Houston Rockets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

D'Antoni, Beverley In Running For Awards

December 16th, 2016 at 11:06am CST by Arthur Hill

The Rockets‘ Mike D’Antoni is the early favorite to be named Coach of the Year, according to Marc Stein of ESPN. D’Antoni’s up-tempo attack has turned James Harden into an MVP candidate and has made Houston a contender in the West. The Rockets are off to a 19-7 start after a disappointing 41-41 season under Kevin McHale and J.B. Bickerstaff. Stein says a close runner-up to D’Antoni is new Grizzlies coach David Fizdale, whose team is 18-9 despite an injury-filled start to the season.

The Rockets are 13-2 since Patrick Beverley‘s return from injury and he may be in the running for Defensive Player of the Year, according to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. Houston has improved to 17th in defensive efficiency since it got Beverley back in the lineup, and he has a shot at becoming the first guard to win the award in 20 years. “I feel like I am the best defensive player in the league right now,” Beverley said. “I hope the whole world sees it. If we win games, more and more people see it. But the last guard to get the Defensive Player of the Year award was Gary Payton. Why not me? I have the same type of killer mindset that he had, the lateral quickness and quick hands. The swagger also. That’s one of my goals, my biggest goal. If I can get a goal like that, I will put my team in a position to win a lot of games.”

Rockets Release Motiejunas, Sign Bobby Brown

December 16th, 2016 at 11:00am CST by Dana Gauruder

FRIDAY, 11:00am: Brown has officially been re-signed, according to a tweet from the Rockets.

THURSDAY, 6:34pm: In a somewhat unexpected move, the Rockets have released forward Donatas Motiejunas, the team announced on its website. Motiejunas will enter the market as an unrestricted free agent.

This provides a surprise ending to a long saga that began when Motiejunas became a restricted free agent this past summer. Motiejunas had agreed to a four-year, $35MM deal with the Rockets after Houston matched an offer sheet from the Nets. He was set to make $8.3MM this season.

When the Rockets first matched the Nets’ offer sheet and Motiejunas failed to report to the team, the two sides scrapped his four-year sheet and negotiated a similar new deal, according to The Vertical’s Shams Charania.

The Rockets will sign guard Bobby Brown with the opening on their roster, Charania reports.

League representatives were contacted last week regarding Motiejunas’ situation, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle reported earlier this week. He appeared to have a new four-year deal in place on Friday, then was sent home before the team’s game on Saturday after taking a physical. At the time, Rockets officials offered few public comments on that decision.

Motiejunas was traded to the Pistons in February, only to have that deal voided when Detroit’s medical staff expressed concerns over his surgically repaired back. He passed a physical with the Nets before signing the offer sheet, according to Feigen. Motiejunas, who had been the lone restricted free agent on the market until he signed that sheet, was limited to 37 games last season after the surgery.

Motiejunas cannot sign with the Nets at the present time, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today tweets. But that could change as the NBA reviews the unusual situation, Zillgitt adds.

Brown, 32, was waived by the Rockets earlier this month when they match Motiejunas’ offer sheet. He has appeared in six games with Houston after being out of the league since the 2009/10 season.

Latest On Rudy Gay

December 14th, 2016 at 2:25pm CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder, Pacers, and Rockets are among the teams that have expressed interest in trading for Rudy Gay, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, who weighed in on Gay during a podcast with Bobby Marks.

Within a discussion on trade candidates and possibilities, Wojnarowski suggested that the Kings are “going to have to move” Gay before the 2017 deadline, comparing the situation to Ryan Anderson‘s in New Orleans a year ago. Anderson made it clear that he wouldn’t be re-signing with the Pelicans, but the team kept him anyway, and ultimately lost him for nothing — Sacramento can’t afford to do the same thing with Gay, in Wojnarowski’s view.

According to Wojnarowski, the Thunder had fairly serious talks with the Kings about Gay earlier in the year, and “maybe got pretty close to something” involving Cameron Payne. However, Payne suffered a major foot injury in early October, derailing – or at least postponing – those talks. The Pacers have also shown interest in Gay, while Wojnarowski classifies the Rockets’ interest as “periphery,” which makes it sound as if they’re monitoring the situation but perhaps haven’t actively pursued the veteran forward.

The odds of a Gay deal happening before the deadline seem good, and as of Thursday, more than 120 players around the NBA will become trade-eligible, leading to more discussions. Still, nothing is imminent at this point, and the veteran forward will have to get healthy first. He’s listed as out for tonight’s game due to a right hip flexor strain.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 12/14/16

December 14th, 2016 at 1:46pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Wednesday’s D-League assignments and recalls from across the NBA:

The Suns have sent Tyler Ulis and Alan Williams to the Northern Arizona Suns, the team announced today in a press release. It will be the first D-League assignment of the season for both players, who are likely to be recalled to the NBA following tonight’s game against Santa Cruz.
Rookie swingman Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot is back from the D-League, with the Sixers announcing his recall today in a press release. Luwawu-Cabarrot was assigned for Tuesday night’s game, and helped the Delaware 87ers get a win, posting 16 points, six rebounds, and five assists.
The Rockets have recalled rookie forward Kyle Wiltjer from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, according to the team (Twitter link). Wiltjer has been the second-leading scorer for the Vipers so far this season, averaging 19.7 PPG in 10 games.
Rakeem Christmas is headed back to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the Pacers announced today in a press release. Indiana’s D-League affiliate doesn’t play until Friday, so it’s not clear if Christmas will stick with the team for that game, or if he’s just being sent down for practice.

