Houston Rockets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Poll: Will The Rockets Go To The Finals?

July 23rd, 2013 at 8:24pm CST by Zachary Links

The Rockets are coming off of their biggest offseason in franchise history, headlined by the addition of the summer's No. 1 (or 1A/B) free agent. There's little doubt that the Rockets are poised to take a giant leap forward in 2013/14, but as we learned last season at Dwight Howard's last stop, nothing is guaranteed. But as far as standout small forward Chandler Parsons is concerned, the addition of Howard makes the club "immediate contenders", writes Jabari Davis of HoopsWorld.

“He’s the best center in the NBA, so he’s going to help our defense greatly,” Parsons said of Howard. “And on the other end, just being able to throw the ball into the post to a guy that can create double-teams and get to the line, it’s huge for our offense.”

While the Rockets had to do some amount of roster shuffling and lost promising forward Thomas Robinson and veteran Carlos Delfino in the process, Houston still has a great deal of depth to support their souped up starting five. As much as Omer Asik may hate the idea of getting bumped, he stands as one of the league's best frontcourt players off of the bench. And while the club explored landing a third star like Josh Smith to put alongside Howard and James Harden, one could argue that they already have one in the making in Parsons.

Parsons says that the Rockets are ready to contend right away, but we want to know if the readers of Hoops Rumors see them reaching the Finals right off of the bat.

Will The Rockets Reach The Finals?

No 82.25% (2,081 votes)

Yes 17.75% (449 votes)

Total Votes: 2,530

Southwest Notes: Mavericks, Miller, Rockets, Grizzlies

July 23rd, 2013 at 7:35pm CST by Zachary Links

Monta Ellis may not be the prized free agent that Mavericks fans wanted this summer, but he already has a spot in club history, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. “Possibly the fastest player ever to wear a Mavs uniform,” coach Rick Carlisle said via text message. “Scores, makes plays and is great in transition. We consider him a unique talent and look forward to integrating him into our team.” Here’s more out of the Southwest..

The Rockets are inching up towards the Grizzlies and Thunder in the Mike Miller sweepstakes, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com.
Brandan Wright decided to re-sign in Dallas in part because he wants to keep up the momentum that he has built with the Mavs, MacMahon writes. Wright will return to the Mavs on a two-year, $10MM deal that could pay an additional $1.1MM in incentives.
Chandler Parsons is confident that the Rockets can contend after adding Dwight Howard in the middle and believes that the team is a perfect fit for the big man, writes Jabari Davis of HoopsWorld.
Grizzlies guard Mike Conley is working hard to recruit Miller to Memphis and he went so far as to call the veteran and offer “golf on [him] every day”, tweets Stein.

Lowe’s Latest: Clippers, Gay, Pekovic, Heat

July 23rd, 2013 at 10:18am CST by Luke Adams

In his latest lengthy piece for Grantland.com, Zach Lowe evaluates the offseason so far for all 30 NBA teams, writing that the Rockets stand alone as the only club to significantly improve without sacrificing future assets or flexibility. It's worth reading Lowe's entire piece, especially if you're curious to find out what he had to say about your favorite team. But here are a few notable tidbits from the story:

The Clippers recognize that even after adding free agents Ryan Hollins and Byron Mullens, the team needs another big man, and will likely sign one soon.
Lowe notes that the Raptors could be in position to clear a chunk of cap space next summer, when Rudy Gay's and Kyle Lowry's contracts could expire. According to Lowe, the Raps privately expressed a belief when they traded for Gay last season that he'd likely opt out next summer in search of a longer-term deal, rather than exercising his 2014/15 player option.
While the Jazz have taken some criticism for letting Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap walk rather than trying to flip them at the trade deadline for something of value, Lowe says Utah would have been willing to move either player last February if the club could have landed a first-round pick and avoided taking on long-term money.
There's some confusion among rival executives about why the Lakers are bothering with players like Chris Kaman and Nick Young, rather than going into full-blown tank mode, says Lowe.
Among the executives Lowe spoke to in Las Vegas, a couple of the most common questions involved what the Mavericks' and Bucks' plans are, since neither team seems to have a clear-cut direction.
The Timberwolves are a "99.9999% bet" to re-sign Nikola Pekovic at a fair number, according to Lowe.
Don't expect the Heat to be passive about LeBron James' potential 2014 free agency, says Lowe, adding that Pat Riley and the front office "won't promise him the same aging and top-heavy roster."
The Spurs are likely one of the teams unhappy about Andrei Kirilenko's new deal with the Nets, since San Antonio tried to acquire the Russian via sign-and-trade after being told he wouldn't sign for mid-level money.

