Houston Rockets Blog – Page 65 – NBA Blog

Knicks re-sign Jared Jeffries

New York Knickerbockers President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh announced today that forward Jared Jeffries has been re-signed as a free agent.

Jeffries, 6-11, 240-pounds, returns to New York with career averages of 5.2 points on .431 shooting, 4.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 0.50 blocks over 22.8 minutes in 528 games (322 starts). He played in 18 games for Houston this season, averaging 1.5 points and 1.9 rebounds over 7.7 minutes.

The Bloomington, IN native originally signed with New York as a free agent on Aug. 8, 2006, appearing in 236 games (135 starts) with the Knicks, averaging 4.5 points on .434 shooting, 4.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists over 22.9 minutes, before being traded to Houston on Feb. 18, 2010.

Rockets waive Jared Jeffries

Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the team has waived forward Jared Jeffries.

Jeffries was acquired via trade on 2/18/10 and played in a total of 36 games (no starts) for the Rockets. He finishes his Rockets career with averages of 3.2 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.

The Rockets roster now stands at 14.

Rockets trade Shane Battier to Grizzlies; Hasheem Thabeet to Rockets

The Memphis Grizzlies have acquired Shane Battier and Ishmael Smith from the Houston Rockets in exchange for Hasheem Thabeet, DeMarre Carroll and a future, lottery-protected first-round draft pick, Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today.

The move reunites the Grizzlies and the City of Memphis with Battier, one of the most-popular and effective players in franchise history.

“We are thrilled to have acquired a player of Shane’s caliber as we make a push toward the playoffs,” Wallace said. “Shane is remembered fondly in our Memphis community for his contributions to the franchise’s prior postseason runs, and we expect that his combination of shooting, defense and leadership will be key ingredients in helping us get back there. We are also pleased to add Ishmael Smith, who has a bright future in this league.”

The first-ever draft pick in the Memphis era (No. 6 overall in 2001), Battier starred for five seasons in the Bluff City (2001-06), averaging 10.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.28 steals in 32.3 minutes in 396 games (279 starts). The franchise’s all-time leader in steals (507), Battier also ranks in the top 10 in team history in points (4,160, 6th), rebounds (1,908, 7th), blocks (418, 3rd), three-point field goals made (389, 4th), free throws made (765, 7th), games played (3rd) and games started (5th).

Rockets trade Aaron Brooks to Suns

The Phoenix Suns have acquired guard Aaron Brooks from the Houston Rockets in exchange for guard Goran Dragic and a protected 2011 first-round draft pick, the team announced.

“We are excited to add Aaron Brooks to our team,” said Suns President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby. “We are confident that he will upgrade our backcourt now and in the future. He should add scoring to our second unit, which is important to our success.”

The 6-0, 161-pound Brooks is an established NBA point guard who owns career averages of 12.8 points and 3.6 assists in 247 games (124 starts). Originally selected by the Rockets with the 26th overall pick (first round) of the 2007 NBA Draft, Brooks was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player a season ago after averaging career highs of 19.6 points and 5.3 assists while starting all 82 games for Houston. Brooks garnered the honor after registering the largest scoring increase of any NBA player (+8.4 points) last season, and leading the NBA in three-point field goals made (209).

Brooks became just the sixth player in league history to tally at least 200 three-pointers and 400 assists in a single season.

The 26-year-old Brooks joins the Suns with 2010-11 averages of 11.6 points and 3.8 assists in 34 games (seven starts). After dealing with injuries early, Brooks has appeared in 21 of the Rockets’ last 22 games and has scored 15 or more points in seven of those games.

A fourth-year pro, Brooks has made two playoff appearances in his first three NBA seasons, appearing in 19 postseason contests (13 starts), and averaging 12.8 points and 2.5 assists. Brooks started all 13 playoff games for the Rockets in 2009, as Houston won a series and pushed the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers to seven games in the semifinal round.

Peja Stojakovic hits four threes, scores 22 as Mavs beat Rockets

By Jeff Lenchiner

Back 800 years ago, a guy by the name of Peja Stojakovic was a flame-thrower for the Sacramento Kings, ripping the net every night and showing perfect form with one of the league’s best-looking outside shots. Never a great all-around player, Stojakovic was a scorer, and he did it well.

