Omer Asik Trade Rumors

     Just one day after getting a huge road win against the Spurs handing them their first home loss of the season, the Rockets lost to the now 4-13 Jazz. One rumor that has been going around is that Omer Asik is unhappy with his role and wants to be traded. From what I've seen, the price that the Rockets have for Omer Asik is too high for other teams and he will be making $15 million next season, so it will be a tough to deal him. Here are my 2 best scenarios for the Rockets and Asik:
     First, we should try to acquire a defensive small forward and play Parsons at the 4. We are dead last in the NBA for forced turnovers and we need another defensive forward. A forward would be best because Patrick Beverley is a great defender at point guard, James Harden and Dwight Howard have already solidified their spots, and Chandler Parsons can do it all. Terrence Jones is good, but we need more depth at forward.
     Second, we should try to trade Asik and someone else for a lottery pick. This year's draft class will probably end up being the best draft class this decade. Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, and Julius Randle can all be centerpieces for a franchise. If the Rockets could land one of them, I think we would be the best team in the league.
     Hopefully, the Rockets can do something good with this situation they have with Asik right now. They could acquire some good players in return for him and I hope the Rockets can make the right decision on what to do with him.

Linsanity Part 2

     Linsanity is back! Jeremy Lin has been playing great for the past five games and I'm really excited that he finally got his touch back. Before, he would normally have to defer to James Harden and Dwight Howard, but now since he's coming off the bench, he can do his thing and not have to defer so much. I like to watch the Rockets when everyone contributes and makes plays. I think coming off the bench is a great role for Jeremy Lin because he has more opportunities to score. Unlike other bench players, he's actually been playing more minutes than the starter. He's been averaging 33 minutes played per game this season compared to Patrick Beverley's 28 minutes per game.  In the last five games, Lin's been averaging 22 points, and has been shooting 44% of 3 pointers. The 44% of

3 pointers has been a big improvement from last season in which he only shot 34%.
     Jeremy Lin has been lighting it up and I hope he can keep his great play up! The Rockets play the Mavericks tonight, hoping to make their record 9-4 on the season.

Great Week Of Basketball

     This week has been a great week of basketball for me! First, I got a chance to FaceTime with Jeremy Lin  again on Sunday night. My dad randomly told me to come to the phone, so I did and I saw his friend, Uncle Peter on the screen. Then, Jeremy Lin came to the phone and I was so surprised! Thankfully, I was actually awake this time and I had more to say. I told him that we went all the way to Gathersburg to go watch the new documentary about him called "Linsanity." Then, I asked him how many pairs of shoes he has and he told me that he has 200 pairs of shoes and Nike sent him almost all of them! I knew that he would probably have a lot, maybe 30, but I was caught off guard when he said 200. It was great talking to him again and special thanks to Uncle Peter for making this happen. 

     Secondly, today is the Rockets season opener vs. the Bobcats! I've been looking forward to this day for a while and I can't wait to watch it! Since Jeremy Lin is now officially starting on the bench, I hope that he can provide instant offense when he comes in. I hope we can have a great inside-out game today and that James Harden and Dwight Howard both have dominant games which is key to our success. 

     I am hoping for a big, fat W to start out the year and I hope this is the start to a successful season. 

Should Jeremy Lin or Patrick Beverley Start?

     Thankfully, there are only 8 more days until the NBA regular season starts! I like how the inside-out game is working for the Rockets and hopefully we can keep it up going forward. One question still remains... Should Jeremy Lin or Patrick Beverley start at point guard?
      I'd probably rather have Lin start, but either way he'll still most likely get more minutes. He's being paid as much as a starter is paid and I wouldn't think that the Rockets would bench him. I just read an article about Kevin McHale talking about how he has two starting point guards and that he doesn't get why players would rather play 20 minutes starting rather than 30 minutes off the bench. That is part of the reason why I would be okay with Lin coming off the bench as long as he gets more minutes than Beverley. The thing that is good is that they both have different strengths. Beverley is a better shooter and defender and Lin is a better ball handler, passer, and finisher. I agree with Kevin McHale, I think we have two starting point guards.
     The Rockets have been looking good so far and I hope we can keep it up. As long as Lin gets more minutes than Beverley, I am fine.

