The 2010-2011 NBA season is finally upon us. After what seemed like the longest summer in recent memory with “The Decision” and everything else that transpired, it’s time to kick this thing off and see what’s what. There are three good games on the slate tonight. And yes, there is more than one game on tonight.

Let’s start with the highly anticipated regular season debut of the revamped Miami Heat facing off against the reigning Eastern Conference Champion Boston Celtics. Frankly, I’m tired of hearing about LeBron James and the Heat in general. It sickens me that ESPN has dedicated an entire section of their site to this team called the Heat Index. Oh well. The media is the media.

Heat vs. Celtics
I like the Celtics to win at home tonight. Dwyane Wade hasn’t played with this team yet. Plus Mike Miller’s absence will be evident. It will definitely be tough for the Celtics to contain the Big Three, but no one else on the team is a major threat. The Celtics look even better than last year with the additions of Shaquille and Jermaine O’Neal as well as the return of Delonte West. Word is Shaq will be getting the start with Kendrick Perkins likely to be out until the All-Star break. Kevin Garnett and the crew are looking to stay healthy this year, something they struggled with last year at the tail end of the season.

Suns vs. Blazers
Aside from the two games on TNT tonight, we have Steve Nash and his crew against Brandon Roy and his medical staff. I felt bad for the Blazers last year with all of the injuries they had to endure. They can be a legitimate contender in the West this year IF they can stay healthy. Suspect number is and has been one Greg Oden. He’s played 82 total games in three years. When healthy, he can contribute significantly to this team. They put up a fight in the playoffs last year against the team they are facing tonight. The Suns Western Conference playoff days are certainly behind them with the departure of Amare Stoudemire. They will need Nash to play out of his mind and beyond his age (again) as well as a career resurrection out of Hedo Turkoglu to compete again in the cluttered West. I like the Blazers to win this one at home. Their size (assuming nobody gets hurt in the game) will be too much for the undersized run and gun Suns.

Rockets vs. Lakers
Opening night closes with the champion Lakers hosting the Houston Rockets. The Lakers will get their rings (well, except for Ron Artest) and banner to start the night, then will take the court to begin their title defense against a Rockets squad that is getting back a healthy Yao Ming. I haven’t seen Yao play in so long, I kind of forget his playing style. It will be fun to see him back on the hardwood once more. I’m also interested in seeing how new pieces Matt Barnes, Steve Blake, Theo Ratliff, and even Derrick Caracter fair in their first game as a Laker. I’m also looking forward to seeing how Kobe Bryant plays on achy knees. He said he’s only at about 60-70 percent to start the year. Tonight will be a hard fought, close game in which I think the Lakers win by one to three points. The Rockets have a chance to make noise in the West as well with a healthy squad.

The season is finally upon us. I’m excited to get it going. I’m excited to hear more words of wisdom from Charles Barkley. He’s such a nut-job. My Spurs don’t play until tomorrow, so tonight’s games will have to suffice for now. Who do you think wins tonight? What are you excited for the most this season? And please, keep the Heat and Laker championship comments to a minimum please!

Posted by Josh Delp of the Sports Fan Blog Network

Now that the individual awards have been doled out, it’s time to look forward to overall team performances. There are a handful of teams in the league that are considered to be contenders for the title. But each year there are squads that fly under the radar or exceed expectations. Last year’s teams included the 50-win Thunder, the overachieving, Scott Skiles’ led Bucks and even the Grizzlies. This year could yield NBA fans more unexpected playoff berths from annual cellar dwellers. Let’s check out some of those squads.

The Sixers have been pretty busy this year. They have hired a new coach in the defense-oriented Doug Collins. They acquired the number two draft choice in Ohio State standout Evan Turner, who I believe could have went number one in the draft as well (I know… shocking!). They have also shipped Sam Dalembert to the Kings for Andres Nocioni and Spencer Hawes. I like their chances to make a spirited run for the 7th or 8th seed in the East. They’ve got a promising core in Turner, Iguodala, Lou Williams, Thaddeus Young, and Jrue Holiday. If only they knew what they were getting in Elton Brand they’d be set. It should be an interesting year for this bunch.

IF Chris Paul can stay happy and healthy and IF the newly acquired head coach in Monty Williams can successfully coach all of the new guys and IF all of the newcomers like Trevor Ariza can make a big enough impact, then the Hornets are in good shape. That is a lot of ifs, but I like their chances at sneaking into the playoffs. Paul is driven to succeed on whatever team he stars for, and it won’t be any different with the Hornets. Marcus Thornton is sure to improve on his surprising play from last year. The frontcourt tandem of David West and Emeka Okafor should continue to gobble up rebounds and produce effectively. A lot of people are claiming this team is dead in the water, but I like their chances to sneak in with the 8th seed in a suffocating Western conference. I don’t know about that Darren Collison trade though.

The Nets have done the best that could possibly do this offseason without landing LeBron James. Derrick Favors should be a nice, developing young talent for them this season with Troy Murphy likely getting the start. Brook Lopez will likely duplicate his production last season, as will Devin Harris. The difference is, they have more scoring options this time. Three-point shooters in Jordan Farmar, Anthony Morrow, Travis Outlaw, and Troy Murphy all should make them more of a threat on the offensive end. I love the hiring of Avery Johnson as coach. He was great as a player and a great coach for the Mavericks. Cuban shouldn’t have let him go in the first place. And let’s face it, the Nets were the best 12-win team in NBA history last year. They will surely win more games this year, especially if guys can stay healthy, which was one of their problems last year. In the top heavy East, the Nets have a great chance for the 8th seed. And who knows what’s going on these days with the Carmelo Anthony trade talks.

