Mark Hughes has not ruled out the possibility of Robinho making his comeback in Manchester City’s enticing encounter with Liverpool at Anfield on November 21.

• Barca can’t afford Robinho
• Hughes defends Bridge after shocker
• Hughes: New owners are happy with City progress

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Tracy McGrady is back.

With his expected return thought to be no sooner than early December, at best, the Rockets swingman told Yahoo! Sports that he will make his return to the court on Nov. 18 against Minnesota.

For the past eight months, McGrady has rehabbed his surgically repaired left knee.

In an email to Yahoo! Sports, McGrady wrote, “Excited to get back and compete at a high level again. 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.”

McGrady played in 35 games last season before undergoing microfracture surgery.

He averaged 15.6 points on 38 percent shooting from the field and was clearly hindered because of the knee, relying more and more upon the jump shot.

McGrady was expected to take another MRI on the knee on Nov. 23, but the play of rookie wing Chase Budinger may have led him to move up his return.

Budinger has averaged 10.6 points on 52.5 percent shooting this season and is undoubtedly the Rockets’ swingman of the future due to his athleticism, shooting ability and savvy offensive ability.

The bottom line is, at 4-2 so far, including wins against Utah and Portland, the Rockets have surprised and have played at a high level even without McGrady, a fact that probably doesn’t sit too well with the seven-time All-Star.

With Budinger one of the Rockets’ top bench players, McGrady’s return would likely mean either Trevor Ariza or Shane Battier get sent to the bench.

It would likely be Battier. The Rockets didn’t spend their mid-level exception to have Ariza as a glorified sixth man, plus the professional and team-oriented Battier would not complain about the move.

Either way, it would make sense for the Rockets to see what McGrady can do before February’s trading deadline.

He is in the final year of a contract which reportedly pays around $20 million this season, and would likely play well to showcase for a new suitor and earn one last, big deal.

If he doesn’t play up to par, and he provides no aid at all to the Rockets, the team might consider dealing him, considering it’s a buyer’s market in these hard economic times for NBA teams.

At best, McGrady is a No. 1 offensive option that would allow Brooks and Ariza to assume the complimentary roles that fit them best.

McGrady is a playmaker, and with a Rockets team that struggles in the halfcourt and has no true, legit lead player, he would help immensely in that area as a scorer that could demand a double team and make plays for others.

However, at worst, McGrady is a ball-stopper who settles too often for jump shots, particularly the aggravating kind that are just a step inside the 3-point line.

Yahoo! Sports reported that, while McGrady is awaiting final clearance from team doctors, Rockets sources don’t expect there to be any problems.

- Dennis Silva II/The Katy Capsule

There are 50 murders a day in South Africa, the host country of the 2010 football World Cup. And Brazil, host of both the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics, also suffers from extreme violence. With a view to the high-profile events, the two countries are now attempting to crack down on rampant crime — and are using ruthless tactics to do so.

An orchid, a laptop and a Bible adorn the desk of Pricilla de Oliveira Azevedo. She is wearing the blue uniform of the military police, but there is no weapon visible in her small office. Her territory is the Favela Santa Marta, a hillside slum in the heart of the southern tourist zone of the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. From the top of the hill, there is a magnificent view of Sugar Loaf Mountain, the statue of Christ the Redeemer and Copacabana beach. Read the full story

For the first time in a long time, the Houston Rockets have a pair of difference-makers on the bench.

Not since the days of Kevin Willis and Eddie Johnson have the Rockets had as potent a pair as rookie wing Chase Budinger and point guard Kyle Lowry.

That case especially bodes true in the case of Lowry, who was acquired last season in the three-team trade for Rafer Alston, as the Rockets have not had a quality backup point guard since the days of Sam Cassell. Read the full story

In an era of basketball where individualism is king and the King is its scene, the 2009-2010 Houston Rockets, through the first five games of this season at least, are a throwback to yesterday.

Only, if yesterday was three decades ago, when teamwork, ball movement and passing graced the NBA during the days of Bird and Magic.

Yesterday, as in back to the days when the give-and-go was as sexy as the alley-oop.

The Rockets are 3-2 so far, with two of the three wins coming against Portland and Utah, two projected Western Conference powerhouses.

One of the defeats was in overtime to the defending champ Lakers.

