Rockets Rumors & News

ESPN "The Houston Rockets and coach Mike D'Antoni have had preliminary discussions on the framework of a contract extension that would keep the two-time NBA Coach of the Year from entering the final year of his deal. "I've let [general manager] Daryl [Morey] and [team owner]..." May 20

Houston Chronicle "Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta stepped out during a break in Thursday’s University of Houston board of regents meeting to discuss a variety of Rockets issues, from Mike D’Antoni’s future to paying a luxury tax. Along the way, he touched on thoughts about several..." May 19

The Dream Shake "In a total shocker of a move, the Houston Rockets have reportedly “let go” assistant coach Jeff Bzdelik, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Bzdelik was the primary architect of Houston’s switching defensive scheme that was meant to counter the..." May 18

Yahoo! Sports "For the second-straight season, James Harden is on the cusp of winning the NBA’s top award. Harden, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Paul George were named the three finalists for the NBA’s MVP award, the league announced on Friday night. Harden, who won the award last..." May 17

Pro Basketball Talk "The biggest reasons the Rockets lost the Warriors in their second-round series: 1. Golden State is an all-time great team. 2. Houston depleted its roster through spending cuts. Nothing else is even close. Neither Chris Paul nor Clint Capela had a great series. But..." May 17

Bleacher Report "The Houston Rockets must have anticipated this outcome when they signed the then-33-year-old Chris Paul to a four-year, $159.7 million contract last offseason. Paul is on the decline, and while he remains one of the most gifted passers and one-on-one creators in the NBA, his numbers..." May 17

Houston Chronicle "Though Tilman Fertitta’s message was clear that night — his feelings after the Rockets were eliminated in Game 6 by the Warriors were as clear as the night after the Rockets finished off the Jazz and he wrapped P.J. Tucker in a long embrace — Fertitta wanted to be sure..." May 17

Sporting News "It's no secret that Golden State has Houston's number. The Warriors have ended the Rockets' season three times in the last five years and appear to be en route to their fifth consecutive NBA Finals appearance. But that doesn't mean Houston needs to start fresh. The..." May 16

Hoops Rumors "The NBA is expected to tweak the start date and time of its annual July moratorium, sources tell Tim Bontemps of ESPN.com (Twitter link). According to Bontemps, rather than starting at 12:00 am eastern time on July 1, the moratorium will likely begin six hours earlier, on June 30 at 6:00..." May 15

Fadeaway World "There are not a lot of things the 76ers and Rockets have in common. Differing playstyles, opposite conferences, and different stars leading their teams — but they are both stuck in a rather frustrating gutter. The Rockets have been trying for years to beat the Warriors, only to..." May 13

SB Nation "For the fourth time in five seasons, the Rockets suffered a disappointing playoff exit at the hands of the Golden State Warriors. Last season, they blew a 3-2 series lead, missing 27 consecutive threes in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals — one of two games that..." May 13

Bleacher Report "When the Golden State Warriors eliminated the Houston Rockets from the playoffs Friday, Rockets general manager Daryl Morey took to Twitter to congratulate the defending champs. Turns out "congratulations to the Warriors" is one of Morey's favorite Twitter..." May 12

Houston Chronicle "With another Rockets season ended in disappointment, many things were answered, undeniable and clear. But new questions emerged. A look at what to make of the Rockets season that ended with another loss to the Warriors on Friday and where they go from here. Q. Is there a..." May 12

Total Pro Sports "You read that correctly. Chris Paul actually kicked Stephen Curry off the court. It was the night before Game 6 and the Golden State Warriors needed badly to get some shots up and improve without Kevin Durant playing in the game. Marcus Thompson of The Athletic has the..." May 11

Yardbarker "The Houston Rockets have no plans to hit the restart button after their Game 6 flop at home against the Golden State Warriors Friday night.  Owner Tilman Fertitta is intent on improving the roster to help the core group get over the hump in the postseason, reports Tim MacMahon of..." May 11

Bleacher Report "Houston Rockets point guard Chris Paul reportedly had Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry kicked off the Toyota Center court Thursday night after finding out the Dubs superstar was scheduled for a one-hour shooting session ahead of Friday's..." May 11

