Rockets Pick up Novak Option

HOUSTON, TX -- Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the team has picked up the option on the contract for forward Steve Novak. Per team policy, financial terms were not released.

According to this article by the Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen:

The Rockets did avoid free agency with their 2006 first-round pick, Steve Novak. They exercised their option to extend Novak’s contract for a third season, worth $797,581. Novak averaged 2.7 points in 79 games in his first two seasons.

“Steve is a valuable asset to the Rockets,” Morey said.

Rockets Extend Qualifying Offer to Landry

HOUSTON, TX -- This news was merely an expected formality:

Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the team has extended a qualifying offer to restricted free agent forward Carl Landry. Per team policy, financial terms were not released.

In accordance with the league’s collective bargaining agreement, this offer establishes the Rockets’ right of first refusal. Restricted free agents may sign an offer sheet with any team, but the Rockets have the ability to match any offer.

Landry averaged 8.1 points and 4.9 rebounds while playing in 711 minutes during his first season with the Rockets.

Fran Blinebury of the Houston Chronicle goes into a bit more detail:
"Rockets move step closer to retaining Carl Landry"

Rumors have circulated for a while the Rockets would re-sign Landry to a five or six-year contract worth at least $30 M. That amount would average out to be the equivalent of the mid-level exception (approximately $6 M) which is available to the Rockets this off-season.

Greene and Dorsey Good Fit

HOUSTON, TX -- Friday afternoon, the Houston Rockets introduced rookies Joey Dorsey (6'7, 270) and Donté Greene (6'9, 225) to the local sports media.

Both young men came across as very likable and should become fan favorites in H-town.

Dorsey is definitely more outgoing than Greene; and, he isn't shy to speak his mind which should make him a friend of the media very quickly.

Both young fellas are from Baltimore and knew each other from the playgrounds of B-more.

Here's what each of them said about their strengths and weaknesses.

"I'm similar to Rashard Lewis (shooting forward for the Orlando Magic)," said Greene.

"I'm Ray Lewis with a basketball," joked Dorsey. (For those who don't know, Ray Lewis is one of the top defensive players from the linebacker position in the entire National Football League.)

What do you need to work on?

"Free throws for me," Dorsey said. "Free throws. I think my defense is going to be great for this team. My toughness. I'm a defensive specialist; so, coming in right away and playing and bringing that defense and that energy."

"I'm the exact opposite," Greene added. "I think my free throw shooting is good. My shooting is a strength. Being at Syracuse (Syracuse University), we played zone we didn't play much man-to-man; so, I definitely need to come in and work on hard on the defensive end."

Dorsey physical presence should definitely help the Rockets; and, unlike new teammates Luis Scola and Chuck Hayes, Dorsey finishes his shots at the basket with dunks not lay-ups.

Greene length and athleticism are an upgrade for the Rockets at the wing positions. He's more of a scorer than a shooter right now; but, that is mainly due to his shot selection -- Donté was a gunner at Syracuse.


Rockets in Las Vegas Summer League

The Rockets will tip-off their summer league action July 14, in Las Vegas, inside the Thomas & Mack Arena versus the Phoenix Suns. The Rockets will also play on July 16th (versus the Cleveland Cavaliers); July 18th (Denver Nuggets); July 19th (Washington Wizards on NBATV); and July 20th (Sacramento Kings).

Rockets Get Greene, Dorsey and Leunen

The wait is finally over. After waiting for final approval from the NBA, Daryl Morey, Houston Rockets GM, finally spoke with the media and summarized the Rockets busy Thursday night on 2008 NBA Draft Night.

"Thanks for waiting everybody," said Morey. "I know it's been a really long night."

Here's what the Rockets accomplished Thursday night.

"First, we traded 25 (draft rights to Nicolas Batum) for 27 and 33," stated Morey. "Then, we traded 27 to Memphis at 28 and picked up their 2009 second-round pick. At that spot (28th), we picked Donté Greene from Syracuse.

"At 33, we picked Joey Dorsey from Memphis and at 54 we got Maarty Leunen from Oregon."

Got all that?

Morey added, "We wanted a balance of future players who could help the Rockets at two different positions -- the wing and the big. We felt like both were, for us, the best players on the board."

On paper, these deals look like very astute moves by the Rockets which could reap benefits in the short and long-term.

Morey gave his thoughts on each of their newest acquisitions.

"Donté Greene is 6'9. Legit size. Athletic small forward who can slide over to the 4 spot. He can shoot the ball. He was a freshman at Syracuse. We think he's a great future bet."