These Rockets – without their top three scorers from last season – are currently playing .600 ball, when many thought they’d be fortunate to sniff .500 at any point of the season.

Whowouldathunkit.

For old-school basketball enthusiasts, this year’s team is a joy to watch, and further proof that sharp passing, ball movement, and hard screening and cutting are not completely lost arts.

There is no lead star. There is no assured go-to talent. There is no legitimate interior threat, superstar wing and/or blazing-quick point guard … err, scratch that, the “blazing-quick point guard” still does apply.

No, this is a collection of superior basketball energy and unselfishness; a collection that refuses to let up and understands the sum is greater than its parts.

Need proof?

Five Rockets are scoring in double figures. Eight average at least 8.2 points per game.

This is a team that assists on 60 percent of its field goals, and shoots 46 percent from the field and 41.4 percent from 3.

In today’s game, numbers such as those are unheard of.

This is a team whose heart and soul is an undrafted, 6-foot-6 power forward out of Kentucky; an undersized post player who serves as the team’s starting center and, entering this season, had averaged no more than 5.6 points per game – and that was two years ago – and 6.7 rebounds per game.
If you need one player who embodies the heart and soul of these Rockets, it’s Chuck Hayes, human proof that if you pursue the ball, defend and play for your teammates, everything will fall into place.

“We can score,” Hayes said following Wednesday’s heartbreaking OT loss to the Lakers. “As you can see from these last three games (of which the Rockets scored 102, 111 and 113 points, respectively), we can put the ball in the basket. We don’t have one guy who’s going to go for 30 or 40 except maybe every now and then, but everybody can put the ball in the basket when we play well together.”

That, in a nutshell, is the Houston Rockets, and the game is better off for it.

In a league that grossly sensationalizes its superstars and enforces the individual over team, the Rockets are spitting at that message and paving a new path back to the glory days of hoops.

Back to the days of physical screens, hard cuts, quick ball reversal and finding the open man.

Many figured the Rockets to be left for dead this season. Charles Barkley, I’m looking at you.

And, who knows, that may still be the case.

The Western Conference is no cupcake, and you can thank the Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets for that.

But if the Rockets are headed toward a subpar this season, and if this early start is nothing but another cruel arrow into the hearts of Rockets fans, know this much: The Rockets will keep fighting, playing the way basketball is supposed to be played.

Somewhere, the NBA gods are smiling.

“When you lose your star players, people don’t expect very much from you but we’ve had the attitude that we’re going to play hard, compete and we’re going to see what we can do with this group,” Rockets coach Rick Adelman told Rockets.com following the team’s 113-96 win over Utah on Monday. “That’s how these guys have approached every day and that’s what makes them fun to coach because they do compete.”

- Dennis Silva II/The Katy Capsule

ESPN photo

ESPN.com is reporting that women’s basketball pioneer Nancy Lieberman will be the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks’ D-League affiliate team in Frisco, Texas.

Marc Stein reports:

Lieberman, an ESPN television analyst, is poised to become the first woman to be a head coach the D-League, which sent 20 players to the NBA last season and is widely regarded as the most scouted league in the world outside of the NBA.

Nelson’s ownership group has secured approval from the NBA to hire Lieberman to coach the yet-to-be-named team based in Frisco, Texas, which will serve as the Mavericks’ D-League affiliate next season.

A news conference is scheduled Thursday to introduce Lieberman as the first coach of the team that will begin play during the 2010-11 season in Frisco, a suburb about a half-hour north of downtown Dallas.

All coaching hires in the D-League have to be approved by the NBA, which owns and operates the 16-team league.

Here’s a link to the story: http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/nba/news/story?id=4623545

Now, I’m not sure what made the Mavs come to this conclusion. Perhaps Mark Cuban just wants to be in the limelight some more. Maybe it draws more female fans.

Do I think this will work? No.

Not to be gender bias, but I don’t see NBA athletes affording Lieberman the proper respect. I don’t see it at all. As it is, only a few NBA coaches get the adequate respect necessary. Now we expect Lieberman to win them over?

I credit Cuban and Mavs GM Donnie Nelson with doing something different. It is a curveball in every sense of the word, but in terms of drawing more female fans and spicing up the league a bit, it’s ingenious.

I would expect nothing else from Cuban, though I can’t help but think there are more qualified male candidates.