Free Agent Rumors: Miller, Oden, Camby, Blair

July 22nd, 2013 at 3:50pm CST by Luke Adams

Free agent rumors and rumblings have slowed down since the start of July, as most of the bigger names have come off the board. Still, even though not a ton of teams have significant cap space or exception money remaining, plenty of intriguing players remain on the market. We're entering the point in the summer where teams are hunting for bargains and value signings, so here's the latest on a few players who could fit that bill:

Mike Miller is meeting face-to-face for a second time with both the Thunder and Grizzlies, who appear to be the two favorites for him, says Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The Rockets and Nuggets aren't out of the running yet, but Miller's choice will likely come down to OKC or Memphis (Twitter links).
The Heat, Pelicans, and Kings will observe Greg Oden in person as he works out this week, according to Stein and Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com, though Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports says (via Twitter) it'll just be the Pelicans and Kings. The Spurs and Mavericks are still in the hunt as well, with Miami and San Antonio still viewed as the frontrunners for the former first overall pick.
Marcus Camby is expected to make a decision on his next team within the next week, with the Rockets, Bulls, and Heat among the finalists, tweets Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
According to Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com, DeJuan Blair's asking price is in the $3MM range, Lamar Odom is only interested in playing for a Los Angeles team, and Josh Akognon is drawing heavy interest from Chinese teams.
Zwerling adds (via Twitter) that the Knicks have some interest in Ivan Johnson, but the big man is still seeking a mini mid-level deal.
Prior to reaching an agreement with the Nuggets, Nate Robinson received serious interest from the Wizards, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (via Twitter). Washington had already used its mid-level and bi-annual exceptions, so making a competitive offer would have been tricky.
Free agent point guard Delonte West spoke to Tzvi Twersky of SlamOnline.com about his desire to return to an NBA roster.

Mavericks To Hire Gersson Rosas As GM

July 22nd, 2013 at 11:55am CST by Luke Adams

After trading an international prospect's rights to a division rival earlier today, the Mavericks have evened the scales by hiring an executive away from another Southwest team. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports that the Mavs have reached an agreement with Rockets VP of basketball operations Gersson Rosas that will make him Dallas' new general manager.

With owner Mark Cuban and president Donnie Nelson still in place in the Mavericks front office, Rosas won't have the final say on basketball decisions. However, Wojnarowski writes that the 35-year-old "will be given significant latitude to shape the direction of the franchise's pro and college personnel departments, free agency and scouting."

Rosas has spent the last nine years with the Rockets, steadily rising through the organization during that stretch. He has also served as the GM for Houston's D-League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, helping to lead the squad to a pair of D-League titles in recent years. Rosas was reportedly in the mix for the Nuggets' general manager job before Denver hired Tim Connelly.

This is the second time this offseason a Rockets executive has left Houston to assume a GM job with another franchise. Former assistant GM Sam Hinkie is now in control of the Sixers' basketball operations.

Odds & Ends: Faverani, Mavs, Rockets, Heat

July 21st, 2013 at 11:14pm CST by Zachary Links

Signs seem to be pointing toward Brazilian center Vitor Faverani finally joining the Celtics, according to a staff report from the Boston Herald. Faverani's Spanish team in Valencia issued a press release on Friday that the 25-year-old has officially told them that he is leaving the team to pursue his basketball career elsewhere. The Celtics and Faverani agreed on a three-year, $6MM framework of a deal, but the contract was delayed due to the Celts' efforts to get below the luxury tax line of $71.7MM. Here's more from around the Association..

Beckley Mason of the New York Times takes a very interesting look at the directions that the Mavericks and Rockets are going in. The Mavs are employing a similar strategy to Daryl Morey & Co. which may not be glamorous in the short term, but its a gameplan that ultimately brought Dwight Howard to Houston.
With Mike Miller out of the picture, the Heat have to find a rotation player who can help produce when Dwayne Wade's knees are acting up, opines Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel.
Former Rutgers and Creighton big man Gregory Echenique is signing with a German team, but his deal will come with an NBA out clause, sources tell Sportando.

Marcus Camby Clears Waivers

July 21st, 2013 at 7:35pm CST by Zachary Links

7:35pm: Camby's three finalists are the Heat, Rockets, and Bulls, sources tell Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports (on Twitter).

4:19pm: Marcus Camby has cleared waivers and is now officially a free agent, according to Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports (via Twitter). The waivers process was more or less a formality as no one was expected to claim him following his buyout from Toronto.

The Heat are among the teams with interest in the veteran center along with the Rockets and Bulls. The Clippers were believed to have interest as well, but that notion was shot down last last week. The shot-blocking big man has impressed in recent years with his tremendous rebounding but played in just 24 games for the Knicks last season.

His recently-terminated deal called for him to earn $7.5MM between next season and 2014/15. Camby apparently wants to play for a couple more years before transitioning into coaching.

Latest On Mike Miller

July 20th, 2013 at 8:25pm CST by Chuck Myron

8:25pm: ESPN.com's Marc Stein reports that the Nuggets are now receiving strong consideration from Miller's camp along with Oklahoma City and Memphis.

5:36pm: Mark Berman of Fox 26 tweets that NBA sources have confirmed the Rockets' reported offer to Miller.

3:28pm: The Rockets have formally extended an offer, Stein tweets. Houston has the $2.652MM room exception available. Meanwhile, Marc Gasol has joined the Grizzlies contingent trying to persuade Miller to go to Memphis.

2:40pm: Stein mentions the Rockets as another team still in the running for Miller, while Kevin Durant is aggressively pitching Miller on Oklahoma City (Twitter link).

