The Dream Shake

Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports Multiple reports have EG starting over Danuel House. When the Houston Rockets signed Danuel House to a three-year, $11.1 million contract this offseason, many figured him for the starting small forward in H-town for the upcoming season. In fact, Kelly Iko of The Athletic said back in July that House starting was a “real possibility.” However, that sentiment seems to have changed after the Rockets signed Eric Gordon to a four-year, $76 million extension late this summer. Now The Athletic is reporting (this time by Alykhan Bijani) that the Rockets are...

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports There’s a line at the end of You’ve Got Mail when Meg Ryan finally gets to meet the person she’s been mailing online. As Tom Hanks rounds the corner, Ryan breaks into tears and says, “I wanted it to be you. I wanted it to be you so badly.” Well, here we are, with the overwhelming winner of Houston Rockets fan favorite going to Patrick Beverley. We wanted it to be him, and it was. When Daryl Morey brought Pat Bev over from Russia in early 2013, the response was a collective shrug and and a confused “Who?” He’d had a cup of coffee at a Miami...

Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via On a team full of nice, quiet guys, Mad Max was the snarling pit bull that put them over the top. Vernon Maxwell had a difficult end to his Houston Rockets career. After the Clyde Drexler trade, Maxwell’s playing time began to shrink until he had a typical Mad Max-style blowup in the first round of the playoffs of Houston’s second title run that got him sent home from the team. He would eventually be released in the offseason. So it may seem strange to have a guy like that this high, especially when there are other guys out there from the title...

Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via The Chuckwagon rolls in at #3. When you finally see that your child or grandchild has taken a shine to an unexpected player that never quits, one of the first guys you’ll bring up is Chuck Hayes. Undrafted, undersized, and not skilled in the way that you want, but in the way that you need, Hayes’ stories embodies the one of a person who never gives up. After not being picked up in the 2015 draft, Hayes, the 2004 SEC Defensive Player of the Year out of Kentucky, didn’t see an NBA court until January 2006 when the Houston Rockets signed him to a...

Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Coming in at No. 4 of TDS’ Top 10 Rockets fan favorites is the 6’8” defensive specialist from Duke University. Before he retired as a two-time NBA champion as a member of the Miami Heat in 2014, Shane Battier was a fan favorite by many during his five-year tenure with the Houston Rockets. In fact, Battier was so beloved for the tremendous hustle and heart he showcased on a nightly basis, many often joked that he could run for president tomorrow and definitely carry Texas and North Carolina. Fresh off of a national title as a member of the Duke...

Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Houston made another move with one of its young players. The Houston Rockets are making moves with their young players. First, they signed Shamorie Ponds and William McDowell-White, and now they made a series of transaction moves with NBA Summer League star Chris Clemons. Clemons had his contract converted to a two-way deal, the team then ended the two-way, and then resigned him to a standard deal with Exhibit 10 and injury protection, according to Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports. Per sources, the Houston Rockets have converted Chris Clemons to a Two-Way...

Photo credit should read JEFF HAYNES/AFP/ The ‘90s sharpshooter clocks in at #5. There are moments in sports where you remember where you were when this incredible moment happened. For the Rockets, and for #5 Fan Favorite Mario Elie, his “Where Were You?” moment came during Game 7 of the 1995 Conference Finals where Elie famously gave the “Kiss of Death” to the rival Suns, who led 3 games to 1 to begin the series. The corner three was the ultimate dagger to the Suns, who saw their season disintegrate and vanish in a flash. Where were you when Elie dropped the “Kiss of...

Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via And Carl Landry! What if I told you... that the Houston Rockets Power Forward position produced the following per48 stats for a season: 32.3pts, 13.7rbs, 3.3ast, 1.2blk, 1.5stl with a 79% FT percentage and 59% True Shooting? That level of production from the nearly moribund Power Forward spot might seem unbelievable these days. Back in distant yore days of 2009-2010 that great season was compiled by one of the best (if not the best) platoons in Rockets history: Luis Scola, and Carl Landry. I believed at the time they were the most devastating...

Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports At #7, P.J. Tucker proves it’s never too early to call someone a favorite. There is something to be said with P.J. Tucker at No.7 on this list — in fact, there’s something to be said about him being on this list at all. Tucker doesn’t exactly fulfill the traditional standards of being a fan favorite. For one, he just completed only his second season with the team. He wasn’t a late draft pick or picked up as an undrafted talent or even an unwanted one. He isn’t the hometown hero, wasn’t developed though the team’s system, and he didn’t...

Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via The Rockets converted two training camp deals into two-ways. The Houston Rockets have converted the training camp deals of rookies Shamorie Ponds and William McDowell-White into two-way deals according to Woj: Sources: Charlotte is signing Virginia Tech guard Ahmed Hill to a two-way contract. Elsewhere, Houston has converted training camp deals for rookie guards Shamarie Ponds and William McDowell-White into two-way deals.— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 4, 2019 The deal was primarily financial in nature, and here’s a pretty good...

Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Who doesn’t love the finger wag? The finger wag. As recognizable and as loved as any NBA signature moment. It’s meme-worthy. It’s an official part of NBA historical lore. Seriously, when was the last time you heard anyone say, “Man, I really hate it when Mutombo does that stupid finger wag?” If you really did hear someone say it, it’s because their favorite team was likely getting swatted out of the gym. The world-famous wag didn’t get its start in H-town. Far from it, actually. But Rockets fans were lucky enough to have Dikembe Mutombo for...

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports A somewhat surprising but welcoming acquisition. According to Kelly Iko (formerly of The Dream Shake!) of the Athletic, the Rockets plan to re-sign Nene Hilario. Breaking: Free-agent big man Nene plans to resign with the Houston Rockets.— Kelly Iko (@KellyIkoNBA) September 3, 2019 Nene spent the past three seasons in Rockets red, but declined his $3.8 million player option that made him a free agent earlier this summer. In response to Nene’s departure, the Rockets signed veteran Tyson Chandler to a veteran’s minimum deal earlier this offseason....

Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Coming in at No. 9 of TDS’ Top 10 Rockets fan favorites is the 6’10” sharpshooter from the University of Florida. Before he made a ton load of money as a member of the Dallas Mavericks and Memphis Grizzlies, Chandler Parsons was beloved by many during his three-year stint with the Houston Rockets. Although he never quite lived up to the high expectations that made him a fan favorite in H-town, Parsons’ career once looked extremely promising as a 6’10” sharpshooter. Originally selected with the 38th overall pick in the 2011 draft, Parsons came...

Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports Who’s more Houston than Gerald Green? You can say what you want about Gerald Green’s game. Streaky? You bet. Defensively limited? Yep, that’s true too. But one thing that never, ever should be in doubt: Gerald Green is H-town to the core. Born in Houston, Green attended Dobie and Gulf Shores Academy and was one of the last players to enter the NBA directly from high school. He was drafted by the Boston Celtics in 2005, and he made a quick, one-game stop with the Rockets in 2008, when he was sent over by the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for...

Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via It’s time for another TDS Top 10 countdown. Every summer, once the NBA doldrums hits, we try to put together some fun Top 10 lists, both as a way to keep things interesting for our readers and to give us writers here at TDS something fun to write about until the news season picks back up again. Last year we did Top 10 Rockets Trades and Top 10 “Could Have Beens.” This year, we’re starting off with Top 10 Fan Favorites. Now our main stipulation with this list is that they couldn’t be superstar players. It would be too easy — and therefore a...