Tag: Tad Brown

Rockets plan to host no preseason fans, but some in regular season

Houston will not have fans at Toyota Center for preseason games on Dec. 15 and Dec. 17, but they are expecting some for the regular season.

The Houston Rockets are not planning to host fans for their two home preseason games at Toyota Center on Dec. 15 and Dec. 17, according to a new story from Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.

But when the NBA’s 2020-21 regular season begins later in the month, the team is hoping for that policy to change — at least to some extent.

Those preseason contests will represent the first NBA games at Toyota Center since March 10 — a day before the 2019-20 season was halted for months due to COVID-19. The season finally resumed in late July, but at the NBA’s neutral “bubble” complex in Central Florida.

Here’s what Tad Brown, longtime CEO of both the Rockets and Toyota Center, told Feigen regarding the organization’s challenge of potentially hosting fans amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

We look forward to getting going, but it’s going to be with the highest safety protocols in place. It’s changing by the day and I think it’s going to be a fluid situation throughout the year. We are planning of having fans at games. So much of this is going to be based on the information we have as we go forward. …

It’s going to be a challenge but one we’re looking forward to. It’s very important that we continue to build proper infrastructure, especially to make sure that we’re following all safety protocols as directed nationally, as directed from the league, as directed from our local health professionals and city leaders and county leaders.

Brown said it remains premature to outline the amount of fans that might be allowed to attend regular-season games or detail the safety protocols in place, since those can potentially change in the coming weeks.

For comparison, the NFL’s Houston Texans have hosted fans at 20% of usual capacity for most of the 2020 football season. That arrangement was approved by officials with both the City of Houston and Harris County. Should a similar rate of “social distancing” be in place at Toyota Center, that would make for a crowd of under 4,000 fans per game.

It’s possible, of course, that the initial capacity limits could increase as the season moves along, thanks to improved medical data or the potential availability of COVID-19 vaccines or superior treatments.

The “first half” of the NBA’s regular-season schedule is expected to be released next week, around the same time as Dec. 1 launch of training camps. The regular season officially kicks off on Tuesday, Dec. 22.

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Rockets execs laud preparation of new coach Stephen Silas

“Stephen was the most prepared guy that we talked to,” Stone said of Silas. “And we talked to really smart and qualified guys.”

With approximately 20 years in the assistant ranks, including the last two working for Rick Carlisle in Dallas, Stephen Silas was certainly qualified to step into the role of head coach with the Houston Rockets.

Last season, with Silas largely overseeing the offense, the Mavericks graded out statistically as the most efficient offense in NBA history.

Furthermore, his status as the son of former NBA head coach Paul Silas — who ranks in the league’s top 50 in all-time coaching wins — gives him even more experience than his strong résumé might first suggest.

But if there were any lingering doubts about the first-time head coach, he answered them in Houston’s lengthy interviewing process.

After previous coach Mike D’Antoni informed the team of his departure on Sept. 13, the Rockets waited more than six weeks before naming his replacement. Their interview list was extensive, and included several names with prior experience as a head coach (which Silas lacks). But ultimately, it was the 47-year-old Silas who continued to stand out.

At Thursday’s press conference to introduce Silas and new GM Rafael Stone, the Rockets were asked what stood out about their new coach in the interviewing process. Here’s how they responded:

CEO Tad Brown: Stephen Silas, our new head coach, is someone who came in and blew us away in the interview process. He’s one of the true bright young minds in the NBA. He’s going to do great things with us. He’s much older than he looks [laughs].

GM Rafael Stone: Stephen was the most prepared guy that we talked to. That’s not meant to be negative toward anyone else. We talked to some really smart, qualified guys. But Stephen’s level of preparedness, and his ability to have thought through every single thing we threw at him.

And then just his unique mind. Some of his answers were really, really interesting. Things that aren’t necessarily intuitive, and made all of us think, ‘Huh. That’s a different way of doing it. Let’s think about it, that could be really interesting. That combination was really, really cool. At the end of the day, he was very clearly the best fit for us. We’re feeling incredibly lucky that we found him.

