Carmelo Anthony must have had a lot of fun Tuesday night.
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If you’ve ever suddenly been told by a boss that your services were no longer needed and that you were getting laid off then you’re familiar with the emotions that follow – it likely starts with shock and sadness, continues with some self doubt as you try to collect the pieces and figure out your next career move, and possibly leads to some ugly moments of self destruction.
It’s just not a very fun thing to go through, no matter who you are.
Which makes Carmelo Anthony’s return to the NBA on Tuesday night all the more impressive and inspiring. Now, I get it – Melo doesn’t need any more money as he’s set for life financially thanks to what he’s done during his Hall of Fame career.
But this whole thing isn’t about money.
It must have felt really freakin’ good for him when he stepped on a NBA floor again and quickly hit a 3-pointer in the first quarter of the Trail Blazers’ loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.
It was inspiring because just over a year ago he was let go by the Rockets after just 10 games. His boss called him in and told him to pack his stuff, his services were no longer needed in Houston and his NBA career was suddenly in jeopardy of being over.
It’s something that happens all the time in sports and in life, but that doesn’t mean the sting that comes with it doesn’t exist.
Melo then had to sit out the rest of the year as not one team made a move on a veteran player who has always been known to get his points, but has also been a bit of a liability on the defensive end of the floor.
On a human level, Melo had to deal with something that anyone who has been laid off before has had to go through – you wonder if the career you have chosen to that point has suddenly passed you by. The self doubts that all the work that you’ve done was fine and all, but now nobody else needs you to do it for them. That world keeps spinning around but there you are on on the outside looking in, wondering if you’ll ever get back to doing what you love again. That’s not a fun way to spend your days and nights.
Melo spoke about being cut from the Rockets during an appearance on ESPN’s First Take in August. He said: “That was an ego hit. That was a pride hit. I started questioning myself after that.”
Which probably hits home for you if you’ve ever lost your job. Again, he has millions of dollars in the bank. He’ll be fine. But those millions aren’t gonna be there to give you a pep talk when you’re sitting up late at night wondering if this game or that career has passed you by.
The way Melo handled it all was was a lesson in class. He didn’t blast anybody for not being able to get work. He didn’t hide – he was seen sitting courtside in Brooklyn last April to watch his friend, Dwyane Wade, play in the final game of his legendary career. And Melo kept working out because in order to be ready you need to stay ready.
Last week he got the call from the Trail Blazers… and he was ready. Melo started Tuesday night’s game and went for 10 points in 24 minutes. His plus/minus was -20, which is far from great and will lead to those who question his defense to puff out their chests and yell, “See, he’s not worth it!”
But there he was Tuesday night playing in a NBA game, something he probably took for granted during his previous playing days – which would be totally natural and normal. Everything from walking into the stadium to walking out to the opening tip to high-fiving a teammate after a scoring bucket must have been incredible.
After the game he told ESPN what stuck out to him most about the day and is first game back:
“Just being back out there with the guys again. I think most of all the routine — team bus, team lunch, being around the guys in the locker room — just the routine I’ve been used to for 17 years now … so getting back into that. As far as the game goes, it felt good to be back out there.”
Is Melo’s stay in Portland going to be a long one? Who knows at this point, really?
But what I do know is the way he handled the past 376 days of his life was pretty darn impressive and that it was cool to see Melo back out there doing his thing once again, no matter the results.
Tuesday’s biggest winner: Not the Dallas Mavericks!
Via Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks introduced the world to their new City Edition uniforms on Tuesday and it did not go well for them on social media, as fans tended not to like these cartoon-like uniforms. They will be worn 22 times this year, so get used to them!
Quick hits: Ravens D is legit… Calm down, NHL fans… Brady likes AB’s Instagram post… And more!
Former NBA player Jalen Rose is predicting a 90-point game by James Harden this season, and there could be a personal reason for that pick.
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Former NBA player and current ESPN analyst Jalen Rose believes Houston Rockets star James Harden could score 90 points in a game.
