Subject: Houston Rockets

• Blog On Blog: The Skyline's Ryan Clark

  Name: Ryan "adr" Clark Blog: The Skyline Network URL: www.theskyline.netStarted: Late 2006, early 2007Typical Topics: Local music - concert reviews, album reviews, gossipDay Job: I do marketing and communication for an oil gas company.Hair Balls: How did The Skyline Network enter the blogosphere? adr: It started out as a parody news site. I was mostly just taking inside jokes about music in Houston and extrapolating them out into ridiculous full-length articles. At some point, writing that way g

  January 2, 2009

• Five More Houstonians and Their Wacky Sexual Escapades

  U.S. District Judge Samuel Kent of Houston is faced with a slew of sexual misconduct charges, including aggravated sexual abuse, abusive sexual contact and obstruction of justice, for which he faces a possible sentence of life in prison and a $250,000 fine. Things look bleak for Judge Kent, but he should take some small comfort in knowing that he's not the only Houstonian to get in trouble for these kinds of shenanigans.1. Calvin Murphy -- Houston Rockets guard Murphy had almost as many illegiti

  January 8, 2009

• The Rockets Get Some Times Love, The Only Love They Apparently Can

  The Houston Rockets are quickly becoming an afterthought in town as Spring Training opens and their tedious soap-opera mediocrity gets pushed to the sidelines. (All of which will change in a blink, of course, if they put together a streak.)But they're getting noticed elsewhere.The New York Times' Sunday magazine's cover boy this weekend was Shane Battier, the "No-Stats All-Star."Michael Lewis, the author of Moneyball -- the book showing how a revolution in stat-keeping changed how baseball GMs s

  February 16, 2009

• The Rockets Get Some Times Love, The Only Love They Apparently Can

  The Houston Rockets are quickly becoming an afterthought in town as Spring Training opens and their tedious soap-opera mediocrity gets pushed to the sidelines. (All of which will change in a blink, of course, if they put together a streak.)But they're getting noticed elsewhere.The New York Times' Sunday magazine's cover boy this weekend was Shane Battier, the "No-Stats All-Star."Michael Lewis, the author of Moneyball -- the book showing how a revolution in stat-keeping changed how baseball GMs s

  February 16, 2009

• Tracy McGrady Out For the Season; Yes, It's the Knee Again

  Photo by mtkopone For those who haven't heard the news yet, last night, Tracy McGrady told ESPN screamer/reporter Stephen A. Smith that he will be missing the rest of the season because he is having microfracture surgery on his troublesome left knee. The Rockets are refusing to comment on the story. The Rockets should be used to no T-Mac by now, however, as he missed most of January because of this knee. This is the same knee on which he had arthroscopic surgery after last season, and he's

  February 18, 2009

• Rockets Fast Break: Adelman Stresses Consistency at Point

  To Rockets coach Rick Adelman, consistency trumps contrast. When fans initially heard the Rafer Alston trade Thursday afternoon, much of the immediate reaction was negative. In addition to questioning the team going forward without an experienced starting point guard, many wondered why the team would trade away Alston's size for Kyle Lowry, another 6-foot jitterbug of comparable height and style of play to Brooks. According to Adelman, that's exactly the idea.

  February 21, 2009

• Rockets-Mavs: Brooks Delivers Opening Statement

  Aaron Brooks knows what many of you think. You fear the Rockets' new starting point guard is too small to defend big guards, like Dallas' 6-foot-4, future Hall of Famer Jason Kidd on Friday night. You expect him to be worked over in the post. You wonder if he's too young to lead a veteran playoff team, and doubt if his aggressive style can fit with a first unit full of other scorers. At least for one night, none of those fears was realized. Not even a little bit. In his debut as Houston's re

  February 21, 2009

• Rockets-Bobcats: Yao-Artest Form Improved Dynamic Duo

  At some point during the will he, won't he saga of Tracy McGrady's ongoing knee problems, the heart and identity of the Rockets shifted from a Yao Ming and McGrady-led team to one led by Yao and Ron Artest. So far, the Rockets seem all the better for it. Artest scored 26 points on five three-pointers while Yao added 19 points and seven rebounds, leading to a 99-78 win over Charlotte on Sunday evening at Toyota Center. It's the Rockets' (35-21) fourth consecutive victory, three of which have co

  February 23, 2009

• Houston Rockets To Lower Ticket Prices -- Wait, They Meant "Raise," Right?