While there are other surprise eligible teams, I picked these three. The Clippers, Kings, and Rockets are others that have been pegged as such. I like the prospect of Blake Griffin, but don’t know if he can stay healthy. And there’s always the Baron Davis conundrum. The Kings have the 2010 ROY in Tyreke Evans and a young promising talent in DeMarcus Cousins, but we’ll have to see how that pans out. The Rockets are never easy to predict due to the fact that Yao Ming can never stay healthy, but Rick Adelman puts out a very competitive group on the court regardless.

We’ll see how it all pans out. This year should be a good one though for teams looking to cash in on their higher than usual expectations.

Stay tuned for my forecast on the 16 playoff teams.

By Josh Delp of the Sports Fan Blog Network

There are a few candidates this year that could be heavily considered for the most improved player award. I’m going with Kevin Durant. Just kidding! He would have to put up 40 a game! Little man for the Houston Rockets Aaron Brooks did it last year on a gritty and smaller squad. This award is also tough to predict because there are so many variables that go into a players’ success on a team.

Darren Collison is a good candidate for this award. He thrived last year in New Orleans when Chris Paul sat out with injuries. Getting a new home in Indiana provides a fresh start where he will be the clear cut starting point guard for a young and improving Pacers team that even has the ability to squeeze in to the playoffs this year.

Someone that not many people are going to consider is JaVale McGee for the Wizards. McGee averaged a lowly 6.4 points per game last year. This year John Wall will be running the team. He can score as well as distribute. Some of those dishes will be to young athletes in McGee and Andray Blatche.

If the Knicks do well this year and make the playoffs, you might see some votes fro Danilo Gallinari and Raymond Felton.

Rodrique Beaubois looks to be guy who will be getting more playing time for the Mavericks as well.

There are countless others you could include in the conversation. It was a close one, but I am going to go with Russell Westbrook getting the award this year. I picked him slightly over Collison. Westbrook showed he could lead a team to a gold medal during the FIBA Championships, not I think it will translate over with the Thunder. In addition, the Thunder are one of the favorites in the West with their young core. Westbrook averaged 16 points last year. I think that number can increase to 20. Couple that with a budding and thriving Kevin Durant and a much improved Thunder squad and you have your MIP candidate.

By Josh Delp of the Sports Fan Blog Network

Yao Ming will never again be the 37-minute workhorse he has been in recent seasons. At this point, the Rockets would happily settle for 25 quality minutes a night next season.

So there’s your new reality. On the positive side, they’ll have one of the NBA’s best centers back on the floor.
His presence will be especially critical on the defensive end, where the Rockets have been — how can we phrase this gently? — not very good.
He’s also a dominant low-post scorer, a great teammate and all-around good person. In other words, the Rockets are lucky to have him. If you ever thought they would be better off without him, this season probably convinced you otherwise.

Click here to read the full article – By RICHARD JUSTICE of Houston Chronicle

Tracy McGrady has been cleared to take an indefinite leave from the Houston Rockets after the former All-Star’s representatives and Rockets management agreed to work together in search of a trade for the disgruntled guard, according to sources close to the situation.

Sources close to the process told ESPN.com that multiple phone discussions Monday between Rockets general manager Daryl Morey and coach Rick Adelman in conjunction with McGrady’s lead agent, Arn Tellem, led to a mutual agreement that both sides would try to hatch a workable trade before the league’s annual trading deadline on Feb. 18.

McGrady was allowed to return to Houston over the weekend, while the team completed a road trip, when his request for increased minutes in his comeback from microfracture knee surgery was denied by Adelman.

When McGrady’s camp pressed Monday for firm promises about when his playing time would be extended — McGrady has averaged just 7.7 minutes in his six appearances this season — sources say that the Rockets were not prepared to make any such commitments, leading both sides to conclude that combining their efforts to try to facilitate a trade was the best option.


Click here to read the full article – By Marc Stein of ESPN.com

Aaron Brooks kept looking to see when Luis Scola was going to come back to the Houston bench. Once the game was finally over, he realized why the Rockets’ starting forward never did.


Gouged in the right eye only 22 seconds into the Rockets’ 100-91 victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night, Scola sported a bandage over his eye in the locker room.

“At first I didn’t think it was that bad. I’d seen some blood and I’d seen a cut, but you never know how bad it was. To come in here and he looks like Captain Hook, you kind of feel bad for him,” said Brooks, who scored 18 of his 21 points in the second half. “So, I hope he gets back, and we had to pull it out for him.”

Scola was hurt on a freak play as the Thunder’s Etan Thomas dunked with his right hand, simultaneously smacking Scola in the face with his left.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

Houston Rockets Sports Memorabilia
and other Houston Rockets Gifts and Collectibles

The Houston Rockets say there is no definite timetable for the return of Tracy McGrady, despite the star saying he’s got a date in mind.

“While we are all encouraged by the fact that Tracy’s rehabilitation has been ahead of schedule, we must remain vigilant through the next stages of his recovery,” Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said in a statement on Monday. “No timeline has been set for his return. He will return when team doctors, officials and Tracy all agree it is best. We will refrain from further public comments.”

McGrady told Yahoo! Sports on Monday that he has targeted the Nov. 18 game against the Minnesota Timberwolves for his return from knee surgery.

“Excited to get back and compete at a high level again,” McGrady reportedly said in an e-mail to Yahoo! Sports. “For a full year I had to play on one leg against the best and I couldn’t compete with anybody the way I was feeling. It’s gonna be a relief to get out there and play knowing what I went [through] last season and this summer.”


Click here to read the full article – By of ESPN.com

Houston Rockets Sports Memorabilia
and other Houston Rockets Gifts and Collectibles
Below are links to memorabilia available for Tracy McGrady.