Lv06|ROCKETS-2| Officially Closed.

[Clutch]

I don't like how you stole Jax from us... but I like this dynasty too.

so i lost an honored NLSCer right from starting block? bummer! "... stole JAX from US" ahhh - LAKER FAN! well if it's any consolation, i felt YOU GUYS stole Jax from US! (had molasses-thick Bulls blood in the veins back in the days of 72-10; to this day have never had a 'favorite' team as strongly as back then; in fact was going to do a 'Post MJ' dynasty before these Rockets but there were already like 2-3 Bulls startups at the time and of course Andrews was winding down if i remember correct)

well, hopefully at the core you'll appreciate our mutual respect of the GCoAT and continue to support my 'Virtual' Rockets as Jax tries to lead them to a title

[Oskar]

Yao, Artest
#6

[Clutch]

Nov 8, 2008 sometime before dinner.

A light rapping came from the door of my office and I look up to see GM, Daryl Morey standing there with a few papers in his hands.

"Working late, Phil? Got a minute?"

"Sure Daryl, I was just going over some plays again, comparing with some things I noticed from tonight's game," I say.



"Man… yeah I caught it earlier too; King James with yet another triple double! Amazing. I know we stomped the world champs the other night but we'll have our hands full tomorrow," he says with concern.

"Not if I can help it," I say with a wink and a smile.

"Of course, Phil."

"What can I do for you Daryl?" I say as he hands me a piece of paper with lots of numbers.

I clear my throat and read the statement out loud, "Due to successful negotiations and in agreement with NBA franchise owners and the collective player's union, NBA Commissioner, David Stern, has agreed to and granted an across-the-board re-adjustment of team salary cap for the 2008-09 season to $58.68M, effective as of Nov 15, 2008." I shrug my shoulders and look up at Morey unimpressed.

"It's not really news it is Daryl? I'm mean we all new this was in the works," I say. "It was the only way Stern could avoid a potential player's strike or losing more players overseas to the international market. All the owners were pushing for the initiative, including Les."

"Oh, I know Phil. Just thought I'd let you know it's now 'official' or at least will be as of tomorrow; I think Stern's got a press conference around noon."

"Well, considering we're currently over $10M in the red with salaries as it is, the +7.68M relief doesn't really effect our team anyway."

"Umm… yes and no Phil," Morey says.

"It's impact is huge considering we'll have quite a few contracts to re-negotiate next season so at least we'll have a little more breathing room. But frankly, one thing it does do is benefit a few teams immediately, including the two teams that made it to the Finals last season."

I look at the stats and numbers and see that Morey's referring to the +6.75M surplus that both the Spurs and 76ers will instantly receive, as well as New Orleans and Memphis.

I try to reassure him, "Well, last I checked most of the top available free agents were asking roughly $7-9M or more; I think Jamison was asking close to $18M; nobody even comes close to matching, so we'll be alright."

"I suppose you're right Phil. Jamison… that's kind of odd, huh? Him asking so much?" Daryl says sounding genuinely confused.

"Daryl, look... we can't see around corners, so why bother? Next season is next season; I'm only concerned with what's happening with the team right now. I'm sure there will be a mild frenzy of signings after the 15th as teams look to fill gaps; obviously the players knew it was pending, which explains why there were a few big name hold outs. But since we won't be a part of it, there's really no point worrying about what everyone else does. We'll just have to wait and see what happens."

Morey nods in agreement and with a smile, as if remembering something.

"What?"

"We really kicked their asses, didn't we Phil?" Daryl says referring to the blowout the other night. I nod with smile.

"We've got a great team this year. I think they finally understand what it's going to take to get to the next level... perhaps even the highest level. But it's early; we'll just have to see… by the way, what's the latest on Ron?"

His expression changes and the smile disappears.

"Weeell, good news... and bad news." I hate the 'good news', 'bad news' start.

"Oh no, what?"



"Bad news is, he'll be out… good news is it's only a few days. He's having some back spasms but should be good to go in about a week so we'll miss him for only a few games, " A week, not too bad.

