Houston Rockets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Harden, Collins, Daye, Williams

March 15th, 2014 at 12:35pm CST by Cray Allred

In a series of tweets, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders says there was more to the Thunder‘s decision to trade James Harden before last season than money concerns. Coming off their Finals loss, Harden wanted an increased role on the team, believing himself to be the superstar talent we now know he is. Kyler says Harden wanted to stay, but the Thunder didn’t want to change their roster dynamics to accommodate his wishes. Here’s more from around the league:

Jason Collins is happy stay with the Nets for the rest of the season, he tells Roderick Boone of Newsday. “Thank you to the Nets organization, coaches and players,” Collins said.“Our team is playing really well right now and I’m glad to continue to be here.”
The Spurs have assigned Austin Daye to their D-League affiliate per a team release.
After showing promise in some extended playing time with the Raptors, Ed Davis has struggled to see many minutes with the Grizzlies, writes Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun. The lack of playing time has come because of a crowded frontcourt in Memphis, not a lack of skill on Davis’s part, says coach Dave Joerger. “It’s tough and he’s a similar style to the guys that are at that position,” said Joerger. “What his athleticism is, is a different look for us. But it’s tough with Marc [Gasol] and Zach [Randolph] in front of him.”
Derrick Williams has been debated as a “true” small forward or power forward since coming into the league, but Kings coach Michael Malone tells Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee that Williams’ versatility is a good thing. “You go back to his days at Arizona, when he was the No. 2 pick, he played a lot of four (power forward),” Malone said. “I see in the NBA if a bigger guy is guarding him, he can take that guy out on the perimeter. If you play him at the small forward, you can post him up some. He’s got that versatility and athleticism that is very attractive. The league is getting a lot smaller it seems, and I think Derrick’s versatility is a real advantage when you play him at the four.” If small forward Rudy Gay picks up his $19.3MM player option in Sacramento for next season, Williams will likely have to establish his ability to thrive at the power forward spot.

Texas Notes: Parker, Larkin, Carmelo

March 14th, 2014 at 2:37pm CST by Zachary Links

At the start of every game, Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle‘s gameplan is rather simple: get the rock to Dirk Nowitzki. “We want to get him touching the ball early in the game in every game,” Carlisle said, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. “If it doesn’t happen, I blame myself for it. We want to play a flowing, random type game as often as we can because we feel it’s a strength, but the ball has to move through the best players. When it doesn’t, I have to intervene and make play calls to get him involved touching it, to get Monta involved touching it, things like that. But we’re at our best when we’re playing a free-flowing game without play calls with good recognition.” More out of the Lone Star State..

In an update to his earlier report, Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter) now hears that only Shane Larkin and Ricky Ledo are headed to the D-League, not Gal Mekel. To keep up with all of this year’s D-League assignments, check out our running list.
In an era of tumult and turnover, the Spurs‘ Big Three of Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, and Manu Ginobili has managed to stay together, writes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. The Spurs are humble about what they’ve accomplished over the years, but fans should stop and admire what they’ve done, even if the team won’t.
Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (on Twitter) wonders if Carmelo Anthony would ditch New York for Houston and if the Rockets would give up Terrence Jones or a future first round pick to pull it off. A report yesterday linked the Knicks star to Dwight Howard & Co. Sean Deveney of the Sporting News explains why it’s a long shot from a financial standpoint.

Rockets To Pursue Carmelo Anthony?

March 13th, 2014 at 10:29pm CST by Alex Lee

They might not have ample cap space to sign him, but that won’t prevent the Rockets from pursuing Carmelo Anthony this summer, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post. Citing a league source, Berman says the Rockets inquired about Anthony at the trade deadline last month. They would have to work out a sign-and-trade for the Knicks superstar to make it happen.

While Anthony has never fared well under the microscope of advanced statistics — a guiding principle for Houston GM Daryl Morey — Berman writes that pairing Anthony with James Harden and Dwight Howard is too appealing a possibility for the Rockets to pass up.
Moving one or both of Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik, on the books for $15MM apiece next season, would be the biggest obstacles facing Morey prior to a move as significant as a trade for Anthony. The Knicks were one of many teams linked to Asik at times this season.

Berman mentions the Lakers, Clippers and Bulls as other possible destinations for Anthony, should he choose to leave New York. He also references a USA Today report from last month, where Howard had the following to say about the caveats of playing in a gigantic market such as New York:

“If you don’t win, you’re not going to get all the [off-court] stuff you want anyway,” Howard said. “I saw that last year [in Los Angeles]. I was in the biggest market for the NBA, and we lost, so those [companies] aren’t going to be coming to you for losing.

