"No Layups" NBA/Rockets Radio Show, Mondays at 9pm

I read your article that is why I added the "ish" at the end of the 10 million but for the sake of my point I followed the show's conversation. Saying that, I believe they will get close to that figure and I know what that means but feel the necessary steps will be taken, given the parameters you set with the CBA.

On your second point, Bima, do you REALLY trust Yao enough to give him 10 per year million for, lets say, 3 years? Even if he comes back healthy and gives the squad production, he is a risk everytime he steps on the court, sad but reality. I will gladly take some risk the Griz match Gasol for a chance to get an above average center who won't go down when the team needs him most.

 

Sloppy recap. Try to follow along if you can, or otherwise listen to podcast, or both.

Spoiler

Whats up?

Not much.

Rockets not doing well.

It's that kind of season.

...

Terry had sick dunk.

I couldnt believe it. It shows how far the D has fallen.

Who was in the game at that point? I dont remember.

Hill I think was looking backside and then Terry crossed over and burned in. Same thing happened to Brooks in the Lakers game where Brooks was just caught looking. Gotta start playing D.

I wasnt sure on the fault on that play. On Hill, happy with some progress but you def. see why he wasnt getting playing time and why there is an issue with getting him in there. It's a spot issue with him.

We had him on Sunday. From spacing and knowing where to be, he doesnt have it figured it out.

Im with you. He has made progress You're watching and say he could be 15-10 if given the minutes but...it will come with time. It takes playing time. If you give Hill 30-35 mins, you're rebuilding. Not a playoff team.

I heard on the other station, one fan asked why did they build around Yao? Well, they didnt build around him. They built to play w/o Yao. They hoped Yao could be the 2nd guy. What do they do? 5-12 right now. About to be in December. If at Christmas and only have 8 wins and 22 losses, What do you do? Whats the point of having Yao? DO you think you'll get back in the mix?

I think...Christmas, not sure you'll know but if 8-22, you'll have to look into getting...taking a step back and getting young solid pieces

Didnt they think they have that?

They got some pieces in Chase and Lee but you dont look at them and see them as future sure fire starters. They may be but..I wouldnt say..That's what you hope to get. A long time future starter.

...

I talked about in the past, they shoot too many 3s.

They're in the bottom third. Spurs, Lakers, Celtics tops. Rockets arent doing it. They got guys who should be efficient.

Brooks injury taking a long time.

So is Yao's. It was 1 week they first said.

What are we on now?

About 3 weeks ago. Thing is, remind me, my memory is telling me something and I dont think Im wrong, when Yao first had his injury, talking about Portland series, it wasnt suppose to be as bad as it was initially.

We knew he would miss the playoffs. At that point, We didnt think he would miss the entire next season. Maybe be ready by December.

Lakers series

Correct, Im sorry.

We thought he would be back next year. I dont know if they expected him to be ready for TC.

What about after the first game. Did we know he was done immediately?

I believe it was 3-4 games in.

It was game 3 he was injured. Down 2-1.

..

Are you suggesting Nuno this could be something bigger?

I dont know. I worry with Yao's history. Dude hasnt played. It's similar to the T-Mac situation.Not from the way he handled it but the whole timetable thing. Tracy still isnt right. Will Yao ever be right?

Good point, I was just thinking...it's been 2-3 weeks and Worrell thought another 3 weeks. Not sure if he knew for sure because we expected him to be back sooner but he said 3 weeks for both players. If its taking 5-6 weeks, yeah they wanna take it slow, but for them to say 1 week and then 5-6 weeks, that is concerning.

Aaron Brooks was 4-6 weeks. Story says Yao could return Friday. Trying to get 2nd source. Aaron could be back this weekend.

Source on that?

Was some random paper. The Epoch times - they cited the Chronicle.

We've heard dates - whatever it is, its longer than we expected.

Yeah, we're not sure when they'll be be back. Not sure Worrell himself knows but he seemed certain. It did surprise me. If out another 3 weeks, Rockets gotta turn this around before he gets back.

Say he comes back in 2 weeks and not close to .500, goes back to that question - what do you do?

