Tag: Mahmoud Abdelfattah

Jeff Hornacek, Will Weaver not returning to Rockets coaching staff

With assistant coaches Jeff Hornacek and Will Weaver not returning to Houston, G League head coach Mahmoud Abdelfattah could emerge as a candidate for the Rockets.

Assistant coaches Jeff Hornacek and Will Weaver will not return to the Rockets for the 2022-23 NBA season, as first reported by Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston. Both Hornacek and Weaver had coached underneath head coach Stephen Silas for each of the past two seasons.

Hornacek, a former NBA head coach, was particularly involved on offense, while Weaver was active on both sides and served as Houston’s head coach in summer league games. Barbara Turner, a player development assistant last season, is also leaving Silas’ staff.

Assistant coaches who remain in place with the Rockets include lead assistant John Lucas, as well as DeSagana Diop and Rick Higgins.

Following the 2021-22 season, Silas said he was hopeful of having all members of his assistant coaching staff return. However, he said he would not attempt to hold any back from a promotion, if they were offered one. General manager Rafael Stone has made it clear that assistant coaching decisions are Silas’ job, rather than his.

There was no immediate word on potential replacements, though one potential candidate appears to be Mahmoud Abdelfattah, head coach of the G League affiliate Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Vipers. Under Abdelfattah’s leadership, RGV recently won its fourth title in team history.

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Vipers win fourth NBA G League title as Rockets assignees play key roles

Rockets assignees Trevelin Queen, Daishen Nix, and Anthony Lamb all had key roles Thursday as Houston’s affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, clinched the 2022 NBA G League championship.

Rockets assignees Trevelin Queen, Daishen Nix, and Anthony Lamb all had key roles as Houston’s NBA G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Vipers, clinched the 2021-22 title on Thursday night. It is the fourth championship in team history, leading all G League clubs.

In Game 2 of the best-of-three G League Finals, the Vipers clinched the 2022 championship with a 131-114 victory (box score) at Delaware — where the Blue Coats are the Philadelphia 76ers’ affiliate. The Vipers have now won the G League crown in 2010, 2013, 2019, and 2022.

Nix, an undrafted rookie point guard from the NBA’s 2021 class, was impressive with 20 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists, and 3 steals in his 37 minutes. The 6-foot-4 guard, who is only 20 years old, is on the first season of a four-year contract with the Rockets (salaries).

Meanwhile, the 25-year-old Queen — who was recently named G League MVP — had 24 points and 9 rebounds on 8-of-17 shooting (47.1% FG) in his 33 minutes. Queen was ejected early in the Game 2 clincher, but he was still named 2022 G League Finals MVP after scoring 44 points in Game 1. Lamb added 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists in his team-high 39 minutes, including 4-of-9 on 3-pointers (44.4%).

Queen (wing) and Lamb (forward) are each on two-way contracts with the Rockets. Those deals give Houston the right to match any outside offer in the NBA’s 2022 free agency and retain their services for next season.

For head coach Mahmoud Abdelfattah and general manager Travis Stockbridge, it was the first title for each in their third G League season.

Scroll on for highlights, interviews, and postgame reaction.

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Daishen Nix, Trevelin Queen lift Houston’s affiliate in Game 1 of NBA G League Finals

Rockets assignees Daishen Nix (31 points, 11 assists) and Trevelin Queen (44 points) led the way for Houston’s affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, in Game 1 of the NBA G League Finals.

Rockets assignees Daishen Nix and and Trevelin Queen led the way for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Houston’s G League affiliate) in Tuesday’s Game 1 of the 2022 NBA G League Finals. With those two combining to score 75 points, the host Vipers defeated the Delaware Blue Coats (Philadelphia’s affiliate) by a commanding 145-128 margin (box score).

