Houston Rockets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

R.J. Hunter Signs Two-Way Contract With Rockets

January 15th, 2018 at 8:16am CST by Arthur Hill

JANUARY 15, 8:16am: Hunter’s two-way contract with the Rockets became official on Sunday, per RealGM’s transactions log.

JANUARY 13, 4:08pm: The Rockets will sign G League guard R.J. Hunter to a two-way contract on Sunday, tweets Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle.

Hunter has been playing for the organization’s G League affiliate in Rio Grande Valley, where he is averaging 19.0 points in 23 games. He has struggled to find a spot in the NBA after being taken by the Celtics with the 28th pick in 2015. He played 36 games with Boston and another three with Chicago, but most of his experience has been in the G League.

The Rockets have a two-way slot open after terminating their deal with Demetrius Jackson last week. When Hunter signs tomorrow, he’ll have 22 days of NBA eligibility.

Rockets Recall Injured Zhou Qi

January 11th, 2018 at 10:58pm CST by Austin Kent

The Rockets have recalled forward Zhou Qi from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle tweets, but he’s still recovering from an elbow injury.

James Harden's Return Not Yet Imminent

January 11th, 2018 at 11:08am CST by Luke Adams

James Harden is showing signs of improvement as he recovers from a strained hamstring, but the Rockets‘ star guard won’t get the chance to lobby for a quicker return to the court, Mike D’Antoni said on Wednesday, per Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle.

“I walk into there to the trainers,” the Rockets head coach said. “‘Can he play?’ ‘No.’ Then he can’t play. There is no challenge. He’s going to try to push the envelope because he wants to play. That’s on trainers and doctors. I don’t figure into it. He’d beat me up.”

The Rockets announced on January 1 that Harden would be re-evaluated in two weeks, so he’s likely still at least a few days away from returning to action.

Decision May Loom Regarding Weber; Green Had Drawn Zero Interest Before Signing

January 7th, 2018 at 8:17pm CST by Austin Kent

The Rockets may have a looming decision to make with regard to Briante Weber, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle writes. Because of the 45-day limit on his two-way contract Houston may need to convert his deal into a standard one if they plan to keep featuring him while James Harden recovers from an injury.
Houston native and recent Rockets addition Gerald Green has made an impact in his brief time with the franchise, averaging 19.8 points per game off the bench in his last five games. As Tim MacMahon of ESPN writes there wasn’t much of a market for his services prior to his signing. “No team wanted me, man. No team wanted me. No team wanted me,” Green said. “No overseas team. Not even a D-League team. So this is the only team that took a chance on me. For me, I’m just so overwhelmed and excited about the opportunity.“

Rockets Sign Demetrius Jackson To 10-Day Contract

January 6th, 2018 at 11:36am CST by marksuleymanov

The Rockets have terminated their two-way deal with point guard Demetrius Jackson, tweets Adam Johnson of 2 Ways & 10 Days. As Johnson notes, Jackson has signed a 10-day contract with the Rockets. However, he does not figure into the team’s plans, per Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).

Jackson, 23, will spend time with Houston’s G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and appear in the G League showcase during his 10-day deal. The second-round pick (45th overall) from the 2016 NBA Draft appeared in 12 games with the Rockets this season, averaging just 0.7 PPG and 0.9 RPG. In 14 games with the Valley Vipers, Jackson has averaged 14.0 PPG and 4.1 APG in 30.9 minutes per game.

After he was waived by the Celtics in the offseason, Jackson signed a two-way deal with the Rockets, becoming the first player in franchise history to sign such a deal. Jackson saw more playing time early in the season when Chris Paul was out with injury but lagged on the depth chart behind Bobby Brown as the backup.

Injuries Present Opportunities For Reserves

January 4th, 2018 at 7:15pm CST by Austin Kent

A number of Rockets players have seen new opportunities arise following James Harden‘s hamstring injury, among them journeyman Briante Weber and Houston native Gerald Green, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle writes.

The Rockets have opted to slot supersub combo guard Eric Gordon in as the starting two beside Chris Paul, allowing Weber to fill the role of primary backup point guard. Green, similarly, has seen an opening as the team’s backup shooting guard.

Green, a 31-year-old, 11-year veteran, signed with the Rockets in late December while Weber, a two-way signee, has spent the majority of the campaign with Houston’s G League affiliate in Rio Grande Valley.

Including the 27 points he dropped off the bench on Wednesday, Green is averaging 13.8 points per game for the Rockets while Weber has seen his role with the big league club grow considerably since December 22.

New Rockets owner Tilman Feritta isn’t phased by the team’s recent slide, Sam Amick of USA Today writes. “I’m not worried about [the struggles]“, Fertitta said. “It’s a five-game stretch. Hopefully we have all of our downs now and we have all of our ups later. It’s amazing what injuries have to do with these teams winning and losing, too.”

Rockets Recall Chinanu Onuaku From G League

January 3rd, 2018 at 4:39pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets have recalled little-used big man Chinanu Onuaku from the G League, per Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter links). It appears the team is bringing Onuaku back to the NBA for health reasons, not because he’ll get a chance to play — Feigen indicates that the secodd-year center is undergoing sinus surgery.

Chris Paul Figures Into Rockets' Future Plans

January 2nd, 2018 at 10:57pm CST by marksuleymanov

Chris Paul has battled some injuries in his first season with the Rockets, but the team has played exceptionally well when he has been on the court. Houston is 16-2 in games that Paul has started, and has enjoyed one of the NBA’s best backcourts when the veteran plays alongside James Harden.

The Rockets are now eligible to offer Paul, 32, an extension but the All-Star point guard has not given much thought to that possibility, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle writes. Paul is set to hit free agency at season’s end, at which point he will face no shortage of suitors. It will be Paul’s decision to either stay in Houston or pursue other options but the team is prepared to make him a part of their future plans.

“Obviously, when we get someone as great as Chris Paul or James Harden, the plan is to keep him here,” Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said to Feigen. “He’ll have a choice when the season ends. We feel like we set things up well. It should be an easy choice for him.”

The Rockets are just two games back of the Warriors for the best record in the Western Conference and a healthy Paul — along with Harden — would go a long way to making that a strongly contested race.

Rockets Send Zhou Qi Back To G League

January 2nd, 2018 at 9:33pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets have re-assigned rookie big man Zhou Qi to the G League, tweets Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Zhou figures to suit up for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers when they host the Northern Arizona Suns on Tuesday night.

How Harden's Absence Will Impact Rockets, NBA

January 2nd, 2018 at 2:44pm CST by Luke Adams

We know James Harden will be out for at least two weeks with a hamstring strain, but his exact recovery timetable remains unclear. Speaking today to reporters, including Hunter Atkins of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link), Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni suggested that Harden could miss up to four weeks. In an Insider-only piece for ESPN, Kevin Pelton examines how Harden’s absence will affect the Rockets, the NBA, and the star guard’s MVP chances.