Houston Rockets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Was Drafting Royce White Worth The Risk?

January 27th, 2013 at 10:34am CST by Chuck Myron

Royce White and the Rockets reached an agreement last night that will bring the rookie back on the court after a nearly three-month absence. The 6'8" forward will report February 11th to the D-League's Rio Grande Valley Vipers and ostensibly make his NBA debut shortly thereafter. Presumably, the 16th pick in this past year's draft is finally back on track after grappling with the team over how to handle his psychological ailments.

Still, there's not much reason to believe this is the last bump in the road for White, who has threatened retirement and misled the team about his fear of flying in the leadup to the draft, according to GM Daryl Morey. The GM admitted to Sports Illustrated's Chris Ballard that drafting White was a calculated risk, and that the club believed he had the talent of a top-five pick. He also knew White might not work out, though I'm not sure he anticipated quite the saga that's played out this season.

The Rockets had three first-round picks last year, and one of them, No. 12 selection Jeremy Lamb, was sent away as part of the trade that netted James Harden. The wealth of picks may have justified the team's willingness to go out on a limb with White, but as the Rockets collect assets in search of another star to accompany Harden, a draft bust wouldn't help matters.

Regardless of White's troubles thus far, Houston may have one of the most talented rookies in the league on its team soon. Does that justify the risks involved? Let us know.

Was Drafting Royce White Worth The Risk?

No 65.18% (586 votes)

Yes 34.82% (313 votes)

Total Votes: 899

Rockets Reinstate Royce White

January 26th, 2013 at 6:17pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle tweets that the Rockets have lifted their suspension on Royce White and expect him to join their D-League affiliate on February 11. This past week, we heard that White was close to an agreement which would allow him to begin his assignment with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers after being suspended earlier this month.

Houston and White released a joint statement today (according to Rockets.com):

"The Houston Rockets and Royce White have today reached an agreement that addresses the major issues that they have been discussing, provides a new start, and gives Royce the best opportunity for long term success as a Houston Rocket. This has been a learning process for both parties. The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association have approved the settlement. Royce is no longer suspended and is re-instated effective immediately. He will report to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers on February 11, 2013."

Feigen also says that the rookie foward will be allowed to do conditioning work on his own or with Rockets staff before joining the Vipers (Twitter link).

Ingram On Howard, Grizzlies, Celtics, Boozer, Bargnani

January 25th, 2013 at 9:33pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest from around the NBA as reported by Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld.com:

The Lakers are keeping their options open with regards to Dwight Howard, but as of now they are determined to keep him in Los Angeles.
Ingram doesn't think the Grizzlies should trade Rudy Gay or Zach Randolph this season, writing that they are close enough to title contention to keep the core together in the short term.
The Celtics need to find younger players to build around Rajon Rondo and Avery Bradley, Ingram writes.
Given Carlos Boozer's recent stretch of excellent play, Ingram doesn't see the Bulls trading him.
While the Raptors would love to trade Andrea Bargnani, it is unlikely that any player he could net in return is worth trading him for.
Ingram talk to Rockets rookie Patrick Beverley about his transition from the D-League to the NBA.
Ingram writes that the firing of head coach Alvin Gentry has injected a sense of urgency into the Suns locker room.

White Close To Agreement To Return To Rockets

January 23rd, 2013 at 1:11pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets are close to reaching an agreement with Royce White that would see the rookie forward return to the team and reports to Houston's D-League affiliate, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. In a call to 97.9FM in Houston, White said he intends to report to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers on February 11th, pending paperwork on an agreement with the Rockets.

A source tells Feigen that the written agreement between White and the Rockets would include "key elements of the protocols that White wanted to have as an addendum to his contract." However, it would not cede the decision-making authority on White to an individual outside of the organization. Since failing to report to the Rockets this fall, White has been pushing the team and the league to improve mental health protocol, and wanted decision-making authority to lie with his own doctors, rather than the team's.

"Everybody wants to make it seem like wild, wild west standoff between me and the Rockets," White said this morning. "That’s not the case here. There has been an issue that’s been identified. Mental health is not descriptive enough in the CBA (collective bargaining agreement) and UPC (uniform player contract). It being so vague makes us make it up as we go. There’s no protocol. We need to rectify that to make sure the environment is safe. If we’re making it up as we go… that’s probably not the safest thing."

