whats your current paragonlevel and goals.

u can do it lad. i know u love d2 but d3 is bae

keep up the good rant!

The Houston Rockets just can't seem to put together any consistency as they lose 108-100 at Chicago.
With 25 turnovers the Bulls did everything they could to keep the Rockets in that game all night long.
But 9-for-35 threes (25 %) and nine free throws missed (that bad combination) always hurt the Rockets.

With a disappointing 30-32 record the Rockets are barely hanging on to the 8th seed in the West.
The Utah Jazz have 33 losses and are trying to catch the Rockets with only 20 games left to play.
A first-round playoff matchup with the amazing 55-5 Golden State Warriors, who never lose at home, will await.

Keep an eye on Astros rookie pitcher Chris Devenski. He's trying to make the 25-man roster and reach the big leagues for the first time in his pro career. He pitched two scoreless innings of relief today, four strikeouts and no walks, and was working both corners of the strike zone. He's an intriguing 25-year-old prospect with a great changeup. He pitched a gem in the Triple-A championship game last year (7 innings, 1 hit and 9 Ks) after a call-up from Double-A.

The Astros may have some use for Chris Devenski in 2016 even if it's out of the bullpen. His off-speed stuff is exceptional.
Even though he's been a starting pitcher in the minors. Spring Training is huge for guys like this. I'm wishing him the best.

I feel like the Astros have very good pitching depth entering this season, starting rotation and bullpen.
The Astros haven't won a division title since 2001 (15 long years) but 2016 could be their year to do just that,
They've won plenty of wild-cards, both in the NL and now in the AL, but winning a division feels more rewarding.

Thank you. 888 Paragon level and I main a barbarian mostly. I'm not far away from making a push to 900 which I'll end up doing eventually. I haven't played as much D3 lately though. Mostly hooked on Marvel Heroes 2016 and plus I've been limited this past week. But I plan to play a little bit here and there just to keep things running smoothly.

Tom Thibodeau would be ideal if the Rockets decide to hire a new head coach this off-season. He was an assistant coach for the Team USA Olympic team and Harden credits him for teaching him a lot about defensive intensity. Although I think Scott Brooks is our on our coaching list, especially if it can help land Kevin Durant in free agency this summer. Durant has praised Brooks in the past and didn't want him fired from OKC. He clashed with Thunder management over that decision.

Ideally, J.B. Bickerstaff can be demoted to assistant coach if we bring in Thibs or Brooks as head coach, as I've grown to like J.B., but I understand if he wants to try and land a head coaching job elsewhere in the NBA or even NCAA.

I find it interesting if Daryl Morey can go into a Kevin Durant meeting that first week of July featuring the likes of James Harden (good friends) and Michael Beasley (longtime childhood friend) and perhaps Scott Brooks as head coach (his favorite coach). Not to mention roughly $30 million in cap space after Dwight Howard opts out.

It certainly wouldn't hurt our recruiting efforts to have guys that KD already likes...

We can definitely build the team around James Harden for many years to come, and we may have enough to add two other max-money contracts to aid him. Whomever they may be. Kevin Durant would be the cream of the crop but I expect we'll find a way to unload the salaries of Trevor Ariza and Corey Brewer as well. To add a third superstar at some point.

Who knows. Like I've said all along. Our focus is on making the 2016 NBA Playoffs. We can end up in that 7th or 8th seed. We'll do our best against the Warriors or Spurs in the first round.

I love the heart and fight this Rockets team shows at times.
It's a credit to J.B. Bickerstaff's "never give up" attitude.
We beat a hell of a team, the Raptors, on the road. That's huge!!

The Raptors had won 12 games in a row at home and over the past month (since February 1) the Raptors have the #1 offense in the NBA. Scoring more points per game than any other team, even Warriors and Spurs. And our Rockets zoned in defensively and shut them down in the second half yesterday. On the road to win 113-107!!!!!!

That win at Toronto yesterday was nice to see. Let's show that defensive intensity in the playoffs and we'll give the Warriors or Spurs a tough series in the first round. I still believe in J.B. Bickerstaff even though he's not likely to remain as the head coach for the long haul unless the Rockets advance deep in the 2016 NBA Playoffs despite being a low seed.

So much excitement in this city when it comes to sports. The Asttos, Rockets and Texans: All three have made the playoffs in the same year for the first time ever. But every day, either at work or just listening to sports-talk radio, I feel a sense of excitement wanting to talk about any of them. There's always a fun and intriguing storyline to discuss.

The Texans may or may not offer free agent quarterback Brock Osweiler an incredibly rich contract offer.
One that tops the Broncos' reported offer of 3 years and $45 million. We shall find out very soon though.

If Brock Osweiler came to Houston I'd volunteer to become his body guard. He won't be attacked going out for Pizza. LOL

Keep it upboss

Just a quick and fast entry for today. I've been really busy lately and so many things are happening in the sports world.