Lieberman is a great ambassador for the game of basketball. No doubt. She has proven she can coach and she obviously was a terrific player.

But I do think she’s out of her league, literally. She hasn’t even so much as held an assistant’s position for a men’s team. Not sure what sense this makes, honestly.

But we shall see. Cuban and Nelson are both smart basketball people who are passionate about the game. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt, and, heck, I hope Lieberman proves me wrong.

I just don’t think this will work. At all.

Photo by Cuate Santos | Laredo Morning Times

As I’ve mentioned, this blog is something I keep up with in my free time.

My real job is Sports Editor of a daily newspaper in South Texas, where one of my beats is the local NCAA Division II college basketball teams.

I cover both the men and women pretty closely, and every now and then I’ll do some features which I think merit attention on this blog.

One of my early ones was on a sophomore guard who is making a return to the court after sitting out last season.

She’s a local kiddo, and those stories are usually my favorite, as it offers the public a chance to get to know kids playing at the next level.

Anyway, here’s a link to the story: http://godzilla.lmtonline.com/lmthosted/LMT956Sports/110309ErikaRosas.php

The college hoops season is about two weeks away, so there will be more player profiles as we get to that point.

A week into the season, three undefeated teams remain.

In the East, the Boston Celtics are 5-0 (surprise, surprise) and look every bit as dominant and overwhelming as many thought they were going to be.

In the West, Denver and Phoenix are two huge shockeroos. Both are 4-0.

For the Nuggets, Carmelo Anthony is simply playing at another level. He is the first player in NBA history to score 30 points or more in his first three games, and he just looks on another level right now.

He’s determined. Focused. Inspired. Efficient. All but the last one, you would have never associated with Anthony, who seems ready to assume the leadership mantle and carry the team on his back.

For Phoenix, it’s a matter of a team playing cohesive, team basketball in a style of play that is fun to watch and extremely dangerous.

They’ll come back down to earth though. When Jared Dudley is one of your primary reserves, you are a very flawed basketball team.

Of the three, I consider Boston the lone legit threat. I like what I see out of Denver, especially considering they’ve pulled out two tough wins against Portland and Utah, but George Karl teams have a history of beating themselves a year after they’ve experienced great success.

So I’m still taking the “wait and see” approach on them.

The Nuggets aren’t shooting at a high percentage (41 percent) and are giving up way too many points (107), which means their offensive firepower has been solid, and they force a lot of possessions to where eventually their offense becomes too much to handle.

I reeeeeally like Boston, however. A great mix of efficient offense and stingy defense, and their depth has proven to be a heck of a lot better than last year.

I’m not convinced with the Lakers right now. Their depth, or lack thereof, is troubling, and Artest has been so-so. They can be beat if you’re long, athletic and quick, and that’s the direction many of the teams are going these days.

LA would be unstoppable if it slowed down its pace and played more halfcourt ball, but the fact that it likes to run and get out more often than not means more possessions in the game, and it’s transition defense is not very good.

Jury’s still out on them.

AP Photo

What in the name of Jeff Hornacek is going on in Utah?

The once proud franchise has been horrific defensively this season, and the result is a 1-3 start, including an embarrassing loss at home to Houston, a team Utah has historically owned at home.

The culmination of such gross basketball came tonight, when the Jazz let a 67-52 lead slip away in the fourth quarter and surrendered 44 POINTS to Dallas in the period en route to an 11-point defeat.

44 points. In one period. 27 of which came from Dirk Nowitzki, which set a franchise record.

Offensively, Utah is fine. Entering tonight’s game, they were shooting 47 percent from the field for 104 points per game.

But defensively, where coach Jerry Sloan is said to a mastermind, the team was surrendering 108 points per game on 47 percent shooting entering tonight’s game.

Those numbers were set to take a drastic turn downward tonight before Utah forgot it takes four quarters to win a basketball game, not three.

Can it be assumed that this team has tuned Sloan out? It’s safe to say that Sloan has stayed past his welcome, because the defense and energy has been lacking for quite some time now for Utah.

And that’s a reflection of a desire to play and compete for your team and coach. It has nothing to do with talent.

In a game that is becoming more wide open and spread on both ends of the floor, it’s possible Sloan’s halfcourt, flex and physical style is outdated.

