THE PALLILOG
Charlie Pallilo: Rockets stand pat, Houston sports awards, college hoops and more
Feb 9, 2018, 6:40 am
Daryl Morey, for once, did not make a deal. Rockets.com
Can you imagine Daryl Morey bouncing off the walls Thursday as the NBA trade deadline approached? Muscle memory for him, having swung at least one deadline deal in each of his first 10 years as Rockets’ General Manager. Nothing this year though. When the team he built is 40-13, not much need to wheel and deal. In fact there was NO need, though as terrific as they are the Rockets are obviously not perfect so Morey would have made a tweak he deemed right. One player the Rockets were linked to who would have made perfect sense is guard George Hill. A solid defender who shoots the 3-pointer better than any of the Rockets’ merry band of gunners, Hill would have been great insurance if heaven forbid Chris Paul or James Harden went down for a spell (as both have already this season). I imagine Mike D’Antoni may have enjoyed the idea of running out a super-small lineup of Paul, Hill, Eric Gordon, Harden, and Clint Capela.
Likely the only way the Rockets could have gotten Hill is if Sacramento or a third team in the deal would have taken Ryan Anderson’s contract which has two years and over $41 million guaranteed dollars left on it after this season. That just wasn’t going to happen. The Rockets’ quality and chemistry is such that not tinkering with it in any way affecting the core rotation is a highly reasonable way to go. Though push comes to shove, if Anderson for Hill would have been on the table I think it’s a trade Daryl Morey would have and should have made.
There is one more flurry of personnel moves to be made post-deadline. A number of players will be bought out of contracts and have until March 1 to sign elsewhere and be eligible for the playoffs. Daryl Morey will certainly check on at least one or two of them. Joe Johnson has already been mentioned as one possibility.
Bad news from trade deadline day for anyone Rockets-minded clinging to the fantasy of LeBron James coming on board this summer. The Lakers have cleared out enough salary for Magic Johnson to be positioned to lavish two max dollar free agent offers this summer. If LeBron leaves Cleveland for a second time, he’s taking his talents to Hollywood. Amusing if the LeBron to L.A. scenario comes to pass, it’s the Cavaliers who greased the skids enabling it with the deal the Cavs and Lakers made Thursday.
Houston sports awards
The inaugural Houston Sports Awards was a fabulous event Thursday night with a staggering amount of greatness in the room. Going forward it will be difficult to have another Houston Sports Awards gala with the same oomph. Only once can you build the event around honoring the “34s,” Hakeem Olajuwon, Earl Campbell, and Nolan Ryan. And having a first time World Series Champion to celebrate.
The 34s of Houston are nearly unrivaled as a threesome to have played for the same city. Los Angeles can mount a legitimate case with its 32s: Magic Johnson, Marcus Allen, and Sandy Koufax. Chicago is 2/3 there with 23s Michael Jordan and Ryne Sandberg, but Devin Hester (while arguably the greatest return man in NFL history) can’t swim with these sharks.
JEOPARDY! style: The answer is…Gordie Pladson, Willie Rodgers, and John Shumate.
Who last wore #34 as an Astro, Oiler, and Rocket before Ryan, Campbell, and Olajuwon?
College hoops update
Quick: what color do you associate with the University of Houston? Right you are, Cougar Red! Hence it was dopey for UH to wear black uniforms on national television while visiting SMU then wore red. Better to have substance in your favor than style, so the Cougars winning the game outrates the fashion faux pas. A home loss vs. an SMU team playing minus its best player would have been damaging to the Coogs’ NCAA Tournament hopes. Instead, next week UH gets a second crack at Top 10 Cincinnati where a win could come close to sealing an at-large bid. The Cougars have made the Tournament exactly once in the last quarter century.
The Cosby Show was the No. 1 show on TV the last time Texas missed the Tournament in consecutive seasons. It’s been 30 years. The Longhorns better be careful. At 5-6 in the Big 12, a loss at TCU Saturday and the Horns have collapse potential.
Texas A&M meanwhile should beat Kentucky Saturday night at Reed Arena. That would get the Ags back to 6-6 in SEC play, after an 0-5 start.
Play ball
This time next week Astros’ pitchers and catchers will be working out at spring training. Yay!
Buzzer Beaters
1. Roy Jones Jr. fought Thursday night. That’s just sad. 2. Bill Belichick is the greatest NFL head coach ever, but not playing Malcolm Butler at all on defense in SB LII was just dumb. 3. Houston’s 34s: Bronze-Nolan Silver-Earl Gold-Hakeem
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Nick Chubb didn’t expect to be a Houston Texan. At least, not until he got the call on a quiet Saturday at home and was on a flight the next day. It happened fast — too fast, even, for the four-time Pro Bowler to fully process what it all meant. But now that he’s here, it’s clear this wasn’t a random landing spot. This was a calculated leap, one Chubb had been quietly considering from afar.
The reasons he chose Houston speak volumes not only about where Chubb is in his own career, but where the Texans are as a franchise.
For one, Chubb saw what the rest of the league saw the last two seasons: a young team turning the corner. He admired the Texans from a distance — the culture shift under head coach DeMeco Ryans, the explosive rise of C.J. Stroud, and the physical tone set by players like Joe Mixon. That identity clicked with Chubb. He’d been a fan of Ryans for years, and once he got in the building, everything aligned.
“I came here and saw a bunch of guys who like to work and not talk,” Chubb said. “And I realized I'm a perfect fit.”
As for his health, Chubb isn’t running from the injuries that cost him parts of the past two seasons, he’s owning them. But now, he says, they’re behind him. After a full offseason of training the way he always has — hitting his speed and strength benchmarks — Chubb says he’s feeling the best he has in years. He’s quick to remind people that bouncing back from major injuries, especially the one he suffered in 2023, is rarely a one-year journey. It takes time. He’s given it time.
Then there’s his fit with Mixon. The two aren’t just stylistic complements, they go way back. Same recruiting class, same reputation for running hard, same respect for each other’s games. Chubb remembers dreading matchups against the Bengals in Cleveland, worrying Mixon would take over the game. Now, he sees the opportunity in pairing up. “It’ll be us kinda doing that back-to-back against other defenses,” he said.
He’s also well aware of what C.J. Stroud brings to the table. Chubb watched Stroud nearly dismantle Georgia in the College Football Playoff. Then he saw it again, up close, when Stroud lit up the Browns in the postseason. “He torched us again,” Chubb said. Now, he gets to run alongside him, not against him.
Stroud made a point to welcome Chubb, exchanging numbers and offering support. It may seem like a small thing, but it’s the kind of leadership that helped sell Chubb on the Texans as more than just a good football fit — it’s a good locker room fit, too.
It appears the decision to come to Houston wasn’t part of some master plan. But in retrospect, it makes perfect sense. Chubb is a player with a no-nonsense work ethic, recovering from adversity, looking to write the next chapter of a career that’s far from over. And the Texans? They’re a team on the rise, built around guys who want to do the same.
You can watch the full interview in the video below.
And for those wondering how Joe Mixon feels about Nick Chubb, check out this video from last season. Let's just say he's a fan.
I’ve seen some speculation indicating that Joe Mixon may not be happy the Texans signed Nick Chubb. If that is what you believe, watch this clip from an interview with @greenlight pod last year & get back to me. pic.twitter.com/3vaip85esj
— Houston Stressans (@TexansCommenter) June 11, 2025
*ChatGPT assisted.
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