Rockets Get Landry

The Rockets acquired the draft rights to Carl Landry (31st overall) pick in the NBA Draft for a future draft pick and considerations.

Landry (6'7, Purdue) described himself as similar to Chuck Hayes with more offense.

Landry teamed with Aaron Brooks in the Orlando Pre-Draft camp.

Rockets Select Aaron Brooks

With the 26th pick in the first round, the Houston Rockets select Guard Aaron Brooks (5'10.5, Oregon).

Wow!

The work room is stunned.

Brooks is exceptionally quick; but, he clearly is not a power forward.

Career averages: 13.1ppg; 4.2 apg; .430 fg; .374 3pt fg. 1.0 spg.
Best season: 2006 - 2007: 17.7 ppg; 4.0 apg; .460 fg; .846 ft; .404 3pt fg; 1.4 spg.

Ironically, after getting chosen, Aaron told the media his workout with the Rockets was not one of his better draft workouts; but, he believes "God wants me to be in Houston."

Naturally, Aaron said he looks forward to being in Houston and being a Rocket.

"...We like his speed..."

Rockets getting close

As we wait for the Rockets to make their selection,

The New York Knicks just traded Channing Frye and Steve Francis to the Portland Trail Blazers for Zach Randolph, Dan Dickau and Fred Jones.

Zach and Eddy Curry on the low block for Isiah, Spike Lee, and the Knicks Nation.

The New Jersey Nets selected forward Sean Williams -- big man from Boston College at 17. Tremendous talent; but, a tremendous risk, too.

The Warriors chose Marco Belinelli (6'5 from Climamio Bologna in Italy) with the 18th pick.

The Lakers are chose Javaris Crittenton (6'5 from Georgia Tech) with the 19th pick

The Miami Heat chose Jason Smith (7'0, from Colorado State) with the 20th pick.

Philadelphia chose Daequan Cook with the 21st pick; however, his rights will, reportedly be dealt to Miami in exchange for Jason Smith (20th pick).

The Charlotte Bobcats selected Jared Dudley (6'7, from Boston College) with the 22nd pick. Eh.

The Knicks chose Wilson Chandler (6'8, DePaul) with the 23rd pick. No surprise.

The Phoenix Suns traded G Rudy Fernandez (6'5, DVK Joventut Badalona - Spain) with the 24th pick; but, his draft rights are expected to be traded to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for "cash considerations".

Utah picks Morris Almond (6'5, Rice) with the 25th pick. Good for Morris.

The Rockets are on the clock. Let's have some fun.

The Rockets chose Aaron Brooks (5'10.5, Oregon) with the 26th pick.

The Detroit Pistons selected guard Arron Afflalo with the 27th pick.

The San Antonio Spurs chose Tiago Splitter (6'11, Tau Ceramica Vitoria from Spain) with the 28th pick. Tiago is 22 years old.

The Phoenix Suns chose Alando Tucker (6'6, Wisconsin) with the 29th pick.

To close out the first round, the Philadelphia 76ers selected Petteri Koponen (6'4 Guard, Finland) with the 30th pick.

Draft Night

Nine picks done so far.

The Bucks taking Yi Jianlian with the 6th pick surprised me.

The Cs acquiring Ray Allen from the Seattle Sonics for the draft rights to Jeff Green, forward Wally Szczerbiak and G Delonte West is an interesting move by Boston. The Sonics are rebuilding with youth and defense.

Tick, tock until the Rockets make a pick...

2007 TMAC BASKETBALL CAMP

Give this a read...

TMAC, Inc. is pleased to announce the expansion of Tracy McGrady’s Basketball Camp to Houston, TX. The camp will feature Tracy McGrady’s strength and fitness expert, Wayne Hall. Registered campers can expect to benefit from daily contact and instruction from Tracy and camp staff as he inaugurates his personal camp in Houston.

