Terrence Jones

Rockets Recall Terrence Jones

The Rockets announced today that the team has recalled forward Terrence Jones from NBA D-League partner Rio Grande Valley.  Jones was assigned to the Vipers on November 30th and averaged 22.5 points and 17.5 rebounds in two starts with the team.

The 20-year-old appeared in seven contests for the Rockets so far in his rookie season, averaging 3.6 PPG and 2.0 RPG in 10.4 minutes per contest.  Be sure to keep up with all of this year's D-League assignments and recalls, including today's flurry of activity, with this handy post.

Rockets Assign Jones, Machado To D-League

Terrence Jones and Scott Machado are heading to the Rockets' D-League affiliate, the team announced today. Machado will join the Rio Grande Valley Vipers for the second time this season, while for Jones it's his first D-League assignment.

Jones, 20, has appeared in seven contests for the Rockets so far in his rookie season, averaging 3.6 PPG and 2.0 RPG in 10.4 MPG. The 18th overall pick in the 2012 draft is one of a handful of mid-first-rounders to be assigned to the D-League this week — No. 12 pick Jeremy Lamb and No. 13 pick Kendall Marshall have also been sent to their teams' respective D-League affiliates in the last couple days.

Machado, meanwhile, finally made his NBA regular-season debut on Wednesday night against the Thunder. He was recalled from the Valley Vipers earlier this week, along with Donatas Motiejunas.

Odds & Ends: Curry, Knicks, Jones, Trail Blazers

It appears Warriors guard Stephen Curry's ankles are either 100% or very close to it. Earlier today Curry tweeted that he was finally able to participate in scrimmages with his teammates, and CSNBayArea.com's Matt Steinmetz later confirmed the tweet by writing that Curry indeed played five-on-five at the team's downtown Oakland practice facility. 

Here's some other news from around the league.

Odds & Ends: Blazers, Timberwolves, McGrady

The NBA does not make a profit by sending its stars to play at the Olympics, and a move to re-direct their headline players into a rebranded World Cup of Basketball would certainly change that. While Ken Berger of CBS Sports understands the idea of pulling NBA stars out of the Olympic games in the future, he says that it should be based on the premise that "Dream Teams" have run their course, and not because it is driven by an opportunity for David Stern and NBA owners to try to make money elsewhere. With that aside, here are some of tonight's miscellaneous links…

  • Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld mentions that Jeremy Lamb, Royce White, and Terrence Jones cannot be included in a potential Dwight Howard trade until the end of August, specifically 30 days after each of them signed their rookie deals with the Rockets on July 26 (Sulia link).  
  • In a series of tweets, Jason Quick of The Oregonian reports that Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey has concluded the second round of interviews and will "move on to the next phase" of the process once all four finalists are given due consideration.  Although team owner Paul Allen was not involved in the interviews with Terry StottsSteve CliffordKaleb Canales, and Elston Turner, Quick assumes that Olshey will ultimately present a recommendation for hire to Allen after deliberation.  Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com (via Twitter) pointed out that Turner's interview lasted for four-and-a-half hours today.
  • When asked if the Timberwolves had more changes to make after the Olympics, GM David Kahn replied, "Maybe it’s a tweak here and there, maybe even something big, to make us even better still" (according to a tweet by Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune).  In a separate piece, Marcus R. Fuller of the Pioneer Press documented Kahn's thoughts on the team's new additions this offseason.  
  • HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy says that although the Bulls and Tracy McGrady have flirted in the past, it doesn't sound like a deal is close (Twitter link). 

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Rockets Sign Lamb, White, Jones

The Rockets have officially signed first-round picks Jeremy Lamb, Royce White and Terrence Jones to rookie contracts, according to a team release. 

Lamb, 20, was selected 12th overall by Houston after starring at UConn in the backcourt. Named an NBA Summer League All-Star, Lamb led the Rockets in scoring with 20.0 PPG. After winning an NCAA championship with the Huskies during his freshman year, Lamb finished his career at UConn by being one of only six players to score 1000 points by the end of his sophomore year. 

White, a 21-year-old forward from Iowa State, was drafted 16th overall by the Rockets. In his lone season with the Cyclones, White led the team in scoring, rebounding, assists, blocks and steals, making him the only player in the country to be able to claim such a distinction. The big man averaged 8.4 PPG, 7.2 RPG and 3.6 APG during the NBA Summer League.

Jones, 20, brings championship experience to Houston as he helped lead Kentucky to a title this past spring. The forward averaged 14.0 PPG, 8.0 RPG and 1.8 BPG in 76 games over his two seasons with the Wildcats. Jones is off to a strong start for the Rockets as he scored 18.2 PPG and grabbed 8.6 RPG during the 2012 NBA Summer League.

