Houston Rockets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

D-League Notes: Capela, Ledo, Powell, Magic

December 27th, 2014 at 3:18pm CST by Charlie Adams

As we wait to see if D-League standout Brady Heslip gets signed by an NBA club before he accepts an offer from a team overseas, let’s round up the latest from the NBA’s official minor league:

The Rockets have sent Clint Capela to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the team announced on Twitter. The 25th overall pick from last June’s draft hasn’t been able to get much burn in Houston’s crowded frontcourt, tallying just 12 minutes of action this season, so he’ll have a better shot to demonstrate his skills in the D-League.
Ricky Ledo and Dwight Powell have been assigned to the Texas Legends, the Mavs announced. The pair will have a chance to see more time in the D-League than they otherwise would with the title hopeful group of veterans in Dallas.
Magic coach Jacque Vaughn made it clear that Orlando values the one-to-one affiliation that the team has with the Erie BayHawks, its D-League club, as John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com details. The Magic assigned Devyn Marble to the D-League yesterday in order to get him some playing time while recovering from an injury.

Southwest Notes: Grizzlies, Gasol, Black, Mavs

December 27th, 2014 at 12:02pm CST by Chuck Myron

Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace doesn’t believe the moves the Rockets and Mavs have made the past couple of weeks would necessarily prompt him to respond with pickups of his own, as he said to Zack McMillin of The Commercial Appeal, who writes in a subscription-only piece. Still, recent reports have indicated that Memphis made a strong push to woo Josh Smith before he signed with the Rockets, asked the Celtics about Jeff Green, and expressed interest in Ray Allen.

“These are all very proven veterans and definitely should make their teams better,” Wallace said of Smith, Rajon Rondo and other newcomers to Western Conference contenders. “We’re happy with our group and we don’t think there’s any question that we can compete with these guys.”

Coach Dave Joerger believes the Rockets were wise to sign Smith and calls Houston’s trade for Corey Brewer and Alexey Shved an “underrated” move, observes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Here’s more from the Southwest Division:

Marc Gasol isn’t looking forward to free agency this summer because of the gravity the choice will have on his life as a whole, as he explains to Ian Thomsen of NBA.com. “I’ve been already through one,” Gasol said, referring to his 2011 restricted free agency, “and I did not especially enjoy it. I don’t know how I’m going to feel in July. I really don’t. This is the next five years of my life and I’m going to go all in. Whatever team you play for, you’ve always got to feel like you represent that team, that you’ve got to play for it. Because that’s the way we grew up in Spain. You play for the city. You play for a way of doing things. It’s not about you. I do this for them. I play for the city, for the franchise or whatever. You’ve got to have that pride that comes with it.”
Rockets coach Kevin McHale, fresh off his contract extension, said the team will miss Tarik Black, whom Houston released Friday to clear a roster spot for Josh Smith, as Feigen writes in a separate piece. McHale said he told Black, who remains on waivers, that he’s confident that the rookie will find another NBA job.
Mavs point guard Devin Harris laments the departure of Brandan Wright, whom the team traded away in the Rondo swap, calling Wright his “security blanket” because of the readily available alley-oop chances he provided, notes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News.

Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.

Western Notes: Heslip, Black, Smith

December 26th, 2014 at 9:59pm CST by Eddie Scarito

D-League standout Brady Heslip is considering a jump to Europe if he doesn’t secure an NBA deal soon, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Heslip, who appeared on the Wolves’ Summer League roster after going undrafted out of Baylor, is averaging a blistering 27.1 PPG for the Reno Bighorns while completing 49.4% of his shots from beyond the arc. The Kings were close to signing the sharpshooting guard, according to Stein (Twitter link), but that was before Mike Malone was dismissed as coach. Sportando’s Orazio Cauchi hears Heslip has an offer from Baskonia of Spain.

Here’s more from out West:

Tarik Black wasn’t surprised when he was waived by the Rockets in order to accommodate Josh Smith’s signing, as Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston details. “You got an undrafted free agent and you got Josh Smith, superstar,” Black said. “I think most GMs would have taken him. It happens. It’s business… I’m so thankful to the city of Houston. I still love this team.“
Rockets coach Kevin McHale said that he would determine exactly how Smith would be used over time, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle writes. “I hate to put guys out there until they’re comfortable,” McHale said. “He’ll get some run. We’ll play everything by ear. All that stuff takes care of itself moving forward. He’s been a quality player in this league for a lot of years. I see him continuing to be a quality player.”
Smith was pursued by a number of contending clubs, but he chose the Rockets over the Grizzlies, Mavericks, Heat and Kings because when considering his skills and Houston’s style of play, the Rockets were the best fit, Feigen adds. “I just feel like with the guys they have along on the roster, all the talent, and the opportunity to do something special for the rest of this year and in the postseason, this was the most attractive place to be,” Smith said.

