To date, no heads have rolled in Houston, but for how much longer will Death keep his scythe sheathed?

Despite ongoing speculation to the contrary, it seems Houston’s home run target is off the table. The Denver Nuggets seem less likely to trade Carmelo Anthony with each passing day, and his indication that he will likely sign Denver’s extension if he is not traded by the deadline seems to be the final assurance for the Nuggets that keeping their franchise player is the right move. The Rockets, then, will have to find some other way to get the team into the playoffs that doesn’t involve Anthony, the only superstar even rumored to be on the market right now.

The other position Houston has been looking to fill is the ever-elusive center spot. While Chuck Hayes has performed admirably, the plan coming into the season was to use him more as Luis Scola’s primary back-up at his natural power forward position. Brad Miller was supposed to be Yao Ming’s primary back-up and replacement, if needed. Instead, Miller has been injured almost as much as Yao, who is done for at least the season and possibly for his career. The Rockets have been combing the league looking for a center, but aren’t having much luck.

They looked briefly at the Dallas Mavericks’ Brendan Haywood, but his contract and his current inability to earn consistent playing time didn’t give Houston much hope he could be their man. They made a pass as Marcin Gortat, whom they previously tried to sign as a free agent, but the Orlando Magic ultimately dealt him to the Phoenix Suns instead. They’ve looked at Marcus Camby, but Camby doesn’t spend much more time on the basketball court than Yao or Miller. With Houston’s luck, they would acquire Camby, only to have him suffer some career-ending injury two games after the trade. The Rockets have also been in talks with the Nuggets about a potential deal for Nene, but that would only happen if the team dealt Anthony and was looking to blow up the rest of the lineup, which doesn’t appear to be the plan. Houston has also made passes at the Los Angeles Clippers’ Chris Kaman and the Sacramento Kings’ Samuel Dalembert, though neither the Clippers nor the Kings seem too interested in dealing.

If you want a clear indication of how desperate the Rockets are for front court help, they’ve been talking to the Chicago Bulls about Omer Asik.

In case you’re asking, "Who???"  – don’t feel too bad. Asik is the reserve back-up center in Chicago, averaging just over 11 minutes per game, and that only because Joakim Noah is out and Kurt Thomas is starting. If it weren’t for that Asik would be seated comfortably at the very end of the Bulls’ bench in streetclothes. Yet he is Houston’s latest target, according to the Houston Chronicle. The Bulls, for their part, weren’t willing to part with Asik in exchange for Courtney Lee, according to the Arlington Heights Daily Herald.

I did a spot on 1560 The Game in Houston yesterday, and one topic of conversation came up that is really a growing concern for Rockets fans. What if the Rockets can’t get a significant deal done? What if the trade deadline comes and goes and the Rockets simply can’t find a deal? They’re likely to finish somewhere in the 10-12 range in the Western Conference, thus landing a first round pick somewhere in the teens. A mid-teens draft pick is usually decent, but not great, and given that this year’s pick is likely to miss out on summer league and possibly training camp due to labor negotiations, the prospects are not good that Houston’s own first round pick will be a clear path to marked improvement next season.

Additionally, there are no young players on Houston’s current roster who look like future All-Star material. Kevin Martin is easily Houston’s best player, but he is already the player he’s going to be: a first-rate scorer who plays little defense. They have a solid point guard in Kyle Lowry, but he’s not an All-Star by any stretch. They have one of the league’s best defenders in Shane Battier, but he could be gone in free agency. Luis Scola is very good at times, but he is what he’s going to be. There is no up side there. Patrick Patterson, Courtney Lee, Chase Budinger and Jordan Hill all have potential, but outside of possibly Patterson none of them seem to be All-Star material, even down the road. 

The bottom line? Houston needs a major trade to make sense out of their mess of a roster.

But what if they can’t make one? How much longer will Les Alexander’s patience hold? Sooner or later – and probably sooner – major changes are needed in Houston. If they don’t happen with the roster, they may start happening in the front office.