Motiejunas’ Deal With Rockets In Limbo

December 13th, 2016 at 9:14am CST by Arthur Hill

It seems unlikely that the contract Donatas Motiejunas agreed to last week will stand, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Representatives of the league have been contacted in an effort to settle the latest dispute between the Rockets and the 26-year-old power forward.

Motiejunas appeared to have a new four-year, $37MM deal in place on Friday. However, he was sent home before Saturday’s game after taking a physical, and Rockets officials have offered few public comments to explain why.

“We’re in active discussions with Donatas’ representation, the league office and that’s pretty much it,” GM Daryl Morey said Monday night. “… We’re in active discussions with them and the league office. We’re in continuous discussions. I can’t really say more. All three parties matter.”

Morey wouldn’t confirm that Motiejunas failed his physical or say whether the team had changed its mind about wanting to finalize the agreement. He refused to answer any other questions.

It’s the latest twist in an odd saga for Motiejunas, who became a restricted free agent July 1st and went five months without receiving an offer sheet. He signed with the Nets on December 2nd, and the Rockets matched the offer three days later. But the team matched just the $31MM in guaranteed money, not an additional $6MM in incentives.

Motiejunas staged a mini-holdout before the standoff was apparently resolved Friday. The Rockets withdrew the contract that was tied to the offer sheet and submitted a new deal that included incentive money but allowed the team to opt out by July 15th of each year.

The Rockets have been concerned about making a long-term commitment to Motiejunas because of back problems that limited him to 37 games last season and caused a February trade to Detroit to be voided. However, he passed a physical before signing the offer sheet from Brooklyn.

Whatever happens with the Rockets, Motiejunas cannot wind up with the Nets this season, according to NetsDaily. A “first refusal exercise notice” kicked in when Houston matched the offer sheet, which prevents him from going to Brooklyn for a full year. If Motiejunas had failed the Rockets’ physical immediately after that, the Nets may have been able to sign him, but that’s not possible now because Houston came up with a different contract.

Motiejunas offered some insight into the contentious nature of the situation on his Twitter page, which no longer lists him as a member of the Rockets and now just says “basketball player.”

Are Magic, Rockets Logical Trade Partners?

December 12th, 2016 at 2:29pm CST by Luke Adams

J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com believes the Magic and Rockets could be logical trade partners at some point this season, since Houston’s roster is heavy on scorers and Orlando’s is heavy on defensive stoppers.

‘Issues’ Remain With Donatas Motiejunas

December 12th, 2016 at 10:44am CST by Arthur Hill

DECEMBER 12, 10:44am: Although the Rockets and Motiejunas agreed to a new contract on Friday, the deal hit a snag with the forward’s physical on Saturday, per Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter links). According to Feigen, GM Daryl Morey said today that he and the Rockets are in “active discussions” with Motiejunas’ reps and the league, but it’s not clear whether or not the 26-year-old will officially join the team.

DECEMBER 10, 6:46pm: Houston’s front office wants more medical information on Motiejunas before it permits him to return to the team, Watkins tweets. Motiejunas tells ESPN that he did report to tonight’s game. “I was there,” he said. “They told me to go home.” (Twitter link).

5:58pm: The Rockets appeared to have their situation with Donatas Motiejunas resolved when they agreed to re-sign him to a four-year contact on Friday. However, the fifth-year big man wasn’t on hand for the start of tonight’s game with Dallas, and coach Mike D’Antoni said there are still “some issues” with his availability, tweets ESPN’s Calvin Watkins.

D’Antoni didn’t elaborate on what the issues involved, but added that he had expected Motiejunas to be at the game, and “he’s not.”

Motiejunas had been without a contract since becoming a restricted free agent on July 1st. He received an offer sheet from Brooklyn last week, which the Rockets matched on Monday. However, they matched just the salary part of the deal and not the incentives that the Nets included. Motiejunas’ agent, B.J. Armstrong, had a brief standoff with the team before a new deal was reached. That contract contains incentives, but pushes the team option on the final three seasons back to July 15th of each year.

Whatever issue caused Motiejunas not to be on hand for the game, D’Antoni expects to have it resolved later tonight, tweets Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle.

Rockets Notes: Gordon, Beverley, Motiejunas, Morey

December 11th, 2016 at 12:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

Rockets guard Eric Gordon has become a candidate for the Sixth Man award since Patrick Beverley‘s return from injury, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Gordon has been on a tear from 3-point range since taking on the new role with at least four 3-pointers in seven straight games before the streak was snapped Friday. Gordon signed a four-year, $53MM deal with the Rockets this summer after spending the last three seasons in New Orleans. “I think Pat also really tries to find him,” said Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni. “He really makes a point of it. He’s good at it. I think it’s mostly Eric settling into his role.”

