Daily Factoid: Last year, Trevor Ariza posted a 0.058 WS/48 (estimated number of wins contributed by a player per 48 minutes), while Courtney Lee posted a a 0.063 WS/48. Based on this metric, Courtney Lee will help the Rockets win 0.27 more games this year assuming that he plays the same number of minutes this year as Ariza did last year.

• Tom Martin – ‘Lee Brings Versatility That Rockets Needed, On Court And In Wallet’: “Morey saw the chance to acquire a player that he had coveted dating back to the draft and came to the conclusion that A) Ariza wasn’t going to get much better, and B) Lee not only presents the Rockets with a more talented, smarter, younger player, but is also incredibly cheaper… As a player, Lee is different from Ariza… how? For one, he’s smaller, making him a legitimate shooting guard. If he were to play alongside Kevin Martin, Martin would likely shift to the small forward, not that it matters, really. Lee’s also a much more coordinated player than Ariza. He can create for himself, can shoot the three at a good percentage and is a generally smart player. The high-flying athleticism that Ariza brought to the Rockets is gone, but to replace it with a more controlled, younger player is a smart move. Lee’s no slouch as a defender, either. Stan Van Gundy referred to him as the best defender on the ‘09 Magic Finals team. As a rookie. That’s some high praise.”
• Bethlehem Shoals and Tom Ziller of FanHouse – “Courtney Lee has a new home … again. He’ll put on his third uniform, this one emblazoned “Rockets,” as he begins his third NBA season. Clearly, he’s on his way to that well-worn basketball title of ‘journeyman.’ But ‘journeyman’ doesn’t have to be a bad word, and maybe Lee’s the one to redefine the term. To be a journeyman implies that there’s no place for a player anywhere, that he’s a mercenary for hire (Kevin Willis) or, less generously, a vital cog in only the Trade Machine dynamics of the modern NBA (Devean George). Lee fits neither definition; he’s a good, young player any team would love to have, but who keeps getting dealt in bigger-picture trades as an asset (not as salary cap fluff). It has to bug Lee, because, for one, always being traded is no way to build demand, and building demand is the entire goal of a rookie on his first contract. Second, it’s annoying to move and to have to meet new co-workers, learn a new system, figure out how to deal with a new coach. It’s clearly far less optimal than staying in one place and being allowed to improve organically. You re-pot a fern too many times and it’ll wilt, guaranteed. But let’s be honest: most casual fans only know Lee as the guy wearing the mask from the 2009 playoffs. Even then, they probably can’t place his name. Perhaps he’s the player to prove that, despite being pretty good, you can remain invisible enough to avoid a negative stigma altogether.”
• Jason Friedman – ‘Lee Lands in Houston’: From an X’s and O’s standpoint, the team has added a versatile 2-guard who should be a perfect fit with Houston’s second unit. Lee, a player the Rockets coveted in the ’08 Draft, is a plus athlete, a very good spot-up shooter (he hit more than 40 percent of his 3s during his rookie season with Orlando, a team that employs an inside-out game that creates plenty of open long-distance opportunities, similar to what the Rockets like to do, especially when Yao Ming is on the floor) and a strong wing defender. From ESPN.com’s John Hollinger’s scouting report on Lee last summer: ‘Lee is likely to have a much more defense-oriented identity as a pro. He’s a very good spot-up shooter, with last season’s numbers backed by strong 3-point percentages as a collegian… Most rookies struggle on defense, but Lee was the Magic’s best on-ball defender from the get-go and has a good chance at becoming an elite defensive stopper.’ In talking to Houston’s Basketball Personnel department, it’s clear the team loves Lee’s versatility on the defensive end, believing him to be a valuable weapon to unleash against bigger point guards like Deron Williams. But they also like his offensive potential, feeling as if his ability to play up-tempo one minute and as a floor-spacer off of Yao the next should enable him to seamlessly slide into Rick Adelman’s offense. Then, of course, there are the intangibles the Rockets cherish: Lee is a high character player who will be a great fit in the locker room, bringing his detail-oriented approach and winning qualities to a team that places real value on such characteristics.”
