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Dwight had a couple of instances where he used his quickness against Duncan and it resulted in a dunk. But as far as posting up, Dmo looks to be a better option down low
Official Houston Rockets 2013 Offseason Thread: Welcome D12 to Houston!
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by do work son,
- Start date
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F*** the Spurs
Beard making it look so effortless
Howard
Beard making it look so effortless
Howard
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On my iPod, so hope this comes out right. This article from USA Today "How Morey Launched the Rockets into Contention"
HOUSTON — Daryl Morey had heard the chatter in NBA circles that his time as Houston Rockets general manager and unofficial poster boy for the next front-office frontier might be nearing an end if he didn't turn things around soon.
But he paid it no mind because the rumblings never came from the man who had brought him to town six years ago: Rockets owner Les Alexander.
"I heard second hand those rumblings, and it never made sense to me," Morey tells USA TODAY Sports. "Maybe because I knew Mr. Alexander had a lot of faith in what we were doing and was really an architect in a lot of the strategy, so we were executing on a plan and the owner knew it.
"I think that, yeah, if we hadn't been able to turn the corner like we hoped, then at some point he probably says, 'Hey, I've got to change horses,' and that's fine. That's his right. I wouldn't have been bothered.
"But he had a lot of belief in us, and I don't forget that."
Now he believes more than ever.
In less than a year, the Rockets roster has been transformed in ways even Morey never imagined. What once was a medley of mismatched players is one of the best collections of talent around. The Rockets hired Morey —then a 33-year-old, numbers-obsessed MIT business school graduate — from the Boston Celtics in 2006 with the hopes of breaking new basketball ground. Now they're looking like championship contenders for the first time since Yao Ming retired in 2011.
And Morey, whose trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder for James Harden in October 2012 sparked the turnaround and led to the signing of free agent center Dwight Howard in July, is as secure in his job as he's ever been after receiving a four-year contract extension in March.
Yet even Morey, who long had been labeled as the NBA version of baseball's Billy Beane in this "Moneyball" era of pro sports, says there is a healthy amount of luck involved.
Morey never thought a team like the Thunder, coming off an appearance in the 2012 NBA Finals, would be willing to trade a player like Harden in his prime, nor was he sure the against-the-grain strategy agreed to by all involved would pay off in the end.
But as his Twitter bio appropriately states, "Opportunity is not a lengthy visitor." And when it arrived, Morey and the Rockets were ready.
With Yao retired and fellow star Tracy McGrady having departed in a February 2010 trade to the New York Knicks that ultimately would help land Harden, the Rockets faced a decision every team faces sooner or later: Do you continue trying to contend and rebuild through trades and free agency, or do you endure an awful season or two with the hopes of returning to relevance by way of high draft picks?
Houston opted to try to compete and posted winning records from 2009 to 2012, though without a playoff appearance, but fell short when it came to landing a star to help take the team to the next level.
Until now.
"The big thing was that when you lose your top guys, like Yao and Tracy, generally the way it has always been done is that you know you're going to have a bad season in there, because you need a high pick to get it done," Morey says. "And frankly, I still think that's probably your safer way to go. … (But) we just didn't think we could do it, so we sort of carved out a different way.
"Keep our max (salary cap) room, stay flexible but try and avoid that really tough year. Again, I don't know if we've proven anything. We've proven that in our set of circumstances, I think we can hopefully turn the corner if we have the year we hope we're going to have. We had to be ready, but a lot had to line up as well."
And as so often is the case in a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately world, the once-critical public is suddenly singing Morey's praises. It wasn't that way a short time ago.
The man who had been deemed a wunderkind once had been captaining a seemingly rudderless ship that appeared headed for the rocks. Morey's moves seemed desperate, with trade after trade made in hopes of landing Howard or some other star. When he sent point guard Kyle Lowry to the Toronto Raptors in a July 2012 deal seen as senseless by some at the time, Morey was skewered.
But the first-round pick acquired in the Lowry deal would prove to be a major factor in landing Harden. Protections essentially guaranteed it would be a lottery pick, so the Thunder agreed to send Harden, then the NBA sixth man of the year, to Houston in exchange for that pick, another first-rounder, a second-round pick, Kevin Martin and Jeremy Lamb. Cole Aldrich, Daequan Cook and Lazar Hayward also went to Houston.
Once Harden arrived and proved worthy of the franchise centerpiece role he suddenly had been given, it was only a matter of time before another star would want to join him in Houston.
Enter Howard, who left behind the Los Angeles Lakers and chose the Rockets over the Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks and Atlanta Hawks. The player Morey had been chasing for years was finally in Houston.
