[07] Houston Rockets: Discontinued due to File Corruption...

[SpaceFlare]

Houston Rockets

Note: I'll be using updated rosters so the rookies in Live 07 (Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, Randy Foye, etc) will be sophomores for my first season. And rookies Kevin Durant, Greg Oden, Mike Conley will be in the game. For the first season, I'll be posting monthly recaps, as I've already played through November, and maybe work my way towards weekly recaps in the 2nd season. I'll be forcing some CPU transactions via dbf editing but I'll try my best to make fair and realistic decisions and not rip any team off.

I'll only be playing the last quarter of two possession games. I'll be making up various storylines which I would find interesting, so look out for those and hopefully I develop them well enough.

TEAM ROSTER
Starters
C - Yao Ming
PF - Chuck Hayes
SF - Shane Battier
SG - Tracy McGrady
PG - Rafer Alston

BENCH
SG - Luther Head
PG - Mike James
SF - Bonzi Wells
PF - Luis Scola
C - Dikembe Mutombo
PG - Steve Francis
PG - Aaron Brooks

INACTIVE
PF - Carl Landry
SF - Steve Novak
SG - Kirk Snyder

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NEXT UPDATE: Recap of December

[Xiphias]

There is a lot of rockets dynastys now , so you could do a dynasty with another team , but good luck with this one

[SpaceFlare]

I really like the Rockets. Been a Rockets fan since 2004. Might upload the first update later tonight. I already have the recaps written. I'll just find a couple of good pics and I'm all set to post the update.

[Clutch]

Don't let that deter you man; as far as I can tell, only myself and one other HOU dynasties are 'active' right now; I don't think the other is updated all too often and mine is already different since I'm not using real-world rosters; besides, all dynasties take a unique spin with time anyways

Good luck and look forward to seeing how your Rockets develop; drop by and check out my squad too whenever you get a chance

[SpaceFlare]

Clutch, thanks for the encouragement. I'll check out your dynasty after this update.

OCTOBER - NOVEMBER RECAP

The Rockets enjoyed a sizzling 14-1 start to the season. Led by McGrady and Yao, who averaged 32.9 and 24.8 points respectively, the Rockets have shown themselves to be more potent on offense under Rick Adelman's system. Aside from the noticeable improvement on offense, the Rockets maintained the defensive intensity they had under former coach Jeff Van Gundy.

McGrady, who leads the team in scoring and assists, (6.9 apg) now looks more like the T-Mac that led the league in scoring twice in Orlando. With a better supporting cast than what he had in Orlando, T-Mac, an often underrated passer, has found his teammates who knew how to convert on the opportunities they had.

The Rockets only loss came at the hands of defending Eastern Conference Champions Cleveland Cavaliers. LeBron James scored 45 points, grabbed 6 boards, and dished out 5 assists in the Cavalier victory. T-Mac kept the Rockets close with 32 points, 5 boards, and 8 assists but the Rockets lost 95-85.

In a pre-game interview before the Lakers game on November 30th, starting point guard Rafer Alston had this to say about the team's hot start: "Yeah, it's great to end the first month of the season 13-1. I think beating Dallas and San Antonio on the road to open the season was a big confidence booster. By winning those first two games, I think we got into the mentality that we are contenders. We can win it all this season. Of course, T-Mac's been playing stellarly and Yao has been terrific down low as well. And, uh, our chemistry and depth, you know, those help us win games. We get along with each other in the locker room, and coach Adelman seems intent on utilizing all twelve men he has on the active roster."

Rockets Player Stats


AROUND THE LEAGUE

Western Conference Standings



Eastern Conference Standings


Players of the Month!

STATISTIC LEADERS

Points


Rebounds


Assists


Steals


Blocks


3-Point FG Made


TOP TEN LEAGUE STORIES (non-Rockets)

1. Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics landed the biggest fish in the off-season. They acquired Kevin Garnett, adding him to an already talented Celtics roster that boasted Ray Allen alongside Paul Pierce.

