HOUSTON — From the moment the Houston Rockets broke training camp in late September, one of the primary goals had been to earn a playoff rematch of last season’s Western Conference finals against the Golden State Warriors. So, mission accomplished? Not quite. Undoubtedly, the Rockets envisioned themselves closer to the team they were in 2014-15 (56-26 overall, No. 2 seed) than the mediocre, 41-41 squad that had to win its final three games this week just to qualify for the playoffs as the eighth
Five Things To Watch: Houston Rockets
The 2014-15 Houston Rockets were a feel-good story, shaking off major injuries and muted preseason forecasts to become the Western Conference’s second-best team. The 2015-16 Rockets, on the other hand, shouldn’t come as such a surprise. Following the bold offseason trade for former Denver point guard Ty Lawson, the story in Houston is back to being about what is, rather than what might be. In other words, GM Daryl Morey is finally “all-in” on his roster. While Lawson fills the obvious need of
PODCAST: After whiffing on Aldridge, Rockets turn focus to re-signing core, exploring trades
Houston GM Daryl Morey has yet to hit a home run in this summer’s free agency, with initial target LaMarcus Aldridge spurning the Rockets to sign with the rival San Antonio Spurs. But as Houston enters 2015-16 coming off its first conference finals appearance in 18 years, was a roster overhaul truly essential? [Read more…]
SH Blog: Is George Karl known as a snake in the grass?; Goran Dragic officially enters free agency
Is veteran coach George Karl secretly a snake in the grass? That’s what DeMarcus Cousins and a few other stars from Karl-led teams seem to believe. Via Basketball Forever, here’s the infamous tweet of emojis from Cousins last night mashed with several others in past years from previous Karl players such as Carmelo Anthony and Andre Igoudala. There seems to be a common theme. According to Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Karl has recently tried to convince Kings’ management to trade Cousins, an idea that owner Vivek Ranadivé
SH Blog: Pat Beverley attempted return for West Finals; Magic prioritize Tom Thibodeau for vacancy
Was an unexpected comeback ever in the works for injured Houston Rockets point guard Patrick Beverley in the Western Conference Finals? It depends who you believe. Rockets’ officials, including head coach Kevin McHale and general manager Daryl Morey, consistently stuck with the company line that he’s out for the entire playoffs, which the Rockets first said on March 30 after Beverley opted for surgery to repair torn ligaments in his left, non-shooting wrist. But Beverley himself has had other ideas. In April, he told Mark Berman
SH Blog: Durant, Beverley undergo successful surgeries with months of recovery ahead; Rose returns to 5-on-5
Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Kevin Durant underwent successful bone graft surgery on Tuesday morning for his ailing right foot, and the timetable of 4-to-6 months for his return to basketball activities remains in place. From the team’s official release: Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant underwent successful bone graft surgery today for the fifth metatarsal of his right foot, Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti announced. The procedure was performed by Dr. Martin O’Malley with Thunder medical personnel present at
SH Blog: Dwight Howard in, Pat Beverley out for Rockets; Derrick Rose expects to be cleared for contact soon
Just as one key starter returns to the Houston Rockets after two-plus months away, another could soon be facing an injury of comparable intensity. Dwight Howard returned to the starting lineup on Wednesday for the first time since January 23. It’s just the 33rd game played this season for Howard, who has dealt with ongoing right knee problems since first suffering a bone bruise in training camp. Unfortunately for the Rockets, Howard’s return coincides with a new injury to starting point guard Pat
SH Blog: Wolves ship Williams to Hornets, may cut Neal; Hawks clear cap room by trading Payne to Minnesota
The Minnesota Timberwolves weren’t able to fetch much in return for veteran point guard Mo Williams, shipping both he and second-year guard Troy Daniels to the Charlotte Hornets for guard Gary Neal and a 2019 second-round pick. The trade was first reported by Shams Charania of RealGM, who says the Wolves (11-41) will now explore buyout negotiations with Neal. Neal, 30, has disappointed in his role with Charlotte this year — shooting just 29% from beyond the arc, his specialty — but