1. Welcome! Please take a few seconds to create your free account to post threads, make some friends, remove a few ads while surfing and much more. ClutchFans has been bringing fans together to talk Houston Sports since 1996. Join us!

Chron: Rockets guard makes return trip to New Orleans

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by GRENDEL, Jan 26, 2005.

Tags:
  1. GRENDEL

    GRENDEL Member

    Joined:
    Nov 21, 2002
    Messages:
    17,472
    Likes Received:
    5,272
    It's Wesley's turn to get reacquainted
    Rockets guard plays for first time in New Orleans since Dec. 27 trade
    By MEGAN MANFULL
    Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE STANDINGS
    Team W L PCT GB
    San Antonio 34 10 .773 ---
    Dallas 27 13 .675 5
    Memphis 24 19 .558 9.5
    Houston 23 19 .548 10
    New Orleans 7 33 .175 25
    As of Jan 25 2005 11:55 p.m. CT
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    COMING UP
    Wednesday:
    at New Orleans, 7:00 p.m.
    TV/Radio:
    Listings; KILT (610 AM)

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    David Wesley remembers doing a double take when he looked into the stands earlier this month. For a minute, he had to remind himself he was no longer in New Orleans. There, sitting in Toyota Center, was a pair of the most diehard Hornets fans.

    The two are season-ticket holders in New Orleans with seats behind the Hornets bench. Wesley was shocked to see them in Houston.

    "What are you doing here?" he asked them.

    "We came to see you," they said.

    Wesley shakes his head and smiles at the recollection. As the Rockets' reunion tour continues, it's Wesley's turn to head back home as he visits New Orleans for the first time since he was traded to Houston on Dec. 27 for Bostjan Nachbar and Jim Jackson.

    When Wesley left the Hornets last month, they had lost 24 of their first 26 games. But with Wesley having spent more than seven seasons with the franchise, losing is hardly what stands out in his mind when he reflects on his time there.

    "I remember most just the relationships that you develop, the people you get to know, the people you see," said Wesley, now the Rockets' starting shooting guard. "It's little stuff like that you miss. I'm sure I'll develop some of those relationships here, but I miss those."

    Wesley was as much a fixture of the Hornets franchise as anyone has been. He joined the team before the 1997-98 campaign and helped it reach the playoffs during six of his seven seasons.

    Wesley continues to follow the Hornets. He knows the team has won five of 14 games since he was traded and that it has a four-game home winning streak.

    The Hornets finally have started to win the close games that never seemed to fall their way when Wesley was there earlier in the season. During the home streak, they've won by an average of four points. Fifteen of the 24 losses during Wesley's stint were decided by nine or fewer points.

    "Maybe we didn't have the most talent, most athletic ability, but we were playing hard," he said. "We were giving ourselves a chance every night, and sometimes when you do that, you can look at some of those losses and just say, 'We just got beat tonight.' But after about 15 of them, we were like, 'Whoa, man. Guys, what are we going to do?' It was very frustrating."

    The trend was especially difficult to deal with considering Wesley had played in 45 playoff games as a Hornet. The Hornets have been plagued by injuries, making it tough to create continuity on the court.

    "It was miserable," Wesley said. "And just when you thought it was offense and defense and trying to get everybody to play together and learn the system, another guy would go down. So then we'd have to introduce another guy into the system and try to get him to figure it out. Then another guy would go down. It was like a snowball.

    "And so it was really difficult. Just when you thought you were making strides and about to turn the corner, you couldn't, because one guy would go out and one would come in."

    Injury problems still plague the team. Jamaal Magloire will miss at least one more month after dislocating his right ring finger. Jamal Mashburn is out for the season due to a right knee injury. Baron Davis has played in only 17 games and is questionable tonight after bruising his right ankle Jan. 16.

    The Hornets have used 15 different starting lineups this season, including 12 over the past 25 games.

    But with recent trades and a few players becoming healthier, the Hornets have put together an improved stretch as of late.

    "Baron Davis should be back, so they're a dangerous team," Rockets guard Jon Barry said.

    megan.manfull@chron.com


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Rockets Summary
    McGrady rejoins team
    Tracy McGrady rejoined the Rockets on Tuesday afternoon for the team's flight to New Orleans.

    He missed Monday's game against Orlando because of a family medical emergency. The Rockets said McGrady is expected to play tonight.


    Bowen's a winner
    Everybody in the Rockets' locker room couldn't help but notice that after Monday's victory over Orlando, the team improved to 4-0 when forward Ryan Bowen starts. Of course, part of the reason was because Bowen was telling them.

    "Yes, he has (told me)," Rockets guard Jon Barry said, laughing. "Numerous times."

    Bowen started in place of Tracy McGrady on Monday.


    Time to pay up
    The Rockets look forward to seeing Bostjan Nachbar for the first time since he was traded to New Orleans along with Jim Jackson on Dec. 27.

    Nachbar scored a career-high 14 points against Sacramento on Jan. 8. In 13 games with New Orleans, he is averaging 6.4 points in 22.5 minutes. He averaged 3.1 points in 12.8 minutes in 16 games with the Rockets.

