Clint Capela Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Rockets Notes: Harden, Capela, Beverley

March 12th, 2017 at 2:21pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Rockets are headed for a top-3 seed in the Western Conference just a season after the team underachieved and barely made the playoffs. James Harden, who is in the discussion for the MVP award, credits coach Mike D’Antoni and his staff for the improvements, as Mark Berman of Fox 26 relays (Twitter link).

“The coaching staff did a really good job of helping us fix the culture that we had last year, the addition of new players, the same players that we had, we’ve meshed really well together,” Harden said.

Here’s more from Houston:

Clint Capela echoes Harden’s sentiment on the Rockets‘ culture, as Jonathan Feigan of the Houston Chronicle writes. “Since last year, it’s a different team,” Capela said. “Of course, we’re better than last year. We play every game to win. Tonight, we don’t think about if we win we go to the playoffs. We have the mindset to come into the game to win, play hard, be aware of the tendencies of each player. But of course, since 11 months, our team is way different.”
Jenny Dial Creech of the Houston Chronicle details Patrick Beverley‘s journey from playing outdoors in Chicago as an adolescent to finding his niche on the Rockets. The point guard was a high school star but had to go overseas and through the D-League to get his opportunity in the NBA.
Harden believes that many factors should go into deciding who wins the MVP award, but he adds that winning is at the top of the list, Feigen writes in a separate piece. While Harden didn’t come out and say he should win the award, his teammates weren’t as bashful. “No matter what the media say, no matter what the people say, everybody in the league knows who the MVP is,” Beverley said. “James Harden.”

And-Ones: Hansbrough, Bogut, Jennings

February 27th, 2017 at 11:02pm CST by Milo Taibi

Tyler Hansbrough has signed a contract with the D-League, Chris Reichert of The Step Back reports (Twitter link). Now 31 years old, Hansbrough played 44 games with the Hornets last season, receiving a career-worst 7.8 MPG. Hansbrough went unsigned as an unrestricted free agent over the offseason, but expressed interest in returning to Charlotte after 2015/16.

“Personally, when I was called, I felt like I went out there and helped the team in the ways that I could. I’d be glad to be back,” Hansbrough told Sam Perley of Hornets.com.

Other goings-on around the game…

The Rockets are unlikely to sign Andrew Bogut, sources tell Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. The Rockets would like to add Bogut as insurance in case of a Clint Capela or Nene Hilario injury, but the big man may be looking for a bigger role.
The Pistons don’t appear to be interested in a reunion with Brandon Jennings, Rod Beards of The Detroit News relays. “With Ish here, I don’t think [Jennings] would be a fit. From Brandon’s standpoint, my guess is he wants to go somewhere he can play,” Van Gundy said. “In a contract year, especially, he needs to get playing time and get seen. I hope it works for him. I really like him and he’s able to land something good this summer.”
The BIG3 announced five additional players will register for its draft pool: James White, Andre Owens, Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Lawrence Moten, and Ndudi Ebi (press release). In April, BIG3 will hold a player combine for all players in the draft pool. While all five players have NBA experience, White most recently appeared in an NBA game- scoring 25 points over 57 games with the 2012/13 Knicks.
The Cavaliers could be the winner of the Nerlens Noel trade if Bogut decides to join the defending champs, John Smallwood of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Rumors linked Bogut to Cleveland over the weekend, but it was reported today that the big man has “strong interest” in joining the Celtics.

Chris Crouse contributed to this post

Southwest Notes: Matthews, Capela, Parker

January 22nd, 2017 at 6:17pm CST by Austin Kent

The Mavs will not be trading Wesley Matthews, writes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas News. Team owner Mark Cuban would consider dealing the shooting guard for a select list of players, but those players are unavailable.

“We see Wes and Harrison Barnes as cornerstones,” Cuban told Sefko of the 30-year-old Mavs guard. “I think he’s first-team all-defense and those don’t come around very often.”

In 42 games with the Mavs so far this season, Matthews has averaged 15.0 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. He’s under contract through 2018/19 with a cap hit of $17MM this season.