Rockets Goals For The Season

     I can't wait for the NBA regular season to start! The Rockets have looked good in the preseason so far and I'm looking forward to getting to watch the new Rockets with Dwight Howard! I have high hopes for them this season. Here are some of my goals for them to accomplish this season and why we can accomplish them:

• Be a top five seed in the Western Conference because we have more good players and a lot more depth this year. I think we can beat a lot of the good teams in our conference that we haven't had much success against before like the Clippers, Spurs, Nuggets, and the Thunder. Now that we have Dwight Howard, I think we have a great chance of being a top 5 seed in the Western Conference.                                                                                                                                             
• Have the highest pick and roll ratio in the league because now that we have a great combo in Jeremy Lin/James Harden and Dwight Howard we now have a better player to roll to the basket than Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin and James Harden are both great passers. Hopefully, Dwight Howard will be willing to play the pick and roll this year because he didn't want to last year with the Lakers. I think we will have a very efficient offense this year.
• Be the highest scoring team in the league because now that we have Dwight Howard he can be the guy that we give the ball to down low when we aren't making shots from the outside. 3 pointers aren't the highest percentage shot, so hopefully we can take higher percentage shots this year and continue to score a lot of points.

     I think we are going to have a great season this year! Hopefully we can accomplish my goals and play very well this year! We better not have "Dwightmares."

Beginning of Season Thoughts and What Has Happened Since Then

     This Rockets season has been better than I've expected in terms of winning and watching. They have been an awesome team to watch this season and thankfully have clinched the playoffs for the first time in three years. Here were my expectations at the beginning of the season:

•  I thought that there was no way that James Harden would be better than Kevin Martin.
• I thought that Jeremy Lin would be "the star" like he was in New York.
• I thought that Omer Asik would be below average at center.
• I thought that the Rockets would barely make the playoffs this season.

     But here's what happened...

     

•  James Harden is MUCH, much better than Kevin Martin and is averaging 26 points this season.
• Jeremy Lin most of the time defers to James Harden and didn't make as many plays as I thought he would.
• Omer Asik is an above-average center that is second in the league in rebounding and is averaging a double-double on the season.
• The Rockets currently hold the sixth Western Conference seed.

     Although we've done better than I expected, I was still sad to see these Rockets players get traded or waived in the off-season, or during the season:

• Kevin Martin in the James Harden trade.
• Patrick Patterson and Marcus Morris in the Thomas Robinson trade.
• Luis Scola getting waived in the offseason.

     I thought that the trades were crazy at first, but they've turned out to be good and here's why:

• James Harden is a key contributor to the Rockets success.
• Thomas Robinson is good, but he doesn't get to play as much as he should be playing.
• We need Luis Scola back because he is clutch and we need a good power forward.

     This season has been so exciting and I've become a bigger Rockets fan than I ever was! I hope that they get a first round playoff series that they could win and have a great playoff run. Right now, it is looking like we will either play the Nuggets or the Spurs. We will have to be at the top of our game to beat both teams and I hope that the Rockets can win the rest of the regular season games to keep the sixth seed in the Western Conference.

Missed Opportunity and Rockets Playoff Hopes

     Two nights ago, the Rockets missed their big opportunity to jump in front of the Warriors in the standings in a 78-108 loss to them. If the Rockets won, then the Rockets would be the number six seed in the Western Conference. Since they lost, they stayed at the number seven seed. It was a must win game for them and they disappointed their home crowd in Houston.
     The Rockets lost the game because they couldn't make a shot and they couldn't guard Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. The Rockets scored only ten first quarter points which is the lowest amount that they've scored in one quarter this season. They shot only 13% in that quarter and it was really frustrating to watch.
     Looking forward to the playoffs, the Rockets will probably have a tough first series. But if there is one overrated team that the Rockets could beat in a series it would be the Grizzlies. The Rockets have always played them well and have won the season series against them this year. The only problem is that the Rockets would have to jump up two seeds in the standings to face the Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs and that would be really hard to do. The Rockets would need to win most of their final regular season games and have the Warriors and the Nuggets lose most of them to jump up two seeds. I think that the Rockets are playing fine, but the basket just needs to open up for them.