“When I was in Orlando, a small market, and we were winning, I was very popular with a lot of different deals on the table. So it’s more so about winning, and you’ve got to put yourself in a position to where you’re winning basketball games and you’re having fun doing it. Losing is not fun, and ‘Melo wants to win.”

Texas Notes: Ellis, Rockets, Spurs

March 10th, 2014 at 6:35pm CST by Zachary Links

All three Texas teams have the night off, but we’ve got plenty of news to keep those in the Lone Star state occupied..

Monta Ellis described his first season with the Mavericks as escaping from “a deep hole,” saying he’s enjoying basketball as much as he has since his second season in the NBA, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. “I would have to say my last time feeling like this was 2007, when we made the playoffs,” Ellis said Monday, referring to the eighth-seeded Warriors, who upset the top-seeded Mavs in the first round. “This happy? 2007.“
The Rockets have been focused on chemistry ever since their busy offseason and coach Kevin McHale believes that the team has made major strides, writes Jenny Dial Creech of the Houston Chronicle. “They have much better collective chemistry,” McHale said. “I think that is one of the most underrated things in sports — how well does everybody play with everybody? How well do they know their strengths and weaknesses? And they have a common goal of being really good together and that common goal is overriding any of the little stuff that was happening earlier.”
The Spurs boast the deepest roster in the NBA, but Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News wonders if that’s a good thing.

Western Notes: Bledsoe, Daniels, Mekel

March 9th, 2014 at 11:57am CST by Eddie Scarito

Suns guard Eric Bledsoe is expected to make his return from injury Wednesday night against the Cavs. His minutes will be limited at first, but the player is ready to go “full-throttle”, writes Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. How Bledsoe performs the rest of the season will have a huge impact on his next deal, writes Coro. Before he went down with an injury, the future restricted free agent averaged 18.0 PPG and 5.8 APG. After starting the season 19-11, the team has cooled slightly and gone 17-14 without Bledsoe.

Odds & Ends: Wade, Colangelo, Deng

March 3rd, 2014 at 3:19pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Heat seem to be chief in Dwyane Wade‘s mind as he eyes his early termination option this summer, but the decision won’t necessarily be straightforward, as he tells TNT’s David Aldridge, who shared Wade’s thoughts in his Morning Tip column for NBA.com.

“Well, I want to be here,” Wade said. “I think that’s always the things I’ve always said and I’ve always expressed. And after that, I want to win. I don’t want to be in a situation where I’m starting over and I’m rebuilding. I want to win. And I want to be on a team that has an opportunity to do that, and feel like I’m a big part of that. This is where I want to be. But as players, [having] options is good. Because you don’t know what is to happen or what is to come. So for us, I think we’re in a great situation. Guys have options as players, and they can exercise those options. Who knows what that means? But right now, for us, we’re on a very good team. We enjoy each other. We enjoy this city and we enjoy playing for this organization, and that’s what we’re going to continue to do.”

Here’s more from Aldridge’s piece and other news from around the league:

Bryan Colangelo spoke with Aldridge and attempted to walk back his comments from Friday in which he said he tried to tank as GM of the Raptors in 2011/12.
The Pacers reportedly spoke with the Cavs about Luol Deng before the trade deadline, but Andrew Perna of RealGM hears Indiana had no interest in the soon-to-be free agent (Twitter link).
The Rockets have recalled Troy Daniels from the D-League, the team announced via Twitter. Daniels had been with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers before the Rockets signed him last month. Houston immediately assigned him back there after inking the deal, which is for the minimum salary, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders notes in an update to the team’s salary page.

Bobcats Waive Ben Gordon

March 2nd, 2014 at 12:09pm CST by Eddie Scarito

12:09pm: With Gordon being waived after the date to be playoff eligible, he’ll have to choose between going to a non-postseason team or sitting out until he hits free agency this summer, tweets Adrian Wojnarowksi of Yahoo! Sports.

10:55am: The Bobcats have announced via press release that they have officially requested waivers on guard Ben Gordon. This move comes a day after the cutoff for players to be eligible to appear in the postseason when signing with a new team. The announcement was made by President of Basketball Operations Rod Higgins. Higgins stated, “With the recent acquisition of additional backcourt depth to our roster, we believe this is in the best interests of both parties. We want to thank Ben for his contributions over the past two seasons and wish him the best as he moves on in his career.”

Gordon was originally acquired from the Pistons along with a future first-round draft pick on June 26th, 2012, in exchange for Corey Maggette. Gordon appeared in 94 games for the Bobcats and averaged 10.0 PPG, 1.7 RPG, and 1.7 APG over 19.6 minutes per contest. Gordon played in 19 games this season, averaging 5.2 PPG, 1.4 RPG, and 1.1 APG in 14.7 minutes.

