Aaron Brooks Wins Most Improved Player

The Houston Rockets were supposed to be awful this season. Instead they were just mediocre. Part of the credit for that goes to the NBA Most Improved Player award winner Aaron Brooks. The Rockets finished their season, minus All Star Yao Ming, with a 42-40 record.

The Rockets were held together through the tough play of Brooks, Luis Scola and a plethora of guys working together.

The NBA scoring champ Kevin Durant tied for second place in balloting with Marc Gasol of Memphis and George Hill of San Antonio. The three combined did not garner as many votes as Brooks though.

The Rockets should look a little different next season. Yao should be back healthy. High scoring Kevin Martin will have a full training camp to get acclimated with his team and guys like Brooks and Scola will have the confidence that comes with being forced to be a team leader and performing will in the role.

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Marc Gasol To Miss Rest Of The Season

Marc Gasol has had a very good second season in the NBA, but alas it is over. Gasol is set to miss the rest of the season with a neck strain that has been bothering him the last couple of weeks. He returned the last two games, but only averaged 7.5 points and 3 rebounds, the injury obviously bothering him.

The Memphis Grizzlies are a young team and should improve next season. Perhaps becoming a playoff team. Gasol along with Rudy Gay, OJ Mayo and Zach Randolph give the team a great nucleus that could potentially become a championship contending unit.

Gasol should end up playing for Spain in the World Championships this summer, hopefully using the opportunity to work on his game.  I’m guessing he will improve on his 14.6 points and 9.3 rebounds that he had this season and will have himself in position to possibly make the NBA All Star game next season.

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Marc Gasol Returns From Injury Against Bucks

Marc Gasol had missed five games due a neck strain. He returned on Sunday afternoon during a loss by the Memphis Grizzlies to the Milwaukee Bucks. Gasol ended up with 11 points, 6 rebounds and 5 blocks.

Gasol fouled out of the game and also committed 5 turnovers. The blocks were nice, but the rest of his numbers were a little disappointing for one of the best centers in the NBA.

It isn’t too surprising that he would have an off game after coming off an injury and it wouldn’t be shocking if he bounced back on Wednesday against Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks. Either way it is nice to see the Spaniard back in action for the Grizzlies.

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Luis Scola Has Big Game Versus Grizzlies

Luis Scola Scores Twenty

Luis Scola and the Houston Rockets beat the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night 107-94. Scola ended up with 20 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists. It was his sixth straight game with at least twenty points, though it did break a streak of six straight double digit rebounding games.

The Rockets have won four straight games and sit 4.5 games behind the Portland Trailblazers for the eighth and final seed in the Western Conference. Unfortunately for the Rockets, Portland is also on a four game winning streak. Time is just running out for Houston this NBA season.

Marc Gasol Sits Out

Against the Rockets, Marc Gasol missed his second straight game with a neck strain. He is expected to possibly miss the rest of the Grizzlies games this week. Hasheem Thabeet had 10 rebounds as the replacement starter at center.

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