Houston Rockets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Jalen Brunson, Alperen Sengun Named Players Of The Week

December 2nd, 2024 at 2:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson has been named the Eastern Conference’s Player of the Week, while Rockets big man Alperen Sengun has won the award for the Western Conference, the NBA announced today (via Twitter).

It’s the first Player of the Week honor for Brunson this season after he won the award four times in 2023/24. In four games from November 25 to December 1, Brunson led the Knicks to a 3-1 record, averaging 26.8 points, 9.8 assists, and 3.5 rebounds in 34.3 minutes per game against Denver, Dallas, Charlotte, and New Orleans. He posted a red-hot shooting line of .547/.524/.867.

Brunson’s Knicks teammate Karl-Anthony Towns was also nominated for the award in the East, along with Hawks forward Jalen Johnson, Nets guard Dennis Schröder, Magic forward Franz Wagner, and Celtics teammates Jayson Tatum and Payton Pritchard (Twitter link).

As for Sengun, it’s his second career Player of the Week award — he also won it in January 2024. Houston just completed a 3-0 week, with its starting center leading the way by averaging a near triple-double (21.3 PPG, 12.7 RPG, 9.0 APG) to go along with 1.7 steals and 1.7 blocks per game. The Rockets were a +29 vs. Minnesota, Philadelphia, and Oklahoma City with Sengun on the floor, compared to -13 when he sat.

Sengun beat out fellow nominees Devin Booker, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Isaiah Hartenstein, Quentin Grimes, Kyrie Irving, James Harden, Jaren Jackson Jr., Ja Morant, and teammate Fred VanVleet for the Western Conference honor.

Heat Notes: Butler, Herro, Rozier, Richardson

December 2nd, 2024 at 11:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Heat forward Jimmy Butler had to leave Sunday’s game in the closing seconds due to pain in his right knee, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. After being fouled on a drive to the basket with 1:27 remaining, Butler took a while to get up and appeared to be favoring the knee. He stayed in a game a little longer, but was taken out with 24.2 seconds left to play and Miami trailing by just three points.

Butler is considered questionable for tonight’s contest in Boston, which brings back memories of last spring when he was unavailable for a playoff series with the Celtics due to a sprained MCL in the same knee. He wasn’t sure about his status as the team prepared for its flight.

“I don’t know,” Butler told reporters. “We’ll see how I feel whenever I wake up in the morning, get all the treatment that I can get and hopefully I’m ready to rock.”

Responding to an offseason challenge from team president Pat Riley, Butler was determined to be available for more regular season games this year, but his body may not be able to hold up at age 35. Chiang notes that he has already missed four of the team’s first 18 games due to a sprained ankle, and any issues with the right knee have to be watched closely. Butler also wasn’t certain if the medical staff is planning an X-ray or MRI on the knee.

“I ain’t even there yet,” he said. “I’m just happy to be able to put this sleeve on, do all this treatment on this plane. Then when we land in Boston, we’ll figure it out.”

[UPDATE: Butler has been ruled out for Monday’s game in Boston.]

There’s more on the Heat:

Tyler Herro now ranks second in franchise history for most made three-pointers in a career, Chiang adds. With 808, he passed Tim Hardaway Sunday night and only trails teammate Duncan Robinson, who has 1,056 since signing with the Heat in 2018. “I’ll be chasing him for a while,” Herro said.
The Nets and Warriors were among the teams mentioned in trade rumors involving Butler earlier in the season, but league executives don’t consider him a good fit for Brooklyn because of his age, while Golden State seems happy with its current roster, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. The Knicks had some interest in Butler during the offseason, but trade talks didn’t get very far before New York pivoted to Mikal Bridges, Scotto says, adding that there has been some “quiet discourse” about whether the Texas native could end up with the Mavericks or Rockets. He also states that executives who’ve checked on Butler came away believing that Miami wants to save any decision until after the season.
Outside of Butler, the Heat’s top trade assets are future first-round picks and Terry Rozier, Scotto adds. Rozier’s shooting numbers have declined and he was recently moved out of the starting lineup. He’s making $24.92MM this season and next season, and he will get an extra $1.72MM next year if he appears in at least 70 regular season games and his team reaches the second round of the playoffs.
Josh Richardson hasn’t been able to find a role with this year’s team after picking up a $3.1MM player option rather than testing free agency, Chiang states in a separate story. The veteran guard didn’t get off the bench in four straight games before missing Sunday’s contest due to an illness. He also missed time with a strained calf and left heel pain. “It’s been hard,” Richardson admitted. “Frustrating, but it is what it is. I’m just trying to stack days. My shoulder got healthy, trying to get up to speed and get ready and then feet things start popping up. So I’m just trying to get everything in my body on the same page.”

