I was a guest today on KSBI-TV in Oklahoma City.  Among other things, we discussed the impact of the Russell Westbrook injury upon the remainder of this series.

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The Lakers are now 8-9 and staring down nine December road games. The first comes against the Houston Rockets, a similarly rebuilt team tasked with coming together on the fly. After a slow start, they’re seemingly in better sync these days, having won four of their past five games. Not that the Lakers have earned the right to take any team lightly — just ask the Orlando Magic — but Houston may offer a tougher contest than I certainly figured a month ago.

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Goran Dragic, Greg Smith, and Patrick Patterson after the jump.

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The Rockets won, improving their playoff odds to higher than the 2.3% it stood at this afternoon.  We’ll need to keep an eye on the development with Phoenix and Utah, but for tonight, in my eyes, the big story was the benching of Kyle Lowry. The team’s former MVP did not see a single minute in the second half.  We asked McHale about this and, as you just heard, he responded, he was “just trying to win a game.”  We did not get a chance to talk to Kyle.

Also interesting were McHale’s comments on Marcus Morris.  They provide a little bit of insight into why Morris may not have gotten much time this season. If you joined me on Twitter, I raved about Morris’ offensive arsenal after the forward scored six points in the second quarter including a beautiful turnaround from the corner.  I asked McHale about Morris’ stint tonight, expecting a positive response, but instead, he pointed out the mental errors the rookie forward made on the defensive end.

I see offense.  But McHale, needing to win, can’t afford defensive miscues. Mental lapses might be the one thing coaches tolerate least.  That’s why guys like Shane Battier and Patrick Patterson (this year) are still held in such high esteem despite their apparent offensive inabilities.

It will be interesting to see what happens with Lowry.  Tonight, combined with the shouting match during the Denver game, combined with the Dragic free agency situation makes me think it’s a safe bet Kyle will be dealt in the offseason.

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I’m now seriously starting to wonder if it might be better to just keep our pick rather than back into the playoffs by default.  I just don’t know at this point.  Knowing this team, I could see them, after all of this, still upsetting Oklahoma City in the first round.  Nothing would shock me at this point.

Goran Dragic and Chandler Parsons led the way for the good guys with 21 apiece.  Courtney Lee chipped in 18.  For the Nugets, Arron Afflalo and Ty Lawson combined for 51.

After the game, many wondered why Sam Dalembert, after having blocked 7 shots up to that point, did not see time in the final frame.  Kevin McHale closed the game with a lineup of Dragic-Lee-Parsons-Patterson-Scola, or, more amiably known around these parts as “Scola at the 5.”  I sort of understand the decision.  I discovered earlier tonight, via some snooping on 82games.com that Patterson leads the entire league in crunch time +/-; and of course it makes sense to send out Scola to fill the need for a post threat.  Still, it seems nothing good has ever come from this lineup.  If the team misses the postseason, we will not forget its evil.

Most interesting was Kyle Lowry’s absence from the game in the deciding minutes.  To be honest, his return seems to have been a factor in the team’s poor play.  A unit that was once in sync no longer seems to have defined roles…

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From my vantage point, this game was lost because, in the third quarter, the Rockets stopped running the high screen and roll with which they usually have success.  Kevin McHale said that the Suns began packing the paint with what he called “a soft shell.”  As the Rockets did not hit shots, the Suns stayed in the shell.  I asked Goran about this after the game, but his response did not offer much clarity: he said that he had to make the pass after coming off the screen as the Suns were trapping him with two players.

In the first quarter, the Rockets would run Dragic around a Camby high-post screen.  Dragic would then either get all the way to the lane or kick back out to Camby who would initiate from the high post.  Camby would then either find a cutter–sometimes Dragic–or swing it to a flashing Luis Scola, either in the post or on the wing.  It was textbook Rockets basketball.

In the third, the Rockets completely went away from this, running various ISO sets, sometimes even posting up Patrick Patterson.  It’s when the team is at its worst.  I still don’t understand what happened.  Why do they go away from the motion offense?  I didn’t see any adjustment by the defense that warranted the switch.  Weren’t they trapping the point guard all along?

In any event, after a 4-0 road trip, the Rockets lose another backbreaker at home.  If they miss the postseason, they’ll have only themselves to blame.  They control their own destiny at this point.