"Luckily we have Armatta… his specialty has been mending backs for over thirty years now."

"He's a good guy. We lucked out," I say with a nod. "And Marty?"

"I think he's still with Webster currently; the kid's putting in a lot of overtime. It's good to see."

"Webster's defense compared to Graham's is lacking; he really needs to bulk up a bit," I add. "But his passing skills are much more sound. I think he'll adjust to the starting 2-spot eventually; he's a fast learner."

"Ah shoot..." Daryl says after a quick glance at his watch. "Gotta run Phil; was supposed to pick up the wife 15 minutes ago. I'm busted!"

"Catch you tomorrow, Morey." I re-read the notice but now I think more about it, and start to feel a small uneasiness in my gut for some reason.

SALARY CAP RE-ADJUSTED FROM 51M TO 58.68M, EFFECTIVE NOV 15TH
(TEAM, OLD CAP ROOM/ADJUSTED CAP ROOM)

ATL -8.75/ -1.07
BOS - 21.76/ -14.08
CHA -11.71/ -4.03
CHI -29.59/ -21.91
CLE -2.55/ 5.13
DAL -17.22/ -9.54
DEN -32.66/ -24.98
DET - 17.00/ -9.32
GSW - 22.01/ -14.33
HOU - 10.35/ -2.67
IND - 10.96/ -3.28
LAC - 6.00/ 1.68
LAL -17.95/ -10.27
MEM -661k/7.02
MIA - 13.26/-5.58
MIL - 7.55/130k
MIN - 22.61/-14.93
NJN - 18.36/-10.68
NOH - 926k/6.75
NYK - 44.02/-36.35
ORL - 2.05/5.63
PHI - 549k/7.13
PHO - 11.64/-3.96
POR - 20.41/-12.73
SAC - 17.68/-10.0
SAS - 805k/6.88
SEA - 5.49/2.19
TOR -3.15/4.53
UTA - 4.96/2.72
WAS - 7.38/300k

I take the discomfort as hunger pains, wrap things up and head for the local taqueria.

__

K.Bentley's Scouting Report - CLEVELAND CAVALIERS


STRENGTHS A top team out East with LBJ as the catalyst; with Artest out of the lineup, Battier, a top-notch defender in his own right, will have the difficult task of containing the King; but LBJ seems to be content to get others involved early this season; guard Larry Hughes is the biggest beneficiary and the more dangerous threat; Hughes is currently on All-Star pace leading the Cavs with 28.3 ppg and 7.8 asts

WEAKNESSES Big deficiency at PG position; veteran Damon Jones is mediocre at best; may be a good starting focal point and chink in the armor; injury to starting PF, Drew Gooden, is a huge plus for us

TEAM RATING - STARTING LINEUPS

HOU (92) - Center Ming (94), PF May (69), SF Battier (77), SG Webster (72), F McGrady (94)
CLE (73) - Center Ilgauskas (73), PF Corbin (71), SF James (99), SG Hughes (89), PG Jones (68)

INJURIES

R. Artest (HOU) - back spasms. Out appox. 5 days; will not suit up til then
D. Gooden (CLE) - injured (extent unknown); will not play

[TheMC5]

Great write up, as usual. Really stoked to see how this FA frenzy goes down. A post with updated rosters for CPU teams following most big signings would be great. I'd really like to see what the other teams in the league look like.

[Clutch]

GAME RECAP

November 9, 2008 CLEVELAND (AP) -- The Houston Rockets are slowly erasing any misconceptions that their recent 35-point blowout of the defending champs was a "fluke" or "off night" as they chalked up yet another sound win - this time a 99-90 road victory against one of the East's top contenders, the Cleveland Cavaliers.

An unstoppable Tracy McGrady got Houston off to a quick start collecting 13 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds and 2 steals - in the first quarter alone. McGrady's assault would be met by Cavs guard, Larry Hughes, who is off to the best start of his NBA career. Hughes would tally 7 points in the period yet find the Cavaliers trailing 22-30 by the start of the second quarter.

