Houston Rockets Blog – Page 92 – NBA Blog

Rockets-Nuggets connections

Houston Assistant Coach T.R. Dunn spent two seasons (2002-04) as an assistant coach for Denver.

In 10 seasons as a player with the Nuggets (1980-88 and 1989-91), Dunn scored 3,585 points and became a mainstay in the franchise’s record books, where he still ranks second all-time in steals (1,070), fourth in games played (734) and fourth in minutes played (18,322).

Rockets Rehabilitation & Performance Coordinator/Assistant Athletic Trainer Keith Garnett is a native of Denver.

Houston Assistant Coach Elston Turner played three seasons with the Nuggets (1984-85, 1985-86 and 1988-89).

Rockets guard Von Wafer averaged 1.3 points and 0.2 assists in 21 games with the Nuggets in 2007-08.

Dec 13: Clippers 95, Rockets 82

The AP reports: The Los Angeles Clippers needed back-to-back 30-point efforts from newly acquired Zach Randolph to win consecutive games for the first time this season. Randolph had 30 points and 13 rebounds Saturday night in a 95-82 victory over the Houston Rockets. Friday night at Portland, he had 38 points and 11 boards in a double-overtime win… Yao Ming had 24 points and 13 rebounds for the Rockets, who had beaten the Clippers in seven consecutive meetings and 19 of the previous 22. Tracy McGrady scored 19 points on 5-for-17 shooting in his second game back after missing the previous seven because of a sore left knee… Al Thornton scored 26 points and Camby added 12 points and 13 rebounds for the Clippers, who got double-digit scoring from all of their starters. Baron Davis, who had 23 points and eight assists against the Rockets in the previous meeting at Houston despite a case of food poisoning, had 13 points and nine assists in the rematch.

Dec 12: Rockets 119, Warriors 108

The AP reports: Tracy McGrady tested his sore left knee during a recent practice, pronounced himself fit and then produced one of his best offensive nights of the season. McGrady just missed a triple-double in his return to the court, Yao Ming had 19 points and 14 rebounds, and the Houston Rockets beat the Golden State Warriors 119-108 Friday night… McGrady, who missed the last seven games with soreness in his left knee, had 24 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists as the Rockets improved to 15-8, their best record after 23 games since the 1996-97 team started 21-2. Luis Scola had 19 points and Carl Landry scored 18… Andris Biedrins had 18 points and 12 rebounds in his ninth double-double in 10 home games for the Warriors, who had their two-game winning streak snapped. Anthony Randolph had his first career double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. C.J. Watson added 17 points.

Rockets adjusting to injury

The Houston Chronicle (Jonathan Feigen) reports: Tracy McGrady practiced. Yao Ming did not. Yao, battling a cold, will play. McGrady might. Brent Barry, who also practiced for the first time in weeks, probably will not play. Shane Battier will play, but it’s not clear how much. Ron Artest did not practice and will not play. Other than that, things are falling right into place… If McGrady returns and starts tonight against Golden State in Oakland, Calif., the Rockets likely will have their seventh starting lineup in 23 games. This season, Shane Battier has missed 15 games, McGrady seven and Yao one. Artest has played hurt, missed one game and will be out the next two. Barry has missed eight games. As much as the Rockets have missed the players who have been hurt, they have lost chances to build continuity. They had seemed increasingly in sync, with far better balance and ball movement, when they played the Warriors last Friday, scoring 131 points, their most since 1995. But that was with Artest going from dribbling too much and looking to carry the offense against Indiana and Denver, to leading the improved offensive flow. Then he went out and things bogged down again. That has been the pattern of the season with a continuing series of changes, adjustments and improvements, only leading to more changes.

Dec 9: Rockets 92, Hawks 84

The AP reports: The Houston Rockets blew a big lead, then relied on Yao Ming to lead the winning rally on Tuesday night. Yao scored 24 points and grabbed a season-high 19 rebounds, and the Rockets came back from eight points down in the fourth quarter to beat the Atlanta Hawks 92-84. Luis Scola added 12 points and 10 rebounds, Ron Artest scored 19 and the Rockets outrebounded Atlanta 57-40 to hand the Hawks their 10th consecutive loss in Houston… Joe Johnson scored 22 points and Josh Smith added 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Hawks… Alston had six assists and scored 12 for Houston, but went 4-for-15 from the field. Mike Bibby added 15 points for Atlanta.

