Houston Rockets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Notes: Gasol, Nowitzki, Armstrong

November 23rd, 2013 at 6:48pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Grizzlies aren’t releasing a timetable for the return of Marc Gasol, who’s out indefinitely with a sprained MCL in his left knee, as the team announced today. That hasn’t stopped reporters from speculating about how long Memphis will be without the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, and the consensus seems to suggest he’ll miss at least six weeks. The injury is a blow to the Grizzlies, though there’s no talk of the team looking for reinforcements yet. This summer’s trade for Kosta Koufos, who started at center for the 57-win Nuggets last year, could be about to pay dividends. Here’s more from the West:

Derrick Rose‘s diagnosis is the big injury news of the day, but Western stars, including Gasol, are being plagued with their share of physical ailments as well. ESPN.com’s Marc Stein reports that James Harden of the Rockets is expected to miss at least the next two games with a foot injury, while the Warriors announced that Andre Iguodala is out indefinitely with a strained hamstring. I doubt either injury will result in a roster move.
Jeff Caplan of NBA.com doesn’t put much stock in Mavs owner Mark Cuban’s revelation that Rockets GM Daryl Morey asked him this summer if he’d trade Dirk Nowitzki. The scribe notes that Cuban has vowed he’ll never trade the former MVP and that Nowitzki has said he plans to re-sign with Dallas next summer. About 70% of Hoops Rumors readers agree that the Mavs shouldn’t even think about trading their star.
According to Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link), the Santa Cruz Warriors announced that they’ve re-added former NBA veteran Hilton Armstrong to their roster. The big man played for Golden State’s D-League affiliate last season, so Santa Cruz still held his rights.
We looked back at the offseasons for a pair of Western Conference teams today, covering the Kings and the Jazz. You can find all the Offseason in Review pieces we’ve done so far on this page.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Blazers Have Engaged Rockets About Omer Asik

November 23rd, 2013 at 1:23pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Blazers have been talking to the Rockets about acquiring Omer Asik, reports Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News, who passes along the news amid his league roundup. Portland’s lack of an outside-shooting power forward, the sort of asset the Rockets are seeking, is a stumbling block, according to Lawrence.

Blazers management is cognizant that much of the team’s 11-2 start has been accomplished against a relatively easy schedule so far, prompting them to seek improvements to the roster. Lawrence speculates that Portland could give up Robin Lopez, and his cap hit, though more than $2MM less than Asik’s, is close enough to accommodate a one-for-one swap. There’s no indication Lopez is a part of the talks, however.

Asik is one of the league’s primary trade candidates, and has reportedly made weekly trade requests since the Rockets acquired Dwight Howard in the summer. Still, the Rockets appear to be in the early stages of sorting through trade possibilities for their backup center.

One team that apparently won’t be in the mix for Asik is the Bulls, as Lawrence writes that owner Jerry Reinsdorf is “dead set against” bringing the 27-year-old back to Chicago, since doing so would likely push the team further into luxury tax territory. The Bulls could probably find some sort of package, perhaps involving a third team, that would allow them to trade for Asik without taking on salary, but it sounds like no such deal is on the table.

Cuban: Rockets Inquired About Dirk Nowitzki

November 22nd, 2013 at 7:37pm CST by Chuck Myron

Mavs owner Mark Cuban told reporters today that Rockets GM Daryl Morey sent him a text message this summer after Houston signed Dwight Howard asking whether the Mavs would be willing to give up Dirk Nowitzki in a trade, tweets Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com. Cuban said the conversation went no further and that the Rockets never made an official offer. The owner saw the move mostly as a taunting gesture, since the Mavs had been one of the teams in the running to sign Howard, and “just something rivals do,” as Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News details.

“Now, I’ve brought it on the record just to have some fun with it now that we’ve played them twice we can help them sell tickets next time. I think they need help. Just to build the rivalry up,” Cuban said.

Cuban also brought up an inquiry the Lakers had made in the past about Nowitzki, adding that no formal offer was extended in that case, either. The owner says he’s never entertained any thoughts about trading the perennial All-Star. Even if he did, Nowitzki could block any trade, since he’s one of four NBA players with a no-trade clause negotiated into his deal.

