Houston Rockets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Notes: Hollins, Mavs, Rockets

May 10th, 2014 at 11:55am CST by Cray Allred

After all of the excitement in the first round, the Blazers return to their home floor with hopes of making their series with the Spurs competitive. Portland has been significantly outmatched in a second round that has been somewhat of a letdown to this point. Here’s more from out West:

A source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports that the Warriors will interview Lionel Hollins for their head coaching vacancy at next week’s pre-draft camp in Chicago (Twitter link). Many names have surfaced in connection with the job, but Hollins is the first reported candidate to reach the interview stage.
Michael Finley tells EJ Holland of The Dallas Morning News he thinks that Dirk Nowitzki will continue to play great basketball for the Mavs over the next few years, and sees the future Hall of Fame forward as a draw for free agents Dallas will be pursuing this summer. “We have money to spend. Hopefully, some of those key free agents will want to come to Dallas,” said Finley, who works in the Dallas front office. “If we can get some of those key guys to come in, that would be great, but I’m happy with the team that finished this year.”
Bill Ingram of Basketball Insiders looks ahead to the summer for the Rockets, noting what he thinks Houston needs to change in order to reach the next level.

Southwest Notes: Morey, Daniels, Mavs

May 8th, 2014 at 7:34pm CST by Cray Allred

In a series of Twitter responses, Rockets GM Daryl Morey tweeted that he has no hesitation in negotiating trades with in-conference rivals. Here’s more from the Southewest Division, including additional insight into Morey’s strategy:

Morey said he intends to keep Troy Daniels next year.
The GM insisted that Chandler Parsons will be back with the team, although without revealing whether that would come via a choice to pick up Parsons’ team option for next season.
The Houston executive believers there are “for sure” superstars available in this year’s draft class.
Morey cites cap flexibility, the mid level exception, and draft picks as elements at his disposal in building a better team moving forward.
Finally, Morey added that he wants to make moves that will give Houston a top-10 defense next season.
Rick Gosselin of The Dallas Morning News thinks the Mavs need to add another star this offsesason, preferably a frontcourt player.

Rockets Rumors: Morey, Garcia, Parsons, Jones

May 5th, 2014 at 9:15pm CST by Zachary Links

The Rockets plan “to bring in a terrific free agent” and will be a “lot better” next season, owner Leslie Alexander told Mark Berman of FOX 26. Finding the space for another star won’t be easy for Houston – they already have nearly $57MM in commitments for 2014/15. More on the Rockets..

Rockets GM Daryl Morey and head coach Kevin McHale will meet with Alexander on Wednesday in Florida to discuss plans for next season, a source tells Mark Berman of FOX 26 (via Twitter).
Rockets forward Francisco Garcia has a player option for next season and says he hasn’t thought about his plans much yet, though he is happy in Houston, writes Jenny Dial Creech of the Houston Chronicle. “I haven’t thought about it yet,” he said. “I want to relax a little bit. I like it here. It is a good home for me.” Garcia, 32, is the Rockets’ oldest player and is well-respected among his teammates
Chandler Parsons has been one of the league’s most underpaid players over the last three seasons but he says he wants to stay put, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. The forward isn’t sure if he’d be better off as a restricted free agent or to have the Rockets pick up their option on his contract.
Forward Terrence Jones went from playing in the D-League to being central to the Rockets’ rotation in 2013/14, Creech writes.

Daryl Morey On Free Agency, Lin, Asik, Parsons

May 4th, 2014 at 8:26pm CST by Zachary Links

Things didn’t pan out as planned for the Rockets this season, but last night it was reported that they will still pick up the option on coach Kevin McHale for next season. The Rockets couldn’t get out of the first round, but they finished as the fourth seed this season with 54 wins, their most since the 2007/08 season. The coaching situation may be spoken for heading into the offseason, but there’s still plenty more on the docket for GM Daryl Morey & Co. Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle sat down with Morey to discuss what could be on the agenda this summer. Here’s a look at some of the highlights..

Can this team get better just by adding rotation players, as opposed to a major overhaul or another summer with a major addition?

We’re always aggressive. We’ll always explore aggressive scenarios. But I feel confident if those don’t emerge, we’re not far off. We need to get (the record) into the high 50s if we’re going to be as good as we want to be. We need to improve our defense primarily. We were the youngest team in the league (in the post-season, fourth youngest and second least experienced in the regular season) and improving so an addition or two that are key, I feel confident we can make that step forward that we need to make.

We made a big leap forward with the addition of Dwight (Howard) and the growth of our young players to get to the mid-50 range. I think we’ve got to take one more step forward. But I think the average NBA title team won 57 games so we’re not far off. We’re not like prior to adding Dwight a major piece away to where I feel need not a small piece, but also not a franchise-changing piece away.

