Rockets appealling Ron Artest's Technical during Mav's game.

[Indazone]

Rockets Notes: Team appeals technical on Artest



By JONATHAN FEIGEN Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle

Nov. 1, 2008, 12:29AM


http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/N2998.centro.netOX4600/B3177811.3;abr=!ie4;abr=!ie5;sz=120x60;ord=[timestamp]?



http://www.chron.com/photos/2008/10/30/13760882/260xStory.jpg
RON JENKINS MCT

Ron Artest drives past Dallas' Antoine Wright during the second half of Thursday's game. Artest scored 29 points to help the Rockets pull out a 112-102 win.

The Rockets are appealing the technical foul that forward Ron Artest received in the fourth quarter against the Mavericks on Thursday, and will also provide the NBA with video of Dallas forward Josh Howard apparently tripping Yao Ming earlier in the game, Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said.



Rockets coach Rick Adelman said he was told Artest received the technical foul for “escalating the situation.” Yao had been fouled by Howard when Artest rushed toward the group of players in the lane, pushed past Howard and Jason Kidd to get to Yao and guide him away from the Mavericks.
“I think that technical foul is unfair for him,” Yao said. “He was just trying to separate us. He wasn’t trying to do something else. That technical foul is a little unfair, in my opinion.
“Ron is a very good guy, very good teammate. This happened once in the preseason. He did the same thing. He ran over to help.”
In New Hampshire, Artest got between Celtics rookie Bill Walker and Yao after a hard foul by Walker.
But Artest said the incident Thursday was just part of the game.
“I saw an elbow,” Artest said. “It happens. A technical foul. No punches thrown. ”
Battier progressing

Rockets forward Shane Battier dramatically stepped up his workload in his rehabilitation of his sore left foot Thursday, though it remains unclear when he could practice for the first time this season.
Battier on Thursday added more quick, reaction cuts, the sort that prevents him from bracing his left ankle to prepare for the stress. Battier plans to continue to add to the workouts as long as his foot responds the next day, but could not predict when he will try to join the Rockets practices.
“This is the first day I did light contact with Shawn Respert (Rockets director of player programs),” Battier said. “I did some quasi-running. I started to get fatigued in the end. That’s why I stopped. I have to build up the strength. The most dangerous thing with a weak ankle is when you start to fatigue the muscles in your ankle. It puts a lot more stress on the joint, and that puts you back to the usual problems.
“The more I do every day, the more it builds up strength to where I can get that muscle strength back. ”

[Indazone]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CB9MlgM3XzY

Well Artest did barely touch J-Ho but anyone else wouldn't have gotten a T.

[Kamnik]

To be honest.... he did go into contact with Dallas players first.

Not a great call by officials but also not a horrible one.

[BlackSwordsMan]

Should have been an ejection he got lucky with a technical.

[GuerillaBlack]

Should have been an ejection he got lucky with a technical.

seriously?

[BlackSwordsMan]

suspension if the ref really wanted to push it

[BlackSwordsMan]

lol@yao trying to scare josh howard

[Indazone]

Yeah that's a pretty rare occurance for Yao to show aggression.

[Kill_Bill_Pana]

Yao is trip by Howard? Yao should crush him.

[Tmac&Luther]

Yao hates Howard, they actually have history.

[manufor3]

To be honest.... he did go into contact with Dallas players first.

Not a great call by officials but also not a horrible one.

[Indazone]

Should Artest be Rockets' main man?

http://msn.foxsports.com/id/8214724_36_7.jpg (http://msn.foxsports.com/writer/Charley-Rosen?authorId=227) by Charley Rosen (http://msn.foxsports.com/writer/Charley-Rosen?authorId=227)

Charley Rosen is FOXSports.com's NBA analyst and author of 15 books about hoops, the current ones being The First Tip-Off: The Incredible Story of the Birth of the NBA (http://www.amazon.com/First-Tip-Off-Incredible-Story-Birth/dp/0071487859/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1221776146&sr=8-2) and No Blood, No Foul (http://www.amazon.com/No-Blood-Foul-Charley-Rosen/dp/1583228284/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1207952386&sr=1-1).




