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Sports Morning Headlines - Monday, 1/23/12

Written by MVPTexas Morning Sports Report

Sunday, 22 January 2012 19:47

Why the Signing of Samuel Dalembert Turned the Rockets Fates in 2011-12 - Quick, guess the two top centers in terms of PER in the Western Conference. Andrew Bynum and Marc Gasol, right? If it's not them, it has to be Tim Duncan and Nene then. It's Marcin Gortat and Samuel Dalembert?!?!? Yes, the man the Rockets signed hours before tip-off on opening night has been one of the two most productive centers, statistically speaking, in the Western Conference. The man best known for being an overpaid big man in Philadelphia and Sacramento has been a complete revelation in a Rockets jersey. December 21st, the night the Rockets agreed with Dalembert, changed their fortunes for this year at the very least.   READ MORE

Projecting the '09 Bustahs: Will Jordan Hill and Terrence Williams be Rockets in 2013? - January 25th is the deadline for 2008 draftees to sign extensions with their current clubs. If they don't, and if their teams extend a qualifying offer, they will become restricted free agents this summer. January 25th is also, according to at least some people, the deadline day for option decisions. I'm not totally sure on that, especially since the option deadline was extending "indefinitely" back during the lockout and I have yet to see an update on it (meaning that the deadline might be June 30th with the rest of the team option decisions), but now is as good a time as any to look at our favorite Rockets sub-group: the 2009 Draft "Busts" -- Terrence Williams, Jordan Hill, Hasheem Thabeet, and Jonny Flynn.   READ MORE

McHale returning to Minnesota with Rockets - The Houston Rockets' first-year coach was asked Saturday night for his thoughts on going back to Minnesota Monday to play the Timberwolves, the team that fired him as coach and general manager. He had one thought. "It'll be nice to see my wife," Kevin McHale said. When he said it his eyes sparked a little, as they often do. The message was clear enough, one you probably heard from your mother: If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.   READ MORE

First Impressions: Mavs Smack Jack & Bucks - Stephen Jackson possesses a sort of unrequited hatred for the Mavs. A few weeks ago, someone asked the Bucks forward for his thoughts on the Mavs having won the NBA championship. Captain Jack feigned ignorance – and played ignoramus, too. “Dallas sucks to me,” Jackson said. Jackson’s Mavs-related calling card is his participation with Golden State in the 2007 playoffs, when his eighth-seeded Warriors “punk-‘em’ed’’ their way to a rare upset of the No. 1-seeded Mavericks. To hear Jackson talk about who “sucks,’’ you’d think he had a thick resume of success against Dallas. In fact, Friday in Dallas marked the 24th time the outspoken Jackson has opposed the Mavs, and with his Bucks’ 102-76 loss, his personal record against the Mavericks is 8-16. Which … well … sucks.   READ MORE

Kidd-Jack: Almost deja vu - It was nearly déjà vu for Dallas Mavericks point guard Jason Kidd and New Orleans Hornets point guard Jarrett Jack. In a Mar. 9 game at New Orleans Arena last year, the Mavs were leading the Hornets, 92-90, when Jack saw one of Kidd;’s outstretched arms above him, and he managed to draw a foul on Kidd with 8.4 seconds left while attempting a three-point field goal. Jack went to the charity stripe and sank all three free throws, and the Hornets wound up winning, 93-92.   READ MORE

3-pointer: What is up with the 3-ball? - If scoring was tough for the Dallas Mavericks with Dirk Nowitzki -- and it was, the team ranked 21st in the NBA at 92.4 points a game -- it certainly isn't going to get easier with the 7-footer taking four games off. That was evident Saturday night as the Mavs managed to pull out a squeaker against the New Orleans Hornets, the worst team in the Western Conference. Dallas won it 83-81, and struggled through a 14-point second quarter and a 19-point fourth quarter when they nearly coughed up a lead as large as 13 points to lead by just one with 6.7 seconds to play.   READ MORE

Spurs 102 - Rockets 105 game recap: Where we Start to see Some Trends - After the Spurs dropped their first home game against the Kings, we were all thinking they'd go out for blood in their next one on the road to make up for it. Guess again. Coach Pop sat Tim Duncan and the Spurs lost a close one at Houston tonight, and are now ranked 7th on the Western conference. It was a close game throughout and the Spurs were able to hang around with a Rockets team that came in riding a 5 game winning streak mostly due to the amazing play of Tiago Splitter (25 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists) and Tony Parker (24 points, 13 assists). Kevin Martin (25 points) and Samuel Dalembert (12 points and 6 blocks) where the standout Rockets. Notorious Spurs killer Goran Dragic made an appearance as well with some 4th quarter heroics.   READ MORE

Project Spurs: Video: Sports Roundtable. Spotlight Danny Green - On this episode of the WOAI Sports Roundtable powered by Project Spurs, Mike De Leon and Paul Garcia put San Antonio Spurs' Danny Green in the spotlight and discuss his impact on the team this season. They also take a look ahead at the Spurs schedule and give their predictions.   READ MORE

