A jet carrying the Detroit Pistons landed safely at Houston’s Hobby Airport late Monday afternoon after an alert was issued regarding the plane’s landing gear, myFOXhouston.com reported.

According to the Houston Airport System, there was concern over the jet’s left side landing gear hydraulics.

The entire team was on board the plane ahead of Tuesday night’s game against the Rockets at Houston’s Toyota Center, WDIV Detroit reported. They were later transported by bus to their hotel.

There were no reported injuries among the 44 passengers on board, Houston’s khou.com reported.

Emergency vehicles surrounded the plane as it landed but they were not needed. (FOX News)

It’s never good to hear about any plane having problem like this but it gains so much more news when it involves a sports team, professional or amateur. That’s unfortunate but it’s good to hear everyone’s alright.

Now can the Pistons use this as a wake up call?

“If you look at the playoffs with Dallas, you saw what Tyson Chandler did,” Dalembert said, referring to the 7-foot-1 center who helped the Mavs beat the Heat in six games for the title last June. “He was basically a key ingredient for them to win a championship. And Miami didn’t have somebody like that. Somebody able to stop (foes from) getting second shots and somebody able to rebound and finish. I could fill that role and be an asset for that team.” (FOX Sports Florida)

Samuel made some great points in that quote and I’m sure the Heat had already thought of those before the lockout even ended. Question is was Dalembert the player they were hiring to help fix that. That I’m not sure.

There are only two things I’m sure of here. Dalembert wants to play for a team who can make the playoffs, preferably contend for the title like the Heat. The other is that he’ll have to take a paycut if that’s what his goal.

The Heat would only be able to offer Samuel the teams mid-level exception, just like another one of the teams he’s considering.

“It’s one of my options as well,” Dalembert said of New York, where he spent portions of the offseason working out with Elton Brand, his one-time teammate in Philadelphia. “It’s a building process. It can be similar to Miami when they get all the pieces together. It’s something that can work and they need a big,” he said, adding that if the Knicks get a quality center, Amar’e Stoudemire can play less at center and more at his natural position of power forward. (FOX Sports Florida)

I have no doubt Samuel will have no shortage of options, he also mentions the Houston Rockets as a preferred landing spot. Most teams in the NBA would love to have a seven foot center, who scores eight points a game, eight rebounds and just under two blocks a game. The guy is a nightmare for opposing offenses.

The question is does he care more about the money or the winning. He made over $13 million while playing for Sacramento in 2010-11, I doubt he makes anywhere near that for the 2011-12 season. So does he take even less to play for a winner?

@Chris_Broussard: NYK will trade Anthony Randolph for 1st round pick within next 2 weeks, sources say. Minny, Indy, Portland among likeliest destinations

A few minutes later, Broussard follows that up by adding the possibility of the Houston Rockets as they just received an injury exception for center Yao Ming.

@Chris_Broussard: Yes, maybe ARandolphRT @YeLLa_Boi: @Chris_Broussard with HOU getting trade exception for Yao can they get in mix for any of these trades?

I’d be ecstatic ff the Knicks could get a first rounder for Randolph. The reason being head coach Mike D’Antoni’s insistence on not playing the kid. In 2010-11, his third professional season, Randolph is averaging career lows across the board. A direct result of only playing seven minutes a game, his only action over the past two months have been in three blowouts.

The 6’11 forward/center was just coming into his own last year with the Golden State Warriors before his injury. He was averaging 22 minutes, 11 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. For a second year player those were fairly impressive numbers. For any team that needs help on their front court remember that and that’s why they’re willing to give up a first rounder.

For the Knicks to get a pick like that from a team would be huge in their pursuit of the Denver Nuggets Carmelo Anthony. Donnie Walsh said a while ago that he’ll get himself another first rounder to make the Melo deal happen, it looks like he may back that comment up. Now will the Nuggets pull the trigger?

Of course any Randolph trade would be contingent on the Knicks landing Anthony in a deal with the Nuggets. The New York Post reports that the Knicks have such a deal in place with the T-Wolves.

Nevertheless, the Knicks, according to a league source, have a contingent deal in place with Minnesota to trade Randolph for a Timberwolves 2011 first-round pick.

Houston receives Jared Jeffries, Jordan Hill and either Al Harrington or Larry Hughes.
Knicks receive Tracy McGrady, Joey Dorsey and Brian Cook (if the deal includes Hughes).

There would also be some draft pick swapping. Yahoo reports that the two teams would swap their 2011 first round picks and the Rockets would acquire New Yorks’ 2012 first rounder.

