Tag: Rockets

Luka Doncic joins James Harden, Russell Westbrook in historic streak

Luka Doncic, James Harden and Russell Westbrook are three of the most skilled playmakers in the NBA.

This current era of NBA basketball has produced players who have pushed the boundaries of what it means to be a playmaker.

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic is one of the most talented players in the league, and as a second-year player he has quickly elevated himself into the league’s upper echelon. On Sunday he joined the company of Houston Rockets guards James Harden and Russell Westbrook in a historic streak.

Doncic scored 41 points and tallied 10 assists in the Mavericks’ 137-123 win over Houston. Per ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, Doncic joined Westbrook and Harden as the third active player to post four consecutive games of at least 30 points and 10 assists.

Since the 1983-84 season, Michael Jordan is the only other player to accomplish the feat.

As two of the best guards in the league, Harden and Westbrook are skilled at penetrating the lane and finding teammates. On top of that, both players always seem to find ways to score. Doncic has been compared to Harden in part because he uses a stepback jumper similar to Harden’s signature move.

Each of the three players are ranked in the top 15 of the league for assists per game, with Doncic being the highest at No. 2. Harden ranks seventh, and Westbrook ranks 15th.

The league’s leading scorer, Harden has put together two games this season where he’s had at least 30 points and 10 assists. Westbrook hasn’t posted any games with those numbers.

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Rockets luxury tax update after waiving Ryan Anderson

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.

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.

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Chris Paul says NBA teams will do ‘whatever they wanna do’ with trades

Thunder guard Chris Paul spoke on how he felt about being traded from Houston.

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Oklahoma City Thunder guard Chris Paul is playing his 15th NBA season, so he’s keen on how teams operate and handle their business.

A nine-time All-Star, Paul recently shed some light on the business of NBA trades with Kevin Hart on the comedian’s YouTube show “Cold as Balls.” Paul also spoke on the trade that sent him from the Houston Rockets to the Thunder during the offseason. 

When Hart asked Paul about how trades go down, Paul stated:

“Every situation is different, but the team is gonna do whatever they wanna do. They’ll tell you one thing and do a smooth other thing.”

Hart then asked Paul about his feelings on being traded from the Rockets. Paul was traded in exchange for Russell Westbrook, two first-round draft picks and the rights to two first-round pick swaps in 2021 and 2025.

“The (general manager) in Houston, he don’t owe me nothin’,” Paul said. “You know what I mean? He may tell me one thing, but do another thing. But you just understand that that’s what it is.”

After the Rockets were eliminated from the playoffs in May, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that general manager Daryl Morey had an “aggressive desire” to improve the team.

According to the report, the only player who was relatively untouchable was James Harden, as the likelihood of moving him was “extremely limited.”

Shortly after the ESPN report, Morey said that Houston would keep its “key people” for the 2019-20 season, per RealGM. 

With Paul elaborating on the trade, it shows how the league is a business. Teams, particularly playoff and title contenders, will do anything to improve. That’s why player empowerment is becoming increasingly more important, as players can feel encouraged to choose their own paths.

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