I was doing a little casual reading on the 76ers' hiring of Sam Hinkie and came across an article that included this little tidbit about Kelvin Sampson and James Harden that caught me off guard: "Sampson is unlikely to be back in Houston, because according to the executive, “the players hate him, especially Harden.” That doesn’t sound too good." Of course, this was referenced from an un-named NBA insider so I would take it in with a grain of salt. In any case, it caught me by surprised because I thought Sampson did a fine job of filling in for McHale. None of the players have ever given any kind of hint that they were dis-satisfied with any of the coaches, so this claim comes as a surprised. I've always liked Sampson and I think he would be hard to replace on if he leaves for a head coaching gig. If you're interested, the article (see link below) offers a counter to (I guess, my) assumption that Hinkie's hiring means an implementation of "moneyball" to the Sixers' new season, and seems intent to draw suspension to the use of analytics in building team. Personally, I'll be following the Sixers more closely next season, even more so if they do hire Kelvin Sampson, just to see if they try to replicate the Rockets. http://blogs.phillymag.com/the_philly_post/2013/05/13/nba-moneyball-sixers-sam-hinkie/ (The source of the article isn't exactly a sports blog) I was doing a little casual reading on the 76ers' hiring of Sam Hinkie and came across an article that included this little tidbit about Kelvin Sampson and James Harden that caught me off guard: "Sampson is unlikely to be back in Houston, because according to the executive, “the players hate him, especially Harden.” That doesn’t sound too good." Of course, this was referenced from an un-named NBA insider so I would take it in with a grain of salt. In any case, it caught me by surprised because I thought Sampson did a fine job of filling in for McHale. None of the players have ever given any kind of hint that they were dis-satisfied with any of the coaches, so this claim comes as a surprised. I've always liked Sampson and I think he would be hard to replace on if he leaves for a head coaching gig. If you're interested, the article (see link below) offers a counter to (I guess, my) assumption that Hinkie's hiring means an implementation of "moneyball" to the Sixers' new season, and seems intent to draw suspension to the use of analytics in building team. Personally, I'll be following the Sixers more closely next season, even more so if they do hire Kelvin Sampson, just to see if they try to replicate the Rockets. http://blogs.phillymag.com/the_philly_post/2013/05/13/nba-moneyball-sixers-sam-hinkie/ (The source of the article isn't exactly a sports blog)

Chandler Parsons wasn’t Houston’s flashiest player, or Houston’s best player, or even Houston’s most famous player. Parsons wasn’t the primary scorer, or the defensive anchor, or the team’s distributor. Despite all that, Chandler Parsons was something even more important. Chandler Parsons, despite being only a sophomore in the NBA, managed to become the soul of the brand new Houston Rockets.Before bringing up numbers, before rattling off individual plays and rotations, before any of that is what Chandler Parsons means for the Rockets. He’s the only link between the “New Age” Rockets and the team that preceded them (with the exception of Greg Smith, who played only 69 minutes last year). Chandler Parsons arrived at the same time as head coach Kevin McHale, and neither could have succeeded without the other.McHale saw a defensive game-changer in the second round pick out of Florida, dethroning Chase Budinger from his starting position and giving Parsons a chance to shine. The Rockets may have missed the playoffs last season, but Chandler returned the favor to McHale this year in an unexpected and impressive playoff push. Rather than slide into a sophomore slump, Parsons elevated his game and improved his shot, becoming so much more than a decent player on a tiny contract.Chandler Parsons first became famous for his defense, earning praise from pundits and players alike. After his excellent work on Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant last year, Chandler’s name recognition rose with rare praise from Kobe himself. But this year? Chandler Parsons took on the identity of McHale and Morey’s team, running and gunning all the way to the playoffs. Once he got there, he capped off a season of improvement with an amazing line against the Oklahoma City Thunder in game 4 of the first round: 27 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists. He made it to the next stage.We know he’s not merely the decent role player he was predicted to be. And we know he’s grown to that next stage. We just aren’t sure what that is. He looks like a future all-star to the hopeful eye, but a more cynical take pegs him as the beneficiary of Harden’s skill. It’s not even clear where he fits in the echelons of Rockets players; is he better than Lin or A??k? How important is he to Houston’s future? All we know is how important he is to Houston’s present. And it’s a lot.The Rockets gained fame for their belief in Shane Battier, famously described as a “No-Stats All-Star. In Chandler Parsons, Houston has found another defensive small forward, another “glue guy” who’s known for his positive influence on locker rooms and win totals. The difference here is that Chandler Parsons has stats, too. He averaged 15.5 points per game on 12.4 shots, 48.6% shooting from the field, 38.5% from deep, 73% from the line, 5.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.9 turnovers a game. So we know he’s not just a defender. He’s a starting caliber forward.The good here is that he improved his shooting and distributing from last year. He was shooting a lackluster 33% from three last year, and he came back with an improved shot that made him a legitimate threat from the arc. He’s an improved ball handler, and he’s shown flashes of creating and distributing. He’s bought into the run and gun system, happily leading fast breaks and not settling for low efficiency looks. It wasn’t clear in November how much of an offensive game Parsons would have. It’s clear now that he can score.The bad comes in two flavors. First is a bland taste of stagnant numbers in his peripherals, with rebounds, steals, blocks and turnovers per 36 minutes staying the same or dropping slightly. His non-scoring stats are integral to Houston’s team, and while it’s good that he’s kept their efficiency up while playing more minutes, that’s far behind the improvement he showed in his offensive stats. Secondly is the relative souring of his acclaimed defense. As the team defense gambled more often and paid the price, so did Parsons follow the pack, allowing trips

via a.espncdn.com (Chandler Parsons is cool) Greetings everybody, hope things are going super well for you all! There's not much Rockets news to go around, but I was bored today and looked up who the Rockets could potentially pick up in this year's draft. I went to draftexpress (don't know how reliable the site is, but it looks like a professional website with pretty good videos and analysis). Red Nation has the 34th pick overall (4th pick in the 2nd round) per the website, and they have us picking Lorenzo Brown, a 6ft4 PG out of NC State (a junior). His scouting report didn't appeal to me at all. He seems to have regressed from his previous two years of college. Has good handles apparently, and his size is appealing, but after watching the Rockets' playoff series vs the Thunder, I was thinking that we need a quality back-up center: hopefully from the draft. Even though we played a lot of small ball, we were most effective when we had The Turkey down low to gobble up boards and stuff people ( :) ). When Gre

