Ping: JeeberD (and our other Rockets fans around here)

[sterlingice]

Just some Rockets talk. Saw them tonight on ESPN2 (damn Bill F'ing Walton called the game so I couldn't watch for more than a couple of minutes at a time).

Just some thoughts:
***Who was that and what did he do with Kelvin Cato?!? I know it's early, but maybe he's a late bloomer. Then again, he's had his hot streaks before so I can't be too optimistic.
***The offense looked a bit out of sync but the defense was strong. However, the Rockets never seem to get the calls and the preseasons good defense can sometimes melt into the regular season's foul trouble.
***If you're in a fantasy league- Yao is going to put up some gaudy stats this year and he's shooting the lights out because he played competitively all summer. My only concern is that he might wear down as the season gets long.
***Most of the guard shooting is a bit off early. Hopefully, that will turn around. If not, it's going to be a long season.

SI

[fantastic flying froggies]

Obviously not too many Rockets fan around here...

:D

[sterlingice]

Originally posted by fantastic flying froggies
Obviously not too many Rockets fan around here...

:D

Well, there's about 4 of us. And, in my defense, it is about 4 in the morning :D

SI

[JeeberD]

Originally posted by sterlingice

***Who was that and what did he do with Kelvin Cato?!? I know it's early, but maybe he's a late bloomer. Then again, he's had his hot streaks before so I can't be too optimistic.

Kelvin started to play decent ball last year for the first time since we gave him that fat contract. Maybre having Ewing (*wince*) on the bench is helping him some. It sounds like he's having a really good preseason, and while he done that before, fopefully he can build on last years improvement...

Originally posted by sterlingice
***The offense looked a bit out of sync but the defense was strong. However, the Rockets never seem to get the calls and the preseasons good defense can sometimes melt into the regular season's foul trouble.

Wll, Van Gundy is a defensive guru.. Hopefully the team is taking his philosophy to heart and will play tough D this year. The offense should come around. I think they're still learning how to run the O through Yao. Give them a little time and they should be fine...

Originally posted by sterlingice
***If you're in a fantasy league- Yao is going to put up some gaudy stats this year and he's shooting the lights out because he played competitively all summer. My only concern is that he might wear down as the season gets long.


That's why I drafted him in the second round of my draft. :)

Yao is going to make a huge jump in his numbers this year. He's playing much more aggresive, he put on a lot of upper body muscle (his lower body was already huge), and he's going to be the focal point of the offense this year. But I do share your concern about him wearing out down the stretch. By the end of the season he will have been playing ball for about 18 months straight. Hopefully he'll break through the wall, but it worries me a bit...

Originally posted by sterlingice
***Most of the guard shooting is a bit off early. Hopefully, that will turn around. If not, it's going to be a long season.


I'm not worried about Franchise. He'll come around. Cat worries me a little bit. I hope he doesn't start pouting now that he's not one of the top two options on offense anymore. Hopefully he'll see the light and realize it's for the best of the team. If not, it could indeed be a long season...

[JeeberD]

Wow, breaking news from Houston. Apparently someone heard shots fired from the home of Eddie Griffin this morning. Here's the latest from the the Houston Chronical website...

Police investigate alleged shooting at Eddie Griffin's home
By PEGGY O'HARE
Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle

Houston police are investigating allegations that Rockets' forward Eddie Griffin beat his girlfriend and shot at her at his southwest Houston home early today.

Joann Romero, 21, was not hit by the gunfire, but told officers Griffin shot at her twice, police officials said. Griffin has not been charged with any wrongdoing, said Houston Police Department spokesman Alvin Wright. The case will be referred to HPD's family violence unit for further investigation, he said.

Police have not yet spoken with Griffin, and his whereabouts later today were unknown, Wright said. Officers hope to obtain a statement from the athlete, he said.

"She says she will prosecute," Wright said, but added, "no one saw him do it. It's just going to be her word against his."

Romero, of the 9600 block of Maribelle, was taken to Spring Branch Medical Center, where she was treated and released, said hospital spokeswoman Kim Long. A Houston police report states an officer noticed "serious injuries" to Romero's "facial area," Wright said.

Romero told police the assault and gunfire happened at Griffin's two-story, $266,000 home in the 3900 block of Shadow Trace Circle, located in the gated, upscale Shadowlake community off Dairy Ashford Road. She left the house and called police later from another undisclosed location to report the incident, Wright said.

It was not immediately known how much time may have elapsed between the alleged disturbance and Romero's call to police, he said.

After receiving Romero's call at 5:03 a.m. at HPD's Northwest Patrol station, officers went to Griffin's home, where a relative claimed not to have seen the assault and said he didn't know where Griffin was, Wright said. Police supervisors found blood on the driveway and two shell casings in front of the house, Wright said.

A man claiming to be Eddie Griffin called police at 5:28 a.m. to report someone had just broken into the home, Wright said. But officers did not find Griffin at the home, he said.

One of Griffin's next-door neighbors reported he did not hear any gunfire early today, but was awakened in the middle of the night by police officers in his driveway.


Police found Griffin's cousin and another woman at the home in an upscale Houston neighborhood this morning. The cousin told police he hadn't seen or heard anything, Wright said.

The woman at the home, however, told police Griffin had been downstairs talking with a female and had "beat the woman up and shot at her," Wright said.


Wendy Baker, an assistant district attorney who was the acting chief today, said no charges have been presented to the D.A.'s office yet. She said a case number hasn't even been assigned to the matter.

She said she had taken a few calls from police with legal questions, which she said is customary during investigations.


Today's reported incident was news to Griffin's lawyer.

"I know absolutely nothing, " Rusty Hardin said this morning. "I'm trying to find out where everybody is and what is happening. There's really nothing I can tell you."


Rockets spokesman Dan McKenna said the team was aware of the situation but did not have an immediate comment.
Griffin, a two-year veteran out of Seton Hall, was projected as a candidate for the Rockets' starting lineup this year, but has been a problem in pre-season camp. He has been indefinitely suspended "for conduct detrimental to the team."

The suspension began after he skipped a trip to Sacramento. Griffin, 21, the youngest player on the team, then missed a practice and a special workout Friday as part of the process for working his way back from the suspension.

This morning's incident could further complicate the Rockets' decision about Griffin's future since they have to decide by Friday whether to exercise the option on the fourth season of his contract. A decision not to extend the contract beyond its third season would diminish Griffin's trade value.

Griffin started 66 games for the Rockets last year, averaging 8.6 points and 6 rebounds a game. In 2001-2002, after becoming the first rookie to lead Houston in blocks since Hakeem Olajuwon did so during the 1984-85 season, he earned NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors.


Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said earlier this month that he hoped the time away from the team would allow Griffin to "get himself together."

Griffin has an unresolved marijuana possession charge against him stemming from an arrest in April. He was the seventh overall pick of the New Jersey Nets in 2001 and was traded to the Rockets for three first-round draft choices.

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Some people from ClutchCity.net are saying that this is actually his ex-girlfriend and the mother of his daughter. Supposedly she is deep into the gang/mob scene in Houston. There's a rumor that recently Eddie went to visit his daughter but the woman's brothers wouldn't let him in to see her. Supposedly some guns were drawn in that encounter.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out...

[sterlingice]

Ah, wonderful. What a way to start the season.

SI

[fantastic flying froggies]

Originally posted by sterlingice
Well, there's about 4 of us. And, in my defense, it is about 4 in the morning :D

SI

You've had the whole week-end now, and there's really only TWO of you !

:D

[JeeberD]

Where the hell are Shorty and RendeR when you need to make a point, eh SI?