The AP reports: Yao Ming had 21 points and 10 rebounds, Artest added 16 in his Houston debut, and the Rockets overcame poor shooting to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 82-71 on Wednesday night. Luis Scola had 12 points and 13 rebounds for the Rockets, who were 28-for-76 (36.8 percent) from the field. They also went 5-for-16 from 3-point range and were outrebounded 49-44… Rudy Gay scored 20 and Darrell Arthur had 11 points and 15 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who’ve lost all eight season openers since moving to Memphis in 2001… Tracy McGrady, wearing a brace on his left shoulder and a wrap below his left knee, had 16 points and five assists, but went 7-for-18 from the field.
Category: Houston Rockets Blog
Rockets blog – Houston Rockets blog
Rockets-Grizzlies team connections
Houston acquired Shane Battier from Memphis in exchange for Stromile Swift and the draft rights to Rudy Gay on July 12, 2006 … Rockets guard Steve Francis, who was selected after his junior season by Vancouver in the first round (second overall) of the 1999 NBA Draft, had his draft rights traded by the Grizzles to Houston on Aug. 27, 1999 … in the 2008 NBA Draft, Houston traded the draft rights to Nicolas Batum (25th overall pick) to the Portland Trail Blazers for the draft rights to Darrell Arthur (27th overall pick) and to University of Memphis forward Joey Dorsey (33rd overall pick) … the Rockets then sent the draft rights for Arthur to the Grizzlies for the draft rights to Donté Greene (28th overall pick) and Memphis’ 2009 second-round pick … Andy Greer, an assistant coach with the Grizzlies, joined Memphis after four seasons with the Rockets.
NBA opening night rosters
The NBA’s opening day rosters are official, and now posted on InsideHoops.com.
This evening was the deadline for NBA teams to trim their rosters down to 15 players or less.
The 2008-09 regular season starts Tuesday, October 28. InsideHoops is your online basketball home. We’re pumping out more content this season than ever.
Enjoy the season!
Aaron Brooks out 1-3 weeks
Houston Rockets guard Aaron Brooks has been diagnosed with a bone contusion in the right ankle. He is expected to miss 1-3 weeks with the injury.
Brooks is a backup point guard and an undersized player who relies very heavily on his speed and quickness.
Rockets want to be like Celtics
The AP reports: The Rockets hope Ron Artest can do for them what Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen did for Boston last season, forming a trio with Paul Pierce to lead the Celtics to the NBA championship. Boston was the worst team in the Eastern Conference in 2006-07, before Garnett and Allen arrived. “For that team to go from worst to first,” Tracy McGrady said, “that gives me hope.” Yao Ming dismisses comparisons between the threesomes by pointing out the glaring difference. “Boston already got a championship. They can say they have the best three guys,” Yao said. “We are looking for that day. I have that confidence that we can do that.” The Rockets don’t have to make as big of a jump as the Celtics did. Houston went 55-27 in 2007-08, its first season under Rick Adelman, and lost to Utah in the first round of the playoffs for the second straight season.
Rockets waive DJ Strawberry
Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the team has waived guard D.J. Strawberry.
Strawberry (6-5, 201, Maryland) averaged 8.2 points and 1.0 steals in five preseason games this year. Strawberry was acquired by the Rockets from the Phoenix Suns on August 25, 2008 after a rookie campaign with the Suns in which he averaged 2.2 points on .315 (29-92) shooting in 33 games.
The Rockets roster now stands at 14 players.
Video of Rafer Alston being arrested
This is a video clip of when Rafer Alston was arrested for DWI. He’s currently on trial for it.
This took place in Houston.
The video is here.
Rafer should have gone into Skip 2 My Lou streetball mode, taken out a basketball, started dribbling through the legs of the police officer, bounced the ball off the officer’s forehead, unleashed a crossover, yanked the officer’s shirt over his head, dribbled by him, dunked the ball over a nearby tree branch, and then started moonwalking.
–Jeff
Oct 23: Rockets 110, Kings 97
The AP reports: Ron Artest scored 19 points against his former Sacramento teammates to help the Rockets beat the Kings 110-97 on Thursday night in the final preseason game for both teams. Yao Ming left the game early in the fourth quarter and finished with 17 points, seven rebounds and two blocks for Houston (5-2). Tracy McGrady, playing only his second exhibition game, added 14 points in 33 minutes… Aaron Brooks added 15 points for the Rockets and Luther Head had 13. In his best game as a professional, second-year center Spencer Hawes had 25 points and 16 rebounds for the Kings (1-7), who lost their sixth straight. Kevin Martin added 22 points, John Salmons had 16 and rookie Jason Thompson 10.
Rockets waive Mike Harris
Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the team has waived forward Mike Harris.
Harris (6-6, 240, Rice) averaged 3.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in three preseason games this year. In his rookie NBA season, Harris averaged 3.6 points and 3.2 rebounds in 17 games with the Rockets in 2007-08. The former standout at Rice University was also a third-overall selection in the 2006 D-League Draft by Colorado.
Uncertain McGrady health
The Houston Chronicle (Jonathan Feigen) reports: A day after Tracy McGrady expressed concern about whether he would be ready for the Rockets’ season opener Oct. 29, he was so encouraged by his play in Sunday’s scrimmage-heavy practice that he spoke confidently about playing in the preseason finale Thursday night in Sacramento. “Actually, I felt pretty good today,” McGrady said. “I wanted to really push myself in practice, to start today a push toward the game on Thursday. I came in here, did what I wanted to do, went hard and felt pretty good. “I am (encouraged.) It’s better for my psyche coming out here and knowing I can get up and down and I can do some of the things I had trouble with earlier. Still struggling a little bit defensively, but I’m coming around.”