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[NBA] Lee letting go of past, focused on future in Houston

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by MrJason, Aug 20, 2010.

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MrJason Member

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Not sure if posted, but this is on the front page of NBA.com

http://www.nba.com/2010/news/features/fran_blinebury/08/18/courtney.lee/?ls=iref:nbahpt1

There were 157 shots taken that night at the Staples Center.
Only one might have changed the entire path of Courtney Lee's career.
"I think about that a lot," he said.
It was Wednesday afternoon on another sultry summer day in Houston that found Lee smiling for the cameras and holding up the third different team jersey that he'll wear in his third NBA season.

One shot.
It came, of course, in the final 0.6 seconds of Game 2 of the 2009 Finals with the Lakers and Magic tied.
Rashard Lewis set the screen on Kobe Bryant that gave Lee the opening to catch the crosscourt inbounds pass from Hedo Turkoglu. He tried to shovel the ball up over the outstretched arms of Pau Gasol. It kissed off the glass and dribbled like spilled milk over the front of the rim.
Instead of Orlando evening the series, the Lakers won in overtime to take a 2-0 lead on their way to a routine 4-1 clinching of their 15th championship in franchise history.
One shot.
Maybe if it goes in, the Magic have the confidence and the stuff to take down the Lakers. Maybe then Orlando management doesn't feel the need to take apart the lineup, allowing Turkoglu to go to Toronto and sending Lee to New Jersey as part of the package for Vince Carter. Maybe he doesn't have to suffer through the misery of a 12-win season.
"I think about it a lot," Lee said again.
He's thought about how if he had same shot again he'd probably jump off two feet instead of one as he drove to the hoop. Or try to get a better angle rather than shoot from behind the backboard. Or something.
Lee thought about it the following day when he watched what seemed like an endless replay loop of the shot on ESPN and everyplace else he turned.

"I watched it," he said. "I didn't turn the TV off. I watched it. That's how I get over things. I beat myself up with it, but it builds character in me. You just keep working to come back. It's motivating. Michael Jordan once had a quote that said you fail in order to succeed. That's me."
There were a lot more than one missed shot for the Nets last season as they flirted through much of the schedule with breaking the record for fewest wins in a season. There were a lot more times to have to pick yourself back up and return to the gym.
"It was tough," Lee said. "I've never been part of anything like that in my life. It took a lot of adjustments to get used to that. I went in every day to try to get better myself as a pro and try to help my team so we weren't in position to set that record.
"If you get caught up [in feeling down] and everything like that, it can definitely turn into the feeling of being a job. I tried to focus on all the things that could take my mind off of it being a job. I competed in practice. That's all you can do in that situation. I still had fun."
But not the kind of fun that the 6-foot-5 guard figures to enjoy now that he's come to the Rockets as part of last week's four-team trade with the Nets, Hornets and Pacers.
Lee is the kind of aggressive, scoring wingman that the Rockets believe can thrive in coach Rick Adelman's ball movement offense as a cutter and a shooter. But it was his nose for ball-hawking defense that got him playing time as a rookie for the demanding Stan Van Gundy in Orlando, put him head-up against Kobe in the Finals, and has had him in the Rockets' sights since they were working him out as a draft prospect out of Western Kentucky.
"Courtney has the ability to cut and move," said Rockets general manager Daryl Morey. "He's not only an unselfish player, but has great offensive skills when he focuses on scoring.
"On the other end, he has the ability to guard 2s and we also think he can guard 1s and 3s. That's not something that is talked about enough, his ability at the other end of the floor."
Lee will be joining a Rockets team that includes his off-season workout partner Kevin Martin and will be getting Yao Ming back in the middle of the lineup following a season missed due to reconstructive foot surgery.

"[The trade] kind of was a surprise at first," Lee said. "I was in Tampa training and after the first training session, they said the trade might go through. Then after the second session, they said it did go through.
"That's all they had to say was 'Houston' and I got excited about it. Training with Kevin Martin, just knowing the situation here and what their expectations and goals are, I was pretty happy about it."
Another year, another place to fit in. It's certainly not the career path Lee expected to be taking after a rookie season that had him in the starting lineup in the Finals.
"If you focus on it that was, it can be," he said. "My mindset is to continue to be a pro and do the things to succeed in this league. I'm happy to be on a good team, a team that says they've been trying to get me for a while and to compete for a championship."
For Lee, a third season, third jersey, third team and a reason to grin.
"I think about that a lot," he said.
One more shot.
Click to expand...