July 16-18 (Session 1) - $350
July 19-21 (Session 2) - $350
Registration at the door - $425

PIN OAK MIDDLE SCHOOL
4601 GLENMONT
BELLAIRE, TX 77401
Space is still available.

Visit www.tmac1995.org for online registration and payment options. If you’d like more information about the camp or would like to schedule an interview, please contact Gregory Williams at 706-495-5989.

Top Prospects Attending the Draft

Updated June 26, 2007 -- 4:52 pm.

Here's the list of players invited to attend the NBA Draft

· Corey Brewer (Florida)
· Michael Conley (Ohio St.)
· Kevin Durant (Texas)
· Jeff Green (Georgetown)
· Spencer Hawes (Washington)
· Al Horford (Florida)
· Yi Jianlian (China)
· Acie Law IV (Texas A&M)
· Joakim Noah (Florida)
· Greg Oden (Ohio St.)
· Rodney Stuckey (Eastern Washington)
· Al Thornton (Florida St.) -- no longer attending.
· Brandan Wright (North Carolina)
· Julian Wright (Kansas) -- no longer attending.
· Nick Young (USC) -- no longer attending.

The 2007 NBA Draft will be held on Thursday, June 28, 2007.

Bonzi News

The Rockets officially announced what the Chronicle and other websites have reported for a day or so: Bonzi Wells decided to "opt-in" and return to the Rockets.

Wells opts to return

In a nutshell, the 2007 - 2008 season is "put up or shut up" time for Bonzi. Last season was a bust for Bonzi. Fans can blame Jeff Van Gundy all the want; but, Bonzi reported to training camp overweight; and, those two men never hit it off from that point forward. However, now that Rick Adelman is the head coach of the Rockets, perhaps Bonzi can return to the form he showed during the playoff series versus the Spurs in the 2005 - 2006 season. At least, that's what the Rockets' fans are expecting (re: hoping).

Next up: the NBA Draft is this Thursday, June 28.
The Rockets, currently, own the 26th pick in the first round.

Houston Pro City

Once again, it's on...

...The Nike Houston Pro City tips-off July 9 at Fonde.

I missed most of the action last year due to family health problems; however, things are much better now, so, I hope to show my face in the place a lot this year.

Beasley is an Owl

As the coaching staff packs up boxes and prepares to leave Autry Court for about a year while it is renovated, the staff announced a new addition to the basketball team.

Guard Bryan Beasley has transferred from Texas A&M and joined the Owls. Coming out of high school Rivals.com rated him as the state of Texas' top-ranked point guard and top-150 nationally. Additionally, Texas Hoops ranked him as the state's ninth-best overall prospect.

Head coach Willis Wilson is scheduled to appear on KCOH 1430 AM's Sports Rap (www.kcohradio.com) this Tuesday, June 26, to discuss the Owls as well as former star player Morris Almond who is expected to be drafted June 28, in the 2007 NBA Draft.

Helping Yao Ming

I may be using a bit of revisionist history; but, I don't remember a lot of coverage of people coaching (and helping) Rockets' center Yao Ming in practice sessions in the past under former head coach Jeff Van Gundy.

It seems to me the Rockets are going out of their way to show the public "We're working with Yao Ming to help make him a better basketball player."

For example, over the last few weeks, Hakeem Olajuwon, Carroll Dawson, and new assistant coach Jack Sikma have each worked out with Yao Ming. An article featuring each person's helping Yao Ming has appeared in the Chronicle.

The latest article features Jack Sikma: "Adelman adds four assistants to coaching staff".

Out with the old philosophy, in with the new philosophy. JVG is gone. Rick Adelman and help for Yao Ming is here.

Apparently, change is good.

Adelman Announces Staff

Updated: June 19, 2007, 10:19 pm.
Created: June 19, 2007, 4:57 pm.

The Houston Rockets sent this press release within the hour:

The Houston Rockets announced today the hiring of Elston Turner, Jack Sikma, T.R. Dunn, and R.J. Adelman as assistant coaches on Head Coach Rick Adelman’s staff.