While the team would give up a lot, especially draft pick wise for a possible half season rental, the Knicks would be setting themselves up big time for the summer of 2010. Donnie Walsh would finally rid himself of Jared Jeffries contract, freeing up even more salary cap space for the Knicks. And McGrady well we know his insanely large contract expires after this season.

McGrady could wind up doing more for Knicks fans then they may think. Yes, his contract expires after this season but if he proves he’s still got game he could provide something else. No, I’m not talking about a playoff berth, I’m talking about the 2010-2011 season.

If Tracy plays the entire stretch run and at a high level the Knicks could easily consider resigning him at a team friendly rate to complement whatever big name free agent(s) they bring in. If he proves he’s still that good, then they could even use him in some sort of sign-and-trade if another team was interested in him. So while it may seem a lot in term of draft picks, the deal for Tracy could wind up even bigger then Knicks fans thought.

Now for the Rockets, I’m sure they’re ecstatic about possibly upgrading next years first rounder, adding a first rounder, and Jordan Hill (the number eight pick in 2009 draft), all for a guy that only played in six games this season before being exiled by the team. Hill is a guy the Knicks haven’t given much of a chance to but he’s performed when given the minutes, averaging 4.1 pts and 2.5 rebounds over 10 minutes a game.

I’m hoping this deal happens but really for one reason. And that is so the Tracy McGrady to the New York Knick rumors from the past year and a half can finally cease. Get it done fellas.

I’m going to start off with the Dunk of the Night for one big reason. Everyone is saying LeBron James posterized Dwyane Wade last night, which is soooooo not true. What are all these people smoking? Stop drinking the kool-aid please! Wade was playing catchup the entire play, trying to prevent a fast break. Granted when he did get his hands in the air to foul LeBron it was too late, but in no way did the King dunk on Wade.

With Wade and James facing off you knew Wade would also get in on the highlight reel. Wade showed off his blazing speed by sprinting after a loose ball and turning it inot a big time dunk.

One last dunk from that game, this one from Jermaine O’Neal. He drove baseline on Shaq for an easy slam, the reason I show it is look how Shaq just backed away from the play instead of contesting the dunk. Come on diesel!!! Disappointing.

Jason Richardson of the Phoenix Suns had a pretty sweet baseline jam of his own last night, dunking over two Utah Jazz defenders. Unlike Shaq the Jazz players tried to make a defense, even at the risk of being embarrassed.

The last dunk of the day wasn’t tops of the night but probably the most entertaining. Houston Rockets’ Carl Landry had a powering tomahawk jam over Atlanta Hawks’ rookie Jeff Teague. Teague saw what was coming and got the hell out of dodge.

There is a catch thou. McGrady delcared himself ready to play and set his own date for a return. Team doctors have not yet cleared the forward to play. The Yahoo article about this says that the team doesn’t expect there to be any problems with that, even thou there were no on the record confirmations.

“Excited to get back and compete at a high level again,” McGrady said in an email to Yahoo! Sports. “For a full year I had to play on one leg against the best and I couldn’t compete with anybody the way I was feeling… It’s gonna be a relief to get out there and play knowing what I went [through] last season and this summer.”

It should be interesting to see how his return affects a team that’s playing fairly well right now. The Rockets are missing both McGrady and center Yao Ming but are off to a 4-2 start, with one of those losses coming in overtime to the Los Angeles Lakers. They’ve got some chemistry but could definitely use some veteran leadership.

My worry for this young team is how long Tracy can stay on the court. He’s not yet 100 percent so he won’t be at his best, not even close. After microfracture surgery you have to wonder if he will ever be close to what he formerly was. Any type of setback could of damaged any chemistry the young team has with their current rotation.

With him not being 100%, it’s only a matter of time before he needs a day off to rest that surgically repaired knee. I’m sure he won’t be playing in back to back games for the first few months, the doctors won’t want to risk a setback. But then again something as small as a twisted ankle (something very common in basketball) could easily send the forward to the bench.

If McGrady gets off to a quick start the team should really take off but then again that could lead to another distraction. If he’s performing at a high level the trade rumors will begin again. Numerous teams will be calling about his expiring contracts and it will force the kids to talk about something other then basketball.

His return is good and bad for the Rockets, but for Tracy it’s a great thing. He’s worked hard to get back to this point and being in the lineup will be a great joy to him. Unfortunately as a New York Knicks fan I’ll most likely be hearing Tracy to the Knicks rumors again soon.

The rumor first started on DraftExpress.com where they talked about the Rockets interest in moving McGrady. The problem of course is his salary, he’s due $23.2 million in 2009-10. So naturally they mentioned the Knicks as being one team who could afford that and may have interest.

