Houston Rockets Blog – Page 71 – NBA Blog

Boston man who threatens Juwan Howard locked up

The Boston Herald reports:

A “psychotic” Boston man is accused of threatening to kill NBA star Juwan Howard and his family as well as attempting to extort $1 million from the Portland Trail Blazers forward, prosecutors and police said.

“He has been doing this for years, and he’s never actually spoken to my husband, he’s never even met him, but he’s obsessed with him,” said Jenine Howard in a phone interview after the arrest of Rahmal W. Stinson, 30, of Dorchester. “He’s showed up at games, and mailed gifts and leaves obscene messages. We’ve gotten additional security and we feel pretty safe. But he makes me nervous.”

Stinson, who was arrested Tuesday, was determined to be psychotic and is locked up in Bridgewater State Hospital, where he is undergoing a 20-day evaluation, according to Suffolk District Attorney Daniel Conley’s office.

Stinson’s 12-year-old child is the daughter of Jenine Howard’s sister and occasionally stays at the Howards’ Houston home, according to the family. Stinson frequently calls the home, and on March 20 allegedly threatened to kill the entire household, police said.

Ryan Bowen joins U of Iowa basketball staff

KCRG.com reports:

University of Iowa Head Basketball Coach Fran McCaffery announced Wednesday that he has added former Hawkeye and NBA player Ryan Bowen to his basketball staff. Bowen will serve as the team’s video coordinator and administrative assistant.

“I couldn’t be more excited to be joining the Iowa basketball staff,” said Bowen. “I’m extremely thankful to Coach McCaffery for giving me this opportunity and I’m eager to get started. I had a great time as a student-athlete at Iowa, and look forward to once again being a part of the Hawkeye family.”

“I’m very excited to have Ryan Bowen be part of our staff,” McCaffery said. “I remember watching Ryan play in high school, and followed his career at Iowa and the NBA. There isn’t a harder working basketball player that understands the game than Ryan Bowen. I talked to Jeff Van Gundy, Jeff Bower and John MacLeod and each one raved about his character, work ethic and knowledge of the game. He’s going to make a great impact here at Iowa, just like he did when he was a player.”

Former NBA player Kirk Snyder sent to prison

The AP reports:

An Ohio judge has sentenced a former NBA player to three years in prison for breaking into his neighbors’ home and attacking them.

Warren County Judge Neal Bronson sentenced 26-year-old Kirk Snyder on Wednesday and ordered him to pay $5,550 in restitution.

Snyder made no comment. His attorney argued for probation.

Ron Artest still learning triangle offense

Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times reports:

Ron Artest is still trying to pick up an offense that took Scottie Pippen a year and a half to learn in Chicago. How intricate is the triangle? Tex Winter once wrote a 320-page book about it.

Artest has been a problem spot in the Lakers’ offense, making only three of 19 from three-point range heading into Game 4.

On Saturday, he had five points and made two of nine shots in the Lakers’ 110-89 loss. He was 0 for 4 from three-point range.

Phil Jackson told Artest beforehand to pass more often, but the Lakers’ coach isn’t frustrated with himyet.

“He’s a naïve, innocent lamb,” Jackson said. “I think he’s mistaken in a lot of ways, put in the same category as Dennis Rodman. There couldn’t be a bigger disparity between people.”

Rockets promote Gretchen Sheirr to VP of ticket sales

Houston Rockets CEO Tad Brown announced today that the Rockets have promoted Gretchen Sheirr to Vice President of Ticket Sales & Service. In her elevated role, Sheirr’s duties will include the development of creative sales strategies and service practices for customer retention and new business generation, supervision of the ticket sales and service staff, as well as the integration of all ticket related events and promotions. She will also become a member of the Senior Management Team.

“Gretchen has played an integral role within the Rockets Ticket Sales Department, which is reflective in the significant growth she has overseen in her time with the team,” said Brown. “We look forward to her leadership playing a great part in the future achievements of our organization.”

Sheirr, who is completing her ninth season with the Rockets, has served as Senior Director of Ticket Sales for the past six years. She joined the organization in July 2001 as a Season Ticket Account Executive and then spent two seasons developing the Rockets Inside-Sales Department before her promotion to Senior Director of Ticket Sales. Prior to the Rockets, Sheirr worked in indoor soccer with the Houston Hotshots and with Game Face Inc. in Portland, Oregon.

A native of Spring, Texas, Sheirr graduated from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge with a degree in marketing. She was also a four-year letterwinner as a diver for LSU. She and her husband, Ken, live in The Woodlands with their twins, Jordan and Zachary.

Rockets assign Mike Harris to D-League

Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the team has assigned forward Mike Harris to Houston’s single-affiliation NBA D-League partner the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. Harris, who earned his third Call-Up of the season from Rio Grande Valley on Mar. 24, will join the Vipers for their decisive Quarterfinals Game Three against the Reno Bighorns.

