Texas Sports Fan Blog

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

Houston Rockets Sports Memorabilia
and other Houston Rockets Gifts and Collectibles
Below are links to memorabilia available for Tracy McGrady.