Speaking Tuesday morning on “Get Up,” Rose explained why he believes Harden is the most unique scorer in NBA history — and how that could lead to a historic night later this season. Rose said:
I’ve called him the most unique scorer in the history of the NBA. Here’s what I mean by that.
He’s led the league in total threes made, total free throws made, in assists, and in total points. No other player at any point in their careers would be able to say that. That’s how dynamic James Harden is.
And, he keeps on coming. He’s not always efficient, but he’s aggressive. He’ll take 15 or 20 three-point shots in a game, whether he’s making two or three, or whether he’s making 10. That level of aggression, I’m telling you, he’s going to have a night when he actually gets on fire.
I’ll say this: He’s going to have a 90-point game this year. He is. I know it sounds crazy, but he goes for it every night.
Jalen Rose said JAMES HARDEN WILL SCORE 90 in a game this season!!
Harden’s career-high in points in one game was 61, set twice last season. This year, he peaked at 59 points on Oct. 30 in Washington.
For the 2019-20 season as a whole, the 30-year-old is averaging 39.2 points and 7.6 assists in 36.6 minutes per game.
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Beyond just getting hot in a given game, there could be a statistical reason to believe Rose’s case. Consider that last year, Harden didn’t reach peak form until his legendary 32-game streak of scoring 30+ points, which began Dec. 13. Prior to that date, Harden averaged 30.0 points per game. From Dec. 13 onward, he averaged 38.7 points.
If Harden continues to improve at a similar rate as the 2019-20 season progresses, there’s no telling what he might be able to do. It should also be noted that the Rockets (11-3) are currently on the league’s longest winning streak at eight consecutive games — and since Harden’s extreme numbers are leading to wins for his team, there’s no reason to expect Harden or the Rockets to dial it back.
As for Rose, there could also be some personal motivation as it related to his prediction. The NBA’s all-time record for points in a single game is held by Wilt Chamberlain, who scored 100 on March 2, 1962.
But number two on the list, and the only game this century in which an NBA player has exceeded 70 points? That belongs to Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant, who scored 81 on Jan. 22, 2006. In that game (box score), Bryant was largely defended by Rose, who played nearly 44 minutes.
Rose has taken his share of “81” jokes over the years, and he seems to have developed a sense of humor about it. But he probably wouldn’t mind it if Harden scored at least 82 and set a new modern record.
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Russell Westbrook discusses the offensive run that James Harden is on: “It’s not normal because there is no body else that can do it…It’s amazing, I’m just here to help him along the way.” #Rocketspic.twitter.com/WdzBNoiHEV
Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball says the stepback jumper from Houston Rockets star James Harden could be the NBA’s “most unstoppable move.”
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In a new story via The Players Tribune, New Orleans Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball says the renowned stepback jumper of Houston Rockets guard James Harden could be the NBA’s most unstoppable move.
Ball was traded from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Pelicans this offseason as part of the blockbuster deal for Anthony Davis. Though he’s just 22 years old, the 6-foot-6 Ball already has a reputation as one of the league’s better and more versatile defensive guards.
In the one Pelicans-Rockets game this season in which Ball played (Oct. 26), Harden was limited by the likes of Ball and Josh Hart to 29 points on 8-of-29 shooting (27.6%) and just 2-of-18 (11.1%) from three-point range. That total is more than 10 points below Harden’s average of 39.2 points per game in the 2019-20 season to date.
However, Ball clearly has an appreciation for how difficult that job is to do on a regular basis. In his self-authored piece published Tuesday titled “The 5 Toughest Players I’ve Ever Guarded,” Ball writes:
James’s stepback might be the most unstoppable move in the league.
With James, it’s either gonna be a shot, or a foul. He kind of teases you by hanging the ball out there, like he’s daring you to take it. And as soon as you reach, he either hits you with the stepback while you’re leaning, or he’ll let you get into him and draw the foul. He’s savvy like that.
The only way to really stop him is to put your chest on him, because if you give him even a little bit of space and let him get into a rhythm with his dribble, he’ll set up that stepback, and it’s over.