To be a true championship contender do you have to get a third All-Star caliber guy or do you just need to add a group of strong rotation players?

I would always take a third All-Star guy either from one of our guys improving or addition. There’s no negative to adding an All-Star level player. That said, I don’t feel it’s necessary. I do feel it’s my job to explore those things. I think our group playing more together after only a season together plus a lot of young players that can take a step forward and improve, plus we’ve got financial flexibility this year. We’re not limited to minimum player additions.

We have all our draft picks going forward to execute trades if necessary. We’ve got a lot of flexibility to improve. It’s my job to get that done and the players’ job to work on their games over the summer. The coaches are taking another look at our strategies and deciding what we’re going to do different next year to improve.

Because of their contract situations, the next largest after Dwight Howard and James Harden, do any moves need to involve Jeremy Lin and/or Omer Asik?

I don’t expect something bigger like that to happen. I could see where you would look to that if something bigger were to happen, but I don’t anticipate that.

If you were to go for a third max or near max guy, could you make it happen financially?

Yeah, we could make it happen. I think it’s unlikely.

How do you make a decision on picking up the option on Chandler Parsons’ contract when you don’t know what will happen in free agency two weeks after your deadline to make a decision?

We won’t know everything we need to know when we have to make a decision on on Chandler’s (contract) option. We have to make the best decision at the time we have to make it (June 29).

That sounds as if you have not made that decision yet.

No, that’s something we still have to talk through.

Do you have any concern about Kevin McHale being in the last year of his contract next year with the ‘lame duck” issue?

No. He’s a great coach. It’s not an issue for him or for us. I don’t see it as an issue. I’ve never bought into (the lame duck factor) for any coach. Some coaches disagree and some GMs may disagree, but he’s a head coach and he does a very good job. Just like I’m reevaluating and taking a look at what I need to do differently and better, he’s doing the same and our players are the same.

And-Ones: NBPA, Draft, Rockets, Clippers

May 3rd, 2014 at 10:35pm CST by Cray Allred

In an email to NBA players, Kevin Johnson says that he hopes to present finalists for the NBPA’s vacant executive director position in late July, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (Twitter link). Here’s more from around the Association:

Since the Grizzlies playoff run lasted seven games, Nick Calathes will serve 13 games of his 20 game suspension to begin next season, Tom Ziller of SB Nation points out (via Twitter).
Shabazz Napier has signed with Rob Pelinka of Landmark Sports Agency, Inc., reports Emiliano Carchia of Sportando (via Twitter).
Jabari Parker has agreed to be represented by Rich Paul of Klutch Sports Group, reports Bill Reiter of Fox Sports (on Twitter). Klutch Sports also represents LeBron James and Eric Bledsoe, among others, as the Hoops Rumors Agency Database shows.
Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle looks at the decisions facing the Rockets this offseason, including Chandler Parsons‘ option, potential free agent targets, and the likelihood that Omer Asik and/or Jeremy Lin get traded.
In the same piece, Feigen grades each player on the Rockets roster, noting their contract situation with the team.
Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside thinks that Troy Daniels‘ surprisingly strong play during the playoffs means he’ll walk away from the postseason as a winner, even though the Rockets suffered a first-round exit.
Shelly Sterling, wife of Donald Sterling and co-owner of the Clippers, voiced her support of Adam Silver‘s plan of action regarding the team (H/T Sam Amick of USA Today). “I spoke with Commissioner Adam Silver this week to tell him that I fully supported his recent swift and decisive action,” she said. “We also agreed at that time that, as a next step, both the league and the team should work together to find some fresh, accomplished executive leadership for the Clippers. I welcome his active involvement in the search for a person of the utmost character. As a co-owner, I am fully committed to taking the necessary steps to make the Clippers the best team in the NBA.”
The CEO chosen to run the Clippers during their ownership transition will have the authority to decide whether team president Andy Roeser remains with the franchise, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com.
Jim Peltz of The Los Angeles Times profiles the owners of every NBA team, excluding Sterling.

Charlie Adams contributed to this post.

Rockets To Keep McHale For Next Season

May 3rd, 2014 at 5:08pm CST by Cray Allred

The Rockets will pick up their team option for coach Kevin McHale next season, a person with knowledge of the decision tells Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. McHale will return for a fourth year in Houston, where he’s compiled a .578 winning percentage in his first three years with the team. This confirms earlier reports that indicated Houston brass wouldn’t react to a first round postseason exit by cutting ties with McHale.

The Rockets finished as the fourth seed this season with 54 wins, the most since the 2007/08 season for Houston. Despite playing like a top tier team in the tough Western Conference, their season ended with a disappointing first round exit for the second consecutive year. Some have pointed to McHale’s coaching as part of the team’s failures against the Blazers, although plenty have laid the blame at the feet of star guard James Harden, who shot just 37.6% in the series while continuing to play lackadaisical defense.

