With two new guards (J. Barry and Wesley), perhaps now Houston can work on another problem. Like, say, its 6-8 record vs. the East ... compared to 9-7 against the West. Last week the Rockets were #18 The rest: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/powerranking?season=2005&week=9
hmm ... I didn't realize we were trying to trade for Mike James. <b>Milwaukee: "In case you missed our recent discussion on NBA Fastbreak, Milwaukee rebuffed Houston's attempts to trade for James."</b>
Rockets or exRockets are mentioned in 3 other teams comments aside from our own. the Milwaukee Bucks (above) and Clevelend "The birthday bash, courtesy of Mutombo, threatens a drop, but LeBron also became just the third teenager in history to score 40 in a game, joining 'Melo and (the other) Cliff Robinson. also Charlotte "Can you blame poor Jim Jax? Not only is a trade to Hornets unsettling, but they would be the 11th team he's played for -- one short of tying the Chucky Brown-Tony Massenburg record."
We sure did make a jump... ... and Orlando sure did sink. (Not that the 'Power Rankings' really mean squat)
we were offering Boki and Reece ...we should have just signed James outright ... maybe CD will make JVG pay Ward's salary out of his paycheck
HA! Damn, he managed to score 40 points in an NBA game while working on a BS, an MSc, and a PhD! and I wasted all of my free time drinking while I was in college!
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=0287 Cliff Robinson scored 40 with Detroit in 1980.
I believe it is Cliff T. Robinson, but I can't confirm it or find a picture of him, but he was a teenager in the NBA.
OK...I found it. Thanks http://www.basketballreference.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=RobinCl01 I think that's why Cliff Robinson II started calling himself "Clifford" a few years ago.
Sportsline came out with their power rankings and have us at #12 as well. http://www.sportsline.com/nba/story/8066976 Power Rankings: Trades ignite Rockets' fuse By Tony Mejia Updated Jan. 4 After Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal divorced, many believed the combination of Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming would eventually ascend to the Western Conference throne. Tracy McGrady has benefited most by the switch to an up-tempo offense. (Getty Images) Except the pieces didn't fit. McGrady felt handcuffed and offered little on the defensive end, while Yao grew visibly frustrated with his inability to carve out a niche. And Jeff Van Gundy wasn't about to shake his mentality that a defensive, plodding style was best suited to winning. He experimented with lineups and rotations, played the hot guy, played defense-oriented lineups, went big, went small, went crazy. Last week, the Rockets shipped former starters Jim Jackson and Tyronn Lue in separate deals, landing veteran guards David Wesley and Jon Barry in return. Van Gundy relented on his philosophy slightly, opening up the offense by starting three guards and giving them the freedom to run up and down the court. Houston hasn't lost since. Tricky Van Gundy. Everyone knows the only way to succeed at an up-tempo game is to have your defense key your break. Stops and steals equal quick transition buckets. Quick transition buckets equal a happy McGrady. A happy McGrady is a productive McGrady, as evidenced by the colossal averages he supplied in three games last week: 33.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 5.6 assists. For the first time since Nov. 9, the Rockets are over .500. They will try to establish a season-high four-game winning streak at home against Phoenix on Wednesday, looking to excel in transition against the team that does it best. Yao might have to sacrifice some touches in the post, but the Rockets appear better suited for a quicker style. That's certainly the way they're now constructed, and at the very least, it's an improvement that all the pieces are now geared to fit the same puzzle. The Power Rankings through games of Jan. 3: 12 Houston Rockets 15 From purgatory to playoff contention, David Wesley has got to be the most fortunate player in the league right now.
