Get behind the Rockets plus Up for Discussion

Five games into the season, there is very little not to like about the Rockets. Their three-game winning streak was snapped by the Lakers in OT, but the Rockets are delivering a winning feeling despite having $40 million wearing nice suits on their bench not playing.

Rick Adelman is doing a fantastic job and so are his assistants. Turning a group of players that has only 1 lottery pick (and that's Shane Battier) into a team that believes they can beat any team in the league in any arena. You don't go to Utah and win by accident. It's no accident that the Rockets had the ball with 24 seconds left and a chance to win. As Aaron Brooks said, you can't let one game beat you twice and OKC is in on Friday night so we'll see. I know one thing...
The Rockets are really, really fun to watch!!!

And get on board with this...
CHUCK HAYES FOR NBA All-Defense.
Jason Friedman from rockets.com and I got this started Thursday night on SportsRadio 610 last week after the first two games of the season and now he pens this with some phenomenal numbers form the Rockets Basketball Ops Dept.

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Up for discussion on the radio show....
- You knew Dream helped Kobe this summer working out with him, right?? Hakeem was there courtside watching Kobe beat the Rockets with some of Dream's help. Ouch. (Press Enterprise)

- NBC Sports puts out their midseason All-Pro Team. There are two Texans on it. Of course Andre Johnson is there. The other......read on. (NBC Sports)

- According to the numbers, Houston has the 6th toughest schedule remaining among AFC teams. But dig deeper...Overall their opponents record is 29-28, but 2 against Indy and a game against New England who are 19-2. Thus the record of their opponents in the other 5 games is a pathetic 10-26. (ESPN)

- Peter King's Game Plan...basically his Friday piece to go with the MMQB. Good stuff, hits on Matt Schaub (not literally) and check #6 on things to watch this weekend. While I can agree Moats looked very good and they should definitely be playing him, probably starting him, Pete needs to go deeper into the numbers. I let him him know via twitter that all 38 of Moats' carries this year have come against Oakland and Buffalo - the 29th and 32nd ranked rush defenses respectively. (SI - Peter King)

- Mack Brown made an appearance on Friday Night Lights. Now so has Mike Leach. Leach takes a big poke...at himself...brilliantly.

- Doesn't get much better than this. A game like this no one cares if its nil-nil.


- Superman exposing himself?? To a former California gubernatorial candidate?? That's the story. (Sports By Brooks)

- Some soccer fans really really want to go to the World Cup. And in Chile they have figured out a way to raise money for tickets. It's simple - GET NAKED. (Sports By Brooks)

- Vicente Padilla joins Plaxico Burress among professional athletes who have shot themselves. The club is growing, thus a guide to what an athlete should do if it happens to them. (Sports Pickle)

- Couple of notable conventions for you. One in Dallas that is sure to not ever catch on. One in Los Angeles with ideas that are sweeping the nation. Advantage LA - might want to check here also.

Up for Discussion: Link Dump

Here's a bunch of random stories that are up for discussion on the radio show.
- The Case for Case......Keenum deserves some hype......Keenum has everything a Heisman winner needs......also follow Case4theHeisman via twitter for stories and updates on Keenum
- Gus Johnson needs to apologize to no one (USA Today)
- Dwight Howard is unhappy. Listen (The Big Lead) NSFW
- Surely you've seen this, well PETA naturally doesn't like it, nor its glorification.
- NFL players voted Hines Ward the dirtiest. Jared Allen, 10th. (SI)
- Tim Floyd performs good deed, I think. Very classy ladies.
- Interesting breakdown of shot blocking in NBA, as in who gets their shots blocked most. (Hardwood Paroxysm)

NBA predictions

Here are my predictions for the '09-10 NBA season.
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Playoffs look like this
Orlando vs. Toronto-----------------Lakers vs. Rockets
Cleveland vs. Philadelphia----------Blazers vs. Hornets
Boston vs. Miami--------------------Spurs vs. Jazz
Atlanta vs. Chicago-----------------Nuggets vs. Mavericks

East Final--------------------------West Final
Cleveland beats Orlando-------------Lakers beat Spurs

Lakers top Cavs in 7 for NBA title....and thankfully Phil Jackson retires after the season.