#1 MrJason, Aug 20, 2010

C.Lee6thmanOTY Member

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Since I can't start threads yet, I'll give you all a little preview of Lee on this one. I went to Western Kentucky University the same 4 years as Lee and watched him transform from a freshmen starting on the squad and being one of the top 3 players to a senior helping lead the team to within a game of the elite 8.

As a freshman, Lee was really homesick and nearly transferred before the season ever started. However, Danny Rumph (then a junior PG) took him under his wing and convinced Courtney to stay. The two became best friends and tragically Danny lost his life within a month of summer break while playing a pick-up game at home in Philly due to an undiscovered heart condition. If you see a large tattoo on Lee's arm, it is a picture of Danny and the reason Lee wore #11 (Danny's number at WKU) in Orlando and looked to in NJ and Houston.

Lee took the trade from Orlando to NJ hard at first - at least according to the press - and struggled a bit with his shooting last season in a more advanced role. However, after the All-Star break Lee posted a couple of 30 point nights and several 20 point nights in helping lead NJ away from the record for the worst season ever. Lee was looked to as the Nets defensive stopper, much the same as SVG did when he was in Orlando. Lee also spent the last half of the season spending a lot of time guarding the PGs that were too fast for Harris to handle adequately.

He has a picture perfect form to his jump shots and has a VERY good mid-range game. At WKU, if he rose up from 15ft, you could count on it going in. He's a solid three point shooter, especially if given room (something he rarely had in NJ). His slashing could use some work, however he's not afraid to attack the rim. In my opinion, he needs to slash a lot more as he can rack the points up from the charity stripe shooting at slightly over an 85% clip. Defensively, he's a bit undersized against today's Kobe's, etc. however his lateral quickness compensates and he tends to play up on whoever he's guarding which irritates the ball handler. He's got the athletic leaping ability to got up and get boards or blocks, however he's been primarily used as a release valve or first guy back in the NBA which has hampered his rebounding numbers a bit.

He's an outstanding character guy who won't cause any locker room problems and is always open to interviews and the public. I think you will all come to enjoy watching his work ethic on the court and his overall game. Should Martin be a part of a trade package, no worries - Lee can more than hold his own in the starting line-up especially with other pieces as the first and second or third option as in Orlando. Below are a couple youtube clips of highlights and something he did to help out a student at WKU with a class assignment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYvUd6tj2pU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEwf9uj8d0I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-XHPwqHURI

College Stats:
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/player/profile?playerId=22628

#2 C.Lee6thmanOTY, Aug 20, 2010

9 people like this.
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^ Good Stuff, there seems to be a lot of positive feedback from everywhere he's been

#3 3rdRingsAComin, Aug 20, 2010
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C.Lee6thmanOTY said:

If you see a large tattoo on Lee's arm, it is a picture of Danny and the reason Lee wore #11 (Danny's number at WKU) in Orlando and looked to in NJ and Houston.
Click to expand...

the one on his left arm?

#4 ROCKCITY, Aug 20, 2010
C.Lee6thmanOTY Member

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Bottom on the right I believe

#5 C.Lee6thmanOTY, Aug 20, 2010
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C.Lee6thmanOTY said:

Bottom on the right I believe
Click to expand...

You're right, I saw it in this video around 1:05.

<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/fQ1pgTTIXeo?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/fQ1pgTTIXeo?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>

#6 ROCKCITY, Aug 20, 2010
MrJason Member

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C.Lee6thmanOTY said:

Since I can't start threads yet, I'll give you all a little preview of Lee on this one. I went to Western Kentucky University the same 4 years as Lee and watched him transform from a freshmen starting on the squad and being one of the top 3 players to a senior helping lead the team to within a game of the elite 8.

