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On the story that is the Harden and Westbrook reunion
I consume a lot of NBA commentary, as you might imagine. You have to if you run an NBA blog, for no other reason than that you have to stay informed about more than just the news but also the popular storylines being discussed by others. And one thing that has struck me as very […] The post On the story that is the Harden and Westbrook reunion appeared first
On last year’s rebounding woes
The defining characteristic of last season’s Houston Rockets was the team’s woes on the defensive glass. The Rockets finished 29th in the league in DREB%. In 2017-2018, the team finished fourth in DREB%. The only major difference in the team was the subtraction of starting small forward Trevor Ariza. About as interesting is the fact […] The post On last year
Ryan Anderson could be back
I’m not quite sure what a “significantly partially guaranteed” contract entails, but rest assured, it indicates this marriage might not be permanent. Anderson was last seen in a Rockets uniform being tortured by Steph Curry in a two minute Game 7 span in 2018 which still makes me wake up in cold sweats. There’s a […] The post Ryan Anderson could be back appe
Ryno on the boards
I wasn’t even aware of this—maybe it’s new—but I realized just the other day that NBA.com maintains ‘box out’ stats which basically break down the number of times a player boxes out per game and how often the team or the player gets the rebound on those box outs. Naturally, I was intrigued given my […] The post Ryno on the boards appeared first on Red94 .
Harden won’t step back
See what I did there with that title? The above-referenced matter is one the discussion of which I’ve found odd. Again, as has been the case in each of the last few years, off-season predictions regarding the following year’s MVP race have omitted James Harden as a serious contender despite him either winning the award […] The post Harden won’t step back app
The Red94 2019-2020 Houston Rockets Season Preview
I thought this time last season that the Rockets’ wouldn’t miss a beat without Trevor Ariza and that Houston’s goal for the upcoming year would be to keep Chris Paul healthy for the postseason. Paul did stay healthy, but it didn’t matter as his demise turned out to be inevitable. I was largely right about […] The post The Red94 2019-2020 Houston Rockets Seas
In the aftermath of the (second?) most crushing loss in Houston sports history
Most of my thoughts and initial reactions can be found on Twitter @redninetyfour. I’m 34 years old so I wasn’t around when the Oilers blew the 35-3 lead. But even if I was, while a bigger collapse, that possibly could not have been a more crushing defeat than last night’s loss because it wasn’t in […] The post In the aftermath of the (second?) most crushing
On the early season returns
I didn’t think we would be 4-3 at this point. I actually thought that after the loss to the Bucks, we would run the table all the way up until the Clippers game. I went on my podcast and predicted that. That’s 9-1. We really did not take advantage of what turned out to look […] The post On the early season returns appeared first on Red94 .
Accountability and CP3’s departure
A point once made over a decade ago which I found to be incredibly salient at the time was regarding defense and the coaching change from Jeff Van Gundy to Rick Adelman. It was said by someone on a discussion board that the more time that passed between the Van Gundy and Adelman eras, the […] The post Accountability and CP3’s departure appeared first on Red9
Houston sports and fan apathy
If you haven’t started a blog post by tweet-quoting yourself, you’ve never lived. I’m off work today and was supposed to spend the day with my family but instead woke up at 12:30 with awful congestion and chills. So I’m just laying here in bed typing this. Consider this one a freebie that wouldn’t have […] The post Houston sports and fan apathy appeared firs
Eric Gordon goes down
Let’s not get it twisted. Despite how bad Eric Gordon has looked to start the season, and despite how many times he trolls me on Twitter by liking one of my critical tweets, this team absolutely needs Gordon to win the championship. He was their second best player in last season’s playoffs. And I’ve remarked […] The post Eric Gordon goes down appeared first
Rockets move to 8-3 after toppling LA Clippers
James Harden put the Rockets on his back to the tune of 47 points and it didn’t even feel like that big of a deal because the point total wasn’t anything beyond the norm. There’s really nothing left to say about this guy, from an offensive perspective. Harden was clearly the best player on the […] The post Rockets move to 8-3 after toppling LA Clippers appea
Rockets’ defense trending in the right direction
On Russell Westbrook’s eventual demise
One of the league-wide truths from the past few years was that once Russell Westbrook’s legendary athleticism failed him, it would be a very painful demise. It was said that he didn’t have the shooting touch or smarts to age gracefully into his mid 30’s and still remain effective, having depended so long upon his […] The post On Russell Westbrook’s eventual
2018-2019 as a reset
I’ve been thinking all morning about a point I myself made last night regarding last season after noting just how seamless the transition has been this season for the Rockets’ supporting cast: 2018-2019 was a reset year for the franchise. When you look at how smoothly every supporting player has adapted to his respective role, […] The post 2018-2019 as a res
The early signs of dominance
Its too soon yet to schedule the parade. Moreso than the 127 minute sample size, the real issue is that much of this comes against a cream puff schedule. But a few more weeks of this and I think we’re onto something directly indicative of what to expect from this team over an 82 game […] The post The early signs of dominance appeared first on Red94 .
Upcoming guarantee dates for Rockets
I think Gary Clark is about as good as gone. I’d be floored if he survived at this point which is disappointing given the Rockets’ depth and injury issues, particularly at power forward behind P.J. Tucker. I had hoped that Mike D’Antoni would give Clark a shot this year after the defensive promise he showed […] The post Upcoming guarantee dates for Rockets a
Morning thoughts for 11/26
I couldn’t think of a better title so I’m just rolling with the date. I actually am not even sure what I’m about to write about. A two day break in the schedule feels odd. It’s felt like there has been at least a game every other night during the week all year. I could […] The post Morning thoughts for 11/26 appeared first on Red94 .
To Russ or not to Russ
I shared some lineup data on Saturday morning, on Twitter, prior to the Rockets’ win over the Phoenix Suns. It did not reflect positively for Russell Westbrook. What that means is that the Rockets are killing people when Russ is off the court. That hasn’t been the case when he’s been on the court. As […] The post To Russ or not to Russ appeared first on Red9
The early trade winds
The Ringer reported yesterday that the Houston Rockets have “serious interest” in Robert Covington, and are dangling future assets in hopes of a trade. The news isn’t too surprising given that Covington came up through Houston’s system (only to flourish in Philadelphia); is on an outrageously team friendly contract which will pay him a base […] The post The