I still think...you wont know then. You have to get him in there and figure out what you have. We went into last season as saying before we knew Yao was out, that this was the final test for Yao. We gotta know in 2009 what we have. Febuary will be plenty of time on if Yao is part of the future.

Remind us, if Yao does opt out, how much money does it give the Rockets? Not much.

They'd have to clear out a bunch of players, around 10 million.

Not much. What kind of player does that get you?

Good question. Scola got 9 million. We'll take Scola all day for his hustle and effort but no franchise players at 10 mil.

You have to go the draft.

...

Gerrson Rosas:

Whats up?

Hey guys, how you doing?

How you doing?

Trying to right the ship.

Tough to talk basketball right now. There is flashes. You guys are ending games better, even though the Ws arent there.

It has. We came into the season with high expecations. NOt making it easier on ourselves though. INjuries and tough stretches will happen. Everyone is doing their part to come in and come together as a team to win. Got a little identity back on D in the OKC game. We'll treat them one game at a time.

With Hill and the younger players, hardest thing to overcome for them?

Young guys overall, it's learning the personnel in the league. Where they are, where to rotate, etc. Once you get into a rotation, it's important to stay in there. Consistency is the key. For Jordan, he gotta protect the basket and rebound but its a development process. He shown life in that area and Rick has brought him along well. He is earning every minute he gets and we're excited there.

What have you seen from Patterson and what do you want to see?

Our philosophy is you're gonna get better by playing. He was inactive here with the Rockets. Getting him down to RVG was crucial. He could be a primary guy there. We wanted to emphasize of getting back to where he was in college and being a primary guy and also high level rebounder on both ends. D is natural to him. He understands rotations and game plans. He is more comfortable on that end. We didnt want his confidence to drop. His ability to be there everyday and play more often, it will help his game.

Is there a point, still early though, where the panic button hits? Is it now, a month from now, or is it just have to get better or...?

We always have to look into the future and live in now. It's a struggle. You wanna do whats best for both ends. Overall, we look at the situation as is. Injuries are a part of it. Slow start has hurt us. Though we have invested a lot and still have hopes for this season. But like anything, once you go through the course of the season and realize where your team is at, you have to make hard decisions. Whether that is today or later in the season, we'll be prepared to make the right decisions. We invested a lot into this year. Coaches, players, everyone working hard. We feel our schedule will break here in the next week or so and wanna take advantage of that. The year we won 22 straight, not that we are forshadowing to do that again, but we started 10-17. If we rushed a decision on the roster then, we wouldnt have had that success later on. We're trying to be fair but also, we know we're getting at the point where we're a quarter in and you gotta make decisions overall.

Another Vipers question, Richard Roby was a prospect at one point in his college career. Had great opener for Vipers. Is this a guy on the Rockets radar right now?

He has done a good job. We studied him and surprised where we got him in the D-league draft in 5th or 6th round. Got a lot of attributes that translate well to NBA. He is strong on O. We got a keen eye on. With the Vipers, we're loaded at the wings. We just picked up Stanley Robinson and Garrett Temple officially today. Antonio Anderson as well. Jerrell McNeal probably the best player up to this point. Got a group of guys who we're continuously evalutaing. It's great to have that role. Gives you options and resources if you gotta do a deal. RVG has given us options and resources for player personnel. Patrick had a great game the other night. He is getting comfortable.

I'm hearing different things on Yao. When will he be back or when do you expect him back? Where is he at?

Overall, reports are positive. We gotta be cautious with Yao. It is day to day. How he reacts to things will determine a lot of it. Gotta be cautious and safe for the long road. The recent word is positive but we'll see. Our guys will get a feel for it/him in the upcoming days. As we know, it is a management issue. Our thing is to get him healthy for the stretch run and rest of his career.

Appreciate the time.

Lakers will be hungry tomorrow. Need the fan support.

Catch up next week.

Sounds good, thanks.

Part 1:

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The rest of Yao's career huh.....interesting.

DD

 

Kinda like saying the rest of Sarah Jessica Parker's beauty?

 

Really bad recap, my apologies, but will have to do for now. Will try to remember to post the podcast if Nuno doesnt.