The Rockets again, like Wednesday night, made a furious comeback, but it was for naught.  They got back into it with a small ball lineup that allowed them to work the ball around the perimeter after an initial Dragic-Scola pick and roll.  Chase Budinger and Chandler Parsons did damage from the wings.

While the lineup did bring the Rockets back, the team had zero paint protection as they gave up some costly points in the paint near the end.  “Scola at the 5” worked on one end but hurt on the other.  Still, it’s probably hard to blame the coaching decision as that lineup did bring the Rockets back into the game.

Marcus Camby had probably the oddest stat line of the game, grabbing 18 rebounds in the first half, but zero in the second.  In fact, he didn’t see a minute in the fourth quarter.  After the game, he said it was the coach’s decision.

The team must now find a way to regroup after yet another backbreaking loss to a playoff contender.  They will have to find ways to beat the Nuggets, Hornets, Mavs, or Heat. Luckily, they take to the road where perhaps, they find greatest comfort.

The other major storyline in this one was the battle of mentor-mentee in front of a national audience for a final playoff spot.  Nash, at 38, clawing for a last chance, against Dragic, beginning his career as a star, trying to lead his team to the second season.  Nash finished with 18 and 10 assists.  Dragic had 22 and 7.

Watching closely, the contrast in styles was evident.  Both players were masterful in the pick and roll, but Dragic would bull his way to the hoop with long strides while Nash would get crafty with a low dribble.  Late in the first half, when Phoenix ran its offense from the high key through Nash, allowing him to hit cutters with one handed standing passes, one could see how far Dragic would have to go.  Nash is a two time MVP for a reason.

On one particular play in the third, Nash drove and pushed off Dragic with a stiff forearm, sending him to the floor.  He then nailed a jumper.  At the other end, Dragic drove, stepped back, faked the shot drawing Nash off his feet, and then leaned in for the scoop shot, drawing the foul.  The pair were an absolute joy to watch.

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Linsanity at full-force was short-lived.  Most observers of this team would tell you Kyle Lowry and Goran Dragic were both better anyway.  Terrence Williams didn’t work out largely due to his own fault.  To followers of the Houston Rockets, Rudy Gay still stands as ‘the one that got away’ in the Morey era.

Gay was a Rocket for mere minutes.  After selecting him with the 9th pick in the 2006 draft, the Rockets sent him to Memphis–along with Stromile Swift–in exchange for forward Shane Battier.  I’ve described news of that trade before as “at the time, my worst moment as a Rockets fan.”

When the Grizzlies rolled into town on Friday, I decided to ask Gay about the deal.  It’s clear he still thinks about it too:

“I was talking to one of my teammates about what if I stayed here,” said Gay in response.

When I asked him whether he had envisioned himself playing next to Tracy McGrady during that short stint on draft night, Gay responded:

“I did, I did.  I saw myself learning a lot from him and being able to absorb a lot from him.  He’s a great.  I would’ve loved to play behind him or with him.”

It’s a painful picture.  At the time, on that night, I still remember my feelings.  In the running for much of the year to be the #1 overall selection, when he was still available at #9, I was doing backflips.  It was an absolute miracle.  The travesty that was the Houston Rockets’ 2005-2006 season would be made worthwhile.  The Rockets would finally have the young athlete they desperately needed.  (The team had been platooning the likes of Jon Barry and David Wesley opposite T-Mac for the previous two seasons.)  Gay would complement McGrady on the perimeter; he would learn from him; he would give the Rockets the swingman duo that would be the envy of the entire league.

Only the Rockets had different plans.  Minutes after the selection, Ric Bucher came on my television set to announce that the Rockets would be trading Rudy Gay to Memphis for Shane Battier.  I couldn’t move.  I felt nauseous.

It was the first move of the Morey era and still stands as the most controversial.  It was certainly his signature trade.  It was the first bold proclamation that the new regime would be doing things very differently and perhaps not easily understood.  Morey traded a young, unproven athlete for a guy whose contributions weren’t otherwise seen in traditional box scores.

In hindsight, with the way things worked out, even with Gay’s ascent to stardom, I do now think trading Gay for Battier was the right move.