"Picking up Joey Dorsey, we feel good about his future as a big. He can play either the 4 or the 5. His combination of athleticsm and a big body that can move like he does. He can jump. He's a great finisher at the basket. In our opinion, he's the best defensive big in the country."

"Maarty Leunen is going to play on our summer league team. He's going to play overseas. He's someone will keep the rights to. He's someone who's a shooting, spacing 4 who we think has a chance down the road."

Morey also added the Rockets hope to sign "another vet or two" this summer.

Dorsey is someone Morey believes can have an impact "right away" for the Rockets.

"Dorsey takes good shots. He takes dunks. He can run the floor. He can anchor a transition game. We feel like he was a top five rebounder in the country on both ends; so, he's creating extra possessions on the offensive end.
"He is 6'7; but, he's long; and he makes up for any perceived size limitations with his athleticism and speed."

Morey believes Greene can fill a need at the wing position.

"At the wing spot, we need size, we need athleticism, and we need shooting. He (Greene) has all those things."

Overall, the Rockets wanted to acquire at least one rookie who would make impact this coming season.

"We wanted to come out with (at least) one rookie we thought could be an impact. If we could get two, we'd do it, but, we wanted to do it across those two positions.

"We were comfortable coming out with just one rookie. We're a team that is more focused on winning this upcoming season than down the road. We're not too focused on adding rookies unless we felt they were potential impact players in the future or a little bit shorter than that; and, we felt were able to do that."

For fans who believe the Rockets may now have to many frontcourt players, Morey was quite candid in his comments.

"We do have some depth at the bigs; but, we also have a lot of players with injury history with Yao Ming and Carl Landry. So, we don't feel deep at the big at all. We feel if we do have injuries at the bigs, then Dorsey is a guy who can contribute right away. He's more ready to play than Donté."

Morey feels very good about the Rockets selections; and, as of right now, he should. The Rockets may not have hit a proverbial home run; but, they could have come very, very close.

Rockets Select Leunen in 2nd

While we wait for official word of a trade involving the Rockets, the Rockets selected forward Maarty Leunen (Oregon) with the 54th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft.

Last season, Leunen averaged 15.2 points per game for the Ducks. He shot 55.9% from the field and 78.9% from the foul line. In 32 games, Leunen pulled down 293 rebounds.

He's described as a "versatile forward who excels at facing the basket and shooting from the perimeter. Is an outstanding defensive rebounder and possesses above-average ball-handling and passing skills for his size."

Back to waiting...

Rockets Get Batum

Updated -- 10:18pm: Jason Quick at The Oregonian states Batum has been traded to the Portland Trail Blazers for the draft rights to F Darrell Arthur (27th overall) and big man Joey Dorsey (33rd overall).

Updated -- 9:30pm: Check out DraftExpress.net for live blogging from the Draft. Very, very interesting info.


With the 25th overall pick in the first round, the Houston Rockets selected F Nicolas Batum.

Batum is listed at 6'8". He played ball for LeMans in France.

According to the NBA's Draft Guide his strengths are:

Long, athletic and versatile swingman who competes hard on both ends. Can hit the three-point shot, dribble and pull-up or drive and finish at the rim.

Batum averaged 8.2 points per game in the French ProA League in 64 games. He shot 48.7% (212 for 435) from the field and 70.7% from the free throw line. Batum also averaged 3.8 rebounds per game and 2 steals per game.

However, in 2007 - 2008, he averaged 12.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg, and 3.6 apg in the French ProA League.

One career highlight: Batum scored 23 points on 9 for 13 shooting for the World Team at the 2007 Nike Hoop Summit held in Memphis, Tennessee.

I'm assuming Batum will stay overseas and play for at least a year or two.

I thought the Rockets should select Chris Douglas-Roberts from Memphis; but, what the hell do I know. Time will tell...

Now Win the Gold

USA Basketball announced the 12 players who will represent the USA in the upcoming 2008 Olympics.

Check out the roster and some quotes from USA Basketball.

I'm not worried about the team's lack of low post centers because international play is won on the perimeter and with good guard play.

Pressure the ball; knock down perimeter shots; remember to knock opponents' shots that hit the rim away from going into the basket; and the bottom line is bring the Olympic gold back to the USA!

Houston: 1 of 10

Here's hoping the city of Houston (re: Reliant Stadium) becomes a part of "the rotation" to host the NCAA Men's Championship b.ka. the Men's Final Four...

"Ten Cities Submit Bids to Host Men's Final Four"

Don't forget: Reliant Stadium will host the Men's Final Four in 2011.

Big 12 and Pac-10 Matchups

While hoop fans take a few breaths before Game 6 of the NBA Finals tomorrow night, here's some college basketball news that isn't about the NBA Draft, the NBA refs, or Indiana University, Kelvin Sampson, and their NCAA investigation...

