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Woj: John Wall May Sit Out Entire Season

November 10th, 2021 at 10:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

John Wall isn’t expected to play for the Rockets this season and it doesn’t appear any teams are willing to gamble on his contract, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on tonight’s “NBA Countdown” (hat tip to Doric Sam of Bleacher Report).

“There are no plans for John Wall to play for the Rockets, and it’s becoming increasingly likely that John Wall may not play anywhere in the NBA this season because the cost of his contract right now is just too prohibitive,” Wojnarowski said.

The 31-year-old point guard is owed nearly $91.7MM over the next two seasons, which breaks down to a $44,310,840 salary this year with a $47,366,760 player option for 2022/23. Wojnarowski suggested that the only way for Wall to engineer a trade to another team would be to turn down that option in advance.

“Any team that would potentially trade for him would want him to decline that option,” Woj said. “Well, he’s not doing that, he’s not giving that money back.”

Wall reached an agreement with the Rockets in September that he would sit out games while the team explored trade possibilities. Since that time, he has served as a de facto assistant coach, working with the team’s young players but with no intent to actually see any playing time.

Houston acquired Wall before the start of last season, sending Russell Westbrook to the Wizards and picking up a lottery-protected first-round pick in 2023. Wall was able to revive his career somewhat after missing a year and a half because of injuries. He appeared in 40 games for the Rockets and averaged 20.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists per night.

It appears a buyout is the only way for Wall to join another team, but the amount of money he would have to give up may be too high for that to be realistic.

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Rockets Notes: House, Christopher, Lucas, Green

November 10th, 2021 at 1:25pm CST by Luke Adams

When he first joined the Rockets in 2018/19, Danuel House was a young player being shown the ropes by veterans like James Harden and Chris Paul. Three years later, the 28-year-old has become one of the veterans on a young Houston squad and has embraced the responsibility that comes along with that, as Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle writes.

“As one of the older guys, it’s helping guys, especially guys in my position, knowing who we guard and what we’re doing,” House said. “The same thing I was taught is what I’m giving back. It’s a cycle. What the guys that were here in a Rockets uniform taught me before they went to their next destination. I’m trying to give it to the guys that are still here with me.”

House has missed the Rockets’ last six games due to a sprained right foot, but is poised to return to action on Wednesday vs. Detroit.

Here’s more on the Rockets:

  • Although he was a first-round pick in July, Josh Christopher hasn’t seem much action yet and has been overshadowed by Houston’s more high-profile rookies. However, the Rockets have loved the team-first attitude he has brought to the club, per Kelly Iko of The Athletic. “The way he talks, the way he works: during practice, after practice, before games, after games. The spirit that he offers up to the group. All those things are what culture personified looks like,” assistant coach Will Weaver said. “And when you can have someone doing that who’s not getting minutes, that to me speaks even louder than guys who are in the rotation providing those kinds of behaviors.”
  • Tim MacMahon of ESPN takes a look at the impact that veteran assistant coach John Lucas is having on the Rockets’ youngsters, including No. 2 overall pick Jalen Green and third-year guard Kevin Porter Jr. By his own admission, Lucas takes more of a tough-love approach to teaching than head coach Stephen Silas, who is relatively laid back. Discussing his work with Green, Lucas said, “My love for him is not praising his ass, but to keep a foot in it.”
  • Given that the Rockets project to be picking pretty high in the 2022 draft, Matt Young of The Houston Chronicle decided to take an early look at some of the top college prospects that fans in Houston should be monitoring this season.
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Southwest Notes: Alexander-Walker, Brooks, Wood, Poeltl

November 9th, 2021 at 5:38pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Like many of his teammates, Pelicans guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker has struggled out of the gate this fall, prompting Christian Clark of NOLA.com to take a look at his season thus far. The 1-10 Pelicans currently have the NBA’s worst record, and while a lot of that is a result of the extended absences of All-Star forwards Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, Alexander-Walker’s slow start certainly hasn’t helped.