Splitter earns time next to Duncan - Luis Scola and Tiago Splitter went from South America to Spain to Texas. Only now are they in a different place. There was a time when the Spurs wondered if Scola and Tim Duncan were a good fit on the court together. Today, the Spurs have to wonder if they have any other choice but to play Splitter with Duncan. Scola met Splitter when Splitter was just 15 years old. “He was a little kid,” Scola said Saturday, smiling, and that’s a memory that would surprise some. Splitter already was close to his 6-foot-11 size then. Scola also remembers him as smart. They were teammates for five years in Spain, where Splitter admits Scola was the better player. But Scola says Splitter improved, year by year, and Saturday showed how much. Then, with Duncan sitting out, Splitter went for a career-high and team-high 25 points on ?11-of-13 shooting.   READ MORE

Darvish is ambidextrous - When Texas Rangers righthander Yu Darvish took the mound at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington for a photo session on Friday night, he showed his ambidextrous side. Darvish tossed from the mound from the right and left sides. Darvish throws from the left side during workouts as a way to keep his delivery in balance. While with Hokkaido Nippon Ham of the Pacific League, Darvish would throw from the left side on the first day after a start. Former Rangers right-handed reliever Greg Harris regularly threw from the left side while with the club in 1985-87 and flirted with the idea of doing it in the game. He did it once in the majors, on Sept. 28, 1995, while with Montreal. It was the next-to-last appearance of his career.   READ MORE

Rangers could open '13 season in Japan - If form holds, the Texas Rangers likely will open next season in Tokyo. The addition of righthander Yu Darvish has raised the Rangers' profile in Japan. Major League Baseball has shown a tendency to get prominent Japanese players back to their home country for a season-opening series as soon as possible. In 2004, the New York Yankees opened in Tokyo against Tampa Bay. It was outfielder Hideki Matsui's second season with Yankees. In 2008, Boston opened in Tokyo against Oakland. it was righthander Daisuke Matsuzaka's second season with Bostonn. Matsuzaka made his only opening-day start with the Red Sox in that series.   READ MORE

Simpson talks Rangers payroll, Prince, Josh - The first Texas Rangers dignitary Yu Darvish posed with for pictures Friday night after donning his No. 11 jersey was co-majority owner Bob Simpson. Smart choice. Simpson and Ray Davis, the other principal owner who was second in the photo line, needed to be convinced in December that Darvish was a wise investment before they would commit capital to the posting fee and contract. Simpson, the Fort Worth oilman who runs XTO Energy, has taken risks in his career and needed to know if the Darvish investment would be wildcatting or drilling for a producing well.   READ MORE

Ex-Astros manager Phil Garner to return to A's as part-time special advisor - Former Astros manager Phil Garner returned to Major League Baseball for the first time in approximately four years last August by accepting a special advisor position with Oakland. The 62-year-old Garner spent seven weeks attending home games while participating in pregame activities on the field in uniform. Garner told Examiner.com that he enjoyed his job duties and was offered the position on a full-time basis by the A's front office. However, Garner didn't want to get locked into a full-season commitment and negotiated with the club to make it a part-time role.   READ MORE

Prospect Watch: Top 10 second basemen - MLB.com's Top 50 Prospects list has been expanded to 100. The 2012 version will be unveiled Wednesday on MLB.com, as well as on a one-hour show on MLB Network, airing at 10 p.m. ET. Leading up to that, MLB.com takes a look at baseball's top 10 prospects at each position. Second base is a position often thought of as the place for failed shortstops or players who aren't legitimate prospects. Yet last year's list of the top prospects at second base included two players who received votes for Rookie of the Year Awards, and several others who made contributions in the Major Leagues. The 2012 version of the Top 10 second-base prospects list may not be loaded with players who are ready for the big leagues, but many should be prepared for full-time duty by '13.   READ MORE

Random Random Astro - Mike Brumley - This is the first of a new series here at Astros County. The premise is simple; at random times throughout the coming year, we'll look at a random player from the Astros' 50 year history. Today's random random Astro is Mike Brumley. Brumley actually had two extremely brief tours in Houston in the mid 90's, primarily as a pinch hitter and utility defensive replacement. He first came to the Astros as a minor league free agent in 1993. After an impressive season in AAA Tucson where he hit .353/.419/.471 with 0 homeruns and 24 steals as a SS/OF, he was called up to Houston in September. In 11 plate appearances spread across 8 games he hit .300/.364/.300. Brumley did get one start in right field that season, in game #162. His highlight of the season was October 2nd when, as an 8th inning pinch hitter, he hit a 2 RBI single to give Houston a 3-1 victory over the Mets. Houston placed Brumley on waivers October 4th.   READ MORE