The win in Game 1 of the best-of-three series moves the Vipers to within one game of their fourth G League title in club history (and the first since 2019). Game 2 is Thursday in Wilmington, Delaware, with a 7:00 p.m. CST tipoff on ESPNEWS. If necessary, a winner-take-all Game 3 would be played on Sunday, April 17, at the Vipers’ home in Edinburg, Texas.

Nix, an undrafted rookie point guard from the NBA’s 2021 class, had a triple-double with 31 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists in 38 minutes, including 4-of-10 on 3-pointers (40.0%). The 6-foot-4 guard, who is only 20 years old, is on a four-year contract with the Rockets (salaries).

Meanwhile, Queen scored a game-high 44 points on 15-of-24 shooting (62.5%) and 7-of-12 on 3-pointers (58.3%). That scoring total was the second-most of any game in G League Finals history. The 6-foot-6 wing is on a two-way contract, making him a restricted free agent this offseason and giving Houston the right to match any outside offer and retain his services. The 25-year-old was recently named G League MVP.

Anthony Lamb, who is also on a two-way contract with the Rockets, had his own triple-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. He struggled as a shooter, going 2-of-9 (22.2%) and 0-of-4 on 3-pointers.

Scroll on for highlights and postgame updates.

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Two-way Rockets player Trevelin Queen named NBA G League MVP

Wing prospect Trevelin Queen, who is on a two-way contract with the Rockets, was named MVP of the NBA G League for the 2021-22 season. The Vipers also won top coach and executive honors.

The NBA G League announced Thursday that the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (affiliate club of the Houston Rockets) have earned three annual performance awards for this season, including guard Trevelin Queen as the 2021-22 Kia NBA G League Most Valuable Player (MVP).

Additionally, head coach Mahmoud Abdelfattah was selected as the G League Coach of the Year, while general manager Travis Stockbridge was named the G League Basketball Executive of the Year.

Former NBA player Malik Rose, who is currently head of basketball operations for the G League, will present all three winners with their awards on Thursday night before the Vipers host the Texas Legends in the semifinal round of the Western Conference playoffs.

Rio Grande is the second team in G League history to earn MVP, Coach of the Year and Basketball Executive of the Year accolades in the same season. The MVP and Coach of the Year awards were voted on by the league’s 28 head coaches and general managers, while the top executive award was voted on by the general managers only.

Queen, a two-way player with the Rockets, has averaged 25.3 points (47.1% FG), 6.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 3.3 steals in 19 games.

Queen (6-6, 190, New Mexico State) signed his two-way contract with the Rockets on Dec. 18, 2021, and has appeared in 10 games for Houston this season. He is the third Vipers player to win G League MVP, joining Mike Harris (2009-10) and Andrew Goudelock (2012-13).

In his third season as Vipers head coach, Abdelfattah steered Rio Grande Valley (RGV) to the top regular-season record in the Western Conference (24-10), earning a bye in the first round of the playoffs. Under Abdelfattah, the Vipers led the league in points per game (124.5), free throws made (12.4), offensive rebounds (16.5), and total rebounds (51.4).

Since being named head coach prior to the 2019-20 season, Abdelfattah has led the Vipers to a record of 48-43 and two straight playoff berths. He is the second head coach in RGV history to earn Coach of the Year honors, joining current Minnesota head coach Chris Finch (2009-10).

Stockbridge becomes the first executive in Vipers’ history to win the top executive award. His key player acquisitions included Marcus Foster (18.7 points per game, 4.3 assists), Mfiondu Kabengele (17.5 points, 9.4 rebounds) and 12-year NBA veteran Gerald Green (16.6 points, 4.8 rebounds). Since Stockbridge became general manager in 2019, five RGV players have earned call-ups to the Rockets: Queen, Armoni Brooks, Anthony Lamb, Ray Spalding and Brodric Thomas.

Stockbridge has been a member Houston’s basketball operations department for 10 seasons, and he works with Stephen Silas and the coaching staff of the Rockets during each G League offseason.

The Sioux Falls Skyforce (2015-16) is the only other NBA G League team to have won all three awards in the same season.

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