Mostly forgotten about in the past few years, Stojakvoic recently became a member of the Dallas Mavericks, where at least a partial revival was expected. The team has a pretty stacked roster, and all Peja is expected to do is stand outside and hit open shots. Which he was quite good at on Saturday.The AP reports:

Peja Stojakovic is settling in with his new team, adding a valuable dimension to the Dallas Mavericks’ offense.

Stojakovic scored 22 points and broke a tie with Dale Ellis for fourth place in career 3-pointers as the Mavericks beat the Houston Rockets 106-102 on Saturday night.

Dallas acquired Stojakovic on Jan. 24, and the 3-time All-Star wasn’t in playing shape because he’d been sitting out since November. He went 1-for-11 from long range in his first three games before rediscovering his touch on Saturday night and going 4 for 6.

“I was getting good looks in the last couple of games, too, it was just that the shots wouldn’t go,” Stojakovic said. “It’s easy to play with the guys. I get so many good looks because they draw so much attention. Tonight (Saturday), I was able make them.”

Stojakovic now has 1,723 career 3s and trails only teammate Jason Kidd (1,756), Reggie Miller (2,560) and Ray Allen (2,562) in NBA history. Allen passed Miller for the lead Thursday, and Kidd wouldn’t mind at all if Stojakovic eventually leapfrogs him.

The Mavs are without Caron Butler, normally a starter. It’ll be interesting to see how effective Stojakovic remains over the course of the season, both before and after Butler’s eventual return.

Read fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.

Rockets recall Ishmael Smith from D-League

Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the team has recalled guard Ishmael Smith from Houston’s single-affiliation NBA D-League partner Rio Grande Valley. Smith, who had been re-assigned to the Vipers on Feb. 1, is expected to join the Rockets for tonight’s game in Denver.

Smith (6-0, 175, Wake Forest) has averaged 12.5 points, 7.9 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.50 steals over eight games (five starts) in a pair of stints with the Vipers this season. He was originally assigned to Rio Grande Valley on Jan. 17 and recalled by Houston on Jan. 24. With the Rockets, the undrafted rookie free agent has averaged 2.8 points and 2.2 assists in 26 games (three starts).

Rockets suspend Aaron Brooks one game

Houston Rockets guard Aaron Brooks has been suspended for tomorrow night’s game in Denver for conduct detrimental to the team.

The team will have no further comment regarding this matter.

According to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, “Brooks was taken out of Saturday’s overtime win against the Memphis Grizzlies with 6:45 left in the fourth quarter, but instead of heading to the bench, went to the locker room. Brooks has said he had been frustrated with his role coming off the bench and with his play, but had gotten over it. He was not available for comment.”

Read fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.

Kevin Love replaces Yao Ming on 2011 West All-Star team

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love has been named to the 2011 Western Conference All-Star team, the National Basketball Association announced today. Love was named to the team by NBA Commissioner David Stern to replace Yao Ming, who was voted as a starter by the fans but is out for the remainder of the season with a stress fracture in his left ankle. The honor is the first of Love’s career and the first for a Timberwolves player since Kevin Garnett during the 2006-07 NBA season. Love is the fifth player in franchise history to be named an All-Star, joining Garnett (10 appearances), Tom Gugliotta (1), Wally Szczerbiak (1) and Sam Cassell (1).

“This is an incredible honor for me and I’m so proud to be able to represent the Timberwolves organization at one of the league’s premier events,” Love said. “I’m thankful to Commissioner Stern for giving me his support, as well as to all the great fans in Minnesota who have been behind me and my teammates all season long.”

This marks the second time in franchise history that the Commissioner has named a Wolves player to the All-Star game as a replacement for an injured player. Kevin Garnett earned an All-Star nod in 1997 as a replacement for the injured Shaquille O’Neal, the first of his NBA-record-tying 14 consecutive selections.

“I’m really happy for Kevin. He worked extremely hard this offseason to elevate his game and learn how to consistently perform at a high level in this league,” Wolves head coach Kurt Rambis said. “This recognition is well-deserved, and exciting news both for Kevin personally and our organization as a whole.”

