The Dream Shake: FanPosts

SB Nation Survey + Chance to donate $500 to a charity of this community's choice

2010-03-20T00:48:05Z

>> Take SB Nation Survey

Hello sports fans! We're always striving to provide you with the best experience possible and it's been quite some time since we checked in with you.

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Divided Focus...and some Rockets/Celtics Thoughts

2010-03-19T16:55:25Z

Thank goodness that CBS is streaming the NCAA tournament online, otherwise I don't know what I'd do with myself tonight.

Houston Cougars vs Maryland Terps at 8:40pm
Celtics at Rockets at 7:30pm

On one hand, I gotta support my college team (go Coogs!) but on the other end, this is potentially a big game tonight for the Rockets. So yeah, with that aside, here's some thoughts to the Rockets game tonight.

1.) We're going to get to see 2 of the more underrated PG's in the NBA go head-to-head in Rajon Rondo and Aaron Brooks. Both guys do it differently; Brooks is more of a pure scorer where as Rondo is more of a playmaker for the Celtics. Either way, whomever wins the battle at the point will go a long way to determining the winner of this game.

2.) Luis Scola is playing like a man possessed lately. Its like he's been ON FIRE lately. I love what I'm seeing from this Argentine, and I hope it continues against Kevin Garnett and the Celts defense. Controlling the interior will go a long way towards winning this game.

3.) I'm looking at the Ray Allen vs. Kevin Martin and the Trevor Ariza vs. Paul Pierce matchups tonight. Should be exciting. Also, look for Shane Battier to get some time checking Pierce tonight.

4.) Jordan Hill continues to impress. I didn't see the Memphis game on Wednesday but Hill continues to show growth and lots of potential. We FLEECED NEW YORK. Man, getting their 09, 11 and 12 picks was a STEAL guys. A Yao/Scola/Hill 3-headed monster next year, with mixes of David Andersen and Chuck Hayes (for matchup purposes) is going to be awesome.

5.) Oh, and of course there's always this: Kyle Lowry, please keep your promise and play tonight. We NEED you.

So how is everyone feeling about the game(s) tonight?

Remaining Schedule

2010-03-19T02:12:59Z

Anybody notice how many back to back games we have left? I think we are going to win the majority of these games. This team is starting to click, I predict that we finish the season strong. Got Boston twice, but we can beat them.

Any playoff experience this team can get will serve us well. Come on Rox take that #8 spot. Portland's schedule looks easier than ours, but San Antonio could slip right?

An up-and-down season in a nutshell.

2010-03-18T17:29:13Z

I don't put a lot of stock in Hollinger's playoff odds on ESPN (where he simulates the results of the rest of the season 5000 times and gives the % of times a team makes the playoffs), but it's still a fun thing to check out occasionally.

One interesting tidbit: the Rockets are the ONLY team in the NBA in which the "best case" scenario is that we win all remaining games, and the "worst case" scenario is we lose all remaining games. Every other team either steals or drops at least one in their best and worst cases.

How about it: it's possible for us (and no one else) to go 16-0 or 0-16 from here out. An up-and-down season in a nutshell.

NBA Power Rankings for week 21...

2010-03-17T15:52:37Z

It is week #21 and the Houston Rockets are...

... ranked as the 17th best NBA team by ESPN:

http://espn.go.com/nba/powerrankings

This is three spots higher than last week.

Fox Sports also has the Rockets rated as the 17th best NBA team, which is one spot better than last week:

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/powerRankings

Do you think the Rockets are the NBA's 17th best team? Or should they be rated higher than that?

Or maybe lower?

This week's poll is open. Vote early and often...

Poll

Is the Houston Rockets the NBA's 17th best team right now?

Game Preview: Denver @ Houston

2010-03-15T19:53:54Z

I'm going to preface this with thinking that ak2themax said that he can't do a game preview today because of traveling, or something like that.

Tonight is a big game, as is the rest of the games this season if we have any shot of making the playoffs. Both San Antonio and Portland (the two teams we have any realistic shot of catching in the playoff race) are beginning to play pretty well, and a caller on KILT 610 the other night pointed out that the Rockets must finish the season 14-4 in order to tie Portland if they finish 7-7 (they have played 4 more games than us this season). That's quite the task, considering we still have games left against a lot of +.500 teams.