The agreement between the Rockets and White, which the 21-year-old indicated was close to being finalized, has also received input from the NBA and NBPA. It would see the Iowa State product resume workouts with an eye toward preparing for his D-League assignment.

D-League Moves: Jones, Nets, Grizzlies, Rockets

January 22nd, 2013 at 3:52pm CST by Luke Adams

We’ll track Tuesday’s D-League assignments and recalls right here, with additional moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:

The Rockets announced today that they have re-assigned forward/center Donatas Motiejunas to the Vipers. The move will create roster space for Terrence Jones, who was recalled earlier today.
The Nets announced that have assigned forward Tornike Shengelia and guard Tyshawn Taylor to the Springfield Armor. This will be the second stint for both players in the D-League this season. Shengelia was a practice favorite of former coach Avery Johnson.
On the heels of their trade with the Grizzlies, the Cavaliers have recalled Kevin Jones from the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. Jones, who was assigned to the Canton Charge just yesterday, helped lead the team to a 78-69 victory over the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, racking up 25 points and 11 boards.
The Rockets will recall Terrence Jones from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. In his four D-League stints this season, Jones has appeared in 12 games, averaging 19.1 PPG and 9.8 RPG.

Odds & Ends: Vucevic, Kings, Rockets, Cavs

January 20th, 2013 at 7:43pm CST by Alex Lee

Here are some news and notes from around the NBA on Sunday evening:

With his Magic hosting the Mavericks, Nikola Vucevic says that the career of fellow European Dirk Nowitzki inspired his game and his confidence as he developed his game as youngster, writes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. After being somewhat of a 76ers throw in in the Dwight Howard blockbuster, Vucevic has been a revelation in Orlando, averging 11.6 points and ranking third in the NBA in rebounding as a 22-year old.
Dale Kasler of the Sacramento Bee puts the Kings move scenario into context by providing other similar examples from professional sports, including the 1994 instance where the NBA blocked the Minnesota Timberwolves from moving to New Orleans. As we have seen recently, it appears as if the NBA has sided with Kevin Johnson and the city of Sacramento over Seattle.
Citing the team's abundance of youth, Daryl Morey says this trade deadline may very well be the first that goes by in his tenure as GM without the Rockets making a move, reports Jonathan Feigen of Ultimate Rockets. In addition to their youth, Morey understands that he must land another star to become a realistic contender – the type of star that doesn't appear to be available in the coming month.
With the franchise committed to building through the draft, Byron Scott is not worried about the Cavaliers 10-32 start, writes Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer. Improved toughness and consistency, Scott says, will be the focus of the season's second half for his young team.

Southwest Notes: Randolph, Rockets, Douglas, Lin

January 20th, 2013 at 11:38am CST by Chuck Myron

We've already heard news on Rudy Gay and Royce White this morning, and that's not the only news coming out of the Southwest Division. The latest is right here:

Gay isn't the only high-dollar asset the Grizzlies may be looking to unload, as the team has also reportedly been gauging Zach Randolph's value. HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy hears that one possible destination for Randolph is Houston, as the Rockets would love to bring him on board (Twitter link).
Guard Toney Douglas, who's dropped out of the Rockets rotation in favor of recent signee Patrick Beverley, plans to ask coach Kevin McHale why his minutes have disappeared once the team returns from its road trip, notes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. "They didn’t tell me anything," Douglas said. "I don’t know what’s the reason. I will (ask). We’ve been traveling. I’ll give it time to develop, see how it is. I just want to know the reasoning, that’s all, and I’ll feel better."
After McHale benched three starters, including Jeremy Lin, to begin the second half last night, SB Nation's Tom Ziller delves into what's gone wrong with the Rockets point guard amid a seven-game losing streak.
The future is bright in New Orleans, where the Hornets have begun to play better with the return of Eric Gordon, as fellow SB Nation scribe Paul Flannery chronicles.

Morey: Royce White Misled Rockets Before Draft

January 20th, 2013 at 9:18am CST by Chuck Myron

In a letter to Royce White shortly after the rookie stopped attending games and practices in November, Rockets GM Daryl Morey recounted the back and forth that had taken place to that point and urged White to show up for work, "just like any other player." The letter also claims that before the Rockets drafted him 16th overall last June, White misled the team about his fear of flying, as Ben Golliver of SI.com reveals.