One can only wonder what would happen if he completely loosened the reins on Deron Williams, Ronnie Brewer and Andrei Kirilenko, as well as shove away his distaste for the 3-point shot.

Sloan’s penchant for physical, defensive-minded team ball was successful for plenty of years, resulting in two NBA Finals trips and countless appearances deep into the postseason.

But it’s likely the game has passed him by. As an old-school hoops enthusiast, that pains me to say.

But it also pains me to see a Jerry Sloan team playing this lethargically on the floor.

AP Photo

I know, I know, it’s been awhile. But, alas, I am here now, so let’s take a look at what’s going on in hoops, shall we?

Yesterday, the Associated Press announced its preseason All-American men’s basketball team.

Notre Dame’s Luke Harangody, shown above, led the way and was the leading vote-getter.

He was joined by Kansas’ Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins and junior forwards Patrick Patterson, of Kentucky, and Kyle Singler, of Duke.

You can read the entire list here: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4616592

Honestly, it looks like the college game lacks a little flare this season. Mind you, all the players are solid and great collegiate talents, but does anyone see anyone who will be dramatically alluring?

I don’t.

I’m more interested, of course, to see how Kentucky freshman stud John Wall may do and what kind of impact he has.

I’ve also heard high praise for Cincinnati freshman Lance Stephenson, a mercurial talent who may even end up better than Wall.

We shall see, but like the past few years in college hoops, the raw freshmen talent – in a day and age where you actually can’t enter the NBA directly out of high school – outshines all.

K.C. Nlemchi (Katy, Texas/Cinco Ranch) is another in a terrific junior class of running backs in Texas. The ESPNU 150 Watch List member has been on the radar of college programs, since the spring of his freshman year and is closing in on his first offer.

“I’m pretty sure Texas A&M will offer me and maybe Texas Tech too. UCLA is recruiting me hard,” said Nlemchi.

Like all talented juniors, the 6-foot-0, 210-pound back is being bombarded with mail on a daily basis. Programs from the Big 12, Pac-10 and Notre Dame keep the mail box full.

http://insider.espn.go.com/

Within the Greater Houston boundaries, there are not many teams that can claim the undefeated title after eight weeks of play. But out West, the Katy Cinco Ranch team holds steady at 7-0 and has had several decisive victories over opponents during the 2009 campaign.

Though solid play is going on across the board, one could make the argument that the hardcore groundwork of running back K.C. Nlemchi plays a major factor in the Cougars’ success.

But let the 6-foot-1, 206-pound junior tell it, he is just doing what needs to be done.

“Pretty much I go and do what I have to do. I don’t want to let anyone down because there is a lot expected of me and I take that to heart because it’s a blessing to play on this team and be a part of this community,” Nlemchi said. “I know my role and I know my part and a lot of teams key on me. But we are all a team. As long as I have everyone blocking for me, then I am going to just grab the ball and run with it.”

And in the latest 40-0 win over rival Morton Ranch, Nlemchi handled up. He had 10 carries for 122 yards and two touchdowns. Though the numbers seem solid, Nlemchi, and even the Cougar offense, wanted to bring a little more to the table.

But, judging by the numbers, it was a slow start and strong finish.

“I mean when the defense is doing their part, the offense needs to come out and do our part too,” Nlemchi said. “They (Morton Ranch) expected a lot and was ready for me. You could tell by the way they played. They hit hard and I came off the ball twice. I haven’t fumbled much in my life. I never do that so I give them much respect for that.”

So far for the season, Nlemchi has been updating his resume weekly. In 2009, he is averaging 8.75 yards per carry and is well past the 1,000-yard mark with 1,146 yards with 15 touchdowns. Nlemchi is active in the passing game as well with nine catches for 151 yards and two scores.

This level of play has brought some awareness to Cinco Ranch back and is hearing from quite a few schools, mainly in the Big 12 Conference.

“I don’t have any offers yet, but I am hearing from a lot of schools,” Nlemchi said. “I getting a lot of letters from Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Notre Dame and Texas Tech.”

In speaking with Cinco Ranch coach Don Clayton, the Aggies have shown quite a bit of interest in his running back. Also, in recent talks with Nlemchi himself, the idea of keeping his talent within the borders of the state would be nice.

But a few exceptions could be made.