As Cleveland's defense made adjustments on McGrady, the Point-Forward looked to get his teammates involved in the 2nd-quarter, most notably 4th-year PF, Sean May. Perhaps threatened by the flawless performance of newly acquired big man, Nick Collison, in his debut vs the Spurs the other night, May would rack up 8 of his 14 points in the 2nd quarter, on his way to an impressive double-double night where he would also secure a team-high 16 rebounds. Collison, though not perfect as in his debut game wearing a Rockets' uniform, would still have a decent contribution finishing with 2 points, 4 boards and 1 assist and steal a piece.

Many expected superstar, LeBron James, to have a huge night playing one of the West's top teams but he appeared noticeably fatigued, coming off a back-to-back schedule where he dropped a triple-double against the New Jersey Nets last night. But Houston's, Shane Battier, possibly the team's second-best 1-on-1 defender after injured teammate, Ron Artest, also did a tremendous job harassing the King, limiting him to 15 points and 7 rebounds including a forgettable 1-of-6 from beyond the arc. Battier would also keep James working hard on the defensive end and finished the night with 11 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists.

Two big factors were apparent between the two teams - the first was the Rockets' ability to start strong and finish strong. After their 30-22 first quarter, Houston never allowed the Cavs to gain momentum and held a 5-point lead into halftime; they would increase their lead by one by the end of the third period and used a solid 4th quarter to make a final surge.

The second difference maker was Houston's ability to get to the free throw line. The Rockets were by far the more aggressive team, getting to the free throw stripe 31 times to Cleveland's only 5 attempts. King James would not have a single foul called in his favor.

"They got to the stripe what… six times more than we did? Come on," said a frustrated James after the game. "When Sean May - SEAN MAY - of all people, gets to the line more times than our entire team… well… I'm just saying, there's something terribly wrong with that."

Newly acquired Linas Kleiza, coming off the bench for Battier, continued to make a name for himself and also added to King James' headache. Kleiza's fearless, "get-to-the-rim" mentality forced LeBron into his 3rd foul early in the 2nd quarter and to the bench til halftime. Then later, midway through the third quarter, Kleiza would bait James again, this time into a 4th foul where the clever Lithuanian would also convert a rare three-point play from the charity stripe by making his first free throw, then intentionally missing the second only to scoop up the rebound for an easy put back.

"I had something going with him (LeBron) and we were trash talkin' a lot," said Kleiza. "I use to practice that 'missed-free-throw' bit on the Lithuanian squad just for fun," said Kleiza. "I got pretty good at it."

Kleiza would return towards the end of the 4th quarter to help stop the momentum of a Cavs run with a more conventional trey at the 1:43 mark, his only attempt from downtown on the night which turned out to be the game clincher. Kleiza continues to impress, tallying 12 points and 2 rebounds including 1 three-pointer and 4 trips to the free throw line in just 9 minutes of play.

But the star of stars was McGrady, who finished a phenomenal night with 31 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists and 5 steals. "A few of our guys were struggling with their shots so I had to step up my game tonight," said McGrady.

No doubt McGrady referred to Rockets' guards, Martell Webster, who continues to struggle in his new starting position as well as a rare horrific shooting night by Garrick "the Marksman" Briggs. The duo struggled under the tremendous defensive pressure of veteran Larry Hughes, forcing them into a miserable combined 2-of-18 shooting from the field. Hughes continued his All-Star pace and led the Cavaliers with 25 points, 3 rebounds and 2 steals, though he struggled as well from distance, making only 1-of-10 from downtown.

The Rockets next prepare to visit sunny Southern California to face a rebuilding Los Angeles Lakers team featuring a heavier, albeit still superstar status, Kobe Bryant, plus last year's Rookie-of-the-Year runner-up, Center, Juwan Rice and quickly growing fan-favorite Point Guard, Emmanuel Roenick, better known simply by his street nickname, "Mister Frodo."

Stay tuned.