Fans of Big 12 and Pac-10 basketball mark your calendars for November and December as the Big 12 and Pacific-10 Conferences have announced the dates and matchups for the 2008 Big 12 / Pac-10 Hardwood Series.

Check out the matchups.

The Yao Ming Foundation

Kudos to Yao Ming...

-- Yao Ming announces major initiative to help rebuild schools in China --

June 10, 2008 (HOUSTON) - Houston Rockets center Yao Ming announced the launch of "The Yao Ming Foundation" at a press conference today at Toyota Center. The foundation, under the auspices of The Giving Back Fund, will help raise funds and awareness of children's wellness and welfare issues in China and the United States.

May 12, 2008 will forever be a date to remember, as China's Sichuan and Gansu provinces fell victim to the devastation of a deadly earthquake. The Yao Ming Foundation will respond to this tragedy as its first initiative by creating a call to action and inviting others to follow. The foundation's primary earthquake relief efforts will focus on rebuilding earthquake-resistant, high-quality schools.

"It is very hard to put into words how difficult it is to see this kind of destruction," said Yao. "My thoughts and actions are now focused on helping to rebuild the schools that were destroyed in this tragedy and I hope that others around the world will join in our efforts."

Yao begins the relief efforts by making an initial, personal commitment of two million US dollars.

"Yao Ming is fully committed to helping the people of China recover from this tragedy," said Houston Rockets Owner Leslie Alexander. "I am pleased to assist him with his goal of rebuilding the schools that were destroyed and I commend him on his quick response to this terrible event."

Alexander has committed $100,000 to the relief effort through the team's charitable organization, The Clutch City Foundation. Cold Stone Creamery pledged a minimum donation of $100,000 to be raised through an in-store promotion in China, where a percentage of sales will go to The Yao Ming Foundation. Fellow NBA players Steve Nash, Baron Davis, Greg Oden, Raymond Felton, Andris Biedrins, Marko Jaric and Marcus Williams along with WNBA player Diana Taurasi also donated to the foundation. Houston Mayor Bill White presented The Yao Ming Foundation with over $100,000 in donations from Houston companies and private contributors.

"Houston has shown it has a big heart, and helping to build new schools for people so devastated by the earthquake in China demonstrates it again," said Mayor White. "We're proud to work with Yao Ming and generous contributors to make it happen."

More than 8,000 schoolrooms and 185 schools were destroyed during the 8.0 earthquake in China. A donation of $100,000 will rebuild a permanent school for approximately 300 students while a gift of $3,500 will provide one prefabricated classroom for 50 students, including desks and chairs. Yao will support all of the foundation's administrative costs. A full 100% of all contributions from the public will go directly to earthquake relief. To partner with Yao in helping to rebuild China and to learn more about The Yao Ming Foundation, visit http://www.theyaomingfoundation.org.

The Giving Back Fund (www.givingback.org) is a national nonprofit organization established in 1997 to provide professional philanthropic consulting, mentoring and management to athletes, entertainers and other high profile individuals. With offices in Boston and Los Angeles, The Giving Back Fund has worked successfully with more than 75 professional athletes, entertainers, and business entrepreneurs, helping them achieve their philanthropic goals. While The Giving Back Fund has developed special expertise in providing philanthropic consulting to athletes and entertainers, its services are available to anyone committed to increasing the impact of their philanthropy.

Yao Ming to make Major Announcement

Tuesday, June 10, Houston Rockets All-Star Center and Chinese National Team member Yao Ming will make a major announcement regarding his involvement with relief efforts for victims of the China earthquake disaster of May 12, 2008, and towards raising funds and awareness of children’s wellness and welfare issues in China and the United States.

Lakers vs Celtics

Back in October, I predicted an NBA Finals match up featuring the Detroit Pistons and the San Antonio Spurs.

WRONG!

The Boston Celtics defeated the Pistons in six games while the Los Angeles Lakers topped the Spurs in five games to set up a Cs - Lakers match up for the first time since 1987.

I won't make a prediction based on any logic except this -- if the Pistons aren't playing, then I pick the team that won the Eastern Conference Championship. (Except for last season because I truly doubted the Cleveland Cavaliers had a chance in HELL of defeating the Spurs.) Therefore, based on the fact the Celtics are the Eastern Conference Champs, I'm picking the Cs to win title number 17 in franchise history.

I'll says Celtics in seven.

EA SPORTS™ NBA LIVE 09 has predicted that the Lakers will capture their 15th NBA Championship by defeating the Celtics in the 2008 NBA Finals simulation.

See for yourself.