I'm very excited about what the Houston Texans have done in day one of the 2016 NFL free agency period. They solved two major needs by signing quarterback Brock Osweiler to four years and $72 million and running back Lamar Miller to four years and $26 million.

And last but not least, at least at last report, they had agreed to terms with right guard Jeff Allen for four years and $28 million. These are three major moves that should allow the Texans to re-focus their early-round needs come draft night. The big concern is no longer on which quarterback or running back they will try to draft.

I would expect the Houston Texans to target a center, tight end, safety and even wide receiver in the early rounds of the draft.

I'm excited about the new big three the Houston Texans have on offense: Brock Osweiler, Lamar Miller and DeAndre Hopkins.
All three are young players entering their prime year. Nuk Hopkins is already a top five wide receiver in the entire league.

I don't remember a time it was this fun living in Houston, Texas and being this excited about the three major sports teams.

The Texans and Astros are going to be fun to watch in 2016. The expectations for both teams are pretty high. While the Rockets, granted it's been a down year with a lot of inconsistencies, but they are still playoff bound and their future looks pretty bright with some exciting times on the way this summer when the NBA free agency period starts.

Also Super Bowl 51 will be played at NRG Stadium here in Houston on February 5. I'll have two tickets to that game.
The Houston Texans will try to become the first NFL team to play in a Super Bowl inside their own stadium. Knock on wood.

As funny as that may seem, the odds of the Houston Texans doing that actually improved with today's free agent signings.

By the way, I noticed the Indianapolis Colts released my favorite NFL player, wide receiver Andre Johnson.
I sort of hope he signs a one year deal with the Texans just to end his career where it started. Unlikely though.

The Rockets are safely in the 8th seed right now, because the Utah Jazz keep losing.
And we're about to leap frog the Dallas Mavericks and Portland Trail Blazers as well.

We may end up in the 6th seed after all, playing the OKC Thunder or the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round (avoiding the Spurs and Warriors). The Rockets now have a three-game lead over the Utah Jazz to clinch a playoff spot. Only 18 games left. The magic number to clinch a playoff spot is only 15.

Two sleepers for the Rockets that could emerge in the playoffs as X Factors: Michael Beasley and K.J. McDaniels.
Both of these guys have came out of nowhere lately and have opened up my eyes a little bit. We need that bench production.

I hope we end up in the 6th seed. The Rockets match up incredibly well with OKC. Also the challenge of trying to knock off superstar Kevin Durant in a seven-game series before he comes to H-Town this summer via free agency would be an appealing scenario (I can dream). LOL, the storylines would be fun anyways. Russell Westbrook is an elite point guard who we won't be able to guard all that well, but Patrick Beverley would try to find a way to get inside his head and frustrate him.

And if the Clippers end up in the 3rd seed even better. The Rockets would have a lot of confidence playing the "mentally soft" Clippers. They choke gigantic leads in the playoffs all the time. Remember last year when the Rockets were down 3-1 in that series and trailing by 19 points in the fourth quarter during Game 6 at Los Angeles? The Clippers were celebrating way too soon thinking they had won that series. Josh Smith and Corey Brewer sparked a furious comeback rally to win Game 6 and the Rockets won three straight games against the Clippers (games 5, 6 and 7).

Our odds to advance past the first round are better as the 6th seed (playing Thunder or Clippers) as oppose to the 7th or 8th seed playing the Spurs or Warriors. Either of those four elite opponents will be a tough task regardless, but the Rockets match up a whole lot better against the Thunder and Clippers. They have also played both of those teams tough this season, home and road, despite our inconsistent play.

I'm mostly thrilled about the Houston Texans and Houston Astros right now (they're stealing the headlines), but the Houston Rockets' resiliency has inspired me. Every time people count them out and ride off their season they have a funny way of playing some good basketball seemingly out of nowhere. It's like that struggling boxer that has a lot of pride in himself despite being pummeled in the ring countless times, who people say sucks and should make a living doing something else, but put that man in a title fight and he finds a way to knock the champion out against all odds.

Houston Texans, New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers.

It's down to those three teams playing Week 1 of the 2016 NFL season at Denver on the CBS Thursday Night opener.
The NFL will officially announce their entire schedule sometime next month (mid April) but that opener is almost decided.

Most of it is randomized on a computer software and then humans make sure it's all practical and fits (time wise, venue wise). However, the process for deciding the opening night game is less complicated. It's usually the defending Super Bowl champions playing at home. The AI and overall technology has less to do with picking that particular game. One year, not too long ago, the Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens had to play the Thursday Night season opener on the road because they had a conflicting time slot with their baseball team and the Orioles refused to budge.

Sure would be fun if it's the Texans... Even though I'm a little, err, very much biased.
Brock Osweiler's first game as a Texan would be at Denver (his old team). What more can you want?
On National TV against the defending Super Bowl champs. Unbelievable setting to say the least.