The Raymond Brothers client doesn’t want to hook up with any team that wouldn’t allow him to hit free agency this summer, as he’s currently scheduled to do. The Bulls, Clippers and Rockets had apparently been dangling two-year offers (Twitter links), but with the Bulls signing Jimmer Fredette, and with the Clippers’ recent signings of Danny Granger and Glen Davis, it is unknown if they would still have any interest. The Thunder have also been mentioned as a possibility for Gordon’s services.

Caron Butler Signs With Thunder

March 1st, 2014 at 7:09pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Thunder have signed Caron Butler, the team announced. The Raymond Brothers client spurns the Heat, who had been co-favorites with Oklahoma City. The Bulls, Spurs and Rockets were also in contention for the 12th-year veteran. The deal covers the rest of the season, and perhaps there’s a player option for 2014/15, as Glen Davis recently received from the Clippers.

“We are pleased to welcome Caron Butler to the Thunder organization and to Oklahoma City,” GM Sam Presti said. “Caron represents what we look for in a Thunder player and will positively impact our team. His toughness. hard-nosed defense, resiliency and highly regarded professionalism will only enhance our depth and bring additional versatility to the roster.”

Oklahoma City had reportedly been seeking a two-way wing player before the trade deadline, and were willing to give up their own 2014 first-round pick to acquire Iman Shumpert from the Knicks. New York turned the Thunder down, and while Butler isn’t quite the defensive presence that Shumpert is, the Thunder appear to be better off, particularly since they’ll get to keep their draft pick and they’re likely making only a minimum-salary investment. Oklahoma City had been carrying just 13 players, so the team didn’t have to make a corresponding move.

Butler, who turns 34 in March, has been enduring one of his worst shooting seasons, connecting on just 38.7% of his shots. He’s still making 36.1% of his three-point attempts, and he averaged 11.0 points in 24.1 minutes per game for Milwaukee, which is close to his native Racine, Wisconsin. Butler’s homecoming this season to the league-worst Bucks was no fairy tale, and the team made him a part of trade talks before agreeing to a buyout this week. It’s unclear how much of this season’s $8MM salary he gave up to pry his way out his contract, which was set to end this summer.

The two-time All-Star goes from the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings to the top of the West with Oklahoma City, which figures to make Butler the backup to Kevin Durant and use them together in small-ball lineups. The early end of OKC’s pursuit of Danny Granger, who wound up picking the Clippers late Thursday night, reportedly led executives around the league to believe the Thunder were confident about their ability to land Butler. Miami had seemed like a natural fit, since the Heat made Butler the 10th overall pick in the 2002 draft, and he played his first two seasons with the team, developing a close relationship with Dwyane Wade, the godfather of one of Butler’s daughters.

Eddie Scarito contributed to this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports first reported the agreement, noting that it covered the rest of the season.

Western Notes: Mavs, D-League, Iguodala

March 1st, 2014 at 6:28pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Mark Cuban was in the news today for his thoughts on the possibility of the NBA raising the age requirement for players entering the league. Cuban took it further, and believes that if the minimum age isn’t raised then the NBA D-League should work to convince players to play there instead of a single college season, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. Cuban stated, “I think what will end up happening — and this is my opinion, not that of the league — is if the colleges don’t change from the one-and-done, we’ll go after the one. The NCAA rules are so hypocritical, there’s absolutely no reason for a kid to go [to college], because he’s not going to class [and] he’s actually not even able to take advantage of all the fun because the first semester he starts playing basketball. So if the goal is just to graduate to the NBA or be an NBA player, go to the D-League.”

Odds & Ends: Hawks, Raptors, Buyouts

March 1st, 2014 at 12:58pm CST by Cray Allred

The Hawks are close to adding five investors to their ownership group, according to Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The NBA’s approval process for the addition is underway, and should complete in mid-March. Here’s more from around the league:

Sources tell Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun that the Raptors are not planning to add any bought out players to the team (Twitter link). This falls in line with earlier reports of Toronto’s lukewarm interest in the buyout market.
Tim Bontemps of The New York Post takes a look at which buyout players will work out the best for their new team between Glen Davis, Danny Granger, Caron Butler, Jimmer Fredette, and Beno Udrih.
The Rockets attempted to sign Kostas Papanikolaou mid-season this year, according to Rigas Dardalis of EuroHoops.net. Houston owns the rights of the power forward currently playing in Spain, and will reportedly try to sign him again next summer.