From his second season onward, Gay put up points and did it with flash.  He’s certainly a spectacle.  But after watching Battier, I’m not completely sure Gay would have helped the team more.

Battier anchored some injury-ridden Rockets teams which heavily overachieved.  He defended the other team’s best player; he led; he was a coach on the floor at both ends.

In his five seasons with the team, Battier posted win shares of 9.0, 8.2, 5.2, 4.3, and 4.1.  (Win shares are an estimate of the number of wins contributed by a player.)  By comparison, in those years, Gay posted win shares of 0.5, 5.0, 3.3, 6.4, and 5.5.  While Gay probably would have helped the team more in the past two seasons–and now, with Battier having moved on–it’s probably also the case that he wouldn’t have had nearly the impact that Battier did in those first three years.  And those first three years were when the Rockets were contenders.

Gay catching lobs from McGrady and learning from his tutelage is a wondrous vision.  But who would have defended?  Defense was the Rockets’ calling card the last half of this last decade.  Who would have kept the team together through injuries as Battier did?  Maybe it wouldn’t have worked out as well as I had imagined.

Even now, with Gay on the books for $15million, and Memphis just a few games ahead of Houston in the standings, would the Rockets really be that much better off both in the present and long-term?

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I asked Tony Allen if he had a minute as I wanted to ask him about Goran Dragic.  He said he was done for the day.  As it took enough courage to approach him altogether, I didn’t insist.

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In my first installment of this series–which you can access, along with all future installments, by clicking the ‘Dragic vs. Lowry’ tag below–many readers felt the ideal scenario was one which saw management re-sign Goran Dragic but rather than deal off Kyle Lowry, elect to retain him and play both guards together in the backcourt as they’ve done successfully in stints over the past two seasons.

The scenario begged one over-arching question: How would Goran Dragic feel about playing shooting guard for this team?  I decided to ask him.

I had completely forgotten that Goran was a shooting guard overseas, as he told me above.  Thus, I don’t think you can completely rule out the possibility of convincing him to re-sign to play the ’2′, next to Lowry.

With that said…

This logic overlooks two crucial elements.  First, while Dragic at the ’2′ is nice in spurts, the Rockets probably wouldn’t want the 6’3 guard at the position full-time.  Second, we don’t know how the starter/backup factor of all of this plays into the calculus.

To those who wanted to keep both Dragic and Lowry, I’m assuming the ideal scenario also includes retaining Lee.  That would mean having Lowry and Lee start with Dragic backing up at both guard spots.  We know from my interview that Dragic possibly wouldn’t object to staying as the shooting guard starter…but how would he feel if he thought I was asking about just getting some of his minutes at that position as a backup?

I’ve already asked him the starter/backup question in the past and he gave me the typical PC answer about it not being an issue.  (Courtney Lee was also sitting within earshot of our conversation so I wasn’t about to try and induce a response from Goran about taking #5′s job.)

So the question becomes this: If you told Dragic you were keeping both Lee and Lowry and thus couldn’t offer him a starting job, but that you could offer him heavy minutes at both guard spots (by trading Kevin Martin), would he accept the offer?

I’m leaning heavily towards ‘no.’  Despite what players say to the press, very few would turn down the opportunity to start for an NBA team.

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I had posted a random Youtube video about the win-streak for nostalgic remedy, but removed it when I realized the film creator ruined it towards the end with some annoying captions. – Ed.

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This interview was conducted prior to the Daryl Morey presser when it became clear that Fisher most likely would never don a Rockets uniform.

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My conversation tonight with Chase, on the dunk contest.

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First, if it’s not already, my quick-hit recap for ESPN should be up here by tomorrow morning.  Check it out – just some quick notes on the game.

Forward Greg Smith had four blocks today in his NBA debut.  I’m trying to temper my expectations, but I’m excited – the kid looked pretty good in pre-season.  Smith is a full-grown 6’10 with a solid, solid base.  He’s not like some of these other young bigs that come into the league carrying just skin and bones.