In addition to his vast experience as an assistant, Silas is well regarded for his work with star perimeter players such as Luka Doncic in Dallas, Kemba Walker in Charlotte, Steph Curry in Golden State, and LeBron James in Cleveland. Houston is hoping for that to pay off with James Harden and Russell Westbrook, and Silas says he’s preparing to make the Rockets more diverse in their schemes on both offense and defense.

Thursday’s complete press conference can be watched below.

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NBA gives retroactive flagrant to Anthony Davis for shot on Jeff Green

The league office seems to agree with Houston’s frustrations over the incident, as shown by the choice to retroactively assess a flagrant.

The NBA has retroactively issued a Flagrant Foul 1 to Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis, who made contact with the midsection of Houston Rockets forward Jeff Green late in Sunday’s first half.

Green stayed down in obvious pain for several minutes, though he did return to play in the second half of Game 2.

It was the latest in a string of questionable incidents involving apparent below-the-belt shots at Rockets players during the 2020 playoffs. Houston GM Daryl Morey and CEO Tad Brown each voiced their displeasure on social media following the latest example, and it seems that the NBA agreed with their assessment of the Davis-Green play.

Unfortunately for the Rockets, the ruling doesn’t provide them with much of a competitive advantage. Davis will be fined for the flagrant, as all players are, and it will count as one flagrant “point” on his record. If Davis were to reach four flagrant points in the playoffs, he would be suspended for a game — but that’s not close to happening, at the moment.

In real-time, the play was not even whistled as a common foul, let alone a flagrant. Going by the NBA’s revised judgment, it should have been two free throws for the Rockets and possession of the basketball.

Instead, Houston didn’t get any free throws, and Davis scored a layup as Green writhed in pain on the ground. In effect, it was likely a four-point swing as the game approached halftime. The Lakers went on to eventually win Game 2, 117-109, as they tied the second-round series.

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The play was not reviewed during the game, even though there was a 15-minute halftime break immediately following the sequence.

The NBA also retroactively issued a technical foul to James Harden for an earlier play, which occurred when his elbow struck Davis’ face after a foul. However, because it was a technical and not a flagrant, it does not count toward the league’s suspension threshold for flagrant fouls.

While NBA players can still be suspended for cumulative technical fouls, as well, the threshold to trigger an automatic suspension on technicals (7) is much higher than it is for flagrants (4).

Game 3 between the Rockets and Lakers is scheduled for an 8:00 p.m. Central tip-off on Tuesday, with a national TV broadcast on TNT.

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Rockets likely to push reopening of Toyota Center facilities to May 18

The Rockets had planned to open their facilities to players on Friday, but Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says gyms will open on Monday, May 18.

The Houston Rockets are likely to target Monday, May 18 as the official reopening of Toyota Center to players for individual workouts, as first reported by Mark Medina of USA TODAY Sports.

Facilities have been closed since March 19 amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. But with stay-at-home orders for many NBA cities expiring in May, the league recently said it would allow facilities to reopen as soon as Friday, May 8 in areas without government restrictions.

With Texas in the process of a phased reopening, the Rockets had previously indicated that they wanted to reopen Toyota Center to the team’s players on the first permissible day (this Friday).

But in a Tuesday news conference, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott clarified that under his plan, the state’s reopening date for gyms is May 18. In addition, many of the team’s players are currently at offseason homes outside of Houston and would not be in town this weekend, anyway. Thus, the Rockets are likely to defer to the state’s official timeline.

For the time being, the NBA facilities will only be opened on a limited basis for individual player workouts under strict physical distancing protocols, and not for any sort of conventional group practice.

The timetable for returning to more traditional practices, along with eventually resuming the 2019-20 season, remains unknown. The league continues to monitor developments with COVID-19 testing infrastructure, which needs to be in place for a potential return to team play.