The Celtics trio has the fans reminiscing the team's glorious past. KG, The Truth, and Ray Ray have drawn numerous comparisons to the Celtic trio of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parrish.

So far, the expectations have not been lived up to. Finishing with a .500 record, 7-7, after a month into the season, fans have been dismayed and people are starting to ask whether the big three need a better supporting cast or whether they co-exist well together or not.

Interesting to note, the big three's point scoring average have all fallen down as expected. But only Paul Pierce has managed to maintain his scoring average in the 20s.

Can the Celtics bounce back from a rough start? Or will they suffer sub-par play for the rest of the season? There have been a couple of speculations as to what the Celts will do. The hottest rumour going around is a coaching change. Doc Rivers might be coaching his last game as a Celtic soon.


2. Minnesota Timberwolves

The Timberwolves, meanwhile, have enjoyed a 10-7 start to the season and are leading the Northwest Division. They are ahead of the Utah Jazz (11-8) by only a game, but the youngsters in Minneapolis look to prove that they can win.

Leading the way for Minnesota is their backcourt of Rashad McCants and Randy Foye. McCants and Foye averaged 23.1 and 22.5 points per game for the month of November. Al Jefferson has maintained the double-double form that had people excited about him last season, putting up averages of 18 points and 10 boards.

Will the youngsters continue their amazing run? Or will their inexperience make them fall short? The Timberwolves seem like an exciting team to follow this season.

3. Dallas Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks have gone off to a rough, 10-8, start. They seemed disheartened by the way they lost to the Warriors in last years playoffs and started out 1-5. They have bounced back although losing Devin Harris and Jason Terry to separate injuries within the month seem to have hampered the team's progress. Mavs fans hope to see the team healthy for the rest of the season, and hopefully see their team in the playoffs, not against the Warriors of course.

4. Toronto Raptors

They are for real. Despite being impressive last season, the defending Atlantic Division champs vowed to remain the Atlantic Division champs at the end of next season.

Looks like they've kept that promise so far, leading the Atlantic Division with a 10-6 record. Chris Bosh's production is down this season, 18 points and 10 boards per game, but TJ Ford has stepped up to average 23 ppg along with 6 assists and has been a key factor to the success of the Raps.

The biggest surprise has to be rookie sensation Jamario Moon. Moon stuffs the stat sheet with 11 ppg, 9 rpg, 1.63 steals, and 1.75 blocks per game. The undrafted Moon, has been a surprise story and his well-rounded play and energy may actually be key to the Raptors good start.

5. Andre Iguodala and Andre Miller

The two have played terrific this season, but the Sixers struggled as expected. What we didn't count on was for Iggy to be this good already, averaging 27.3 points, 5.1 boards, and 6.6 assists per game. And we didn't count on Andre Miller's mind-boggling play, he is putting up 26.9 points per game, and dishing out 9 assists per game.

The Sixers (7-12) might be seeking out a way to win just because of Andre Miller's stepping up, probably by improving their team's sub-par defense.

The 30-year old Miller was floating around trade rumours all off-season but was never traded. If the Sixers do wish to continue to go young, they could trade off Miller now at a much higher price than what they could've traded him for in the off-season.

6. Jermaine O'Neal to LA??

The Pacers have struggled. And so have the Lakers. The fans are anxious. Bryant might be getting restless with his team's inability to win.

The rumour mills are churning and we have with us again, the trade rumours that Jermaine O'Neal may be headed off to play with the Lakers.

We have yet to see whether the deal does play out. But Indiana seems intent on getting Jermaine O'Neal out as they look to Granger, who has played exceptionally well, to be the future of the franchise.

Needless to say, O'Neal won't be in a Pacers jersey at the end of the season more likely than not. But whether he'll be in a Laker jersey remains in doubt for now, as the Nets and Bulls have also shown interest in the six-time all-star.

7. Anderson Varejao

Varejao has been unable to reach a deal with the Cavs. Varejao is seeking a 5 year, 45 million dollar deal, which the Cavs think is too much. The Cavs offered Varejao a three-year mid-level exception which he declined, stating that they either give him the 5 year deal he wanted or give him a 1 year deal where he would be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. The Cavs didn't want this and have therefore resolved to a sign and trade.

