Upon reading ESPN’s NBA summer forecast, I saw what I thought I would see. Out of the 93 panelists, 88 picked the Lakers to win the west for the 4th straight season. Who would have guessed right? They kept their core together while also adding veterans Steve Blake and Matt Barnes.

The other five panelists’ picks were what really surprised me. The Rockets and Thunder were picked to win the west by two panelists apiece. As I sat there looking at this, I was baffled. Sure, the Thunder made a monumental leap last year, but to make the Finals this coming year? That is a bit premature methinks. And the Rockets? Yao Ming has not been healthy for a full season in quite some time now. Even with him, they are not a championship caliber team. I’m not sure what makes them look so attractive.

One panelist picked the Dallas Mavericks. Yes, the same Mavericks team that underachieved yet again last spring by being ousted in the first round as the number 2 seed by the number 7 seed Spurs. Again I ask, what makes them a title contender?

Not only was I shocked to see those trio of teams as predicted Finals teams, but I also was shocked not to see a trace of the Nuggets, Jazz, or Spurs. Sure, the Nuggets have the Carmelo Anthony trade rumors to deal with along with an ailing head coach in George Karl, but they are still a great squad. Although the Jazz lost Carlos Boozer, they gained Al Jefferson to fill the gap. And the always potent Spurs could surprise some people this year. The rapid development of George Hill, DeJuan Blair, and the acquisition of the best big from Europe in Tiago Splitter could be enough to vault them into title contention again, provided everyone stays healthy and Richard Jefferson plays to his potential.

The west isn’t as narrow as everyone thinks. There could be a surprise or two left in the teams thought to be below the mighty Lakers.

By Josh Delp of the Sports Fan Blog Network

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Yao Ming will never again be the 37-minute workhorse he has been in recent seasons. At this point, the Rockets would happily settle for 25 quality minutes a night next season.

So there’s your new reality. On the positive side, they’ll have one of the NBA’s best centers back on the floor.
His presence will be especially critical on the defensive end, where the Rockets have been — how can we phrase this gently? — not very good.
He’s also a dominant low-post scorer, a great teammate and all-around good person. In other words, the Rockets are lucky to have him. If you ever thought they would be better off without him, this season probably convinced you otherwise.

Click here to read the full article – By RICHARD JUSTICE of Houston Chronicle

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Tracy McGrady has been cleared to take an indefinite leave from the Houston Rockets after the former All-Star’s representatives and Rockets management agreed to work together in search of a trade for the disgruntled guard, according to sources close to the situation.

Sources close to the process told ESPN.com that multiple phone discussions Monday between Rockets general manager Daryl Morey and coach Rick Adelman in conjunction with McGrady’s lead agent, Arn Tellem, led to a mutual agreement that both sides would try to hatch a workable trade before the league’s annual trading deadline on Feb. 18.

McGrady was allowed to return to Houston over the weekend, while the team completed a road trip, when his request for increased minutes in his comeback from microfracture knee surgery was denied by Adelman.

When McGrady’s camp pressed Monday for firm promises about when his playing time would be extended — McGrady has averaged just 7.7 minutes in his six appearances this season — sources say that the Rockets were not prepared to make any such commitments, leading both sides to conclude that combining their efforts to try to facilitate a trade was the best option.


Click here to read the full article – By Marc Stein of ESPN.com

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Aaron Brooks kept looking to see when Luis Scola was going to come back to the Houston bench. Once the game was finally over, he realized why the Rockets’ starting forward never did.


Gouged in the right eye only 22 seconds into the Rockets’ 100-91 victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night, Scola sported a bandage over his eye in the locker room.

“At first I didn’t think it was that bad. I’d seen some blood and I’d seen a cut, but you never know how bad it was. To come in here and he looks like Captain Hook, you kind of feel bad for him,” said Brooks, who scored 18 of his 21 points in the second half. “So, I hope he gets back, and we had to pull it out for him.”

