Dear Yao Ming,

For starters Yao, telling the media that  “If the foot injury does not heal next season, I might choose to call it quits,” doesn’t help the Rockets, or your trade value.

You haven’t played basketball in over a year, and you tell the media that you might quit! You sir, are too honest. Yao, your supreme honesty strikes fear in the heart of Rockets fans that Brad Miller is probably going to be the starting center at the beginning of the season.

I know you have been playing basketball as soon as someone noticed you were six feet tall and only 7 years old, and the constant running and jumping on your massive feet has wore down the giant bones. But Houston needs you to suck-it-up, and play. Sure you could play five more years and always walk with a limp, but Bill Walton did it, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas still does it. From now on when someone asks you about your foot simply reply, “Foots good” and thats it!

You should get around Houston and the Toyota Center on a Segway, like Clutch does.

Rockets general manager Daryl Morey in effort to quell depression in Houston responded saying “Yao Ming is working diligently on his return and has consistently received positive feedback at each of his scheduled medical checkups.” “He is currently participating in on-court basketball workouts & we continue to expect him to be ready for training camp which begins on 9/25″

Good save Daryl, good save!

DocFunk’s 2010 Free Agency Recap is full of hilarity, including the above image. As funny this is, I’m sure Brad Miller has a camoflauged version of every jersey he has ever owned. Miller came to this contract signing sporting camo pants, and a polo the Rockets gave him. Which presents the question…Did Brad Miller show up shirtless?

The world may never know! Love Miller’s smile though.

1. The defending champs added Matt Barnes, Steve Blake and “lurch”himself Theo Ratliff. This is Theo’s 9th team! Folks are all upset about LeBron’s “Decision” but Kobe, and Lamar Odom weren’t that friendly with Mattt Barnes, but that didn’t stop him from coming to LA. They are the best until they are beaten.

2. No way that I’m doubting the potential the Heat have of completely taking over next season. Getting Mike Miller will turn out to be the biggest move. Miller is gonna get so much ass. The Heat find their chemistry and the East could be in trouble. Still wish they would sign Allen Iverson just because.

3. The Celtics are the same exact squad minus Rasheed Wallace, and Tony Allen, who had to be tired of KG spitting on him and signed for less with Memphis. The addition of Jermaine O’Neal’s huge head will help, as Kendrick Perkins  rehabs till February.

4. The Magic lost Matt Barnes to Los Angeles, and had already signed his replacement Quentin Richardson. If there is any chance that they could get Chris Paul they need to do it ASAP. Orlando was wise to match J.J. Redick’s offer from Chicago but the magic may have run out in Orlando if they continue to ignore Howard offensively.

5. Crazy right? The Bulls didn’t get LeBron or Bosh, but they got a key pieces to take the Bulls to the next level. Thibodeau getting Boozer to play defense is gonna be fun, but other additions Kyle Korver, and C.J. Watson will flourish off the bench. I know they are probably placed to high on the list but their division is up for grabs with the Cavs drop from best to worst.

6. The Mavs had a great regular season, but fell apart in the Playoffs. Just like the Magic they did little to actually shake up the West. Dirk resigned for life, and Brendan Haywood gets to battle Tyson Chandler for the starting position(how depressing is that?).

Nuggets were the team to beat early last season, then they lost their coach George Karl to cancer treatment and lost focus. Karl’s return and the addition of ninja turtle Al Harrington, the Nuggets are poised to once again strike fear in the Lakers.

7. This ranking spot comes with a huge “IF’. If they can stay healthy, they can be the best defensive team in the league. Oden and Camby on the court together is going to be great and awkward at the same time. Bringing in Wesley Matthews also helps big time, although they paid him toooooooooo much.

8. The Rockets fall in the same category as the Blazers, stay healthy and you can win 55+ games. Rockets get a full season of Kevin Martin, and Aaron Brooks, and hopefully Yao Ming. The Rockets signing of Brad Miller adds a veteran center to ease Yao back into the lineup.