As Howard tells USA TODAY Sports, the timing of the move could not have been better. He was aware the Rockets had wanted him for some time, but he didn't always want the Rockets. Howard said the inspiration behind his surprising decision to add another year to his contract with the Orlando Magic just before the trade deadline in March 2012 was his desire to avoid being sent to the pre-Harden Rockets.
"I think everything happens for a reason," Howard says. "I think there was a reason why I signed that ETO (early termination option, which pushed his free agency back a year). I think it's all about timing."
HOUSTON — Daryl Morey had heard the chatter in NBA circles that his time as Houston Rockets general manager and unofficial poster boy for the next front-office frontier might be nearing an end if he didn't turn things around soon.
But he paid it no mind because the rumblings never came from the man who had brought him to town six years ago: Rockets owner Les Alexander.
"I heard second hand those rumblings, and it never made sense to me," Morey tells USA TODAY Sports. "Maybe because I knew Mr. Alexander had a lot of faith in what we were doing and was really an architect in a lot of the strategy, so we were executing on a plan and the owner knew it.
"I think that, yeah, if we hadn't been able to turn the corner like we hoped, then at some point he probably says, 'Hey, I've got to change horses,' and that's fine. That's his right. I wouldn't have been bothered.
"But he had a lot of belief in us, and I don't forget that."
Now he believes more than ever.
In less than a year, the Rockets roster has been transformed in ways even Morey never imagined. What once was a medley of mismatched players is one of the best collections of talent around. The Rockets hired Morey —then a 33-year-old, numbers-obsessed MIT business school graduate — from the Boston Celtics in 2006 with the hopes of breaking new basketball ground. Now they're looking like championship contenders for the first time since Yao Ming retired in 2011.
And Morey, whose trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder for James Harden in October 2012 sparked the turnaround and led to the signing of free agent center Dwight Howard in July, is as secure in his job as he's ever been after receiving a four-year contract extension in March.
Yet even Morey, who long had been labeled as the NBA version of baseball's Billy Beane in this "Moneyball" era of pro sports, says there is a healthy amount of luck involved.
Morey never thought a team like the Thunder, coming off an appearance in the 2012 NBA Finals, would be willing to trade a player like Harden in his prime, nor was he sure the against-the-grain strategy agreed to by all involved would pay off in the end.
But as his Twitter bio appropriately states, "Opportunity is not a lengthy visitor." And when it arrived, Morey and the Rockets were ready.
With Yao retired and fellow star Tracy McGrady having departed in a February 2010 trade to the New York Knicks that ultimately would help land Harden, the Rockets faced a decision every team faces sooner or later: Do you continue trying to contend and rebuild through trades and free agency, or do you endure an awful season or two with the hopes of returning to relevance by way of high draft picks?
Houston opted to try to compete and posted winning records from 2009 to 2012, though without a playoff appearance, but fell short when it came to landing a star to help take the team to the next level.
Until now.
"The big thing was that when you lose your top guys, like Yao and Tracy, generally the way it has always been done is that you know you're going to have a bad season in there, because you need a high pick to get it done," Morey says. "And frankly, I still think that's probably your safer way to go. … (But) we just didn't think we could do it, so we sort of carved out a different way.
"Keep our max (salary cap) room, stay flexible but try and avoid that really tough year. Again, I don't know if we've proven anything. We've proven that in our set of circumstances, I think we can hopefully turn the corner if we have the year we hope we're going to have. We had to be ready, but a lot had to line up as well."
And as so often is the case in a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately world, the once-critical public is suddenly singing Morey's praises. It wasn't that way a short time ago.
The man who had been deemed a wunderkind once had been captaining a seemingly rudderless ship that appeared headed for the rocks. Morey's moves seemed desperate, with trade after trade made in hopes of landing Howard or some other star. When he sent point guard Kyle Lowry to the Toronto Raptors in a July 2012 deal seen as senseless by some at the time, Morey was skewered.
But the first-round pick acquired in the Lowry deal would prove to be a major factor in landing Harden. Protections essentially guaranteed it would be a lottery pick, so the Thunder agreed to send Harden, then the NBA sixth man of the year, to Houston in exchange for that pick, another first-rounder, a second-round pick, Kevin Martin and Jeremy Lamb. Cole Aldrich, Daequan Cook and Lazar Hayward also went to Houston.
Once Harden arrived and proved worthy of the franchise centerpiece role he suddenly had been given, it was only a matter of time before another star would want to join him in Houston.