Top Five Rockets Players in my Lifetime

     The Rockets have had some great teams and great players during my lifetime. I forgot some of my old favorite players and how they played so I had to watch some youtube videos to refresh my memory.  In my opinion these are the top five players in my lifetime in order:
     1. James Harden, because he is the best scorer that they've had in awhile. He is averaging 26 points per game this year and he also flipped their fortune this season and brought new hope to the team.  He is also only 23 years old so they can keep him for a while as the face of the franchise.
     2. Tracy McGrady, because he was a great player for a long time. In his career, he averaged 20 plus points in eight consecutive seasons. He used to be my favorite player until he got traded to the Knicks.
     3. Yao Ming, because he was a dominant force down low. He was easily the best center that the Rockets ever had in my lifetime.
     4. Kevin Martin, because he was the best three point shooter that the Rockets have had during my lifetime. He was a bit streaky sometimes but he was a great free throw shooter and could shoot from anywhere on the court.
      5. Aaron Brooks, because he was a great scoring point guard. He was my favorite player for a long time and I really like how he plays.  He is a good all around player and is aggressive for his size.
     Those players, in my opinion, are the best players that the Rockets have had since I was born. In the future, I think Kevin McHale should unload Aaron Brooks for one game to see what he can do.  I hope that he gets to play alot and fits in with the team.  I hope that the Rockets get more players like these in the future!

Rockets Updates and Great Stretch

     Two nights ago, the Rockets scored a season high, 44 third quarter points to beat the Mavs 136-103. Tonight, they rematch with them in Dallas. Having won three of their last five games, they jumped up to the seventh seed in the western conference.
     The Thomas Robinson trade hasn't proved to me yet that it was a good move because he hasn't been playing much because of foul trouble. Donatas Montejunas is playing good as the new starter, scoring in double figures in two of the last three games. Since Montejunas is the new starter, I think that the Rockets should use Terrence Jones more because he brings more defense to the team down low. Chandler Parsons has been playing really well too, going 12 of 13 from the field for 32 points against the Mavs.
     The Rockets have been playing very well lately and I hope they keep it up! They have just signed Aaron Brooks for the rest of the season. I think he will help the Rockets in shooting, playmaking, and provide depth. He will also help the younger point guards because he is a veteran NBA player.  Aaron used to be one of my favorite players when he was on the Rockets and I think he will be a good addition. If the Rockets win and Golden State loses to Sacramento, the Rockets will have jumped up another spot. To get in to the playoffs, they need to watch out for Golden State, Utah, and Denver.

Rockets Trade and All-Star Weekend

     The Rockets have just taken another big risk. They have traded Patrick Patterson, Cole Aldrich, and Toney Douglas to the Kings, for Thomas Robinson, Francisco Garcia, and Tyler Honeycutt. The trade has potential to be either really good or really bad. Thomas Robinson is a lottery pick, but has bust potential. I don't even know who Tyler Honeycutt and Francisco Garcia are. Hopefully they're good.

      The Rockets have also traded Marcus Morris to the Suns, for a 2013 second round pick. I really don't like that trade because Marcus Morris is worth more than a second round pick. He is joining his twin brother, Markieff to be the second ever twins on the same team. They also play the same position and none of them will start, so I don't know why the Suns need that trade. I don't know why the Rockets have traded their top two power forwards, for a 50-50 chance of getting a really good player in Robinson. The Rockets should start Delfino at power forward until Robinson develops. Robinson needs to prove himself a little bit more to be a starter, but Delfino has done well in the past two games starting at power forward, so we'll see. 

     I had an awesome time in Houston last weekend. Thank you Jeremy Lin and John Wall for the pictures that you took with me. I am coming to the game tonight to see them go face to face. I hope the Rockets keep doing well and keep winning. 

