Salman Ali Articles - Page 4

One of the last big remaining questions for the Rockets going into the season is who starts at small forward. Kevin Porter Jr., Jalen Green, Christian Wood, and Daniel Theis are all locks entering the season to be starters and the only question remaining is that fifth spot. Houston is essentially debating between a three-guard […]

Prior to the season, it was pretty easy to predict how the Houston Rockets’ rotation would look like. Houston had drafted four rookies, but because they had at least eight active players on the roster over the age of 24, it was likely only two of those rookies would play regular minutes. Rockets head coach […]

One quarter into Houston’s first preseason game against Washington and it was pretty clear that the defense is going to be a work in progress all year. Obviously this Rockets team is pretty inexperienced with playing with each other, but it’s also important to remember that poor defense isn’t uncommon for young teams in the […]

Good or bad, everything in the preseason should be taken with a grain of salt, especially for this young Houston Rockets team. While it’s statistically more indicative of what will happen in the regular season than pundits give it credit for, the preseason primarily serves two purposes: For coaches to figure out rotations and lineups […]

The Houston Rockets defeated the Washington Wizards 125-119 in their preseason opener on a late fourth quarter surge, but the story Tuesday night was Kevin Porter Jr. In his first career preseason start at point guard, Porter Jr. poured in 25 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block on nearly 70% true shooting. […]

For veteran teams in the NBA, preseason is a nuisance. It’s something everybody has to do, but nobody wants to. For most teams, the number one objective is to not get injured. For a young team like the 2021-22 Houston Rockets, preseason takes on an added layer of importance. “I just want us to get […]

After five days on Galveston beach, the Houston Rockets completed their training camp on Saturday. Last season, Rockets training camp was awkward and uncomfortable as the team awaited James Harden and P.J. Tucker’s arrival. This season, Houston got ahead of any awkwardness by coming to an agreement with veteran guard John Wall. This led to […]

Adjusting to the NBA as a rookie is incredibly difficult. The competition is bigger, faster, and stronger than what you’re accustomed to. There’s nothing that can prepare you for an 82-game schedule with lots of traveling. You’re also constantly competing for a spot in the rotation with your teammates. Now imagine not speaking the language […]

Houston Rockets big man Christian Wood has never been a player devoid of confidence. It’s why he found his way back into the league after playing overseas. It’s how he broke out as a player in Detroit after coming off the bench for Andre Drummond. And it’s how he carried that trajectory into Houston the […]

All summer, the Houston Rockets hinted that Kevin Porter Jr. was going to be their starting point guard this season. John Wall not being in the picture only makes this even more of a reality. At a charity event availability, Rafael Stone indicated that the organization views him as a playmaker. This was also when […]

Following Houston Rockets Media Day, a few things stood out above the rest of the noise. In this post, we’ll take a look at the three biggest takeaways. Rockets Media Day Takeaways 1. John Wall will travel with the Rockets This is quite an unusual arrangement the Rockets have conjured up, but it doesn’t seem […]

To say it was a surprise to see John Wall speak at Rockets Media Day is an understatement. After news broke about the Rockets and Wall mutually agreeing to eventually part ways, it was assumed Wall might not even be at media day, much less speak at it. It was obvious that the Rockets had […]

There’s a misconception about rebuilding in the NBA that has carried into most fanbases: star players are always available. The Houston Rockets are a team that could be categorized as rebuilding and the fan base knows this. When you look at the NBA over the last decade, it’s not hard to see where the misconception […]

Media Day is basically the NBA’s version of the first day of school crossed with picture day. All 30 teams, including the Houston Rockets, are starting off at 0-0 records, so there’s an enthusiasm and energy to get the season started. Players, coaches, and executives all talk about how outside expectations and perceptions don’t matter, […]

It’s been pretty clear for a while now that Eric Gordon doesn’t have a long-term future with the Rockets. Once James Harden was traded in January,  every relevant role player left over from the last regime was on the clock. Last season P.J. Tucker grew disgruntled with the franchise for not receiving a contract extension […]

The hardest thing to do in the NBA is successfully rebuild. General managers are fired every year because they can’t get their teams back on the path to title contention. There’s a reason a lot of the teams at the top of the draft often return the following season. Once you’re at the bottom of […]

After Summer League, many have penciled in Jalen Green as Cade Cunningham’s greatest challenger for Rookie of the Year. Green looked spectacular in Las Vegas, averaging 20.3 points on 70.7% true shooting. Per BetMGM, Green currently stands at +300 odds for the award, behind only Cunningham at +250. At points this summer, Cunningham and Green […]

It came as a bit of a surprise when veteran guard John Wall and the Houston Rockets agreed to part ways. It’s not that many envisioned a long future for Wall on the Rockets, but the resolution came faster than anyone could have expected. Wall still has two years remaining on his contract and it […]

The Houston Rockets are in the process of finding a new home for veteran guard John Wall. Wall is only one year removed from an Achilles injury and has one of the most exorbitant contracts in basketball. This will make it very difficult for the Rockets to find a trade partner. However, there is one […]

It’s been eight months since James Harden was traded to the Brooklyn Nets. Because of how far the draft picks involved convey, this is the kind of trade that will take a decade to properly evaluate. However, we do have the freedom to periodically revisit how the trade looks from both perspectives. Unless something devastating […]