Love, the league’s leading rebounder at 15.5 boards per game, is on pace to become the first player since Moses Malone in 1982-83 to average 20+ points and 15+ rebounds in a season. He’s also on track to become the first player in NBA history to average 12+ rebounds per game while shooting better than 40% from behind the arc. In addition, Love leads the league in double-doubles (43), and his current streak of 34 straight games with a double-double is the second-longest in the last 25 seasons (Kevin Garnett – 37 straight in 2006; John Stockton – 37 straight in 1989).

On Nov. 12, Love made history when he tallied 31 points and 31 rebounds in a come-from-behind win over New York. Love became one of just 19 players in NBA history with a 30/30 game, and the first to accomplish the feat since Moses Malone in 1982.

Read fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.

Rockets re-assign Ishmael Smith to D-League

Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the team has re-assigned guard Ishmael Smith to Houston’s single-affiliation NBA D-League partner Rio Grande Valley. Smith is the second Rockets player to be assigned to the Vipers and recalled this season. He follows rookie forward Patrick Patterson, who played in nine games for Rio Grande Valley during a month-long assignment (11/9/10-12/13/10).

Smith (6-0, 175, Wake Forest), who was recalled by Houston from Rio Grande Valley on Jan. 24, averaged 12.8 points, 7.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.75 steals in four games (one start) with the Vipers after his first assignment on Jan. 17. With the Rockets, the undrafted rookie free agent has averaged 2.8 points and 2.2 assists in 26 games (three starts).

Notes from Spurs win over Rockets

Notes from San Antonio Spurs 108-95 win over Houston Rockets on Friday, January 29, 2011

The Spurs won their 40th game of the season with a 108-95 victory over the Rockets, improving to 40-7 on the season. The 40 wins through the first 47 games of this season is the best record in team history at this point of the season. They become only the eighth team in NBA history to post a record of 40-7 or better through the first 47 games of a season. The best record in NBA history through 47 games is 43-4, which has been achieved once by Philadelphia in the 1966-67 season. San Antonio’s previous best record through 47 games was 37-10, which has been accomplished twice (2005-06, 2004-05).

San Antonio improved to 25-2 at home through the first 27 games played in the AT&T Center. This marks the best home start in team history, matching the 2004-05 Spurs who also won 25 through the first 27 home games. Tonight’s win marks the 18th consecutive win at home, which is the longest home winning streak since the Spurs won 20 in a row from November 11, 1989-February 6, 1990.

The Spurs had balanced scoring tonight, with all five starters reaching double figures, led by Manu Ginobili’s 22. Richard Jefferson scored 18, Tony Parker 17, DeJuan Blair 14 and Tim Duncan 12. This marks the seventh time all five San Antonio starters have reached double figures in the same game.

Ginobili finished the night with 22 points, shooting .636 (7-11) from the field, .667 (4-for-6) from behind the arc and a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. This marks the 23rd game he has scored 20 or more points. Last season, he scored at least 20 points 24 times.

Jefferson recorded 18 points on 7-for-8 (.875) shooting from the floor, 2-for-3 (.667) from three-point land and 2-for-2 (1.000) from the free throw line. This marks the 33rd game he has reached double figures in points. Of his 18 points, half came in the third quarter.

POSTGAME QUOTES

SPURS HEAD COACH GREGG POPOVICH: (On Richard Jefferson) “He was aggressive all night, he played well. He caught with the idea of trying to be a scorer whether it was shooting the ball or driving it. He did a good job the entire time he was on the court. He also did a good job on the defensive end.”

SPURS GUARD MANU GINOBILI: (On the importance of getting a home win before the Rodeo Road Trip) “Very important. We’re going to have nine on the road, the usual rodeo trip. It’s important to finish the last home game with a win. Houston for us is always a tough match-up. They play hard, they know us very well, and it’s a team that I like. They’ve been struggling with injuries, but they are a tough team. We played a great second half.”

ROCKETS HEAD COACH RICK ADELMAN: “They’ve had a great year so far. They move the ball very well. They’re very unselfish. They’ve got a lot of guys that can contribute for them. They have all the ingredients of a team that’s going to be very difficult to beat. I’m very impressed with what they’ve done because I don’t think anyone expected this at the start of the year. They’ve been very consistent game-in and game-out.”

ROCKETS FORWARD SHANE BATTIER: (On Tim Duncan) “He’s just solid and he’s always in the right spot. He just knows how to play the game. You can put anyone around him and he makes them better. He’s just a pillar, he is one of the few pillars in this league.”