Even without Matthews may not be on the block, expect Cuban and the Mavs to do their diligence leading up to the February 23 deadline though that doesn’t necessarily mean a trade will be made.

There’s more out of the Southwest Division:

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.”
Having experienced trouble with his left foot, Tony Parker will sit out for the Spurs and undergo an MRI at some point this week, writes Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. Parker is doubtful to return before the team wraps up its current four-game road trip.
Big man Andrew Bogut could soon make his return for the Mavs, writes Sefko in a separate piece for the Dallas News. “We’ll have at least one practice day before the game on Wednesday, so we’ll see what’s what,” said head coach Rick Carlisle.
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.

Southwest Notes: Capela, Gordon, Daniels

January 15th, 2017 at 7:48pm CST by Austin Kent

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.

There’s more out of the Southwest Division:

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.”
Unheralded offseason addition Troy Daniels has given the Grizzlies little choice but to expand his role with the organization, writes Blake Meyer of FanSided’s Beale St. Blues. Through 31 games, Daniels has given Memphis 10.1 points in less than 20 minutes per game and, according to Kevin Pelton of ESPN, has had a dramatic impact on the team’s plus-minus.
It’s been nearly two years since Wesley Matthews tore his Achilles and over a year since he returned, but Zach Lowe of ESPN thinks the Mavs veteran is continuing to make progress.

Southwest Notes: Conley, Rockets, Pelicans, Gasol

January 12th, 2017 at 10:18am CST by Luke Adams

When Mike Conley signed a five-year mega-deal with the Grizzlies last summer, making him the NBA’s highest-paid player, the deal was met with some backlash. However, as Conley tells ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, it wasn’t the first time that NBA fans and observers had questioned whether he was worth the investment — his initial four-year extension with Memphis received the same kind of scrutiny.

“The first go-round prepared me for the same type of situation, where I knew that it would take a lot of backlash and there would be a lot of people who don’t know who I am,” said the Grizzlies point guard. “Never heard of me or whatever. Now all of a sudden this guy is paid more than everybody else. So I just prepared myself and took it as a challenge, just took it as an opportunity, to use it and be the best player I can be. … It does take a special mentality to be able to understand and handle the moment, handle the situation. It could eat a lot of people up. I try to stay in the positive. In the now. I think of all the work that all the sacrifice that took me to the position to [have] this opportunity. That validates my contract for me.”

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

The Rockets aren’t active in trade talks, and even though GM Daryl Morey never sits still, the team is more likely to do something minor than major, if it makes a move at all, tweets Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. Kyler also weighed in on the Pelicans, tweeting that Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans, who are eligible for free agency this summer, are worth keeping an eye on as the trade deadline nears.
Pau Gasol has made six All-Star teams in his career, and has played in the NBA’s last two midseason exhibitions, but he knew when he signed with the Spurs that he’d likely be forgoing individual accolades in favor of team success, writes Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. “I didn’t come here with that type of mindset,” Gasol said of his All-Star streak.
Rockets big man Clint Capela, sidelined with a fractured left fibula, has made significant progress and remains on track to return within a four-to-six week window, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Capela is scheduled to be examined again next week.
There are a couple of health-related notes out of Memphis as well, as Ronald Tillery of The Memphis Commercial Appeal reports (via Twitter) that there’s still no timetable for Brandan Wright‘s return. Rookie big man Deyonta Davis, on the other hand, has made an early recovery from a foot injury that sidelined him in December — he was active on Wednesday night and available to play for the Grizzlies, though he didn’t see any action.

Texas Notes: Bogut, Barea, Nene, Ennis

December 26th, 2016 at 8:46pm CST by Arthur Hill

Mavericks center Andrew Bogut, who has been sidelined since December 5th with a bone bruise on his right knee, could be back on the court this week, tweets Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com. Coach Rick Carlisle announced the news today on Bogut, who started 16 games before the injury. The 32-year-old, who was acquired in a trade from Golden State to sure up the Mavericks’ interior defense, is averaging 3.8 points and 10.4 rebounds per night. He was considered a prime candidate to be traded again when Dallas was at the bottom of the Western Conference standings, but Mavericks may consider keeping him as they inch back toward playoff contention. The way he and the team play between now and the February 23rd trade deadline could determine how long he stays in Dallas.