2:28pm: Miller and Thunder GM Sam Presti have had their scheduled meeting, and Miller sat down yesterday with Grizzlies owner Robert Pera and CEO Jason Levien, Stein reports (Twitter link).

1:59pm: The Thunder have spent the past couple of days as the apparent leaders in the race to sign Mike Miller, but Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida tweets that they have company. The Grizzlies, along with the Thunder, are the front-runners, though Miller is still evaluating his options, Tomasson says. Marc Stein of ESPN.com hears the Nuggets are a threat as well, with plenty of playing time to offer following the departures of Andre Iguodala and Corey Brewer this summer (Twitter link).

The Spurs, Rockets and Warriors were also linked to Miller when he cleared amnesty waivers this week, but it's not clear whether those teams remain in the mix. The Cavs strongly considered claiming Miller while he was still on waivers, but they haven't been mentioned as a candidate to sign him outright. A report surfaced this week that Miller was considering fusion surgery on his back, which was giving pause to teams with thoughts of claiming him off waivers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors speculated that the surgery news was leaked to dissuade the Cavs from claiming him, pointing out that Miller "made it clear to people around him" that he didn't want to play in Cleveland, as Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal tweeted.

The Thunder appear unwilling to go into luxury tax territory to bring Miller aboard, but they're reportedly willing to waive DeAndre Liggins or Daniel Orton to accomodate a minimum-salary contract for Miller. That may not be enough to corral the sharpshooter, as the Nuggets can use the bi-annual exception to sign him, and the Grizzlies have the bi-annual as well as the mid-level exception. The Thunder have both of those exceptions available, too, but using either of them would push the team above the $71.748MM tax threshold.

The 33-year-old Miller, coming off a pair of championships with the Heat, isn't ready to retire any time soon, saying last month that he felt he could play for four or five more years. He might not be ready to accept a minimum-salary deal, even though he'll still be getting the remaining $12.8MM from his contract with the Heat.

Odds & Ends: Mavs, Brown, Telfair

July 20th, 2013 at 5:32pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Amin Elhassan of ESPN (hat tip to SportsDayDFW) spoke about the Mavericks' signing of Samuel Dalembert, calling him a player who will be well-suited for a role as an impact player on the defensive end. Elhassan also doesn't think that bringing Dalembert on board will impact the team's pursuit of Greg Oden, who could be "the steal of the century" if healthy. Here are some more news and notes from around the Association this evening:

Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown addresses his relationship with LeBron James and his stint as coach of the Lakers in part one of an interview with Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal.
The Knicks, Heat, and Thunder have shown interest in Sebastian Telfair, HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy tweets.
Kennedy, as part of his NBA PM piece, passes along comments from Chris Douglas-Roberts, who's confident that the Lakers will bring him to training camp for a second straight year.
Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York tweets that contrary to reports, the Bulls, Clippers, and Rockets are all front runners for Marcus Camby, and that the 39-year-old center is still weighing opportunities. It isn't clear as to what reports Zwerling is alluding to, as his list of frontrunners hasn't appeared to change much from this past week (with the exception of the Heat).
The Plain Dealer's Mary Schmitt Boyer touches on LeBron James and Andrew Bynum and a broad spectrum of Cavs-related topics in her mailbag column.
Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com tweets that former NBA All-Star Tim Hardaway Sr. networked with several teams in Las Vegas about potentially joining an NBA coaching staff and is optimistic about his chances.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Southwest Rumors: Barbosa, Oden, James

July 20th, 2013 at 3:06pm CST by Chuck Myron

The news today has had a distinctly Southwestern feel, and we've already rounded up a few items from Texas teams. There's still more news from the Lone Star State amid our broader look at the Southwest Division:

Artur Barbosa, who doubles as the brother and agent of Leandro Barbosa, tells Terra Brasil that the Mavs have offered the veteran guard a contract, and that the Dallas option is preferable to the Bulls, who've also shown interest (translation via HoopsHype). The agent says he's also engaged in talks with the Rockets. The Mavs wouldn't comment last night about a Brazilian report linking them to Barbosa, so perhaps this is the report in question.
Greg Oden is the top big man on the Mavs' radar following the team's signing of Samuel Dalembert and the release of Bernard James, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com, who names the Heat, Spurs and Pelicans as the other teams still in the mix for Oden (Twitter link).
There's a legitimate chance that a team claims James off waivers from the Mavs, Stein writes in the same piece. A source close to James tells Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities that he's heard teams are eyeing the big man. The Wolves haven't expressed interest yet, but Minnesota is prepared to waive center Chris Johnson if necessary to make way for a better option, Wolfson reports (Twitter links).
Spanish club FC Barcelona announced the signing of Kostas Papanikolaou to a four-year deal (translation via Sportando's Emiliano Carchia). The Rockets hold the power forward's NBA rights, but it's unclear what the buyout clauses in his new contract are like. A report last weekend indicated that Papanikolaou "definitely" wants to play in the NBA this season, but signing a long-term European deal seems to run counter to that.
Tyreke Evans is ready to embrace a sixth-man role with the Pelicans, as Sean Deveney of The Sporting News details.