The team is said to believe in McHale’s ability, and thinks the young and newly assembled roster needs more time together to become a contender. Last year, Harden, Jeremy Lin, and Omer Asik were new additions to the starting lineup, and Dwight Howard was thrown into the mix when he signed a max contract prior to this season. McHale has steered the team to a 10-win improvement on average over each of the last two seasons. His detractors aren’t impressed with McHale’s schematic skills, but many believe the all-time great post player is the best fit for a team trying to coax championship level play out of Howard.

Stein’s Latest On Rockets: McHale, Parsons, Love

May 3rd, 2014 at 11:43am CST by Cray Allred

The Rockets were eliminated from the playoffs in heart breaking fashion last night, having their season ended on a buzzer beater from Damian Lillard. Houston has one of the more active GMs in the league in Darryl Morey, and there is no doubt that Morey will be hustling to make improvements to a team that had its sights set beyond the first round. Marc Stein of ESPN.com takes a look at the offseason decisions facing Houston in his latest piece. Stein’s sources insist that coach Kevin McHale isn’t likely to be let go following the first round upset, which backs up an earlier report that this series was not a deal-breaker for McHale. Here are some more highlights from Stein’s piece:

Carmelo Anthony has been billed as the Rockets biggest target this summer according to Stein, although it’s unclear if Stein is hearing that from within the organization.
Stein predicts that the Rockets will do their due diligence in checking on the availability of Rajon Rondo and Kevin Love, although acquiring either via trade appears unlikely at this point.
The ESPN scribe has heard all season that the Rockets are inclined to decline their team option for Chandler Parsons this year and re-sign him through the restricted free agency process. Despite some speculation that the team would prefer to wait to bump their salary commitment to Parsons by picking up the final year of his rookie contract, Stein believes Houston won’t go down that path considering the risk of losing Parsons as an unrestricted free agent in 2015.
Stein hears that teams have told Houston that they would want to receive Parsons in any trade in which they took on the balloon-year deals of either Omer Asik or Jeremy Lin. The Celtics would insist on Parsons in any would-be deal with the Rockets involving Rondo, Stein writes.

And-Ones: Parsons, Bulls, Kerr, Noah

May 2nd, 2014 at 9:09pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Rockets have a difficult decision to make with Chandler Parsons this summer. They could exercise their team option for $964,750, but that would make him an unrestricted free agent in 2015. If they decline the option, Parsons becomes a restricted free agent this summer which would surely result in a hefty pay increase for the third-year forward, or the team could lose him if they choose not to match any offers he receives. Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel believes the Magic should explore acquiring Parsons, who might be available thanks to the Rockets cap situation. Parsons averaged 16.6 PPG, 5.5 RPG, and 4.0 APG this season.

And-Ones: O’Neal, Sterling, Jackson

April 30th, 2014 at 10:26pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Jonathan Abrams of Grantland examines the resurgence of Jermaine O’Neal with the Warriors. O’Neal feels like his years with the Celtics were lost seasons, per the article. O’Neal said, “Those two years [in Boston] were very difficult for me, because not only did I feel like I was wearing down physically, I was wearing down mentally. That was the first time in my life I felt myself starting to break away a little bit.”

And-Ones: McGary, Daniels, Rockets, Raptors

April 28th, 2014 at 8:54pm CST by Zachary Links

There were a lot of no-brainer decisions when it came to early entry players in the 2014 Draft, but it was questionable for others. Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req’d) looks at who made the right call and who didn’t. Michigan’s Mitch McGary, Syracuse’s Tyler Ennis, and UCLA’s Kyle Anderson get the thumbs up. JaKarr Sampson of St. John’s, Alex Kirk of New Mexico, and New Mexico State’s Sim Bhullar are among the players who Goodman thinks should have stayed in school. More from around the Association..

Rockets owner Leslie Alexander has an idea for ridding the NBA of Clippers owner Donald Sterling: letting all of his players become free agents. Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle has the goods.
The Hawks, Bulls, Cavs, Bucks and Magic all had interest in Troy Daniels this February before the Rockets inked the sudden playoff hero shortly after the trade deadline, according to Bleacher Report’s Jared Zwerling. Daniels was close to taking an offer from Australia for $70K last fall, Zwerling tweets. His agent advised him to instead dominate in the D-League to get an NBA offer and his gameplan worked.
Toney Douglas tells Zwerling for the same piece that the Heat had interest in him ever since he came out of college. Miami acquired Douglas via trade in January.
It’s in Kyle Lowry‘s best interests to re-sign with the Raptors, writes Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun. Lowry has never been happier, never played better, and never meant more to any of his teams at any time. The veteran guard hasn’t said much about his future, but Simmons thinks it would be best for him to stay put in Toronto.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.