  There is only one actual major league team in Houston to ever win a world title. The Houston Rockets. And there is only one legit major league team in Houston that ever makes the effort to field a winning team every season. And yet there is only one legit major league professional team in this city that has continued problems with attendance. This team is, of course, the Houston Rockets. (I'm sorry soccer fans, but to me, the Dynamo don't count. Even with my limited understanding of socce

  March 6, 2009

• Rockets-Suns: Brooks, Lowry Bring Small Ball to Houston

  If the Rockets needed any additional evidence to the potential success of a two point-guard system, they only needed to look on the other end of the court on Friday night at Toyota Center. The Phoenix Suns (34-28) have been the model of up-tempo basketball in recent years, routinely playing small guards Steve Nash and Leandro Barbosa together to wreak havoc on opposing defenses with electrifying speed and dribble penetration ability. But three times in the past five games, the Rockets (40-23)

  March 7, 2009

• Over the Weekend: Jonas Brothers, Las Haciendas, Houston Aeros and Houston Rockets

  We'll spare the introductory message, since we know y'all probably have already clicked on that photo of the Jonas Brother below and are now in pubescent heaven. Jonas Brothers at Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo The Jonas Brothers. They came to the rodeo. They did their thing. We posted tons of photos. A review too. 1:30 a.m. at Las Haciendas The time might've changed, but that doesn't mean Bill Olive's nocturnal habits did.

  March 9, 2009

• Rockets-Pistons: Can Yao Be the Closer?

  Photo by Wootang01 Remember the notion from earlier this week that the Rockets' late-game offense might be better off without Yao Ming? That didn't last long. With the Rockets trailing by four late and in the midst of yet another fourth-quarter funk, Yao snapped the Rockets out of it in a major way. Houston's star big man scored 15 points in the final five minutes of regulation and in the two overtime periods, leading the Rockets to a 106-101 double-overtime victory over the Pistons on Wednesd

  March 19, 2009

• Literacy Advance of Houston to Honor Hannah Storm

  Every now and then I like to step away from the snark and write about something good that's going on. Today is one of those days. On May 1, 2009, Literacy Advance of Houston will be honoring ESPN SportsCenter anchor Hannah Storm as its Champion of Literacy as part of the organization's Champion of Literacy Series. Storm, who has authored two books, will be celebrated at an event at Minute Maid Park which will start at 7:05 p.m. For ticket info, go to the group's website, www.literacyadvan

  March 25, 2009

• Rockets-Magic: Landry makes triumphant return

  Photo courtesy of Jeff BalkeIt was just over three weeks ago that Carl Landry was running for his life, attempting to dodge bullets from assailants who sideswiped his car, punctured his left calf and chased him until he hid between a house and a fence, waiting for emergency help while blood gushed out of his leg. On Tuesday night, Landry was finally back to running in his favorite setting - up and down the Toyota Center hardwood. The second-year Rockets forward returned to the floor and b

  April 8, 2009

• Rockets-Magic: Landry Makes Triumphant Return

  Photo courtesy of Jeff BalkeIt was just over three weeks ago that Carl Landry was running for his life, attempting to dodge bullets from assailants who sideswiped his car, punctured his left calf and chased him until he hid between a house and a fence, waiting for emergency help while blood gushed out of his leg. On Tuesday night, Landry was finally back to running in his favorite setting - up and down the Toyota Center hardwood. The second-year Rockets forward returned to the floor and b

  April 8, 2009

• Literacy Advance of Houston to Honor Hannah Storm

  Every now and then I like to step away from the snark and write about something good that's going on. Today is one of those days. On May 1, 2009, Literacy Advance of Houston will be honoring ESPN SportsCenter anchor Hannah Storm as its Champion of Literacy as part of the organization's Champion of Literacy Series. Storm, who has authored two books, will be celebrated at an event at Minute Maid Park which will start at 7:05 p.m. For ticket info, go to the group's website, www.literacyadvan

  March 25, 2009

• Rockets-Pistons: Can Yao Be the Closer?