The difficulty for defenders, according to Ball, is that they must simultaneously prevent Harden from getting space while also not committing a foul by reaching in.
During Lakers-Rockets games last season, Ball and his teammates became so frustrated by this dynamic that they tried defending Harden while holding their own hands behind their backs!
Ball, who was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, elaborates on the conundrum in his story:
But you gotta keep your hands back. That’s the toughest part because when the ball is right there in front of you, your instinct is to go get it. That’s what you’d do with most guys. With James, though, you have to change your whole mindset and be really patient. You can’t get greedy.
It’s the same thing when he drives to the rim and hits you with that Euro step. He hangs the ball out there, and he’s so good at drawing that foul. It’ll drive you crazy.
I don’t know how anybody can stop him. All you can do with James is try to stay up in him, keep your hand out of there, force him to his right … and then basically just pray that he misses.
Harden has largely had the upper hand against Ball’s teams, with the Rockets a combined 4-0 versus the Pelicans and Lakers over the last two seasons in games where Ball was an active player.
The next meeting between Harden’s Rockets (11-3) and Ball’s Pelicans (4-9) comes in New Orleans on Saturday, Dec. 29.
Other players on Ball’s “top five” toughest-to-guard list are Portland’s Damian Lillard; San Antonio’s Demar DeRozan; and Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. Ball also named Durant to his all-time list of toughest one-on-one players, with the other four being Tracy McGrady, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Allen Iverson.
Each week, HoopsHype’s staff gives their Top 10 candidates for this season’s Most Valuable Player award. Check out this week’s rankings.
Each week, HoopsHype’s staff gives our Top 10 candidates for this year’s Most Valuable Player award. This list highlights stars who are in the mix for the 2019-20 MVP award due to their impressive play.
Which stars have stood out? Here are our latest MVP rankings:
Siakam is making the Raptors look smart for giving him that four-year, $130 million extension. This is Siakam’s first appearance in our Top 10, but he’s been playing well all season. Even if he doesn’t receive significant MVP love this year because there are so many great candidates, it’s possible that he could become the first player in NBA history to win the Most Improved Player award twice. One could make the argument that his growth over the last year (+8.8 ppg, +1.7 rpg, +1.1 apg) is just as impressive as his sophomore-to-junior leap (+9.6 ppg, +2.4 rpg, +1.1 apg). Regardless of whether he wins MIP for a second-straight year, he’s made huge strides this season. Becoming a team’s No. 1 option and a 25-point-per-game scorer is extremely hard, but Siakam has made it look easy. The 25-year-old has essentially filled the Kawhi Leonard role in this offense and it’s been amazing to watch his development in recent years. He has the Raptors sitting at 9-4, which is the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference.
Leonard dropped down our list over the last week because he’s missed three-straight games due to a left-knee contusion that he suffered in the Clippers’ loss to the Houston Rockets last Wednesday. Leonard has been terrific on both ends of the floor when he’s suited up, but he’s now missed five of a possible 14 games this season. As we wrote in this space last week, voters tend to reward players who haven’t missed significant time when considering Most Valuable Player. The last 15 MVP winners have missed an average of 3.93 games in the season in which they won the award (with no individual missing more than 10 games). The Clippers are likely going to be cautious with Leonard moving forward to ensure that he’ll be at 100 percent for their playoff run (like the Toronto Raptors’ approach that worked so well last year). Also, when two MVP candidates have teamed up in the past (like Kevin Durant and Steph Curry on the Golden State Warriors), voters weren’t sure what to do and they basically canceled each other out. It’s possible that could happen with Leonard and 2018-19 MVP finalist Paul George, who returned recently.
The big news in the NBA over the last week was the Trail Blazers’ decision to sign free agent Carmelo Anthony. After sustaining numerous injuries and getting off to a slow start (5-9, which is the third-worst record in the Western Conference), Portland is hoping that Anthony can help revitalize this team. Last time Anthony was in the NBA, he averaged 13.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.1 threes while shooting 40.5 percent from the field and 32.8 percent from three-point range in 10 games with the Houston Rockets. It remains to be seen how much this addition will impact Lillard and CJ McCollum, who are Portland’s top options on offense. Lillard is averaging career-highs across the board, but he’s received little help from his supporting cast, which is why the Blazers are struggling so much.
