!

UH quarterback Kevin Kolb to appear on Cold Pizza

I'll discuss basketball in another post; but, since I'm a proud alum of the University of Houston, I'm going to post some info about Houston Cougars' quarterback Kevin Kolb appearing on national television. I checked my email and saw this press release:

Be sure to watch Houston senior quarterback Kevin Kolb on Cold Pizza on ESP2. The Heisman candidate and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm award finalist will be on Wednesday, November 8, at 9:35 a.m.

Launched in 2003, Cold Pizza is a daily two-hour show that updates viewers on the latest sports news, scores, interviews, reviews and health reports. It’s hosted by Jay Crawford and Dana Jacobson along side with Woody Paige and Skip Bayless. Cold Pizza combines a blend of sports, pop culture and lifestyle features.

Cold Pizza airs live from New York between 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. CT and encores between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. each day on ESPN2.

Congratulations Kevin! Go Coogs!

I'll post about the Rockets later...

Owls' Harris and Gillespie Chosen in NBDL Draft

I enjoy keeping up with players I covered during their collegiate days; so, here's some news about two young men I covered throughout their four years at Rice University. Good luck to both of them.

Nov. 3, 2006
Two former Rice Owl basketball players were selected in Thursday night's 2006 NBDL Draft. Michael Harris, Rice's all-time leading scorer and all-time leading rebounder, was the number three overall pick in the draft by the Colorado 14ers. Brock Gillespie, a member of Rice's 1,000-point club, was the 30th pick overall (10th pick in the third round) by the Austin Toros. The Toros are based in Austin, Texas, while the 14ers are located in Broomfield, Colo., which is northwest of Denver.

Harris, this past summer, played for the Chicago Bulls in the 2006 NBA Summer League and he participated in NBA training camp with the Milwaukee Bucks in the fall of 2006. During the 2005-06 season, Harris played in Ukraine with BC Kyiv. In Ukranian League play, Harris averaged 10.4 points and 6.5 rebounds in 29 games and in EuroCup play, he averaged 8.5 points and 5.1 rebounds in 17 games.

Gillespie last season played for the Auckland Stars in New Zealand. He averaged 12.9 points and 1.7 rebounds in 17 games. Gillespie also led team in three-point field goals made (34) and ranked fourth on the team in scoring.

2006 NBDL Draft Board: http://www.nba.com/dleague/news/draft_board.html