Clark notes that Alexander-Walker has been one of the worst volume shooters in the league, connecting on 35.5% of his 15.4 field goal attempts a game, including 25.3% on his 7.9 three-point looks. Among players attempting at least 10 field goals per night, he currently ranks 114th out of 117 in true shooting percentage. Clark wonders if Alexander-Walker, and the Pelicans, would be better served by correcting the 6’6″ shooting guard’s shot profile (he shoots more from long-range than from within the arc) and attempting more shots inside the paint and fewer from the three-point arc.

There’s more out of the Southwest Division:

  • With stalwart Grizzlies swingman Dillon Brooks poised to return to the hardwood for Memphis for the first time since the 2021 playoffs, Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian takes a look at how Brooks could spruce up the club’s defense. Brooks has been absent for the entire 2021/22 season to this point with a left hand fracture.
  • Though Rockets power forward Christian Wood seems to be irked about the club’s clear desire to tank in the short-term, he has made a point to express publicly that he wants to stick around, per Rahat Huq of The Houston Chronicle. “I’m here to stay in Houston through the good and bad,” Wood tweeted this week.
  • Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich has revealed that he does not expect center Jakob Poeltl to return from the league’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols this week, per Tom Orsborne of the San Antonio Express-News. “I am not exactly sure” of the big man’s timetable, Popovich said. “They tell me every day, but I’m not a scientist. I listen to what they say, but I know he is not going to be ready for tomorrow or Friday.”
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Southwest Notes: Porter Jr., Ingram, Vassell, Martin Jr.

November 7th, 2021 at 9:04pm CST by JD Shaw

The Rockets are showing patience and a commitment to third-year player Kevin Porter Jr., Rahat Huq of the Houston Chronicle writes. Although it was an expected move, Houston recently exercised Porter’s fourth-year option for the 2022/23 season, further cementing the team’s commitment to the guard.

The Rockets, whose young nucleus consists of Porter, Jalen Green, and Alperen Sengun, among others, has opened the season with just a 1-8 record. For his part, Porter has averaged 12.4 points and five assists through nine contests, shooting only 37% from the floor.

Porter’s best performance last season was a 50-point, 11-assist outing against the NBA champion Bucks, which showed his potential as a scorer. The 21-year-old has dealt with some off-the-court issues in the past, however, including a 2020 weapons charge and a well-documented locker-room outburst with the Cavaliers.

There’s more from the Southwest Division tonight:

  • The Pelicans are listing star forward Brandon Ingram (right hip contusion) as questionable for Monday’s contest against Dallas, the team relayed. Ingram has missed four straight games due to the injury. New Orleans is also listing Herb Jones (ankle soreness) as questionable.
  • Spurs guard Devin Vassell is on a “good track” to start the season, head coach Gregg Popovich said, as relayed by Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. Vassell is averaging 11.9 points on 46% shooting and is showing an increased level of confidence to start the season. San Antonio drafted him with the No. 11 pick in 2020.
  • Rockets second-year player Kenyon Martin Jr. is continuing to earn playing time with the team, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle writes. Martin, 20, is part of the club’s young core. He was traded to Houston on the night of the 2020 draft after being selected No. 52 overall by Sacramento.
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Rockets Exercise 2022/23 Option On Kevin Porter Jr.

November 1st, 2021 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

As expected, the Rockets have picked up the fourth-year option on Kevin Porter Jr.‘s rookie scale contract, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. The option covers the 2022/23 NBA season.

The 30th overall pick in the 2019 draft, Porter spent his rookie year in Cleveland, then was traded to Houston early in the 2020/21 season due to the Cavs’ concerns about his attitude, stemming in part from a locker room incident.

Porter has been a nice fit with the Rockets, averaging 15.8 PPG, 6.1 APG, and 3.9 RPG in 32 games (31.7 MPG) so far with his new team. The franchise envisions Porter and Jalen Green as its backcourt of the future, as well as its present — both players are currently starters in Houston.

Porter’s 2022/23 option will pay him $3,217,631. He’ll now be eligible to sign a rookie scale extension during the 2022 offseason. If he and the Rockets don’t work out a new deal at that time, the next step would be restricted free agency in 2023.

It appears all the decisions on 2022/23 rookie scale options are now in, ahead of today’s deadline. We’ll be publishing a recap later tonight of all those decisions, but you can also view them here.