Spoiler

HOw are you?

Good. You guys?

Doing alright. Rockets are a team that need every win but have given wins away by not hitting FTs. It was a strength.

Yeah, should be a team strength this year. Many of these guys can hit FTs. Hard to lose that game. Painful loss. Would've won 4 of 5 or something like that.

On list of players to watch, Kobe still #1. Maybe LeBron 2, throw guys out there. Rose is starting to creep up. You wanna watch his every possession. He said he is MVP candidate, its true.

He is explosive and quick. He is not as good as 3 pt shooter as he is against Rockets. His quickness and ability to penetrate is 2nd to none.

Many say had LeBron chose Chicago, they would be better off. Rose needs ball though too.

You could make that argument. With Thibodeau, they focus on D. Miami will be ok though. Got some kinks but they can work it out.

Overall, 4-6 in last 10, Rockets making some progress. Playing better as a unit.

I agree. Before that collapse at the end, the story was the fight is back. Starters starting to click. D is a concern still. O is coming around.

Yao may not be 1 on 1 defender but overall...

Small sample but in those 4 games he played, opponenets shot like 41%. He makes a difference. We talked about the Dallas game and Terry. Yao makes difference in the middle.

[Fan]: When will Yao be traded?

I dont believe that will happen. At worst, you would say summer. But right now, its tough. I was at TC, he did not practice. He said he was shooting for tomorrow. Not happening. Rockets not putting a timetable out. Maybe next week you will hear about it. They dont wanna give you a date he'll be back. They're saying ankle is strong enough. They'll take it slower with him.

McGrady - welcome back. What kind of reception do you expect?

Overall positive. Mix of boos but overall...People tend to forget....he's not a problem for us anymore. Overall, more cheers.

Excited to see him?

INteresting story.

Can you see him having a good game?

I can see him getting more motivated.

I would like to ask him - so last year, Rick and Daryl didnt think you had it, were they right?

Tough question. He wouldnt concede.

...

I watched him a little bit this year, but no explosion. I dont think he'll get that back.

...

ANyone who thinks MOrey at fault is ridiculous. People have to understand where the Rockets where when he took over. Turns nothing into something. His biggest pieces have been injured.

Yeah. We've compared them to Spurs. Spurs wouldnt be good/the Spurs if they were missing Parker and Duncan. What DAryl has done is put good role players around these guys and it didnt work out but they're looking long term. To say it hasnt worked out is premature. We looked at Feb. as a station for us to make a move. Which direction? We dont know yet. We have to give it that time.

Rockets are faced with similar situation as Astros. Rockets have given themselves flexibility to go either way though. You'll give Yao one more chance.

How do you get a star player? It is difficult. Rockets tried and made the effort in FA. Or you have to be really bad to get a top pick. Given that record, Morey has added players to this team. He has built value to this team. Hunch is something is gonna happen where people will say, now I understand.

Right now it's not his fault. You built this team to get a big chip or trade. Daryl wont make a move just to make a move. Drayton McLane did that. 6 years later, it's terrible. Rockets dont do that, wont do that. After watching Bosh more, I'm not sold on him. I was this summer.

Personally, I was sold on Bosh because how the Rockets viewed him playing off Yao. Originally I was sold on Stoudemire over Bosh. Bosh though provides mid-long range shooting. Thought he woulda been a good fit. Being a problem will being that 9th seed.

I want the Knicks to be bad. Pointless if they're the 7th seed and you're the 10th seed.

Yeah, they started slow and then got going. Stoudemire I think named player of the week.

Got many good teams in the NBA. Spurs, Hornets, Lakers, Mavs, Utah, Denver, OKC, - teams I thought that would be good - Clippers I thought would be better.

Everyone living up to expectations except one guy(Baron Davis). have you seen Griffin?

Yeah, he is the real deal.

He has "it". Look at Big 12 and who they turned out past couple years. These guys have it. Hope the Rockets get that one guy who has it.

We'll see what direction this team heads. Things can turn around.