Charlie Adams contributed to this post.

Josh Smith Signs With Rockets

December 26th, 2014 at 11:23am CST by Chuck Myron

FRIDAY, 11:23am: The deal is official, the Rockets announced.

WEDNESDAY, 5:15pm: Smith officially cleared waivers Wednesday and is looking forward to joining Howard in Houston, reports Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston. Smith said the Rockets expressed interest in acquiring him even before he was waived. “Now we came together, and being able to be wanted by a team with so much dynamics as far as having a chance to win the title is very special and very humbling,” Smith said.

1:05pm: The updated version of Wojnarowski’s story indicates that Smith is signing a one-year deal, in line with what Feigen says, and seconds Feigen’s report that the team is in talks about a trade that would open a roster spot. Those talks could be complete as soon as later today, Wojnarowski writes.

1:01pm: The Rockets are working on a swap to create a roster spot, Feigen tweets. Feigen also indicates that Smith’s deal is for just one season, conflicting with Wojnarowski’s earlier report.

12:52pm: Smith will receive the full $2.077MM value of the biannual exception this season, reports Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).

12:03pm: Josh Smith has committed to signing with the Rockets once he clears waivers at 4pm Central today, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). The move is no surprise, since Houston became the favorite Monday after the Pistons waived him, and the Rockets only strengthened that position Tuesday. Houston had promised a starting job, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported overnight (Twitter link), and close friend Dwight Howard was recruiting him. Smith will receive a two-year deal for the biannual exception with a player option for next season, Wojnarowski reports in a full story.

That exception, which gives him $2.077MM this year and a 4.5% raise on that salary for next season, assuming Houston is giving him the full amount, is an advantage the Rockets had over many other suitors limited to the minimum. The Sixers have the cap space necessary to claim Smith off waivers and forestall Houston from signing him, but they reportedly have no intention of doing so. Still, perhaps the most important edge the Rockets had was the willingness to offer a starting role, as Smith had narrowed his choices to only teams that would give him that, Stein tweets. The Heat were one of those teams, but they evidently came up empty, as did other contenders reported to have varying levels of interest in signing the 29-year-old forward, including the Mavericks, Cavaliers, Grizzlies, Lakers, Clippers and Kings. Memphis made a strong push for him late, as Wojnarowski reported earlier today (on Twitter), but the Grizzlies fell short.

The client of agents Brian Dyke and Wallace Prather saw his stock surge as his price point dropped. Detroit, at 5-23, saw fit to eat the remaining guaranteed money on the four-year, $54MM contract he signed in the summer of 2013, using the stretch provision to spread the money so that the Pistons will pay just $5.4MM each season from 2015/16 through 2019/20. That number figures to go down further thanks to set-off rights, depending on the value of the contracts that Smith signs for the seasons ahead. His deal with the Rockets will save the Pistons $630,259 this season, presuming Smith is receiving the full value of the biannual.

The Rockets have a full 15-man roster, as our roster counts show, so a corresponding move will be necessary. They have two players without fully guaranteed contracts, but one of them is starting point guard Patrick Beverley. The other is backup center Tarik Black, but he’s played a key role and started 12 games in place of an injured Howard. Black had a partial guarantee of $50K on his minimum-salary contract to begin the season, but he’s already earned more than that amount.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rockets Waive Tarik Black, Sign Smith

December 26th, 2014 at 11:22am CST by Arthur Hill

11:22pm: The Rockets have formally announced the signing of Smith and the waiving of Black.

10:49am: Unable to find an acceptable deal to open a roster spot for Josh Smith, the Rockets waived center Tarik Black today, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports writes in a full story. Citing an unidentified league source, Wojnarowski says the Rockets have decided to part ways with the rookie center out of Kansas. He adds that the team hopes Smith can complete a physical and sign a contract in time to play tonight against the Grizzlies, but that remains uncertain at this point.

Smith, who was waived Monday by the Pistons, announced his intention to join the Rockets even before clearing waivers on Wednesday. With Houston already having 15 players on its roster, an opening had to be created. The Rockets spent the past two days trying to work out a deal involving Black, Nick Johnson, Isaiah Canaan, Joey Dorsey or Clint Capela. Of the five, Black was the only one without a fully guaranteed contract. He signed a two-year, partially guaranteed deal in August.

