Houston Rockets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Rockets Waive Reggie Williams

October 28th, 2013 at 12:08pm CST by Luke Adams

12:08pm: The Rockets have officially waived Williams, the team announced in a press release.

11:51am: With today’s roster deadline looming, the Rockets will release Reggie Williams, according to RealGM.com. Williams, who appeared to be the odd man out after not playing in the team’s final preseason tune-up, thanked Houston for the opportunity earlier today (via Twitter).

While the Rockets have yet to officially announce the release of Williams or Marcus Camby, finalizing those cuts will reduce the club’s roster to 15 players, making it regular-season-ready. Houston will have to eat a little money in the process, since Williams’ minimum salary deal was 50% guaranteed, while Camby’s minimum salary pact was fully guaranteed.

By waiving Williams and Camby, Houston ensures that non-guaranteed players Patrick Beverley and Greg Smith have spots on the roster. Ronnie Brewer, who has a partial guarantee, also seems to have earned as spot, along with undrafted rookie Robert Covington.

Williams, who played for the Bobcats in 2012/13, will become a free agent later this week, assuming he clears waivers. At that point, the 27-year-old’s career .371 3PT% could interest some teams in need of outside shooting.

Latest On Marcus Camby

October 27th, 2013 at 2:56pm CST by Chuck Myron

Agent Rick Kaplan insists client Marcus Camby will return to play this season after undergoing surgery to repair torn plantar fascia tissue in his left foot, reports Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. The Rockets are set to waive the 39-year-old on Monday, and the surgery he’ll have next week will keep him out for two or three months, Kaplan tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).

“Without a doubt, Marcus plans to rehab next few months and come back and play this season for the Rockets or somebody,” Kaplan said to Feigen.

Camby himself suggested to Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston that he would resurface as a player once he’s healthy (Twitter link). The big man would prioritize inking with another championship contender if he doesn’t re-sign with Houston, as Kaplan indicated to Bleacher Report’s Jared Zwerling (on Twitter). Camby said to Berman that he plans on sticking with the Rockets organization as he heals (Twitter link), and earlier it seemed as though he might join the team in a coaching or player development role. Camby indeed wants to coach once he retires, but he intends to continue his playing career for a couple more years, Zwerling tweets.

Poll: Will Royce White Return To The NBA?

October 26th, 2013 at 8:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

Perhaps the most high-profile roster cut this week was the Sixers’ decision to let go of Royce White, the 16th pick from the 2012 draft. White’s psychological disorders have been well-documented since his time playing college ball at Iowa State, where he excelled as a versatile 6’8″ force. There were doubts about his mental health leading up to the draft, but his abilities on the basketball court made him a top-five talent, as far as Rockets GM Daryl Morey was concerned. Morey, who had three first-round picks last year, figured he would use one on the high-risk, high-reward White.

Alas, Morey’s gamble went bust. White and the Rockets engaged in a back-and-forth all season long about language that White wanted to have inserted into his contract to provide for his mental health. The Rockets countered that the league’s collective bargaining agreement wouldn’t allow them to put special provisions in his standard rookie-scale deal, and White went the entire regular season without appearing in an NBA game, only hitting the court during preseason and for 16 games with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston’s D-League affiliate.

Morey decided to write off his loss halfway through the two-year guaranteed portion of White’s contract, trading him to the Sixers for Philadelphia’s 2014 second-round pick. Morey sweetened the deal for his former assistant, newly minted Sixers GM Sam Hinkie, adding the rights to Turkish prospect Furkan Aldemir and, as we learned yesterday, enough cash to cover White’s 2013/14 salary.

White’s brief tenure in Philadelphia was a quiet one. He made few headlines, and the story that he didn’t accompany the team for its exhibition games in Europe was somewhat overblown, since the Sixers left other players on their roster home, too. White appeared in five preseason games this month and even started one, averaging 5.0 points and 4.4 rebounds in 18.1 minutes per contest. He seemed mentally and physically prepared to play.

Still, Hinkie and the Sixers decided that it wasn’t worth keeping White around, even though they have a roster that’s roundly expected to finish with the league’s worst record this season. That leaves more questions than answers surrounding the future of a player whom Morey, and likely other league executives, considered better than most lottery picks based on talent alone less than a year and a half ago.

White’s future might not include the NBA. He’s never played in a regular season game, so, officially, he has yet to make his debut. Let us know whether you think he ever will, and leave a comment to explain your thinking.

Will Royce White Return To The NBA?