Denver is coming to Houston on a 6-game winning streak, and looking for their first season sweep of the Rockets in 32 years and having vanquished New Orleans and Memphis in their last two games. The Rockets are looking for their first 3-game winning streak in a long, long time. Said streak would tie the longest for the season. The last time Denver visited Houston, they played without Carmelo Anthony, but got big games from Billups and Smith, pulling away in the 4th quarter despite the good guys being up by as much as 15 early in the game.

Matchups:

PG: Aaron Brooks v. Chauncey Billups: Chauncey Billups is kind of really good at basketball. He is big for his position, an amazing passer, solid 3-point shooter and plays great defense. Not much can be said about him that hasn't been said here, on ESPN, or illustrated by his career. Aaron has been struggling lately; to be frank, he is taking too many shots, and they are not the smartest shot attempts. This problem is especially visible in late-game situations - his dribble for 22 seconds and shoot strategy has cost us games recently (see: Detroit), or let bad teams get in the game (see: Washington). Aaron has had some bad games against Billups, but he's also had some great games against him. Still. . .

Advantage: Nuggets

SG: Kevin Martin v. Aaron Afflalo: For clarity's sake, basketball-reference has Afflalo listed as Denver's starting SG. Kevin Martin had a quiet 20 points Saturday night, and continues to play pretty well as a Rocket. Afflalo can play decent defense, but I imagine him getting the Blue Light Special tonight. Don't be surprised if Kevin has a 25-30 point game tonight; then again, you should probably never be surprised if he dumps that many points on someone.

Advantage: Rockets

SF: Trevor Ariza v. Carmelo Anthony: Melo continues to be a monster this season, having dropped 24 and 6 on Memphis the other night. Ariza is starting to make decent strides, having posted a double-double against the Nets. The key phrase in that sentence, however, is 'against the Nets.' Help defense is going to be so crucial in this game - if the Rockets make Melo take the lion's share of his team's shots and keep the passing lanes closed, we stand a chance. Otherwise, we're toast. Even if we do execute a solid defensive game plan, Melo still might win it anyway for his team. He's done it before.

Advantage: Nuggets

PF: Luis Scola v. Johan Petro: The Nuggets have been bitten particularly hard by the injury bug in the front court department, so I'm making an educated guess about who starts at PF for them. He's only averaging 3 points and 3 rebounds this season, and had 5 and 5 against Memphis. Needless to say, the guy isn't used to seeing 20+ minutes a game, and that's probably going to show against Scola, who posted an epic career high this weekend. Interesting tidbit of info: Scola is the first Rocket since the Dream to hit 20 shots in a game, and that was in 1990. The Rockets need to lob it in to Scola, and play a more inside-out game against Denver in order to exploit their current glaring weakness in the post.

Advantage: Rockets, and clearly the most important advantage of tonight's game.

C: Chuck Hayes v. Nene Hilario: Nene is having a pretty solid season this year, averaging 14 and 8. He played pretty well against Houston their last visit here, and Scola is going to be exerting a lot of energy on the offensive end (hopefully). Subsequently, it's going to be on Hayes to really contain the Nuggets' only [current] front court weapon. Chuck has done it before, and knowing when he's gonna come to play is hard to tell.

Advantage: Nuggets, but definitely not set in stone

---

Denver Bench: J.R. Smith is coming off an incredible 4th quarter against Memphis, and Anthony Carter has been playing well as of late. Unfortunately, for Denver, Andersen Balkman and Martin are all hurt, severely hurting their depth at the moment.

Conversely. . .

Houston Bench: Houston is finally at full strength in the wake of Lowry and Ariza's return. Battier has played OK off the bench, Lowry has been Lowry, and Jordan Hill is continuing to show why he was the 8th pick in the draft. This is a game where the bench really has to give it to Denver, given their weaknesses right now. Luckily, having a defensive-minded wing come off the bench (Battier) with a scoring wing (Budinger) means we might be able to slow down Smith while still putting points on the board.

Advantage: Houston, and once again is a crucial one.