BOXSCORES

PHOTOS

Webster struggled again but managed to sink this beauty | McGrady soars in for the slam

Battier clamping down on the King | LeBron takes advantage of the mismatch

Sean May crashed the glass relentlessly to lead Houston with 16 boards | LeBron scoring again this time with the fadeaway J

ACTION HIGHLIGHTS

Big Sean May powers his way to the hoop
In Reggie Miller-esque fashion, Kleiza baits LeBron into his 4th foul
King James fakes Kleiza out of his shoes
Webster and McGrady connect on this beautiful ally oop

Kleiza finishes a three-point play after making his first free throw

AROUND THE LEAGUE

It was Bryant the New vs Bryant the Old, as nephew rookie-sensation, Lorenzen Bryant, took center stage for the first time versus seasoned-veteran uncle Kobe in the highly anticipated Los Angeles showdown at Staples Center.

Mirroring the directions both franchises (and perhaps their careers) seem to be heading, the Clippers crushed their cross-town rival Lakers 103-68. Kobe scored 17 points, 2 rebounds and 3 steals while his rookie phenom nephew, Lorenzen, finished with 13 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and an impressive 5 blocks. Last season's #2-overall draft pick, Jafari Cotton, led the way for the Clippers with 26 points and 7 boards.

"He's the complete package," said a smiling Kobe of his young but obviously gifted nephew. "I would've liked to get the win but I am happy for him; I trained him well."

Kobe then smiled, looked directly into the camera and spoke something in Italian which was later translated as, "Your time to shine today kid, but don't count me out. Uncle Kobe's not done yet; not by a long shot."

The Clippers now move into 1st place of the Pacific division with a 4-2 record, a half game in front of the Phoenix Suns; meanwhile the Lakers continue to struggle and dredge the division's last position at 2-5 on the season.
TEAM INJURIES UPDATE


E.GRIFFIN (CHA) - broken toe 11/02 - recovery 55% - duration 2 weeks - tracking Early - Status Unplayable
D.GOODEN (CLE) - broken finger 11/05 - recovery 5% - duration 8 weeks - tracking Early - status Unplayable
J.MAXIELL (DET) - bone spur (ankle) 11/08 - recovery 5% - Duration 2 weeks - tracking On Target - status Unplayable
M.PIETRUS (GSW) - bruised thigh 11/05 - recovery 90% - Duration 2 weeks - tracking On Target - Status Limited Minutes
R.ARTEST (HOU) - back spasms 11/07 - recovery 66% - duration 5 days - tracking On Target - status Unplayable
R.ALLEN (IND) - sprained ankle 11/08 - recovery 15% - duration 12 days - tracking On Target - status Unplayable
L.ODOM (LAL) - sore thumb 11/09 - recovery 0% - duration 9 days - tracking On Target - status Limited Minutes
V.RADMANOVIC (LAL) - sore foot 11/09 - recovery 20% - duration 4 days - tracking On Target - status Limited Minutes
M.MILLER (MEM) - sore finger 11/05 - recovery 63% - duration 10 days - tracking Early - status Unplayable
S.HASEK (MEM) - sore neck 11/09 - recovery 0% - duration 6 days - tracking On Target - status Limited Minutes
N.KRSTIC (NJN) - bruised elbow 11/08 - recovery 45% - duration 4 days - tracking On Target - status Limited Minutes
D.MASON (NOH) - sore calf muscle 11/07 - recovery 30% - duration 6 days - tracking On Target - status Limited Minutes
S.NASH (PHO) - bone spur (foot) 10/28 - recovery 65% - duration 2 weeks - tracking On Target - status Unplayable
R.BELL (PHO) - sprained ankle 11/01 - recovery 70% - duration 12 days - tracking On Target - status Unplayable
E.WATSON (SEA) - sore neck 11/09 - recovery 33% - duration 6 days - tracking Early - status Limited Minutes
D.JOHANSSON (UTA) - sore thigh muscle 11/09 - recovery 0% - duration 3 days - tracking On Target - status Limited Minutes
M.MALIQ (WAS) - sore calf muscle 11/08 - recovery 15% - duration 6 days - tracking On Target - status Limited Minutes
E.FAGAN (WAS) - broken bone (wrist) 10/28 - recovery 30% - duration 6 weeks - tracking Early - status Unplayable

___

The "Jumbo Mutombo" Contest Results #7

[Martti.]