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Rookie Scale Option Decisions Due For Celtics, Rockets, Suns

November 1st, 2021 at 8:05am CST by Luke Adams

It’s Monday, November 1, which means teams that haven’t yet exercised their 2022/23 rookie scale options on first-round picks from 2019 and 2020 must do so by the end of the day.

If a player’s option for next season isn’t picked up, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2021/22 campaign, and his team will be ineligible to offer him a starting salary higher than what his option would’ve paid him.

As our tracker shows, most teams around the NBA have already finalized their rookie scale option decisions. There are just eight options that have yet to be picked up, and one of those seven – Jarrett Culver‘s – reportedly won’t be exercised (though the Grizzlies could theoretically still change their minds before the deadline passes).

Here are the other seven outstanding options:

Boston Celtics

Houston Rockets

Phoenix Suns

Some of these decisions may be a little trickier than others, since a couple of these players have yet to emerge as regular contributors for their respective teams. Still, given that the salary cap for 2022/23 is projected to be $119MM and these options are worth less than $6MM, all seven seem more likely than not to be exercised.

Once today’s deadline passes, most teams won’t face any other important roster deadlines for a couple months, per our calendar of key in-season dates. The next big league-wide roster-related deadline will come in early January, when all non-guaranteed 2021/22 salaries become fully guaranteed.

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Danuel House Suffers Sprained Right Foot

October 27th, 2021 at 7:36pm CST by Arthur Hill
  • Rockets forward Danuel House suffered a sprained right foot Tuesday night, tweets Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. House landed awkwardly after saving a loose ball from going out of bounds and was visibly limping after the play. X-rays were negative, but he wore a walking boot when he returned to the bench later in the game.
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Southeast Notes: Harrell, Wall, Artest III, Hornets

October 26th, 2021 at 8:49pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

New Wizards reserve big man Montrezl Harrell has emerged as one of the team’s most important emotional leaders, according to Ava Wallace of the Washington Post. As Wallace writes, Harrell is one of the more vocal members of the team, a consistently talkative teammate who makes a point to discuss on-court issues during every practice.

“I tell people all the time, the guy who leads the charge in our group is Bradley Beal, but Brad’s one of those guys who kind of does it by example,” Harrell said. “He’s not going to really voice it. So I want to be that one on that backstop for him to voice it because I’m not really scared of what nobody really has to say or how nobody really feel.”

There’s more out of the Southeast Division:

  • Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel opines that John Wall could be a solid fit for the Heat in a reserve role behind starter Kyle Lowry if the currently-shelved Rockets point guard ever become available after a buyout. As Winderman observes, Wall does his offseason training in Miami.
  • The Heat‘s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, have added Ron Artest III, son of the NBA All-Star swingman formerly known as Ron Artest (now Metta Sandiford-Artest), per Ira Winderman. The younger Artest is a 22-year-old alum of California State Northridge. The 6’7″ forward spent his final collegiate season, his junior year in 2020/21, averaging 4.3 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 1.3 APG and 0.7 BPG in just six games with the club.
  • The Hornets are benefiting from having players with significant wingspans relative to their heights and weights, writes Sam Perley of Hornets.com. “Any time you have more length, you should be a better defensive team, a better rebounding team,” said Charlotte head coach James Borrego. “We can play more defensive, protect the paint more, the rim more, rebound better. It allows us to switch and stay in front of the ball a little bit more. Make plays at the rim, deflect the ball more. It’s going to be really important for us this season.” New additions like James Bouknight, Kai Jones, JT Thor, Kelly Oubre and Mason Plumlee all fit this ethos.
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Rookie Scale Option Decisions Due Next Monday

October 26th, 2021 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Outside of the occasional back-of-the-roster transaction – like Orlando signing Mychal Mulder to a two-way contract earlier today – the first few weeks of the NBA’s regular season are generally a fairly quiet time for roster moves.

However, one noteworthy deadline arrives next Monday — teams have until November 1 to exercise the 2022/23 third- and fourth-year rookie scale options for players who were first-round picks in the 2019 and 2020 drafts. For instance, the Cavaliers will have to pick up the fourth-year option for 2019 first-rounder Darius Garland, while the Hornets will have to exercise the third-year option for 2020 first-rounder LaMelo Ball.