All in all, Houston has looked more and more like they are playing to the level of their competition in the last week or two. Let's hope that continues tonight, so that the Rockets scrape out a victory. I'm gonna be at the game, and I think they've only lost 5-6 of the last 20 games I've attended, so here's to banking on my presence.

Prediction: I really think the Rockets can scrape this one out tonight. Rockets by 6.

Unrelated Story: UH wins C-USA!

2010-03-13T19:29:56Z

Story - UH beats UTEP
To all my fellow cougars on here...
For the first time since 1992, the Houston Cougars are going to the BIG DANCE! and for the first time EVER they've won the Conference USA Tournament!
Kelvin Lewis led the team with 28 pts and made 6/10 3pt shots and we also have Aubrey Coleman leading the whole NCAA on points, look like good prospers for this year's NBA draft
Even though I think last year's team with Lanny Smith and Mckiver was better, the fall of Memphis as a power house in the conference has allowed this team to make it happen
Cinderella Team? prob a long shot
but we can always dream!

OK Time To Have Some Fun

2010-03-12T18:36:47Z

With Kyle Lowry and Trevor Ariza returning to the lineup we now have out full compliment of players (except for Yao). Now whether or not Ariza or Shane Battier will start does not matter to me because there are pros and cons either way and their about even. With three days of rest and two practices we will now see how this re-tooled Rockets team will operate. The lowly New Jersey Nets will be in town and there is no better way to test the full lineup (hopefully David Andersen returns also) than against the worst team of the decade (which i think is a disappointment because they actually have some talent). It could be the jumpstart we need to build some momentum towards a playoff push. I am most interested in seeing a breakout game for rookie Jordan Hll, maybe his first double double? Well nonethelss, after the game Saturday night we will pretty much be able to tell how much fun we will have for the rest of the season. If we win big (by at least 20 points) then we should all get ready for a fun rest of season. If its close then I will be pissed. If we lose (don't bet on it) then I will sign a 10-day contract with the New York Knicks. I think we will have fun watching the rest of the season, especially if we make the playoffs (and possibly upset those damn Lakers).

I have some theories

2010-03-12T05:19:54Z

Theory 1: Trevor Ariza is going to come off the bench the rest of the year, but not because thats our best starting line up. In fact, the only reason shane starts is so that he appears to be an important piece to the squad for trading purposes this summer. If he loses his starting spot, his trade value suffers. Plus having the summer to move his family and get things coordinated is the Rockets hope for a peaceful parting.

Theory 2: Yao does not come back with the team if he gets hurt for any significant time next year. Yao will not exercise his option since he missed the whole year and becoming a free agent will cost him money short term. I think Mr. Alexander will plug up the middle with other assets like young rebounders with our upcoming draft picks. They will be alternating between D-League and practice players while we see what few minutes we can use Yao where he is still effective but not overused

Theory 3: Adelman has a lot of say with the team. Sleepy dreams of a team in the mold of his old kings teams. Playing fast, cutting, and winning the game on the offensive end. Which is why i believe in theory 1. He likes Chase cause he's athletic and can shoot from distance. So can all of our guards. Trevor is similar to what Doug Christie used to bring. Ditto Scola in the Webber mold. Lowry = Bobby Jackson energy/pace pusher off the bench. Our Vlade is better if he doesn't get hurt. That Kings team was number 1 in free throw shooting and look how our freethrow shooting has come up.

Theory 4: DM likes Chris bosh, but he wont want to give up Scola for him because he loves the fact that he got over on the Spurs and doesn't want to then trade him.

Also a sidenote: Was Clutch born when the rockets won their last championship? Thats why he's 15? Hmmm... i kinda like the bear now

New Kevin Martin Q&A

2010-03-11T05:54:23Z

Click Here for the Kevin Martin Q&A...

The Sporting News has a new Q&A with newly acquired Rocket, Kevin Martin, (also known as Drake Woods**) posted on the Yahoo! Sports page. It's a great 2 minute read, and has an interesting take on how things transpired in Sac-Town, and his mindset going forward here in Houston. Besides, the Yahoo! comments section is broken, so I thought people may want to post comments here instead. The link is above.

Go Rockets!

