2008–09 Houston Rockets season
| 2008–09 Houston Rockets season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Rick Adelman |
| General manager | Daryl Morey |
| Owners | Leslie Alexander |
| Arena | Toyota Center |
| Results | |
| Record | 53–29 (.646) |
| Place | Division: 2nd (Southwest) Conference: 5th (Western) |
| Playoff finish | Conference Semifinals (Lost to Lakers 3–4) |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Local media | |
| Television | My Network TV Houston, FSN Houston |
| Radio | Sports Radio 610 |
The 2008–09 Houston Rockets season was the 42nd season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Despite a season-ending knee injury to Tracy McGrady, the Rockets breezed past the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round, but could not defeat the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round. Dikembe Mutombo, who entered his 18th and final season, was injured in Game 2 of the first round and announced his retirement, ending his 18-year NBA career. Besides losing Mutombo, Yao Ming missed most of the second round due to a foot injury that required off-season surgery. Before the season, the team acquired Ron Artest (now Metta World Peace), who was known for his violent temper. Following the season, Artest signed as a free agent with the Lakers. The Rockets would not return to the postseason until 2013.
Key dates
- June 26: The 2008 NBA draft will take place in New York City.
- July 1: The free agency period will start.
- August 14: Ron Artest is acquired by trade from the Sacramento Kings .
Draft picks
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 | Nicolas Batum | SF |  France
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Le Mans Sarthe Basket |
| 2 | 54 | Maarty Leunen | SF |  United States
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Oregon |
Roster
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Regular season
Standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y-San Antonio Spurs | 54 | 28 | .659 | — | 28–13 | 26–15 | 10–6 |
| x-Houston Rockets | 53 | 29 | .646 | 1 | 33–8 | 20–21 | 9–7 |
| x-Dallas Mavericks | 50 | 32 | .610 | 4 | 32–9 | 18–23 | 7–9 |
| x-New Orleans Hornets | 49 | 33 | .598 | 5 | 28–13 | 21–20 | 9–7 |
| Memphis Grizzlies | 24 | 58 | .284 | 30 | 16–25 | 8–33 | 5–11 |
| # | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
| 1 | c-Los Angeles Lakers | 65 | 17 | .793 | — |
| 2 | y-Denver Nuggets | 54 | 28 | .659 | 11 |
| 3 | y-San Antonio Spurs | 54 | 28 | .659 | 11 |
| 4 | x-Portland Trail Blazers | 54 | 28 | .659 | 11 |
| 5 | x-Houston Rockets | 53 | 29 | .646 | 12 |
| 6 | x-Dallas Mavericks | 50 | 32 | .610 | 15 |
| 7 | x-New Orleans Hornets | 49 | 33 | .598 | 16 |
| 8 | x-Utah Jazz | 48 | 34 | .585 | 17 |
| 9 | Phoenix Suns | 46 | 36 | .561 | 19 |
| 10 | Golden State Warriors | 29 | 53 | .354 | 36 |
| 11 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 24 | 58 | .293 | 41 |
| 12 | Memphis Grizzlies | 24 | 58 | .293 | 41 |
| 13 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 23 | 59 | .280 | 42 |
| 14 | Los Angeles Clippers | 19 | 63 | .232 | 46 |
| 15 | Sacramento Kings | 17 | 65 | .207 | 48 |
Game log
| 2008–09 game log Total: 53–29 (Home: 33–8; Road: 20–21) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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October: 2–0 (home: 1–0; road: 1–0)
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November: 9–7 (home: 3–3; road: 6–4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
December: 10–5 (home: 7–1; road: 3–4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
January: 8–7 (home: 5–2; road: 3–5) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
February: 8–3 (home: 8–0; road: 0–3)
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March: 11–4 (home: 6–2; road: 5–2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
April: 5–3 (home: 3–0; road: 2–3)
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| 2015–16 season schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playoffs
Player statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Source: | [1] |
Season
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rafer Alston | 11 | 11 | 31.5 | .360 | .244 | .864 | 2.9 | 4.5 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 9.3 |
| Ron Artest | 13 | 13 | 39.1 | .354 | .371 | .679 | 6.4 | 2.8 | 1.9 | 0.5 | 14.4 |
| Brent Barry | 11 | 0 | 19.3 | .281 | .217 | 1.000 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 2.6 |
| Shane Battier | |||||||||||
| Aaron Brooks | 12 | 2 | 23.2 | .442 | .409 | .897 | 2.5 | 2.2 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 12.0 |
| Joey Dorsey | 1 | 0 | 2.0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Steve Francis | |||||||||||
| Chuck Hayes | 13 | 1 | 16.2 | .385 | .000 | .333 | 4.2 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 1.7 |
| Luther Head | 4 | 0 | 14.5 | .316 | .333 | 1.000 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 4.8 |
| Carl Landry | 13 | 0 | 19.7 | .547 | .000 | .903 | 5.2 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 8.5 |
| Tracy McGrady | 13 | 13 | 33.3 | .408 | .395 | .806 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 16.2 |
| Luis Scola | 13 | 13 | 26.8 | .504 | .000 | .926 | 6.8 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 11.8 |
| Von Wafer | 5 | 0 | 14.0 | .346 | .455 | .000 | 2.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 4.6 |
| Yao Ming | 12 | 12 | 35.3 | .514 | .000 | .831 | 9.2 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 1.6 | 17.0 |
Awards and records
Awards
- Dikembe Mutombo, J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award
- Yao Ming, All-NBA Second Team
- Shane Battier, NBA All-Defensive Second Team
- Ron Artest, NBA All-Defensive Second Team
Transactions
Trades
| August 6, 2008 |
To Houston Rockets Option to exchange 2nd round picks with Clippers in 2011 |
To Los Angeles Clippers Steve Novak | |
| August 14, 2008 |
To Houston Rockets Ron Artest,[2] Patrick Ewing Jr., Sean Singletary |
To Sacramento Kings Bobby Jackson, Donté Greene, 1st round pick for 2009 | |
| August 25, 2008 |
To Houston Rockets D.J. Strawberry |
To Phoenix Suns Sean Singletary | |
| August 29, 2008 |
To Houston Rockets Draft rights to Frédéric Weis |
To New York Knicks Patrick Ewing Jr. | |
| December 24, 2008 |
To Houston Rockets Conditional Draft Pick in 2011 |
To Memphis Grizzlies Steve Francis, 2009 NBA Draft Pick | |
| December 24, 2008 |
To Houston Rockets Kyle Lowry, Brian Cook |
To Memphis Grizzlies Adonal Foyle, Mike Wilks, NBA 1st Round Pick |
To Orlando Magic Rafer Alston, |
Free agents
Additions
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Subtractions
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References
- ^ "Roster and Statistics". Basketball-Reference.
- ^ http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Basketball/NBA/2008/08/14/6454811-ap.html