Not only has Towns been filling the stat sheet, he’s been extraordinarily efficient in the process. He’s shooting 51.2 percent from the field on 17.9 field goal attempts and he’s making 43.5 percent of his threes on 9.0 attempts. Only James Harden (4.9) is making more threes per game than Towns (3.9), and the big man’s three-point percentage is 6.5 percentage points higher than Harden’s. Also, Towns currently ranks fourth in Box Plus/Minus (+10.1), fourth in PER (30.4) and fifth in Value Over Replacement Player (1.2). With Towns making his presence felt all over the court and Andrew Wiggins playing the best basketball of his career, the Timberwolves are now 8-6 and holding the Western Conference’s eighth seed, putting them just 3.5 games back from the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers.
It didn’t take long for Davis and LeBron James long to develop chemistry, as they’ve been a terrific one-two punch for the Lakers thus far. As our Bryan Kalbroskynoted, James is passing the ball to Davis 25.2 times per 36 minutes, which is more than he dished to any other past teammate, including Dwyane Wade, Kyrie Irving, Chris Bosh and Kevin Love. It’s clear that James trusts his big man and if they’re playing this well with very little time spent getting acclimated to each other (and their many new teammates), it’ll be interesting to see how well they’ll be playing together toward the end of the season when they’ve learned each other’s tendencies more. Davis is leading the NBA in blocks per game and he’s swatted 24 shots in his last seven games.
Kyrie Irving who? When news broke over the summer that Irving (and Al Horford) planned to leave Boston via free agency, it seemed like the Celtics were going to take a significant step back. It would’ve been understandable if they shifted their focus to developing Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Co. Instead, the Celtics found a terrific replacement for Irving in Kemba Walker. The 29-year-old is posting impressive numbers and he has Boston sitting at No. 1 in the Eastern Conference standings with an 11-2 record (which is also tied for the best record in the entire NBA). It seems that Walker brings production similar to that of Irving without the behind-the-scenes drama and chemistry issues that hurt the Celtics last year. If Boston can keep this up and sit atop the East, Walker would get some MVP consideration (and deservedly so) and Brad Stevens would likely get some Coach of the Year love. And as Walker gets more comfortable with his new team, his play should only improve. With that said, there seems to be a significant gap between the Top-4 players on this list and everyone else.
Doncic is used to having unprecedented success for someone his age. Remember, he won the Euroleague MVP award at 19 years old prior to entering the NBA. Now, as a 20-year-old sophomore in the Association, his numbers aren’t too far off from what Russell Westbrook averaged back in 2016-17 when he won MVP (31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds, 10.4 assists and 1.6 steals). While posting triple-doubles no longer seems to draw the same jaw-dropping reaction since Westbrook normalized it, it’s unheard of for a 20-year-old to be having this kind of success. He had an MVP performance on Monday night, dropping 42 points, 12 assists, 11 rebounds and 5 threes in a win over the San Antonio Spurs. Only two players in NBA history have posted a 40-point triple-double at age-20: Doncic and LeBron James. The sophomore is having a special campaign, his Mavericks are fifth in the West at 8-5 and he deserves to be high on this list as long as he keeps this up.
If the season ended today, Harden’s 39.2 scoring average would be the highest since Wilt Chamberlain posted 44.8 points per game in the 1962-63 season. In fact, Harden is on pace to join Chamberlain as the only players in NBA history to average 39 or more points in a season. (Michael Jordan came close in 1986-87, but he finished the campaign averaging 37.1 points). Harden’s shooting percentages aren’t pretty – 42.5 percent from the field and 34.0 percent from deep – but when Houston is winning and he’s averaging nearly 40 points and eight assists per game, it feels like nitpicking to complain about his efficiency. Also, it’s worth noting that his True Shooting Percentage (.618) is actually up from last season. The Rockets have won eight-straight games and are 11-3, which is the second-best record in the Western Conference (and the third-best record in the NBA). If Harden continues at this pace, this season will go down as one of the most impressive offensive displays in league history.
