Yao Ming denies rumored interest to buy the Los Angeles Clippers

Former Houston Rockets star Yao Ming has denied that he is interested in buying the LA Clippers, saying the ESPN report that came out on Friday linking him to a Chinese group of investors interested in purchasing the franchise from disgraced owner Donald Sterling is not true.

In an email, Yao told Jonathan Feigen of Ultimate Rockets.com: "I just heard about it in the morning my time. I really don't know where this news came from."

The 33-year old Yao was reported by ESPN to have been working to assemble a team of Chinese investors to make a run at the Clippers. Citing multiple reports, Sterling has given his wife Shelly the authority to negotiate with interested groups for a sale of the franchise.

The ESPN report also said that Yao was also interested in buying the Milwaukee Bucks earlier this year but decided not to pursue when then owner Herb Kohl decided that keeping the team in Milwaukee a mandatory requirement for any new owner. Eventually, Kohl sold the team to Wesley Edens and Marc Lasry for $550 million.

The ESPN report also said that apart from Yao, another retired NBA star in Grant Hill was also putting a consortium of investors to make a run at the Clippers.

Since retiring in 2011 due to various injuries, Yao has been pursuing a degree in economics at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Being a big Chinese star, he has also been involved in numerous projects with NBA Asia. He owns the Shanghai Sharks professional basketball team, having bought it in 2009.

James Dickey steps down at Houston; Kelvin Sampson a candidate for the job

After four seasons at the helm of the University of Houston basketball program, head coach James Dickey decided to step down due to "private family matters". Dickey was 64-62 in his four seasons.

Under Dickey the program looked to be headed in a positive direction as the school regained some footing in recruiting the Houston area and the state of Texas. Dickey is credited with elevating the Houston basketball program across many facets, while making the transition to the American Athletic Conference.

"This has been a difficult decision to make. I continually preach to my players about being an everyday guy, and the balance of your personal and professional life is a major part of it. With that being said, I have a family matter that requires my time and energy, and I will regretfully step down from my current position at the University of Houston,"Dickey said. "I am extremely appreciative of Mack Rhoades for the opportunity and for the value he brings professionally and personally. I cannot thank my coaching staff and our players enough for the experience and memorable moments over the past four years. The system of support set forth by our Athletic Department staff is world class, and I’m appreciative of every member of the Houston Athletics family. I would like to thank the Houston fans for their support through the years and greatly encourage them to continue their support of the program in the future."

According to the University of Houston, a national search for Dickey's replacement will begin immediately. Candidates for the position will not be disclosed by the Houston Department of Athletics, for the integrity of the search.

The cupboard won't be bare for whoever is named coach as he'll have local products Danrad "Chicken" Knowles, Danuel House and L.J. Rose to build around.

One candidate that has been rumored as the leading candidate for the job is Houston Rockets assistant coach Kelvin Sampson. Sampson is a proven winner at the college level and led the Oklahoma Sooners to the 2002 Final Four. Sampson has also ran afoul of the NCAA for impermissible calls to recruits while at Oklahoma and Indiana.

If Sampson is hired he could be the coach to make Houston nationally relevant again.

Jared Jeffries will have his own fishing show on the Outdoor Network

Former NBA player Jared Jeffries carved out an 11 year career as a contributor on four different NBA teams. The veteran played for the Washington Wizards, had two stints with the New York Knicks, Houston Rockets, and Portland Trail Blazers. The Knicks reportedly wanted Jeffries back for a third time before Jeffries decided to retire and become a scout with the Denver Nuggets.

Jeffries also has a love of fishing and he's going to get to show it on the Outdoor Network. Jeffries will have his own fishing show on the Outdoor Network.

Jeffries wasn't much of a star in the NBA, but stayed around long enough to make a living at it. Noe he gets a chance to be the star of his own show.

Rockets might have "deal in place" for Omer Asik

When the Houston Rockets signed Dwight Howard I'm pretty sure Rockets coach Kevin McHale envisioned a twin towers lineup when he wanted to play big.

It was only a dream because Omer Asik begged to be traded and general manager Daryl Morey has been trying to find a place for him ever since.

Morey has taken his time to find the right deal and now it seems like the might have one in place.

USA Today's Sam Amick has reported that there may be a trade on the horizon involving the Philadelphia 76ers and the Rockets that could go down by next Thursday.

