Bring On '07!

Could the bags under Jeff Van Gundy's eyes get any plumper, we mused at the beginning of the Houston Rockets' 2005-2006 season. Could he lose any more hair? Could his post-game-interview voice drop to a tone more defeatist than Willie Loman's at the end of Death of a Salesman? The answer: yes. Jeff's not looking too hot. And why should he? His team, at the start of the season, was supposed to have playoff hopes. Now Tracy McGrady's hurt, Yao Ming's overworked, and we can only hope that the team drafts well in the off-season.

Ah, but fortunately the Rockets have a new general manager: Daryl Morey, a number-crunching whiz who was most recently head of operations and information for the Boston Celtics. Okay, we haven't figured out how managing operations and information relates to drafting quality young collegiate talent, but hey, we don't have a pro hoops team, either. Speaking of the team, they'll close out the season against the San Antonio Spurs today. We say go out and support the team, despite a little number-crunching of our own: Spurs 107, Rockets 92.
Wed., April 19, 7 p.m.