Enter Howard, who left behind the Los Angeles Lakers and chose the Rockets over the Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks and Atlanta Hawks. The player Morey had been chasing for years was finally in Houston.
As Howard tells USA TODAY Sports, the timing of the move could not have been better. He was aware the Rockets had wanted him for some time, but he didn't always want the Rockets. Howard said the inspiration behind his surprising decision to add another year to his contract with the Orlando Magic just before the trade deadline in March 2012 was his desire to avoid being sent to the pre-Harden Rockets.
"I think everything happens for a reason," Howard says. "I think there was a reason why I signed that ETO (early termination option, which pushed his free agency back a year). I think it's all about timing."
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Howard/Asik combo is
Beverley making a strong push for that starting spot. MIP?
Beverley making a strong push for that starting spot. MIP?
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what happened to Harden?
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Slight knee contusion (banged into somebody else's knee before the free throw). I think he was out so quickly due to precaution more than anything since this is the last preseason game.
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just saw the injury,
WTF pondexter ran like a train
WTF pondexter ran like a train
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I like this team. You can't see it, but my heart is c-walking and doing the dougie.
do work son
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didn't get to see the game tonight, but just saw the highlights.
sucks that harden got hurt, but hopefully it's not something serious or something that lingers and effects his plays.
the Dwight/gasol altercation was interesting. I think gasol was probably frustrated at the time since they were down 17-3 after almost 8 minutes of play. arguably the two top centers going against each other though so that might have also had them pumped. good to see Dwight showing fight for his teammates though. can't imagine yao ever really doing that. we'll have to monitor Dwight's technicals as the season goes on, because I believe that's already at least his second one in the 7 games we've played in the preseason.
I know the preseason isn't necessarily an indicator of what's to come, but I'm pleased with the 6-1 record we finished with. now to wait just a few more days until the real deal.
sucks that harden got hurt, but hopefully it's not something serious or something that lingers and effects his plays.
the Dwight/gasol altercation was interesting. I think gasol was probably frustrated at the time since they were down 17-3 after almost 8 minutes of play. arguably the two top centers going against each other though so that might have also had them pumped. good to see Dwight showing fight for his teammates though. can't imagine yao ever really doing that. we'll have to monitor Dwight's technicals as the season goes on, because I believe that's already at least his second one in the 7 games we've played in the preseason.
I know the preseason isn't necessarily an indicator of what's to come, but I'm pleased with the 6-1 record we finished with. now to wait just a few more days until the real deal.
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do work son
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we were destroying memphis last night. it was beautiful. playing solid defense leading to transition buckets. good ball movement. we're gonna be a good team. the roster is too talented at the top, and we have good depth so we can compete with anyone.
still need to work on post entry passing, and dwight needs to work *less* with hakeem. it feels like he's trying so hard to determine what to do instead of just moving naturally.
still need to work on post entry passing, and dwight needs to work *less* with hakeem. it feels like he's trying so hard to determine what to do instead of just moving naturally.
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Any updates on Harden?
Beverley tho
Casspi
Once this team completely gels, I expect them to be in contention for a title. BOOK IT
Beverley tho
Casspi
Once this team completely gels, I expect them to be in contention for a title. BOOK IT
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Grizzlies scored 9 points in the 12 minutes that Dwight Howard and Omer Asik played together last night
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That why Marc started acting like Pau and started whining 
I'm gonna need Casspi to dunk on KD and tell him to deal with it sooner or later
I'm gonna need Casspi to dunk on KD and tell him to deal with it sooner or later
do work son
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I'm so ******g excited for this season man.
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Troy Daniels released today. Pretty sure Canaan and Covington will be sent to the D-League (with Daniels) to get the roster to 15. Not sure if any team uses their development system better than the Rockets.
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http://www.houstonchronicle.com/spo...gside-Howard-4921468.php?t=5bb6d1de9fcba496f0
Definitely liking that Asik/Howard combo
Hopefully Asik sees how good defensively this team can be
Definitely liking that Asik/Howard combo
Hopefully Asik sees how good defensively this team can be
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[h1]Opening Night Roster Set[/h1][h2]Rockets Announce Opening Night Roster (http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/opening-night-roster-set)[/h2]
HOUSTON – Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced that the team has waived center Marcus Camby (as of Oct. 27) and guard Reggie Williams, which brings the Rockets roster down to 15 players.