Southwest Notes: Edey, Smart, Sochan, Rockets

November 29th, 2024 at 4:54pm CST by Luke Adams

Grizzlies center Zach Edey, who is out for a sixth consecutive game on Friday due to a left ankle sprain, is moving closer to a return, as Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal writes. Head coach Taylor Jenkins addressed the rookie’s status ahead of Friday’s matchup with New Orleans.

“With Zach, I think probably end of the week or middle of next week,” Jenkins said. “We’re starting to get him ramped up a little bit more on the court, so hopefully it’s on the shorter term.”

Jenkins clarified after the game that his reference to the “end of the week or middle of next week” was about Edey’s ramp-up process rather than his projected return date (Twitter link via Cole).

The Grizzlies are back in action on Sunday vs. Indiana before heading on the road to face Dallas on Tuesday and then returning home to host Sacramento next Thursday. Based on Jenkins’ comments, it sounds like could make it back by the end of that stretch if all goes well with his ramp-up.

This year’s No. 9 overall pick had been playing some of his best basketball prior to the injury. In his last four full games before getting hurt, he averaged 13.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.8 steals, and 1.3 blocks in 23.8 minutes per game off the bench, with a .581/.800/.923 shooting line and a +26.6 net rating.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

Marcus Smart had his best game of the season – and one of his best outings since joining the Grizzlies – on Wednesday vs. Detroit, racking up 25 points, five assists, four rebounds, and three steals in just 20 minutes of action. As Cole details in a separate story for The Memphis Commercial Appeal, injuries have limited Smart to just 30 total appearances since he arrived in Memphis, but Wednesday’s performance was a reminder of why the Grizzlies traded for him and what he can bring to the team.
Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan participated in 5-on-5 work on Friday, another sign that he’s close to returning from the thumb surgery that has sidelined him since November 4, tweets Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. “I think we’re going to have our full team finally in (Sacramento on Sunday) or at least in Phoenix (on Tuesday), hopefully,” point guard Tre Jones told reporters.
Through 20 games, the Rockets hold a 14-6 record and control the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. With three days off before Sunday’s showdown with the No. 1 Thunder, head coach Ime Udoka spoke about what he’s liked from his team so far this season and areas where he still sees room for improvement. “Offensively, I think we’re doing a great job on the glass. We wanted to be No. 1 at that,” Udoka said, per Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required). “I think our pace can improve and it has. It was a little slow early. The shooting, we wanted to become a better shooting team, and we’d have some more wins now due to that. But nobody tries to miss shots on purpose. Guys take the right ones, and we can live with the result.”

Southwest Notes: Murray, Payton, Aldama, Tate

November 27th, 2024 at 2:07pm CST by Luke Adams

After a report earlier in the week stated that Dejounte Murray was targeting Wednesday for his return from a fractured hand, the Pelicans confirmed it today, announcing (via Twitter) that the team’s most significant offseason addition will be available to play vs. Toronto.

As Will Guillory of The Athletic writes, New Orleans prioritized Murray over the summer because the team wanted to add a true floor general, something the roster had lacked in recent years. Although Murray struggled to score efficiently in his first and only regular season game with the Pelicans last month, making just 4-of-15 shots from the field, he racked up 10 assists and the offense had a more “natural order” when he was running the show, according to Guillory.

