- While James Harden continues to post MVP-level numbers, the Rockets‘ success will be determined by the collection of players GM Daryl Morey has assembled around him, writes Paul Flannery of SB Nation. One of the offseason additions was shooting guard Eric Gordon, who has emerged as a contender of Sixth Man of the Year honors. Morey has been pursuing Gordon since 2012, when he signed with the Suns as a restricted free agent and the offer was matched by the Pelicans. Morey made repeated trade offers to New Orleans before signing Gordon as a free agent last summer. “Skill-wise, he’s always been someone we’ve looked at,” Morey said. “He’s so good at so many offensive actions: Spot shooting, off the dribble, good at pick and roll, good passer. We thought he was an underrated defender. And then we got the physical info and it was very positive.”
It has been a strong bounce-back season so far for the Rockets, who were just 25-24 through their first 49 games a year ago. In 2016/17, the team is 34-15, and currently holds the NBA’s third-best record.
Much of the credit for Houston’s turnaround belongs to general manager Daryl Morey, whose offseason moves received mixed reviews at the time, but have paid off tremendously so far. Morey spoke to Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype about those moves, as well as what’s next for the Rockets, and shared a few interesting quotes, so let’s round up some of the highlights from the conversation…
On the Rockets’ approach heading into the 2016 offseason, and the additions of Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon:
“We knew that we weren’t going to be a team that could add talent through the draft and our ability to make trades [was hampered] because we didn’t have that period where we could build up a lot of things that would allow us to trade for big-time players, so free agency was going to be the big tool for us, especially in a city like Houston.
“We always felt that we played our best ball when he had a spacing four, like Ryan, and someone next to James [Harden] who could create, like Eric. The fact that we were able to get them in free agency, we were thrilled – even though, at the time, people didn’t seem to think those were the right signings for us. But we were pretty confident they were.”
On replacing Dwight Howard after using cap room to fill positions other than center:
“There wasn’t a superstar [center] available, so we knew we’d have to take the money from the CBA and the money freed up from Dwight choosing Atlanta to add to the team. If you can’t add a superstar-level player, the next best thing is to add players who perfectly fit what you’re trying to do. That’s what we went for. Nene was a huge bonus. He was looking for a winning situation because he hadn’t been in one in awhile. He really wanted to come to a winning team and we were fortunate he was available for us. With the remaining money we had, we signed him. He took every last dollar and we are happy to give it to him.”
On the success of new head coach Mike D’Antoni in Houston:
“If you look at the teams where [D’Antoni] didn’t win a lot of games, the players didn’t really fit and there wasn’t a lot of organizational buy-in. I think the big difference here is that from our owner, [Les] Alexander, to myself to Coach D’Antoni to James Harden to the other players, there’s an alignment of how we want to play and what kind of players we need to have. That actually helps a lot. I don’t know if it equals a 34-14 start, but it does help a lot when you have a top-down commitment to how we want to play and the players we want to get within that.”
On the possibility of making a deadline deal in February to bolster the roster:
“We will be less likely to make a move this year, but I have to always listen — as you don’t get many opportunities with a team this good. If we do any moves, they will likely be for depth.”
- Free agent additions Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson are thriving with the Rockets, Jake Fischer of Sports Illustrated writes. Both players credit Houston’s strength and conditioning program for helping them achieve success. “We’ll lift weights, I mean heavy after a game,” Gordon said. “No matter overtime, double-overtime, we’re in that weight room right after every game.”
- After missing 15 games with a fractured fibula, Clint Capela is playing himself into shape, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. “He’s still a little bit away from his conditioning and different things,” Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni said. “This road trip we’ll try and wean him in as much as we can.”
- The Spurs are 4-0 on the road against the Cavs, Rockets and Warriors, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN. The rest of the NBA? A combined 13-72.
