Adelman Not Retained In Houston

((HT: MyFoxHouston))

Here's a tough one for you...

After years of dancing through the minefield that is Western Conference hoops, Rick Adelman was told he would not be retained as head coach for next season...

But for someone who, seemingly, brought a knife to a gun fight with injuries and free agency always nipping at his heels, this is what happens...

Disappointing...
Here's FOSG Mark Berman with the facts...

Rockets Will Not Retain Adelman: MyFoxHOUSTON.com

Looks like early returns have Mikes Brown and Woodson in the running for the vacancy...

Good luck on that...

McGrady Headed To Gotham

The New York Knicks have acquired Tracy McGrady and his massive expiring contract in a three-way dance with the Houston Rockets and the Sacramento Kings.

The Knicks will also get Sergio Rodriguez from the Kings, though the hook of the deal was McGrady and his expiring $23 million contract.

The Rockets will get guard Kevin Martin and forward Hilton Armstrong from Sacramento and forward Jordan Hill, Jared Jeffries and draft considerations in 2011 and 2012 from New York.

They're also relieved to have finally found a taker for McGrady, the troublesome seven-time All-Star they've been trying to shop for almost two months.

The Kings will also get New York guard Larry Hughes and Houston forwards Carl Landry and Joey Dorsey. The draft considerations Houston gets will have the right to swap first-round picks with the Knicks in 2011 as well as take on New York's 2012 first-round pick.

Got all that...???

Here are the numbers:

New York Knicks
Rodriguez: $1.5M- expiring/McGrady: $22.8M- expiring...
Total dollars exchanged: $24.3M, currently $30M under the salary cap

Houston Rockets
Martin: $9.6M- 4 years remaining/Armstrong: $2.8M- expiring/Hill: $2.4M- two years remaining/Jeffries: $6.4M- two years remaining
Total dollars exchanged: $21.2M, currently $26M under the salary cap

Sacramento Kings
Hughes: $13.6M- expiring/Landry:$3M- expiring /Dorsey:$881K- three years remaining
Total dollars exchanged: $17.481M, currently $1.4M over the cap...

Yao Out For 09-10 NBA Season

((HT: MyFoxHouston))

Houston Rockets center Yao Ming ((pictured, thanks Fox 26)) has decided to have surgery next week on his broken left foot and will miss all of the 2009-2010 NBA season.

In an e-mail to FOX 26 Sports on Friday, Yao explained why he elected to undergo surgery.

"I have considered many options and listened to many opinions and I have decided that having surgery at this time is the best way to go," Yao said. "I expect to return 100% healthy for the 2010-2011 NBA season, and have a long, productive career playing basketball."

The Rockets organization announced that Dr. Tom Clanton at the Memorial Hermann Sports Medicine Institute, who has operated on Yao's foot before, will perform the surgery.

"He's a true champion and a great competitor and a great Rocket," said Leslie Alexander, Rockets owner in an interview with FOX 26 Sports. "We obviously hope and pray that he'll heal perfectly and come back and play for the Rockets for a long time."
According to the Rockets, one of the procedures Yao will undergo will involve a bone graft in the navicular bone of his left foot in order to promote bone regeneration.

Dr. Clanton will also perform a surgical procedure designed to reduce the arch in Yao's left foot by realigning and restructuring the bones in the foot.

"This combination of procedures should not only allow healing of his navicular stress fracture, but also improve the mechanics of his left foot to reduce the stress on that bone and give him the best long-term prognosis," said Dr. Clanton in a statement.

"This surgical option is similiar to the successful procedure used by Cleveland Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas in 2001."

The Rockets said no timetable has been set for Yao's return to action, but the team expects him to be ready for training camp in 2010.

"Yao and the Rockets conducted due diligence in seeking a number of expert opinions regarding the medical options," said Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey in a statement. "The consensus opinion was that he undergo a procedure to heal and realign the foot.

"We will implement all the resources available to help him make a complete and successful recovery."

Rockets forward Luis Scola has been following the events surrounding Yao.

"It's always hard," Scola said in an interview with FOX 26 Sports from Buenos Aires, Argentina. "Yao is a huge part of our team. He's the face of the organization. He's the face of the team. Everything we do on the court goes around him.

"It's really hard for us to start focusing on how we are going to play and how we are going to change everything because he's not going to be able to play with us."

Scola said that while Yao having to have surgery "is a bad situation," the fact that he is having it now is much better than it occurring during the season.

"It if happens in the middle of the season it's always worse," Scola said. "Now we can prepare for it."

Rockets forward Carl Landry agrees.

"Yao is our big guy in the middle," Landry said. "He draws the double-teams and makes all of our jobs a lot easier.

"We are all going have step up with Yao not there."
Landry points out issues like this are commonplace to the Rockets.

"We've played with out Yao, Tracy (McGrady), Ron (Artest), and Shane (Battier)" Landry said. "We've all grown because of it.

"We are all going to have to carry the weight now that Yao is not going to be around."

Yao says "Ow"!

It looks like the season is over for the Houston Rockets. Their remaining star, Yao Ming is out for the rest of the playoffs, with a broken left foot. Ming, who carried the Rockets to a suprise win in L.A. for Game 1, limped his way through game 2, an easy Lakers win.

More on the story from the Houston Chronicle here

The injury underscores a 3+month long NBA Playoff season which seems to be leading towards the inevitable Kobe Bryant versus LeBron James NBA Championship series which will probably take place sometime in July. We can hardly wait for that.

((Yao Ming Photo, Courtesy: Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle))

And the above story gives us the excuse to show you this again...

No! Mutombo!!!

For those of us following the NBA Playoffs, you had to feel bad watching what happened to Dikembe Mutombo on Tuesday night. He got tangled up with Portland Center/Walking injury, Greg Oden...and Mutombo went down.

((thanks Jonathan Ferry/Getty Images for the photo))

The injury, to his knee was enough for him to say, well...enough. Mutombo, 42 years old, was going to retire at the end of the season anyway. This injury made it happen a couple of games earlier than he thought.

Mutombo was one of the best defensive players in NBA history. He was in his 18 year career either the leader or a leader in blocked shots every season. He rebounded the ball as well as anyone and at times flashed a pretty good, if awkward, offensive game. Probably the thing he was most known for...the "Finger Waggle". The waggle was usually followed with "Nobody comes in the House of Mutombo!".

With his low growl and voice thick with the accent of his home country, the now named Republic of Congo. Deke was a true humanitarian, giving millions to the people of his home country to try and make life better for as many as possible. He even scored an invite to the 2007 State of the Union address. There aren't a lot of NBA Basketball players who can say they did that.

What made Mutombo unique among players was his honest, open, sense of humor. I got the opportunity to interview him a couple of years ago. He couldn't have been more accomodating. Perhaps the other memorable part of Dikembe, his sense of humor. Check out this story the NBA.com did a couple of years ago.

((video courtesy: NBA.com/You Tube))

And this one, where his teammates have some fun...at his expense.

((video courtesy: FSN Houston/You Tube))

We here at the OSG, wish Dikembe the best in all his future endeavours and have no doubt he will be successful and have a Global impact in whatever he decides to do.