T-Mac, Yao, #5

Great win! Nice job containing James!

[Valor]

hurray! i am back at first place, although tied..
nice win, love that mini article on Kobe vs Lorenzen as well

Tmac. Yao, 9

[kaiser_kobe]

Nice win! gud luck against my fav team...

Yao, Tmac
8

[-PeeBo]

T-Mac, Kleiza

Jumbo nr 5

[Lamrock]

Congrats on the win. Despite making the worst trade in NBA history during the offseason, you are still a title contender.

T-Mac, Collison, #7... I'm garbage at Jumbo Mutombo.

[OrlMagic]

T-Mac , May #6

[Oskar]

Yao, Mutombo
#5

[jonthefon]

Man, that Reggie Miller move Kleiza pulled on LeBron was priceless. I had something similar happen to me in my Jazz dynasty, where Donyell Marshall shot a fadeaway with a leg kick, kicked Tony Massenburg who was jumping to contest the shot, drew the foul and got the bucket

[Cartar]

Yao, Battier
#7

[Oli]

Nice win,

Yao, Sato, 6

[Fresh8]

so i lost an honored NLSCer right from starting block? bummer! Wink "... stole JAX from US" ahhh - LAKER FAN! well if it's any consolation, i felt YOU GUYS stole Jax from US! (had molasses-thick Bulls blood in the veins back in the days of 72-10; to this day have never had a 'favorite' team as strongly as back then; in fact was going to do a 'Post MJ' dynasty before these Rockets but there were already like 2-3 Bulls startups at the time and of course Andrews was winding down if i remember correct)

well, hopefully at the core you'll appreciate our mutual respect of the GCoAT and continue to support my 'Virtual' Rockets as Jax tries to lead them to a title

We sure have a mutual respect for the greatest coach of all time.

In the NBA today, only Popovich is on Jax's level IMO.

And go Kobe's nephew lol

[homicide1550]

McGrady, Yao, 5

[weechees]

Kleiza, Battier, 2

[Clutch]

thx for the comments guys and all entries locked and loaded i know it's early but i'm blown away how up/down the contest goes - its awesome! the final winner will truly have battled like a beast to get there that's for sure
valor, thx man; yah i want to keep track of some of the 'youngbloods' who are entering the league and making names for themselves; in 'real life' it's usually the case every year but so far, Lorenzen Bryant's a heavy RotY favorite
lamrock, you'll be rockin' the Battier avatar before all is said and done also what do you mean - you're in 4th! (actually 3rd since it's a two-way tie for 1st right now); total perfect drafting position; just gotta make your move when the time is right;
jonthefon, hahah never knew Marshall was so crafty; i still remember him on Golden State when my friends and i would say, "who is this knock-kneed kid with no neck?"
Si.. Fresh? LA's all about LB25 now btw, on Pop: http://thesportshernia.typepad.com/blog ... ovich.html

ETA HOU@LAL.... Wed/Thurs still time to cast entries if you haven't already...

[Clutch]

K.Bentley's scouting report - LOS ANGELES LAKERS


STRENGTHS bulking-up hasn't taken anything away from Kobe's game; easily one of the top 3 guards in the game today with enough hardware to prove it; has the ability to 'take over' and win in close-score/end-game situations

WEAKNESSES fair supporting cast of starters surrounding KB24 but talent drop-off becomes steep once you look to the bench; our second unit could exploit

TEAM RECORDS HOU (6-1) - LAL (2-5)

STARTING LINEUPS
HOU (92) C - Ming (94), PF - May (69), SF - Battier (77), SG - Webster (72), Pt-F - McGrady (94)
LAL (87) C- Rice (73), PF - Radmanovic (73), SF - Odom (83), SF - Bryant (96), PG - Roenick (73)

INJURIES
Artest (HOU) - back spasms; out a few more days; will not play
Odom (LAL) - sore thumb; will play (limited minutes)
Radmanovic (LAL) - sore foot; will play (limited minutes)

[Clutch]

GAME RECAP

Nov 11, 2008 LOS ANGELES, CA (AP) -- The Houston Rockets continued to claim victory on enemy territory surviving a late 4th-quarter rally to best the Los Angeles Lakers 97-88.

