I can’t believe 2005 is already here – where has the time gone? For me personally, the past year was very good. My 2nd season in the NBA was great, and I was so happy about making it to the playoffs and getting a taste of things to come. A lot of changes happened over the off-season, and I am pleased with the new team that we have and believe that we are going to do well together.

I was also really excited about the NBA playing games in my home country, and getting to share a little of my culture and historywith my teammates and the U.S., while at the same time, getting to share the new part of my life with the people of my homeland. It was unbelievable, and is something that I will never forget. I also got to spend a lot of time with my family, so overall 2004 was a very good year!

2005 though, looks to be very promising as well. I am excited about the All-Star game and am humbled that so many people have taken the time to vote for me. I also can’t wait for the second half of the season and my goal is not only for us to make it to the play-offs, but for us to move even further this year. With the addition of Tracy, and now another shooting threat like David Wesley, I believe that will happen. My heart goes out to all the people who have been affected by the Tsunami and I hope everyone will give and do what they can. We are all citzens of this world, and in times like this, we all need to pull together. Thank you to all of you who support me and follow my career. It makes playing basketball so incredible for me. I hope I continue to live up to your expectations and give you a lot to cheer about in the year to come.

I wish all of you a very Happy, Safe and Prosperous New Year.

The game last night against Milwaukee was a really tough one for us (115-87 loss). They played with more energy than we did and we gave away too many second chances. They were very aggressive and I spent a lot of the game frustrated as I found myself doubled and even triple-teamed at times. Regardless, I still feel like I should have found a way to help my team more, and was disappointed by my performance.

Tonight is another road game and is a big contest for us. We play Cleveland, and they have the second-best record in the East, right behind Miami. They are a very good young team, coming off a huge win last night. They are one of the only teams from their conference having a lot of success against the teams in the West, so it should be a pretty interesting match-up. And as an individual, LeBron James is having an amazing year. Even as a fellow player in this league, it’s still fun to see so young a guy, be so good. The thing about Cleveland is however, as LeBron goes, so go the Cavs. One of our main jobs then, is to make sure we shut LeBron down, and that no one else steps up.

Last night’s game versus Toronto was incredible. I can’t even begin to tell you how good I felt after the game and still feel today! It was like an early Christmas present. Scoring 40 points was nice, but the most important thing was that the team played well and that we came away with the win. Coming into the season after all the major transactions of the summer, there were a lot of expectations on the Rockets as a whole, and of Tracy and me in particular.

The beginning of the season however, has been a learning process; this team is very different from last season’s and Tracy and I have only really played together for a few months. In many ways we are still very much getting to know each other on the court, and that takes time. I am excited about where this team is headed though and I believe that things are starting to really gel now. During the first two months of the season, I think people saw glimpses of what Tracy and I are capable of. Individually speaking, we have had several good games. Last night however, for the first time, people finally saw what Tracy and I are capable of together – and I think it was something pretty special. And maybe even, a little scary. Now that’s not to say we are going to post almost forty apiece every night – this is a tough league we’re in after all and an even tougher conference – but I believe it’s definitely a peak into the future, so stay tuned.

Last night was one of those games that you just have to win – playing at home against a team (New Orleans) that is really struggling. But in this league you can’t take anything for granted. So while the game may not have been pretty, it was still good to come away with the win.

All season, teams have really been putting the pressure on and doubling Tracy and me, which makes it difficult to get off decent shots. I think you saw that a lot last night. Overall however, I was pleased with my performance, particulary with my rebounding output.

Perhaps the best part of last night’s win though, was to see a guy like Andre Barrett have such a good game – he was key in us pulling it out last night, scoring 10 points in the fourth quarter alone. And in order to be a success in this league as a team, you really have to play like a team, with different guys being able to step it up on any given night, just like Andre did last night. That’s what makes this game so much fun and exciting.

We’ve had a fairly good start of the season. As a team, we have to step it up more and find ways to win at the end of games. We play at home tomorrow night and I feel like we’ll be better prepared for that final stretch of the game and bring a little something extra.