(**Because he looks like the rapper Drake and sounds like Tiger Woods)

Diversionary thoughts

2010-03-10T05:02:00Z

Hello everyone. This is my first post so I hope someone finds it interesting. With the stress of the Rockets being a longshot, dark horse contender for the number 8 spot in the west, I had some diversionary thoughts while they play it out.

First, is there anyone else who feels that if the Rockets were an Eastern Conference squad that they would be at least a top five team in the East (below Boston, Cleveland and Orlando but above most everyone else in the East)? This has been a point that I thought about often in the years that they've missed the playoffs only to see atrocious teams with losing records make the playoffs in the East. Right now Miami has the 8th seed with a 500 record so I can't complain too much, but in past years it has been really bad with horrible teams making it in the east and the rockets getting left out in the west. But, Houston is above 500 now so maybe I can complain.

Second, how good are they going to be with Yao? Without a guy who was a star before the season started (except McGrady) the Rockets have competed and kicked some serious tail when they weren't exhausted or run ragged by the schedule. Chuck Hayes has done a great job but his ppg is nowhere near what even a rusty or recovering Yao Ming is capable of. If Yao only gets 10 shots a game, he adds so many points to a team that had trouble establishing a go to scorer. I'm guessing if everyone is relatively healthy next year, they win 55 games with Yao back. Is it too optimistic to dream about a 60 plus win season and trip to at least the Conference finals?

Poll

Rockets record with Yao back next season...

Brian Cook a Nugget ... ?

2010-03-09T23:27:50Z

Hi Rocket fans,

Wondering if you guys have any insight into Brian Cook for us Nuggets fans? I know he didn't play much in his time in Houston, but anything you guys think about his game or lack thereof would be appreciated!

To get to 75 words I would like to say that I wish Carl Landry would have somehow done a Face Off move a la Nic Cage in said movie and then revealed himself after the Nuggets signed him ... well perhaps after the season instead so he didn't have to play for the Kings.

-Nate, Denver Stiffs.

Rockets vs. Pistons Recap

2010-03-09T14:05:02Z

Another enigma added to the colossal enigma that has been the Rockets season. First we start the season playing much better than anyone could have ever anticipated, then we have a slump and once we actually do get better we struggle, although it is understandable to some degree with the team's chemistry changing I guess some time is necessary. Unfortunately when it comes down to it other teams won't go easy on the Rockets simply because they've got new players and need to adjust. Excuses don't equal results, that being said I sadly don't see the Rockets making the playoffs this year. Which is okay seeing as how this upcoming draft is relatively well endowed, and with Yao back next year, Jordan Hill with a year under his belt, not mention everyone else I fully expect us to contend. Sure we might lose Luis Scola who is a very underrated player, fortunately this is one of the best times to let him go. He is 30 years old, and will probably ask for contract in the neighborhood of 5-7million spanning anywhere from 3-5 years. Do we really want to make that kind of commitment in a 30 year old? And now to the actual recap of the game!

The Rockets began the game well in fact they played well for about 3 and 3/4 quarters. Kevin Martin was somewhat efficient with 27 pts on 8 of 18 shooting which amounts to .444 he was 9 for 9 from the free throw line which is pretty good, Aaron Brooks had 25 pts going 10 for 23 and 2 for 10 in 3pt attempts, now Scola on the other hand was a beast plain and simple, he accumulated 20 pts and 15 reb all while shooting .533 percent from the field. We just could NOT hit any shots down the stretch and that is what it came down to, this wasn't a horrible game for either team, disappointing but not horrible. It was a close one and we lost in the end there is nothing to do but move on and try to add a few more wins in the win column. Jordan Hill had his best outing as a Rocket, perhaps his best outing as an NBA player. His stat line was an average 12 points and 8 rebounds. He did this in a abridged amount of playing time 23 minutes. I liked what I saw from him good hustle decent scoring. Which kind of makes you wonder why hasn't he seen more action? It's awfully hard to measure someone when they average around 8 minutes a game. Even though Jordan Hill is still inconsistent and a little raw it is my belief that he should start over Chuck Hayes, yes Chuck Hayes is stronger, yes he plays better defense but that's it folks! He doesn't have the athleticism, size, nor post moves that J Hill has, and yes they might be limited post moves but it's either limited or none! Thanks for your time ladies and gentlemen.