No 72.43% (473 votes)

Yes 27.57% (180 votes)

Total Votes: 653

Update On NBA Roster Cuts

October 26th, 2013 at 6:25pm CST by Luke Adams

Just over two weeks ago, I wrote that we could expect in the neighborhood of 100 roster cuts by NBA teams before opening night. At that point, 538 players were on NBA rosters. Today, just 443 players remain under contract. If you’ve been following Hoops Rumors closely, you know which players are currently on the waiver wire and which new names on the free agent market. If not, you can browse through our transactions log for the highlights.

While most teams have made their cuts, there are still a couple clubs with moves on the way. As our roster count page shows, the Wizards and Rockets are still carrying 18 and 17 players, respectively, so those two teams will have to trim down to 15 (or less) by Monday at 4:00 pm central time.

It appears likely that the Wizards will release three players they acquired yesterday, in Shannon Brown, Kendall Marshall, and Malcolm Lee. All 18 players on Washington’s roster are on fully guaranteed contracts, so unless the team can find a creative trade in the next day or two, it will eat a good chunk of salary.

The Rockets, meanwhile, don’t have two obvious candidates to be released. Patrick Beverley and Greg Smith are on non-guaranteed deals, but both players figure to be part of Houston’s rotation this season. Perhaps Ronnie Brewer and Reggie Williams, who are both on partially guaranteed contracts, will be the odd men out, but we shouldn’t rule out a last-minute trade either. After all, it was on the Saturday night before the regular season a year ago that Daryl Morey landed James Harden.

Even after the Wizards and Rockets make their cuts, there will still be plenty of players around the league on non-guaranteed deals, as our complete list shows. Not all of those players will last the full season — the majority of their contracts will become fully guaranteed on January 10th, so many will be released before then, saving their teams some money. Our schedule of guarantee dates reveals the handful of players whose contracts are set to become guaranteed before January, including a few guys who will be in line for full guarantees after lasting until opening night.

Although nearly all of the players waived this week will clear waivers, it’s still worth keeping an eye on teams who may make claims. As Chuck Myron outlined earlier this month, waiver claims can be a part of preseason strategy, so it’s possible we’ll see one or two October standouts snatched up by a rival club. As we explain in our glossary, teams who have sufficient cap space or big enough trade exceptions can claim players. Players who were signed using the minimum salary exception can also be claimed by any team using that same minimum salary exception.

Rockets Waive Troy Daniels

October 26th, 2013 at 4:17pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Rockets have placed Troy Daniels on waivers, tweets Jason Friedman of Rockets.com. The move leaves Houston with 17 players, meaning the team will have to make two more cuts to get down to the 15-man regular season limit.

Daniels seemed the most likely casualty among the Rockets with non-guaranteed contracts. Reggie Williams has the largest partial guarantee, at $474K, but he’s up against Ronnie Brewer, whose deal is guaranteed for $100K, and Greg Smith and Patrick Beverley, who are on non-guaranteed deals. All four have been NBA rotation-level players, so Rockets GM Daryl Morey has a few tough calls on his hands, though Beverley, who has alternated at point guard with Jeremy Lin, seems safe.

The Rockets didn’t use Daniels in any of their preseason games. Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reported yesterday that the team was expected to let him go, and it appears Daniels will wind up signing with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston’s D-League affiliate.

Western Notes: Brown, Green, Morey, Ebanks

October 26th, 2013 at 4:09pm CST by Chuck Myron

Shannon Brown remains on the Wizards roster for now following last night’s trade, though the team is expected to let him go. He isn’t a lock to clear waivers, but if he does, HoopsWorld’s Steve Kyler hears he’d like to sign with the Lakers (Twitter link). Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets that several teams are interested, and Brown has yet to make up his mind. Fellow ESPN.com scribe Ramona Shelburne isn’t sure the Lakers will be too inclined to pick up Brown, since they already have 15 players under contract (Twitter link). Here’s more from the West:

After being bounced among seven NBA teams and two international stops by age 27, Gerald Green is OK with waiting for his turn to get minutes in the Suns‘ rotation, writes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. Green, who came to Phoenix in the Luis Scola deal, is one of three small forwards on the team, but he should see more time at two-guard now that Brown is elsewhere.
Rockets GM Daryl Morey paid no attention to rumors that his job was on the line in recent years, writes Sam Amick of USA Today. “I heard second hand those rumblings, and it never made sense to me,” Morey said. “Maybe because I knew Mr. Alexander had a lot of faith in what we were doing and was really an architect in a lot of the strategy, so we were executing on a plan and the owner knew it. I think that, yeah, if we hadn’t been able to turn the corner like we hoped, then at some point he probably says, ‘Hey, I’ve got to change horses,’ and that’s fine. That’s his right. I wouldn’t have been bothered. But he had a lot of belief in us, and I don’t forget that.”
Former Lakers forward Devin Ebanks was among the players the Mavs cut this week, and he has committed to play with the the Texas Legends, the D-League affiliate of Dallas, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo (Twitter link).
Bob Myers was an agent before he became GM of the Warriors, and that experience shows in his masterful negotiations on extensions for Andrew Bogut and Stephen Curry, writes Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group. We had plenty more on Bogut’s extension in a post earlier today.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Western Notes: Rockets, Lakers, Nash, Thunder