Asik might be the player involved on the Houston side but the speculation on the Philly side might be that Thaddeus Young or Spencer Hawes could be moved to Houston. Amick says that Morey is holding off on pulling the trigger to see if he can get a better.

Right now this is just all speculation but where there's smoke, there's fire and Morey is never afraid to deal if he can find a good partner.

Draymond Green dislikes the Houston Rockets

There hasn't been any known bad blood between the Houston Rockets and the Golden State Warriors but things might start to heat up between the two teams this season.

Warriors forward Draymond Green has said that he 'dislikes' the Rockets.

During a game last February the Rockets tied a NBA record for three pointers made. Late in the game reserve guard Patrick Beverly attempted a three pointer and was fouled hard by Green. There was some back and forth between Green and others and Green was ejected from the game.

Green would consider the Rockets the Warriors' biggest rival.

“It is what it is now,”said Green.  “They hate me. I dislike them.” 

I wouldn't necessarily call the Rockets their biggest rival but things could heat up fast since the Rockets acquired Dwight Howard this offseason. Both teams should be headed to the playoffs so it could be something to keep an eye on as they battle it out for Western Conference playoff position.

Lakers wheeling and dealing

With the trade deadline looming, the Los Angeles Lakers have been doing some retooling to their roster. Earlier today it was reported that the Lakers sent Luke Walton and a first round pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers for point guard Ramon Sessions and  forward Christian Eyenga.

There also has been confirmation by Ken Berger of CBSsports.com that the Lakers will be sending Derek Fisher and a first round pick to the Houston Rockets for forward Jordan Hill.

What this does for the Lakers is give them a servicable point guard in Sessions that is capable of scoring, and they add a rugged big body in Hill that can give Pau Gasol or Andrew Bynum a rest for a few minutes. He won't score like them but he can play defense and rebound.

In a Western Conference where the only legitimate threat is Oklahoma City, the Lakers appear to be getting a makeover for another run at the Finals.    

Rockets' Morris receives citation for bar fight

Houston Rockets rookie forward Marcus Morris proved that all homecomings aren't good ones.

After watching his former team, the Kansas Jayhawks pull out a thrilling overtime win over Missouri, it seems that Morris may have partied too hard.

Morris faces a misdemeanor battery citation over a reported Lawrence bar incident several hours after his former Kansas teammates beat Missouri on Saturday.


The Lawrence Journal-World reports that Supervising City Prosecutor Jerry Little confirmed the citation Monday afternoon.


The citation stems from a 2:37 a.m. Sunday police call to a Lawrence bar.


Police spokeswoman Kim Murphree says a male employee was punched twice and that two men received citations. Little says those citations show that Marcus Morris is scheduled to appear March 20 in Lawrence Municipal Court.


Marcus attended the game with his twin brother Markieff, who's also a former Jayhawk. Markieff was not implicated in any wrongdoing. Maybe there was alcohol involved, maybe not, but Morris, Marcus that is, needs to get it together before he torpedoes his own NBA career.

Rockets' Courtney Lee Escapes Injury in Car Accident

Houston Rockets guard Courtney Lee escaped injury Saturday night when he was involved in a car wreck after the Rockets' 97-84 win over the New York Knicks.

Lee contacted team security and told them he was fine after the accident.

Lee tweeted about the incident, saying he was thanking God and "thanking Cadillac for air bags!! Without them, I could have lost my life tonight and two others close to me."


It's good to see that Lee escaped serious harm and is doing fine. No word on the condition of the driver of the other car.

Is Yao Ming A Hall Of Famer?

In a recent article in the Houston Chronicle, former Houston Rockets head coach Jeff Van Gundy declared that recently retired Yao Ming was a Hall of Famer.

“No. 1 to me, he’s a Hall of Famer,” Van Gundy said. “I don’t care if you put him in as player, as a contributor or put him in with his own heading. This guy definitely gets in for the greatness as a player when healthy or what he did as ambassador.”

“People forget,” Van Gundy said, “just how good he was.”

True, when Yao was good he could be very good. He did improve his scoring average each of his non injury years in the league. We really don't know how good he could've been due to injuries and and his abrupt retirement. That sentiment seems to be echoed by his former teammates and coaches.

“I don’t think people remember how dominant he was,” former Rockets coach Rick Adelman said. “He was a great offensive player and a very effective defensive player. You couldn’t guard him one-on-one. Shaq (O’Neal) was like that. Yao was like that. They were just too good. You had to send help against them. And if you fouled Yao, he was an 89 percent free-throw shooter.