“I am excited to have my coaching staff in place,” said Adelman. “We were fortunate to get a group of hard-working and very experienced coaches that will ensure our players are well prepared for every game. Elston, Jack and T.R. all enjoyed long, successful playing careers and now they have each made a name for themselves as quality coaches in this league. R.J. spent five seasons with me in Sacramento and I’m excited to have him join me here as well.”

Turner comes to the Rockets after spending six seasons as an assistant coach on Rick Adelman’s staff in Sacramento, serving the final two campaigns as the lead assistant. With the Kings, Turner’s responsibilities included handling the team’s game plan, individual skill work with players and advance scouting. Turner and the Kings coaching staff also helped Adelman coach the Western Conference All-Star Team in the 2001 NBA All-Star Game in Washington and the 2003 NBA All-Star Game in Atlanta. Turner joined the Kings after spending four years in a similar capacity with the Portland Trail Blazers. He began his coaching career in the CBA as an assistant coach for the Quad City Thunder and as a player/coach with the Chicago Rockers. As a 6-foot-5 guard, Turner was noted for his defensive tenacity in eight NBA seasons with the Dallas Mavericks (1981-82, 1982-83 and 1983-84), Denver Nuggets (1984-85, 1985-86 and 1988-89) and Chicago Bulls (1986-87 and 1987-88).

Sikma begins his stay with the Rockets after working four seasons on the Seattle SuperSonics coaching staff. A former Sonics center, Sikma rejoined Seattle as a special assignments coach prior to the 2003-04 season. He was promoted to assistant coach following that campaign. In 14 seasons as a player in the NBA, Sikma averaged 15.6 points and 9.8 rebounds in 1,107 games played with Seattle and the Milwaukee Bucks. A seven-time NBA All-Star, Sikma was also named to the 1977-78 NBA All-Rookie Team and earned 1981-82 NBA All-Defense Second Team accolades. The 6-foot-11 product of Illinois Wesleyan University also helped lead Seattle to a league title over Washington in the 1979 NBA Finals. Sikma had his jersey #43 retired by Seattle during a halftime ceremony of a Sonics vs. Detroit Pistons game on Nov. 21, 1992.

Dunn starts his first season on the Rockets coaching staff after three campaigns as an assistant coach for the Kings. His first two seasons in Sacramento came as a member of Adelman’s staff. Prior to joining the Kings, Dunn spent two seasons (2002-04) as an assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets. In 2001-02, Dunn worked as an assistant coach at his alma mater, the University of Alabama. Prior to that, he coached in the WNBA for the Charlotte Sting, serving as head coach in 2000 and as an assistant coach during the 1999 season. Dunn also served a prior stint as an assistant for the Nuggets in 1997-98 and was an assistant coach for the Charlotte Hornets from 1991-97. During his 14-year NBA playing career, Dunn was regarded as one of the premiere defensive players of his time. He was named to the NBA’s All-Defensive Second Team three times (1983-85) and was considered one of the top rebounding guards in the NBA throughout his career, finishing with a career average of 4.4 rebounds per game.

R.J. Adelman enters his first season as assistant coach for the Rockets, where his focus will be on the team’s advance scouting operations. Prior to coming to Houston, Adelman spent last season as an advance scout for the Seattle SuperSonics. Previously, he served five years as a scout for the Kings, including the final three seasons as assistant video coordinator in the basketball operations department. He joined Maloof Sports and Entertainment after practicing law in Portland, Oregon, working in private practice and as a real estate lawyer for GMAC Mortgage. Adelman was a four-year letterman at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, which won the Division II NAIA National Championship in 1993. After completing his bachelor’s degree in political science from Willamette in 1995, Adelman earned his law degree from the University of Oregon in 2001.

Mario Elie will have to try to get on a coaching staff somewhere else once again.

Updated: June 19, 2007, 10:19 pm.
This evening, I was told from two different people, Mario was asked to join the Dallas Mavericks' coaching staff by Mavs' head coach Avery Johnson. Good for you, Mario.