Typically, the deadline for these decisions is October 31, but that’s a Sunday this year. When the deadline falls on a weekend, it’s moved to the next business day, per CBA expert Larry Coon.

As our tracker shows, there are still a number of options that have yet to be picked up, including Garland’s and Ball’s. However, there’s no suspense about whether those ones – or most others – will be exercised.

Rookie scale contracts for productive rotation players are among the biggest bargains in the NBA. Most teams even pick up their options on players who haven’t cracked the rotation, since controlling a young player with upside is usually worth the modest cost of his option.

Here’s the list of option decisions that have yet to be announced or reported:

Boston Celtics

Charlotte Hornets

Cleveland Cavaliers

Golden State Warriors

Houston Rockets

Indiana Pacers

Philadelphia 76ers

Phoenix Suns

Utah Jazz

It wouldn’t be a shock if all 18 of these options are ultimately picked up, but there are a few players who are more at risk than others.

Windler, for instance, has been limited to just 32 games since being drafted in 2019 due to health problems and isn’t a lock to have his $4MM option for 2022/23 exercised.

Azubuike logged garbage-time minutes in just 15 games as a rookie and doesn’t project to have a rotation role in Utah anytime soon. Third-year options are rarely declined and Azubuike’s $2.17MM salary would be very modest, but we saw the Clippers turn down Mfiondu Kabengele‘s option at the same price point a year ago.

Langford, Bitadze, and Smith are among the other players whose option decisions won’t be automatic, though I’d be a little surprised if their teams don’t opt in.

We’ll continue passing along all of these option decisions as they’re reported over the next week, so be sure to keep an eye on our tracker for the latest updates.

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Texas Notes: Wood, Theis, Forbes, Johnson

October 24th, 2021 at 3:32pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Rockets big man Christian Wood has used a perceived Team USA Olympic selection slight and a positional switch from center to power forward as fuel for his own development, per Kelly Iko of The Athletic.

“(The move to power forward from center) allows me to show what I can do, and it allows the floor to be open, and I can create for other guys and I can create for myself,” said Wood, who connected on 37.4% of his 5.0 three point looks per night during the 2020/21 season. “I wanted to be one of the best bigs in this league, and I have to go out every night and show that.”

“There’s been big-time growth, there’s been big-time maturity, there’s been a lot,” head coach Stephen Silas raved following a 31-point, 14-rebound, three-block performance from Wood in a 124-91 victory over the Thunder on Friday. “I think another part of it is the fact that this is the first time he’s been on the same team for two consecutive years. And you see the growth from year to year, you see the trust that goes back and forth between he and I, the trust that goes back and forth between him and his teammates who know him and know what he can do.”

There’s more out of the Lone Star State:

  • Newly-acquired Rockets center Daniel Theis hopes to stick around Houston to watch the club’s exciting young core develop, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. “I want to help them grow and get better on court, off court,” Theis said. “I have a good relationship with Jalen (Green). He listens a lot on the court, off the court he’s going to learn a lot. The same with Scoot (Kevin Porter Jr.)… Just help them to grow and get better.” The 6’8″ Theis is starting at center after signing a four-year, $36MM contract with Houston in a sign-and-trade with the Bulls over the summer. The addition of Theis has allowed for the 6’10” Wood to move to the power forward position.
  • On Saturday night, Spurs shooting guard Bryn Forbes reunited with his last club, the Bucks, with whom he won the NBA title this summer. Ahead of the game, he expressed his eagerness to collect his championship ring, per Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. “I’m excited to have that in my possession and hold it,” Forbes said. “It’s an accomplishment you dream of your whole life.”
  • Young Spurs small forward Keldon Johnson appears to be developing nicely during this early portion of his third NBA season, writes Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. The 22-year-old Johnson, selected with the No. 29 pick out of Kentucky in 2019, set a career high for points in a half with 18 against the Nuggets Friday, finishing with 27 for the game. “I just keep pressure on the rim,” Johnson said. “That’s what I do.” In recent comments, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich offered a frank appraisal of Johnson’s strengths — and weaknesses. “When he catches and makes quick decisions — shoots it or passes it — that works best for him,” Popovich said. “When he’s just dribbling and trying to beat somebody, that doesn’t work out very well.”
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