The Rockets outscored the Hornets 29-17 in the 4th quarter last night to surge to victory. Kevin Martin led the way for the Rockets last night with 33 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals and 1 blocked shot. Kyle Lowry also had a solid game with 18 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists last night. Courtney Lee pitched in with 9 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists and 1 steal in only 22 minutes on the court. The Rockets are now 30-31 on the year.

The Houston Rockets felt better about dealing Shane Battier due to the improved play of 22-year old Chase Budinger who has replaced him in the starting lineup. In his last two games, Budinger is averaging 31.5 minutes, 28.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. He is shooting 17 of 29 (58.6%) from the floor and 7 of 12 (58.3%) from three point range in those two games. Budinger has now played in 57 games (1 start) for the Rockets so far this year and he is averaging 18.6 minutes, 8.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.

The Rockets shot 51.2% from the floor last night and it was a big reason for the win. Kevin Martin was on fire as he led the way for the Rockets with 30 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. Chase Budinger (27 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists in 34 minutes) and Luis Scola (23 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal) also had big games for the Rockets last night. Kyle Lowry and Courtney Lee pitched in with 10 points apiece in this game. The Rockets are now 29-31 on the year.

The Houston Rockets have bought out 29-year old forward Jared Jeffries. Jeffries played in 18 games (0 starts) for the Rockets this season and he averaged 7.7 minutes, 1.5 points, 1.9 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. He played in 36 games (0 starts) in parts of two years with the Rockets and he averaged 13.1 minutes, 3.2 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. Jeffries will likely get snapped up right away by a team like the Knicks, but he was just taking up roster space with the Rockets.

The Rockets have dealt 26-year old point guard Aaron Brooks to the Phoenix Suns for 24-year old point guard Goran Dragic and a first round pick. Brooks played in 34 games (7 starts) for the Rockets this season and he averaged 23.9 minutes 11.6 points, 1.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. He was only shooting 34.6% from the floor and 28.4% from the three point line this season and he’s way better than that. Brooks’ biggest problem this season was getting hurt early in the year, because Kyle Lowry took his starting job over while he was out of action. Brooks played in 247 games (124 starts) in his 4 years with the Rockets in which he averaged 25.7 minutes, 12.8 points, 1.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.

Goran Dragic will be Kyle Lowry’s new caddy. Dragic played in 48 games (2 starts) for the Suns this season and he was averaging 17.8 minutes, 7.4 points, 1.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. He has now played in 183 games (5 starts) in his first three years in the NBA and he is averaging 16.5 minutes, 6.7 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. Dragic is more suited for backup duty than Brooks is, plus the Rockets netted another first round pick in this deal. I like this trade from the Rockets’ side of things.

The Rockets have traded 32-year old small forward Shane Battier and 22-year old rookie point guard Ishmael Smith to the Grizzlies for 24-year old center Hasheem Thabeet, 24-year old power forward DeMarre Carroll and a first round pick. Battier played in 59 games (all starts) for the Rockets this season and he averaged 30.8 minutes, 8.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.2 blocked shots per game. Battier played in 348 games (340 starts) in his five years with the Rockets and he averaged 8.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. Courtney Lee and Chase Budinger will likely see increased P.T. the rest of the season with Battier off to Memphis. Ishmael Smith made the Rockets as a undrafted free agent. Smith played in 28 games (3 starts) for the Rockets this season and he averaged 11.8 minutes, 2.6 points, 1.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game on 38.6% shooting from the floor.

7′3″, 263 pound center Hasheem Thabeet was a high first round pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. He has not played to his ability so far but maybe a change of scenery will be just what the doctor ordered for him to unleash his talent. Thabeet played in 45 games (0 starts) for the Grizzlies this season and he averaged 8.2 minutes, 1.2 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game. He has now played in 113 games (13 starts) in his first two years in the NBA and he is averaging 11.1 minutes, 2.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 0.1 assists and 0.9 blocked shots per game. DeMarre Carroll played in 7 games (0 starts) for the Grizzlies this season and he averaged 5.6 minutes, 1.4 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. He has now played in 78 games (1 start) in his first two years in the NBA and he is averaging 10.7 minutes, 2.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. Carroll has not been too good of a shooter thus far in his NBA career as he has only hit 39.8% from the floor and 63.6% from the free throw line. I love this deal for the Rockets as Thabeet and a first round pick is a huge haul for a 32-year old player that they can replace from within.

The Rockets outrebounded the Cavaliers 57-37 last night and it was a big reason for the win. Chase Budinger led the way for the Rockets last night with 30 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal in 29 minutes off the bench. Kevin Martin also had a great game with 30 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals. Luis Scola (16 points and 7 rebounds), Courtney Lee (16 points in 18 minutes) and Chuck Hayes (12 points, 17 rebounds and 4 assists) also had really solid games for the Rockets last night. The Rockets are now 28-31 on the year.

The Rockets outrebounded the Pistons 50-43 last night and it was a big factor in the nice road win. Patrick Patterson led the way for the Rockets last night with 20 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 blocked shots in 22 minutes on the floor. Kevin Martin only shot 4 of 12 from the floor for the Rockets last night but he still finished up with 16 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 blocked shot. Chase Budinger pitched in with 10 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal in 17 minutes on the floor. The Rockets are now 27-31 on the year.

The Houston Rockets are 26-31 on the season which has them in last place in the Southwest Division, 20.5 games behind the Spurs. The Rockets are currently #12 in the Western Conference but they are only 5 games behind the Utah Jazz who are in the #8 slot for the playoffs. So if the Rockets can get hot they can still make the playoffs this year. They have suffered a lot of big injuries this year but they are starting to get healthy, so maybe they can make a run.

BIGGEST SURPRISE: The Cavaliers signed 24-year old point guard Kyle Lowry to a huge offer sheet over the summer which the Rockets quickly matched. They are reaping the benefits of that decision as Lowry has taken over as the starting point guard. Aaron Brooks got hurt early in the year and Lowry took over, never looking back. Lowry has played in 53 games (49 starts) for the Rockets so far this year and he is averaging 33.2 minutes, 12.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: 30-year old Yao Ming didn’t last long before having another season ending injury. Yao played in 5 games (all starts) for the Rockets this season and he averaged 18.2 minutes, 10.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 1.6 blocked shots per game. It’s time the Rockets moved on from Yao and just remember him for his solid work in the past.

The Rockets were outrebounded 50-40 last night and they didn’t play any D as the Sixers shot 55.2% from the floor which doomed them. Kyle Lowry led the way for the Rockets last night with 36 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists and 1 steal. He shot an amazing 15 of 18 from the floor and 6 of 9 from three point range last night as he had by far the best game of his NBA career! Luis Scola also had a great game for the Rockets with 26 points, 13 rebounds and 3 assists last night. Patrick Patterson pitched in with 10 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocked shots in only 16 minutes on the floor. The Rockets are now 26-31 on the year.