“It would be a blessing to be able to stay in the state, and I really like Texas, but that is not like I am claiming a favorite or saying much about that,” Nlemchi said. “But if I were to go out of the state to like a Florida or USC, you know somewhere big like Oklahoma.”

With Oklahoma, Nlemchi said that there have not been a heavy dose of communications, but the ones that have come were good.

“I have been invited to a few games, but haven’t made any yet,” Nlemchi said of his Sooner interest. “I would love to know more about Oklahoma. They are talented, aggressive and disciplined. And they execute well as a team.”

Nlemchi and the Cougar team get ready for another district match up this Friday against Mayde Creek.

http://oklahoma.scout.com

If Florida doesn’t suspend Brandon Spikes, then the SEC office should. Unless the video below has been doctored, this is simply unacceptable from a college football player. Spikes is a great player. He is also an emotional player. And he clearly let his emotions get the best of him when he stuck his hand inside Waushan Ealey’s facemask. My hope is that Florida coach Urban Meyer looks at the video, is horrified, and suspends Spikes for at least one game. Spikes needs a reality check. Look, I know enough former players who have told me that a lot of bad things happen in pileups. But this is right out in the open and everything was caught on camera. This is a player intentionally trying to hurt another player. It’s simple: If coaches are going to be held accountable for their actions and officials are going to be held accountable for their mistakes, then players must be held accountable for what they do. There is no place in the game for something like this.

http://blogs.ajc.com/barnhart-college-football/

Any true basketball enthusiast should loathe the face in the picture seen above.

It’s that of disgusting ref Tim Donaghy, who admitted taking cash payoffs from gamblers for picks on games, including ones he officiated. He was sentenced to 15 months for conspiracy to engage in wire fraud and transmitting betting information through interstate commence.

Basically he ruined the dignity of the game. Muddied it to no end.

Anyway, he has written a tell-all book – “Blowing the whistle”- which reportedly cites many examples of wrongdoing, cheating and other kind of scandalous innuendo by Donaghy and his peers,

The book, however, is on hold for publication because the NBA had threatened Random House, the original publisher, with a lawsuit if it was to move forward and print the book.

Random House said “No, thanks” and now Donaghy is looking for a new publisher.

Quite the drama.

Anyway, DeadSpin has released some excerpts from the book, which are, well, intriguing and very interesting.

Mind you, these are the words of a cheat, scoundrel and liar, so take them for what they’re worth.

Here are some excerpts of the excerpts so you get an idea of what is being written:

To have a little fun at the expense of the worst troublemakers, the referees working the game would sometimes make a modest friendly wager amongst themselves: first ref to give one of the bad boys a technical foul wouldn’t have to tip the ball boy that night. In the NBA, ball boys set up the referees’ locker room and keep it stocked with food and beer for the postgame meal. We usually ran the kid ragged with a variety of personal requests and then slipped him a $20 bill. Technically, the winner of the bet won twice — he didn’t have to pay the kid and he got to call a T on Mr. Foul-Mouthed Big-Shot Du Jour.

After the opening tip, it was hilarious as the three of us immediately focused our full attention on the intended victim, waiting for something, anything, to justify a technical foul. If the guy so much as looked at one of us and mumbled, we rang him up. Later in the referees’ locker room, we would down a couple of brews, eat some chicken wings, and laugh like hell.

*******

You would think that the NBA would love a guy who plays such great defense. Think again! Star stoppers hurt the promotion of marquee players. Fans don’t pay high prices to see players like Raja Bell — they pay to see superstars like Kobe Bryant score 40 points. Basketball purists like to see good defense, but the NBA wants the big names to score big points.

If a player of Kobe’s stature collides with the likes of Raja Bell, the call will almost always go for Kobe and against Bell. As part of our ongoing training and game preparation, NBA referees regularly receive game-action video tape from the league office. Over the years, I have reviewed many recorded hours of video involving Raja Bell. The footage I analyzed usually illustrated fouls being called against Bell, rarely for him. The message was subtle but clear — call fouls against the star stopper because he’s hurting the game.