While the Pelicans have been missing several players in recent weeks due to injuries, getting a play-maker like Murray back represents a crucial step toward establishing an identity and improving an offense that ranks 27th in the NBA with a 106.8 offensive rating.

“It’s contagious,” head coach Willie Green said. “When you have guys like that who are willing to get off the basketball — they’re looking to get you quality looks — guys are running more. They’re cutting more. Now, they’re sharing the ball because there’s a standard that’s been set.”

We have more from around the Southwest:

With Murray unavailable, point guard Elfrid Payton has started the past three games for the Pelicans after signing a non-guaranteed contract a week ago. It had been two-and-a-half years since Payton last played in a regular season NBA game, but he has been impressive — New Orleans has been better with him on the court than off it in all three games and he handed out a career-high 21 assists on Monday in Indiana. Christian Clark of NOLA.com has the story on Payton’s huge night on Monday, while Rod Walker of NOLA.com takes a look at how the Lousiana native has stepped up for his hometown team.
Grizzlies forward Santi Aldama didn’t reach an agreement on a rookie scale extension prior to this season and is now on track to reach restricted free agency in 2025. Speaking to Nacho Duque of Marca, Aldama – who is averaging a career-best 12.7 points and 7.8 rebounds per game – said he’s making an effort not to play “selfish” basketball in his contract year and hopes to work out a new deal with the Grizzlies next summer. “Memphis is my home,” he said. “I feel like we have a very good relationship, and I hope it lasts for many more years.”
Kelly Iko and Danny Leroux of The Athletic take a look at where three Southwest teams – the Rockets, Spurs, and Grizzlies – stand from a salary cap perspective. Within the story, Iko reports that “a few teams” have inquired this season about the availability of veteran Houston forward Jae’Sean Tate, who is on an expiring $7.56MM contract and has fallen out of the club’s rotation due to the emergence of other players. According to Iko, the Rockets would be seeking second-round draft capital in return for Tate.

Rockets Clinch Spot In NBA Cup Knockout Round

November 27th, 2024 at 7:11am CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets are the second team to secure a berth in the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup, earning their spot with an overtime win in Minnesota on Tuesday night (Twitter link).

The victory improved Houston’s record in NBA Cup games to 3-0 and clinched its spot atop West Group A. The Rockets have also defeated the Clippers and Trail Blazers and have a +49 point differential in those three wins, putting them in a strong position to nab the top seed in the Western Conference knockout round with a win in Sacramento next Tuesday.

The Rockets join the 3-0 Warriors as teams that have advanced to the knockout round for this season’s in-season tournament. That leaves two spots available in the West — the Suns, Lakers, Spurs (all 2-1) and Thunder (1-1) are all still in the mix to win Group B, with the Mavericks (2-1, +41 point differential) among the favorites for the wild card spot.

All four quarterfinal spots in the East remain up for grabs. With a victory in Miami on Tuesday, the Bucks became the first Eastern Conference team to post a 3-0 NBA Cup record, but they’ve yet to clinch their group because the Pistons are 2-0. Those two clubs will square off next Tuesday.

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Houston Rockets

Southwest Notes: Durant, Rockets, Cuban, Udoka, Williamson

November 25th, 2024 at 7:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Rockets’ interest in Kevin Durant has been overstated, Marc Stein reports in a Substack post. Stein wrote last month that there was a strong belief around the league that the Rockets were interested in a Durant deal.

Stein hears now that Houston is determined to prioritize internal development this season rather than looking to make a big move before the February trade deadline. Houston’s front office intends to prioritize timeline considerations, as much as talent and fit, when they do make their next major trade. The Rockets’ roster is loaded with younger players, featuring seven first-round picks who are 23 or younger.

Kelly Iko of The Athletic previously reported that the Rockets aren’t interested in breaking up their young core to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo. Of course, it’s worth noting that neither Durant nor Antetokounmpo is available at this time.