There’s more basketball news out of Texas:

Carlisle also indicated good news might be coming about J.J. Barea, according to Sneed (Twitter link). The backup guard, who has been out with a muscle strain in his left leg, still has no timetable to return, but his coach says it’s “on the shorter end of things.” Barea has only been available for 11 games this season.
The Rockets‘ plan for veteran center Nene involves more games and fewer minutes, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. With starting center Clint Capela out a month or more with a fracture in his left fibula, Houston needs Nene to play in back-to-back games. The Rockets play the Suns tonight and the Mavericks on Tuesday, and coach Mike D’Antoni plans to limit him to fewer than 20 minutes in the second game. “I think it’s working out,” D’Antoni said. “I talked to him [Monday]. He said he’s feeling great. I would like to avoid some back-to-backs, but we can’t right now. The sooner we get Clint back the better.”
Tyler Ennis hasn’t played much since coming to Houston in a September trade, but he is hoping to be part of the Canadian National Team, Feigen relays in a separate story. Ennis met tonight with Suns assistant Jay Triano, who serves as Canada’s coach, to discuss his future role with the squad. “I’ve always played for the national team,” Ennis said. “With the Canadian guys we have in the NBA now, there’s more interest in playing. Hopefully, one summer, we’ll get everybody to come and play. We’re all pretty young.”

Rockets’ Clint Capela Breaks Fibula, Out 4-6 Weeks

December 20th, 2016 at 10:51am CST by Arthur Hill

DECEMBER 20: The Rockets have confirmed that Capela has a small left fibula fracture, announcing the diagnosis today in a press release. The big man will be re-evaluated in four weeks, according to the team.

We heard earlier today that Houston is “probing” the trade market for available bigs, but will likely roll with in-house options like Nene and Montrezl Harrell.

DECEMBER 19: Rockets center Clint Capela has a broken fibula, according to Hunter Atkins of The Houston Chronicle. The news was confirmed by Mark Berman of Fox 26 in Houston, who says league sources expect Capela to miss about six weeks (Twitter link).

Capela underwent an MRI today after banging knees with Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns in Saturday’s game. Capela will have another scan to confirm the seriousness of the injury.

The news was broken by L’Equipe, a sports publication based in France. The Rockets have not released the results of the MRI or commented publicly on Capela’s condition.

The third-year center out of Switzerland moved into the starting lineup this season with the departure of Dwight Howard to the Hawks. Capela is averaging 11.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 28 games.

While Capela is out, the center duties will fall mainly to Nene, who signed with the team over the summer and second-year player Montrezl Harrell. The Rockets matched an offer sheet for Lithuanian big man Donatas Motiejunas earlier this month, but decided to release him after he took a physical.

Rockets Exploring Trade Market For Big Men

December 20th, 2016 at 9:33am CST by Luke Adams

With Clint Capela expected to be sidelined until late January due to a leg injury, the Rockets are probing the trade market for available bigs, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (via Twitter). Since the trade deadline is still more than two months away, teams may not be compelled to deal quite yet, so the most likely scenario is that Houston gives Capela’s minutes to players like Nene and Montrezl Harrell, per Wojnarowski.

While Nerlens Noel has been the most-discussed trade candidate over the last few days, there are several big men around the NBA believed to be available. Greg Monroe has long been on the block in Milwaukee, and players like Kosta Koufos, Andrew Bogut, and Kenneth Faried have been mentioned as trade candidates in recent months, though their teams aren’t necessarily looking to move them right now. As Jonathan Tjarks of The Ringer details, a handful of teams around the NBA have frontcourt logjams, so there could be a few potential matches for Houston.

Free agency is also an option for the Rockets, though the team would have to open up a spot on its 15-man roster to sign someone. The most notable big man on the free agent market also seems unlikely to sign with Houston — Donatas Motiejunas is now an unrestricted free agent, after enduring a contract standoff with the Rockets that lasted several months.

