Houston Rockets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Rockets Sign Courtney Fortson For Rest Of Season

March 27th, 2012 at 6:43pm CST by Michael Pina

A day after his 10-day contract expired, the Rockets have decided to keep Courtney Fortson for the rest of the season, with a non-guaranteed contract next year, also. According to the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen, this means Fortson can go through the Rockets' offseason program and summer league, and, hopefully, be a part of their training camp.

Fortson was waived by the Clippers after signing a 10-day contract with the team on January 27th. Since signing with Houston on March 18th, Fortson has appeared in five games, posting averages of 2.8 PPG and 0.8 APG.

The Rockets have been in search of backcourt stability since losing Kyle Lowry to a mysterious bacterial infection a few weeks ago. Days after acquiring Derek Fisher at the trade deadline, Houston agreed to a buyout with the former Laker point guard, and yesterday they signed 13-year veteran Earl Boykins to a 10-day contract.

Rockets Sign Malcolm Thomas To 10-Day Contract

March 27th, 2012 at 5:25pm CST by Daniel Seco

TUESDAY, 5:25pm: The Rockets made the move official, announcing (via Twitter) that they've signed Thomas to a 10-day contract.

MONDAY, 9:11pm: Los Angeles D-Fenders forward Malcolm Thomas is expected to be called up by the Rockets on Wednesday, reports Yahoo! Sports writer Marc J. Spears (via Twitter). Thomas, 23, saw limited action in three games earlier this season with the Spurs before being released in early February. The rookie out of San Diego State is currently averaging 13.8 PPG and 9.3 RPG in 19 games with the D-Fenders.

Southwest Notes: Spurs, Thomas, Hornets

March 27th, 2012 at 2:47pm CST by Luke Adams

San Antonio finally finalized its signing of Patrick Mills today, and while it's unclear whether the point guard will play in Phoenix tonight, he'll at least be on the Spurs' bench. Here are a few more links on the Southwest leaders and their division rivals:

The flurry of midseason roster moves made by the Spurs in recent weeks is unprecedented for the team, says Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. Manu Ginobli says the acquisitions of Stephen Jackson, Boris Diaw, and Mills show the Spurs are going "all-in" while Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle says San Antonio is "loading up for a run."
The Rockets are expected to sign Malcolm Thomas, as we heard last night. According to Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston (Twitter link), the Rockets will assign Thomas to their D-League affiliate so he can receive more playing time as the team evaluates him.
Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld takes an extended look at the Hornets' current situation, with decisions on Eric Gordon and a handful of unrestricted free agents coming this summer.

Western Notes: Brooks, Fortson, Jazz

March 26th, 2012 at 6:27pm CST by Daniel Seco

With a busy Monday chock full of games set to get underway, let's take a look around the Western Conference to catch up on the latest news and happenings.

Stefan Swiat of Suns.com says Suns general manager Lance Blanks took a flight to China on Monday to check in on CBA All-Star point guard Aaron Brooks. The former Oregon star has thrived in China as he has led his squad to the CBA Finals thanks to his 21.9 PPG and 4.7 APG. Adding a hot Brooks for the stretch run may be enough for the Suns to clinch a playoff spot with the team currently one game behind the Rockets for the eighth seed.
The Rockets are set to sign guard Courtney Fortson for the remainder of the season with a team option for next year, tweets Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston. Fortson, 23, signed a 10-day contract with the team on March 18th after being cut by the Clippers in late January. The rookie out of Arkansas is currently averaging 2.8 PPG and 1.2 RPG in five games with the Rockets.
Lang Greene of HoopsWorld writes many Jazz players are relieved that the trade deadline has passed given the uncertainty surrounding the front office's plans for developing the roster. Since the deadline, the Jazz have won six of their last seven games, putting the team in the playoff mix as the current seventh seed in the Western Conference.

Rockets Agree To Sign Earl Boykins

March 26th, 2012 at 1:55pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets and Earl Boykins have agreed to terms on a 10-day contract, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Houston had a pair of open roster spots, and won't need to make a corresponding move to make room for Boykins.

Boykins, 35, told Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype last month that he was talking to a couple teams and hoped to find a deal soon. The Rockets will be the tenth team Boykins has played for in 13 NBA seasons. Although the 5'5" guard hasn't played in the NBA yet this year, he appeared in 57 games for the Bucks in 2010/11, averaging 7.2 points and 2.5 assists in 15.1 minutes per game.

Southwest Notes: Arenas, Camby, Smith, Mills

March 22nd, 2012 at 9:48am CST by Luke Adams

Here's the latest out of the Southwest, the only division in the NBA that would send four teams to the playoffs if the season ended today:

Gilbert Arenas, recently signed by the Grizzlies, spoke to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal about a number of topics in a lengthy interview. Arenas says that in addition to the Grizzlies and Lakers, the Hawks and Nets also had interest in him.
Another new addition, Marcus Camby, brings "a different vibe" to the Rockets, coach Kevin McHale told Joseph Duarte of the Houston Chronicle.
The Rockets assigned Greg Smith to their D-League affiliate yesterday, tweets Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston.
Tim Griffin of the San Antonio Express-News noticed the Spurs listed a "Mills" as one of their inactive players on the official scoresheet for last night's game, and wonders if the team has finalized its rumored deal with Patrick Mills.