Below is Houston’s roster for 2013-14 Opening Night presented by Toyota, where the Rockets will face the Charlotte Bobcats. Tip off at Toyota Center is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Get to Toyota Center early for the Lift-Off Party sponsored by Bud Light, which is open to public from 5:00-7:00 p.m. on the Launch Pad outside the Polk Street Entrance. In addition, CSN Houston will be bringing its signature daily talk show SportsTalk Live to the Lift-Off Party from 5:00-6:00 p.m. Special guests include CSN studio analyst Calvin Murphy, play-by-play announcer Bill Worrell, color analyst Matt Bullard, and former Rockets players Mo Taylor and Moochie Norris.
[table][tr][td]
Houston Rockets 2013-14 Roster
[/td][/tr][tr][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][/tr][tr][td] No. [/td][td]Name[/td][td]Pos.[/td][td]Ht.[/td][td]Wt.[/td][td]Birthdate[/td][td]Prior to NBA/Home Country[/td][td]NBA Exp.[/td][/tr][tr][td]
3
[/td][td]Omer Asik [/td][td]C[/td][td]7-0 [/td][td]255[/td][td]7/4/86[/td][td]Fenerbahçe S.K./Turkey[/td][td]3[/td][/tr][tr][td]2[/td][td]Patrick Beverley [/td][td]G[/td][td]6-1[/td][td]185[/td][td]7/12/88[/td][td]Arkansas/USA[/td][td]1[/td][/tr][tr][td]10[/td][td]Ronnie Brewer[/td][td]F[/td][td]6-7[/td][td]235[/td][td]3/20/85[/td][td]Arkansas/USA[/td][td]7[/td][/tr][tr][td]0[/td][td]Aaron Brooks [/td][td]G[/td][td]6-0[/td][td]161[/td][td]1/14/85[/td][td]Oregon/USA[/td][td]5[/td][/tr][tr][td]1[/td][td]Isaiah Canaan [/td][td]G[/td][td]6-0[/td][td]188[/td][td]5/21/91 [/td][td]Murray State/USA[/td][td]R[/td][/tr][tr][td]18[/td][td]Omri Casspi [/td][td]F[/td][td]6-9[/td][td]225[/td][td]6/22/88[/td][td]Maccabi Tel Aviv/Israel [/td][td]4[/td][/tr][tr][td]33[/td][td]Robert Covington[/td][td]F[/td][td]6-9[/td][td]215[/td][td]12/14/90 [/td][td]Tennessee State/USA[/td][td]R[/td][/tr][tr][td]32[/td][td]Francisco Garcia[/td][td]G/F[/td][td]6-7[/td][td]195[/td][td]12/31/80 [/td][td]Louisville/Dominican Republic [/td][td]8[/td][/tr][tr][td]13[/td][td]James Harden[/td][td]G[/td][td]6-5[/td][td]220[/td][td]8/26/89 [/td][td]Arizona State/USA[/td][td]4[/td][/tr][tr][td]12[/td][td]Dwight Howard[/td][td]C[/td][td]6-11[/td][td]265[/td][td]12/8/85 [/td][td]S.W. Atlanta Christian Academy (GA)/USA[/td][td]9[/td][/tr][tr][td]6[/td][td]Terrence Jones[/td][td]F[/td][td]6-9[/td][td]252[/td][td]1/9/92 [/td][td]Kentucky/USA[/td][td]1[/td][/tr][tr][td]7[/td][td]Jeremy Lin[/td][td]G[/td][td]6-3[/td][td]200[/td][td]8/23/88[/td][td]Harvard/USA[/td][td]3[/td][/tr][tr][td]20[/td][td]Donatas Motiejunas[/td][td]F/C[/td][td]7-0[/td][td]222[/td][td]9/20/90[/td][td]Asseco Prokom/Lithuania[/td][td]1[/td][/tr][tr][td]25[/td][td]Chandler Parsons[/td][td]F[/td][td]6-9[/td][td]227[/td][td]10/25/88[/td][td]Florida/USA [/td][td]2[/td][/tr][tr][td]4[/td][td]Greg Smith[/td][td]F/C[/td][td]6-10[/td][td]250[/td][td]1/8/91[/td][td]Fresno State/USA [/td][td]2[/td][/tr][/table]
HOUSTON – Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced that the team has waived center Marcus Camby (as of Oct. 27) and guard Reggie Williams, which brings the Rockets roster down to 15 players.
Below is Houston’s roster for 2013-14 Opening Night presented by Toyota, where the Rockets will face the Charlotte Bobcats. Tip off at Toyota Center is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Get to Toyota Center early for the Lift-Off Party sponsored by Bud Light, which is open to public from 5:00-7:00 p.m. on the Launch Pad outside the Polk Street Entrance. In addition, CSN Houston will be bringing its signature daily talk show SportsTalk Live to the Lift-Off Party from 5:00-6:00 p.m. Special guests include CSN studio analyst Calvin Murphy, play-by-play announcer Bill Worrell, color analyst Matt Bullard, and former Rockets players Mo Taylor and Moochie Norris.