• Jonathan Feigen – ‘After more than two years, Rockets finally get Lee — and a case of deja vu’: “Daryl Morey did not want to make the comparison, but he could not help himself. The similarities between the deal to get Kyle Lowry and Wednesday’s trade for Courtney Lee were just too numerous to ignore. Morey did not want to bring it up because no one is a bigger Kyle Lowry fan and he did not want to compare Lee to Lowry quite yet. Lee will have to compete with Chase Budinger and Jermaine Taylor (and in a way, with Lowry) for backup shooting guard minutes. Still, as with the deal for Lowry, the Rockets traded a starter (Trevor Ariza) in a multi-team deal for a player expected to be a backup. As with that deal, they went after a player they had tried to get for years, having spent nearly two years in pursuit of Lowry and more than two years chasing Lee. And as with that deal, they did it in part because they were not sure how the player they were trading would react to a cut in playing time. Rafer Alston was the starter that season, but the Rockets believed Aaron Brooks would soon take the position. He was already finishing many games. Ariza was a starter last season, having come to the Rockets to try to make himself something more than a role player. That did not work out very well. He struggled with the increased role and let those struggles impact him in other ways early in the season. He seemed to get over that and played the way the Rockets expected late in the season, filling the stat sheet more regularly on the nights he did not shoot well than he had early in the season. Next season, however, Ariza was expected to be in a fight for playing time. Shane Battier made more sense as the starter with Yao Ming. Ariza would fit well running with Lowry and the second unit. But Chase Budinger had to figure in there somewhere, with the Rockets expecting him to earn playing time far more than they could have guessed when Ariza was signed. All that made it easier to make a move to deal a player they did like. Most of all, as with the deal for Lowry, the Rockets got a player they long coveted.”
• SBNation – ‘Basic Scouting Report of Newest Rocket Courtney Lee’: “My first thought regarding Lee is that he is making a drastic role change. Last year, he was asked to do just about everything for a struggling Nets team. And while he is certainly capable of creating for himself and knocking down open shots, he is obviously not someone who you revolve an offense around or use as a second option. That said, I think his time in New Jersey gave him plenty of experience as a trusted ball handler. Heck, in two seasons, Lee has played a prominent role in an NBA Finals and has conversely played solid minutes for the worst team in the league. That’s about as much experience as you can get in your first two years. While some may argue that Trevor Ariza is the better player than Lee, that’s not really my concern. Rather, I’m focused on how Lee fits with the roster, because that’s what ultimately matters most. He’s perfect for the free-flowing offense that Rick Adelman will likely employ with the second unit, much in the way that Shane Battier was a terrible fit for such a unit. Lee’s presence frees up Battier to start once again, where he is much more comfortable. Make no mistake: Battier starting again is a good thing. He may have suffered through an ankle injury last season, but his style of play is not such that it will be affected by his aging. He is an intangibles player, much in the way Lee is. If anything, I’m excited that Lee will be able to learn from Battier, a player whom Pruiti already compared him to above.”
• Rich and Robert of 610 Sports Radio interview Daryl Morey about the recent trade for Courtney Lee.
• Tom Martin of SBNation breaks down the Rockets 2010-2011 schedule.
• Levy2725 of SBNation gives us his statistical outlook of the Pacers’ newest point guard, Darren Collison.
• Anthony Olivieri – ‘Despite James Dolan’s Efforts, Isiah Thomas Will Not Work for Knicks’: “Isiah Thomas will not be a consultant for the New York Knicks thanks to a conflict of interest with his job as head coach at Florida International. Multiple reports stated that Thomas rescinded his acceptance of the Knicks‘ offer after being in contact with the NBA commissioner’s office. ‘After speaking with Commissioner [David] Stern and Knicks executives, it has become apparent that my new agreement violates certain NBA bylaws. Because of this, I have decided to rescind my contract with the team,’ Thomas said in a statement. ‘I have nothing but the utmost respect for Jim Dolan, Donnie Walsh, Mike D’Antoni and the entire Knicks organization, and I want to thank them for affording me this opportunity. NBA laws prohibits anyone who coaches or works for a college program or an international team, and in turn has regular contact with underclassmen, from working for any of the league’s 30 teams.'”
• Elie Seckbach of SBNation interviews world champion, rapper, and entertainer, Ron Artest.
• Neil Paine of Basketball Reference takes a look at the NBA teams that had the most personnel turnover from one season to the next.
• A documentary of this year’s USA Basketball team courtesy of Nike Basketball.
• Trey Kerby of Ball Don’t Lie shows a video of Lebron James being booed at Cedar Park.
• Sam Amick – ‘Former Nets GM Rod Thorn to be Named 76ers Team President’: “Former New Jersey Nets general manager Rod Thorn will be named Philadelphia 76ers team president. Thorn confirmed a Yahoo! Sports report to FanHouse on Wednesday evening, making it even more clear that his curious departure from the Nets in late June had nothing to do with any desire to stop working. A formal announcement of Thorn’s next challenge is expected later this week. Thorn said former Philadephia team president Ed Stefanski will stay on board in a general manager role, duplicating the dynamic the two friends had for six seasons in New Jersey.”