James Harden Fined $25K For Criticizing Officials
Rockets star James Harden has been hit with a $25K fine for comments he made about the officiating after Thursday’s loss to the Lakers, the NBA announced on Twitter.
After fouling out of the game, Harden told reporters that referee Scott Foster has a “personal” issue with the Rockets and suggested that he shouldn’t be allowed to work any more of the team’s games. The calls against Harden included four offensive fouls.
“Scott Foster, man. I never really talk about officiating or anything like that, but just rude and arrogant,” Harden said in comments relayed by Tim MacMahon of ESPN. “I mean, you aren’t able to talk to him throughout the course of the game, and it’s like, how do you build that relationship with officials? And it’s not even that call [on the sixth foul]. It’s just who he is on that floor.
“It’s pretty frustrating. And I’m probably going to get hit [with a fine], but honestly, I don’t really say anything. I’m a pretty quiet guy, to myself, but it’s one of those things where you can’t voice your opinion. You can’t have a conversation with someone that’s officiating the game. You’re getting a tech. It’s pretty sad.”
MacMahon notes that Houston’s Chris Paul had a similar incident last January after a game in which Foster gave him a technical foul, calling Foster “who they pay to see.” Paul also received a technical and fouled out of Thursday’s game with the Lakers.
LeBron, Giannis Draft 2019 All-Star Teams
LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo drafted their teams for the 2019 All-Star Game on Thursday, officially finalizing the rosters for this year’s contest. James and Antetokounmpo were chosen as captains because they were the All-Star starter from each conference with the most fan votes.
Both James and Antetokounmpo first had to select from a pool of starters, then from a list of reserve players. The starters, which consisted of eight other players, were voted on by the fans, players and media this season. The reserve players were voted on by the NBA’s 30 head coaches.
James drafted Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard and James Harden as starters, choosing Durant as his first selection. His reserves were Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, Damian Lillard, Russell Westbrook, LaMarcus Aldridge, Karl-Anthony Towns, Bradley Beal and Dwyane Wade.
Antetokounmpo drafted Stephen Curry, Joel Embiid, Paul George and Kemba Walker as his starters, selecting Curry with his first pick. He drafted Khris Middleton, Nikola Jokic, Ben Simmons, Blake Griffin, D’Angelo Russell, Nikola Vucevic, Kyle Lowry and Dirk Nowitzki as his reserves.
James later traded Westbrook to Team Giannis in exchange for Simmons, making an effort to repair the relationship of Westbrook and Embiid.
The 68th NBA All-Star Game is set to commence on February 17 at Spectrum Center, featuring 26 of the best basketball players in the world.
Lowe’s Latest: Rockets, Prince, Blazers, Heat
The Rockets and Cavaliers had discussions about sending Brandon Knight to Cleveland along with a first-round pick in exchange for Alec Burks. However, Zach Lowe of ESPN.com hears that those talks have ceased. Houston has also spoken with the Grizzlies about potential Knight deals.
Cleveland is selling Burks, Rodney Hood, and any other “indispensable asset” prior to the deadline, Lowe writes. The team is willing to take back future salary in exchange for picks.
Houston is expected to scour the market for deals leading up to the deadline with an eye on attaching a future first-rounder to Knight and Marquese Chriss. The Rockets would likely push for lottery protections on any picks that would convey past James Harden‘s prime.
Lowe’s latest piece contains trade nuggets from several teams in the league and we’ve already passed along news from the Grizzlies’ Mike Conley and Marc Gasol sweepstakes as well as the Magic’s pre-deadline plan. Here are the rest of the newsworthy notes from the ESPN piece:
- The Hawks have made Taurean Prince available in trade talks, sources tell Lowe. Atlanta hasn’t received a ton of traction on Prince deals because of its asking price. The organization wants a young prospect and a pick in exchange for the small forward.
- The Blazers have put their first-rounder on the table in trade talks, sources tell Lowe. Portland has reached out about Otto Porter Jr.‘s availability, though Wizards owner Ted Leonsis previously announced that the team would not be trading Porter before the deadline.
- Porter has drawn interest from several teams. In addition to the Blazers, the Mavericks and Jazz have kept an eye on the situation. Dallas was interested in swapping Harrison Barnes for Porter prior to the Kristaps Porzingis trade.
- Miami appears to be willing to move anyone but Justise Winslow, Josh Richardson and Bam Adebayo for cap relief. Lowe expects the Heat to try to get at least a second-round pick for Wayne Ellington.
- Lowe confirms a previous report that JaMychal Green, Justin Holiday, and Garrett Temple are all available. Holiday, who was acquired from the Bulls earlier this year, cost the Grizzlies two second-round picks.
- The Kings have approximately $11MM in cap space available and they want to use it to pick up an asset. Lowe writes that it could be a draft pick or a player who will help them win this season.
- Sacramento is willing to engage in trade talks about Willie Cauley-Stein, who will be a restricted free agent this summer. The Kings may simply let the center walk should he receive too high of an offer this offseason.