Pistons Retiring Dennis Rodman

The Detroit Pistons announced today that the club will retire Dennis Rodman’s #10 jersey during a halftime ceremony on April 1, 2011 when the Pistons host the Chicago Bulls at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

"I’m pleased that we are honoring Dennis for his accomplishments as a player and his contributions to the success of the organization," said Joe Dumars, President of Basketball Operations for the Pistons. "His jersey retirement is well deserved." 

Drafted 27th overall by the Pistons in the 1986 NBA Draft, Rodman was a key member of the Pistons ‘Bad Boys’ teams that led the franchise to back-to-back championships in 1989 and 1990. An elite defender and rebounder, he averaged 8.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists while shooting 54 percent from the field in 549 games as a Piston. Rodman led Detroit in rebounding four consecutive seasons (1989-1993) and was the league’s top rebounder from 1991-93 when he averaged 18.7 and 18.3 rebounds per game, respectively. He was a two-time NBA All-Star while playing for Detroit (1990, 1992) and was named to the All-NBA Third Team following the 1991-92 season. Rodman was named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year in 1990 and 1991 and was also named to the NBA All-Defensive first team for five consecutive seasons (1989-93).

"Individual accomplishments have never been a big deal for me as a player, but to be honored for my contributions in this way by the Detroit Pistons organization is truly humbling," Rodman said in a statement issued through his manager, Steven Simon of Prince Marketing Group. "This organization gave me a chance to blossom regardless of my size or what school I came from. My only regret is that the man that believed in me more than I did myself, Chuck Daly, is no longer with us. I’m sure he’ll be with us that evening in his own way."

The 6-7, 210-pound forward, nicknamed "The Worm" during his playing days, ranks fourth among all-time franchise leaders in total rebounds (6,299) and still holds team records for most rebounds in a game [34, vs. Indiana (3/4/92)], most offensive rebounds in a game [18, vs. Indiana (3/4/92)], most defensive rebounds in a game [22, at Sacramento (3/14/92)] and most games with 25-plus rebounds (15). He also recorded 30 or more rebounds three times and holds the team record for highest field goal percentage in one season at 59.5 percent (1988-89). 

Rodman was traded to the San Antonio Spurs on October 1, 1993 and also played with the Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks. He played a key role in the Bulls’ three consecutive championships from 1996-1998 and holds the NBA records for most consecutive seasons leading the league in rebounds [7, (1991-97)] and most seasons leading the league in defensive rebounds [3, (91-92, 93-94, 97-98)]. Rodman picked up two more NBA All-Defensive First Team honors after leaving Detroit (1995, 1996), a NBA Second-Team All-Defensive honor in 1994 and an All-NBA Third Team honor in 1995. Overall, he played in 911 career NBA games averaging 7.3 points, 13.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 31.7 minutes per game.

"We are excited to welcome Dennis Rodman back to The Palace and honor him with his jersey retirement," said Alan Ostfield, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Pistons and Palace Sports and Entertainment. "We look forward to hosting an exciting evening for Dennis as well as our fans."

Dallas Mavericks Notebook
 
Last night’s game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Denver Nuggets featured a little bit of everything for Mavericks fans. They saw that the Mavericks’ zone can take them out of games by allowing wide open three-pointers, but also that it can help them get back into games when the threes stop falling. They saw silly turnovers dig a very deep first-quarter hole and they saw Tyson Chandler turn in another stellar performance – 20 points, 11 rebounds – to help them get right back into the game. JJ Barea and Jason Terry helped the Mavs build a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter, but Carmelo Anthony and Aaron Afflalo showed that no lead is safe in the NBA as they carved out a 121-120 Denver win with late-game heroics.

The loss ended the Mavericks’ league-best 10-game winning streak, but there will be more streaks for the Mavs before all is said and done. The question is, will they be good enough come playoff time to compete for a championship?