Apart from what you heard above, I spoke to Smith for quite some time off-camera before the game.  He is real eager to finally show what he can do. Kevin McHale raved about his IQ in the presser, saying that Smith had been asking him about some of the plays they had learned in camp and whether they would still be running them.  That to me, in combination with the enthusiasm with which he spoke about the learning experience in the D-League, is what has me excited.  A lot of guys in this league–see Jordan Hill and Hasheem Thabeet–have the raw tools.  Few of them have basketball-IQ to match.  We’re already seeing Patrick Patterson make a huge impact just based on his court-smarts, even without any standout physical gifts.  Smith has both.  Let’s see what he can do.

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The first three questions were mine.  Jerome Solomon of the Houston Chronicle followed up.

UPDATED at 6:25PM on 02/08/12:

So originally I wasn’t going to attend the event today.  I don’t get out of class until noon on Wednesdays and I wasn’t really interested to hear about the All-Star game.  But I just had a feeling there might be a chance to interview Stern so I left class early; someone had to ask him about that trade.

Initially, I wanted to take a legal perspective.  My legal theory was that the Rockets relied on past practice and the apparent authority of Dell Demps in coordinating that trade with the Hornets.  In essence, due to prior practice, they had every reason to believe that Dell Demps had the full authority to authorize a trade.  On this assumption, they engaged in prolonged talks.  In the process, time was lost and so was Chuck Hayes.  In this scenario, the reliance damages are Chuck Hayes or Chuck Hayes’ production.

Since a) I only know about three and 1/2 semesters worth of law (compared to Stern’s 40 years practicing in the highest of posts) b) I’m not privy to whatever agreements the league has with teams and other confidential contractual minutiae, and c) I only would have about five seconds to spit something out, I decided to go the easy route and get him on simple logic: “If you’re going to overrule Demps anyways, does that just mean he’s unfit to be general manager?”

The commissioner turned it into an artful game of semantics, keying in on my use of the word “revoke.”  Technically, sure, he’s right.  Nothing was revoked as the trade wasn’t ‘authorized.’  But practically speaking, it’s the same damn issue: David Stern stepped in and took control of the fate of a trade which everyone, including the Rockets, thought Dell Demps had the authority to consummate.  It doesn’t matter if he didn’t revoke it, or rescind it, or authorize it, or whatever term you want to use.  His role as commissioner of the NBA and owner of the Hornets is an obvious conflict of interests and the Rockets got screwed.  You can’t wear two hats with millions of dollars at stake and teams and investors relying upon assumptions of prior practice.

Not much else to report from today.  Except Steve Francis.  May the Lord help him in whatever he is going through because, sitting next to Clyde Drexler, the former looked as if he were the older man.  They played a clip on the big screen of the greatness of the All-Star Game, or something, and so alot of the highlights were of a now 33-year-old Kobe Bryant.  Francis is 34.  When Bryant came on screen, I looked over at Francis and followed his eyes.  I wonder what he, still young enough to earn NBA paychecks, was thinking watching Kobe, at the same age as him, chase another MVP.

Robert Horry was also in the house.  When I first walked in, I saw a really tall guy with a chubby face standing nearby.  I thought to myself, “that guy with the chubby face is probably a basketball player.”  Then I later realized that it was Robert Horry.  He has put on quite a bit of facial edema since his Fresh Prince days.

That’s all for today.  You can catch my recap of tonight’s game on ESPN.com.

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If you’re a hoops fan and haven’t yet seen Through the Fire, you’re missing out. Filmed during his senior year at Lincoln High, the documentary follows Sebastian Telfair through his team’s quest for the championship up until his decision to forego college and enter the draft.  It’s a fascinating look at a young man’s life as he struggles to lift his family out of poverty and follow in the footsteps of his fabled older cousin, Stephon Marbury.

Drafted 13th by the Portland Trail Blazers in 2004, at just 6’0, Telfair was the shortest ever high-schooler to be taken in the lottery.  Rumors at the time were that that high slot was coordinated through an arrangement with Adidas and not exactly on the merits.  Needless to say, Telfair’s NBA career has left much to be desired.  Still, it’s a fascinating story but I’m biased; I’ve always been partial towards the ‘New York point guard’ archetype.

Not much too interesting there.  I just wanted to get his take on Dragic and see if anything interesting would be divulged.  Guess not.

I asked Markieff Morris about his brother’s mindset after being relegated to the D-League.  The answer was barely audible so I didn’t bother uploading, but basically he said something like “he’s still a basketball player,” or something like that.  I’m not exactly sure.  Like I said, there’s a reason I didn’t upload it.