  Photo by Wootang01 Remember the notion from earlier this week that the Rockets' late-game offense might be better off without Yao Ming? That didn't last long. With the Rockets trailing by four late and in the midst of yet another fourth-quarter funk, Yao snapped the Rockets out of it in a major way. Houston's star big man scored 15 points in the final five minutes of regulation and in the two overtime periods, leading the Rockets to a 106-101 double-overtime victory over the Pistons on Wednesd

  March 19, 2009

• Rockets-Suns: Brooks, Lowry Bring Small Ball to Houston

  If the Rockets needed any additional evidence to the potential success of a two point-guard system, they only needed to look on the other end of the court on Friday night at Toyota Center. The Phoenix Suns (34-28) have been the model of up-tempo basketball in recent years, routinely playing small guards Steve Nash and Leandro Barbosa together to wreak havoc on opposing defenses with electrifying speed and dribble penetration ability. But three times in the past five games, the Rockets (40-23)

  March 7, 2009

• Houston Rockets To Lower Ticket Prices -- Wait, They Meant "Raise," Right?

  There is only one actual major league team in Houston to ever win a world title. The Houston Rockets. And there is only one legit major league team in Houston that ever makes the effort to field a winning team every season. And yet there is only one legit major league professional team in this city that has continued problems with attendance. This team is, of course, the Houston Rockets. (I'm sorry soccer fans, but to me, the Dynamo don't count. Even with my limited understanding of socce

  March 6, 2009

• Rockets-Cavaliers: Yao's Revenge

  Photo by Wootang01 LeBron James has a lengthy history of poster-quality slam dunks. But on Thursday night, Yao Ming emphatically turned the tables on the Cleveland superstar. Yao overwhelmed James on two game-defining plays, sparking the Rockets to a 93-74 home victory over a Cleveland (44-12) team that entered Thursday with the NBA's second-best record. It was by far the most impressive of Rockets' (37-21) six consecutive wins, all of which have come without Tracy McGrady. "It's awesome to s

  February 27, 2009

• Rockets-Bobcats: Yao-Artest Form Improved Dynamic Duo

  At some point during the will he, won't he saga of Tracy McGrady's ongoing knee problems, the heart and identity of the Rockets shifted from a Yao Ming and McGrady-led team to one led by Yao and Ron Artest. So far, the Rockets seem all the better for it. Artest scored 26 points on five three-pointers while Yao added 19 points and seven rebounds, leading to a 99-78 win over Charlotte on Sunday evening at Toyota Center. It's the Rockets' (35-21) fourth consecutive victory, three of which have co

  February 23, 2009

• Rockets Fast Break: Adelman Stresses Consistency at Point

  To Rockets coach Rick Adelman, consistency trumps contrast. When fans initially heard the Rafer Alston trade Thursday afternoon, much of the immediate reaction was negative. In addition to questioning the team going forward without an experienced starting point guard, many wondered why the team would trade away Alston's size for Kyle Lowry, another 6-foot jitterbug of comparable height and style of play to Brooks. According to Adelman, that's exactly the idea.

  February 21, 2009

• Tracy McGrady Out For the Season; Yes, It's the Knee Again

  Photo by mtkopone For those who haven't heard the news yet, last night, Tracy McGrady told ESPN screamer/reporter Stephen A. Smith that he will be missing the rest of the season because he is having microfracture surgery on his troublesome left knee. The Rockets are refusing to comment on the story. The Rockets should be used to no T-Mac by now, however, as he missed most of January because of this knee. This is the same knee on which he had arthroscopic surgery after last season, and he's

  February 18, 2009

• The Rockets Get Some Times Love, The Only Love They Apparently Can

  The Houston Rockets are quickly becoming an afterthought in town as Spring Training opens and their tedious soap-opera mediocrity gets pushed to the sidelines. (All of which will change in a blink, of course, if they put together a streak.)But they're getting noticed elsewhere.The New York Times' Sunday magazine's cover boy this weekend was Shane Battier, the "No-Stats All-Star."Michael Lewis, the author of Moneyball -- the book showing how a revolution in stat-keeping changed how baseball GMs s