The 35-year-old Nowitzki is in the final year of his contract, from which he’ll earn $22.7MM this season, but he appears unlikely to sign with another team, even if Dallas asks him to take a pay cut. Cuban has expressed confidence that the ninth overall pick from 1998 can continue playing for years to come.

Odds & Ends: New York, Hayward, Ellis, Adrien

November 21st, 2013 at 11:06pm CST by Charlie Adams

It’s been a busy day for New York basketball. Fans of both the Nets and Knicks are concerned about the slow starts of their favorite squads, but despite the rumors, we’ve heard that neither Jason Kidd nor Mike Woodson is in danger of getting fired. Justin Terranova of the New York Post sat down with NBA TV’s Greg Anthony and discussed the state of both teams, and while Anthony believes the Nets are in bigger trouble than the Knicks, there’s still plenty of time for both teams to turn their season around.

Here are some miscellaneous notes from Thursday night:

An unnamed GM suspects the Suns will do everything in their power to pry Gordon Hayward away from the Jazz this offseason, tweets NBA TV’s Peter Vecsey. Hayward and the Jazz failed to reach a rookie contract extension before the deadline. The fourth year forward currently earns $3.5MM but should see a big pay raise once he hits restricted free agency this summer.
Dwain Price of the Star Telegram details how the Mavericks’ offseason signing of Monta Ellis has been a critical part of the team’s early season success. Through 12 games, Ellis has been an excellent fit in Dallas’ system, posting a career high 19.5 PER. Coach Rick Carlisle spoke on how impressed he was with the veteran guard: “I thought he was going to be a hard worker and I thought that he was going to be a very talented guy, and he’s been all those things. The thing I really love is how well he continues to adapt to our system and our personnel.“
Jeff Adrien‘s contract is non-guaranteed, but Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer details how the undersized post player is proving in Al Jefferson‘s absence that he might be worthy of a spot on the Bobcats roster.
In a league where sharpshooting big men are becoming increasingly valuable, Michael Kaskey-Blomain of Philly.com discusses why Spencer Hawes‘ impressive skill set fits the 76ers uptempo offense perfectly. Tom Moore of the Burlington County Times reveals how much Brett Brown values Hawes. The seventh-year center’s contract expires at the end of the season.
In his nightly roundup of the NBA, Yannis Koutroupis of HOOPSWORLD examines how Terrence Jones‘ experience in the D-League helped the stretch four develop into a Rockets starter this year. Jones is playing 21 MPG and shooting an impressive 53% on 64 attempts this year.

Knicks Notes: Shumpert, Anthony, Rockets

November 21st, 2013 at 9:26am CST by Zachary Links

Last night at the Garden, the Knicks lost a heartbreaker to the Pacers – their sixth straight loss at home. New York had a three point lead in the waning seconds when Paul George heaved up a three and was fouled in the act by Iman Shumpert. George would go on to ice all three of the free throws and send the game into OT, where the Pacers won. Coach Mike Woodson was less-than-thrilled with Shumpert’s body control on that crucial play, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post.

“The worst that can happen is he hits a three over you and it goes into overtime like it did,’’ Woodson said. “But you can’t foul him. I looked at the tape and he got him on the elbow and Joey [Crawford] made the correct call.’’

Here’s more out of MSG, where the trade talk continues to swirl around Shump..

Carmelo Anthony hopes that Shumpert will be a part of the Knicks’ future, writes Berman. “I think he is [part of the future],’’ Anthony said. “I hope so. We have a lot of expectations with Iman, especially the way he played tonight. That’s the Iman we need him to be [defensively]. He could take it in a good way. I hope he doesn’t think about it.’’
For his part, Shumpert says there’s “nothing he can do” about the incessant trade talk, writes Josh Newman of SNY. Yesterday, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported that both Shumpert and the Knicks have privately acknowledged that a deal is inevitable.
If the Knicks were ever to make Anthony available, the Rockets could put together an attractive trade offer for him, tweets Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld.