At this point, James has the “best player on the best team” argument going for him. He’s filling the stat sheet on a nightly basis and it’s translating into wins for the Lakers, who are an NBA-best 11-2 (with a league-best +10.2 average point differential) thus far. Can the Lakers sustain this level of play? That remains to be seen, but James will have a strong case as long as they do. If James were to win his fifth MVP award this season, he’d become the second-oldest MVP in NBA history behind only Karl Malone (who was named Most Valuable Player in his age-35 season). Malone was 35 years and 284 days old at the end of the 1998-99 regular season. James is also in his age-35 season, but he would only be 35 years and 107 days old at the end of this regular season. Whether he ultimately wins the honor or not, nobody can deny how impressive it is for James to be producing like this at 35 years old.
Antetokounmpo is having another incredible season and while it may not feel like past years because his cheat-code dominance is no longer fresh and surprising, at the end of the day, he’s the reigning MVP and he has somehow managed to improve his stats across the board. He’s averaging career-highs in points, rebounds, assists, field goal percentage, three-pointers made, three-point percentage, Player Efficiency Rating, Box Plus/Minus, Defensive Rating and the list goes on and on. The advance stats love him too, as he leads all NBA players in Box Plus/Minus, Value Over Replacement Player and PER. He’s led the Bucks to the second-best record in the Eastern Conference at 10-3 (with an East-best +9.5 average point differential). He has the numbers, record and signature performances to potentially win back-to-back MVP awards. Also, he’s doing this without another star on his team, unlike LeBron James (who has Anthony Davis) and James Harden (who has Russell Westbrook). It remains to be seen if voters will take that into consideration, as they have in the past.
The Rockets are now carrying fourteen players on the roster. If they finish the season with the exact same roster, they would be $178,984 above the luxury tax for a tax payment of $268,476.
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The Houston Rockets waived forward Ryan Anderson on Monday. He only appeared in two games and did not play after Nov. 3.
Anderson was only guaranteed $500,000 after making the team’s opening night roster. The Rockets could have kept Anderson for four more days before his salary would’ve exceeded his guarantee, but they decided to part ways with him now.
The Rockets are now carrying 14 players on the roster. If they finish the season with the exact same roster, they would be $178,984 above the luxury tax for a tax payment of $268,476.
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The Rockets can get below the tax by trading some of their minimum-salaried players by the deadline and then signing new players on pro-rated deals. This was a practice they engaged in last season in order to completely avoid the luxury tax.
Nene, who was signed in order to be used as trade fodder, is widely expected to be traded once trade-eligible on January 15, 2020.
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One factor that can complicate the Rockets pursuit of avoiding the luxury tax is if Clint Capela earns some or all of his incentives. He has three incentives that can boost his salary by up to $2 million. Right now, he is on a rebounding tear and is on pace to have at least a 30 percent defensive rebounding percentage (currently at 33 percent per Basketball-Reference), which would give him an extra $500,000. He also must play at least 2,000 minutes to meet the criteria.
No next move is imminent, but the Rockets are counting down toward when they will need the roster spot for Chris Clemons, who is on a two-way contract for now. https://t.co/Cqhk9EImBH
Two-way player Chris Clemons, who is in the rotation after playing in eight of the team’s last nine games, is a candidate for the 15th roster spot. The Rockets could run out his two-way clock and then convert him onto the regular roster with a prorated minimum salary.
The Rockets could trade both Nene and Gerald Green and have about $4 million in space below the tax. That should be plenty to work with for converting Clemons onto the regular-season roster, filling minimum roster requirements with 10-day contracts, and ultimately signing free agents to rest-of-season contracts while leaving some room for Capela’s potential incentives.