Oh, the look on Rick Ross’ face is priceless. Its as if he had just won the rap lottery, or found out that marijuana had been legalized across the country. During the video I could not take my eyes off that wool face warmer he calls a beard. That thing has to itch. The Miami Heat should take the necessary steps and make sure that he pays double for his one seat. I’m sure he is gonna need two seats for all that ass.(no homo) Now we await DJ Khaled’s reaction to LeBron’s Decision

With NBA Mexico Game 2010 presented by HP, the NBA has announced five preseason games that will be played outside the United States and Canada this October. The Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves, and New York Knicks will play a series of preseason games this October in Barcelona, London, Milan, and Paris as part of NBA Europe Live presented by EA SPORTS™.  To date, the NBA has staged a total of 98 games outside of the U.S. and Canada in 32 cities in 17 countries and territories.

The league first visited Mexico City in 1992, when the Dallas Mavericks defeated the San Antonio Spurs. Mexico became the only international country other than Japan and Canada to ever host an NBA regular-season game, when the Houston Rockets defeated the Dallas Mavericks in front of the sold-out Palacio de los Deportes on Dec. 6, 1997 in Mexico City. In October 2009, the NBA staged its second game in Monterrey and the 18^th game in Mexico overall.

Although Larry’s back was being held up by a board by this point, and Magic has retired, MJ only needed Pippen, Rodman, Kukoc, and Phil Jackson to get a championship.  I always forget Jordan had teammates.

LeBron deciding to follow the can’t beat em, join em’ philosophy has ruffled the feathers of some NBA legends. Magic and Jordan team up to comment on LeBron’s decision.

In an interview with Barry Rothbard of Bloomberg News, Lakers icon Magic Johnson said he never would have joined with Larry Bird to win a championship the way LeBron James is teaming with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

“We didn’t think about it ’cause that’s not what we were about,” Johnson said. “From college, I was trying to figure out how to beat Larry Bird.”

Even his Airness Michael Jordan spoke about the subject, “There’s no way, with hindsight, I would’ve ever called up Larry [Bird], called up Magic [Johnson] and said, ‘Hey, look, let’s get together and play on one team,” Jordan told reporters at NBC after the American Celebrity Golf Championship, He added that in today’s league, things have changed since he played.
“Things are different,” the five-time MVP added. “I can’t say that’s a bad thing. It’s an opportunity these kids have today. In all honesty, I was trying to beat those guys.”

Still no word about what Larry Bird thinks, though I’m sure he wouldn’t want to join up with Magic and Michael either. But the key these elder legends are missing is that they were all far from friends until later in their careers after they had all won rings. Larry and Magic played for coastal rivals Lakers, and the Celtics, so there was no way whatsoever they would ever be on the same team or even in the same locker room. Magic and Larry joining up would have also made it impossible for the NBA to promote them as rivals throughout the eighties.

Mike came into the league years after Larry and Magic had already won rings, and they were older. MJ needed only role players. One of those role players, Scottie Pippen is soon to be enshrined in the Hall-of-Fame.

LeBron played with only one future Hall-of-Famer, Shaquille O’Neal, and he was way past his prime.

After the whirlwind of free agency has finally died down, the New Orleans Hornets All-Star point guard Chris Paul is concerned with his teams current situation. “He wants out,” a source told CBS Sports. “He wants to play with another superstar. He wants to follow LeBron’s model of teaming up with other great players.”

CBS Sports reports that the point guard would prefer getting traded to the New York Knicks, the Orlando Magic or the Los Angeles Lakers. It added that if Paul has his way, he’s played his last game in a Hornets jersey.

Paul still has two years left on his contract, but he has voiced to the Hornets that if the team can’t put a competitive team on the court, he wants out, and who can blame him. The Hornets have hired a new coach, Monty Williams, a new general manager in Dell Demps, and now huge crisis is already upon them. Hornets have started a youth movement around Marcus Thornton and Darren Collison, who flourished as rookies amidst all the injuries last season. David West and Emeka Okafor are solid big men, and James Posey, and Peja Stojakovic are still good contributors. With a healthy Chris Paul the Hornets could challenge for one of the bottom 4 playoff spots, but a championship is out of the question.