If there was ever a cloud over Houston’s upcoming season, it was veteran guard John Wall’s presence on the team. The Rockets are set up to be this young, vibrant team coming off a brutal 17-win season and Wall never fit into that vision. It’s healthier that both parties realized this now rather than later […]

Per Shams Charania of The Athletic, John Wall and the Houston Rockets have met and mutually agreed to work to find a new home for the veteran guard. John Wall will be at training camp, but not play in any of Houston’s games. This is exciting news if you’re a Rockets fan who wants to […]

The 2020-21 Houston Rockets were a mess on multiple fronts. The James Harden fiasco torpedoed whatever work Houston did to prepare for the season in training camp and they were never able to recover. Even after Harden’s exit, the Rockets couldn’t stay healthy enough to build any sort of chemistry. There was just no method […]

In 2014, I was blogging about the Houston Rockets for a local Houston sports blog. The Rockets had just come off of a crushing defeat to the Portland Trail Blazers in the playoffs and missed on signing Chris Bosh in free agency so fan morale was down. I pitched a story to my editor titled, […]

There’s little doubt that Houston Rockets fans are excited for the 2021-22 NBA season. After a 17-win campaign this past season, it’s hard not to believe that there’s nowhere left to go but up. Houston also fast-tracked their youth movement by drafting four rookies in June. The natural question head coach Stephen Silas has to […]

The 2020-21 Houston Rockets were a tough watch for several reasons. After James Harden was traded, a ton of Rockets fans tuned out the team entirely for the remainder of the year. However, it’s not just that Harden was traded that made Houston a rough team to follow. Last year’s Rockets team just didn’t feel […]

Most people who tune into the Houston Rockets on NBA League Pass this season will want to see rookie Jalen Green in action. Green has star-level expectations and is going to be a major key in Houston’s rebuild moving forward, so it’s not a surprise that he’s already billed as the main attraction. However, even […]

After winning 17 games last season, the Houston Rockets are projected to be at the bottom of the Western Conference again next season. Per BetOnline, the Rockets have an opening win total for the 2021-22 season of 26.5 wins – second to last in the West. And it’s understandable why the line is set that […]

In your typical rebuild, what follows a superstar player’s exit is the gradual teardown of the once-playoff roster left behind. Expiring contracts are moved immediately and the veterans signed to long-term deals typically follow after that. The case is no different with the Houston Rockets after James Harden was traded. Forward P.J. Tucker was traded […]

In life, we’re all entitled to make mistakes. We try to avoid them as best we can, but it’s an inescapable part of the human experience. Most of us are fortunate enough to make these mistakes in the privacy of our own lives. However, as a public figure, particularly an athlete, you’re not afforded that […]

The most devastating injury in basketball is the torn Achilles. It has claimed the careers of several NBA players and severely altered the careers of others. When the Houston Rockets originally acquired John Wall, they took back a first-round pick for their troubles — implicitly admitting that Russell Westbrook was the more valuable player. Wall […]

As with any rebuild, the Houston Rockets will want to acquire a star-level player at some point. It’s clear that their first stab at it is going to be through the draft (via Jalen Green), but the best rebuilds put the organization in position to do all three: draft, trade, and/or free agency. Houston won’t […]

Few executives have walked into a situation as precarious as the one Rockets GM Rafael Stone walked into 11 months ago. In addition to having to fill the giant shoes of his predecessor Daryl Morey, Stone had to hire a head coach and make sure his star players were happy with the direction of the […]

Heading toward the 2021-22 NBA season, the Houston Rockets are in a weird middle ground where they’ve started to tear down the foundation from the previous regime, but haven’t quite finished yet. There are 8 players on the roster aged 25-years or older so it’s not exactly the youngest roster in the NBA. At the […]

NBA schedule release is a weird tradition we have in sports. For the NBA, we historically didn’t care as much as do about it today. It may have stemmed from fans wanting to see their favorite teams play on the league’s marquee dates (Christmas Day, MLK Day, etc…). Whatever the case, it’s a big deal […]

The NBA Draft has been around for over seven decades and we still haven’t mastered the art yet. Every year there are players that fall at least a dozen spots too low and it’s always obvious in hindsight that they should have been drafted higher. Perhaps the most famous example of this is Warriors forward […]

With less than than a month away from NBA training camps starting to open up, most teams have packed their rosters past the maximum capacity. You are allowed to have up to 20 players in training camp via Exhibit 10 contracts and every year teams do this so they can evaluate at as many players […]

The Houston Rockets acquiring guard Kevin Porter Jr. from the Cleveland Cavaliers for a second round pick that was unlikely to convert is the textbook definition of a low-risk acquisition. The Cavaliers ran out of patience with Porter Jr. and the Rockets were happy to take on his tantalizing talent for free. Even now, Houston […]

After locking up forward Kevin Durant for multiple seasons, the Brooklyn Nets have turned their attention towards securing contracts extensions with stars Kyrie Irving and James Harden. With how ugly the Harden saga ended in Houston, it’s understandable if Rockets fans could care less what their former star is doing in the offseason. However, these […]