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Rockets introduce Trevor Ariza (AP)

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:59:46 PDT

Trevor Ariza liked what he saw in Houston enough to leave the Los Angeles Lakers. The Rockets formally introduced the versatile forward on Wednesday after he signed a multiyear contract. The 24-year-old free agent agreed to join the Rockets last Thursday night, switching places with free agent Ron Artest, who left Houston to play for the Lakers.

Yao retains optimism; NBA grants injury exception (PA SportsTicker)

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:12:33 PDT

By CHRIS DUNCAN AP Sports Writer

Free-agent buzz: Bulls meet with Pargo (Yahoo! Sports)

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 19:31:00 PDT

Chicago is courting free agent guard Jannero Pargo.

'Net reaction: Artest and Ariza swap teams (Yahoo! Sports)

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 07:10:37 PDT

What a wild and wacky world we live in. According to numerous reports, Ron Artest will be a member of the Lakers...

NBA free agents: 2009 class (Yahoo! Sports)

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:39:00 PDT

Team-by-team list of NBA free agents.

Yao Ming will wait week before surgery decision (AP)

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:13:54 PDT

Houston Rockets All-Star center Yao Ming will have to wait up to a week before he knows whether he will need surgery on his broken left foot. The playing future of the 7-foot-6 Yao is in question amid reports from the team doctor that the hairline fracture in his foot could keep him out all of next season, and potentially end his career.

Source: Rockets GM meeting with Lakers' F Ariza (AP)

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:50:38 PDT

With question marks surrounding three of their top players, the Rockets met with Trevor Ariza on Thursday in hopes of bringing the Los Angeles Lakers forward to Houston, The Associated Press has learned. Rockets general manager Daryl Morey met with the free agent in Las Vegas, according to a person familiar with the situation who requested anonymity because the negotiations were ongoing.

Updated odds to win 2010 championship following Draft, trades (Yahoo! Sports)

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:05:25 PDT

Bodog's odds to win the 2009-10 NBA Championship have been reassessed and posted following last week's...

Agent: Artest mulling options in free agency (AP)

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:48:54 PDT

If LeBron James or Kobe Bryant are looking for a little help, Ron Artest is taking calls. The Rockets star forward, an unrestricted free agent, will consider a team's chances of winning an NBA championship when deciding where he'll bring his skills next season, his agent says. David Bauman said Wednesday that his client would like to return to Houston, but Artest would also think about...

Some big names, fewer big spenders in free agency (AP)

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:56:21 PDT

Some big names will be out there. The big spenders will be harder to find. Free agency opens in the NBA on Wednesday, but there should be few fireworks this July. The blockbuster trades were last week, and the real free agent bonanza is next year. Financial difficulties, combined with the potential of one of the best classes ever in 2010, will have most teams keeping their check books closed this...

Rockets still mum on Yao news (AP)

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:18:47 PDT

On the eve of the NBA draft, Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said that the franchise was still determined to build around All-Star center Yao Ming. "He's the cornerstone of the team," Morey said. A few days later, the future of the team and the All-Star center from China have suddenly been thrown into question amid ominous reports from the team doctor that the hairline...

Suicide lines: Bosh, Boozer, Millsap, Ariza and more ... (Yahoo! Sports)

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 06:00:33 PDT

Every weekday morning, Ball Don't Lie serves up a handful of NBA-related stories to digest with your fresh...

Rockets enter partnership with D-League's Vipers (AP)

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:09:40 PDT

The Houston Rockets are taking over basketball operations of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in what it says is the first partnership of its kind with an NBA Developmental League team. The move will give the Rockets control over the players assigned to the D-League team and the final say on staff hirings, coaching decisions and even the schemes used in games.

Rockets could lose Yao for season or more (Yahoo! Sports)

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:14:00 PDT

As Yao Ming seeks more opinions, league sources say a foot injury could be serious enough to threaten his career.

Casspi 1st Israeli taken in 1st round of NBA draft (AP)

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 05:13:04 PDT

The news of Israeli basketball player Omri Casspi's selection in the NBA draft set off a major celebration in his home country. Casspi, a 2.06-meter (6-foot-9), 20-year-old forward with Maccabi Tel Aviv, was taken by the Sacramento Kings with the 23rd pick in draft on Thursday night. It's the first time an Israeli has been selected in the first round of the draft and guarantees Casspi a...

Draft buzz: Trading game (Yahoo! Sports)

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:27:00 PDT

Keep up with all the latest news and notes on draft day.

Yao's foot injury not healed (AP)

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 22:23:04 PDT

Yao Ming's broken foot is not healed and the Houston Rockets say the All-Star center is out indefinitely. Yao suffered a hairline fracture in his left foot in the Rockets' second-round playoff loss to the Lakers on May 8. The team initially said Yao would miss eight to 12 weeks, but team doctor Tom Clanton examined Yao's foot in Houston on Wednesday and said the injury has not responded...

Bucks sending Richard Jefferson to San Antonio? (Yahoo! Sports)

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 11:06:21 PDT

This is what happens, general managers and fans alike, when you shoot for 45 wins, and nothing higher.

Hope for a continent, one basket at a time (AP)

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:05:19 PDT

Growing up in Nigeria, Robert Ojeah fretted over the demands of everyday life, the sort of things that shouldn't be a burden to a child. Would he have a roof over his head that night? What was he going to do for money? Where was his next meal coming from? He bounced around from relative to relative in search of a bed.

Coming to America: Africans playing hoops in US (AP)

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 12:04:42 PDT

Growing up in Nigeria, Robert Ojeah fretted over the demands of everyday life, the sort of things that shouldn't be a burden to a child. Would he have a roof over his head that night? What was he going to do for money? Where was his next meal coming from? "We would catch animals. Cook them, roast them, eat them," he said.

Knicks inquire about Houston's McGrady (Yahoo! Sports)

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 08:07:53 PDT

Newsday reports the New York Knicks inquired about Houston Rockets ' guard Tracy McGrady recently.

Grizzlies hold key to 2009 draft (Yahoo! Sports)

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 06:49:00 PDT

Sources say the Kings are growing less inclined to trade up for the Grizzlies' No. 2 pick.

Rockets Team Report (Yahoo! Sports)

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 02:50:31 PDT

The Rockets spent the season overcoming obstacles and developed a great deal of pride about their resilience. The problem with that is that there were so many obstacles.

They did earn the right to feel some measure of satisfaction about their fortitude. They rallied throughout the season following the worst, most discouraging losses. They turned the season around when Tracy McGrady went out for the season due to microfracture surgery. They stunned the Lakers twice after losing Yao Ming for the remainder of the playoffs with a fractured foot.

Still, their prospects would seem considerably improved if they did not have so many problems to overcome.

The Rockets remain committed to building their team and chances around Yao.