Houston Chronicle "The Rockets’ season reached its end Friday night. Unfortunately, they lived up to their “Run It Back,” slogan, getting eliminated at home for the second straight year by the two-time defending NBA champion Warriors. Losing to Golden State might not necessarily come..." May 11

SB Nation "On Oct. 17, 2017, five minutes into a decorated partnership the Houston Rockets believe will someday deliver them an NBA championship, James Harden inbounded the ball to Chris Paulalong the baseline. With Golden State Warriors wing Patrick..." May 11

Larry Brown Sports "James Harden once again did not play his best basketball in an elimination game, and he compounded things with an inexcusable turnover in crunch time. Harden’s Houston Rockets were down 107-102 after a Steph Curry 3-pointer with 1:28 remaining in Game 6 of the Western Conference..." May 11

ESPN "After tipping his cap to the Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta defiantly guaranteed that James Harden will lead his franchise to championships. "They kicked our ass on our home court," Fertitta said after the Warriors..." May 11

Real GM Basketball "The Golden State Warriors are six-point underdogs in Game 6 against the Houston Rockets. Kevin Durant has been essentially ruled out for the game with a calf injury. " May 09

The Big Lead "The Houston Rockets missed out on a golden opportunity to take control of the de facto NBA Finals. They’d just erased a 20-point lead. Kevin Durant was in the locker room with a potentially serious lower-leg injury which rendered him helpless and the home fans distressed. And just like..." May 09

Sportsnaut "James Harden and Kevin Durant are both on incredible tears scoring the basketball during the Western Conference Semifinals between the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors. The big picture: The two dueling superstars have both been scoring the ball at will during this series. And..." May 08

Dime Magazine "Daryl Morey has executed more trades than just about any executive in the NBA, including seven just this season. His biggest coup was acquiring James Harden in 2012 (as well as Cole Adrich, Daequan Cook, and Lazar Hayward) for Jeremy Lamb, Kevin Martin, and three draft picks that eventually..." May 08

NBC Sports Bay Area "Chris Paul has been getting under the Warriors' skin, that much is clear. While the star point guard was largely absent in the first two games of the Rockets' Western Conference semifinal series with two-time defending NBA champions, he was a different player when the series..." May 08

Bleacher Report "Whichever team wins the NBA draft lottery on May 14 will focus its attention on Zion Williamson. That organization can also expect phone calls from franchises across the league looking to pry away the No. 1 pick. Regardless of how highly the lottery winner thinks of..." May 08

New York Post "Joe Tsai admitted when he was first contacted about buying the Nets two years ago he didn’t take it seriously at first, but he eventually picked them over the Rockets or the NFL or European soccer. Why? Partly because the NBA has a better model and more growth potential, but..." May 08

Sportsnaut "What do you get when two heated rivals with a combined three former MVP’s take on one another in the NBA Playoffs? A television ratings bonanza. That has been the case thus far in the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors Western Conference Semifinals series. Game..." May 07

Sporting News "The Rockets did just enough Monday night to beat the Warriors in Game 4 of their Western Conference semifinal series, but we're talking about Houston and Golden State here, so the contest didn't end without some controversy. And to no one's surprise, Rockets guard Chris Paul was..." May 07

Bleacher Report "The approaching 2019 NBA offseason means attention will soon pivot from reality to fantasy. When the games end, roster reconstruction begins. That means the draft, free agency and, most of all, fanciful trade speculation. Every team has a shot to do something spectacular..." May 07

SB Nation "The Houston Rockets have found the player to answer to the Golden State Warriors’ quick pace, relentless athleticism, and superstar skill. His name is P.J. Tucker. Who could have predicted a former 2006 second-round pick — who played 17 games during his..." May 07

Bleacher Report "After Golden State Warriors superstars Kevin Durant and Stephen Curryeach had looks at potential game-tying three-pointers in the final seconds of Game 4, Houston Rockets point guard Chris Paul acknowledged his team still has room for improvement..." May 07

Pro Basketball Talk "Nene and the Rockets couldn’t execute the contract they agreed to last summer, because he was too old. The deal violated the NBA’s over-38 rule and had to be redone. That’s a decent sign the 36-year-old might be nearing the end of his..." May 06