  February 16, 2009

• Top Ten Houston Sports Moments of 2008

  10. I never really followed the Houston Comets, who folded several weeks ago. By the time they came on the scene I was getting pretty sick of professional basketball. So I never became invested in the team, and I can't feel any real loss behind their demise. Still, unlike the Rockets and Astros and Texans, they did win a world championship within the past decade. 9. The Houston Astros were one of the worst teams in professional baseball for most of the first half of the season. But they

  December 20, 2008

• Rockets-Hornets: Point Guards Finally Get Defensive

  Photo by Aaron Sprecher(Note: This is written by Ben DuBose. We're working on that byline  glitch, honest.) At least for one night, the Rockets answered their only remaining defensive questions in a resounding way. Since dealing incumbent point guard Rafer Alston at the February trade deadline, skeptics have wondered if the Rockets could defend at the point with diminutive 6-footers Aaron Brooks and Kyle Lowry. On Monday night at Toyota Center, New Orleans (49-32) offered quite a challenge

  April 14, 2009

• Houston Rockets vs. the Washington Wizards

  December 25, 2008

• A Chat With Hannah Storm Of ESPN (And Houston)

  Photo courtesy ESPNESPN has been charged for years with having an East Coast bias. ESPN's morning SportsCenter anchor Hannah Storm somewhat agrees with that charge, though she says the charge doesn't apply to her show and says that to her, "it is a non-issue." And if she does have any bias, it's probably to the Houston Rockets."I love my Rockets," she told Hair Balls yesterday. "I'm totally cheering for the Rockets. The Lakers are tough, but I love what the Rockets are doing this season. I love

  April 16, 2009

• Rockets Left To Wonder What Could Have Been

  Photo by Keith Allison(Note: This was written by Ben DuBose.)The next time someone tells you that early-season games in sports like basketball and baseball don't matter, refer them to the case of the 2008-09 Houston Rockets.The No. 5-seeded Rockets were one game from having a dream path to the Western Conference Finals, at a minimum. They were one game from a No. 2 seed, home-court advantage in the first and second rounds, a Southwest Division title, and most importantly, avoiding any possibilit

  April 16, 2009

• Rockets Playoff Preview: Yao, Rockets May Have Finally Landed Favorable First-Round Matchup

  At least for now, the Rockets' stunning collapse might not be all bad.The negatives to the Rockets blowing a 14-point, second-half lead at Dallas on Wednesday night, coupled with New Orleans' meltdown in San Antonio, are of course falling from the No. 2 seed, losing home court advantage in the first and second rounds of the playoffs and likely having to meet the Lakers in the second round (if they get there).The lone positive could be drawing Portland as a first-round opponent, who they'll face

  April 17, 2009

• Rockets-Portland Game 4: Hayes Takes One For The Team

  In a gritty comeback effort that epitomized a team win, it seemed only fitting that the game-winner came from a Rocket whose only contribution to the box score was a personal foul.With the Rockets clinging to a two-point lead with under 15 seconds left, Chuck Hayes read Brandon Roy's drive to the bucket, slid in and drew a charge, extinguishing the Blazers' best chance to tie the series and giving the Rockets a thrilling 89-88 win in Game 4 at Toyota Center. The Rockets now own a commanding 3-1

  April 27, 2009

• Do You Believe In Miracles? Rockets Advance

  May 17, 1997.Aaron Brooks and Von Wafer were in sixth grade. The Oilers were only a year removed from their Houston existence. The Texans were still more than five years from their birth. The Astros had yet to make the playoffs in the Biggio-Bagwell era. Then-President Bill Clinton was still eight months from being outed for his affair with Monica Lewinsky. Oh, and that's also the last day the Rockets had won a postseason series.But it all changed Thursday night, as a long chapter of mediocrity

  May 1, 2009

• Second Round Preview: Lakers Defense May Pose Biggest Threat To Rockets

  The Rockets finally got the first-round monkey off their backs  last week, so what did the NBA give them as a reward? Only a second-round date with the prohibitive title favorite Lakers, beginning tonight at 9:30 in Los Angeles. It's a terrifying matchup by nearly every quantifiable method. The Rockets lost all four games to the Lakers in the regular season. Ron Artest made headlines with his constant trash talk with Kobe Bryant, but the talking was the only true competition. Bryant t