Something about me is that I like to listen to music... A lot and so with every post there will be a song of the post to go a long with it. Todays song is Drake - Over. A song off of his new album Thank Me Later.

Poll

Should Jordan Hill start?

NBA Power Rankings for week 20...

2010-03-09T13:36:20Z

It is week #20 and the Houston Rockets are...

... ranked as the 20th best team by ESPN, which is one spot lower than last week:

http://espn.go.com/nba/powerrankings

Fox Sports ranks the Rockets at the 18th best NBA team this week, down three spots from last week:

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/powerRankings

This week's poll is up. In your opinion, is the Rockets the 18th best NBA team or the 20th best team?

Or should they be ranked higher or lower than either 18th or 20th?

Vote in this week's poll...

Poll

Where should the Houston Rockets be ranked this week in the NBA Power Rankings?

Houston is the 18th best NBA team right now.

15 votes

Houston is the 20th best NBA team right now.

4 votes

Houston should be ranked something other than 18th or 20th. (Explain in post)

10 votes

29 votes | Poll has closed

Martin's impact on Ariza.

2010-03-06T02:08:57Z

I've been thinking about it for the past few days, and I really wonder... How will Trevor perform now that he is no longer the go to guy? (Okay you could argue that Brooks was also the go to guy, let us get passed that) I know most of us did or SHOULD HAVE realized that Ariza would never put up the kind of numbers we hoped when he was given open reign to shoot as much as he liked. However, now that we have "Speed Racer" he would not be required to have the same amount of offensive responsibility as he had earlier in the season. I'm just curious what type of impact that will have on his game. He has been out for a few games because of the injury, but I am curious to see how he will play now that he is going to be paired up with a much better 2 guard than himself. The first few games I'm not expecting much out of him because he is coming off of an injury, but is anyone else curious how much of an impact this will have on Ariza's game when he is back in the line-up?

And the new person to pick on is......(POLL)

2010-03-05T19:31:14Z

There was a post on here a while ago that asked who the we are going to pick on now that Brian Cook is gone. If you take a look at our roster for the rest of the season there is only one person that stands out. Not only is this person a disgrace to basketball players across the globe, he also gets regular playing time and its only because of a lack of depth. Starting to ring any bells? If you are thinking (drum roll please) Jared Jeffries then you have just won a million dollars (sike lol)! But on a serious note the guy really sucks and I really find it amazing he is in he NBA. He plays so soft, he can't finish at the rim even though he's 6'11, he's a total offensive liability and he struggles against size defensively. Can someone please find out where Kelvin Cato is? At least he was a good finisher at the rim. I think we here at The Dream Shake should give him hell as long as he is in a Rockets uniform. What do you think?

Poll

Should Jared Jeffries be the new person to pick on?

Yes, he is a formitable replacement for Brian Cook.

18 votes

Yes, there is nobody else to really pick on.

30 votes

No, he's the tallest guy we have.

57 votes

No, its just mean and we might hurt his feelings.

27 votes

132 votes | Poll has closed

NBA Power Poll for Week 19:

2010-03-03T18:49:58Z

It week #19 and the Houston Rockets are ranked...

... at #19 by ESPN, which is up one spot from last week:

http://espn.go.com/nba/powerrankings

Fox Sports has the Rockets ranked at #15 this week, which is up five spots from last week:

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/powerRankings

The new poll is up. Are the Rockets the 15th best team or the 19th best team in the NBA?

Or should they be ranked someplace else?

Vote early and often...

Poll

Where should the Rockets be ranked for week #19?

The Rockets are the 15th best NBA team now.

26 votes

The Rockets are the 19th best NBA team now.

14 votes

Houston is neither #15 or #19 best NBA team. (Explain in post where they should be ranked)

3 votes

43 votes | Poll has closed

The Quest

2010-03-02T19:53:19Z

Frightened that we may not make this year's playoffs, I set out on a quest. The purpose was to find the missing element of the Houston Rockets. I heard tales of a player who rebounds about 9 a game and contributes about 20 each game with a FT% .832 high in the mountains.

My journey lead me north of the Himalayas. I was lucky enough to find a lift

Then following the path that looks safer than it actually is

It sure is a long way down.

at times i had to climb, (theres no way you cant look down)

Exhausted and tired, i read my directions once again. Follow the steps to your destination.