What does an underrated NBA player look like? Before we answer that question, let’s first define what underrated means. According to the dictionary widget on my laptop, it’s to “underestimate the extent, value, or importance of (someone or something).”Related to NBA players, it’s watching someone play and not realizing how good he is. It’s rarely bringing their name up in conversation when other, equally/lesser productive players, are dancing on our tongues and endlessly touring NBA Twitter.How does one even become underrated? What’s the evaluation process look like, and what are some similar characteristics most underrated players share? Here are a few rules:1) They can’t be too flashy.Underrated players don’t have people compiling highlight reels of their best plays, publishing them on Youtube, then feverishly e-mailing them to old college friends as a way to stay in touch.They don’t wow you with athleticism or ever “look” like the best player on the court. They plod instead of gallop, and are overlooked mo

According to Mark Berman, reporter at Houston's Fox affiliate KRIV, the Rockets will not pick up Francisco Garcia's team option for the 2013/14 season. NBA sources: Rockets will not pick up the 2013-14 team option on Francisco Garcia's contract which is worth $6,400,000.— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) May 13, 2013 Although the move makes sense on paper - Garcia's 6.4 million dollar option is a little pricey for a club who is trying to free up money - it is a shame to see a player like Garcia, who came into his own during the final push of playoffs, unable to continue that show of growth with the club. Here's hoping the Rocket's management staff can somehow find a way to have their cake and eat it too. Keep Garcia and have enough money to play with over the summer. According to Mark Berman, reporter at Houston's Fox affiliate KRIV, the Rockets will not pick up Francisco Garcia's team option for the 2013/14 season. NBA sources: Rockets will not pick up the 2013-14 team option on

Craig and Jason discuss the NBA playoffs and Sam Hinkie's new role as the Sixers' GM

Over the past few seasons there have been times when Morey's motives have not been crystal clear and the team compass was spinning like a top. In some of the latest posts on this blog I have seen some Rocket's fans question Morey's decision to go with Lin over retaining Dragic. I truly believe the explanation for this decision can be made in one word: Parsons. Now, in my own personal opinion a true title contender needs at least a three year window with a solidified roster to have the best shot at hanging one in the rafters. We can look at the Miami's, OKC's and Memphis's of the league and see that is a fair assessment. I think as a fanbase we are hoping to see Morey's final product, including another max level player, take the court at the tip-off of the 2014 season. Whether that player is acquired this offseason or next, I think it is safe to say the soonest our true run at a title can start would be the 2014-1015 season. This will be our last season with Parsons, Asik and Lin under their current deals. So

The All-Playoff, First TeamLeBron JamesGive me LeBron because he’s the best. He hasn’t exactly stood out this postseason because he’s merely done what he always does: influence every aspect of the game, every minute he’s on the floor. The spider-string of dominance he casts on both ends of the floor has become rote. But he can also slay you with stylistic daggers, the kind of posterizations that ruin a legacy, or a run. He’s everything, and it’s terrifying.Steph CurryThe cinematic standout of the playoffs, Curry’s hot shooting streaks are reason enough for his Warriors to believe they’re competitors in any and all contests. It’s often forgotten that he’s a hell of a passer, too—fully aware of what the attention he demands from defenses does for his teammates, and great at capitalizing on the misdirection.Kevin Durant Durant’s been phenomenal. If anyone considers the Thunder’s (inevitable) loss to Memphis a referendum on what he’s made of, they ought to think twice. KD’s lost two of the league’s fifteen best p

If, like me, your season ends when the Rockets quit playing, these are pretty dull times basketball wise. Yes I know that the playoffs are going full blast but apart from catching snippets of games here and there my interest is minimal. Mostly my attention is on what happens after June is over, free agency begins. I know there is a large faction out there that will not be happy if a certain guy named Howard does not decide to don Rocket red. Personally I am a believer in not trying to fix what ain't broke and out current center seems to be one of the best parts of our roster. That whole discussion fails my "is the juice worth the squeeze" test. For the sake of argument, lets take what has come out of pretty much everyone involved and say we will stick with free agent signings as opposed to trades. If that in fact is the case, let's hear who you would like us to sign and why. To keep it simple, let's say that pretty much any FA out there can be accommodated salary wise and thus acquired by Morey. For the

The Miami Heat and Memphis Grizzlies are in enviable positions with the chance to take control of their series in their quest to punch their tickets to the Conference Finals. The Bulls and Thunder, on the other hand, will do everything they can to stop that and even the serieses at 2-2. After these pivotal game four's, we'll know a lot more about the NBA Playoff picture. Sit back, relax, and join us in the SB Nation Network Open Thread at the Dream Shake tonight, with the Heat and Bulls squaring off at 7 PM EST and the Grizzlies and Thunder matching up at 9:30 PM, both of which will be broadcast on TNT. Join in on the conversation! Next Game Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls Monday, May 13, 2013, 6:00 PM CDT United Center Complete Coverage > Next Game Oklahoma City Thunder @ Memphis Grizzlies Monday, May 13, 2013, 8:30 PM CDT FedEx Forum Complete Coverage >