"To revisit from the beginning, before we drafted you, you told us that your fear of flying was not an issue and that you were ready to be an NBA player. Shortly after we drafted you, you apologized for having to mislead us," reads an excerpt of the letter.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle shares more from the letter. The information comes via advance copies of White's interview on HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel," set to air Tuesday. The televised feature uncovers a document that White wrote along with his doctor stating that mental health should be treated as a medical condition. White wants to have it made as an addendum to his contract, but that would violate the terms of the CBA.

White also reportedly wants the team to hire a doctor who would assess him before each game to determine whether he's fit to play through his mental illnesses. He suffers from mental health issues including generalized anxiety disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder, as well as a fear of flying. White, who has yet to make his regular season debut, has been away from the team for more than two months. Houston coach Kevin McHale said before last night's game that he hasn't seen or spoken to White in more than a month.

Rockets Notes: White, Scola, Cook

January 19th, 2013 at 3:36pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Rockets have lost six straight, and could drop to .500 if they lose tonight against the banged-up Wolves. They've already fallen out of the top eight teams in the Western Conference, as they sit percentage points behind the Blazers for the last playoff spot. Already this afternoon we heard about their interest in Josh Smith, and there's more noise coming out of Houston, as we round up here.

Royce White wants the Rockets to hire a doctor who would have the authority to determine whether his psychological ailments will allow him to play before each game, he told HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" in an interview that will air Tuesday. David Barron of the Houston Chronicle has the details, noting that the White's demands for such medical protocols to be part of a written agreement between the player and the team would violate the CBA.
Luis Scola didn't expect the Rockets to amnesty him this summer, but he wasn't completely caught off guard when the team sent him away, as he tells Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld. "I was ready for some closure, and when I knew that they were going to amnesty me I thought it was a good thing because I could finally focus on playing and get some closure and know for sure where I was going to play next season and just move on," the power forward said. "I wish I could have stayed in Houston because it was a good place, but now I am happy in Phoenix. It’s a nice city, great organization, great fans."
Brigham also checked in with Daequan Cook, whom the Bulls picked up right after the Rockets waived him earlier this month. With the new address came a change in the locker room atmosphere around him. "Nothing against Houston, but there are just mature guys in here, some veterans guys and guys who played in the league for so long where you can just tell the difference,” Cook said.

Hawks Remain Committed To Josh Smith

January 19th, 2013 at 1:54pm CST by Chuck Myron

For most of the season, it seemed like the Hawks and Josh Smith were satisfied with their partnership, with the team not looking to trade the eighth-year veteran and Smith strongly considering re-signing next summer with the only NBA club he's ever played for. When the Hawks issued their athletic forward a one-game suspension this week for "conduct detrimental to the team," it seemed to signal a change, as Smith's agent expressed his client's frustrations in Atlanta and Ken Berger of CBSSports.com reported the team had engaged in trade talks about Smith. Now, Steve Kyler hears that the Hawks are turning away those calls, and are instead looking to build around Smith (Twitter links).

Kyler also tweets that they've held that stance "this week," which could indicate their rumored participation in trade talks was limited to fielding offers and issuing rejections. Kyler notes that the Hawks may decide to entertain a trade for Smith closer to the deadline, but appear more focused on bringing in someone to help distinguish themselves in the tightly bunched upper half of the Eastern Conference (Twitter link). The HoopsWorld scribe isn't sure that the Hawks can accomplish that, and I think it might come down to whether GM Danny Ferry is willing to bite into the ample cap room the team is set to have in the summer. With only about $18.5MM in guaranteed salary on the books for next year, Atlanta could probably take on another moderately-priced multi-year contract without significantly compromising their flexibility.

The Rockets would have interest in Smith if he's available, Kyler tweets, and Berger identified them as one of the teams that would appeal to the 6'9" soon-to-be free agent. It might be difficult for them to get a deal done with Atlanta, though, since they don't have many of the expiring contracts the Hawks would probably want. The Rockets already owe a protected first-round pick to the Hawks that Atlanta acquired via the Nets in the Joe Johnson trade.