Rockets Sign White, Jones, Lamb

4:03pm: Jeremy Lamb has also signed his rookie deal, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston (Twitter link). Assuming he signed for the full 120%, the 12th overall pick will earn $2,020,200 in his rookie season.

3:46pm: A pair of Rockets first-round picks, Royce White and Terrence Jones, have signed their rookie contracts, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). The team's other first-rounder, Jeremy Lamb, is expected to sign in the coming days.

With Houston exploring a variety of roster moves this offseason, including trying to trade for Dwight Howard, it made sense that the team's three first-round picks had yet to sign. Now that White's and Jones' deals are official, their first-year salaries will officially show up among Houston's 2012/13 commitments. As the 16th and 18th overall picks, White and Jones will likely be in line for salaries of $1,645,440 and $1,485,000, respectively.

The two rookies are also ineligible to be traded for 30 days now, though if the Rockets wanted to include them in a deal for Howard or another player, the team could reach an agreement and then finalize the deal after that 30-day period.

Rockets Reconstruct Trade Offer For Howard

11:35am: Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle tweets that he doesn't believe last year's rookies (Morris, Parsons) and this year's three draftees (Lamb, White, Jones) are all a part of the Rockets' offer, but that many of them could be involved.

7:43am: In an effort to convince the Magic to deal Dwight Howard directly to Houston, the Rockets are in the process of reconstructing their trade proposal for the star center, according to an ESPN.com report by Marc Stein and Chad Ford. Stein and Ford write that the Rockets are looking to clear the necessary cap space to absorb at least three additional contracts in addition to Howard's, from a group that includes Hedo Turkoglu, Chris Duhon, Glen Davis, and Jason Richardson.

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Draft Rumors: Thursday

Well, we're here. After weeks of following draft rumors and speculating on which player will be picked by which team, we're just hours away from the 2012 draft. Before things get underway tonight though, we're sure to hear plenty more draft rumors, so be sure to follow this page for the latest updates throughout the day. And to fully immerse yourself in tonight's draft, you can also check out our most recent mock draft, the complete draft order, our Prospect Profiles series, and all the rest of our draft content. Here are today's updates, with the latest up top:

  • The Kings and Warriors will make decisions on whether to trade their picks while they're on the clock, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports says (Twitter link). 
  • It's highly unlikely the Grizzlies use the 25th pick on a point guard, the Memphis Commercial Appeal tweets
  • The Grizzlies, Rockets and Celtics are all interested in Royce White, says Jon Rothstein of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). The Warriors may trade up from No. 30 to land him, Rothstein also tweets.
  • The Bobcats are "getting closer" to trading the No. 2 pick, tweets ESPN.com's Andy Katz (hat tip to Tom Ziller of SBNation).

Earlier updates:

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Draft Updates: Saturday

We've already covered a few draft rumors today, and Zach Links went in-depth on West Virginia power forward Kevin Jones in our latest Prospect Profile. There's plenty more going on as the draft approaches, including news from John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer that the Sixers put point guard Marquis Teague through an "exhaustive" individual workout this morning. Bookmark this post for the rest of the day's draft news, with latest on top.

  • Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star has an article on the Pacers' scouting staff as they prepare to pick 26th overall in Thursday's draft.
  • Kurt Helin of NBC Sports looks at several players with the potential to become the second-best talents in the draft.
  • Marcus Thompson of the San Jose Mercury News suggests Meyers Leonard as a possible fit for the Warriors.
  • The Lakers are in talks to acquire a first-round pick, and could be after the Heat's selection at No. 27, Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio tweets.
  • Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer offers his thoughts on the implications of a rumored swap of the second and fourth picks by the Bobcats and Cavs
  • Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group thinks the Warriors could trade down from No. 7 and still get the player they want, unless it's Damian Lillard or Dion Waiters. He also believes the team will give serious consideration to Andre Drummond (Twitter links).
  • We have the latest from Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com in a separate post.

Earlier updates:

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Draft Updates: Thursday

All eyes tonight will be on Game 5 of the NBA Finals, as the Thunder look to stave off elimination in Miami, but exactly one week from now, we'll be gearing up for the 2012 draft. The first draft-related trade of the month was finalized yesterday, when the Wizards sent the No. 46 overall pick to the Hornets along with Rashard Lewis as part of a three-player swap. Will we see another deal consummated today? We'll keep track of the day's latest draft news and rumors right here, with the newest items added up top….

  • Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com wonders whether Royce White's decision to pull out of his remaining workout has to do with an injury or his fear of flying instead of a promise from the Celtics (Twitter link). Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune pegs White as a candidate to be picked at No. 18 by the Wolves, and lists the second-round hopefuls the team will be working out Friday.
  • Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal sizes up Andrew Nicholson and the chances he'll go to the Cavs at pick No. 24.
  • Chad Ford of ESPN.com has tweaked his mock draft in the wake of the latest developments (Insider link).

Earlier updates:

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