COVERITLIVE.COM

1:00

Fran Blinebury - Well, kids, just one hour left before the trade deadline and everything is still calm and stable with the Rockets. Nobody was held out of today's practice, which might have been an indication of a deal in the works. A few years back, when the Rockets traded Jimmy Jackson on deadline day, he was kept on the sidelines.

1:01	[Comment From Earl] Is anyone else as mad as I am that Tyson Chandler is back to the Hornets? Without him the Rockets would have a great chance of taking them in a series, I still think they have a good chance but I would rather have Yao battling Joe Smith than Tyson.

1:02

Fran Blinebury - While I admit that I thought trading Chandler did make the Hornets weaker overall, he's been plagued by an assortment of injuries all season and hasn't played up to last year's level. Of the so-called elite teams in the West, I would think New Orleans would still be the preferred matchup for the Rockets.

1:02	[Comment From dan_riogrande] Any good news regarding a trade for the Rockets will they keep the line up as it is?

1:02	Fran Blinebury - The clock is ticking and it's looking more and more like the Rockets aren't going to rock anyone's world with a blockbuster deal.

1:02	[Comment From LardLad] Fran, please tell us that we are trading Tracy McGrady. What's the latest you've got?

1:03	Fran Blinebury - Geez, you want everything? He's out of the lineup, probably for the year, we have to presume and that ends the night to night drama. There will be plenty of opportunities to move his $23 million expiring contract after the season.

1:04	[Comment From fredv] Hey Fran, with the Rockets apparently not making any major trades, does that mean they believe in the 2010 hype? Morey seemed to think it was quite overrated, but I think they are still preparing for it... Whats your take on that?

1:05

Fran Blinebury - Well, there's still another 1 1/2 seasons to play and I think it's foolish to blow that off just to look ahead to the summer of 2010. That said, if McGrady has the microfracture surgery and he's done for next year, the Rockets can deal his contract and got themselves in a good position for that free agent class. But if I were you, I wouldn't stay up nights waiting for LeBron or Wade to arrive.

1:05	[Comment From lazyeye] Are the Baron Davis rumors bs? thanks Fran

1:08

Fran Blinebury - Nope. Unless the Rockets believed that adding Davis was going to vault them over LA and SA and make them real championship contenders, the deal -- and there never was one -- would have traded one problem for another. Davis will be 30 this year, has a history of injury and weight problems and is owed $65 million on a contract that run for four more years. In addition, his style does not fit at all with Yao. He needs the ball in his hands. If the rumor was coming from anyplace, it was from Baron Davis himself, who wants desperately to get away from the Clippers.

1:08

[Comment From rk]
Waiting to hear if the Rockets make any kind of deal is causing me uneeded stress. I'm sure several of us all feel the same way...My question is, if we are only making a small deal, will it be for a draft pick (luther head etc), or a player who can break our rotation, for example landry + head for someone (not necessarily a starter)? Lastly, what position do you think the trade, if any, will effect?

1:09	Fran Blinebury - I haven't been expecting a significant deal. If they do swing something that isn't for just a draft pick, I think they need a shooter at the 2.

1:09	[Comment From TLack?] John Feigen was refering to a big deal in the works that now might not go thru...Any insight or special scoops for chron readers?

1:09	Fran Blinebury - I talked to Jonathan a little while ago and I don't know what you're talking about.

1:10	[Comment From matt] How about some playoff predictions? How will the Rockets do and who do you think will win the west?

1:10	Fran Blinebury - As currently constructed, I think they have the potential to win a round. Of course, I thought that the last two years as well.

1:10

[Comment From Kevin in Spring]
Fran, what do you see as the solution to the T-Mac debacle? He is probably one of the most over-paid, under-performing superstar duds in the history of the NBA, and yet the management of the Rockets refuses to trade him. Do you think Baron Davis, who is one month younger (almost 30) and almost just as hurt, would be worth it in a trade? (Which almost certainly will not occur during this hour, the last before the deadline).

1:11	Fran Blinebury - I answered the Davis question in depth already. McGrady is out -- he says -- for the season and they'll have plenty of opportunity to trade him in the off-season. I'm not taking Les at his word that they're looking to keep him or build on him.

1:11	[Comment From Tommy] What's the latest on Carl Landry? He saw a doctor yesterday, so I'm hoping for good news...

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