Kobe Bryant made trade demands in 07′ and he was rewarded with Pau Gasol, but of course that was the Los Angeles Lakers. New Orleans attempt at keeping Paul happy seems limited and a longshot, but I still believe he will remain with the Hornets through the 10-11′ season.

But what if they did trade him???

Paul has limited chance of joining the defending champs in Los Angeles due to the players the Hornets would get in return, so lets not ponder that nightmare.

The Magic and Knicks both have the players, but the Houston Rockets have all the Knicks picks, so the Magic seem to be in the drivers chair. Also, teams such as the Portland Trail Blazers, and the Houston Rockets have the pieces to make a deal work.

Can’t help but feel a tad sad for Paul watching all his friends sign with teams that they wanted too, while he hangs out in the French Quarter with Peja. Bummer.

2K Sports today revealed The Jordan Challenge, a new game mode for the latest iteration of the top rated and top selling basketball simulation franchise, NBA® 2K11. This new mode will allow players to relive 10 different legendary games from Michael Jordan’s illustrious career and challenge them to replicate what he did on the court in NBA 2K11. A Breakdown of each of the 10 challenges after the jump.

The 10 Jordan Challenge’s

The Arrival

When: April 20, 1986. Game 2, 1st round playoffs vs. Celtics

Goal 1: Score 63+ points

Goal 2: Shoot 50%+ from the field

Summary: Jordan made his mark with this 63 point playoff game against a heavily favored Celtics team.

69 Points

When: March 28, 1990. Regular season game vs. Cavs

Goal 1: Score 69+ points

Goal 2: Shoot 50%+ from the field

Goal 3: Win the game

Summary: This time Jordan gets the win by dropping 69 points and putting a dent in the Cavaliers’ playoff plans.

Shootout

When: Any date in 1990. Regular season game vs. Hawks

Goal 1: Outscore Dominique

Goal 2: Hold Dominique under 25 Points

Goal 3: Win the game

Summary: Jordan and Dominique Wilkins face off in some of the all-time greatest scoring performances of the era.

Bad Boys

When: May 26, 1990. Game 3, Eastern Conference Finals vs. Pistons

Goal 1: Score 47+ points

Goal 2: Win the game

Summary: Jordan showed the Pistons and the world that no defensive strategy could stop him for long.

1991 NBA Finals

When: June 2 thru June 12, 1991 vs. Lakers

Goal 1: Average 31.0+ points

Goal 2: Shoot 55%+ from the field

Goal 3: Win the series

Summary: Jordan silenced the doubters by coming back from a game one embarrassment to thrash the Lakers in these Finals.

The Shrug

When: June 3, 1992. Game 1, 1st round playoffs vs. Blazers

Goal 1: Score 35+ points in the first half

Goal 2: Make 6+ threes in the first half

Goal 3: Hold Drexler to under 20 points

Goal 4: Win the Game

Summary: Just to prove a point, Jordan sets the tone for the series by dominating the first half of this first Finals game.

Double Nickel

When: March 18, 1995. Regular season game vs. Knicks

Goal 1: Score 55+ points

Goal 2: Shoot 55%+ from the field

Goal 3: Win the game

Summary: After a stint with the bat, Jordan returns to New York to tear up the Knicks for 55 points and an unforgettable pass.

Father’s Day Victory

When: June 16, 1996. Game 6, 1996 Finals (last game of series as Bulls won 4-2) vs. Sonics

Goal 1: Score 22+ points

Goal 2: Grab 9+ rebounds

Goal 3: Win the game

Summary: Michael ran the table over the entire league but this fourth title would prove to be just as special as his first.