Western Notes: Aldridge, Turner, Mavs, Rockets

November 20th, 2013 at 4:28pm CST by Zachary Links

LaMarcus Aldridge is starting to feel a sense of urgency in Portland, writes Ian Thomsen of Sports Illustrated. Aldridge is the star of the Blazers in 2013, but he points out that it wasn’t really supposed to be that way. “I was the glue guy when I came in..They definitely didn’t think that I’d be their go-to guy one day,” he said. “I think they felt that I was a fit-in guy, pick-and-pop, that I needed guys to create a shot for me. I was supposed to fit in with Greg Oden and Brandon Roy and Andre Miller.” Here’s more out of the Western Conference..

The 9-2 Blazers have had a tremendous start to the 2013/14 season, but Zach Lowe of Grantland wonders if they can keep this up. It might make sense for Portland to explore trading for an upgrade. Defensive wizard Omer Asik is unhappy in Houston and would give the Blazers a big upgrade at center over Robin Lopez, but finding a workable trade is tough for a number of reasons. Chief among them is that they don’t really have a sweetener to package with Lopez to pry him away.
Addressing trade speculation on Evan Turner, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News says there are those in the Mavs organization who “are not big fans of his game.” Sefko adds that Shawn Marion may be more valuable helping Dallas win games and making the situation look attractive to 2014 free agents, rather than as a trade chip.
Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com (Insider sub. required) runs down trade possibilities for Asik. Aside from Ryan Anderson, whom colleague Marc Stein says is unlikely to be a match, Pelton suggests Ersan Ilyasova, Paul Millsap, Thaddeus Young, and Jeff Green. Pelton adds that Houston could also move Asik primarily for draft picks and give more minutes to Terrence Jones.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Latest On Omer Asik, Rockets

November 20th, 2013 at 1:57pm CST by Zachary Links

With Omer Asik unhappy and demanding a trade on a weekly basis, the Rockets are surveying their options. Word is that they’re not boxing themselves into a specific position to target in a deal and they’re instead just looking for a difference-maker of any size, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com.

All indications are that Houston is still in the early stages of working through their Asik options, because even though he is a proven defensive anchor who protects the rim and gets boards, his offensive limitations hurt his value. There’s also sentiment within the organization that Asik is the club’s third-best player and with that mindset, they surely don’t want to give him away for nothing.

On top of that, there should be other options on the trade block including Iman Shumpert, Derrick Williams, Arron Afflalo and Jameer Nelson. In fact, Shump and the Knicks both concede that a trade is inevitable, league sources tell Stein. Despite all of the roadblocks, Stein expects Houston to find a new home for Asik between December 15th – the date when many trade restrictions are lifted – and the February trade deadline.

It remains to be seen where Asik is traded to, but Stein says not to expect a deal with New Orleans involving Ryan Anderson. The Pelicans are high on Anderson and believe that he’s a better fit for their offense than Asik. He’s also much more affordable – he still has two years left on his four-year, $34MM pact while Asik’s salary balloons to $15MM next season.

Zwerling On Amar’e, Wallace, Humphries

November 19th, 2013 at 9:48pm CST by Chuck Myron

Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report recaps many of the rumors we’ve heard about the Knicks and Celtics in recent days, and adds plenty more in his latest piece. Let’s dive in.

Zwerling presents a somewhat different version of an earlier trade rumor, which suggested that the Celtics would take on Amar’e Stoudemire if the Knicks would take back Gerald Wallace and Courtney Lee. Zwerling reports that the teams had talks about such a swap over the summer, and that Iman Shumpert was also part of the package. In the latest version of the proposal, Kris Humphries replaces Lee, while Shumpert is not involved.
The Celtics like the idea of Avery Bradley as their shooting guard going forward, and envision the soon-to-be restricted free agent as a $6MM-a-year player. Bradley’s development is why Shumpert is no longer a part of their talks with the Knicks. The Celtics don’t plan to be competitive in 2014/15, fueling their willingness to take on Stoudemire.
The Celtics are “desperate” to trade Wallace, Zwerling hears.
The Knicks continue to have interest in Humphries after having eyed him in the summer. They would have signed him if the Celtics had bought him out, but Boston wasn’t sure how rookie Vitor Faverani would perform and wanted to keep Humphries as insurance. Humphries maintains his interest in the Knicks as well, and he’s also keen on the Rockets as an option.
Miles Plumlee of the Suns is another young center the Knicks might like, but not if it means parting with Shumpert, Zwerling writes.
Zwerling points to a clause in Kenyon Martin‘s contract with the Knicks, revealed earlier this month by Mark Deeks of ShamSports, that nullifies his guarantee if he misses 15 games because of arthritis, repair to his patellar tendon, or progressive loss of articular cartilage.
The Knicks‘ medical staff has OK’d Stoudemire for up to 20 minutes per game, about twice as many as he’s seeing.
The Knicks are concerned about a lack of vocal leadership that can serve as a check on Carmelo Anthony‘s power among his teammates.