Rockets/NBA Odds

Odds provided by bodog.com

What team will have the biggest drop off in regular season wins from their total from the 2008/2009 season?
Houston Rockets -130
Field (Any Other Team) Even

Luis Scola
Over/Under 14.6 PPG
Over/Under 9.7 RPG

Trevor Ariza
Over/Under 12.9 PPG
Over/Under 5.9 RPG

Aaron Brooks
Over/Under 13.2 PPG
Over/Under 4.2 APG

Tracy McGrady
Over/Under 15.6 PPG

Team Odds
Odds to Win the 2010 NBA Championship
Los Angeles Lakers 2/1
Cleveland Cavaliers 10/3
Boston Celtics 4/1
San Antonio Spurs 15/2
Orlando Magic 8/1
Denver Nuggets 15/1
Portland Trailblazers 20/1
Utah Jazz 25/1
Dallas Mavericks 30/1
New Orleans Hornets 35/1
Detroit Pistons 45/1
Atlanta Hawks 45/1
Chicago Bulls 45/1
Miami Heat 45/1
Houston Rockets 50/1
Washington Wizards 50/1
Phoenix Suns 50/1
Toronto Raptors 60/1
Philadelphia 76ers 65/1
New York Knicks 75/1
Los Angeles Clippers 90/1
Charlotte Bobcats 100/1
Indiana Pacers 100/1
Memphis Grizzlies 100/1
New Jersey Nets 100/1
Oklahoma City Thunder 100/1
Golden State Warriors 125/1
Milwaukee Bucks 150/1
Minnesota Timberwolves 150/1
Sacramento Kings 150/1

Odds to Win the 2010 Western Conference
Los Angeles Lakers 2/3
San Antonio Spurs 3/1
Denver Nuggets 7/1
Portland Trailblazers 8/1
Utah Jazz 12/1
Dallas Mavericks 14/1
New Orleans Hornets 18/1
Houston Rockets 25/1
Phoenix Suns 25/1
Los Angeles Clippers 45/1
Memphis Grizzlies 50/1
Oklahoma City Thunder 50/1
Golden State Warriors 55/1
Minnesota Timberwolves 60/1
Sacramento Kings 60/1

Odds to Win the 2010 Eastern Conference
Cleveland Cavaliers 5/4
Boston Celtics 2/1
Orlando Magic 3/1
Detroit Pistons 20/1
Atlanta Hawks 20/1
Chicago Bulls 20/1
Miami Heat 20/1
Washington Wizards 25/1
Toronto Raptors 30/1
Philadelphia 76ers 30/1
New York Knicks 35/1
Charlotte Bobcats 50/1
Indiana Pacers 50/1
New Jersey Nets 50/1
Milwaukee Bucks 60/1

NBA Regular Season Wins Totals
Atlanta Hawks 44.5 Wins
Boston Celtics 57.5 Wins
Charlotte Bobcats 36.5 Wins
Chicago Bulls 41.5 Wins
Cleveland Cavaliers 61.5 Wins
Dallas Mavericks 48.5 Wins
Denver Nuggets 52.5 Wins
Detroit Pistons 40.5 Wins
Golden State Warriors 35.5 Wins
Houston Rockets 36.5 Wins
Indiana Pacers 34.5 Wins
Los Angeles Clippers 34.5 Wins
Los Angeles Lakers 62.5 Wins
Memphis Grizzlies 27.5 Wins
Miami Heat 40.5 Wins
Milwaukee 26.5 Wins
Minnesota Timberwolves 26.5 Wins
New Jersey Nets 27.5 Wins
New Orleans Hornets 46.5 Wins
New York Knicks 31.5 Wins
Oklahoma City Thunder 34.5 Wins
Orlando Magic 57.5 Wins
Philadelphia 76ers 40.5 Wins
Phoenix Suns 40.5 Wins
Portland Trailblazers 53.5 Wins
Sacramento Kings 23.5 Wins
San Antonio Spurs 54.5 Wins
Toronto Raptors 40.5 Wins
Utah Jazz 49.5 Wins
Washington Wizards 41.5 Wins

Keenum's Case

Forget the Heisman trophy for a second - it is made up of way too many parts hype and not enough parts performance. But getting right down to it, with no regard to past performance or hype - these are the 3 players that have done the most so far this season.

Tim Tebow - things could all change if his nasty concussion causes him to miss some time but his 4 games this season are certainly Heisman worthy. Florida's competition has been pretty poor but Tebow has been superb.