Latest On Derek Fisher

March 19th, 2012 at 7:12pm CST by Luke Adams

After Derek Fisher and the Rockets reached an agreement on a buyout this weekend, Fisher's business manager Jamie Mior released a statement explaining the decision:

"After much discussion and expressing their desire to welcome Derek to their team this season as well as the 2012-2013 season, the Houston Rockets and Derek have negotiated a buyout. Derek's desire to win a sixth championship is what drives him and will continue to drive him as he moves forward. We thank the Houston Rockets front office for their interest, time and their absolute professionalism. There will be no further comment at this time."

While we wait to see if Fisher clears waivers this Wednesday, rumors about which teams are interested in signing him have already surfaced. Let's round up a few of them….

ESPN.com's John Hollinger (via Twitter) notes that Fisher declining his $3.4MM option for next year means that the Rockets were essentially paid $200K to acquire a first-round pick.
The Blazers aren't interested in Fisher, tweets Mike Tokito of The Oregonian.
The Rockets' buyout of Fisher paid him for the rest of this season, but he opted out of all $3.4MM next year, a person with knowledge of the deal told Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
According to ESPN.com's Marc Stein, the Thunder are deciding whether to make a formal bid for Fisher.
The Clippers aren't interested, says Stein.
Fisher has strong interest in joining the Bulls or Heat, according to Stein, but it's unclear to what extent that interest is reciprocated.
Stein adds that the Spurs have some interest, since their signing of Patrick Mills is being held up — according to Stein, the Blazers have yet to renounce Mills' rights, which is odd, since the team tweeted on Saturday that it was done.
Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld (via Twitter) cautions that there's no guarantee Fisher will play for another club this year. The veteran is weighing the option of re-joining the Lakers in a coaching or front office capacity, tweets Kyler. Fisher, of course, can't re-sign with the Lakers as a player this season.

Teams With Open Roster Spots

March 19th, 2012 at 12:22pm CST by Luke Adams

After the flurry of trades, signings, and releases around the league in the last week, it's gotten challenging to keep track which clubs still have the flexibility to make roster moves. To make things a little easier, here's our list of teams who currently have fewer than the maximum 15 players on their rosters, and could add a player without releasing anyone:

76ers: 14
Bulls: 14. When Mike James' second 10-day contract expires, the Bulls will have two open roster spots. They also reportedly have some interest in Leon Powe.
Clippers: 14. The Clips are still deciding whether to sign Bobby Simmons for the rest of the season with their final roster spot.
Grizzlies: 13. Memphis is looking at Gilbert Arenas for one of its openings.
Heat: 14. Miami could fill its final roster spot with a player who is bought out of his contract this week.
Hornets: 13. 14th man Jeff Foote just had his 10-day contract expire.
Jazz: 14
Kings: 14
Lakers: 14
Pacers: 14
Pistons: 14
Raptors: 13
Rockets: 14. Houston will open up a second roster spot when Derek Fisher clears waivers.
Spurs: 13. San Antonio is expecting to add Patrick Mills with one of its open roster spots. Even if the Spurs finalize Mills' deal, they'll still have a pair of open spots after Eric Dawson's second 10-day deal expires.
Suns: 13
Warriors: 13
Wizards: 14. 14th man Edwin Ubiles is on a 10-day contract.

Note: The Nets currently have 15 players on their roster, but will open up a spot when Jerry Smith's 10-day contract expires.

Odds & Ends: Fisher, Bayless, Morey, Draft

March 18th, 2012 at 9:04pm CST by Alex Lee

With Derek Fisher being bought out by the Rockets after being acquired from the Lakers, there is plenty of speculation of where the veteran guard will end up. No longer a difference maker, Fisher's value would likely be as a leader for a contender or as a role model for the younger players on a rebuilding team. David Alridge tweeted that Fisher is not sure what he will do and that he wants to see if his "heart is still in it."

Here are some other notes from around the league on this Sunday night:

Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun examines the effect that Jerryd Bayless' recent play will have on the Raptors' decision making. Wolstat speculates that Bayless could replace the aging Jose Calderon, who has been solid but is not exactly an exciting option for a lottery-bound team. Bayless is a restricted free agent after the year while Calderon is under contract for one more year.
Jerome Solomon of the Houston Chronicle analyzes Rockets' GM Daryl Morey's thusfar-unsuccessful quest to land an All-Star caliber player. Morey, whose shrewd decision making is lauded in many NBA circles, has upgraded Houston's roster repeatedly via trade but has yet to hit a home run.
Moe Harkless, St. John's forward and Big East Rookie of the Year, will reportedly file for early entry to June's NBA Draft, according to ESPN via the Associated Press. It is unclear whether Harkless will hire an agent immediately or is just testing the waters, but the program has scheduled a press conference for Monday.
Jonathan Tjarks from RealGM takes a look at the apparently skyrocketing value of late first round picks. Tjarks points to this year's trade deadline as an example of how the new CBA and a deep draft class caused teams to value picks in the 20s.

Rockets Buy Out Derek Fisher

March 18th, 2012 at 4:17pm CST by Michael Pina

Derek Fisher has officially reached a buyout agreement with the Rockets, and is expected to hit free agency once he clears waivers, according to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski. In one of the more surprising deals that went down before the deadline, the 37-year-old point guard was dealt to Houston for Jordan Hill and a top-20 protected first round draft pick after the Lakers acquired Ramon Sessions in a separate move.

The Rockets appeared to be in need of another point guard while Kyle Lowry recuperates from a bacterial infection, but they instead chose to sign Courtney Fortson from the D-league.

At this stage in his career, Fisher is seen as one of the weaker guards in the league, but due to this experience in big games (five championships with the Lakers since 2000) he could sign on with a contender upon becoming a free agent. He'll be available to sign with any team except the Lakers due to a new rule in the CBA.