While James Harden and Trevor Ariza helped to recruit Chris Paul to Houston back in June, Bobby Brown‘s role in selling Paul on the Rockets shouldn’t be overlooked, as David Yapkowitz of Basketball Insiders outlines.
“That’s one of my good friends. We played together in New Orleans and we built a bond from then,” Brown said of his new Rockets teammate. “The basketball world is so small, once you build a bond with somebody that’s real cool and has a great personality, it’s almost like a no-brainer.”
Here are a few more odds and ends from across the NBA:
- The latest salary cap projections from the NBA – which forecast a modest increase to $101MM for 2018/19 – should bode well for teams like the Lakers, who have set themselves up to create major cap room next summer, writes Matt Moore of CBSSports.com. Moore adds that the projections could lead to more trades during this season, as clubs make an effort to clear cap space or avoid the tax.
- Of all the Eastern All-Stars who changed teams this offseason, Paul Millsap was almost certainly discussed the least. However, he made a very strong impression during his preseason debut with the Nuggets this weekend. Gina Mizell of The Denver Post has the details.
- Former LSU point guard Josh Gray, who played last season for the Northern Arizona Suns, is expected to return to the G League and seek an NBA call-up in 2017/18. Gray, who has received multiple offers from clubs overseas, has drawn some interest from NBA teams, according to Nicola Lupo of Sportando.
- In a piece for 2 Ways & 10 Days, Chris Reichert makes the case that the NBA should implement the coach’s challenge system that has been used and tested in the G League.