The Spurs are once again the No. 2 team in the Western Conference and a given to qualify for and contend in the playoffs. A recent hand injury to Pau Gasol, however, could change that. Ben Alamar of ESPN has explored the impact that Gasol’s absence will have in San Antonio, citing the big man’s staggering efficiency from mid-range as one of the biggest voids that the club will have to fill.
On the other side of the ball, Gasol has long-established himself as a heady defender capable of providing paint protection. This will now fall to reserves Dewyane Dedmon and David Lee. Though Dedmon and Lee have been respectable back ups this season, Alamar isn’t sure they’ll have the same impact as Gasol has with his ability to block shots and limit his fouls.
Gasol, Alamar writes, is second on the Spurs in defensive win shares behind only Kawhi Leonard.
The veteran was scheduled to undergo surgery to repair the hand fracture on Friday. No recovery timetable has yet been announced.
There’s more out of the Southwest Division:
- Though not shy about expressing his frustration with a lack of playing time, Alexis Ajinca has reportedly not requested a trade from the Pelicans, tweets Justin Verrier of ESPN. Ajinca has racked up 11 DNP-CDs since his last legitimate taste of action on December 23 and has played just three minutes total in January.
- Offseason addition Mike D’Antoni has made a serious case for Coach of the Year, writes Chris Mannix of The Vertical. His decision to move James Harden to the point has been one of the highlights of his brief tenure. “I watched a lot of tape of him,” D’Antoni told Mannix. “His skills are enormous. Point guard made sense. He was that anyway. We just cut the fat off. The way he plays now, he’s making an impact every minute. So we can play him less minutes. And he’s fresher.”
- The 2016/17 campaign won’t go down in history for the Mavs, at least not in a good way. Eddie Sefko of the Dallas News has come up with a list of things that have officially gone wrong, chief among them significant injuries to Dirk Nowitzki, Andrew Bogut, Devin Harris, Deron Williams and J.J. Barea (again).
- For the first time this season, the Spurs featured Dejounte Murray prominently in their rotation and the rookie guard responded with a career-high, 24-point showing. “I felt like I had a rhythm the whole game,” Murray told Jabari Young of the San Antonio Express-News. “I was confident even before he Gregg Popovich told me I was starting. I always stay ready. … My teammates, when they heard I was starting, they cheered me up tried to keep my confidence high.”
Most of 2016’s offseason signees became eligible to be traded on December 15, and 21 more had their trade restrictions lifted on Sunday. Now that we’ve passed January 15, nearly all of the players in the NBA are trade-eligible, but there are still a handful of guys who can’t be moved.
Generally speaking, a player who signs a new contract becomes eligible to be dealt after three months or on December 15, whichever comes later. That’s why players who sign deals in July are eligible to be traded after December 15. For those free agents who didn’t sign until later in the year though, there are different deadlines.
Here are the players who signed recently enough that they aren’t yet trade-eligible:
- Spencer Dinwiddie, Nets: Signed as free agent on December 8.
- Bobby Brown, Rockets: Signed as free agent on December 16.
- Donatas Motiejunas, Pelicans: Signed as free agent on January 3.
By the time those players have been under contract for three months, it will be after this season’s February 23 trade deadline, meaning they can’t be traded at all during the season. Dinwiddie, who has a multiyear pact with Brooklyn, could be moved in the summer, but Brown and Motiejunas have one-year deals, meaning Houston and New Orleans won’t get a chance to trade them.
Players who recently signed contract extensions also face certain restrictions. These restrictions don’t apply to the group of players that signed rookie-scale extensions prior to October 31, but they do apply to guys like James Harden and Russell Westbrook, who had their deals renegotiated and extended during the offseason. Harden and Westbrook can’t be traded for six months after signing those extensions.
Since Harden signed his new deal on July 9, he became trade-eligible last Monday, though of course he’s not going anywhere. Westbrook, who is also untouchable at this point, signed his extension on August 4, meaning his trade restriction will lift on February 4.