*********

Allen Iverson provides a good example of a player who generated strong reaction, both positive and negative, within the corps of NBA referees. For instance, veteran referee Steve Javie hated Allen Iverson and was loathe [sic] to give him a favorable call. If Javie was on the court when Iverson was playing, I would always bet on the other team to win or at least cover the spread. No matter how many times Iverson hit the floor, he rarely saw the foul line. By contrast, referee Joe Crawford had a grandson who idolized Iverson. I once saw Crawford bring the boy out of the stands and onto the floor during warm-ups to meet the superstar. Iverson and Crawford’s grandson were standing there, shaking hands, smiling, talking about all kinds of things. If Joe Crawford was on the court, I was pretty sure Iverson’s team would win or at least cover the spread.

**************

I remember one nightmarish game I worked with Joe Crawford and Phil Robinson. Minnesota and New Orleans were in a tight game going into the last minute, and Crawford told us to make sure that we were 100 percent sure of the call every time we blew the whistle. When play resumed, Minnesota coach Flip Saunders started yelling at us to make a call. Robinson got intimidated and blew the whistle on New Orleans. The only problem was it wasn’t the right call. Tim Floyd, the Hornets’ coach, went nuts. He stormed the court and kicked the ball into the top row of the stadium. Robinson had to throw him out, and Minnesota won the game.
[...]
Later that week, Ronnie Nunn told me that we could have made something up at the other end against Minnesota to even things out. He even got specific — maybe we should have considered calling a traveling violation on Kevin Garnett. Talk about the politics of the game! Of course the official statement from the league office will always read, “There is no such thing as a makeup call.”

*************

Interesting stuff, right?

There’s plenty more: http://deadspin.com/5392067/

Get to it before the NBA does.

The Associated Press  is reporting that Bob Knight has turned down Indiana’s invitation toattend next week’s induction into the university’s athletic hall of fame.

Former Indiana coach Bob Knight will not attend next week’s induction into the athletic department’s hall of fame.

Athletic director Fred Glass said Thursday that Knight contacted him directly to decline the invitation. Glass said Knight was concerned that the interest in him would be a distraction from the other six inductees.

All living members of the 2009 Hall of Fame class, except Knight, are expected to attend in person.

Nicknamed “The General,” Knight won a school-record 662 games and three national championships at Indiana before being fired by then university president Myles Brand in September 2000.

Knight retired in 2008 with the most wins (902) of any coach in Division I men’s basketball.

No surprise, really.  I mean, who honestly expected Knight to attend?

There is almost no doubt that he holds bitterness toward the way his tenure at IU ended. He felt, and deserved, to be honest, to leave the job on his own terms.

That obviously didn’t happen, though it appears Indiana has moved on.

It’s unfortunate for both parties however. Knight will always be synonymous with Indiana University basketball.

He stands as my top collegiate basketball coach ever. I’m sure there are plenty who feel the same way.

ESPN released its ESPN/USA Today Top 25 Coaches’ Poll today.

Kansas is No. 1, followed by Michigan State, Texas, North Carolina and Kentucky.

Bill Self’s Jayhawks club returns a solid nucleus from a team that went to the regional semifinals of the NCAA tournament last season.

They fell to eventual NCAA Finalist Michigan State.

Villanova, Purdue, Duke, West Virgina and Butler round out the top 10.

Here’s the full story: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4604585

Full poll results: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/rankings?pollId=2

AP Photo

The Blazers defeated the Rockets 96-87 in each team’s season opener tonight.

Here’s some of what I saw:

- Don’t be fooled, this one was never close. The Blazers built a 20-point lead in the third quarter before falling to sleep and allowing the Rockets to cut it to six late before pulling away. The Rockets got back in the game by driving and attacking the rim instead of settling for 3 after 3 and it paid off.

- Houston, though so hopelessly devoid of talent, did do some good things, and the Blazers will likely walk away from this one kicking themselves for letting things almost slip away. Houston held Portland to 42.9 shooting and forced 26 (!) turnovers. These undersized Rockets are a scrappy, gutsy bunch, and defensively they can compete, no doubt.

- So what won the game for the Blazers? Attributes that are sure to come up time and time again this season for Houston. The Blazers knocked in 10-of-21 3s (47.6) percent because the Rockets were so focused on containing penetration and protecting the paint. Portland, more importantly, also out-rebounded Houston 51-33. Expect that to be a common trend against the Rockets, who are very undersized.

- Rookie Chase Budinger was on the floor for Houston when it made its late surge. The swingman scored six points but looked nervous and frantic early. He turned the ball over twice in 15 minutes and missed 4 of his 6 shots.