[table][tr][td]
Houston Rockets 2013-14 Roster
[/td][/tr][tr][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][/tr][tr][td] No. [/td][td]Name[/td][td]Pos.[/td][td]Ht.[/td][td]Wt.[/td][td]Birthdate[/td][td]Prior to NBA/Home Country[/td][td]NBA Exp.[/td][/tr][tr][td]
3
[/td][td]Omer Asik [/td][td]C[/td][td]7-0 [/td][td]255[/td][td]7/4/86[/td][td]Fenerbahçe S.K./Turkey[/td][td]3[/td][/tr][tr][td]2[/td][td]Patrick Beverley [/td][td]G[/td][td]6-1[/td][td]185[/td][td]7/12/88[/td][td]Arkansas/USA[/td][td]1[/td][/tr][tr][td]10[/td][td]Ronnie Brewer[/td][td]F[/td][td]6-7[/td][td]235[/td][td]3/20/85[/td][td]Arkansas/USA[/td][td]7[/td][/tr][tr][td]0[/td][td]Aaron Brooks [/td][td]G[/td][td]6-0[/td][td]161[/td][td]1/14/85[/td][td]Oregon/USA[/td][td]5[/td][/tr][tr][td]1[/td][td]Isaiah Canaan [/td][td]G[/td][td]6-0[/td][td]188[/td][td]5/21/91 [/td][td]Murray State/USA[/td][td]R[/td][/tr][tr][td]18[/td][td]Omri Casspi [/td][td]F[/td][td]6-9[/td][td]225[/td][td]6/22/88[/td][td]Maccabi Tel Aviv/Israel [/td][td]4[/td][/tr][tr][td]33[/td][td]Robert Covington[/td][td]F[/td][td]6-9[/td][td]215[/td][td]12/14/90 [/td][td]Tennessee State/USA[/td][td]R[/td][/tr][tr][td]32[/td][td]Francisco Garcia[/td][td]G/F[/td][td]6-7[/td][td]195[/td][td]12/31/80 [/td][td]Louisville/Dominican Republic [/td][td]8[/td][/tr][tr][td]13[/td][td]James Harden[/td][td]G[/td][td]6-5[/td][td]220[/td][td]8/26/89 [/td][td]Arizona State/USA[/td][td]4[/td][/tr][tr][td]12[/td][td]Dwight Howard[/td][td]C[/td][td]6-11[/td][td]265[/td][td]12/8/85 [/td][td]S.W. Atlanta Christian Academy (GA)/USA[/td][td]9[/td][/tr][tr][td]6[/td][td]Terrence Jones[/td][td]F[/td][td]6-9[/td][td]252[/td][td]1/9/92 [/td][td]Kentucky/USA[/td][td]1[/td][/tr][tr][td]7[/td][td]Jeremy Lin[/td][td]G[/td][td]6-3[/td][td]200[/td][td]8/23/88[/td][td]Harvard/USA[/td][td]3[/td][/tr][tr][td]20[/td][td]Donatas Motiejunas[/td][td]F/C[/td][td]7-0[/td][td]222[/td][td]9/20/90[/td][td]Asseco Prokom/Lithuania[/td][td]1[/td][/tr][tr][td]25[/td][td]Chandler Parsons[/td][td]F[/td][td]6-9[/td][td]227[/td][td]10/25/88[/td][td]Florida/USA [/td][td]2[/td][/tr][tr][td]4[/td][td]Greg Smith[/td][td]F/C[/td][td]6-10[/td][td]250[/td][td]1/8/91[/td][td]Fresno State/USA [/td][td]2[/td][/tr][/table]
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Ain't about the roster. Everyone's waiting for the starting lineup.
jewbacca
Banned
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I think it is fair to say the lineup will vary based on match-ups.
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^you think Mchale will roll up with a different starting lineup every game? 
I hope not, but with Mchale, ya never know..
"I have two starting point guards...."
I hope not, but with Mchale, ya never know..
"I have two starting point guards...."
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I say roll with Lin but whoever gets it is cool with me. *just win baby*
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Dwight Embracing Defensive Role 
http://www.houstonchronicle.com/spo...bination-for-4929329.php?t=4261d8f87666506723
http://www.houstonchronicle.com/spo...bination-for-4929329.php?t=4261d8f87666506723
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same here. i think lin distributes better. bev is a good spark off the bench.
but i am curious what Lin can do as the 6th man.