Houston Rockets Articles - Page 84

Houston Rockets star Russell Westbrook’s NSFW-filled words apparently stuck with Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr. While talking to Bill Murray in his “Flying Coach” podcast with Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, Kerr recalled one of his favorite quotes of all time and it came from the 2016-17 NBA MVP. Via Drew Shiller of NBC […]

Houston Rockets superstar shooting guard James Harden has been training hard in Phoenix during the NBA hiatus. The former MVP says he’s been doing a lot of cardio, balance, stability and body control drills.  Kelly Iko of The Athletic details Harden’s regime here: “I’ve been doing a lot of cardio,” James Harden said. “I’ve got […]

Houston Rockets guard James Harden has been staying ready for a potential resumption of the NBA season, while also indulging on “The Last Dance,” though he has yet to finish the ESPN 10-part docuseries. The Rockets star admitted he is only halfway through the series and is hoping to digest and dissect every bit of […]

Yao Ming’s Hall of Fame NBA career saw him net $93,390,336 in NBA money, per Spotrac. Despite being only able to play in 486 games because of injury, Ming’s impact on and off the floor can’t be measured, particularly in China. Ming came over to America in 2002 after the Houston Rockets selected him with the […]

Some of the biggest moves in Houston Rockets franchise history have happened at the trade deadline. Some of those moves have helped carry the team to success while others have put the team in a hole. Either way, making a deal at the trade deadline can be pivotal for a team’s future, and throughout their […]

When Kyle Lowry’s current contract with the Toronto Raptors expires in the summer of 2021, the guard will have made $190,535,966 in NBA money, per Spotrac. Lowry entered the NBA in 2006 with the Memphis Grizzlies. He made $1,011,720 during his rookie season and finished the year with averages of 5.6 points and 3.2 assists […]

Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks shocked the NBA world during the 2018-19 season when the franchise traded for Kristaps Porzingis. The Mavs boss said that the trade was very similar to the Houston Rockets’ bold move of acquiring James Harden from the Oklahoma City Thunder before the start of the 2012-13 season. “Very [shocked]. […]

Boston Celtics legend and ESPN analyst Paul Pierce ruffled some weathers on Wednesday when he said that Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is not a top-five player of all time. I’m going to be honest here: that is not a terrible take, because a legitimate argument can be made for James not being top […]

Last week, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver stated that he needed a two-to-four-week window to make a decision on whether or not the NBA season would resume. As it appears, a new development has emerged involving the Houston Rockets’ home court as a potential venue for the NBA should the commissioner opt to resume the season. […]

What ifs are always an interesting game to play. They generally never lead anywhere, because what happened already happened, and there is no way to go back in time to change it. But sometimes, the what ifs are very interesting. Let’s take the 2009 NBA Draft, for example. The Los Angeles Clippers took Blake Griffin […]

Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta met with restaurant-industry executives on Monday, asking President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to “add a category” to the Paycheck Protection Program to account for “larger private restaurateurs” and to “do something with lease terminations.” Those pledges were taken into consideration, but not before Trump continually interrupted Fertitta’s […]

The 2020 NBA Conference Finals were scheduled to start on May 19 (with a possible move up to May 17) had the league not suspended the 2019-20 campaign due to the coronavirus pandemic. The NBA has seen plenty of amazing conference finals series over the years. The stakes are even higher when it goes the […]

Russell Westbrook is an MVP on and off the floor. With that said, it is not surprising that his NBA career earnings will be at $338,048,478 once his current contract with the Houston Rockets expires, per Spotrac. The Seattle SuperSonics drafted Westbrook out of UCLA with the fourth overall pick in the 2008 draft. The […]

According to an excerpt from Jerry Krause’s unpublished memoir, the trade that sent Scottie Pippen to the Houston Rockets was a “going-away present” after Pippen’s years of championship-level play while on a laughably cheap contract. Krause recalls a meeting with Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf and the team’s medical staff that July. It persuaded him that […]

Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta fielded questions about his franchise and the NBA’s potential return from an unlikely source on Monday: President Donald Trump. During a meeting at the White House about the restaurant industry, Trump brought up Houston’s continued employment of general manager Daryl Morey after his tweet supporting the Hong Kong anti-government protests […]

Mike D’Antoni and the Houston Rockets were unable to reach an extension last summer, leaving many to wonder if he’ll be back with the team after this season. Some experts believe D’Antoni will be on his way out after this campaign, but team owner Daryl Morey is focusing on the here and now. D’Antoni’s contract […]

Ex-Houston Rockets head coach Kevin McHale’s decision to keep James Harden on the bench during Houston’s improbable comeback versus the L.A. Clippers in Game 6 of the 2016 Western Conference Semifinals helped deliver a key playoff victory—but it may have eventually cost McHale his job. Former Rockets forward Josh Smith—who sparked Houston’s memorable comeback with […]

To celebrate 74 years of the NBA, ESPN recently ranked the top 74 players in league history, and like any list of the best players of all-time, there were controversial choices. Some of them were debatable — Kobe Bryant in the top 10 is probably a stretch, but it’s still hard to complain. Some of […]

The Houston Rockets are joining the list of NBA teams re-opening their practice facility for individual workouts. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported Rockets president Daryl Morey said the team will officially re-open its facility on Monday. The Houston Rockets are re-opening facility for voluntary workouts on Monday, @dmorey says. — Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 16, […]