Speaking of Markieff though, boy was I impressed last night.  They said he was more of a true ’4′ than Marcus, but he had some ridiculous driving spin moves against the Rockets that you just don’t see out of big men.  I think the future is bright for both of the twins.

Last night was strange.  For one, it was by far the loneliest I’ve ever been in the visiting lockerroom.  By the time I got there, right after McHale finished, most of the Suns had already left.  The main guy who I wanted to talk to was Grant Hill and luckily he still hadn’t left.  After he came out of the shower, I stood and waited for him to dress for close to twenty minutes, the longest I’ve ever seen any player take since I’ve been doing this.

I’m really exposing my ignorance with regard to medical technology, but after he sat down, he began applying these electrical suction type things with wires at the end to his legs.  This took about ten minutes.  Then I think he applied some cream, and then finally, he put on the compression leggings that Dwayne Wade used to wear during the game.  He then put his real clothes on over the leggings.

Most NBA players wear jeans and sneakers but Grant Hill put on a full suit.  In fact, other than Courtney Lee, I don’t remember ever seeing anyone else wear a suit.  He then got up and walked toward the mirror at the side of the room and took his time carefully tying his tie.  As Channing Frye walked out, he said to Hill, “Catch you later, Armani.”

Finally Grant was ready to talk.  I asked him about playing injured for the Pistons, against his better interests, and what one piece of advice he would give to younger players.  I thought he’d say something about trusting your body, and looking out for yourself against the pressures of team doctors, but when you’re 39 and as intelligent as Hill, you’re much more careful with your words.

I had to get something good from Grant Hill.  This was Grant Hill, man!  From the Duke championship teams and the Sprite commercials!  We forget it but this was, standing in front of me, ‘the next Michael Jordan’ at one point.  I took a Hail Mary and asked him about T-Mac and the potential of that duo hoping he’d shed some light on the prowess of a young McGrady.  His mood immediately changed and you could see it on his face; “I don’t want to talk about the past. I’m sorry, man.”  I don’t really blame him.  You could almost see the pain in his face upon hearing the question.  Aside from the fact its been asked dozens of times, who wants to be reminded of what could have been at one point in their life were it not for a cruel twist of fate?

At 39, what Hill is doing now is just remarkable but even more, an inspiration to even the regular Joe.  It’s incredible enough to play, as a wing, into such a late age.  But to come back after a string of demoralizing injuries?  Incredible.  It’s a lesson that if you truly do want something, keep trying and never lose hope.

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In the summer of 2010, Llull reached an agreement with Real Madrid to extend his contract until 2014.

Llull is one of the top point guards in Europe and by all accounts, an athletic specimen.  Here’s video of Rockets VP of Basketball Operations Sam Hinkie breaking down Llull’s game.  The average fan probably hasn’t heard about him, but die-hards are wondering when, if ever, he’ll come over and bring his talents to the local team.

I decided to ask Ricky Rubio who starred with Llull on the Spanish national team.  Here’s a clip of Rubio tossing Llull an alleyoop, a great example of some of the athleticism I had mentioned.

You can’t read too much into the clip, but Rubio’s last comment was interesting.  I’m not even sure what to make of it.  Is he projecting his own thoughts or letting us in on Llull’s mindset?  Luis Scola didn’t care; he was in a similar situation but wanted to come to the NBA at all costs to face the challenge.  Might Llull want to remain abroad in the comfort of known shores and an established role?  Vassilis Spanoulis preferred it that way.

Regardless, the Rockets probably wouldn’t have brought over Llull anyway next summer.  While I’m not privy to the specifics, his buyout will be expensive and they hope to make use of their cap space in other ways.  (Remember that teams under the salary cap do not enjoy the luxury of their exceptions.)

I usually only post my own questions, but this exchange between Rubio and NBA.com’s Fran Blinebury was pretty humorous.

Lastly, I asked Rubio about the difference between this season and last.  (Recall that he struggled mightily causing many to wonder if he could cut it in the NBA.)  I’m not sure if he was just tired–he had been taking questions for literally fifteen minutes before that–or offended by the question.  I tried to frame it politely but I was basically asking why he sucked last year.