There’s more news out of Houston:

The Rockets are trying to remain low-key contenders as they move toward the top of the Western Conference, Feigen relays in a separate story. Boosted by the offseason additions of Gordon, Ryan Anderson and Nene, Houston is 17-7, three games out of first place in the West. “Flying under the radar, I’m really cool with that,” Beverley said. “I like it way better. We’ll just try to keep knocking them down.”
Rockets GM Daryl Morey had no comment after Saturday’s game on the status of Donatas Motiejunas, tweets Calvin Watkins of ESPN. Motiejunas, who reached a new four-year deal with the team Friday, showed up for his physical last night, but was asked to leave after it was completed.
Morey was an analytics pioneer when the Rockets hired him for their front office in 2006, writes Michael Lewis of Forbes. His mission was to use statistical analysis to replace the basketball intuition decisions the team had been relying on. “The decision making wasn’t that good,” explains owner Leslie Alexander. “It wasn’t precise. We now have all this data. And we have computers that can analyze that data. And I wanted to use that data in a progressive way. When I hired Daryl, it was because I wanted somebody that was doing more than just looking at players in the normal way.”

Donatas Motiejunas To Re-Sign With Rockets

December 9th, 2016 at 10:03am CST by Arthur Hill

10:03am: Motiejunas has agreed to a new contract with Houston, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. The deal will pay him $35MM over four years (Twitter link), but bonuses could push the value to $37MM, which is identical to the Nets’ offer sheet (Twitter link). Motiejunas will make a fully guaranteed $8.3MM this season, and the Rockets will have a team option on the rest of the deal each July for the next three years (Twitter link).

Also, the trade restrictions that would have come with a matched offer sheet are gone. Motiejunas can now be traded as soon as the season ends and does not have to give his consent to any deal, tweets The Vertical’s Bobby Marks. Motiejunas still must pass a physical before returning to the team (Twitter link). He was limited to 37 games because of back problems last season, but is reportedly healthy now.

9:21am: The Rockets are working on a new contract with Donatas Motiejunas, tweets ESPN’s Marc Stein. The team has pulled an offer sheet that it matched from Brooklyn, and the parties are trying to come up with mutually acceptable terms.

Motiejunas’ status has been in limbo since become a restricted free agent July 1st. He waited through the entire offseason and the first six weeks of the regular season without receiving an offer, then agreed to a four-year, $37MM contract with the Nets last week.

The Rockets announced on Monday that they were matching the deal, but excluded $6MM in incentives that the Nets offered. Motiejunas failed to show up for a team physical in the wake of his decision, with his agent, B.J. Armstrong, saying the 26-year-old forward wouldn’t report until the dispute over incentives was resolved. The Rockets responded by declaring that they wouldn’t withdraw their first refusal exercise notice, which would have made Motiejunas a restricted free agent again.

Houston’s front office had been hoping to get the Motiejunas situation resolved before November 23rd, which was three months before the trade deadline. If the team does work out a new contract with Motiejunas, it will have to hold onto him for at least the rest of the season. After March 1st, NBA rules prohibit Motiejunas from signing with another organization through the end of the season, even if the Rockets were to allow him back on the market.

It appears from this morning’s news that both sides have decided it is in their best interest not to prolong the situation much further, and Calvin Watkins of ESPN tweets that Brooklyn’s offer sheet should help with negotiations because there are now parameters to work with.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

And-Ones: Rockets, Parsons, Sixers, Stern, Cavs

December 8th, 2016 at 8:03pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Coach Mike D’Antoni said there’s “always an open door” in regards to Donatas Motiejunas playing for the Rockets, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle passes along. “We can’t wait to have him if that works out,” D’Antoni said on Wednesday. “He will definitely be a positive. No negatives there.”

Here’s more from around the league:

Chandler Parsons, who signed a max contract with the Grizzlies over the summer, is the biggest disappointment in the league this season, Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders contends. Parsons has been limited to only six games this season because of a knee injury and he’s averaging a pedestrian 7.7 point per contest.
The Sixers should deal Nerlens Noel, whom Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors profiled as a trade candidate recently, to the Bulls for Nikola Mirotic, Brigham argues in the same piece. The scribes believes Noel could anchor Chicago’s bench unit and Mirotic could turn his season around with more playing time in Philadelphia.
Former commissioner David Stern said he never canceled the proposed 2011 trade of Chris Paul from New Orleans to the Lakers because the GM at the time, Dell Demps, wasn’t authorized to make it, RealGM.com relays via Sports Business Radio. The league had assumed control of the New Orleans franchise, called the Hornets at that time and now the Pelicans, giving Stern the authority to nix it. “The GM was not authorized to make that trade,” Stern said. “And acting on behalf of owners, we decided not to make it. I was an owner rep. There was nothing to ‘void.’ It just never got made.”
John Holland, whose rights are owned by the Cavs’ D-League franchise in Canton, has returned to D-League, international journalist David Pick tweets. The 6’5” swingman was one of Cleveland’s final training camp cuts in October.