ESPN Magazine: Westside Story

The article said that the basketball courts were off limits to anyone who didn't play in the NBA. Do they let anybody watch these pickup games? How did you get o see Cat? Thanks.

 

Mo probably isn't allowed to dunk by his doctor. I bet his Achilles is still not 100%.

 

Good read. Sad that our local sports reporters don't give us more informative stories like this one. IMO, the Chronic-L should have Rocket stories daily.

It's good to hear that Lucas is mentoring Stevie, and based on Stevies response, it's even better to see he is seeking to learn and improve. MVP does have a nice ring to it. "three to five"

I took Boylens' statement to indicate that Mo is getting in shape but not there yet. He's looking good, but with his continued rehab and work outs, he "will be dunking that regularly in a couple weeks." 320 down to 280 and looking to get down to 260. He'll still be a load. Hopefully Mr. Mean is there to teach him how to hit the boards.

Barring a repeat of the health woes of last season, I firmly believe that come playoff time this season, no one, absolutely no one, will want to face these Rockets. The thought of that is exhilarating.

 

Fantastic article. Mo obviously needs to lose more weight maybe around 20-25 pounds so he can jump and dunk. Maybe Avery Johnson will announce his retirement and join the Rockets as an assistant coach so Moochie can stop his dribbling.

 

You know whats weird, I have heard of some college guys, and even some high school ballers being up at west-side, I wonder if they meant NBA skills?

 

na i doubt that. I want to see how much francis improves. I always thought he could win mvp.

 

Best article since some of the early Ming info.

I liked the Stevie for MVP part. Was Lucas just razzing him like "I was number one, what were you?"

 

Great news that Stevie looks so good!

 

I don't know how other folks get to watch at Westside, I'm not sure about members, but I know I tried to go over there a few weeks ago, and got turned away at the gym. I was able to walk into the club and walk around a bit. I saw Keith Jones working with some *really* big young dude who I didn't recognize. Wasn't a pro, my guess was that he was a D1 player somewhere (?).

They have a seperate entrance for all the players to use with big signs posted "Rockets & Comets Players and Staff Only". That's where I got turned away. I tried to walk in and just get a peek to see what was going on, but there was a dude at one of the inner doors that said the gym was private.

I did see a ton of tricked out Navigators and Escalades in the parking lot tho...

 

Thanks alot for the read. This has been the best article that I have ever read on this website. Francis for MVP, YOU GOTTA LOVE IT!

 

were they on DUBS? lol

 

That's the most enjoyable article I've read in a long time. I'm a big, big fan of streetball, and Westside is one of the best marraiges of pure NBA action and streetball there is.

I wanna watch.

 

Somebody hire Mario as an assistant coach now.

 

-Here is another good article from ESPN Magazine about Westside and the Point Guards that hoop there: (Looks like Damon might get a chance to play for John Lucas in Cleveland; especially after the Mateen Cleaves trade fell through yesterday)

http://espn.go.com/magazine/palmer_20020917.html

September 17, 2002
Point man
By Chris Palmer
ESPN The Magazine


Damon Jones is way over on the other side of the gym, under the basket, contemplating his thoughts. Far away from Steve Francis, Moochie Norris and Rashard Lewis, who are on joke time as they put on their socks and lace up their sneaks. It's late summer at the Westside Tennis Club in Houston and the run is about to start.



Jones is cool with everybody and he's usually right in the middle of the jokes. But there is one big difference between Jones and his peers. They have guaranteed contracts and he does not. Actually, he doesn't even have a non-guaranteed contract. So Jones approaches these pick-up games with regular season focus.


There's no better place to work on your game than Westside.
Those guys are here to stay in shape. Jones is here to audition. Namely for Cavaliers head coach John Lucas. Last season Jones was part of one of the league's top benches in Detroit. The Pistons decided to overhaul the team and he is no longer in their plans.

Jones knows this is the right place to spend his summer if he's looking for a job. The pick-up sessions here at Westside are watched closely by Lucas. And Lucas needs a point guard. No less than 40 NBA players will pass through this gym over the course of the summer. Many of them in need of homes.

"I can tell if a guy can really play out here," says Lucas, who started these workouts 10 years ago. Lucas has been keeping his eye on Jones all summer. He likes the angular point guard's speed, leadership and willingness to face tough matches like Francis. As Lucas watches from the sidelines, he reels off a list of what his ideal point must do.

"I need somebody who can run all day," says Lucas. "He's gotta be fast. My team is young and all they want to do is run, so I need someone to constantly push it. He's got to be able to throw the lob, too. Put it right up there for D-Miles. And I need someone who can do that for 30 minutes a game."

Sounds like a dream job. It's one Jones wants. "I'm looking to stick somewhere," says Jones, who's been with six teams in four years. "It's all about years for me."



Lucas likes what he sees from Jones and will invite him to training camp. But there are other players that he will take a look at in the weeks before camp begins. He'll bring in former St. John's point guard Omar Cook and well-traveled vet Rick Brunson to see how well they mesh with his starting 2-guard, Dajuan Wagner. Through workouts at Westside, Lucas realized Wagner's true scoring potential and doesn't want him to spend time at the point like he originally planned, making his point guard search all the more pressing.

"Dajuan looks to score all the time," says Lucas. "And he can."

The man Lucas really has his eye on also stopped in Houston. But only to talk. Rod Strickland was in town just long enough to be wined and dined by Lucas, who would like the vet to balance out his club's inexperience. Cavs GM Jim Paxson has offered Strick the $1 million veteran minimum. But Strickland, who wants the mid-level exception, probably will price himself out of the Cavs hands.



That leaves Jones. He put himself in a great position by showing up at Westside everyday, giving Lucas a chance to get familiar with his game. The only point guards currently on the Cavs roster are Bimbo Coles and Milt Palacio.

"I'm just looking for an opportunity to show what I can do," says Jones. At Westside, that's just what he got

 

Yeah, George Williams plays there, John Lucas plays there, some others...

 

Nice read. Also to nice to have that question of why Dream fattened up after his championship years answered.

 

man, just think for one second. . .

how much could Yao Ming improve in a single summer of balling every day at Westside?

 

That was a great article. It's great that veterans and old timers like Lucas, and Mario are there to be a positive influence on Steve. That's really cool of them, and great that Steve seems to be excelling this summer. I'm really excited about this coming season.

 

Yeah, maybe it would help him as much as it has Cato.


os

 

I seem to recall that most summers the Chinese NT won't have as many tournaments as they do this year, so hopefully this will happen.