Wojnarowski says several teams are interested in claiming Black. He has already earned more than the partial guarantee amount on his non-guaranteed contract. The money that Black has already earned will stick on Houston’s cap figure if he clears waivers, but another team will assume that amount on its cap if it claims him.

Black averaged 4.2 points and 5.1 rebounds in 25 games with the Rockets, and started 12 games when Dwight Howard was out of the lineup with knee pain. He earned a roster spot with the Rockets after an impressive performance in the summer leagues.

And-Ones: Selby, Cavs, Knicks, Rockets

December 25th, 2014 at 10:04pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Josh Selby, a 2011 second round draft pick of the Grizzlies, nearly quit the game as he bounced between playing overseas and the NBA D-League, David Pick of Basketball Insiders writes. Selby is currently trying to catch the eyes of NBA scouts while playing over in Israel, though Selby said that no NBA teams have been in contact with him this season, Pick notes. “I want to help my team reach the playoffs and take them as far as possible,” Selby said. “As long as I take care of business and win here, the NBA will come find me.”

Here’s more from around the league and abroad:

Joe Alexander has officially inked a deal with Maccabi Tel Aviv, the team announced (translation by Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). Alexander had a $45K buyout amount on his D-League contract with the Santa Cruz Warriors, Gino Pilato of D-League Digest reports (Twitter link).
The Cavs are performing their due diligence on available options, but are in no rush to replace the injured Anderson Varejao, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). Cleveland is intrigued by the possibilities of playing “small ball,” Spears adds.
Knicks president Phil Jackson took to Twitter yesterday to promise fans that 2015 would hold better things for New York than 2014 has. But the Knicks’ star player, Carmelo Anthony, noted that Jackson doesn’t have much time to make the necessary changes before the year ends to ensure that statement comes true, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com writes. Anthony is also growing increasingly frustrated with the team’s lack of consistency and progress, Begley adds. “We have spurts throughout the course of the game where we are showing something, showing that we’re getting it and we’re focused and we have the energy to go out and do it,” Anthony said. “But there are times where we show that we’re not even out there on the basketball court. We gotta start trying to put a whole game together.”
The Rockets hope to open up a roster spot for Josh Smith by completing a trade by Friday rather than waiving a player, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). Houston is currently pursuing various deals to try to make this happen, Stein notes. The Rockets are reportedly willing to trade Isaiah Canaan, Joey Dorsey, Tarik Black, Nick Johnson and Clint Capela.

Southwest Notes: Mills, Rockets, Pelicans

December 25th, 2014 at 1:56pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Spurs will welcome the injured Patty Mills back to their lineup soon, according to Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link). Mills hasn’t played yet this season after having rotator cuff surgery on his right shoulder during the summer. Mills said he has been cleared for full practices, but is not ready for game action. Coach Gregg Popovich will be careful not to rush him back into the lineup. “If he messes up the shoulder again, we lose him for the season,” Popovich said. “He’s too important.” Mills played through pain last season and was a key contributor off the bench in San Antonio’s run to the championship. Despite the long rehab, the Spurs opted to reward the free agent guard with a contract worth approximately $11MM over three years.

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

The Rockets had their eyes on Josh Smith for several years before he was waived by the Pistons, reports Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report. Houston was interested in a sign-and-trade with the Hawks when Smith hit the free agent market in 2013, but wasn’t able to work out a deal. Instead, Smith inked a four-year, $54MM pact with Detroit. Smith cleared waivers Wednesday and has been open about his intention to join the Rockets, but the team must clear a roster spot before a deal can be finalized.
Smith confirmed to Michael Lee of The Washington Post that Dwight Howard had a lot to do with his decision to choose Houston. Smith and Howard have been friends since their AAU days, and Howard served as best man at Smith’s wedding. The Rockets’ center made a recruiting pitch to Smith after he was waived. “Dwight the player was big,” an unidentified person close to Smith said. “Dwight the person didn’t hurt, let’s be honest.”
Coach Monty Williams questioned the Pelicans‘ toughness after Tuesday’s loss to the Pacers, writes John Reid of The Times Picayune. “What I didn’t like is we didn’t respond to the physicality,” Williams said. “… We spent too much time worrying about the calls than playing the game.” The Pelicans have been plagued by inconsistent play despite the presence of MVP candidate Anthony Davis and the offseason addition of Omer Asik.

Rockets Put Five On Trade Block

December 24th, 2014 at 10:48pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Rockets are trying to make deals involving five players in order to create a roster spot for Josh Smith, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The available players are Isaiah Canaan, Joey Dorsey, Tarik Black, Nick Johnson and Clint Capela.