Some reported possible destinations for Varejao have been named. Washington, Denver, Philadelphia, New York, New Jersey and Phoenix have all come up in rumours.

8. Charlotte Bobcats

In the off-season, head coach Sam Vincent promised us that this team would make the playoffs. Bobcats fans held a collective hush when they saw Emeka Okafor go down with an ugly knee injury in the first game of the season.

Okafor was deemed out for 2 months with a hyper-extended knee. Fans started being down, knowing that Okafor's low-post defense would be sorely missed by the team. Some people started doubting whether they could still make the playoffs.

And now, after the month of November, Bobcats fans are hopeful. With a 9-8 record, the Bobcats are third in the Eas right now. Sure, 9-8 isn't very pretty but considering the circumstances, a 9-8is a good start that will have fans hopeful that Okafor's return will lead to more positive things.

9. Washington Wizards

The Washington Wizards are 2nd in the East with a 9-6 record thanks to Caron Butler and Gilbert Arenas' spectacular play. Gilbert is averaging 22 points, 8.6 assists, and 1.73 steals while Butler is averaging 23.9 points, 6.7 boards, 4.2 assists, and 1.60 steals per game.

Wizards fans are hoping Jamison gets back into form soon. Jamison has only averaged 15 points and 8 boards per game, much less than the expected 20-9 from him.

Interestingly, the 6 losses of the Wizards are all against Western Conference team. The Wizards may be looking to improve defensively and rumours have actually circulated that Butler's stellar play might've made Jamison expendable.

Whether or not the Wizards will anchor their offense with Arenas and Butler and support it with a better defense remains to be seen.

10. Memphis Grizzlies

The Grizzlies are 8-9. When you have a young team, you're expected to struggle a bit. Especially if you're in the same division as Houston, Dallas and San Antonio.

But the Grizzlies seem intent on surprising people this season. They ended the month of November with a 4 game winning streak and fans hope they can continue a winning run heading into December.

The key factors for the Grizzlies surprise start has been Rudy Gay and Michael Conley. Conley, named Western Conference Rookie of the Month. Conley led the pace for his team and has showed maturity at the point despite his youth. Rudy Gay is showcasing his athleticism,averaging 19 points, 7 boards, 1.53 steals, and 1.24 blocks per game. We always thought Rudy Gay would be a terrific player someday but not this good in his sophomore season.

Their success has also brought into the limelight the feud between Stromile Swift and Darko Milicic. Swift, who has been enjoying a break-out season so far, has been named starter over Milicic, much to the latter's discontentment. Swift managed to keep the spot by averaging 9 points, a team-leading 10.8 boards, and 2.54 blocks per game.

Milicic and Swift have not seen eye-to-eye in practice and rumours claim that they had been exchanging words at each other at some point. The altercation, as many would claim, began with the hot-tempered Darko Milicic being blocked on a dunk attempt at practice by Stromile Swift. Milicic, got up, confronted Swift and yelled expletives at Swift. Before Swift could retaliate,the other Grizzlies did a nice job of keeping the two away from each other. Milicic was suspended by the team for 2 games for inappropriate behavior.

Now many are asking, who the Grizzlies keep? Do they keep the young Milicic at Center? But that would require trading away Swift, who has been playing much better than expected. On the other hand, if they choose to keep Swift, the Grizzlies will have to part with their biggest off-season acquisition in Darko Milicic, who the management believes has greater upside and potential than Swift does.

The feud is certainly causing tension in the locker room but coach Marc Iavaroni claims that the feud does not make itself visible on the court.

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NEXT UPDATE: December recap.

Notes: I held back from forcing transactions in November. Rest assured in December, there will be some player movement. Some FA signings, some trades here and there. [/b]

[SpaceFlare]

File corrupted.

I doubt anyone was following this anyway. I'll see if I'll post my second go at this or not.

[Mark.]

I thought it was good so far, im probably gonna be a bit more active over the summer hols so Ill look out for your next one