In addition to those four players, there are four more who are currently on NBA rosters, but can’t be traded. Those four guys are on 10-day contracts, which can’t be moved to another team. Here’s the current list of players on 10-day deals, via our tracker:
- Alonzo Gee, Nuggets: Signed on January 8.
- Quincy Acy, Nets: Signed on January 10.
- Chasson Randle, Sixers: Signed on January 10.
- Pierre Jackson, Mavericks: Signed on January 15.
In total, by our count, there are eight players currently on NBA rosters (out of 443) who are ineligible to be traded. That doesn’t include players who can veto trades, but even after taking those guys into account, NBA teams should still have plenty of flexibility to make moves in the coming weeks.
After two long months, Clint Capela is set to make his return for the Rockets. According to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, Capela could return as early as Tuesday, depending on how he feels after Monday’s practice.
On December 17, Capela fractured his left tibula and has been sidelined ever since. Though the Rockets have continued to win ball games in his absence, they’ll welcome the 22-year-old center back with open arms. Before going down with the injury, Capela had been averaging 11.8 points and 8.0 rebounds per game.
- Halfway through the 2016/17 campaign, it appears as though the Rockets found themselves a bargain in Eric Gordon. Scott Cacciola of the New York Times writes that the shooting guard has thrived in head coach Mike D’Antoni‘s system. “I think he knew, more or less, the type of basketball we’d be playing, with the free rein on 3-pointers and all that,” D’Antoni said. “But I don’t think I could even articulate in the summertime exactly what we’d be doing, because I didn’t know we’d be doing this.”
Here are the D-League transactions for the day:
10:32pm:
- The Spurs recalled guard Bryn Forbes from their D-League affiliate in Austin before today’s game with the Suns.
- The Lakers sent center Ivica Zubac to the D-Fenders following their afternoon game, giving him a chance to play for both teams in the same day, tweets Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News.
2:56pm:
- The Warriors recalled Kevon Looney and Patrick McCaw from their D-League affiliate in Santa Cruz, the team has announced in a press release. Both were assigned on Friday. In a victory over Salt Lake City, Looney dropped 18 points and 20 rebounds.
- The Rockets have assigned rookie center Chinanu Onuaku to their D-League affiliate, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Onuaku has averaged 11.8 points and 10.5 rebounds in 19 games for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers so far this season.
- The Cavaliers have assigned point guard Kay Felder to the D-League, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPN. The rookie expected to be back with the big league club as soon as Sunday.
- After clearing waivers last week, former Hawks forward Ryan Kelly has rejoined the Maine Red Claws, tweets Chris Reichert of The Step Back. Kelly was called up by the Hawks before suiting up for Maine, but they still held his returning rights.
The Rockets will make a bid to host the All-Star Game writes Jonathan Feigen on the Houston Chronicle and are preparing to make their case for either the 2020 or 2021 festivities.
Just recently, Feigen writes, the league sent the Rockets and other select teams information related to the bidding process. The team ultimately granted the privilege to host the week-long celebration will set out to make the most out of an excellent economic opportunity.
In 2013, the last time the Rockets hosted the event, the game generated roughly $60MM in direct spending and a near $100MM economic impact. The city of Houston also hosted All-Star Weekend in 2006 and 1989.
Here are the D-League moves from throughout the NBA today:
- The Sixers have assigned Richaun Holmes to their D-League affiliate in Delaware, tweets Derek Bodner of Philadelphia Magazine. The 23-year-old hasn’t seen game action for the Sixers since December 14. In two games with the 87ers this month, Holmes has averaged 12.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
- The Rockets have recalled forward Kyle Wiltjer tweets Mark Berman of Fox 26. Wiltjer has averaged 20.8 points per game for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in 12 games so far this season.
- The Warriors have sent Patrick McCaw and Kevon Looney to their D-League affiliate, says the team in an official press release. The pair will join Damian Jones who is already on assignment with the Santa Cruz Warriors.