Updated: October 31, 2008, 3:55 AM EST


Game time: Rockets 112, Mavs 102 (http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/8741030/16-2-run-in-4th-sends-Rockets-over-Mavericks)



This was an impressive road victory for the Rockets on many counts. Whenever they ran hand-offs, give-and-go procedures and circle-cuts, they usually kept the ball and the bodies moving with an admirable degree of synchronicity.

They also used isolations in a judicious fashion: Carl Landry was 1-2. Ron Artest tallied five points in six one-on-one situations. Tracy McGrady produced nine points, two assists (and one turnover) in his 14 go-it-alone plays. And Yao Ming attacked defenders with jump hooks and turnaround jumpers in establishing nearly total dominance in the low post.

Just about every offensive play opened up with some kind of high-post screen and evolved from there — executing different plays from the same initial look being an excellent strategy devised by Rick Adelman and his staff.
Luis Scola was usually in the right place at the right time, and also played rough-tough defense on Dirk Nowitzki, especially in post-up sequences. However, whenever Nowitzki was able to turn and face, Scola was abused.
T-Mac was clearly hampered by injuries to his left shoulder and left ankle, but compensated by making sharp passes to generate open looks for his teammates.
Also, the Rockets got substantial contributions from the bench, particularly the speedy Aaron Brooks, who still has difficulty making mature decisions with the ball, but who can shoot and scoot with any of his peers.
Yet the star of the game was Ron Artest. He powered and slicked his way to the hoop, hit standstill treys, and mid-range jumpers pulling left. Indeed, it was two late-game jumpers worth five points that ultimately put the game out of reach. And, of course, Ron-Ron busted his chops on defense — totally shutting down Nowitzki in the clutch.
But no team is perfect, and with the season still in its infancy the Rockets have several issues that must be resolved if they hope to dethrone the Celtics.
Artest forced five shots, making only one.
Artest picked up a technical foul in the fourth quarter when, during a post-whistle-bump-and-shove set-to he raced toward the scrum and — in the name of protecting Yao — made aggressive contact with both Josh Howard and Jason Kidd. A no-no for Ron-Ron, and a danger sign for the Rockets.


Erick Dampier routinely out-muscled Yao at every turning. But for some reason, Dampier played only 22 minutes (accumulating only three fouls) — and Yao had his way with DeSagana Diop and Brandon Bass.
On the defensive end, the Rockets were hurt by any and all high screen/rolls that involved Yao. The big man failed to make an appearance in the vicinity of the screens, choosing instead to retreat to the familiar turf of the paint. As a result, the Mavs were always able to find an open shot. However, why Dallas used this tactic only in the first half remains a mystery.
If Yao can easily block shots that are brought into his face, he lacks the lateral quickness and the quick ups to challenge any other sudden in-the-lane attempts.
The Rockets' transition defense left a lot to be desired.
If Artest locked up Nowitzki with the game on the line, in the first half Josh Howard easily out-quicked him and scored at will. And that's precisely how to counter Artest's aggressive, chest-to-chest, intimidating defense, i.e., make him run, and look for perimeter shots in early offense.
At times, Houston appeared to be more of a collection of talented individuals instead of being a team. Presumably, over the course of the long season, Adelman will be able to mold these disparate talents into a more cohesive and more consistent whole. If/when this happens, the Rockets could easily win the championship.
However, aside from Ron-Ron's potential for disruptive behavior, the biggest problem for this particular cast of characters is to determine who the leading man should be. In Indiana, Artest and Jermaine O'Neal were perpetually battling to be the Pacers' go-to guy, and although Artest has recently confessed the sins of his youth and vowed to change his ways (for the nth time), the pecking order must be clearly established for the Rockets to truly blast off into the league's upper echelon.
It says here that T-Mac is too fragile and too soft. That Yao is likewise injury-prone, and also must be passive and wait for the ball to come to him. And that because he can post-up, drive with power, and also shoot the lights out from downtown, it's Artest who has to be the Rockets' main man. Perhaps this responsibility might also make his latest, oft-repeated promises finally come true. Perhaps not.