That’s all for today.  By the time I got done with Rubio, Kevin Love and Beasley had already finished.  I’ll be back at Toyota Center again on Monday.  I hope to get some time with Steve Nash and Grant Hill.

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Kyle Lowry had another rough outing tonight going 1-6 from the floor.  I’m not really convinced at all by McHale’s response because it’s not like he would be candid on the point.  I’ll just say, we’re pretty lucky to have a backup the quality of Goran Dragic

Lowry’s drop-off is, at the least, somewhat of a cause for concern.  Kyle is enjoying far and away the highest usage of his career at 22%; you worry that he may have completely worn out with the vastly increased workload.  Recall that the team ran a good portion of its offense in years prior through Chuck Hayes from the high post.  This season, they’ve been much more dependent upon Lowry in traditional point-guard-initiated sets.  This is why you alternate series’ between Arian Foster and Ben Tate.

Chase Budinger had another huge night going 7-12 from the floor for 19 points.  What he spoke of is something that, while perhaps obvious, I’ve always found interesting.  You become a good shooter, or a good pitcher, through practice.  But what we don’t really think of is the work in-between, done to maintain.  These motions have certain mechanics for optimal accuracy, especially for someone as fundamentally sound as Chase.  Because he uses textbook form, he knows that if his shot is off as badly as it had been, some deviance in delivery must have occurred.

Many were surprised when the Rockets cut Jeremy Lin prior to the season.  He’s a better player than Jonny Flynn.  That’s an understatement.

This adds further confirmation to what we already knew: Lin was waived because Flynn had guaranteed money.  It wasn’t really a basketball decision.  I watched him dazzle for a few minutes in camp, seeming as if he belonged.  It’s really surprising that Lin hasn’t found a steady NBA home.  He’s a good player.

No explanation really necessary.  If you couldn’t tell yet by my name, or my appearance, I’m an Asian American, and while not an East-Asian American, Lin is still really a source of pride and amazement.  What’s most remarkable is that he’s a guard.  Growing up, with many Asian friends, I didn’t ever think I’d see the day that someone of our kind would be in the NBA.  I really had wanted to meet Jeremy Lin for that very reason.

Outside of the Heat game last season, this was the most media I had ever seen in the visiting lockerroom.  They really send their guys out to cover their team.

When I first walked in, I went about my business, as usual, waiting for player availability.  Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a strange-looking hobo, stuffed into a corner chair, tuned into his headphones.  He wore large sunglasses, an odd looking hat, and tight baby blue pants that finished above his ankles.  An unkempt beard enveloped his face.  I realized this was my chance to finally interview Baron Davis.

“I didn’t play today…” he replied, to my request for a few minutes of his time.  “Oh,” I said.  I knew that obviously, but I couldn’t press the issue.  Two nights in a row now, I shied off from my desired question.  I wanted to ask him about The Beard, and more specifically, if his was better than James Harden’s.  Instead, I was turned away.

That’s all from here, folks, hope you enjoyed it.  I’ll be back at Toyota Center on Monday.

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Great insight from Kevin McHale into Chase Budinger’s mindset and preparation during his stint on the bench these past few weeks.

The big story from tonight wasn’t that the Rockets won by nearly 30 but rather that Chase came out of his coma, responding to the call in Kevin Martin’s absence.  It was a welcome sight in the broader scheme of things.  While the team took off immediately upon coach McHale’s shortening of the rotation, many wondered if an 8-man unit was enough; in a season like this one, a shortened bench could prove disastrous down the stretch.  It’s imperative for Houston to get production from Budinger to keep the other wing players fresh.

Speaking of wings, Courtney Lee was not offered an extension by the team on Wednesday, the deadline for deals of that nature.  I asked Courtney about that situation.

He’ll be restricted this summer, so the Rockets will have the opportunity to match any offer.  However, especially taking into consideration his production with the Magic, I think teams are aware of Lee’s value.  We might have another Brooks/Lowry situation on our hands.  Recall that two summers ago, Cleveland signed Kyle Lowry to the $5.75/year deal he is now enjoying with the Rockets, forcing Houston to match and later, make a decision on Aaron Brooks.  Not wanting to have big money tied up in one position, Morey dealt Brooks to the Phoenix Suns, bringing back Goran Dragic who is still under club control [on a cheap deal.]

