| Newsbreakers |
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| Yao Ming seemed smoother and more effective offensively in his third preseason game than in his first two contests while shaking off the rust, according to the Houston Chronicle. He said, "I was more comfortable, but I had four turnovers and just three rebounds in 24 minutes. It’s never perfect. There is always something to do better. I won’t say I have a long way to go, but I have a way to go."
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Our View: He looks to be in good shape by the start of the regular season, and should be drafted accordingly. |
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| The Houston Chronicle reports that the Rockets will be selective with Carl Landry's minutes in the preseason due to his maturity at the position. He has shown throughout the preseason his comfort level his jumpshot and he has been encouraged by his coaches to use it more. |
Our View: Landry will share minutes at power forward with Luis Scola this season. He saw action in only 42 games last season but was effective in the time he was given. As long as he is sharing his minutes, though, he does not figure to have much fantasy value. |
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| Tracy McGrady played the entire first quarter in Saturday's preseason game against the Celtics. He scored 10 points and grabbed three rebounds. "I just wanted to come out here and work hard, get a nice little sweat going and see how I felt," McGrady informs the Houston Chronicle. "I was experiencing some pain in my knee, but it’s more of a mental thing. Sometimes I find myself favoring it. I get off balance, especially when I push off (the right) leg. I find myself favoring it and it gives out on me." |
Our View: McGrady's post-game words won't make fantasy owners sleep easy, but it was good to see him on the floor and getting into the flow. As usual, McGrady is likely to post good numbers this season, when he plays. He is always an injury risk and seems especially vulnerable heading into this season. |
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| Rockets swingman Tracy McGrady isn't sure when he will play exhibition games, but says his knee is feeling better, accoridng to the Houston Chronicle. "It’s more of a mental thing because my leg is weak and it’s the first surgery I have ever had to deal with. It’s kind of a mental thing more than anything," McGrady said. |
Our View: Houston coach Rick Adelman wants McGrady to get in some exhibition contests before the season begins in late October, but that will be up to how McGrady feels. Clearly, he adds value to fantasy teams, but he is obviously a big injury risk. |
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| Ron Artest was the best player on the floor as the Rockets defeated the Spurs 85-78 on Thursday. He finished with 18 points, five rebounds and three three-pointers in 23 minutes. |
Our View: Tim Duncan and Tracy McGrady did not play. Artest seems to have a new enthusiasm in Houston now that he's reunited with his former coach Rick Adelman. Expect a very good season from the forward. |
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| Freshly signed Carl Landry backed up Yao Ming most of the night at center in Houston's 96-93 win over Memphis on Tuesday night. He finished the game with 18 points and nine rebounds in 26 minutes of action. |
Our View: Landry is a very good player who probably won't see enough minutes to warrant a draft pick. However, if he continues to play backup to Yao, that's a good thing for his value. Yao needs a lot of rest throughout the season meaning Landry could get his increase in playing time. |
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| Yao Ming had 10 points, nine rebounds and a block in 22 minutes of action in the preseason win over Memphis on Tuesday. |
Our View: Yao was 6-for-6 from the line where he holds great fantasy value. He converted 85 percent of his 345 free throw attempts last season. |
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| Ron Artest made his debut with the Rockets in Tuesday night's 96-93 win over the Grizzlies. The forward finished with 15 points in 24 minutes. He had three three-pointers, two steals and an assist. |
Our View: Artest should be an all-around producer for the Rockets this season. He is among the second tier of small forwards. |
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| Tracy McGrady is pleased with how far his knee has come, and says that the shoulder that was operated on in the offseason is fine, according to the Houston Chronicle. "Every day there is improvement in my strength in my knee. I’m building up confidence in myself to be able to go out there and play on it," he said. |
Our View: McGrady will probably not play in any games until the end of October. He is obviously useful for fantasy owners, but those who draft him will, as usual, need to be patient when he suffers an injury. |
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| Tracy McGrady (knee) and Shane Battier (foot) will both miss the Rocket first preseason game, according to the Houston Chronicle. “I’m not ready to play,” McGrady said. “It’s early…My knee is not at full strength to go out there and play basketball right now.” |
Our View: McGrady is full expected to be ready to play when it counts, and as always the production will be there when he plays, though drafting him means having to micro manage your roster through the inevitable injuries. |
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| Tracy McGrady went through his third straight full pracitce and feels good about his knee, the Houston Chronicle reports. “I’m progressing every day,” he said. “From the first day up into today, I’ve been playing on it, going pretty hard and lasting through the course of the practice. I think it was 50/50 on my knee coming into training camp — confidence and trying to play through the pain. I seem to be doing that right now.” |
Our View: This is good news for the Rockets, who had their share of bad luck with injuries last season. |
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| Houston Rockets coach Rick Adelman said the team will play more of his offense this season, whereas last year they were not comfortable in it and only utilized it part of the time, according to the Houston Chronicle. “It’s totally different this year,” Adelman said. |
Our View: The offense Adelman uses emphasizes cutting and making quick passes. The change should not affect the fantasy prospects of any of the team's most productive players, so there is no need for owners to worry about that. |
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