Case Keenum - He has orchestrated victories on the road in Stillwater and led a 16-play, 95-yard drive in the final minutes of the 4th quarter to grab a win against Texas Tech.

Tony Pike - He's been sharp in all 4 of his games and like Keenum and Tebow, if Pike continues to play great and nearly mistake free, an undefeated season is a real possibility.

Colt McCoy has been good, but not really great - his performances vs OU, OSU & Mizzou will be his chance to plant himself atop the list. Others simply need to keep willing their team to wins (Todd Reesing, Jimmy Clausen, Blaine Gabbert)

One bad game likely derails these bids - Jahvid Best, Jacory Harris - not that they might not have great seasons, but there will no Heisman for them at the end of this year. And remember I said before the season started that it was laughable that Darryl Clark's name could ever be mentioned in any Heisman conversation. His disaster tonight at home in Penn State's loss to Iowa should prevent that from ever happening. Clark was 12-32, 198 yards, with 3 INT.

Top 3 for Heisman
Tebow....44-68, 643 yds, 6 TD, 1 INT (5 rushing TD)
Keenum...93-134, 1178 yds, 8 TD, 2 INT
Pike.....93-132, 1223 yds, 11 TD, 2 INT

Must See Vids - TUF, Mike Leach, more...

A couple of years ago, there was this movie called There Will Be Blood. Last night the 10th edition of The Ultimate Fighter debuted. The Abe Wagner - John Madsen fight could make a good sequel. This kid was swimming in ketchup.

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Texas Tech coach Mike Leach wants to give you banking advice

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From last week, boxing promoter Bob Arum rips Floyd Mayweather a new one - calls him a head-case and a terrible draw as a fighter....hmmmm....

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Not a chance in hell, Mike Tomlin would remain calm and merely continue in this situation...

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AND with the season premiere of The Office tonight...here you go...

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Ummm...Hey Texans...this game counts

Very poor first half for the Texans.
- Total breakdown on the touchdown pass.
- Zero sacks of rookie QB Mark Sanchez.
- Zero points on offense.
- 1 completion to Andre Johnson (only thrown to twice)
- Losing the turnover battle

I'll keep it simple. They stink today. The good news??
They are only down 10-0 with 0 minutes to go

Texans prop bets

Here are some Texan prop bets I came up with. Spice up the season a bit.
What do you think?
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SCHAUB TDS or
TEAM SACKS (NON-MARIO)
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DAVID ANDERSON TD or
JACQUES REEVES INT
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KRIS BROWN 50 YD FG or
REX GROSSMAN TD PASSES
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MATT TURK LONG PUNT or
ANDRE JOHNSON LONG TD
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MORE TOTAL PTS VS COLTS, JAGUARS or
KEVIN WALTER & STEVE SLATON RECEPTIONS
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FRED BENNETT PICKS or
AMOBI OKOYE SACKS
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COACH KUBIAK SUCCESSFUL CHALLENGES or
TEAM INTERCEPTIONS BY FRONT SEVEN
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TEXANS WINS or
ANDRE JOHNSON TDS
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TEXANS DEFENSIVE TDS or
VONTA LEACH CARRIES
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JAMES CASEY COMPLETED PASSES or
TEXANS TDS SCORED BY A PLAYER NOT CURRENTLY ON THE TEAM
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KEVIN WALTER TDS or
KRIS BROWN MISSED FG
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I'll take
- Defense Sacks (non-Mario)
- Reeves INT
- Grossman TD passes
- Johnson long TD
- Walter/Slaton receptions
- Okoye sacks
- INT by front 7
- Andre Johnson TDs
- Texans defensive TDs
- Casey completed passes
- KB missed FGs

Randomness...Worst column ever?, Red Raider cartoon, Raiders trade cheat sheet

Sporting News Top 100 NFL players released. Too bad the list compilers got bored after a few names - they try to throw out a disclaimer by writing - Don't take it from us; take it from the blue-ribbon voting panel of 106 experts we assembled. It included 27 Hall of Famers and past and present Pro Bowlers, executives and coaches. I shudder to think about who these 106 "experts" are that think Haloti Ngata is #92, yet Michael Vick is #88. (It even says Vick is the only back-up to make the list...to be truthful, he's the only 3rd stringer to make the list since he is not the backup QB in Philly!)