Better Than Oden?

Greg Oden has yet to be drafted in the 2007 NBA Draft; and, though he's expected to make an immediate impact on the NBA in his rookie season, according to one basketball person, there is already a young big man better than him.

Hard to believe, right?

Well, start keeping track of John Riek Suas. He's 7'2"; and, he's from the Sudan.

Jim Hicks of RCSSports.com wrote a re-cap of the recently completed Nike Hoop Jamboree which was held in St. Louis. Here's a bit of the summary:

However, no kid raised eyebrows more than the camp's tallest player, John Riek 7'2 (Our Savior New American HS 2009) with a wing span of 9.5 feet. The Sudanese native blocked pretty much every shot that came within his reach, and many of the shots that were out of his reach as well. Riek's mobility enabled him to get up and down the floor with the greatest of ease. Plus, on offense he was totally relentless in the post. "This kid is better than (Greg) Oden was when he attended Hoop Jam as a tenth grader," proclaimed Glenn Wilkes Sr (the camp's Associate Director). With that being said, it's totally understanding that Riek's team went undefeated in both the 3-on-3 and 5-on-5 tournament (the first player to ever accomplish that feat at Hoop Jam).

I googled Riek and found this link on the young phenom.

I'll be patient and see how John develops on and off the basketball court.

Good luck, John.

Yao Keeps Working

Rockets' center Yao Ming receives criticism all of the time.

His 'haters' gripe about his slow feet; his turnovers; his getting his shot blocked by a guard (by the way, Hakeem Olajuwon got his shot blocked by guards, too); he's not tough enough; etc. but, one thing I do not hear those 'haters' bitch about is Yao Ming's work ethic.

And, they shouldn't.

People cannot, in their right mind, complain about the big fella's work ethic.

So, to any of Yao's haters who do question his work ethic, read this article: "Dawson is Teaching Yao to Power Up".

Now, it's up to the Rockets (re: head coach Rick Adelman and GM Daryl Morey) to get a big man who can defend power forwards and allow Yao Ming to stick to guarding centers.

James 4 Juwan

Updated June 14, 9:22 pm. HRR Interviews w/ Mike James and Rockets' GM Daryl Morey.
Updated June 14, 7:19am. Article from the TwinCities.com on the deal.

Well, if you didn't know any better, you'd believe ESPN.com's Marc Stein was the first to report this news:

The Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves have agreed to a trade. The Rockets will trade forward Juwan Howard to the T-wolves in exchange for guard Mike James.

Fox 26 Sports reported the deal, too; and, most likely, before Marc Stein. However, ESPN, for years, has taken credit for breaking news first even though the local reporters actually broke the news first.

But, I digress, here's another link discussing the deal. In the article, Mike James is quoted saying, "Even Houston thinking about me is a blessing but until I see it on the ticker I won't believe it. I'm so excited. It would give me that chance to retire in Houston."

Uh, Mike, you had the chance to sign a free agent contract with the Rockets last summer; and, you chose to sign with Minnesota.

What a difference a few months and a lot of losing can make, I guess.

Good luck, Moses

The NBA Finals start tonight between the San Antonio Spurs and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

I want to publicly wish "good luck" to both teams but especially "Black Moses".

Only a handful of people know who I'm referring to; but, the NBA and the Cavs fans are referring to him as "Boobie" right now.

Yep, Black Moses is Daniel Gibson.

I've known about Daniel since he was in the 8th grade. He was one of the first high school basketball players (Jones High School, remember that, an HISD school) to be a guest on my basketball segment on KCOH's Sports Rap (1430 AM). Daniel was in the 10th grade at the time.

I was at Jones HS when Daniel announced his college decision to attend the University of Texas. Daniel came back to the station after he helped lead Jones to the 4A state basketball championship.