Russell Westbrook (28/13/10) had a breakout game as Houston (11-3) extended its winning streak to eight in Monday’s home win over Portland.
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If the Houston Rockets could win seven straight games without peak Russell Westbrook, just imagine what they might can do with the version that tallied 28 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists during Monday’s 132-108 home blowout (box score) over Portland (5-9).
It’s the eighth consecutive win for the Rockets (11-3), and their second in a row by 20+ points. Superstar guard James Harden scored a game-high 36 points on an extremely efficient 11-of-19 shooting perforance, while Clint Capela returned after a two-game medical absence and grabbed 20 rebounds for his fourth straight game.
The @HoustonRockets James Harden has more points scored than minutes played in each of his last nine games, the longest such streak since the ABA-NBA merger.
But the Rockets had already become accustomed during this streak to peak performances from the likes of Capela and Harden, who might have a realistic chance to average 40 points per game.
Thus, it was the contributions from Westbrook that were most eye-opening and took Monday’s showing to a new level.
Consider the fact the Rockets had won seven straight with Westbrook — a former NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) and future Hall of Famer — not even playing that well, by his career standards.
Craziest thing about the 7-game #Rockets winning streak is that Westbrook hasn't even played that well. Entering today, he was at 40% shooting, 19% on 3s and just 5.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists.
Now add this version of Russ, with 27/11/8 in 30 minutes (so far) and three 3s? Whoa.
Of those seven prior games, the 31-year-old sat out two for planned maintenance on back-to-backs. In the five he did play, Westbrook shot just 40.0% overall and 18.5% on three-pointers, and the 6-foot-3 guard best known for averaging a triple-double in three straight seasons had tallied just 5.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game.
In the game before the winning streak began — a humiliating 129-100 beatdown in Miami on Sunday, Nov. 3 — Westbrook had just 10 points (3-of-11 shooting), 6 assists, and 4 rebounds, along with a historically bad plus/minus of -46 in just 26 minutes.
That trend changed in a big way during Monday’s win, with Westbrook grabbing 13 rebounds and dishing out 10 assists in 34 minutes. He also made three shots from three-point range, and his defense helped limit Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (and Westbrook’s personal rival) to just 13 points on 4-of-15 shooting.
Quite the sequence here from Westbrook. Gets the tip in, pumps up the crowd, and pokes the ball away from Lillard to end the quarter. This is one of his best outings as a Rocket. pic.twitter.com/1TuT3m6yWu
Westbrook still struggled at times with his jump shot at 9-of-26 (34.6%) overall and 3-of-11 (27.3%) on three-pointers, but he was much more aggressive than in recent games at attacking the basket. That can clearly be seen in his heightened assist and rebound totals.
In all, the slash line of 28 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists was Westbrook’s third triple-double as a member of the Rockets, and his first since the fourth game of the season back on Oct. 30.
It was an especially perfect time for Westbrook’s breakout performance of November, since it came on his first bobblehead night at Toyota Center with his new team.
.@russwest44 put on a show on his bobblehead night!
The competition for Westbrook and the Rockets stiffens later this week, with road games looming at Denver and the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday and Friday, respectively. They’ll certainly need to play very well to extend their eight-game winning streak against a pair of perceived Western Conference contenders
Then again, perhaps the most impressive part of Houston’s current run is that it has largely taken place without Westbrook being in peak form. That’s why Monday’s blowout win over Portland — with Westbrook leading the way — was a reminder that the red-hot Rockets still have significant untapped potential.
There were 18 seconds left on the shot clock after Russell Westbrook goes coast to coast for the easy layup. Elite speed. pic.twitter.com/Z7sFdnQ9AS
Westbrook on his offensive night: "Staying with it. Playing off my defense is what I want to do. It's how I've been doing it all season long." Said he takes pride in his defense nightly. "The offense will come." #Rockets
In fact, the 24-point win over the Trail Blazers was reminiscent of something Westbrook himself said back at the team’s Media Day in late September about his new team with the Rockets.