October 25th, 2013 at 2:00pm CST by Luke Adams

With the NBA’s opening night just four days away, let’s round up some items out of the Western Conference on the last Friday of the offseason:

Philadelphia released Royce White yesterday, but it will be the Rockets, not the 76ers, who are on the hook for his $1.7MM+ salary, tweets Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. When Houston sent White to the Sixers, it was reported that the deal included cash considerations, so perhaps the amount in the trade was equal to White’s salary.
Phil Jackson recently spoke to Seth Davis about a number of topics, including the Lakers, and while that interview won’t air until next week, Mark Medina of InsideSoCal.com passes along a few of the Zen Master’s comments. Among the notable items: Jackson says he’s unlikely to ever coach in the NBA again due to his health.
Steve Nash is currently the oldest player on an NBA roster, and there’s some concern from the Lakers about his health heading into the season. However, while he acknowledges to Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com that he’s at a “different stage” in his career, he says he’s up to the challenge.
After waiving Diante Garrett today, the Thunder aren’t in the market for a third point guard, according to head coach Scott Brooks (Twitter link via Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman).
In the wake of early speculation about Kevin Durant‘s 2016 free agency, ESPN.com’s Larry Coon (Insider link) details Durant’s options, concluding that the Thunder star figures to take a wait-and-see approach.
Dee Bost, who was waived by the Trail Blazers, and Troy Daniels, who is expected to be released by the Rockets, will soon sign with their clubs’ respective D-League affiliates, tweets Shams Charania of RealGM.com.

Rockets Expected To Cut Troy Daniels

October 25th, 2013 at 8:30am CST by Luke Adams

With three cuts to make before opening night, the Rockets likely will wait until Monday’s deadline to make their last couple moves, reports Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. However, according to Feigen, the team is expected to waive undrafted rookie Troy Daniels by Saturday.

Daniels, 22, averaged 12.3 PPG and shot 40.3% on three-pointers in his final season at VCU, then joined Charlotte’s Summer League squad in July and eventually agreed to participate in camp with the club. After being released by the Bobcats earlier this month, Daniels found a temporary home with the Rockets, signing a camp deal last week.

The Rockets will be able to hang onto the D-League rights for three players they cut this month, and Daniels is a good bet to be one of those three, so it could just be a matter of time before we see him land with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

Western Notes: Hayward, Durant, Miller, Rivers

October 24th, 2013 at 11:52am CST by Luke Adams

With the countdown until the NBA’s opening night down to five days, let’s round up a few Thursday items out of the Western Conference….

The Jazz and Gordon Hayward are working toward a lucrative extension, but if no deal gets done, he figures to have no shortage of suitors. Clippers coach Doc Rivers, who’s also in charge of player personnel, says he has a “man-crush” on the 6’8″ swingman, notes Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune.
Kevin Durant laughed off Jalen Rose’s prediction that the star forward would join the Rockets when his deal with the Thunder expires, as Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman writes. Durant told Mayberry that he’s not thinking “that far down the line” and that he loves playing in OKC.
At one point it looked like back issues might force Mike Miller into early retirement, but now he says he feels as good as he has in five years, according to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. After having been amnestied by the Heat in July, Miller acknowledges that his old team remains the frontrunner heading into the season, but adds that he and the Grizzlies have championship aspirations as well.
Doc Rivers has yet to coach a regular season game for the Clippers, but he already has the respect and trust of his players, as Arash Markazi details in a piece for ESPNLosAngeles.com.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

D-League Notes: Draft, Rockets, Sampson

October 21st, 2013 at 6:10pm CST by Zachary Links

We haven’t heard much about veteran Luke Walton this offseason, but earlier today we learned that the former Lakers and Cavs forward isn’t ready to call it a career. Walton’s looking to figure out his next move and he could join the L.A. D-Fenders in a player development role that will allow him to get practice reps with the squad. Here’s today’s D-League news..

The 2013 NBA D-League draft will be held on November 1st, according to Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside. If last year’s draft is any indication, several players selected that night will likely receive NBA auditions sooner or later.
Nevada Smith, formerly of Keystone College, will coach the Rockets’ D-League team this season, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Former Rocket Ralph Sampson had hoped to get a shot to coach the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, telling Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston, “I’m disappointed they went in a different direction” (Twitter link).

Luke Adams contributed to this post.