Dec 8: Grizzlies 109, Rockets 97

The AP reports: O.J. Mayo and the Memphis Grizzlies used a quick start to put away the injury-depleted Houston Rockets. Rudy Gay scored 20 points, Mayo and Hakim Warrick had 18 points apiece, and The Grizzlies scored the first 10 points Monday night in a 109-97 win over the Rockets, who were without two of their top three scorers as Tracy McGrady and Ron Artest sat out with injuries… Kyle Lowry had 11 points and five assists, while Mike Conley and Marc Gasol each had 10 points. Gasol and Warrick had eight rebounds apiece for Memphis. Luis Scola had 16 points and 15 rebounds, and Rafer Alston had 16 points and eight assists for the Rockets. Von Wafer added 15 points, and Yao Ming and Aaron Brooks finished with 14 apiece. Carl Landry had 12 points.

Cuttino Mobley may retire

The New York Post (Marc Berman) reports: Cuttino Mobley is strongly mulling a medical retirement because of an enlarged heart condition and could make the announcement tomorrow, according to a person familiar with the situation. Mobley, 33, still has one more heart test left today in Minnesota. It had been reported that Mobley had signed a waiver with the Clippers to release them of liability if he had heart problems. If Mobley, obtained in the Zach Randolph trade from the Clippers, retires, it would free open a roster spot and save the Knicks about 75 percent of the $18. 9 million left on his pact because of insurance.

Dec 3: Rockets 103, Clippers 96

The AP reports: The Houston Rockets will have to win games the hard way until Tracy McGrady gets healthy. Yao Ming had 24 points, Rafer Alston sank five 3-pointers and added 21, and the Rockets beat the Los Angeles Clippers 103-96 on Wednesday night. Ron Artest scored 19 points and Yao grabbed 10 rebounds and went 12-for-13 from the free throw line for the Rockets, who played their fourth straight game without McGrady. The seven-time All-Star is out three weeks with a sore left knee… Al Thornton scored 24 and Zach Randolph had 23 points and 11 rebounds for the Clippers, who’ve dropped six of seven road games this season. Baron Davis had 13 points and nine assists, despite leaving in the first quarter with apparent food poisoning. He started the second half and never came out of the game again, playing 34 minutes in all.

Houston Comets (WNBA) shutting down

The AP reports: The Houston Comets, a franchise that won the first four WNBA championships, is disbanding. The league-owned team will be shut down because new owners couldn’t be found. “You have to build on strength,” WNBA president Donna Orender told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. “My outlook is to build on the fact that the league has great momentum and in Houston we didn’t have the enough runway to get a deal done in time for the 2009 season. So right now we have to move on.”

Ticker reports: The league will hold a dispersal draft for the remaining players on the Comets. “December 8 we will have a dispersal draft and the players who are available to be drafted will be drafted in an inverse order of finish by the current WNBA teams”, Orender said. “So the Atlanta team will have the first available player or the player they so chose on December 8.”

The Houston Chronicle reports: The decision to shutter the team came almost four months after the league took it over. The WNBA began running the Comets when owner Hilton Koch had decided to put the team up for sale. In mid-August, Houston Mayor Bill White issued a letter to potential investors, placing the value of the franchise at $10 million and setting a November deadline to find local ownership. Koch bought the team from Houston Rockets owner Leslie Alexander in October 2006. The team broke away from the Rockets’ organization, established a new front office, saw longtime head coach Van Chancellor resign and moved assistant coach Karleen Thompson into the top job.

Houston Rockets Owner Leslie Alexander issued the following statement today regarding the WNBA’s announcement that the Houston Comets will suspend operations this week. Alexander was the original president and owner of the Comets from the 1997-2006 seasons before selling the team to Houston businessman Hilton Koch on January 31, 2007: “While this is a sad day for me personally, as well as for all who worked so hard to bring women’s basketball to our great city, the Comets were a source of deep pride for all Houstonians. I will never forget our team making history by winning that first WNBA championship—then following it up with three more consecutive titles. The team was a great source of inspiration and had a great impact on thousands of young women everywhere. I will choose to focus on the many great times that we shared, and the incredible players like Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes, Tina Thompson and Kim Perrot, and of course our Hall of Fame coach Van Chancellor. We had the most loyal and energetic fans in the league, and the team will be missed by all.”

Tracy McGrady likely out week or so

Rockets G Tracy McGrady was evaluated by Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, AL this afternoon. Dr. Andrews confirmed the initial medical assessment of Rockets Team Physician Tom Clanton that McGrady is suffering from general soreness in his left knee related to his continuing rehabilitation from off season surgery.

McGrady will continue his current rehab program designed to alleviate the discomfort in his knee. He will likely be out for the next week and will continue to have his playing time restricted upon his return in order to lessen the stress on the injured knee.

Rockets G Brent Barry, who missed the last two games with a calf injury, was seen by Clanton this morning at Memorial Hermann—Texas Medical Center and diagnosed with a small tear in the Plantaris muscle on his right leg. The injury will require him to rest for approximately the next two weeks before resuming his on court practice activities in preparation for a return to game action.