Smith, who was released Monday by the Pistons, cleared waivers Wednesday afternoon and announced publicly that he plans to sign with Houston for the team’s $2.077MM biannual exception. However, the Rockets have the maximum 15 players under contract and cannot make Smith a formal offer until an opening is created. Stein said the Rockets are confident they can work out a deal, and would prefer a trade to waiving one of the players.

Black is the only one of the five without a fully guaranteed contract, agreeing to a two-year, partially guaranteed deal in August. Canaan makes $816K this year and a non-guaranteed $947K next season. Dorsey will be paid more than $948K this season and more than $1MM next year. Capela and Johnson are both rookies. Capela, a first-round draft pick, makes $1.189MM this year and is under team control through 2018/19. Johnson, a second-rounder, earns a little over $500K and is under team control through 2017/18.

Rockets Notes: Jones, Smith, Capela

December 24th, 2014 at 7:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Rockets apparently added one power forward to their lineup Wednesday after Josh Smith cleared waivers, and Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle reports that another one may be on the way. “Terrence Jones has been able to do some stuff that honestly he hasn’t been able to do since that thing happened,” said coach Kevin McHale, referring to the nerve problem in Jones’ knee that has kept him out of the lineup since November 3rd. “I was excited just to see Terrence with a smile on his face. He ran on the treadmill. He ran on the floor. He’s been jumping a little bit. I don’t know when – it’s not imminent – that’s just like making a trade for a really quality player and not giving anything up.”

There’s more from an eventful day in H-Town:

Smith, who committed to joining the Rockets Wednesday afternoon, told Amin Elhassan of ESPN.com that he plans to help his new team in several ways. “I think I can add to their toughness,” Smith said. “I think I can add to their versatility at the four position, being able to pass the basketball and score the ball down low. Just add another basketball IQ, which will help when we make it to the postseason.” Smith is also looking forward to playing alongside James Harden, whom he called “the best two-guard in the game right now.”
Smith is a perfect fit in Houston, opines Avery Stone of USA Today. Stone likes the match because of Smith’s elite defensive skills, his ability to finish in transition and the Rockets’ lack of a proven NBA power forward.
Rookie center Clint Capela was recalled Wednesday from the team’s Rio Grande Valley affiliate in the D-League, according to a tweet by Feigen. Capela was sent there December 17th after getting little playing time in his latest two-week stint with the Rockets despite injuries to Jones, Dwight Howard and Kostas Papanikolaou.
The Rockets were among the teams that pursued James Johnson last summer before he landed in Toronto, according to Shams Charania of Real GM. The Grizzlies and Jazz also requested meetings with the free agent forward, who signed a two-year deal with the Raptors worth $2.5MM per season. Houston also had interest last season before he left the D-League and signed with Memphis.

Rockets Sign Kevin McHale To Extension

December 24th, 2014 at 1:10pm CST by Chuck Myron

1:10pm: The deal is official, the team announced via press release.

10:36am: The Rockets and coach Kevin McHale have agreed to a three-year extension, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. McHale entered the season in the final year of his contract and under a degree of pressure after last season’s first-round exit from the playoffs. However, Houston has started the season 20-7 in spite of the absence of Dwight Howard for a dozen games and an offseason that saw the Rockets purge much of their depth. The extension will be worth nearly $13MM over the three seasons, Wojnarowski adds (Twitter link). There are no team options involved, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com, unlike the previous arrangement between the team and McHale (Twitter link).

“He’s done a great job and I think can take us very far in the playoffs,” Rockets owner Leslie Alexander said, as Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston tweets.

Houston picked up McHale’s option for this season shortly after its playoff ouster last spring, a hedge between an immediate change at the helm of a still-fluid roster and the long-term commitment that the team is making now. Alexander said in November that he wouldn’t judge McHale solely on the team’s performance in the playoffs, and it seems the club’s strong start to the regular season was enough.

The Hall of Fame forward/center took over the Rockets before the lockout-shortened 2011/12 season, when the franchise was stringing together mediocre seasons just outside the playoffs in the Western Conference. Houston finished outside the postseason at 34-32 in McHale’s first year, but the Rockets have been a playoff team each of the last two years following the acquisition of James Harden in the fall of 2012 and Howard in the summer of 2013. The team has improved its winning percentage in each season since McHale’s first as coach, including this season, as the team is on pace to win 61 games.

McHale has gone 153-104 in the regular season over his time with the Rockets, who lost in six games in the first round of the playoffs in 2013 and 2014. He’s 192-159 in the regular season overall, including his time on the bench for the Timberwolves. McHale began the season as the only coach in the NBA on the final year of his contract, as Stein notes (on Twitter).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.