  May 4, 2009

• Five Ways To Fake Your Way Through A Rockets Conversation

  Photo by Keith Allison It's been a long time since the Rockets were of any interest to most of Houston, but now that they've actually advanced past the first round of the playoffs, the bandwagon is getting full.A Houstonian will now be expected to be able to talk confidently about the team in order to keep up with the rest of the people in the bar, at Pilates, at the PTO meeting or at a party.You should, of course, be keeping up with matters by reading Ben DuBose's reports here on Hair Balls. Bu

  May 7, 2009

• The Rockets Get Into The Ticket-Scalping Business

  Photo by sillygwailoLooking for Rockets tickets as the hoopsters return to the Toyota Center after their split with the Lakers? Unlike, say, two months ago, you're now at the mercy of the scalpers. But the precise identity of the scalpers may surprise you."Basically the Rockets have created their own StubHub called FlashSeats.com," says local independent ticket broker Patrick Ryan, of SecureSeats.com. "They're taking inventory that isn't available to the public and only making it available at se

  May 7, 2009

• Game 3 Preview: Rockets Need More From Wafer, On And Off Court

  Photo by Jeff BalkeThe Rowdies get rowdy for the playoffsVon Wafer was a hero in the first round, scoring 21 points in 27 minutes in Game 2 and sparking the Rockets with an emotional return in the series-clinching Game 6 just two days after suffering a bulging disc in his lower back. He was supposed to be a hero in the second round, too. It was the ultimate underdog story -- Wafer against the team that drafted him and gave up on him. That's how it played out in the regular season, when Wafer t

  May 8, 2009

• Game 3: Early Missed Opportunities Haunt Rockets

  The box score to Game 3 shows the second period as the only frame in which the Rockets weren't outscored on Friday night at Toyota Center. But in reality, it proved pivotal in Houston's 108-94 loss, which allowed Los Angeles to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. The normally dynamic Lakers missed eight consecutive shots over a three-plus minute stretch. For the half, Rockets outshot the Lakers from the field, 49 percent to 46 percent, and from behind the arc, 57 percent to 40 perce

  May 9, 2009

• No Yao, No T-Mac, No Problem: Hayes Sets Tone As Rockets Tie Series

  Photo byJeff BalkeThe opening to the Rockets' player introductions sounded as unlikely and frightening as the task of defeating the vaunted Lakers without Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady. Somehow, "a 6-foot-6 center out of Kentucky" didn't deliver the same punch and energy as the booming "7-foot-6 center from China" usually does at the intro's finish.But Chuck Hayes has never worried about outside expectations. He's always been told he's too short and too physically limited to be a regular NBA

  May 10, 2009

• Where Does Sunday's Rockets Victory Rank? It'll Have To Top These To Make The Top Five

  Where does yesterday's deceptively close 99-87 shellacking of the Lakers rank in the annals of great Rockets victories? It's too soon to tell. If they build on that win by taking this series and then slip into their fifth NBA finals, minus not just Yao but also his geriatric Congolese understudy, not even to mention T-Mac, it will be one of the great ones for sure. But somehow Hair Balls doubts David Stern will allow his foul minions to let this bunch of scrappy no-names cheat him out of his lon

  May 11, 2009

• The Rockets, Joining The Pantheon Of Those Who Gave Up Surprising Momentum

  Hey, how'd those Rockets do last night?!Oh.In case you missed it, Our Rockets (and by "Our," we mean "team we started cheering for a week ago"), got shellacked by the Lakers 118-78. Everyone had expected the injury-riddled Houston team to lose like that -- in Sunday's game, which they had won.That Sunday victory immediately and inexplicably raised the hopes of Rockets fans that this was a Team of Destiny, who could then go on to finish the the job of upsetting the best team in the west in the s

  May 13, 2009

• Rockets Once Again Get No Respect

  A Rockets belt buckle -- what every taste-free fan should be wearing tonightThe Rockets season ends tonight at Toyota Center -- wait, wait, did we just say that out loud? We mean the Rockets season likely ends tonight -- no, wait, we mean the Rockets' improbable Game Four win will be repeated tonight!! Yeah, that's what we mean!!Kinda.Anyway, after the injury-riddled Rockets stunned the Lakers in Game Four, we presented the Top Five Rocket Wins Ever and wondered where it would fall in that panth

