The Rockets have extended qualifying offers to 29-year old power forward Luis Scola and 24-year old point guard Kyle Lowry. This gives the Rockets the chance to match any offer either of these guys get in free agency. Scola played in 82 games (all starts) for the Rockets last season and he averaged 32.6 minutes, 16.2 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. He has now played in 246 games (203 starts) in his three years with the Rockets and he has averaged 29.2 minutes, 13.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. The Rockets will likely match any offer Scola gets. Kyle Lowry is a very solid backup point guard. He played in 68 games (0 starts) for the Rockets last season and he averaged 24.3 minutes, 9.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. Lowry has now played in 237 games (30 starts) in his four years in the NBA and he has averaged 8.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.0 steal per game. The Rockets would like to keep Lowry but if someone pays him like a starter they likely won’t match it.

UPDATE: (7/16/2010) - The Rockets have signed Luis Scola to a 5-year, $47 million dollar deal. This was a smart move for the Rockets to lock up Scola before a team made him even a bigger offer.

28-year old forward Jared Jeffries has opted in for the 2010-11 season to stay with the Rockets for $6.9 million bucks. Jeffries played in 18 games (0 starts) for the Rockets last season and he averaged 18.4 minutes, 4.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game. He played in 70 games (37 starts) overall last season for the Knicks and Rockets in which he averaged 25.6 minutes, 5.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. He has now played in 510 games (322 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 23.3 minutes, 5.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. Jeffries is what he is. A solid defensive player who doesn’t help much offensively.

The Houston Rockets want to retain both of their restricted free agents (Luis Scola and Kyle Lowry) this summer. That’s just the start of things as the Rockets want to improve the roster likely through a sign and trade deal. They likely will have Trevor Ariza, Shane Battier and Jared Jeffries all on the trading block. I also have a feeling that the Rockets will listen if the Nuggets call about Carmelo Anthony who is on the trading block. The Rockets might look for a center with legit size like Zydrunas Ilgauskas to back up Yao Ming in case he has more foot problems. It should be a very interesting summer to keep an eye on the Rockets.

The Houston Rockets have selected SF/PF Patrick Patterson with the 14th overall pick of the NBA Draft. Patterson played in 38 games (all starts) for Kentucky in which he averaged 14.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 1.3 blocked shots per game. Patterson played in 97 games (all starts) in his three years with the Rockets and he averaged 16.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.6 blocked shots per game. Patterson gives the Rockets another outstanding athlete who can run the court with the best of them.

The Rockets have a good team set for the 2010-11 season except they have a big hole in the middle. Even if Yao Ming comes back the Rockets would benefit from having a legit center to back him up and learn from him. Kentucky’s Daniel Orton or Marshall’s Hassan Whitside make the most sense for the Rockets at #14 overall. If a legit center is not available then the Rockets should just take the best player left unless it’s a point guard.

With so many teams clearing out cap space this summer it will likely make 30-year old Luis Scola a nice prize for a team that misses out on the prime free agents. With that in mind the Rockets are likely going to have to ante up to bring him back and that they should. Scola played in 82 games (all starts) for the Rockets last season and he averaged 32.6 minutes, 16.2 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. He has now played in 246 games (203 starts) in his three years with the Rockets and he is averaging 29.2 minutes, 13.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. With Yao Ming still a little iffy and injury prone the Rockets can’t afford to let Scola get away, period!