But, I digress, the reason I refer to him as "Moses" is simple. One year, I attended an AAU basketball tournament which Daniel wasn't participating in because I believe he was taking the SAT; however, when he walked in to the gym, he was wearing a burnt orange jump suit with the hood pulled over his head. When I saw Daniel, for some reason, I thought of the Isaac Hayes' album cover "Black Moses".

I told a basketball buddy about it; and, he immediately knew about the album reference. Over the years, we've shortened the nickname to Moses. (Heck, my phone refers to Dan's dad, Byron, as "Moses' Dad".

Therefore, good luck in the series, Moses.

Cavs and Spurs Finals Sked

NBA Finals Schedule -- Times listed are Central Daylight Saving Time.

San Antonio vs. Cleveland

Game 1 - Thurs., 6/7, Cleveland at San Antonio -- San Antonio 85, Cleveland 76.
Game 2 - Sun., 6/10, Cleveland at San Antonio -- San Antonio 103, Cleveland 92.
Game 3 - Tue., 6/12, San Antonio at Cleveland -- San Antonio 75, Cleveland 72.
Game 4 - Thursday, June 14, San Antonio at Cleveland -- San Antonio 83, Cleveland 82.
Game 5 * Sunday, June 17, San Antonio at Cleveland -- 8:00pm, ABC.
Game 6 * Tuesday, June 19, Cleveland at San Antonio -- 8:00pm, ABC.
Game 7 * Thursday, June 21, Cleveland at San Antonio -- 8:00pm, ABC.

San Antonio wins the series 4 games to 0. The Spurs capture their 4th NBA title joining the Boston Celtics, the Chicago Bulls, and the Los Angeles Lakers as the NBA franchises which have won at least four NBA championships.


HRR Prediction: Spurs in 5.

*If necessary

Cavs Close Pistons' Window

The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Detroit Pistons Saturday night 98 to 82 to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in Cavs' history. The Cavs' victory closed the window on the five-year run by this current group of Detroit Pistons.

The Pistons advance to the Eastern Conference Finals five straight seasons; but, they only won two of those five series and one NBA championship.

Throughout this series, the Cavs were younger and hungrier than the older Pistons. A lot of media kept harping on the Pistons' previous playoff experiences and the fact Detroit has "been there before" and "been through the wars" as reasons cited for still picking the Pistons to win game 6 and then game 7. However, at some point, the better team will win a seven-game series; and, that is what the Cavs did Saturday night in front of their home crowd.

The Pistons' organization needs to decide who returns and who should go. Forward Rasheed Wallace is a talented player; but, he still cannot (nor does he want to) control his emotions. Wallace cruised the regular season; and, his "light switch" mentality to turn his game on for the playoffs had a definite impact on the rest of his teammates.

Chauncey Billups is a free agent; and, he'll probably re-sign with Detroit. However, Billups began showing signs of diminishing returns in the series versus the Cavs.

Richard Hamilton was solid but unspectacular versus the Cavs. He fouled out in game 6; and, it was pretty telling to me, Hamilton spent more and more time defending Cavs' star Lebron James.

Tayshaun Prince struggled throughout this series. While James is clearly a stronger and better player than Prince, Prince was unable to generate any consistent offense versus James and the Cavs and force James to work on defense as well as cause James to get into any foul trouble during the series.

Chris Webber is a free agent; and, his best days are clearly behind him. Webber no longer has the foot speed and lateral quickness to be a good team defender.

Antonio McDyess has to be one of the most disappointed players for Detroit because he was not part of the team which won the NBA title in 2004; so, McDyess did not pick up a championship ring.

Since the team did not "win it all", head coach Flip Saunders has to take some heat as well. For two straight seasons, the Pistons were blown out in the decisive game 6 which ended their collective seasons -- Miami in 2006 and Cleveland in 2007. Saunders has never taken a team to the NBA Finals; and, it seems the players have lost confidence in him and / or his coaching staff.

Currently, the Pistons own two first round draft picks in the upcoming 2007 NBA Draft; those draft picks should officially begin the opening of a new window for the Pistons -- the players and the coaches.