Technical Meah!

NO LAYUPS!! Artest is the man!

[Obstructed_View]

Sorry, but if Artest was going in to play peacemaker, then he should have run toward his own teammate, not the guy on the other team. If he were smart he would have just stayed on the periphery. That was clearly a technical. And it wasn't immediate; the officials talked it over and made the decision after they all agreed.

Anyone would have gotten teed up, but Ron Artest especially does not diffuse a situation like that by running into the middle of the other team's players.

[Roxsfan]

Sorry, but if Artest was going in to play peacemaker, then he should have run toward his own teammate, not the guy on the other team. If he were smart he would have just stayed on the periphery. That was clearly a technical. And it wasn't immediate; the officials talked it over and made the decision after they all agreed.

Anyone would have gotten teed up, but Ron Artest especially does not diffuse a situation like that by running into the middle of the other team's players.

I love that Ron Artest is Yao's guard dog. He brings balls of steel to an overly nice rocket squad. Though I disagree with the fight in the palace, I love that it has added a don't fuck with me/us reputation. I think it was good for Ron to go in there and separate them, but as much as I hate Josh thug howard, he should have steered clear of him. Yao barely touched Josh and u can see howard's feet struggling to stay put.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CB9MlgM3XzY&eurl=http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=156410&page=1&pp=20






As far as Josh tripping Yao--that is a low blow and I hope he gets fined for that. Earlier in the play--Josh held Yao's arm and Yao flicked the fly off his arm and it so happened to bust Josh in the face and he flopped his head back at 5 seconds. (kind of like Yao's layup that had a follow through that hit Dirk in the face and dirk looked like a girl on the floor:lmao)
Then Josh rushed forward and tripped Yao at 10 seconds and tried to make it look like it was an accident.:rolleyes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqAcmURpA8Q&eurl=http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=156410&page=1&pp=20


FUCK JOSH HOWARD, ANTI AMERICAN THUG WANNABE FAGGOT

[sook]

good, ron deserves it to be taken away, he did nothing wrong

[Showtime24 LAKERS]

Ron Ron pretty much got T up for doing.....well, nothing. basically just becuase he's Ron Artest. :lol

[Kai]

Sorry, but if Artest was going in to play peacemaker, then he should have run toward his own teammate, not the guy on the other team. If he were smart he would have just stayed on the periphery. That was clearly a technical. And it wasn't immediate; the officials talked it over and made the decision after they all agreed.

Anyone would have gotten teed up, but Ron Artest especially does not diffuse a situation like that by running into the middle of the other team's players.
He was trying to jump between them, but Jason Kidd and Howard wouldn't let him.

[Obstructed_View]

He was trying to jump between them, but Jason Kidd and Howard wouldn't let him.

With all due respect, you're on crack. :)

Howard and Kidd were on one side, and Yao was on the other. Artest was closest to Yao, yet he was heading for Howard, not for the space between the players and certainly not toward his teammate. The NBA will not tolerate secondary guys running into a scrum that's already been defused. If Ron hasn't learned anything from Detroit, he should have learned from Knicks Nuggets at MSG. If the NBA was going to give anyone in the league benefit of the doubt in that sitiuation, I assure you that Ron Artest's name isn't anywhere on that list.

This is gonna be a long season if you guys are already making excuses for Artest's stupid decisions. In fact, I suspect that the reason it's being protested is because most people around Artest think that the number of techs he has will end up being a factor later in the year.

[Findog]

FUCK JOSH HOWARD, ANTI AMERICAN THUG WANNABE FAGGOT


Dude...pop a Xanax or two.