- The Bulls are expected to listen to offers for anyone but Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter. Lowe doesn’t expect Chicago to deal either Kris Dunn or Zach LaVine though, as the team’s asking price is anticipated to be too high.
- The Nuggets own a pair of trade exceptions and have slightly less than $7MM in breathing room under the tax. They are open to taking on a salary dump if another team calls and has to shed a player in that price range.
Southwest Notes: Rockets, The Brothers Gasol, Introduction Videos
More often than not, Rockets general manager Daryl Morey finds a trade partner ahead of the annual deadline. Although it didn’t happen last year, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle writes that the team is confident something will transpire this time around.
While the mid-season additions of Austin Rivers and Kenneth Faried have impacted the Rockets’ list of needs, the club could still benefit from making a move for a versatile defender with three-point range.
Morey is said to be extremely active in talks so far this year and the Rockets even offered four first-round picks for Jimmy Butler prior to his trade to the Sixers.
There’s more out of the Southwest Division:
- The Rockets care not for your factoid about James Harden scoring 304 consecutive unassisted points, Hunter Atkins of the Houston Chronicle writes. Perhaps more impressively, Mike D’Antoni has coached the two players with the next highest streaks as well (Chris Paul and Steve Nash).
- In 2008, the Grizzlies packaged up star big man Pau Gasol and sent him off to the Lakers in exchange for Marc Gasol and a pair of first-round picks. Over a decade later, the brothers could theoretically be swapped again. While Marc has established himself as a franchise staple, the soon-to-be rebuilding Grizz are said to be open to offers for him. “There’s a part of me that would like that,” Marc told David Cobb of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “He still has a place here.“
- Wednesday night brought a brief moment of levity for a fan base that’s been kicked in the pants repeatedly this week when the Pelicans removed Anthony Davis from the introduction video that plays for fans at the Smoothie King Center, Bleacher Report tweets.
Southwest Notes: Pelicans, Grizzlies, Walker, Rockets
It’s certainly hard to build playoff contenders in the NBA on a regular basis, but the Pelicans have failed to have much meaningful playoff success throughout Anthony Davis‘ career.
As Martin Rogers writes for USA Today Sports, if Davis does indeed leave in the near future, the Pelicans have no one to blame but themselves due to struggles in constructing a competitive team around him.
Pelicans GM Dell Demps has certainly tried to make significant moves to build a contender around Davis, most notably the Pelicans’ trade for DeMarcus Cousins two seasons ago.
There’s more from the Southwest division:
- With the reports that the Grizzlies are willing to part ways with Marc Gasol and Mike Conley, Omari Sankofa II points out for The Athletic that the duo is cherishing the positive moments and victories they can get in the meantime.
- Lonnie Walker received significant minutes in the Spurs‘ latest win. As Tom Osborn details for The San Antonio Express-News, Walker has worked hard to recover from his injury and showcase his potential.
- Chris Paul has returned to action for the Rockets, which excites James Harden, as Liam Blackburn writes for Sporting News. Harden has carried an incredible usage and workload over the past month due to a lack of playmakers and scorers across the Rockets’ roster.
NBA Announces 2019 All-Star Starters
The NBA announced the starters and captains for the 2019 All-Star Game on Thursday, with the Lakers’ LeBron James and Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo being named team captains for their respective conferences.
The Western Conference starters are comprised of James, Warriors stars Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, Rockets guard James Harden, and Thunder forward Paul George.
Antetokounmpo, Hornets guard Kemba Walker, Celtics guard Kyrie Irving, Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard, and Sixers center Joel Embiid were named starters in the Eastern Conference.
James (4,620,809 votes) and Antetokounmpo (4,375,747 votes) received the most fan votes from each conference in the past month, giving them the honors of being captains this season.
James and Antetokounmpo will draft their teams from the list of these starters and reserves on Thursday, February 7, hours after the NBA’s trade deadline. The All-Star Game will take place on Sunday, February 17, with the reserve players set to be announced next Thursday night.
We made our All-Star picks for the Western Conference and Eastern Conference earlier this week.
Rockets Notes: House, Ariza, LeBron
As the Rockets got off to a rough start, a big issue plaguing the team was a lack of depth, especially on the wing. With Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute departing in the offseason and Carmelo Anthony deemed too much of a negative to be part of the rotation, the Rockets were left with James Ennis and not much else.
That is where the emergence of Danuel House comes into play. As Jonathan Feigen writes for The Houston Chronicle, House has stepped up in recent games and provided a much-needed lift for the Rockets. House insists he is focused on hitting shots, playing solid defense and providing energy off the bench, especially as Ennis recently went down with an injury and Eric Gordon has been inserted into the starting lineup.
The Rockets have started to turn things around in recent games, with House providing an unexpected jolt off the bench just when the team needed one.