  May 14, 2009

• No Matter Game 7 Outcome, These Rockets Have Heart Of Champions

  Photo: Jeff BalkeScrapper Chuck HayesThirty-seven million of the Rockets' approximately $70 million payroll sits on the bench in luxury suits instead of basketball uniforms. With Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady sidelined, the Rockets counter the Lakers' top scoring option -- only one of the best players ever, Kobe Bryant -- with the erratic Ron Artest and Aaron Brooks. When the Lakers walk supremely-talented seven-footers Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum to mid-court, the Rockets match up with Chuck Hayes

  May 15, 2009

• Despite Loss, These Aren't Same Old Rockets

  Photo by Katharine ShilcuttThe ending was all too familiar, but the ride was so, so different. Sure, history will show another Rockets season concluded without a title, this time on an 89-70 second-round, Game 7 loss to the Lakers on Sunday afternoon at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. And like so many seasons before, the 2008-09 campaign really ended when an X-ray displayed a fracture in a bone on Yao Ming's left foot.  "In games like this, it would have been nice to have a low

  May 18, 2009

• Is Yao Ming's Career Over? It's Possible, Insiders Say

  Adrian Wojnarowski, a longtime respected sportswriter currently working for Yahoo! (oh, these modern times) has an exclusive report out that the Rockets are quietly getting worried that Yao Ming's latest injury might just end his career.Take it away, Woj: "The realization has hit them that this is grave," one NBA general manager said.For now, the Rockets have privately told league peers it could be a full season before Yao might be able to return to basketball. Multiple league executives, offici

  June 29, 2009

• The Ten Least Intimidating Athletes In Houston History

  There have been some tough guys in Houston sports history -- native sons George Foreman, Nolan Ryan, and Roger Clemens (even if you factor in his chemically-aided roid rage) -- all come to mind. Anybody can rattle off a list of ten of those guys -- and we might just do that next week -- but we were thinking today of the least toughest, most unintimidating athletes in Houston sports history, and without further ado, here they are: 10. Ernest Givins, Oilers: We'll give Givins some credit -- he kep

  August 4, 2009

• Listen Up, People: The Top Ten Coaches In Houston History

  ​The Chron's Jerome Solomon has another of those endless lists we writers like to do, this one asking for input on the top 10 coaches in Houston college and pro sports history. And he helpfully provides us with some candidates for the list. So I thought I would help out and provide what I consider to be the definitive list of the Top 10 coaches in Houston college and pro sports history.  1. Guy V. Lewis: One of the most underrated, under appreciated coaches in history. It's a crime that t

  August 11, 2009

• Which Houston Team Has The Dumbest Front Office?

  ​Richard Justice actually had a decent blog post the other day. In it, he attempted to evaluate which of Houston's big three sports franchises was the smartest -- sorry Dynamo fans, he didn't include them because he says the team hasn't been here long enough, and I won't include them because I consider MLS to be a minor league when it comes to soccer. And for the most part, I think he got it right, but I would switch the Astros and Texans around.Without a doubt, the best run and smartest franc

  August 26, 2009

• Houston's Choice for Mayor

  October 22, 2009

• The Red Nation Manifesto, Honored Mostly In The Breach

  Photos by Monica Fuentes​The Houston Rockets hosted a party last night at Hotel Icon to celebrate the team's new Red Nation marketing campaign. Other than "alternative jerseys" for this year, the team -- as part of the campaign -- has developed a Bill of Red, "a document passed down from high and now ratified by the House of REDpresentatives."Hair Balls went to last night's event armed with the bill to see how well the party goers (we think about 200 people showed up) represented the Red Natio

  October 23, 2009

• In Make-Or-Break Year, Rockets' Landry Looks To Fill Low-Post Void

  Photo by Jeff Balke​There's a popular belief in NBA circles that the third year is when a player makes the transition to stardom, if he's going to make it. Among point guards, that worked for Chris Paul and Deron Williams, and much has been said about Aaron Brooks making a similar - though smaller - leap. Through five games, Brooks seems on the right track, averaging 20 points and eight assists while directing the Rockets to a surprising 3-2 record. But slightly under the radar is Carl La

  November 5, 2009