Scola was hurt on a freak play as the Thunder’s Etan Thomas dunked with his right hand, simultaneously smacking Scola in the face with his left.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

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The Houston Rockets say there is no definite timetable for the return of Tracy McGrady, despite the star saying he’s got a date in mind.

“While we are all encouraged by the fact that Tracy’s rehabilitation has been ahead of schedule, we must remain vigilant through the next stages of his recovery,” Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said in a statement on Monday. “No timeline has been set for his return. He will return when team doctors, officials and Tracy all agree it is best. We will refrain from further public comments.”

McGrady told Yahoo! Sports on Monday that he has targeted the Nov. 18 game against the Minnesota Timberwolves for his return from knee surgery.

“Excited to get back and compete at a high level again,” McGrady reportedly said in an e-mail to Yahoo! Sports. “For a full year I had to play on one leg against the best and I couldn’t compete with anybody the way I was feeling. It’s gonna be a relief to get out there and play knowing what I went [through] last season and this summer.”


Click here to read the full article – By of ESPN.com

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Time to experiment

With the Rockets playing their first three preseason games in the next four days, they will experiment not only with rotations and combinations but also with strategies.

Coach Rick Adelman said he could use players for extended minutes in one game, replacing them with other players in the next game. He sounded more interested to see how different schemes would work. Against the Spurs tonight, he could try double teams and defensive rotations he did not use with Yao Ming last season. Against the Celtics, he might look at ways to send help defense.

“We’re going to do that for sure,” Adelman said. “We’re going to pick games, who we’re playing (against) and what they like to do.”

Rehabs on track
Tracy McGrady had no problems Monday, the day after his first scrimmage with the Rockets in training camp. As planned, the Rockets stepped up a portion of his off-court workouts, though he did not scrimmage.

Shane Battier added shooting drills to his rehabilitation from a pulled hamstring. He is not likely to return to practices until the Rockets return from their road trip Saturday


Click here to read the full article – By JONATHAN FEIGEN of Chron.com

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Houston Rockets center Yao Ming has elected to have extensive surgery on his fractured left foot that almost certainly eliminates his chances of playing next season but offers hope that he can resume his NBA career and not fracture the foot a career-ending third time.

After consultation with a battery of doctors, Yao, 28, has decided to undergo a bone graft to heal the existing fracture and have his arch surgically lowered to reduce the stress on his foot.

Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas had a fracture in the same part of the foot, had a similar combination of surgeries and has played the last eight seasons without suffering another fracture.

Yao has broken the foot twice, most recently last May in Game 3 of Houston’s second-round playoff battle with the eventual champions, the Lakers.

It was originally hoped the fracture would heal with rest and Yao would be back for training camp, but a check-up in June revealed the fracture had not improved.

Click here to read the full article – By Ric Bucher of ESPN.com

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Houston Rockets center Yao Ming has purchased his financially troubled former club the Shanghai Sharks, Chinese media reported on Thursday.

The seven-time NBA All Star’s investment company signed a framework agreement with the club’s three co-owners who agreed to sell Yao all their shares in the club, Xinhua news agency said. “I grew up in the city and became a professional player in this team, so I hope I can do something to help,” Yao was quoted as saying on Shanghai TV.

Click here to read the full article – By Reuters of ESPN.com

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The Houston Rockets already said that Yao Ming’s recovery from a broken foot was behind schedule, but that setback might now cost him all of next season or worse.

“At this point, the injury has the potential for him missing this next season and could be career threatening,” team physician Tom Clanton said, according to the Houston Chronicle. “One of the things we are trying to get is a consensus opinion on that, to make certain there is no option we are overlooking that would provide an earlier return or would be an option for treatment that he would prefer rather than doing additional surgery.” Yahoo! Sports first reported that Yao could miss next season. The team is weighing different options. Yao suffered a hairline fracture of the tarsal navicular bone of his left foot in the Rockets’ second-round playoff loss to the Lakers on May 8. The team initially said Yao would miss eight to 12 weeks, but a bone scan last week revealed that the fracture is not healing properly.

Click here to read the full article – By of ESPN.com news services