We have more from the Southwest Division:

Mark Cuban has essentially ceased going to Mavericks games on the road and there’s a big reason why, he told Stein. “The NBA got really, really, really petty and said that I can’t sit behind the bench anymore,” Cuban said. Stein points out that Cuban’s presence in the second row behind the bench was a violation of league rules but the league ignored it for many years when he was the franchise’s controlling owner. Cuban sold his majority stake in the Mavericks last year. Cuban talks to Mavs general manager Nico Harrison frequently but Patrick Dumont is the Mavericks’ official governor and operates as day-to-day owner, according to Cuban.
The Rockets’ strong start has been fueled by an improved defense and that’s no accident. Head coach Ime Udoka firmly believes that defense wins championships. “We’re only as good as our one-on-one defense,” Udoka told The Ringer’s Michael Pina. “We’re only as good as all our five on the court, and any weak link is exploited. Everything flows out from that philosophy, which makes a ton of sense on paper but is quite grueling in practice. It’s not a lot of schematics to it. There’s a lot of will and want to it, for sure. But it’s also very eye-opening when you show them the numbers from the previous few years in those areas. If you’re honestly tired of losing and want to change the perception of the team, I mean, that’s where we all start.”
The Pelicans have a lot of hard decisions to make in the coming months and offseason, Spotrac contributor Keith Smith opines. One thing they should seriously consider, in Smith’s view, is moving on from oft-injured Zion Williamson via the trade route or by getting out of his contract. He’s a dominant offensive force when healthy but his rebounding and defense is subpar, Smith notes. Due to a games played clause, the Pelicans can get out of Williamson’s contract after this season with no more than $7.8MM owed to him if he doesn’t appear in at least 41 total games this season. Williamson is currently out with another hamstring injury.

Rockets’ Fred VanVleet Fined $50K By NBA

November 25th, 2024 at 1:14pm CST by Luke Adams

Rockets point guard Fred VanVleet has been fined $50K for “confronting and directing profane language” toward the referees in Saturday’s loss to Portland, the NBA announced today in a press release (Twitter link).

Upset about the officiating in the game, VanVleet committed a frustration foul with just over four seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and the Rockets trailing by five points.

He then yelled “you suck” toward each of the game’s three referees before walking over to official John Conley, and jabbing a finger toward his face while directing a profane insult toward him (Bluesky video link). VanVleet was immediately assessed with a technical foul and ejected from the game.

If VanVleet had made contact with Conley, he almost certainly would’ve been facing a suspension. He still got off relatively lightly, given that this isn’t his first fine for an incident with officials. In March 2023, the veteran guard singled out and ripped referee Ben Taylor at length during a post-game press conference, earning a $30K fine.

At the time VanVleet received that $30K penalty, the maximum fine the NBA could have levied was $50K. That maximum has increased to $100K under the most recent Collective Bargaining Agreement, so the league could have gone higher in this case.

And-Ones: Harrell, Covington, Neto, Awards, More

November 25th, 2024 at 9:02am CST by Rory Maher

Former NBA big man Montrezl Harrell, who won the Sixth Man of the Year award in 2020, is currently playing in Australia’s National Basketball League as a member of the Adelaide 36ers. The 30-year-old received a three-game suspension on Monday for his part in on- and off-court incidents during a Nov. 17 game vs. Melbourne United.

As Olgun Uluc of ESPN details, United big man Rob Loe drew a charge on Harrell early in the fourth quarter of the contest, and while both players were on the ground, Harrell shoved Loe. That led to a “melee involving most players” for both teams. Harrell appeared to throw a punch at one opponent and “multiple open-handed strikes” at other United players, per Uluc.

Directly after the on-court scuffle, 36ers staffers and players — including Harrell and teammate Kendric Davis — were involved another altercation, this time with spectators behind the team’s bench. Davis received a two-game suspension for initiating contact in that incident, which saw four spectators ejected. Davis claimed a fan directed racist language at him; the United put out a statement saying they were unable to corroborate that allegation.