2012 NFL Draft: Houston Texans Edition – Part 2 - Yesterday I delved into the possibility of the Houston Texans pursuing a NT in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft. However, that was pure speculation as my best guess would be that the Texans would draft a wide-receiver in the first round. The need for a receiver to compliment Andre Johnson was made glaringly clear this past season. WR Jacoby Jones, who has become public enemy #1 in Houston, has proven that he does not have the football intelligence necessary to make a solid #2 receiver. On more than just a few occasions he was seen running horizontal, across the field, or backwards rather than turning his hips and getting upfield. Granted, he did his best to avoid getting hit but taking a net loss in yards is never acceptable when you can pick up at least one or two yards.   READ MORE

Tough Choices Ahead for Houston Texans Front Office - Corner Back Kareem Jackson showed improvement from year one to year two, but how much does Kubiak and the staff trust him to be the true #2 CB behind Johnathan Joseph? I don’t think the coaching staff has as much faith in Kareem Jackson as some think they do. The entire season he split time with former first round pick Jason Allen, who was let go by the Miami dolphins during the 2010 season and was considered a bust by many. It seemed some games Kareem Jackson would disappear and Jason Allen would take a majority of the snaps opposite Johnathan Joseph. I, for one, think Jackson showed a lot of improvement from his dismal rookie season. But the real question is was it that he improved our was it that we were consistently getting more pressure on opposing quarterbacks?   READ MORE

With Mario Williams Set To Become A Free Agent, DeMarcus Ware's Contract Could Prove Instructive - Ever since Wade Phillips decided that Mario Williams would be playing outside linebacker, Super Mario has been compared to DeMarcus Ware. Those comparisons were initially grounded in what we could expect Super Mario to do on the field via a look at what Ware did in Wade's scheme. Now, with your Houston Texans facing the decision of how to handle Mario Williams' impending free agency, the view shifts off the gridiron, to the land o' contracts.   READ MORE

Video: Sean Lee reacts to Joe Paterno's death - Sean Lee spent five seasons with Joe Paterno at Penn State, including a medical redshirt year, before the Cowboys took him in the second round of the 2010 draft. The Cowboys released the following statement from the linebacker after Paterno's death Sunday. Coach Paterno had a great impact on my life, not only as a player, but as a person. He coached with an incredible amount of passion and integrity, and I am very proud to have played for one of the greatest coaches in sports. My prayers go out to him and his family. Thank you Coach Paterno for the profound impact you had. You will never be forgotten.   WATCH VIDEO

Cowboys new secondary coach Jerome Henderson should help fix communication breakdowns - There were many theories posited attempting to explain the woes experienced by the Cowboys' secondary this past season. Some believed that the root cause of their failures was the personnel. Cornerback Terence Newman appeared to be deteriorating before everyone's eyes while safety Abram Elam showed he didn't have the required range to make enough impact plays. Others suggested that defensive coordinator Rob Ryan's scheme was too complicated. "All the calls we've got are on one sheet of paper," Ryan crowed in August, "and it is the smallest print you've ever seen." But the overarching issue that led to the defensive backfield's struggles, cornerback Mike Jenkins asserted, was simple to understand.   READ MORE

Stars recall Matt Fraser from Texas Stars, place Jamie Benn on IR - The Dallas Stars announced today that the club has placed Jamie Benn on injured reserve retroactive to Jan. 14. The team also announced that it has recalled forward Matt Fraser from the Texas Stars, Dallas' primary affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL). Benn, 22, has missed the last four contests recovering from appendectomy surgery. The 6-2, 205-pound forward leads the team with 29 assists and ranks second in overall scoring with 42 points (13g, 29a). Earlier this month, Benn was selected to participate in the 2012 NHL All-Star Game in Ottawa.   READ MORE

Wild Score 3 In 59-Seconds Span, Beat Stars 5-2 - Cal Clutterbuck, Chad Rau and Kyle Brodziak scored goals during a 59-second span of the second period, and the Minnesota Wild beat the Dallas Stars 5-2 on Saturday night. Dany Heatley added a goal and two assists, and Devin Setoguchi also scored for Minnesota (23-18-7), 3-11-4 over the past 18 games. Josh Harding made 22 saves.   READ MORE

Dallas Stars Spare Change: Five Straight Losses - Normally, I begin Spare Change by recapping each of the games of the week and looking forward to what's coming up next week, but I'll spare you from it this time. I'll just keep it simple. It's not good. We lost every game we played this week, and haven't won a game since the 12th when we beat the Kings, and we still managed to give them a loser-point in the process. We currently sit in 11th place, with the same number of points as the Phoenix Coyotes. Four points away from the 8th place Colorado Avalanche, which is bigger number than it sounds given the nature of the Western Conference today. Should this article be nothing but doom and gloom? It would probably be easy to write if it was.   READ MORE

---Staff and Wire Reports contributed to this story