While publisher Random House will reportedly not publish Tim Donaghy's book "Blowing the Whistle: The Culture of Fraud in the NBA" because of liability concerns, deadspin.com printed what it calls excerpts of the book.

I find it pretty interesting, even if there is no supporting corroboration.

Check out this video, he doesn't know what the hell he's talking about...

Good discussion of the huge gap in player usage rate on offense of Memphis (very high) and Houston (very low w/o Yao, TMac). For the stats oriented amongst us, this is the defining question of Houston's 2009-2010 season.

The Rockets waived Brent Barry today. So the roster is finally official and Joey Dorsey can breathe easy.

The Rockets told guard Will Conroy he will be waived later today, reducing the roster to the required 15 players, Conroy said Thursday.

From what I've heard, the replacement refs pretty much suck. Turns out, as much as we like to complain about them, the NBA's referees have a pretty tough job, and they generally do a good job (Javie's still a dick).

So it looks like Stern and the NBA are basically giving into the referees' remaining demands, and they should be back on the court in time for the start of the season next week. Hooray.

It seems that the big Aussie, David Andersen got more than he bargained for when he signed with the Houston Rockets. Little did he know that he had a shot at making the Rockets' dance team, in addition to auditioning for the starting centre spot.

It's safe to say that big Dave failed on that opportunity though -- as the following video footage will attest to. I really couldn't have seen him in a skirt and mid-drift top though, could you?

So, where the blimey is this all headed? In one of the many rookie hazing activities that go on, Tracy McGrady, Shane Battier and Luis Scola decided to get the Rockets rookies out at centre-court during a game and make them take part in a dance off. The song they gave to Andersen? Well let's just say it had the words, "I said 'do you speak my language?' He just smiled and gave me a Vegemite sandwich."

Here y'all go. Comment if you can see the game.

Basketball Prospectus just released the 2009-2010 Pro Basketball Prospectus, and, fortunately for cheap Rockets fans, their favorite team's chapter is available as a free preview. So, what does BPro have to say about the Rox?

Are fans and analysts missing something? According to SCHOENE, they are right on the money. SCHOENE sees Houston slipping to 37-45, finishing 19th in Offensive Rating and 18th at the defensive end. However, the other system we use at Basketball Prospectus, NBAPET, tells an entirely different story. NBAPET sees the Rockets going 52-30 and capturing the fourth seed in the West. This more optimistic forecast has Houston finishing 21st in Offensive Rating, but still succeeding by leading the league in Defensive Rating. Now, we point these things out not to pit our systems against each other, but to underscore how interesting this year’s Rockets are going to be. McGrady could mess all of this up by coming back, of course, and his availability--let alone his effectiveness--is very much a question mark.
However, what we know and expect right now is that the Rockets will play the bulk of this season with $38.8 million worth of star power watching from the sidelines. What is left is a collection of role players. Ordinarily, that would be a prescription for disaster. However, the Rockets don’t just have role players. They have a roster full of really good role players.

So, as usual, the answer is up in the air. Thanks, Pelton; I could have told you that.

Anyways, I heartily recommend the Prospectus, particularly if you're into basketball stats or play fantasy basketball. Oh, and Morey writes the forward (and he says you're not a real fan if you don't read this book - so read it!).