“It’s going to be scary, that’s all I can tell you,” Westbrook said of his pairing with Harden in Houston. “It’s going to be scary. … Not for us.”
With a “Space City Saturdays” theme, the City uniforms will be worn for every Saturday home and road game this season, debuting Nov. 30 when the Rockets face the Atlanta Hawks at Toyota Center. The jerseys can be purchased beginning Wednesday, Nov. 27 at the team store inside Toyota Center and at RocketsShop.com.
Unlike recent years, these City uniforms do not feature Chinese lettering — though that decision was made long before the franchise’s recent controversy involving China.
The inspiration behind our new City Edition Uniforms.
NASA, which is short for the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, has extensive history in Houston tracing back to the establishment of the Johnson Space Center (then named the Manned Spacecraft Center) in 1961. It was a key support facility in NASA’s quest (ultimately successful) to put a man on the moon that decade.
Similar to the plan to wear the City uniforms each Saturday, the Rockets also have a special “Flashback Friday” theme for each Friday game this season. In that program, the current Rockets will wear retro-themed Classic uniforms as part of a 25-year anniversary celebration of the 1994-95 NBA championship squad. That promotion began with last Friday’s win over Indiana.
In total, Houston will have five sets of uniforms this season. The Rockets brought back their black “Statement” jerseys from last season, while the red “Icon” and white “Association” jerseys were significantly changed to incorporate a new font, modernized side panels, and the inclusion of black as a core color. Those three sets, along with the aforementioned Classic uniform, were released in June.
Houston Rockets starting center Clint Capela made a successful return Monday after missing two games while in the NBA’s concussion protocol.
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Houston Rockets center Clint Capela returned to the starting lineup in Monday’s home victory versus Portland after missing two games while going through the NBA’s concussion protocol.
Capela entered Monday averaging 13.4 points, 12.5 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in 30.2 minutes per game. Prior to his absence, Capela had grabbed at least 20 rebounds in three consecutive games, which no Rockets player had previously done since Moses Malone in 1982.
It didn’t take long in Monday’s game for Capela to show that he was ready to return. A pair of alley-oop slams in the first quarter off passes from James Harden served as evidence.
Capela finished with 20 rebounds for a fourth straight game, which no Rockets player had done since Elvin Hayes in January 1971. He also scored a season-high 22 points and blocked four shots (box score).
The last #Rockets player to grab 20+ rebounds in four consecutive games was Hall of Famer Elvin Hayes… in January 1971. What a run from Capela.
Capela’s absence traced back to a collision with Los Angeles big man JaMychal Green in the fourth quarter of last Wednesday’s win over the Clippers. Though Capela felt dizzy on the court immediately after taking a forearm to his head, the 25-year-old center clarified that he did not feel any more symptoms over the next few days.
“Right when I got hit, I felt a little bit dizzy,” Capela said to reporters before Monday’s game. “I think I took a little bit too long to get back on my feet. That’s why they had to take me back to the back.”
Clint Capela meets with the media for the first time since suffering a concussion against the Clippers pic.twitter.com/gKZ74TmhyF
Because the Rockets were in a stretch of three games in four days, the protocol made it practically impossible for the 6-foot-10 big man to return in time for either Friday’s home game against Indiana or Saturday’s game at Minnesota.
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“I was in concussion protocol, so the first day I had to do biking,” Capela said of his recovery. “The next day I was doing a workout without contact. The third and fourth days, I did more contact stuff, one-on-one with Danuel House.”
House, a 6-foot-6 swingman, was going through his own rehab process after bruising his back in last Monday’s win at New Orleans.
Danuel House (@DanuelHouseJr) back playing and back in the starting lineup after dealing with a lot of pain from his sore back and backside: “I was in a lot of pain. I could barely sleep. Couldn’t sleep on my right side..It was so tender. You couldn’t touch it.” pic.twitter.com/3irpfdi766
Both House and Capela made successful returns to Houston’s lineup versus Portland as starters, at small forward and center, respectively. Each said he was happy to be back with the team, which finished Monday with an 11-3 record and winners of eight consecutive games.
