Houston Rockets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Sergio Llull To Spend Another Year In Spain

March 14th, 2017 at 1:25pm CST by Arthur Hill

Sergio Llull, a Spanish combo guard whose NBA rights are owned by the Rockets, plans to play for Real Madrid again next season. In an interview with the Spanish language site Marca.com, Llull cites the six-year extension he signed with his current team in 2015.

“In the future you never know,” Llull said, “but I’ve renewed for six years and I’m not going to go next summer.”

The announcement adds to the doubt that the 29-year-old will ever have an NBA future. The Rockets have owned his draft rights since purchasing them from the Nuggets in 2009. Over that time, Llull has sent mixed signals about coming to the United States, raising the hopes of Houston management and fans, before deciding to stay in Spain. A report in October said the Rockets were hopeful about bringing Llull over next season, but his comments today seem to rule that out.

Llull’s Real Madrid teammates tell international basketball writer David Pick there’s “zero chance” he will leave the Spanish club (Twitter link).

There have been conflicting reports about the size of the buyout Llull would have to pay to escape his deal with Real Madrid. Some sources said it increased to 12 million euros when he signed the extension, but others indicated it’s far less. Llull wouldn’t be subject to the NBA’s rookie scale if he were to sign with Houston because he was a second-round pick and was taken so long ago. The Rockets would have to use cap room or an exception to fit him on their roster.

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.”

Rockets Sign Troy Williams To 10-Day Contract

March 10th, 2017 at 12:05pm CST by Luke Adams

MARCH 10: Houston has made it official with Williams, as GM Daryl Morey tweeted out a welcome today to the newest Rocket. Morey added in a follow-up tweet that Williams has been sent to the D-League to play for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers tonight.

MARCH 9: The Rockets intend to fill their open 15th roster spot by signing D-League swingman Troy Williams to a 10-day contract, league sources tell Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). Houston’s next game is on Friday in Chicago, so the Rockets may wait until tomorrow to make things official with Williams.

An undrafted free agent out of Indiana, Williams caught on with the Grizzlies last summer and actually earned a regular season roster spot with the club. The 22-year-old appeared in 24 games for Memphis earlier this season, starting 13 of them and averaging 5.3 PPG. However, he was cut by the Grizzlies at the end of January in order to make room for Toney Douglas.

In 22 D-League games for the Iowa Energy this season, Williams has averaged 13.1 PPG and 4.1 RPG, with a .459/.330/.696 shooting line.

The Rockets opened up two spots on their roster by trading K.J. McDaniels and waiving Marcelo Huertas last month. The team filled one of those openings by signing Isaiah Taylor to a multiyear contract, and will now have a full roster again once Williams’ deal is finalized.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 3/9/17

March 9th, 2017 at 2:28pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Thursday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

Shortly after he signed a 10-day contract with the Mavericks, Manny Harris was sent right back down to the D-League, the team announced in a press release. Harris figures to get a shot in Dallas at some point during his current 10-day deal, but with the Mavs not in action until tomorrow, Harris will remain with the Texas Legends for the club’s Thursday night game against Northern Arizona.
The Rockets have recalled Kyle Wiltjer from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the team announced today (Twitter link). Houston had needed to get up to 12 active players by today, necessitating the call-up of Wiltjer, as Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle tweets.
Rookie big man Georgios Papagiannis has been sent back to the D-League by the Kings, per James Ham of CSNBayArea.com (Twitter link). Papagiannis is one of 16 first-round picks from 2016 who have been on D-League assignments this season, as we detailed yesterday.
The Pelicans have assigned rookie Cheick Diallo to the D-League, according to the team (Twitter link). Diallo will head to the Greensboro Swarm, Charlotte’ D-League squad, via the flexible assignment rule.

Poll: 2017 NBA MVP Race

March 7th, 2017 at 2:48pm CST by Luke Adams

In addition to being one of 2017’s most entertaining games – and a potential playoff preview – the matchup between the Rockets and Spurs on Monday night may have represented a turning point in the 2017 NBA MVP race.

For most of the season, James Harden and Russell Westbrook have been viewed as the frontrunners for the award, for good reason. Harden ranks third in the league in scoring and first in assists, while Westbrook is vying to becoming the first player since Oscar Robertson to average a triple-double over the course of a full season.

On Monday night though, Harden squared off with Kawhi Leonard, who has flown under the radar for much of the 2016/17 campaign. Leonard proved in the Spurs’ dramatic win over Houston that he deserves to be in the discussion with Harden, Westbrook, and the rest of this year’s contenders for MVP. Leonard’s incredible 39-point night – his fourth straight game of 30+ points – was capped by a last-minute sequence that saw him hit a go-ahead three at one end of the court, then block Harden’s layup attempt at the other end.

While the MVP buzz for Leonard is growing, and Harden and Westbrook remain excellent candidates, it’s not just a three-man race. Over in the Eastern Conference, LeBron James is having one of his best seasons for the Cavaliers (No. 1 seed), Isaiah Thomas is averaging nearly 30 points per game for the Celtics (No. 2), and John Wall has established new career highs in PPG (22.6) and APG (10.8) for the Wizards (No. 3).

Even Kevin Durant, who is currently out with a knee injury, deserves a look — he has been more efficient than ever in Golden State, making 53.7% of his shots this season for the Warriors, though his injury will likely take him out of the running.