There’s more from the Rockets:
- The Rockets have surely missed Ariza’s presence and leadership, which Tania Ganguli details for The Los Angeles Times. Gerald Green and P.J. Tucker are quoted on the value that Ariza can bring to a locker room, especially on the Rockets team that had high aspirations last season.
- A brief but flashy storyline in the offseason was the potential that LeBron James would join his friend Chris Paul and defending MVP James Harden in Houston to form a new super team. Of course, that never happened and Dave McMenamin of ESPN reveals (via Twitter) that James didn’t give much thought to actually joining the Rockets.
- The Rockets recently emerged as a potential suitor for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the 25-year-old shooting guard from the Lakers. Caldwell-Pope can provide defense and 3-point shooting, which the Rockets could use more of moving forward.
Poll: Rockets’ Playoff Chances
In what has seemingly been a weekly topic among NBA fans and analysts, the Rockets‘ slow start has only gotten worse, as they have now lost three straight games for the third time this season and sit at 11-14, good for 14th in the Western Conference.
What many brushed off as a simple slump due to injuries and cold shooting has continued throughout the season, despite the team boasting the healthiest rotation in recent games as Chris Paul, Gerald Green and Nene have all returned from injuries.
While the Rockets’ offense has struggled from time to time (they rank ninth in the league), it is the defense that has continued to fail them, as they have fallen all the way down to 25th on that end of the floor. Additionally, the team’s lack of quality depth has been exposed as a result of their top players not leading the way as expected.
Chris Paul is in the midst of the worst season of his career while Eric Gordon has been nowhere near the levels from previous seasons. Meanwhile, James Harden and Clint Capela are putting up eye-opening offensive numbers but aren’t playing the level of defense they were at last season. Combine all of those factors together and you get the perfect recipe for this disastrous season for the Rockets.
Barring a trade, there is no solution on the way, especially considering the amount of problems that need solving. Sure, the season is just over one-quarter of the way through, but the Rockets’ recent play doesn’t inspire confidence in their abilities moving forward.
At the moment, the Rockets are just 2 1/2 games out of the eighth seed. That begs the question, do you think the Rockets will make the playoffs? Vote in the poll below and share your thoughts in the comments section!
Will the Rockets make the playoffs?
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Yes 64% (1,258)
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No 36% (694)
Total votes: 1,952
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.
Rockets Notes: Nene, Harden, Ennis, D’Antoni
Rockets big man Nene will miss at least two weeks of action due to a right calf strain, the team announced on Thursday (Twitter link). Nene underwent an MRI on Wednesday after feeling additional pain caused by the injury.
Nene, a 17-year NBA veteran, experienced a setback this week and re-aggravated his calf, according to The Athletic’s Kelly Iko (Twitter link). It’s possible that he winds up being sidelined 3-4 weeks.
Nene is in his third season with the Rockets, providing depth in the frontcourt and a veteran presence essential to contending teams. He averaged 6.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 14.6 minutes per contest in 52 games last season.
There’s more news out of Houston today:
- James Harden will miss the next two games after suffering a Grade 1-Plus left hamstring strain, the club announced. Harden left Wednesday’s game against the Jazz early in the fourth quarter and underwent an MRI Thursday morning. He will be reevaluated again next week, a crushing blow to a team already without suspended guard Chris Paul.
- The Rockets also announced a third injury, revealing that forward James Ennis sustained a Grade-2 right hamstring strain during the fourth quarter of Sunday’s road game against the Clippers. Ennis will miss the next two games and is set to be reevaluated next week.
- Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni sat down with The Athletic’s Sam Amick to discuss the current team, his time with the Suns and the strong locker room dynamic in Houston this year. The Rockets fought through a close seven-game series with the Warriors in May, showing the heart and promise lying within their talented roster.
Southwest Notes: Doncic, Brase, Harden
It’s not fair to saddle a 19-year-old rookie with the responsibility of turning the Mavs‘ franchise around. Fortunately, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News writes, Luka Doncic won’t have to.
Although Doncic will face pressure as a highly touted European charged with the task of at least symbolically replacing Mavs legend Dirk Nowitzki, he’ll get substantial help from incoming veteran DeAndre Jordan.
Jordan, along with young players like Dennis Smith Jr. and Harrison Barnes, should give the Mavs considerably more bite in 2018/19 after a down season last year.
Sefko writes that he thinks Mavs fans can expect the Doncic trade to pay dividends but they may not come for a year or two.
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- The Rockets will add former Rio Grande Valley Vipers coach Matt Brase to head coach Mike D’Antoni‘s staff this season, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle tweets. Joseph Blair is a favorite to replace Brase in the G League.
- A city prosecutor is reviewing an allegation against James Harden, an Associated Press report states. The Rockets star allegedly grabbed a woman’s wrist and threw her cellphone on the roof outside of a nightclub when she was recording a fight.
- The Spurs will roster a team without several major contributors to their last championship, this season. A Basketball Insiders report breaks down their chances of being relevant in 2018/19 and the new challenges ahead.