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Rockets host blood drive at Toyota Center to aid COVID-19 response

The Rockets hosted a blood drive at Toyota Center for the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center. Donors were provided a “Taco Tuesday” meal.

The Houston Rockets hosted a blood drive Tuesday at Toyota Center for the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center. Donors included team employees and members of the general public who registered online.

Donors were treated to a meal from Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta’s “Taco Me Crazy” food truck, which is part of his Cadillac Bar restaurant in Houston. Each donor also received a Rockets gift pack.

This is fourth straight week that the Rockets have provided a “Taco Tuesday” lunch for an organization or event which has helped the Houston community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Previous stops included the Houston Food Bank, Houston Emergency Center, and for Metropolitan Transit Authority bus operators at the Medical Center.

“The blood drive today, we’re going to do 150+ people it looks like,” Rockets CEO Tad Brown said at the event. “We had another successful drive on Sunday. This is going to help the system really respond to the people in need. It’s just such an honor to be able to do this.”

On Sunday, the Rockets and Anheuser-Busch partnered to host a separate blood drive at Toyota Center for the American Red Cross.

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“It’s always great to be able to give …

“It’s always great to be able to give back to the community,” said Rockets CEO Tad Brown. “Work together and combine our resources.” The Rockets teamed up with Kroger to provide groceries for multiple organizations; from the Boys and Girls Club to the Chinese Community Center. Meals from Tilman Fertitta’s Salt Grass Steakhouse were provided as well.

Tad Brown: Selling Rockets never an option for Tilman Fertitta

“He’s not looking to sell and he’s never even considered it, and that’s not something he’s going to consider,” CEO Tad Brown told CNBC.

Though the financial status of Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta has been a hot topic during the COVID-19 pandemic, he insists that selling a stake in the basketball franchise has never been considered.

Fertitta has furloughed thousands of workers at his non-Rockets businesses, which are largely comprised of the Golden Nugget casino chain and restaurants run under the Landry’s Inc. umbrella. In April, he offered a very high loan rate for those businesses.

But Fertitta, who bought the Rockets in September 2017 for $2.2 billion, says the Rockets operate “in a silo.” In a new story posted Saturday, CEO Tad Brown tells CNBC that selling anything involved with the Rockets has never been and will never be a consideration for Fertitta.

Jabari Young writes:

Though his latest move is described as insurance, it raised red flags for sports investors. One banker hinted Fertitta offering such a high return signals shares of the Rockets could become available should he need more liquidity to protect his businesses.

The Rockets did not make Fertitta available for an interview, but he told Bloomberg about an offer to “sell 50% of the Rockets for $1 billion and the answer was no.”

Rockets CEO Tad Brown spoke to CNBC, adding Fertitta is “not looking to sell and he’s never even considered it, and that’s not something he’s going to consider in the future.”

Speculation picked up after reports emerged earlier this week that the San Antonio Spurs — Houston’s in-state and division rival — are looking to sell a small minority ownership stake in the team.

But signals from Houston are that a similar move isn’t in the cards for them. For what it’s worth, the rumored bid of $1 billion for a 50% stake in the Rockets would be just under the valuation Fertitta committed to when he purchased the team in late 2017 — when 50% was $1.1 billion.

Though all NBA owners have felt at least some financial effects due to the pandemic, Fertitta appeared to be disproportionately impacted given the nature of his businesses (entertainment, restaurants, and hospitality). However, the gradual reopening of Texas could ease that pain.

The Rockets are currently projected to have the NBA’s No. 6 payroll for the 2020-21 season at over $130 million in total salary.

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The Rockets did not make Fertitta …

The Rockets did not make Fertitta available for an interview, but he told Bloomberg about an offer to “sell 50% of the Rockets for $1 billion and the answer was no.” Rockets CEO Tad Brown spoke to CNBC on Friday, adding Fertitta is “not looking to sell and he’s never even considered it, and that’s not something he’s going to consider in the future.”