For them to be a playoff team. Turning it around and being an actual playoff team - they need a franchise player. Could be Yao but I dont think so. They're a .500 team right now. healthy Yao makes them overall a 5th seed team. Right now not a playoff team.

Yeah. Hard. For me, if Yao can be healthy and impact the D to be in upper half, I think this team could be in the playoffs.

If they get a lottery pick, guys for them have worked. And Lull comes over, we may be talking differently about the Daryl Morey regime. Until next time, thanks.

 

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Part 2:

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i don't really like the show. it's too negative from the host and the guests perspective.

listening to this show makes me think the rockets are going to go on some huge losing streak.

8-22...are you serious? couldn't even listen to the whole thing.
what a joke, bye.

 

It is nice to voice your opinion, I think Nuno is ok with that. So is Clutch.

I actually don't agree with you at all. This team stands where it stands and right now it is more likely that we have a losing, than a winning streak. We are 7-13 for a reason.

This show has been pretty great, but I would say it is way, way to short. Give our Rockets some more love.

And BTW Clutch nailed a great point. It is better to be a really bad team, than to be that 9th seed. That's why decision will have to be made soon, IMO.

 

ROFLMAO !

DD

 

Jeffwho, i'm sorry but I don't understand this defeatist attitude that everyone seems to have about the rockets.

We're better than 9th. in fact we're gonna make the playoffs with the squad we have. Mark the words.

And all this defeatist stuff will be thrown out the window come playoff time...it would have been all for not.

 

To be fair, when Nuno said that, the club was 5-12 and looking HORRIBLE. Since then they seem to have restored some hope by playing better against good to great teams and their upcoming schedule.

Edit - I agree, it looks like the team has turned the corner and being only 6 games back of 6/7th in the West and 6.5 out of 5th, the team not only has a chance at the playoffs but a good seeding as well.

 

well to be fair i failed to understand that we were 5-12 at the time so thanks for clearing that up. I thought that was quite odd.

 

Granted projections are never 100% but doesn't look like Western teams will need 50 wins to make the playoffs. So the rockets still have a decent shot at the playoffs without 50 wins.

http://espn.go.com/nba/hollinger/playoffodds


Western Conference
ACTUAL PROJECTED ODDS (%)
TEAM W L W L BEST WORST PLAYOFFS DIV NO.1 FINALS CHAMP LOTTERY
San Antonio 17 3 60 22 74-8 42-40 100.0 63.9 52.3 37.2 22.2 0.0
Dallas 16 4 57 25 72-10 40-42 99.9 35.0 26.8 22.2 10.9 0.0
LA Lakers 14 6 54 28 68-14 36-46 99.6 93.6 10.5 17.5 8.6 0.0
Utah 16 6 54 28 71-11 36-46 98.7 69.3 8.8 13.3 5.6 0.0
Denver 13 6 48 34 65-17 31-51 89.1 21.2 1.1 3.4 0.9 0.1
New Orleans 13 7 47 35 62-20 30-52 87.1 1.0 0.3 3.1 0.7 0.0
Oklahoma City 14 8 45 37 63-19 26-56 76.2 9.0 0.2 0.9 0.2 0.3
Phoenix 11 9 42 40 58-24 25-57 59.5 6.4 0.0 0.8 0.2 0.4
===== cut off ===========================================
Houston 7 13 39 43 55-27 23-59 37.8 0.0 0.0 1.0 0.2 1.2
Portland 9 11 37 45 53-29 20-62 24.7 0.5 0.0 0.2 0.0 1.5
Memphis 8 14 37 45 55-27 20-62 20.7 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.0 1.9
Golden State 8 12 31 51 48-34 12-70 3.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 6.5
Minnesota 5 16 29 53 47-35 12-70 1.9 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 8.5
LA Clippers 5 17 29 53 48-34 11-71 1.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 8.7
Sacramento 4 15 19 63 39-43 6-76 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 19.8

 

Agreed on that EXCEPT for Yao's injury, DM knew the history and he knew that there was a great chance that Yao would go out for an extended period, and he KNEW we needed rim protection, sure they got Miller and flirted with Dampier, but not getting a big is on him.

DD

 

i realized this 8 or so games into the season.