Yardbarker: Chuck Hayes

Mavericks Vs Rockets: Game 7 Preview

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:05:39 -0500

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Fantasy Basketball, Week 3

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:55:14 -0500

by Charles Peach The Answer used to be my hero. Through thick and thin, I had AI’s back. I defended him countless times in debates with Iverson-haters. I found every possible way to twist the “Practice Debacle” into a positive. The ride to the 2001 NBA Finals is my favorite sports memory ever. Now I have to come to terms with the fact that AI is impossible to defend. And it’s not because of his crossover. It used to be easy. Allen Iverson never needed to play basketball the “right” way. Growi...

Court Report: Week 3 Dashboard

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:36:15 -0500

Schedule Breakdown Four-game teams: DAL, GSW, HOU, LAC, MIN, NOR, OKC, PHI, PHO, POR, TOR, UTH Three-game teams: ATL, BOS, CHA, CHI, CLE, DEN, DET, LAL, MEM, MIA, NJN, NYK, ORL, SASTwo-game Teams: IND, MIL, SAC, WASAlso see: Basketball Monster's ease rankings and Rotowire's value meter Pickups and Plug-ins • Kirk Hinrich(notes) - shots haven't been falling for Hinrich thus far (36% FG, 25% 3PT), but the counting stats are there (3.5 boards, 4.3 assists, 1.2 steals) thanks to...

Daryl Morey's second-round stars

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:05:59 -0500

Before I hit you with this fun little nugget, I want to reiterate something Dwyer wrote in April: "Houston Rockets' general manager Daryl Morey isn't a genius. He's not a step and a half ahead of his colleagues. He's just better at being a GM than anyone else, right now."Now, with that said, would I be surprised to learn that Morey is a chess Grandmaster or that he could sketch the entire New York skyline — from memory — after just one twenty-minute helic...

Daryl Morey's hidden gems

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:05:58 -0500

Before I hit you with this fun little nugget, I want to reiterate something Dwyer wrote in April: "Houston Rockets' general manager Daryl Morey isn't a genius. He's not a step and a half ahead of his colleagues. He's just better at being a GM than anyone else, right now."Now, with that said, would I be surprised to learn that Morey is a chess Grandmaster, or that he can sketch the entire New York skyline — from memory — after just one twenty-minute helico...

Game 3 Preview: Blazers vs. Rockets

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 01:23:49 -0500

Time: 5:30 p.m. Pacific TV: Comcast SportsNet Since we just played the Rockets a couple days ago you're probably passing familiar with their lineup and style. After a serious halftime heart-to-heart when playing the Warriors after their less-than-stunning debut against the Blazers, Houston managed a 108-107 victory in Oakland and come into this game 1-1. You already know the story on Houston's manpower shortage. No Yao. No McGrady. They ...

Jason Quick "Rants" on Charting Greg Oden's Touches

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:47:29 -0500

In yesterday's Oregonlive.com podcast with Sean Meagher, Jason Quick of The Oregonian took up the discussion of charting Greg Oden's touches during Tuesday night's season opener against the Houston Rockets. Quick spoke on the topic for nearly 7 minutes in what he calls, at the end, a "rant." It's not entirely clear what prompted this: my charting of Greg Oden's touches Tuesday, a post from Dwight Jaynes in response to the charting, or ot...

Charting Greg Oden's Touches

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:26:46 -0500

More photos » by Don Ryan - AP Greg Oden got more touches on Media Day than he did during the season opener. Browse more photos » There's been a bunch of talk today about Greg Oden's offense, or lack thereof, in last night's game against the Houston Rockets. My first inclination was to credit Chuck Hayes, who is known for doing a great job of playng bigger than his size, getting under b...

Worst of Opening Night: October 27, 2009

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 07:37:00 -0500

Thanks to Stephanie G. for today's pic.The Cleveland Craboliers: On paper, Cleveland's talent level is off the charts, particularly after the additions of Shaq, Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon. They got to open the season at home, where they lost only twice last season. Less than seven minutes into the first quarter, Shaq hit his third consecutive field goal to put the Crabs up 21-7. They earned (if you want to call it that) a 32-26 advantage at the line and scored 20 points off Bosto...

Competition Discussion: Houston Rockets

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 11:10:36 -0500

(Previously: Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Golden State). The season is still a ways away, but most of the rosters are set, barring the requisite Michael Jordan comeback rumor (just kidding, but only a little). We have an idea where our team stands, but we can't really know unless we discuss everyone else. In that spirit, I'm going to throw up a "competition discussion" thread for each of the other 29 teams over the...