As a freshman, Lee was really homesick and nearly transferred before the season ever started. However, Danny Rumph (then a junior PG) took him under his wing and convinced Courtney to stay. The two became best friends and tragically Danny lost his life within a month of summer break while playing a pick-up game at home in Philly due to an undiscovered heart condition. If you see a large tattoo on Lee's arm, it is a picture of Danny and the reason Lee wore #11 (Danny's number at WKU) in Orlando and looked to in NJ and Houston.

Lee took the trade from Orlando to NJ hard at first - at least according to the press - and struggled a bit with his shooting last season in a more advanced role. However, after the All-Star break Lee posted a couple of 30 point nights and several 20 point nights in helping lead NJ away from the record for the worst season ever. Lee was looked to as the Nets defensive stopper, much the same as SVG did when he was in Orlando. Lee also spent the last half of the season spending a lot of time guarding the PGs that were too fast for Harris to handle adequately.

He has a picture perfect form to his jump shots and has a VERY good mid-range game. At WKU, if he rose up from 15ft, you could count on it going in. He's a solid three point shooter, especially if given room (something he rarely had in NJ). His slashing could use some work, however he's not afraid to attack the rim. In my opinion, he needs to slash a lot more as he can rack the points up from the charity stripe shooting at slightly over an 85% clip. Defensively, he's a bit undersized against today's Kobe's, etc. however his lateral quickness compensates and he tends to play up on whoever he's guarding which irritates the ball handler. He's got the athletic leaping ability to got up and get boards or blocks, however he's been primarily used as a release valve or first guy back in the NBA which has hampered his rebounding numbers a bit.

He's an outstanding character guy who won't cause any locker room problems and is always open to interviews and the public. I think you will all come to enjoy watching his work ethic on the court and his overall game. Should Martin be a part of a trade package, no worries - Lee can more than hold his own in the starting line-up especially with other pieces as the first and second or third option as in Orlando. Below are a couple youtube clips of highlights and something he did to help out a student at WKU with a class assignment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYvUd6tj2pU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEwf9uj8d0I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-XHPwqHURI

College Stats:
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/player/profile?playerId=22628
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input, it really helps us get to know Lee better.

#7 MrJason, Aug 20, 2010

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Interesting. His mins. got reduced some from his Freshmen in college to his Senior year, yet he managed to still improve on his scoring.

#8 T-Slack, Aug 20, 2010
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Lee seems like the type of high character winner Morey values.

#9 Commodore, Aug 20, 2010
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C.Lee6thmanOTY said:

Bottom on the right I believe
Click to expand...

Hey man, welcome to the board. Thanks for the good info about Lee. Hope you can become a lifelong Rockets fan too.

#10 echu888, Aug 20, 2010
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When and where can I get a Courtney Lee jersey. This guy is really cool.

#11 anthony59237, Aug 21, 2010
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VERY excited to see him play.. guy is a class act.

#12 EffTheJazz!!!, Aug 21, 2010
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Thanks for the bio C.LEE6! Don't be a stranger to the board.

#13 MONON, Aug 21, 2010

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Lee is a winner. Hopefully he doesn't get traded.

#14 devin23, Aug 21, 2010
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PLEASE DO NOT TRADE BROOKS---------KNEE DOWN BEGGING!!!

#15 kops630, Aug 21, 2010
Pizza_Da_Hut I put on pants for this?

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kops630 said:

PLEASE DO NOT TRADE BROOKS---------KNEE DOWN BEGGING!!!
Click to expand...

What what?!

#16 Pizza_Da_Hut, Aug 21, 2010
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Pizza_Da_Hut said:

What what?!
Click to expand...

in the butt

#17 jevon3012, Aug 21, 2010
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okay i understand about lee letting go of the past and forgetting that missed layup, but the problem is that that wasn't the first time i seen Lee miss an easy ass basket like that. i seen him miss easy lay-ups on other occasions also. dude is still young though.

#18 Z-Ro&Trae, Aug 22, 2010

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LOL almost forgot about Lee with all this Carmelo racket. Glad we got him, I was impressed with him in the finals two years ago (well except when he missed that game tying layup lol).

#19 mfastx, Aug 22, 2010
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jevon3012 said:

in the butt
Click to expand...

hahahaha

#20 thcdrummer007, Aug 22, 2010

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