LaDainian Tomlinson 5th?!? Ray Lewis 11th?!? Brett Favre 50th?!?! (8th best among QBs - give me a break)
This will be discussed tonight. Ridiculous.
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Agent Eugene Parker not having the best week ever. 10th overall pick Michael Crabtree is still unsigned in SF and one of his other high profile clients is Richard Seymour, who now is unlikely to play in week one for any team.
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Here's another good laugh at the Raiders expense. (via Fanhouse)
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If you are a millionaire rookie LB in San Diego, how much would you pay for dinner for your veteran teammates?
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Next time I sign a contract, I'm gonna tell my attorney to step aside...I'll get OchoCinco to read things over for me. He'll find the loopholes
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NFL Predictions
Joe Posnanski of SI - Texans to surprise
ESPN NFL Experts - AFC South was the only division that had each of the teams picked by at least 1 expert to win their division.
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Caught this via Yahoo! Sports Ball Don't Lie Twitter feed...Worst Column Ever? maybe, certainly in the conversation. Embarassing? No doubt.
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Think anyone had a problem with this cover art from the Red Raiders season opening program for their game against the Fighting Sioux of North Dakota?
How about the performance of Taylor Potts in his 1st start? Nice comparison to the starts of the 5 Red Raiders QB's debuts before him.
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One week into the season, here is the highly respected Heisman Pundit's Heisman poll.

1. Tim Tebow - 60 (8)
2. Colt McCoy - 57 (5)
3. Jahvid Best - 35

Rest of poll consisting of 13 Heisman voters across the country.
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Stephen A. Smith tweeted the following...(in true SAS style - he blasted off like 5 tweets in a row to get his point across.)

For what it's worth, I'm not happy at all about Iverson heading to Memphis. Forget the $3.5 mil, or that no one had much to pay. I'm not...Convinced he's finished by a long shot, and it's a damn shame people assume he is. Iverson definitely mishandled his departure from Detroit. It never helps to get on Joe D's bad side. But bad back and all, having played only 57 games, he still averaged 17.5 pts and folks are....Acting like he's finished. Big mistake. He'll put it big #'s this season. Too bad it's for Memphis, though. I love Mayo and Rudy Gay, but...They're not going anywhere. Damn! Wish A.I. Could've worked things out in Charlotte. He needs Larry Brown right now.

Maybe this is one reason why he's no longer screaming his opinions on ESPN anymore.
- Memphis not going anywhere, but Charlotte is?!?!?!?
- Big numbers this year?!?!? AI's scoring avg has gone from 33 in '06 to 17.5 this past year. He played in 65 gms or fewer for the 2nd time in 3 years. That is massive decline. He's 34.

More importantly, he doesn't help teams win anymore. Not a good defender, extremely low efficiency offensive player. Still skilled, just not helpful anymore. (And remember I have been a long time AI fan, just being realistic.)
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Texans projected 53-man roster; Artest still a goofball

Here's who I think has made the Texans following their 4th preseason game.

OFFENSE (26)
OL (9) - D. Brown, C. Pitts, C. Myers, M. Brisiel, E. Winston, R. Butler, K. Studdard, C. White, A. Caldwell
TE (4) - O. Daniels, J. Dreessen, J. Casey, A. Hill
WR (6) - A. Johnson, K. Walter, A. Davis, D, Anderson, J. Jones, G. Martinez
RB (4) - Slaton, C. Brown, R. Moats, V. Leach (FB)
QB (3) - M. Schaub, D. Orlovsky, R. Grossman

DEFENSE (25)
DL (9) - M. Williams, S. Cody, A. Okoye, A. Smith, C. Barwin, T. Bulman, F. Okam, Del . Robinson, J. Zgonina
LB (6) - Z. Diles, D. Ryans, B. Cushing, X. Adibi, K. Bentley, B. Davis
CB (6) - F. Bennett, J. Reeves, Dun. Robinson, B. McCain, G. Quin, A. Molden
S (4) - E. Wilson, D. Barber, N. Ferguson, J. Busing

Specialists (2)
K - K. Brown
P - M. Turk

Notes - Martinez makes the squad because Walter is not 100%. Brandon Harrison is the last cut. Busing just seems to make more plays. Still have plenty of guys that can be released after they scour the waiver wires.
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Ron Artest is just having a ball this offseason

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