Harris (6-6, 235, Rice) averaged a league-leading 27.1 points (.582, 363-624 FG), 10.5 rebounds (third in D-League), 1.9 assists and 1.18 steals in 34 games (31 starts) with the Vipers. He also finished eighth in the D-League with 18 double-doubles. Harris earned NBA D-League Player of the Month for Jan. 2010 and was named the NBA D-League Performer of the Week two times this season (Jan. 11-17 and Mar. 8-14). He was also named to the D-League’s 2010 Western Conference All-Star Team. Harris scored a career-high 48 points (second-highest total in Vipers history) with a career-best 24 rebounds (tied a Vipers franchise record) at Dakota (1/17/10).

In eight games with Houston, Harris averaged 3.1 points and 2.5 rebounds. Harris led the Rockets with a career-best eight rebounds at Oklahoma City (3/24/10), adding seven points (3-9 FG), a career-high-tying two steals, one assist and one block in 26:12 of action off the bench.

Texas D-League team has name: The Legends

The sporting world can now add an entire roster of Texas Legends to the history books: The newest NBA D-League franchise has a team name!

The Texas Legends begin play this November at their home in the Dr Pepper Arena in Frisco, Texas. Team owners, Donnie Nelson and Evan Wyly, revealed their team name during a “Birthday Party” press conference just prior to the Harlem Globetrotters game on Saturday evening.

“Texas Legends is a tribute to the men and women who helped make our great state what it is today!” Nelson commented. “From early pioneers of freedom to modern day heroes, we celebrate those who’ve sacrificed greatly and achieved the honorable.”

The team is “Legendary” even prior to drafting players. Nelson and Wyly made history by hiring Nancy Lieberman as the Texas Legends’ head coach. Lieberman is the first female head coach in NBA and NBA D-League history. In addition to Lieberman, 1986 Slam Dunk Champion, “Spud” Webb is the team’s President of Basketball Operations, and NBA coaching legend Del Harris is the team’s General Manager.

“Our team name, Texas Legends, is a great fit because the NBA Development League is where future NBA legends are born!” Wyly added.

Thousands of name submissions came from the Metroplex, all corners of the United States, and even as far away as Europe, China, and Australia. Fans sent in name choices which were then narrowed down to 40, and then a final three candidates.

“We’ve got a Legendary staff, and we will have a Legendary franchise,” Webb commented. “Anytime a new franchise announces its team name it is a historic day, but to have such a unique name makes it even more exciting. We’ve gotten off to a great start the past few months, and now with a team name it’s going to be a slam dunk.”

The Texas Legends is the 17th team in the NBA D-League franchise.

“The Texas Legends will be a franchise that is a tremendous opportunity for any player.” Harris concluded. “This is the purpose of the NBA Development League – developing players both on and off the court – and preparing them for an NBA opportunity. As a Texas Legend, you get the opportunity to become an NBA legend.”

David Andersen season ends slightly early

Houston Rockets C David Andersen is expected to miss the remainder of the regular season (which ends Wednesday night) for precautionary reasons relating to the sore lower back that has caused him to miss the past 11 games.

Andersen finishes his first NBA season with averages of 5.8 points and 3.3 rebounds while playing in 63 games. He is expected to make a full recovery and be available to commence his usual offseason training program with no limitations.

Rockets sign Alexander Johnson, waive Hilton Armstrong

Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the team has signed forward Alexander Johnson for the remainder of the season and waived forward Hilton Armstrong. Johnson, who joins the Rockets from the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA D-League, marks his first Call-Up to the NBA this season.

Johnson (6-9, 240, Florida State) averaged 23.0 points, 11.1 rebounds and 1.32 blocks in 22 games (10 starts) with Sioux Falls during the 2009-10 D-League regular season. The former Florida State standout finished the season ranked 12th in the D-League in scoring average and was tied for seventh in the league in rebounds per game. Johnson also played in five games (four starts) with the D-League’s Arkansas RimRockers in 2006-07.

Originally selected by the Indiana Pacers in the second round (45th overall) of the 2006 NBA Draft, Johnson has averaged 4.3 points and 2.7 rebounds in 102 NBA games (25 starts) with the Memphis Grizzlies (2006-07) and Miami Heat (2007-08).

Armstrong (6-11, 235, Connecticut), who was acquired by Houston from Sacramento in a three-team trade on Feb. 18, averaged 1.1 points and 0.7 rebounds in nine games with the Rockets.

Johnson will wear jersey #30 with the Rockets.

Shane Battier out for rest of season

Rockets F Shane Battier is expected to miss the remainder of the regular season for precautionary reasons relating to the sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee which he sustained at New York on March 21.

After consulting with the Rockets medical team, a mutual decision was reached to keep Battier out of action for the team’s remaining five games.

The eighth-year veteran is expected to make a full recovery and be available to commence his usual offseason training program with no limitations beginning in mid-April.

The NBA regular season ends in one week, on April 14.