Alex Hahn at Newsday took that and ran with it. Don’t take that the wrong way. He didn’t say that it’s a possibility he just further explained how the Knicks could POSSIBLY be interested and how it could help the team IF they were interested.

“Several persons with knowledge of the situation have said the Knicks would strongly consider McGrady, even as a one-year mercenary. The two could use each other: McGrady wants another mega-deal before free agency in 2010 and should be motivated to be in the best shape of his life for this coming season. And his number comes off the cap in 2010, so if it doesn’t work out, the commitment is short and does not impact the long-term plan.”

When you think about the Knicks, you think about the summer of 2010. Everything they’ve done the past few years and everything they will do this year is setting up for that. So when you see a deal like this that would keep you on pace for a Knicks record under the cap it makes you think.

Hahn says a rumored deal could include Larry Hughes and the retired Cuttino Mobley. If that’s all it would take I would jump all over this deal. Hughes averaged a tad over 11 points a game with the Knicks, but who wouldn’t give him up if it means adding T-Mac?

We’d lose a perimeter shooter in Larry but that’s OK as we know that an outside threat is what the Knicks are looking at in the draft. And remember even thou Tracy shifts between guard and forward he does take his fair share of three point attempts.

What makes this deal even more intriguing is that McGrady is a good fit for Mike D’Antoni’s system. He’s long and lean, can run the court, shoot and best of all handle the rock. McGrady is an all-around athlete and that’s the type of player Mike would love to have in his system. While the teams interior defense would not be helped, they’d still be better overall.

Like I said earlier this trade is purely speculative at the time, but it does make sense if the sides can come to agreement.

If a deal were to happen I think it would happen after the NBA Draft, once both sides have a better idea where they stand. Remember the Knicks have two restricted free agents in David Lee and Nate Robinson who’ve both been involved in their own trade rumors when it comes to the draft. So till they’re situation is resolved this rumor will linger.

Best Picture: Winner – New Orleans Hornets

The Hornets had to have the worst trade season of them all but who can deny they had the best story? It obviously would of made for good theater. They made a shocking move by trading Tyson Chandler to the Oklahoma City for Joe Smith and Chris Wilcox. Again an absolutely shocking trade for a team that is smack in the middle of the Western Conference Playoff Standings. The move cleared up room under the luxury tax but robbed them of their front court. After that, the Thunder rejected the trade due to a failed physical by Chandler. He now comes back to the Hornets and the playoff race, meaning the team must mend fences and go forward.

Things look bright on the court thou as Chandler came back with an open mind ready to play with his teammates. So much so he quoted former Oscar winner Denzel Washington in Training Day with the line “Ya’ll couldn’t get rid of me!”. The players were happy to get him back and they need Chandler to go forward. Things with management will be dicey for a while thou. So this years best picture, might also be next years best picture.

Best Actor In A Leading Role: Winner – Kyle Lowry

Kyle Lowry has down without a doubt the Best Acting job out of all the players moved at the deadline. Lowry got himself traded from the lowly Memphis Grizzlies to a perennial contender in the Houston Rockets. Lowry has had a decent season, nothing special. He did outplay Mike Conley to earn himself a starting role with the Grizz and has even performed solidly in that time, averaging about 9 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds a game. Those numbers made the Rockets believe he can be the starting point guard that leads to the promise land. But like Kelly Dwyer at Yahoo Sports, I believe he’ll never be an All-Star or a starter on a championship contender. He’s not as good as former Rockets starter Rafer Alston, but he should give the team a boost on the defensive end of the ball.

For exactly those reasons his performance with the Grizzlies earns him the Best Actor Role. He’s done a great job making people think he can be that quality point guard they’re looking for.

Best Actor In A Supporting Role: Winner – Rafer Alston

Personally, I believe Alston was the biggest winner at the deadline, especially when you consider the team he landed with. Playing for the Orlando Magic is even bigger then playing for the Rockets. The Magic are more of a contender especially with Superman Dwight Howard as a teammate. Alston is also a much better point guard then Best Actor Kyle Lowry. So why did Alston not get the first award?

Alston is going to be in a huge supporting role, a much bigger one then Lowry. When you look at things Lowry acted his way into a major trade, while Alston has earned his way. He’s a veteran point guard which the Magic sorely need after losing Jameer Nelson. He’s not nearly as good as Nelson BUT much better then alternative Anthony Johnson. At the age of 32, his best years are behind him but he’ll be playing a huge supporting role to Howard. This is what earns him Best Actor In A Supporting Role.

