Rockets Podcasts

 
The Houston Rockets beat the New Orleans Pelicans last night, 108-101, to move to 8-11 on the season. Unfortunately, that win doesn’t mean all that much seeing as New Orleans is the only team below Houston in the Southwest division of the Western Conference.
While 8-11 doesn’t sound bad, think of it this way: there’s 82 …

Insert some overused, clichéd line about how we have a problem in Houston here.
But it’s true. There are major problems in Houston, and after a 4-7 start, it appears that head coach Kevin McHale is the scapegoat.
It wasn’t all that long ago that we were talking about the Rockets’ three-game win streak and how they …

 
James Harden has given the NBA reason to fear the beard again after getting back into the swing of things and absolutely lighting it up on the court. I mean, the combination of dropping 46 on the Clippers and that post-game face in the interview were enough to give Rockets fans a lot of hope …

Remember last Sunday? The sky was falling in Houston and it wasn’t because of all these damn floods. People were starting to loot the streets because the one team they just knew they could place championship hopes on started the season 0-3 and all three losses were at minimum 20-point deficits.
I will cut those of …

 
Why must Lil’ B The Based God continue to curse James Harden?
More is going wrong with the Rockets right now than a curse, however. The Rockets came into this season as one of the top three or four favorites in the Western Conference, but have failed to lift off this season, starting 0-3.
The scarier part …

The past season for the Houston Rockets was a tremendous success on all accounts. To start, Houston established itself as a team that will perennially contend in the Western Conference as long as this core group remains intact.
In a league that is developing an obsession with analytics, the Rockets stood at the forefront and took …

Are you wanting to know the ins & outs of the Salary Cap situation this offseason?  In this David Weiner Clutchfans post, he gives an in-depth look at where & how the Rockets can spend their money.  He tells you details on Beverley, Josh Smith, Corey Brewer & Jason Terry’s contract.

Check out this fantastic article from Grantland’s Andrew Sharp who makes the best case I’ve seen for James Harden as MVP.  He breaks it down from the idea that it’s called the Most “Valuable” Player.  Unfortunately, you won’t like one of his major conclusions.

Houston Post Rockets Beat Writer Robert Falkoff covered the Rockets for 15 years & wrote “Dreamland: The Inside of Story of the ’93 – ’94 Houston Rockets Championship Season” & the Rudy T bio “A Rocket at Heart: My Life and My Team”.  In this HST podcast & in honor of the Clutch City 20th …

If you want one of the best inside looks at James Harden, check out this Chris Palmer Bleacher Report story.  You’ll find out about Harden through his college coach, Herb Sendek, and the esteem Coach K has for the Beard.  Speaking of the Beard, here’s what James had to say about his look.
“A lot of …

We love these fantastic Rockets.com interviews.  In this week’s Red Nation Roundtable, broadcasters Joel Blank & Craig Ackerman talk to Dream about the championship years, the center position & how close this team is to winning it all.

Are the Rockets in dire need for a point guard?  Patrick Beverley has slipped defensively this year & as Bleacher Report’s Kelly Scaletta reports in this story the Rockets offense is too James Harden dependent.  Scaletta also throws out a couple names the Rockets may look into at the PG position as the trade deadline …

It turns out Josh Smith never wanted to play at home in Atlanta.  He always wanted to get away.  In this Adrian Wojnarowski Yahoo.com feature, Woj says Smith has finally found a home & that he’s not quite the guy he’s portrayed to be.  Josh Smith says it’s been tough to deal with at times.
“I …

Corey Brewer’s been fantastic since the Rockets picked up in the trade with the TWolves 6 weeks ago.  In this Rockets.com Red Nation Roundtable interview, Brewer talks about his relationship with Coach McHale, the Rockets read & react offense, his 51 point game vs. the Rockets & his transition offense.  Rockets broadcasts Joel Blank & …

In this Kirk Goldsberry Grantland feature, he says, “Symbolically, Harden might be the most important player in the world. He’s a manifestation of the current trends in offensive basketball. The things that make him such an unusual superstar serve as a leaguewide harbinger of what’s to come.”  Goldsberry gives plenty of praise to Harden & …

What’s the biggest Houston Sports Story in 2014?

Who is most responsible for the Rockets focus on defense this season?  According to this Jon Krawczynski Washington Times profile, Rockets assistant J.B. Bickerstaff deserves a great deal of the credit.  Bickerstaff credits the communication & the commitment.  “The biggest thing is the guys have bought in and are committed on that end of the …

Do you want evidence that James Harden is now one of the better defenders in the NBA?  Here’s more than 10 minutes of video from the 1st 18 games of the season.

Surprisingly, James Harden is leading the league in defensive win shares.  According to this Liam Boylan-Pett SBNation story, Harden is a better defender than Kawhi Leonard, Marc Gasol & Trevor Ariza.  It’s also worth checking out Harden’s Foot Locker commercial where he makes fun of his bad rep as a defender.

If you haven’t noticed, there’s more & more Rockets hate around the NBA.  Nobody likes Dwight Howard & Patrick Beverley is consider the ultimate pest.  In this Jason Concepcion Grantland feature, he draws comparisons to some of the most hated teams in NBA history with your beloved Rockets.