Even with their high-profile fans out in full force, the struggling Lakers were powerless to stop China's juggernaut son, Yao Ming. Yao poured in an outstanding double-double and team-high 31 points, 19 rebounds as well as dishing 4 assists in a jaw-dropping performance that left Laker counterpart, 2nd-year man Juwan Rice shaking his head in disbelief.

"Wasn't anything I could do to slow him down. (Yao) just about got wherever he wanted to go and scored whenever he wanted score," said Rice, a runner-up to last season's Rookie-of-the-Year. Rice was plagued with foul trouble under Ming's relentless onslaught only playing 9 minutes the entire match and snatching a single rebound.

Fairing no better against Point-Forward, Tracy McGrady, 2nd-year Point Guard, Emmanuel "Frodo" Roenick, also had a miserable night to the disappointment of his quickly-growing contingent of fans. The Elijah-Wood-alike shot just 1-of-11 on the night harrassed by McGrady's tenacious defense and finished the night with 4 points, 4 assists and 4 turnovers.

"Tracy's foulin' Frodo everytime he touches the rock. These refs are blind! We need some new ones in here," said disgruntled Academy Award winner and long-time Laker fan, Jack Nicholson, from his courtside seat. McGrady, who seemed content to share the scoring load after a blistering 31-point performance versus the Cavaliers the other night, took only 3 shots the entire game and finished with 3 points, 2 rebounds and team-high 6 assists.

Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom carried the scoring load for Los Angeles tallying 40 of the teams 88 points between the two, including a couple of high-difficultly baskets by Bryant. Criticized for his noticeable weight gain within the past few seasons, the 243 lbs Bryant looked fit not fat and still moved well, using his superior strength and size to bully his smaller defender, Martell Webster, on numerous occasions.

Webster said following the match, "He's definitely still a force in this league, no question about that. Maybe not faster, but bigger and stronger definitely." Webster finished his best game since becoming the Rockets' starting Shooting Guard with 14 points, 2 assists and a steal.

Coming up, Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks play host to Houston in their second encounter of the season and try to cool down Yao and the red-hot Rockets who are seeking to keep a 6-game win streak alive.

BOXSCORES

PHOTOS

243 lbs 'buffed' Kobe makes Webster look like a high-schooler...

But that pailed in comparison to McGrady and Emmanuel 'Frodo' Roenick | "Now this is just ridiculous!" says Frodo

"Kobe's heavier but still has incredible hops," Martell Webster | Garrick Briggs delivers on his specialty

Kobe hard to the hole | Looking more like the "Mailman" than the "Mamba" these days

"Not again! Who's man is this?" | Even Battier takes a run at abusing poor Mister Frodo

Young Andrew Bynum with a nice stuff | Kleiza celebrates after nailing the trey, his only bucket of the night

ACTION HIGHLIGHTS

Kobe's just too strong for Martell Webster
Bryant again... this time powering through 3 defenders!
Though Battier will need dental work after the Bryant headbutt, he managed to draw the foul
Yao mastering the up-and-under

No move tops Jack rockin' the "Frodo" wear during pre-game shoot around

__

The "JUMBO MUTOMBO" Contest Results #8

[Lamrock]

Congrats on the win and good luck against Dallas. This is the only active Live dynasty worth following right now.

Yao, May, #4

[Fresh8]

Nooo... you beat the Lakers.

[Cartar]

Nice win there, what a game by Yao , keep it up
McGrady, Mutombo
5

[weechees]

Jumbo Hit!

Good luck against the mavs.

Yao, Webster, 3