Yao Ming needs a real backup - quick!

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:16:23 -0500

We all know that Yao Ming's got game; and that he gets hurt a lot. And even if he were healthy, it doesn't help a fundamental problem in the Rockets' roster - Houston doesn't have a backup center. More after the jump.

Why you should put $ on Houston to win the West

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 18:08:35 -0500

The 7 faces that you see below are quite accomplished basketball players. You may notice that their NBA mugshots form the 9th letter, as in Me, Myself, and I. I suppose this is fitting for Tracy McGrady, because the 5th year Rocket has long been considered a selfish player. How else do you explain the fact that one of the most dominant 1-on-1 players alive today (if T-Mac & Nash played ten games of 1-on-1, would Nash even win two?) has NEVER advanced past the 1st Round of the Playof...

Houston Rockets are For Real!

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 23:37:38 -0500

Its no secret that the Houston Rockets are on one of the biggest winning streaks in NBA history. They are now up to a 19 game winning streak. They are currently tied for the 3rd biggest streak. Tomorrow they face the Atlanta Hawks to try and add another win putting them in a tie for second with 20 wins in a row. This is a game they should win very easily. They also then play Charlotte on Friday which should be another easy win for them. Giving them a 21 game winning streak going into Sunday`s game against the Lakers. Starting on Sunday the Rockets face a tough 5 game schedule. They face off against the Lakers, Celtics, Hornets (who they recently beat), Warriors and Suns. This should be a true test of how good they really are. Im actually getting tired of people saying how during their streak they have beaten bad teams. True they may not have the best records, but the fact is they have been blowing teams out of the water. What is it now 10 games in a row they have beaten teams by atleast 10 points. Three of which were the Nuggets, Hornets and Mavs. The fact is they have still won 19 in a row which a great feat no matter who you play. I`m tired of people saying the only reason we beat the Mavs is because Dirk was suspended. Guess what so was Yao, but the Rockets still found a way to win and keep winning. I`m sorry but the Rockets are the real deal. They have guys who are stepping up big time. They are playing great defense under Adelman. They are also pushing the ball up and down the court which is something the Rockets haven`t done consistently in a long time. Which is two great qualities for a team to have going into the last stretch before the playoffs. They have great depth coming off the bench which is another quality you must have in a championship type caliber team. For a while they were lacking 3-point shooting, but Bobby Jackson and Steve Novak, have stepped up to drill a lot of threes. Just look at the Hornets game where they had 7 or 8 3`s in the second quarter alone. T-Mac is T-Mac and will continue to play at a high level. They have also been getting great production from Luis Scola and Shane Battier. Dont fortget about the deadly elbow in Dikembe Mutombo, who will help the Rockets defensively during the playoffs. Chuck Hayes and Carl Landry provide great defense for them off the bench. What is alos great to see is Rafer Alston playing at the level of an all-star type player. If you haven`t gotten a chance to watch a Rockets game I suggest you do, Alston is looking great right now. Now am i saying they are a lock to win the NBA Finals, no. The West is very tough. The number 9 team in the West is better than the number 4 team in the East. Anyone of the 8 teams that make the playoffs in the West has a great chance to make a strong push for the Finals. Its not only going to be tough for the Rockets but for every team. Everybody wrote them off as soon as Yao went out, but guess what they are still winning and will continue to win. I can wait till the Rockets play that tough 5 game schedule. Just imagine if they happened to sweep through all those teams keeping their winning streak alive. To me sweeping through them isnt whats going to determine if they are a good team or not. Its going to be one of two thigns. The first being, if they do happen to loose a game and have their winning streak snapped, how are they going to bounce back the next game. To me, the next time they loose, they will bounce back strong as if nothing happened and still compete at a high level. The second determination will be their win percentage during that 5 game streatch. Even if they happen to loose a game during tht time, if they can come away with a winning record, it will say alot about the team. The Rockets may not reach the Finals, but T-Mac will win his first playoff series during his career; and the Rockets will definitely atleast contend for the championship.

Week 2 Hardwood Waiver Wire

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 04:45:58 -0500

In Sunday's weekly fantasy basketball column, FIO and TalkHoops.net writer Zach Harper clues you in on some possible fantasy free agents to lookout for in the coming week. Check out how these players could help your fantasy basketball squad.

Season Preview: Houston Rockets

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 20:07:15 -0500

On paper this Rockets roster looks to be one of the deepest in the league. Most people will say it all depends on if the two superstars can stay healthy, but with this deep a rotation it's possible that a short term injury to either Yao or McGrady won't hurt the Rockets as badly as in seasons past...(Miranda Thomas)