The Undefeated "P.J. Tucker will play in his 618th career NBA game when the Houston Rockets host the Golden State Warriors in Game 4 of their second-round playoff series on Monday night. But he will play it as if it were his last. Twelve years ago, he thought he’d already played in his last..." May 06

Real GM Basketball "Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals between the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets had the second highest overnight rating of the playoffs at 5.5.  The game was up 20 percent from last season (Raptors-Cavaliers) and up 31 percent from 2017 (Warriors-Jazz). " May 06

SB Nation "Freeze the frame whenever Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon catches a pass. Gaze at the defense, notice how much time is on the shot clock, where Gordon is standing, and any other variable that’s seemingly relevant. For most players, this stuff..." May 06

Los Angeles Times "It’s been almost a year since Chris Paul grabbed at his right hamstring in the final seconds of Game 5 of the Western Conference finals, his body on the court after a missed floater in the paint. The tendons on the back of his right thigh were too frayed to allow him to cross..." May 06

Bleacher Report "Just a few days after the officials potentially cost the Houston Rockets a win in Game 1, they might have helped them out in Game 3.  The Rockets earned their first win of the second round Saturday with a 126-121 overtime victory over the Golden State Warriors...." May 06

Clutch Points "Houston Rockets reserve swing man Danuel House was noticeably absent in their thrilling 126-121 overtime victory over the Golden State Warriors in Game 3. Following the grueling showdown, Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni confirmed that House was out because due to an injured..." May 05

CBS Sports "Facing a 2-0 series deficit and an essential must-win Game 3, the Houston Rockets had a ton of pressure on their shoulders entering Saturday's crucial contest. In the end, they were able to outlast the Golden State Warriors in a 126-121 overtime win.  On Sunday, Draymond..." May 05

The Sports Daily "Rockets fans held their breath when superstar James Harden was hit in the eye during Game 2 of the team’s second-round playoff series against the Warriors. Harden had drove the lane and attempted a close-range shot — which he missed. But he fought for his own rebound, and..." May 05

12 Up "We all know James Harden is the Rockets' best player, capable of taking over a game at any moment and going off for unreal scoring highlights. But defenses love to focus on Harden, and while he still feasts every night, some of his teammates have stepped up to help share the..." May 05

USA Today "Austin Rivers and P.J. Tucker, two increasingly influential cogs in the Houston Rockets' machine, spelled out their team’s blueprint after narrowing their series deficit against the Golden State Warriors to 2-1 on Saturday night. Their mission: turn this enthralling Western..." May 05

ESPN "PJ Tucker sat on the Rockets' bench and seethed as he watched Kevin Durant's scoring flurry to give the Golden State Warriors the lead early in the fourth quarter Saturday night. "I was pissed because I knew that's when KD goes on his runs, at the beginning of the..." May 05

NBC Sports Bay Area "Rockets guard Austin Rivers did not play in Game 1 of the Golden State-Houston Western Conference Semifinals because of an illness. He returned for Game 2, and although the Rockets lost, Rivers scored 14 points and was a team-best plus-10 in 24 minutes. After practice..." May 04

Pro Basketball Talk "This is where a long four-day break pays off for James Harden and the Houston Rockets. James Harden says his eye and vision are improving, although it certainly doesn’t look better. May 03

12 Up "The Golden State Warriors have won three of the past four NBA titles, and are looking for to pull off a three-peat. They've been expectingly confident, and subtly cynical of their competition, making fans fatigued from the seemingly unipolar order of professional basketball..." May 03

Total Pro Sports "During Game 2, James Harden laid down on the ground in obvious pain after being scratched in his eyes by Draymond Green going after a rebound. He would leave in the 1st quarter and not return until much later with visible signs that he was in pain and could barely see. A few..." May 02

12 Up "Carmelo Anthony didn't find too much playoff success during his run with the Knicks, but he'll always be a fan favorite in New York. The Knicks should always treat Anthony well for what he did for the franchise, but 'Melo might be asking for favors that are little..." May 02

Yahoo! Sports "James Harden suffered a worrisome eye injury Tuesday night when Draymond Green inadvertently swiped him across the face while fighting for a rebound during the Golden State Warriors’ Game 2 win over the Houston Rockets. He was left with a laceration on the inside..." May 01