Longtime Houston Rockets forward Shane Battier revealed the reason why he infamously defended Kobe Bryant with a hand to the face. The defensive specialist had plenty of wars with the Los Angeles Lakers great during his time in the league, and he insists defending Bryant like that wasn’t a matter of blocking his vision. In […]

If Scottie Pippen was in line for a new deal in today’s NBA, he’d be offered one of the most lucrative contracts in the league. A great defender and solid scorer, Pippen would be a headline acquisition for any team. With that in mind, we’re going to look at Scottie Pippen’s NBA contracts. Contracts looked […]

Several high-profile NBA stars held a private conference call on Monday, but the group on the line notably did not include Houston Rockets shooting guard James Harden, according to Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes. ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins, per Dan Feldman of NBC Sports, confirmed Harden was indeed absent. The All-Stars that were on the call included: […]

Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer is doing whatever he can to make sure his players have proper training facilities in the time of COVID-19. Clippers head coach Doc Rivers told his son, Houston Rockets guard Austin Rivers, the players and coaching staff were given Peloton bikes and weights, among other types of workout equipment. The […]

The first couple of episodes of “The Last Dance” revolved around how Scottie Pippen was one of the most underpaid players in the entire NBA during the 1990s. After winning six titles in Chicago, though, the 6-foot-8 swingman finally got his much-deserved payday when he joined the Houston Rockets on a $67 million deal in […]

Jeremy Lin is the owner of one of the most compelling narratives in the history of the NBA. From a virtually unknown player, the 6-foot-3 point guard became a household name practically overnight. He made such a tremendous impact during his time with the New York Knicks, that his amazing rise to fame even earned […]

China’s CCTV released a statement on Tuesday saying that it is not planning on televising NBA games upon the league’s return. The relationship between the TV station and the league is clearly still fractured after Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey’s tweet in defense of the Hong Kong protests last October. As ESPN’s Brian Windhorst […]

NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal believes that the 2019-20 NBA season should be canceled for safety reasons and for the fact that any team who wins the title this year will have an asterisk to their victory. However, for Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey, this situation is exactly why his team is bound to win […]

Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey has some very strong feelings about the mega-hit docu-series The Last Dance. Recently, the 47-year-old team executive shared how uninterested he is in watching the show. As a matter of fact, Morey even went as far as saying that in a life-or-death situation, he would rather choose death instead […]

Tom Thibodeau has been one of the hottest tickets of late, with several teams reportedly looking at the 62-year-old to become their next head coach. Interested teams include the New Jersey Nets, Houston Rockets, and the New York Knicks. For his part, Tom Thibodeau has now addressed the rumors, saying that at this point, there […]

In 2015, Houston Rockets superstar James Harden had his No. 13 jersey retired by his alma mater, Arizona State. As it turns out, Harden’s number is set to be un-retired this coming season, with the former league MVP giving his blessing to one Josh Christopher. Christopher, a five-star recruit coming out of Mayfair High School, […]

Though he’s turning 69 on Friday and at a greater risk of contracting COVID-19, Mike D’Antoni would have no problem with returning to the sidelines as coach of the Houston Rockets if this season resumes. Via ESPN: Rockets sources said that D’Antoni has determined that he would coach if the season resumes in large part […]

The Houston Rockets have had plenty of elite-caliber players pass through their organization since their early days in the late ’60s and ’70s. The list at small forward is slim, though, with only five players who can claim the right to be considered among the cream of the crop. These are the best five small forwards […]

The Houston Rockets are among the NBA teams that can open their practice facility on Friday. However, they won’t do so. According to Marc Stein of the New York Times, the Rockets are going to wait until May 18th in accordance with the decision of Texas Governor Greg Abbott to allow gyms to re-open statewide […]

Coach Mike D’Antoni is set to become a free agent after the 2019-20 season. While he could still sign an extension with the Houston Rockets, various reports reveal that D’Antoni’s future is still in the balance. As such, the Rockets are rumored to be eyeing Jeff Van Gundy as a possible replacement. There have been […]

The Houston Rockets had a record of 40-24 before the season was suspended due to COVID-19. The team had the second-best offense in the NBA in terms of points per game, as Houston was averaging 118.1 points per night with MVPs James Harden and Russell Westbrook leading the charge. However, the Rockets were once again a […]

In the event that Mike D’Antoni leaves the Houston Rockets, the team is reportedly interested in hiring Tom Thibodeau as head coach. As reported by Marc Berman of the New York Post, several teams “will have strong interest” in Thibodeau as their new head coach. These include the New York Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets, […]

If dunking is an art form, then Houston Rockets All-Star Russell Westbrook should be viewed as a master craftsman. The NBA has known several great rim rockers over the years, but few have matched Westbrook’s explosive power. In this piece, we’ll take a look back at what we believe to be the best dunks of […]

While some fans might be quick to assign an asterisk to this year’s NBA champions, Houston Rockets guard Austin Rivers feels differently. The coronavirus pandemic has thrown the sporting world for a loop, including the NBA. League officials are grappling with the best ways to possibly resume and finish the 2019-20 season. Though nothing is […]

The Houston Rockets and general manager Daryl Morey have become pioneers of the NBA’s analytics movement in recent years, which is why they’ve employed coaches like Mike D’Antoni, have played essentially without a true big man and shoot more 3-pointers than just about any other team in league history. With that being said, former Rockets […]