With starting guard Kevin Martin due close to $13million next season, a similar decision will have to be made.  I for one have maintained for some time, with the team’s win/loss in Martin’s absence as evidence, that Lee is more than capable as a replacement and perhaps a better fit at starter for the long-term.  If the team can move Martin for frontcourt help, I would more than welcome that transaction.

I wasn’t going to upload this clip after I got it but upon review, this was actually pretty interesting.  It gives a lot of insight into the mind of a mature, high IQ basketball player.  I’ve personally never given any thought to someone taking this approach; the only adage you ever really hear with regards to in-game shooting is the old “once you see it go in [via dunk/free throw], everything opens up.”  But to try to provide other production, as a means of warming up, before taking a shot is really interesting.  It’s small things like this that separate the Patrick Pattersons of basketball from the Jordan Hills; it’s how mental awareness can prove greater than physical gifts.  If you’re a general manager, with jobs always on the line, and you hear something like this in a pre-draft interview, in my opinion, it stands out.  Those small things are what win games.  (Sorry for going off on one of my tangents, I know this is supposed to be a light-hearted post-game recap; I’ll touch more on the above on Monday.)

Nothing too interesting there, but it’s John Wall so I had to get something.  Meh.

What I really wanted to ask him was, “did Carrol Dawson and Rudy T. give you a guarantee that they would select you with one of their three first round draft picks?  Rashard, the people want to know.”  But I choked and couldn’t do it; I couldn’t pull a Jim Gray.  (For those too young to remember, the story goes, per Lewis, that the teenager was given a guarantee by the team prior to the 1998 draft that they would select him in the first round.  They didn’t and now the ‘green room’ screening process is a lot different.)

Final thought: Andray Blatche was singing this, for a good two minutes in the lockerroom.  I already hated the song before but now, I’ll never be able to shake it from my memory.

That’s all for today folks, I hope you enjoyed it.  I’ll be back at Toyota Center tomorrow night so tweet me your questions.  Take care.

The post Post-game interviews: 1.27.12 appeared first on Red94 | essays and musings on the nba and houston rockets.

Then I needed to know how Parsons felt about being called ‘Chandler Bang.’  I actually like that one.  In fact, I like it so much that I wish my name were Chandler Parsons simply so that I too could be referred to as ‘Chandler Bang.’  He doesn’t seem to care though.

We also talked a little bit about the videos of him on the internet dunking on people.  He’s aware.  I wasn’t rolling tape though.

Finally, I spoke to Patrick Patterson about his ankle surgery.  This was something that had actually been bothering him for some time.  Judging by that PER last season, I never would have guessed it.  Patrick Patterson is this team’s starting power forward.  Luis Scola is just borrowing the title.

By the way, that was Terrence Williams in the background politely asking me to move.  Really nice guy.  Note my sarcasm.

That’s all for today, folks.  Hope you enjoyed.  And remember, never again to ‘The Bear.’

The post Post-game interviews: 1.22.12 appeared first on Red94 | essays and musings on the nba and houston rockets.

I actually went tonight hoping to get a hold of Chuck.  Easily the best interview on the team since I’ve been doing this.  Unfortunately he didn’t speak.  When I got into the Kings lockerroom, he was speaking to a staff member of the Kings; just weird seeing him in the visiting lockerroom.  Then, after getting some Jimmer, Cousins, Evans footage, I headed to the Rockets lockerroom just as Chuck was walking in.  He went straight to his old locker–in the corner of the room–and quipped about Terrence Williams stealing it, saying the latter should be charged property tax.  Then he spent some time with Kevin Martin and Luis Scola, catching up on old times.  Just bizarre seeing Hayes in there as a member of a different organization.  The whole postgame thing is pretty unpredictable – you just don’t know when guys will be available.  But last season, I always knew that regardless of the day/game, Chuck Hayes would not only talk to me, but give me some damn good content at that.  That’s just one of many reasons why Chuck Hayes is maybe my favorite Houston Rocket of all-time.

The post Post-game interviews: 1.13.12 appeared first on Red94 | essays and musings on the nba and houston rockets.

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