    "I'm looking forward to seeing Boki," Yao Ming said. "I really miss him. And he owes me $60."

    -- MEGAN MANFULL

    http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/3009877
     
    #1 GRENDEL, Jan 26, 2005
  2. blender

    blender Member

    Joined:
    Nov 16, 2002
    Messages:
    1,972
    Likes Received:
    6
    That's hilarious!!
     
    #2 blender, Jan 26, 2005
  3. GRENDEL

    GRENDEL Member

    Joined:
    Nov 21, 2002
    Messages:
    17,472
    Likes Received:
    5,272
    No kidding!:D
     
    #3 GRENDEL, Jan 26, 2005
  4. gucci888

    gucci888 Member

    Joined:
    May 20, 2002
    Messages:
    17,227
    Likes Received:
    6,573
    I had to put that in my sig. :)
     
    #4 gucci888, Jan 26, 2005
  5. Faos

    Faos Member

    Joined:
    May 31, 2003
    Messages:
    15,370
    Likes Received:
    53
    Wesley makes return to N.O.

    http://www.nola.com/sports/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-16/1106722804146220.xml

    Appearance his first since trade
    Wednesday, January 26, 2005

    By Jimmy Smith
    Staff writer

    The shock has worn off now, nearly one month to the day that he swapped his purple and teal No. 4 for a red and white No. 7.

    But when David Wesley steps into New Orleans Arena for tonight's game, his first there as a visitor, the Houston Rockets guard isn't sure just how he'll feel.


    "I don't know what the emotion will be," said Wesley, traded by New Orleans to the Rockets for Bostjan Nachbar and Jim Jackson on Dec. 27 after spending more than seven seasons with the Hornets. "I'm sure it will be really hard to get ready for because there will be so many people who I didn't get a chance to say good-bye to. So, I'll be saying hi and bye at the same time."

    Wesley, the definition of an NBA survivor, is the third undrafted player in league history to score more than 10,000 points. He started his career with the New Jersey Nets in 1993, then signed as a free agent with the Boston Celtics the next year. He was signed by the Hornets in 1997.

    Late last month, he was napping in the Hornets' hotel in Indianapolis, waiting for the start of that night's game against the Pacers, when his telephone rang.

    "The first call I got came from the Rockets, saying 'We got you,' " Wesley said. "Before I'd heard from my agent, before I heard from the Hornets, I heard from the Rockets.

    "That was kind of odd to me. I almost felt like I could have been one of those guys who they could have pulled his coattails and said, 'This is what's going down.' I was completely shocked. I still haven't been back to New Orleans since the trade. I wouldn't have been one to fly off the handle or anything. I don't know. Maybe that's not the way trades happen. I've never been traded before."

    Wesley's wife, Shannon Elliott, remains in the couple's New Orleans home with their three children. The separation, Wesley said, is difficult.

    "The family is in school, and that's been a struggle," Wesley said. "I've got a 7-month-old, a 3- and 5-year-old, and that's the time when they're growing and changing so much."

    While the move has been a personal challenge, it has been a professional boon. Wesley went from a team that was headed only to the draft lottery to one with an opportunity to play in the postseason with two of the league's marquee superstars, Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming.

    "No question, basketball-wise, I've got nothing to complain about," Wesley said. "Anybody who looks at my situation should be as happy as they come. And basketball-wise, I am. I'm playing with a team that has a chance to go to the playoffs and win some games. (New Orleans) was a miserable situation. Nobody wants to be in that situation.

    "It was starting to drain on a lot of guys. Every night, we'd work hard and play hard, but we didn't have enough out there to get it done. It was really frustrating. A lot of nights, we felt we were legitimately close, and we'd say, 'Hey, let's go get this one.' And something always seemed to happen. But I'm still keeping an eye on everything to see how guys are doing, how they're progressing and dealing with the situation."

    In a sense, Wesley's NBA life has come full circle. A San Antonio native who grew up in Longview, Texas, he got his first -- albeit unsuccessful -- tryout with the Rockets.

    He can also laugh at the fact that he had some value, since the Hornets have traded the recalcitrant Jackson and the draft choice obtained from the Dallas Mavericks in the Darrell Armstrong trade to the Phoenix Suns for three players.

    "Five guys for a couple of old guys," he said, breaking into his familiar cackle. "But this is one of those games you look forward to. Every player who's been traded or moved looks forward to playing their old team and seeing old friends and teammates. And naturally, you want to get a win.

    "This being my first trade ever, it still completely surprised me. Even though this is a business, and you realize it is, sometimes you get caught up in things and forget that because you've been around so long. But then, life goes on."
     
    #5 Faos, Jan 26, 2005
  6. room4rentsf

    room4rentsf Member

    Joined:
    Dec 11, 2003
    Messages:
    2,409
    Likes Received:
    5
    DWes seems like a nice guy..

    Yao cracked me up with that quote.

    J
     
    #6 room4rentsf, Jan 26, 2005
  7. YallMean

    YallMean Member

    Joined:
    Mar 20, 2003
    Messages:
    14,284
    Likes Received:
    3,815
    Yao is natual. :D
     
    #7 YallMean, Jan 26, 2005
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)

Share This Page