The Flu Game

When: June 11, 1997. Game 6, 1997 Finals (not the last game of the series as it went to 7) vs. Jazz

Goal 1: Score 38+ points

Goal 2: Grab 7+ rebounds

Goal 3: Win the game

Summary: A very ill Jordan still manages to both dominate the game and hit the winning shot in the last seconds of the game.

Michael’s Last Dance

When: June 14, 1998. Game 6, 1998 Finals vs. Jazz

Goal 1: Score 45+ points

Goal 2: Get 4+ steals

Goal 3: Win the game

Summary: With one final resounding shot, Jordan seals both his legacy and the fate of the Jazz’s championship hopes.

]]> http://www.thetruthsports.com/2010/07/22/nba2k11-the-jordan-challenge/feed/ 0 http://www.thetruthsports.com/2010/07/20/brad-miller-welcome-to-h-town/ http://www.thetruthsports.com/2010/07/20/brad-miller-welcome-to-h-town/#comments Tue, 20 Jul 2010 23:54:51 +0000 T.T.S. http://www.thetruthsports.com/?p=2470 Brad Miller has finally found his paradise signing a 3- year $15 million dollar deal with the Houston Rockets today. The city of Houston and Brad Miller are a match made in heaven. Of course Houston has changed a bit over the last five years with the addition of its first light-rail system and the migration of nearly everyone form New Orleans. But what Brad Miller will love will be the incredible access he will have to all those things a person from Indiana maybe loves, guns, millions of places to eat, and so much air conditioning there is never any reason to go outside.

Houston is like New York City compared to Fort Wayne, Indiana, where Miller is from. Both cities have major flood issues but Houston’s heat and humidity will wreck havoc on Miller’s nature walks. Interesting that Fort Wayne is nicknamed the Summit City, and the Houston Rockets once played in the Summit, before moving into the Toyota Center in 2003. The Summit is now Lakewood Church.

Last season the NBA came down hard on Gilbert Arenas and his gun collecting. Unfortunately for Arenas he was in Washington D.C. where handguns are against the law. In Houston old ladies at bus stops have nice shiny .32 millimeters in their purse waiting to “pop a cap” in someone that looks troubling. Gun racks are visible in the back windows of pick-up trucks, and sports retail stores sell the M4 Carbine semi automatic firearm at the low-low price of only $950 dollars.

“Awesome,” Miller told FOX 26 Sports. “I told my agent from the day the season was over Houston was where I wanted to be. I’ve been trying to get down here for, what Rick’s been here four years, so about four years. ”It’s been something I wanted to do.”

Miller could have made more money elsewhere, but playing for Adelman and the Rockets was the package he wanted most. Miller played for Adelman for three years in Sacramento when Adelman was the Kings head coach.

Miller will be the much needed back up for Yao Ming at the center posistion, and will probably play more minutes then Yao early in the season as Yao works his way back into the rotation. Last season the Rockets started 6′, 6″ forward Chuck Hayes at center for 71 games. General manager Daryl Morey said Miller fills a “huge need” for his team.

Miller single-handedly ends the Cornrows Era

The first pick in the draft by the Washinton Wizards, guard John Wall was named MVP of the Summer League. He averaged 23.5 points and 7.8 dimes a game.

The Wizards also got a nice output from center JaVale McGee who put up 19.6 points, and pulled down 9.6 boards. McGee also had two of the biggest highlights of the summer league. One was a Jordan-esque cradle dunk and the other was a poster dunk against the Hornets(see video below)

The San Antonio Spurs finished undefeated with a 5-0 record, once again making the most of scouting and putting together a team that performs well without much notice.

The only other team to go undefeated was the Toronto Raptors who had a lot to be excited about. The play of DeMar DeRozan, and Sonny Weems proved to be a devastating combo complete with non-stop ally’s.

Other bright spots was the play of Golden St. Warriors guard Reggie Williams, Kings rookie forward DeMarcus Cousins, and Rockets guard Jermaine Taylor.