JULY 7: Mbah a Moute has officially signed his contract with the Rockets, according to Charania (via Twitter). GM Daryl Morey published a tweet confirming the move.
As a result of the team signing Mbah a Moute as a substitute player, Sefolosha is ineligible to return this season.
JULY 1: Former Rockets forward Luc Mbah a Moute will rejoin the team for the NBA’s restart, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. He will serve as a substitute player for Thabo Sefolosha, who opted out of Orlando earlier today.
Mbah a Moute hasn’t played in the league this season, but worked out for the Rockets in early March, shortly before the hiatus. He and the team had mutual interest in a reunion for a while, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link).
A defensive specialist, Mbah a Moute was a rotation player for Houston during the 2017/18 season before being injured late in the year. He signed with the Clippers before the start of last season, but injuries limited him to just four games.
He is out for professional basketball for about 2 years
Can he be used in playoffs？
He can, otherwise there was no point in signing him.
I’m glad he finally got signed he kinda went out weird. Hopefully he can help them
He was a good fit in their small-ball lineup back in 2018 playing some center. He’s a better defender than Jeff Green, so perhaps they can alternate using them in the lineup depending on the matchups whether they need more offense or defense.
Two seasons ago, when Mbah a Moute was with Houston the first time, the Rockets defensive rating with both him and Tucker on the court together was 103.4 and the team had a +29.2 net rating as well. The team no longer has Trevor Ariza like they did then, but they have another defender who is just as good in Robert Covington. And next season they will add yet another defensive stalwart to their rotation, David Nwaba.
Clippers big 3
Kawhi
George
Harrell
Lakers 3
LeBron
Davis
Howard
Rockets 3
Harden
Westbrook
Gordon
Warriors big 3
Warriors pick
Wolves 2022 unprotected pick
17 million TE
I would put Covington ahead of Gordon in the Rockets Big 3. RoCo has quickly become an integral part of the team and their defensive rating with him on the court with their two MVP’s plus Tucker has been 101.8, so it’s no wonder why so many are jumping on Houston’s bandwagon these days.
What bandwagon? The one of been beaten in R1WC… not very glamorous, right?
Buuuurn
I have seen many talking head picking Houston as the non LA team that can win the west.
Dismiss them all you want, then prepare to be amazed. They jumped from 9 up to 5 in the power rankings on ESPN and they have the 4th best odds of winning the title after the Bucks, Lakers, and Clippers. Keep your heads in the sand. smh
Houston is a popular “like” because of the perception that they will be able to adjust to the new setup better than most.
Too bad they gave up some “big” turf and almost must play small, regardless.
I might be the only observer to think the Bucks will not decline if they have to go without Giannis… for a short time. In the long run, without Giannis, they could fray, but that goes for anyone without their star.
They still have 7-0 Tyson Chandler if they need a “true center”. Plus Mbah a Moute is 6-8 and has plenty of experience playing center. In fact he was great against Utah a couple of seasons ago matching up with Rudy Gobert. And they also have the so-called “Brazilian Kevin Durant”, aka Bruno Caboclo, who is 6-9 with his incredible 7-7 wingspan.
Another interesting Mbah a Moute stat worth noting. Two seasons ago when the Rockets beat the Nuggets he had the highest +/- of any player in an NBA game since the late nineties. He had a +57 in just 26 minutes, which shows what an underrated defender he is in Houston’s system.