Animated Feature Film: Winner – Chicago Bulls

I know you must be wondering Animated Film? Well Larry Hughes has a lot to do with that. The whole Chicago Bulls and Hughes situation has been straight comical this season. The falling out between General Manager John Paxson, Coach Vinny Del Negro and Hughes had reached the level where nothing would ever be solved. Hughes hadn’t played since January 12th and would never have played another game in a Bulls uniform. The whole situation has dragged on for so long, that it keeps getting uglier and uglier, so the Bulls earn an award for finally being able to move him. In landing Tim Thomas and Jerome James they don’t get much. No cap relief, no help in the rotation. All they do is dump a huge headache and the franchise can now move forward.

Best Directing: Winner – Sacramento Kings President Geoff Petrie

Geoff Petrie did an amazing job for the Sacramento Kings in dumping salary. The Kings have the worse record in the league and there is really no future in sight. There are rumors going around that next years NBA Salary Cap will be lowered to $58 million which will leave many teams over the cap. What Petrie did in this dumping was put the Kings underneath that number. Petrie didn’t get any players that can be of assistance now, unless you can count Andres Nocioni but he did get the team about $6 million under next years cap. Which is pretty important for such a lousy team.

There you go boys and girls, that’s my NBA trade deadline review. Let me know what you think. Who would you have given these awards too??

First, his rehab. Yao began to run last week and reports say that he’s pretty much pain free now. So far, so good, doesn’t seem like that surgically repaired foot is giving him any problems, yet. Notice I said he’s running, no basketball related activities have really started yet other then shooting around. He won’t begin any scrimmaging for another couple weeks, but Yao is still pretty optimistic about being ready for the Olympics. “I don’t want to push that too much because we need to do that in a safe way, but the Olympics are only 70-some days to go,” Yao said. Yao is even expected to play in a couple exhibition games before China opens against the United States on August 10th. On an China Olympics team side note – Yi Jianlian will not be training with the countries national team due to injury.

Now to a fun note about Yao. Yao and two-time Olympic gold medalist Steven Lopez were honorary pit crew members for Kyle Petty’s #45 Coca-Cola team at Sunday’s NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 in Concord, NC. Ming even got to assist in a simulated pit stop before the race. “They showed me how to change a tire and refuel a car in what, 12 seconds? That’s a little different when you change your own tire. I never saw that.” Yao and Lopez were there participating in a Coca-Cola promotion that unveiled collectible cans bearing the company logo in different languages. Obviously because of the Olympics.

Yao even shot hoops with a few of the NASCAR drivers, including Petty, Jeff Burton, Bobby Labonte and Michael Waltrip. “While I probably didn’t give Yao much of a challenge at the hoop,” Burton said, “I’d like to see how he’d fare swapping paint with me at 200 mph on the track. Unfortunately, I don’t think he’ll fit into a stock car.” Waltrip was the tallest of the group, reaching Yao’s shoulder, while Burton barely got to his elbow. There was a bunch of good natured fun going on that day. “Yao and Steven (Lopez) may not be the quickest tire changers in the garage, but they were great sports and everyone had a lot of fun,” Petty said. “Actually, with Yao’s reach, he might be able to perform some of the crew duties without ever going over the wall.”

It’s good to see Yao get in a little fun, rumor has it the first thing he does when waking up every day is check for the latest earthquake news. With the earthquake, rehab, and Olympics any type of fun to clear that mind of his, is a god thing!

This ankle injury pretty much forced Battier’s hand as he won’t be able to start running till after the 4th of July. The USA program will be holding a mini-camp the last weekend in June, which will pretty much set the official roster for the Olympic games. “I just got off the crutches today,” Battier said. “After talking to Dr. (Tom) Clanton, I won’t start running until after July 4. There is a (USA Basketball) minicamp the last weekend in June. If you can’t play in the minicamp, you probably can’t make the team so that that probably means the decision has been made.”

The 2006 World Championships were more then likely Battier’s last appearance in international competition. Battier is now 29, and his window to compete in Olympics has probably closed now. “I think I will move on,” Battier said. “It was a great experience for me. But with my family and my off-court commitment growing, they will get my undivided attention.”

For Houston Rockets fans, the question is, Will he be ready for the next NBA Season? The good news is he should be fully recovered by the start of training camp in October. The ankle surgery he had was to remove bone spurs that bothered him through the latter part of the season. He missed two games near the end of the season due to the pain, and fought his way through the first-round playoff series against the Utah Jazz. This past season, Battier finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting and was a second-team All-Defense selection.