5 things that I'm excited about

 Here is a list of 5 things that have me excited about the Rockets.
1. The Rockets have been shooting three pointers ridiculously well, tying the NBA record against the Warriors with 23.
2. Jeremy Lin has been scoring a lot of points in the past two games.
3. James Harden's assists numbers have been way up.
4. I read on ESPN that the Rockets have a 90% chance of making the playoffs.
5. I am going to Houston for my Birthday to see the Rising Stars game and the Jam Session. I hope to see James Harden, Jeremy Lin, and Chandler Parsons while I am there.

I hope the Rockets can keep up what they've been doing and beat the Trail Blazers tomorrow!

Losing Streak

During the Rockets' season-long 7 game losing streak, they have been playing horribly. I have some thoughts why they are doing so bad. First, they have had a tough schedule and have been playing teams on hot streaks. The Hornets were on a 3 game win streak when they played the Rockets (the wins were all against teams in Texas), the Celtics were on a 4 game win streak, and almost all of the other teams they played also had win streaks.  Second, James Harden's shooting percentage has been way down lately. One important stat is that he is averaging 12% lower field goal percentage during losses than wins. He is also averaging about 6 points lower in losses than wins. Over the last 10 games Harden is averaging 24 points, but shooting only 41% from the field. Finally, the Rockets as a team have also had a huge drop in scoring during the losing streak. They scored 22 more points per game in their last win streak than their current losing streak.  During the winning streak they averaged 115 points, but during losing streak they are averaging only 93 points.

I have some ideas on how they can improve.  First, they should take higher percentage shots. They have been averaging 41% from the field in the past 5 games (which is 25th in the league). Next, they need to limit turnovers. Finally, they should work on more pick-and-roll and cutting plays. Jeremy Lin and Greg Smith were doing it yesterday and it worked.  I hope the Rockets start winning tomorrow against the Bobcats.  If they win, they will lift their record above .500 again.

One other thing, I think Patrick Beverly has been a good addition to the team because he can fill up the stat sheet. Scoring, rebounding, steals, and assists.  He also wears my number 12.

FaceTime'ing with Jeremy Lin

At 10:15 last night, my mom woke me up. She said, "Justin, look at the phone." I was so shocked to see Jeremy Lin's face on the iphone screen that I didn't know what to say! It was so exciting to FaceTime with my favorite NBA player, and it was nice of him to call. I told all of my friends at school, but none of them believed me. It would've been alot easier to talk to him if I knew he was calling.

If he calls me again, I would ask him these questions.

• I would ask him if he is going to be at the NBA All-Star Jam Session (because I might be there for my birthday)
• How it felt like during the whole "Linsanity" thing
• If he thinks James Harden should cut his beard

I would also give him some advice on his game. He should drive and dish it to Marcus Morris or Carlos Delfino more because they have the highest 3 point shooting averages on the team that take a reasonable amount. He should also dunk it more because it would get all of the fans pumped up, and give the Rockets more momentum.

That's what I thought about talking to him and what I would say to him if I was ready. I wish him and the Rockets luck tonight against the Lakers. Thanks to my Uncle Peter for giving me a chance to talk to him.

Great December and starting lineup issues

     Who do you think should start, Marcus Morris or Patrick Patterson? Well, my answer would be Marcus Morris. Because, Jeremy Lin and James Harden like to drive to the basket, so they need someone that they can kick it out to. Marcus Morris can shoot WAY better than Patrick Patterson, and Marcus Morris is a better scorer. Patrick Patterson can probably post up better, but the Rockets are a shooting team. They made a season high 16 three pointers on New Year's Eve against the Hawks.That is why Marcus Morris should start instead of Patrick Patterson

     The Rockets have also had a great December winning 10 out of their 16 games. James Harden has had 14 games in a row that he has scored 20 or more points, which is almost a franchise record! At one point in the month, the Rockets had a five game winning streak, but snapped by the Spurs in a 116-122 loss. December has easily been the Rockets best month with wins. In November they only won 6 of the 14 games, and I think the Rockets are getting better fast! I hope they keep getting better, and can have a successful 2013!