- Good defensive job by Houston on Blazers star Brandon Roy, who shot just 5 of 18 for 20 points. But he went to the free throw 11 times, making 10.

- The Rockets play fast and try desperately to get up and down but I don’t know how much longer they can last. Qucik shots lead to quick buckets on the other end, and their transition defense was horrid.

- By one game, athletic swingmen will give the Rockets trouble. The Blazers’ Travis Outlaw scored 23 points on 9-14 shooting off the bench, and starter Martell Webster added 14 points on 4-7 shooting in 25 minutes.

- The Rockets’ bench wasn’t better than the Blazers’, and Portland’s starters were better than Houston’s.

- Despite being the sixth best offense in the preseason, I expect scoring to be an issue for the Rockets. They scored 87 points on 37% shooting, including 27% from deep. Too many role players asked to assume lead roles for Houston.

- The Blazers looked incredibly smooth and precise before going sluggish in the fourth quarter. They were hitting shots, making the right passes, and the rebounding and defense was incredible. They will be a tough team to beat once they learn to put together four quarters of basketball. Their asleep-at-the-wheel act tonight was inexcusable.

- The real measure of the Rockets, at least this early in the season, will be tomorrow against the Warriors in Golden State. Both teams lack inside power. Both teams wanna run and gun. And both teams are expected to be near or at the bottom of the West this season. Should be a telling game for both clubs.

AP Photo

Good game in Cleveland tonight. Celtics topped the Cavs 95-89 in each club’s season opener.

Some analysis from the game:

- Rasheed Wallace is obviously a huge addition for the green (12 points, 3 rebounds, 3-6 3s), but Marquis Daniels (7 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound,  1 steal, 3-5 shooting) will be huge as well. I can’t stress enough how important his versatility and scoring will be. He allows Eddie House to play off the ball more, and can also defend multiple positions. Keep an eye on him.

- The Cavs take some baaaaaaaaaad shots. Very bad. They shot just 41% from the floor, but they shoot quick and early and they’re often long shots. LeBron, in particular, showed poor shot selection, especially early. But he’s the type of talent that can make any shot look good. The Celtics, meanwhile, got smart shots and were smart with possession of the basketball. They shot 44.4 percent from the floor, including 47% from 3.

- I like the Parker signing for the Cavs. When I first heard of it, I thought, ‘Man, that’s a nice pickup.’ 10 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 blocked shots for Candace Parker’s brother. He’ll end up being the better pickup than Shaq. Trust me.

- As expected, the Cavs did a lot of standing around with Shaq in the middle. I just don’t see how this move will work out. The Cavs are at their best in transition and cutting and moving without the ball. With Shaq, they can’t do any of that because he’s so methodical with his touches and he clogs the lane. And when you have Shaq, you need knockdown shooters as a result, which the Cavs don’t. Their 6-of-17 shooting from 3 attests to that.

- I hardly noticed Mo Williams at all out there (12 points, 3-8 shooting, 35 minutes) and Andersen Varejao is doing waaaaaaaaaay too much (3-9 shooting, four shots blocked). I have no idea who will step up for LeBron outside of Parker and the occasional Shaq flourish.

- Solid night for Rajon Rondo: 8 points (4-8 shooting), 10 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 turnovers in 34 minutes. Most players would gripe or be sour after a team hesitates and drags its feet on a contract extension, but I see it motivating Rondo. The Celtics may regret allowing him to hit the market next season.

HoopScribe’s 2009 picks for the 2009-10 season:

Division Champs

Atlantic: Boston

Central: Cleveland

Southeast: Orlando

Southwest: San Antonio

Northwest: Portland

Pacific: LA Lakers

Eastern Conference Finals: Celtics over Cavaliers

Western Conference Finals: Lakers over Spurs

NBA Finals:

Celtics over Lakers in 7 games

Posteason awards

MVP: LeBron James, Cavaliers

Rookie of the Year: Stephen Curry, Warriors

Coach of the Year: Nate McMillan, TrailBlazers

Defensive Player of the Year: Dwanye Wade, Heat

Sixth Man of the Year: J.R. Smith, Nuggets

Most Improved Player: Rajon Rondo, Celtics

Executive of the Year: Ernie Grunfeld, Wizards