“He became a very effective defensive player. He knew how to use his size to get in position that guys had a hard time finishing at the rim.”

“I feel gypped I wasn’t able to see Yao and play with Yao with an opportunity to maximize his potential,” former Rockets forward Shane Battier said. “I would have loved to play with a healthy Yao at 31 , 32 years old with nine or 10 years of seasoning under his belt. I don’t think anyone would have stopped him. That’s the tragedy from a basketball sense. We were not able to see what could have been basketball-wise.”


“There is no doubt if he stayed healthy, we’d be talking about one of the top centers to ever play the game,”Rick Adelman said. “He’s right there in the top 10. He had such unbelievable scoring touch. He was so dominant.”

On stats alone I would say no. No disrespect, but if Drazen Petrovic can get in so can Yao. He did increase the NBA's visibility in China after entering the NBA and became an international ambassador for the game. I believe if he could've stayed healthy he might be the most dominant force in the league right now. Just check the head to head stats against the Orlando Magic's Dwight Howard. He developed a full low post arsenal and developed off hand and drop step moves.

I do think Yao Ming will be a Hall of Famer just not right now. Or maybe in the next five years. But he will get there. Of course there is a lot of 'what if' involved here, but if you look at the big picture I think he does belong. And no he shouldn't be penalized for playing on inferior teams in a loaded Western Conference.





 

Rafer Alston To Coach High School

After having no NBA offers on the table, former Houston Rocket point guard Rafer Alston is going to coach high school basketball. Personally I think Alston still has some game left but I'm not an NBA exec, and they're the ones that say he's done.

Alston will be the new coach at  Humble (Texas) Christian Life Center.  Alston has no previous coaching experience, feels he can get the job done and wants to give back to the kids.

“We have about four or five guys that played [last year],” he said. “Some kids that didn’t play that much. There are a good amount of people coming back and then we have to add on. But it should be no problem getting the kids to play together and work together.”


Alston harbors no regrets over his NBA career and feels that he could get some overseas offers but would rather be stateside.

“I’ve had a good career, long career, 11 years,” Alston said of a career that included stops in six NBA cities and a stint in China. “I had fun. I can’t complain about my NBA career. It’s been wonderful.”


“I’ve had offers,” he said. “Overseas is always an option. This summer some offers are going to come along at some point. People can always use a point guard.”


Still, he added, “Getting one more year older and doing this job, the chances are slim to none.”

A least he's still doing what he loves and that's being a part of basketball in some capacity.

Adelman Out In Houston, Wonders What Might Have Been

Rick Adelman reportedly will be shown the door in Houston. After years of mediocrity in a tough Western Conference, the Rockets and Adelman will part ways. As reported by the Houston Chronicle and KRIV-TV, the team won't renew his contract.

Even though I said that the Rockets were mediocre, Adelman wasn't a bad coach. He was just dealt a bad hand. I actually like the Rockets and am disappointed that they weren't able to move on to greater heights. At one point they had Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming, and Ron Artest. A formidable big three if anyone besides Artest was healthy. I like Adelman as a coach. He has just had some bad timing except when he coached at Golden State and no one hasn't put it together there. When he was in Portland there was Michael Jordan's Bulls. In Sacramento the Lakers stood in their way. In Houston there were too many ahead of them in a loaded Western Conference.

Adelman can only wonder what might have been. He inherited a team with Yao and McGrady, but they never seemed to stay healthy.

“I look at the team today,” Adelman said in late February. “In 3 1/2 years since I came here, we have only two guys left, Luis and Chuck. That’s not a lot of stability. I came to coach Yao and Tracy and ended up with Luis and Chuck.


I know Adelman meant no disrespect to Chuck Hayes and Luis Scola, but if McGrady and Yao stay healthy and they surround them with players like Hayes and Scola and add a Kevin Martin maybe they become long term contenders.

Adelman doesn't look at his time in Houston with regret and there are no ill feelings toward the Rockets. He also has the desire to coach again. I don't doubt he'll land another job.

“I don’t think I’ve lost the desire to coach; I think I still can do it,” Adelman said. “This team has been a lot of fun. It’s been tough during the season. I tell people that, when you go through it, it’s not so easy. But when you work with a group of guys who just won’t quit, and play above and beyond what people expect them to do, that’s a lot of fun when you look back on it.”