The Houston Rockets have decided not to bring back 64-year old head coach Rick Adelman for the 2011-12 season. Adelman led the Rockets to a 43-39 record (52.4%) in the 2010-11 season in which they missed the playoffs for the second straight year. Adelman was the Rockets’ head coach for four years and he compiled a 193-135 (58.8%) record during the regular season and he was 9-10 (47.4%) in the playoffs. The Rockets are going to be hard pressed to find a better coach than Adelman, so I’m not so sure I like this move for them.

22-year old power forward Patrick Patterson turned in a solid rookie year for the Rockets. He played in 52 games (6 starts) for the Rockets last year and he averaged 16.7 minutes, 6.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. Patterson shot 55.8% from the floor last year which was outstanding. The Rockets were very deep in the frontcourt which limited Patterson’s P.T. in 2010-11. But, I think it’s going to get harder to keep him on the bench, especially if he improves his game more.

The Rockets shot 50% from the floor last night and they outscored them 31-13 in the 4th quarter to surge to victory. Chase Budinger led the way for the Rockets last night with 35 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. Kevin Martin (25 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists) and Courtney Lee (22 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal) also had good games for the Rockets last night. Patrick Patterson (14 points), Goran Dragic (11 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists) and Brad Miller (10 points) also had solid games for the Rockets last night. The Rockets finished the 2010-11 regular season with a 43-39 record, as they were the best team in the NBA that will be watching the Playoffs on T.V.

The Rockets were outscored 12-5 in overtime and it did them in. The Rockets only shot 36.5% from the floor last night and it’s really hard to win that way. Kevin Martin led the way for the Rockets last night with 28 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal. Goran Dragic played a monster 53 minutes last night and he finished up with 15 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals. Brad Miller (12 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals), Courtney Lee (12 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals) and Chuck Hayes (10 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot) also had solid games for the Rockets last night. The Rockets are now 42-39 on the season.

The Rockets have signed 24-year old C/PF Marcus Cousin to a 3-year, non-guaranteed contract. Cousin played in 4 games (0 starts) earlier this year for the Utah Jazz and he averaged 4.5 minutes, 1.0 point and 0.8 rebounds per game. He also played in 46 games (45 starts) for the Austin Toros of the NBDL and he averaged 30.5 minutes, 14.9 points, 8.6 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 1.1 blocked shots per game. To make room on the roster for Cousin, the Rockets have waived 24-year old forward DeMarre Carroll. Carroll played in 5 games (0 starts) for the Rockets last year and he averaged 2.2 minutes per game and he didn’t score but had 2 assists. He played in 12 games (0 starts) overall this year for the Grizzlies & Rockets and he is averaging 4.2 minutes, 0.8 points, 0.7 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. Carroll was part of the Rockets’ return in the Shane Battier deal.

The Rockets outrebounded the Clippers 58-45 last night and they held them to a very paltry 34.7% shooting from the floor which explains the beating they applied last night.  Chase Budinger (16 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocked shots), Kevin Martin (16 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 blocked shot) and Brad Miller (16 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot) led the way for the Rockets last night.  Goran Dragic (14 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocked shots), Chuck Hayes (12 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals) and Courtney Lee (10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 blocked shot) also pitched in with solid efforts last night.  The Rockets played outstanding team basketball last night and it helped them improve to 42-38 on the year.

The Rockets were outscored 50-38 in the second half last night and it did them in. Kevin Martin (21 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists and 2 steals) and Luis Scola (16 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal) led the way for the Rockets last night. Goran Dragic (16 points, 1 rebound and 2 assists in 23 minutes) and Chase Budinger (12 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists in 24 minutes) also helped out for the Rockets last night. The Rockets are now 41-38 on the year.

The Rockets didn’t play much D as the Kings shot 53% from the floor last night and it did them in. Kevin Martin led the way for the Rockets in this game with 30 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal. Luis Scola (18 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals) and Kyle Lowry (15 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals and 1 blocked shot) also had solid games for the Rockets last night. Courtney Lee filled up the stat sheet with 12 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocked shots off the bench. The Rockets are now 41-37 on the year.

22-year old small forward Chase Budinger is playing well as of late. In his last five games, Budinger is averaging 35.0 minutes, 12.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. He is also shooting 47.4% from three point range in those five contests which is pretty darn good. Budinger has now played in 73 games (17 starts) overall for the Rockets this year and he is averaging 21.6 minutes, 9.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. Budinger has done a solid job for the Rockets this year, especially after the deal that sent Shane Battier to Memphis which put him into the starting lineup.

The Rockets shot 57.3% from the floor and they outrebounded the Hawks 35-30 which are the big reasons for the win last night. Kevin Martin led the way for the Rockets last night with 35 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists last night. Chuck Hayes (19 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals) and Kyle Lowry (17 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists and 1 steal) also had outstanding games for the Rockets last night. Luis Scola (15 points) and Chase Budinger (11 points) also pitched in for the Rockets last night. The Rockets are now 41-36 on the year.