What do you think? We’ve still got more than a month left in the 2016/17 season, so things could certainly change in the coming weeks. But if the season ended today, who would be your choice for 2017’s NBA MVP? Vote in our poll, and weigh in below in the comments section with your thoughts.

Who is your current pick for 2017's NBA MVP?

Russell Westbrook (Thunder) 27.63% (1,082 votes)

Isaiah Thomas (Celtics) 21.60% (846 votes)

Kawhi Leonard (Spurs) 18.79% (736 votes)

James Harden (Rockets) 16.09% (630 votes)

LeBron James (Cavaliers) 11.85% (464 votes)

Someone else 2.15% (84 votes)

John Wall (Wizards) 1.89% (74 votes)

Total Votes: 3,916

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

Rockets Sign Isaiah Taylor

February 28th, 2017 at 11:25am CST by Luke Adams

FEBRUARY 28: The Rockets have officially signed Taylor and assigned him to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, per Watkins. Houston now has one opening on its 15-man roster.

FEBRUARY 27: The Rockets are signing D-League guard Isaiah Taylor to their NBA roster, reports Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com. According to Watkins, Taylor will receive a three-year, non-guaranteed contract, and figures to remain assigned to Houston’s D-League affiliate for now.

Taylor, who went undrafted out of Texas last summer, signed a partially guaranteed contract with the Rockets and was with the club for training camp and the preseason. However, he didn’t earn a spot on the club’s regular-season roster, and joined the Rio Grande Valley Vipers as an affiliate player.

In 12 games for the Vipers, Taylor has averaged 21.1 PPG and 6.1 APG, showing an ability to get the free throw line (7.3 attempts per game) and to make outside shots (41.3% on threes).

Having traded away K.J. McDaniels and Tyler Ennis at the trade deadline, the Rockets had two open roster spots available — the team acquired Marcelo Huertas from the Lakers for Ennis, but waived Huertas shortly after trading for him. Taylor will fill one of those two roster openings as a developmental player, while the club figures to focus on adding a veteran with its other open spot.

According to Watkins (via Twitter), the Rockets don’t have serious interest in Andrew Bogut, who is expected to join the Cavaliers if he’s bought out by Philadelphia. Houston is looking to add a wing or another big man, says Watkins.

Rockets Unlikely To Sign Bogut

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

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.

[SOURCE LINK]

Andrew Bogut, Jose Calderon Finalize Buyouts

February 27th, 2017 at 4:29pm CST by Milo Taibi

Andrew Bogut and Jose Calderon have completed their buyouts, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter links). Per Marc Stein of ESPN, neither player can sign with a team until clearing waivers Wednesday. While Bogut is likely to join the Cavs, he will hold talks with the Spurs, Rockets, and Celtics before reaching a decision (Twitter links).

Both the Lakers and Sixers have announced the transactions via press release. Now presumed to join the Warriors, Calderon and his agent released a statement commending the Lakers’ accommodation.

“I’m very appreciative of the Lakers doing this,” Mark Bartelstein told Mark Medina of the L.A. Daily News. “This is something we had gone to them and talked about since Jose wasn’t playing much…I’m very appreciative of Magic [Johnson] doing this. Jose’s got a lot of basketball left in him and can play at a high level. But with the Lakers being in a rebuilding state, it didn’t make sense from a playing perspective.”

Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com discussed obstacles in Bogut’s path to Cleveland, noting Houston’s interest in the Australian big man. Following their signing of Isaiah Taylor, the Rockets should have more than $3MM of cap space to offer Bogut.

Williams Deal Shows Rockets Serious About Contending

February 26th, 2017 at 11:59am CST by Arthur Hill

The pressure is rising in New Orleans after losses in DeMarcus Cousins‘ first two games with the Pelicans, writes Sam Amick of USA Today. Many observers anointed New Orleans as the favorite to grab the West’s eighth playoff spot after Monday’s trade, but the Pelicans were embarrassed Thursday at home by the Rockets, then faded late in Saturday’s loss at Dallas. They are now 3 1/2 games behind the Nuggets for the eighth spot with 23 games remaining. Cousins had a spectacular game in his debut with 27 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, five steals and four blocks, but scored 12 points on just nine shots last night.

Picking up Lou Williams from the Lakers shows the Rockets are serious about contending for a title this season, writes Fran Blinebury of NBA.com.

Five Teams Have Contacted Andrew Bogut

February 26th, 2017 at 9:05am CST by Arthur Hill

The Cavaliers, Spurs, Rockets, Celtics and Jazz have talked to representatives for center Andrew Bogut over the past 24 hours, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical.

The 32-year-center has reportedly been negotiating a buyout with the Sixers ever since Thursday’s trade that sent him from Dallas to Philadelphia. Bogut must be waived before Wednesday’s deadline to be eligible for the post-season with another team.

Bogut hasn’t reported to the Sixers, but Charania relays that he spoke to coach Brett Brown over the phone. Bogut said he has respect for Brown and the culture of the team, but he wants to help a championship contender.

Of the five teams in Charania’s report, Utah has a massive financial advantage with $13.64MM in available cap space. That’s enough for the Jazz to claim Bogut’s entire $11MM contract once he hits waivers. Houston made two deals this week to clear cap room and has about $3.54MM open. Boston is $1.1MM under the cap, while Cleveland and San Antonio are both over.

The NBA ruled on Thursday that Bogut could rejoin the Warriors, even though they traded him in July, but so far there hasn’t been any indication that Golden State is interested in a reunion.