The 36ers have 24 hours to appeal the suspensions, according to Uluc, who says Harrell has suggested multiple times on social media he may not return to Australia, pending the outcome of his punishment; he’s currently back home in the United States with the NBL season on pause due to the FIBA window (qualifiers for international tournaments).

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

In an interview with Sam Yip of HoopsHype, free agent forward Robert Covington says he’s confident he can still contribute to NBA teams. “Ain’t nothing changed,” Covington said. “Someone that can give energy on the other side, the defensive side, can come in space the floor, move the ball, do the little things that won’t show up on the stat sheet, what made me very effective.” The 33-year-old, who holds 11 seasons of NBA experience, dealt with a knee injury for most of last season, last suiting up on December 30, 2023, but he says he’s fully healthy now. Covington is currently playing for Team USA in a qualifying round for the AmeriCup. One recent report said he might be open to playing in the G League as he attempts to make it back to the NBA.
Former NBA guard Raul Neto has signed a rest-of-season contract with Spanish club Barcelona, as Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops relays. Neto, who played eight seasons in the NBA from 2015-23, missed all of last season with a knee injury, but he’s “fully recovered” now. Barcelona was looking for backcourt help after losing Nicolas Laprovittola to a season-ending ACL and meniscus injury, Askounis notes.
Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports lists his award winners for the first month of the 2024/25 season. As of now, O’Connor has Nuggets center Nikola Jokic as the frontrunner to win his fourth MVP in five years, Spurs center Victor Wembanyama leading the race for Defensive Player of the Year, and Sixers guard Jared McCain as the league’s top rookie.
On a somewhat related note, with the first month of the season finished, several writers for The Athletic to compiled a list of each team’s biggest concern, with one exception — the 17-1 Cavaliers don’t have a have a real weakness right now, says Joe Vardon.
Magic guard Anthony Black and Rockets guard/forward Amen Thompson are two of the six young players John Hollinger of The Athletic highlights as showing marked improvement in their season seasons.

Holiday, Sheppard Seeing More Playing Time

November 23rd, 2024 at 8:42pm CST by Arthur Hill

Rookie Reed Sheppard and veteran Aaron Holiday have earned spots in the Rockets‘ rotation by providing reliable three-point shooting, observes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Over a recent seven-game stretch, Holiday shot 45.5% from beyond the arc and Sheppard was at 38.9% as both guards are seeing more playing time. Holiday chose to re-sign with Houston in free agency this summer because he likes the city and believes in the future of the team, even though he knew his minutes might decrease.

Warriors Become First Team To Clinch NBA Cup Quarterfinal Berth

November 23rd, 2024 at 7:07am CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors are now 3-0 in NBA Cup games, making them the first team to clinch a spot in the knockout round of the in-season tournament. As the NBA announced late on Friday night after Golden State beat New Orleans and Dallas beat Denver (Twitter link), the Warriors have won West Group C, officially securing a quarterfinal berth for December.

The 3-0 Warriors are one game ahead of the 2-1 Mavericks in the NBA Cup standings, while no other team in their group has more than one victory so far. That means the Mavs are the only West Group C club with a chance to match Golden State’s win total, and the Dubs would hold the tiebreaker in that scenario as a result of beating Dallas last Tuesday in their NBA Cup opener.

The winners of the six groups advance to the eight-team knockout round, along with one “wild card” from each conference. The Mavs have a good chance to be that wild card team in the West if they defeat Memphis on December 3, since their +41 point differential in NBA Cup contests is the second-best mark in the league. Point differential is the second tiebreaker after head-to-head results.

The Rockets (Group A) and Lakers (Group B) are the only two other Western Conference teams who are undefeated in NBA Cup play, putting them in the driver’s seat to join the Warriors in the quarterfinals if they can keep winning.

Over in the East, the Hawks (2-1) could clinch Group C with a win over Cleveland next Friday, assuming the Bulls lose at least one of their two remaining NBA Cup games. If Atlanta loses, a Celtics victory over Chicago on Friday would secure the group for Boston. There are still two undefeated teams apiece in East Group A (Magic, Knicks) and East Group B (Bucks, Pistons).