While it’s worth keeping an eye on the Rockets in the coming weeks, the team would probably be more inclined to make a move if Capela’s injury was projected to keep him out for most or all of the season. According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), Houston is still waiting for “final medical intel” on Capela’s injury, but is expecting him to miss about four to six weeks. That timeline would put him on track to return well before the February 23 trade deadline.

Southwest Notes: Howard, Parsons, Hill, Matthews

November 6th, 2016 at 12:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Dwight Howard may be gone, but the Rockets are still benefiting from the teaching he did with younger players, writes Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com. Howard signed with the Hawks this summer after three seasons in Houston, but he left an impression on Rockets big men Clint Capela, Montrezl Harrell and Sam Dekker. “Dwight was a great guy; nobody gets to really see the type of person he is off the court,” Harrell said. “Everybody sees him on the court and thinks he’s childish or he’s a big kid. He’s a great guy with the time I spent with Dwight. He cares about everybody on and off the court. He has a heart that’s so big. Whenever I came out of a game, we were always communicating.”

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

Chandler Parsons will make his Grizzlies debut this afternoon instead of Tuesday as originally expected, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. Parsons, who signed a four-year, $94MM deal with Memphis, hasn’t played since he had surgery on his right knee in March. “Felt great in workout. I’m ready to rock,” Parsons wrote in a text message. “No reason to wait.”
Solomon Hill signed with the Pelicans over the offseason, but coach Alvin Gentry had his eye on the fourth-year small forward for a long time, relays Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. Hill played college ball at Arizona while Gentry was the head coach in Phoenix, and Gentry wanted to trade for him last season. “I just think he’s a good, solid guy,” Gentry said. “He’s a guy who is trying to find himself in what we’re doing. I told him I think he’s trying to fit in too much. He’s a guy who just needs to be who he is. That’s why we signed him.”
Wesley Matthews, who joined the Mavericks in 2015, appears to be one of the building blocks for the team’s future, writes Adam Grosbard of The Dallas Morning News. Matthews is adopting an increased leadership role as Dallas tries to rebound from its slow start. “He’s become one of the faces of our team,” said coach Rick Carlisle. “Just his intensity, his presence out there as our best perimeter defender and just his attitude and stuff like that is a big part of who we are. He’s knowledgeable and relentless and he has great pride [on defense].”

Rockets Exercise Clint Capela’s 2017/18 Option

October 26th, 2016 at 9:00am CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 26: The Rockets have officially picked up Capela’s 2017/18 option, according to RealGM.com.

OCTOBER 24: The Rockets will exercise their 2017/18 team option on Clint Capela‘s rookie contract, reports Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). Capela’s fourth-year option is one of three rookie-scale decisions the team has to make before October 31 — Tyler Ennis and Sam Dekker also have ’17/18 options to be picked up or turned down.

Capela, 22, enjoyed a modest breakout season in 2015/16 after playing sparingly in his rookie year. Capela averaged 7.0 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 1.2 BPG in 19.1 minutes per contest last season, starting 35 of the 77 games he played for Houston.

If Rockets management had their way, Capela would have had an opportunity to play even more in 2015/16. According to Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com, interim head coach J.B. Bickerstaff resisted complying with the wishes of GM Daryl Morey and owner Leslie Alexander, who wanted to see Capela receive more minutes at the expense of Dwight Howard.

With Howard and Bickerstaff no longer in Houston, new head coach Mike D’Antoni is presumably on board with the plan to give Capela an expanded role going forward. The young big man, who will earn a guaranteed $2,334,528 salary in 2017/18, will be extension-eligible during the 2017 offseason and eligible for restricted free agency during the 2018 offseason.

In other Rockets news, rookie guard Gary Payton II, who was waived by Houston earlier today, confirmed to Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston (Twitter link) that the team has expressed interest in having him join the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. Payton said there are a couple other teams interested in his services, so he’ll talk to his agent to determine his next move — he’s open to the idea of joining the Rockets’ D-League squad, per Berman.