That entire angle of the Texans facing their old coaching staff as well. Head coach Gary Kubiak and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips once led the Houston Texans to a franchise best 12-4 record just four years ago. Now both of those classy and well respected coaches, who the Texans had once fired, are both sitting pretty on top of the NFL world as Super Bowl 50 champions.

Too many intriguing storylines for that Thursday Night 2016 season opener not to be the Texans versus Broncos at Denver.

The kicker to me would also be two young superstars and defensive icons of the game barely entering their prime years, J.J. Watt and Von Miller. The two best defensive players of our generation would be on display in that game as well. As a fan of watching great defensive football myself this is a dream come true for me. I'm J.J. Watt's biggest fan but I've also been fond of Von Miller ever since his playing days at Texas A&M and DeSota High School. He's a true Texan, born and raised here.

The Patriots or Panthers would be a good choice as well (Tom Brady and Cam Newton are always great to watch on National TV), but the Houston Texans would offer a little more intrigue for that particular game and matchup kicking off the 2016 NFL Season.

That Week 1 Thursday Night NFL opener is just a special event. I always watch the full 30-minute concert prior to the game as well.

Sensational and unbelievably fantastic! The new Captain America: Civil War trailer.
This movie is just teasing me to incredible new heights. May 6 is the release date.



https://youtu.be/dKrVegVI0Us

We still can't embed videos on a blog. Ah, come on and let's make it happen one day soon. #Believe
Hmm, that's a change D2jsp has needed for years. I'll post a big share link though. The official one.

Towards the end, at the 2:12 to 2:20 mark (the Spider-Man cameo) is nothing short of epic awesomeness.



Just imagine if Spider-Man used Captain America's shield in combat.
Talk about unfair. He's already athletically gifted and his webbing rules!

Reminds me of the time Black Widow picked up his shield riding her motorcycle. LOL



Captain America's shield could be quite interesting if other heroes used it.

Peter Parker would rock it like a superstar, and Natasha would make it look sexy. Bye-bye bad guys, I mean bikinis.

Here's the full Brock Osweiler press conference introducing him as a Houston Texan.



https://youtu.be/ymU-Y4H3J8A

HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Texans weren't letting Brock Osweiler escape without signing him to whatever it took. Sure, the Denver Broncos were eager to hold onto the free agent quarterback with Peyton Manning now in retirement. So the Texans had to be super aggressive to get Osweiler.

"As with anything, if there's more than one person that wants it, it's probably going to cost you more," Texans owner Bob McNair said Thursday. "They wanted him ... the price kept going up and I think they finally figured out we weren't going away. We were prepared to do whatever it took to get the deal consummated."

What it took was to give a man with only seven NFL starts a four-year, $72 million contract, making him one of the league's highest-paid players.

McNair wasn't too concerned about the money he had to spend to get Osweiler, and beamed as the pair posed with the QB's crisp, new No. 17 jersey.

"We just want to get better every day," McNair said. "Certainly this is a day when we got a lot better."

"It was a very difficult decision," he said of leaving Denver. "In fact it was the most difficult decision of my life. I'm very thankful. I'm very appreciative for everything that the Denver Broncos organization has done for me, but at this point in time in my career, I feel like the Houston Texans give me the best opportunity to be successful."

It was clear how Brock Osweiler feels about All Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins when his name was mentioned on Thursday.

"You can see it in my smile," he said, adding they've already chatted about where they'll work out together. "It's very exciting ... what DeAndre brings to the game is truly special. To have the opportunity to play with a football player like that, that's what gets a quarterback out of bed in the morning."

Houston also added running back Lamar Miller, center Tony Bergstrom and guard Jeff Allen in free agency. Lamar Miller is expected to become a featured back in the Texans offense. "I'm a home run hitter that can make big plays with my glaring speed and underrated power, and I know we will have a lot of winning success here in Houston. I'm only 24 years old with plenty to give this organization and my best years are ahead of me. I feel I have the talent to become one of the best backs in this league," Lamar Miller said as he gave a thumbs up to the media in the room.

The Houston Texans know first hand how dangerous Lamar Miller can be, as he gashed their talented defense to the amazing tune of 14 carries for 175 rushing yards (12.5 yards per carry) and an 85-yard Touchdown run. To go along with 3 reception for 61 yards receiving and one Touchdown reception (prompting him to win AFC player of the week) in the Dolphins' 44-26 win over the Texans last season.

"Lamer (Miller) can do do things that we can exploit mismatches with. He had the best offensive game against us last season" added Bill O'Brien.

With their recent free agent moves the Houston Texans expect to accomplish big things in 2016 and beyond. Three-time defensive player of the year J.J. Watt felt energized and ready to hit the field. "I wish the season started tomorrow. I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure this team takes that next step. I'm working as hard as ever this off-season. The next Super Bowl is being played in our house. We want to be playing in that game for our great fans and the city of Houston."