Southwest Notes: Asik, Mekel, Randolph

November 19th, 2013 at 1:57pm CST by Luke Adams

As the Rockets look to pull a half-game closer to the Spurs in the Southwest standings tonight, let’s round up a few of the latest notes out of the division….

Speaking to reporters today, including Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, Omer Asik indicated that he has just been “frustrated” about his role recently, but is looking forward to returning to the court and helping the Rockets win.
It’s only a matter of time until the Rockets find a taker for Asik, according to Grantland’s Zach Lowe, who says a deal will likely happen after December 15th. Lowe also addresses a pair of hypothetical deals for Asik, involving the Pelicans and Hawks. In Lowe’s view, a trade centered around Asik and Paul Millsap would work so well for Houston that, if it were to happen, rival Western teams would hold it against Hawks GM Danny Ferry “forever.”
Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld discusses a pair of Southwest teams in today’s NBA AM column, examining Mavericks offseason addition Gal Mekel and the Rockets‘ situation with Asik. According to Kyler, Houston is believed to be seeking either an impact frontcourt player or a combination of a frontcourt player and unprotected draft picks for Asik.
In a recent piece for the Los Angeles Times, Paresh Dave outlined the details of the deferred payments on Zach Randolph‘s last two contracts. While it doesn’t affect a team’s cap, up to 25% of a player’s salary can be deferred. In the case of Randolph’s current deal with the Grizzlies, $9.9MM of his $66MM (15%) is deferred compensation.

Celtics Rumors: Rondo, Wallace, Humphries

November 19th, 2013 at 8:46am CST by Luke Adams

Despite reports that the Knicks called the Celtics about the possibility of acquiring Rajon Rondo, GM Danny Ainge told reporters yesterday that he hadn’t spoken to any other teams about Rondo. According to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald, Ainge wasn’t just playing semantic games; the Celtics GM clarified that he hadn’t shot down any clubs attempting to talk about Rondo either.

Whether or not you believe Ainge, his message is clear: Boston’s star point guard isn’t going anywhere. That doesn’t mean there won’t be chatter surrounding Rondo and other C’s over the next several weeks and months though, so let’s check in on the latest:

Here’s what one rival GM told Bulpett about the possibility of the Celtics trading Rondo: “If you don’t hear of some superstar going back to the Celtics for Rondo, don’t pay any attention to it. They don’t want to trade the guy anyway, but when people are throwing names like Iman Shumpert and Raymond Felton and Amar’e Stoudemire out there, you can be sure Rondo’s not involved…. I’m sure they’d have to listen if there was another major star involved, but it would have to be really big. This other stuff just doesn’t make any sense.”
Bulpett notes that the Celtics have also been linked to Omer Asik, but a source questions whether Houston would receive an offer strong enough to deal him, since he’s limited offensively and has a $15MM balloon payment coming in 2014/15.
While they may not be interested in moving Rondo, the Celtics are still active on the market, according to Bulpett, who names Gerald Wallace and Kris Humphries as two players the team would “love to move.”
Ainge, on the possibility of swinging a deal: “I think that we don’t have much flexibility, as much as we would like. I wouldn’t say it’s a priority, but we are having conversations.”
Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com provides a primer for Celtics fans on how to deal with rumor season.