Thank god i thought to myself "finally something simple....."

As i looked up

Son of a bitch... Seriously?

Finally i arrived at my destination.

As I entered the building i was greeted by familiar faces...

via news.stareastasia.com

(both): Crazy Americans... you could have just driven up using the west road.

(Not pictured) Shane Battier laughing in the distance.

(me)So your telling me I came here to find out what everyone already knows. In the most elaborate route possible.

via 4.bp.blogspot.com

(jackie) Yes, Shane told us you might be stopping by in around this time if you didn't fall to your death. He's a funny one that fellow.

(me)So this entire year Yao has just been hangin' out with Jackie chan?

via www.shockya.com

(Jackie) Seriously? how stupid are you? He's been here training long hours to bring houston to its former glory days of its twin championships. He runs in the mornings

via www.nba.com

(jackie) He swims in the afternoons,

via i25.tinypic.com

(me) Wait a minute is that Steve Francis? How long has he been here?

(Jackie) Oh he's been here since 2008. When he got here, he just kept mumbling that he never ever wanted to play for the grizzlies

via cm1.theinsider.com

(yao) we've been training together and working hard. He thinks if he trains hard enough he can get back to playing with the rockets... Sadly though Brian Cook has a better chance of seeing any playing time with the rockets.

(me) Brian cook has been waived already.

(Yao) umph... no wonder battier said the benchseats have been unusually cold as of late.

We Have an Exciting Roster, but Lack of Two Way Players?

2010-03-02T07:19:23Z

Doesn't it seem like we have a lot of either offensive or defensive specialists? I imagine it has to be an effect of Dork Elvis (of whom I'm a loyal follower) finding individuals with undervalued skill sets and accumulating them onto a dynamic roster.

A couple of things got me thinking about this...

1. On DraftExpress twitter (which you can see on their main webpage), they report Chase Budinger as among the worst one on one defenders (judged by performance against an iso set) in the league.

2. The potential Martin/Brooks starting backcourt might be one of the most offensively charged and defensively anemic in the league (as evidenced over the last few nights). Too lazy to seek out stats, just from observation.

3. Jared Jeffries CANNOT shoot, and he really finishes surprisingly poorly considering his size and length.

But you could easily classify a lot of our rotation players into one of two categories:

Offensive "Specialists": K Money, Aaron Brooks, David Anderson, Chase Budinger

Defensive "Specialists": Chuck Hayes, Shane Battier, Trevor Ariza, Jared Jeffries,

That's EIGHT rotation players who are markedly better on one end of the court than the other.

I understand the concept of mixing and matching around Yao and playing match ups on the wing. But, I do have some concerns about being able to put out a consistent rotation that can play solid two way ball next year. I know how much better we get defensively with Yao on the court, but will that alone propel us to a top 10 defensive team (something that Morey has implied as an important bullet to check off if you want to be a championship caliber team)? I'm not sure, but it looks it'll be up to Sleepy to get creative for that to happen.

Some notes: I realize the term 'specialist' is a gross over simplification concerning something as dynamic as an NBA basketball player's skillset. For example, I know Shane has value on offense with his ability to space the floor and competent passing; and Chuck is an elite high post passer. I'm just trying to express a concern about a roster of which I am (despite the tone of this post) a huge fan.

PS. A little off topic but... we need a low post defender ASAP. Early returns on Hilton and Jeffries don't look promising. I mean, Jeffries had trouble stopping Reggie Evans on the block tonight. Since when was this guy a low post threat?

Ariza, Lowry, Battier

2010-03-01T03:58:26Z

How long are they out? These are the injuries:
Ariza- hip flexor
Lowry- sprained ankle
Battier- flu-like symptoms

Lowry's been out for a week or two? It feels like eternity but I'm not 100% sure. Ariza? Battier?

I really wanna know how long they're out because of the playoffs. Some of you might not think the Rockets are going to make it because of their performances the past two months, but I know the Rockets can pull it out. The Rockets have a pretty winnable schedule in March. While the Trail Blazers, Grizzlies, and Hornets are a lot more spotty. Check out their schedules and gimme a response. Answer how long Ariza, Lowry, and Battier are out though ASAP