Tag: Thabo Sefolosha

William Howard returns to France, not on Houston’s restart roster

Howard signed with a French team, though fellow Two-Way player Michael Frazier and newcomer Luc Mbah a Moute are both on the final roster.

The Houston Rockets finalized their roster on Monday for the NBA’s upcoming restart of the 2019-20 season.

As expected, Two-Way forward William Howard — who had largely played for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston’s G League affiliate — is not with the Rockets in the Florida “bubble” and is not on their final roster.

That’s because the 26-year-old Howard, a France native, signed a deal during the NBA’s lengthy COVID-19 hiatus with French team ASVEL.

A 6-foot-8 forward, Howard averaged 12.8 points (36.4% on 3-pointers) and 5.3 rebounds in 31 minutes per game with the Vipers. He played only sparingly in two games for the Rockets, who signed Howard in late December after a previous stint with Utah’s G League affiliate.

Due to Howard’s absence and the addition of injured newcomer David Nwaba, who will not be available until the 2020-21 season, Houston’s final roster of 15 players is one of the smallest of the 22 teams participating in the restart. Regular-season play resumes on July 31 for the Rockets.

Michael Frazier, who is Houston’s other Two-Way player, is with the Rockets in the Florida “bubble” and on the final roster. As such, he will be eligible to play once the season resumes. The 6-foot-3 guard, who is well regarded for his defense, averaged 14.9 points (33.3% on 3-pointers) and 3.3 rebounds in 28.1 minutes per game with the Vipers.

Like Howard, Frazier is also 26 years old. Players on Two-Way contracts are primarily G League participants, but they can spend up to 45 service days with their affiliate NBA team. Unlike most years, the league’s new rules surrounding the restart and associated health concerns after a long layoff will allow Two-Way players to be eligible for postseason play.

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The entire Houston roster can be viewed below. Besides Howard, other changes relative to their pre-COVID roster include the departures of young center Isaiah Hartenstein (released to make room for Nwaba) and veteran forward Thabo Sefolosha, who opted out of the restart.

Sefolosha’s spot was filled by veteran forward Luc Mbah a Moute, who is not yet with the Rockets in Florida due to an undisclosed reason. However, Houston Chronicle reporter Jonathan Feigen said Monday that Mbah a Moute is expected to arrive “soon,” according to a source. His inclusion on the final roster would seem to indicate that the Rockets remain confident as to his eventual availability for the restart.

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Luc Mbah a Moute returning to Rockets to fill Sefolosha’s spot

The Houston Rockets are filling Thabo Sefolosha’s vacated roster spot by bringing former player Luc Mbah a Moute back into the fold.

Just before the NBA’s COVID-19 hiatus in March, the Houston Rockets brought in veteran forward Luc Mbah a Moute for a workout.

With a roster spot now open due to Thabo Sefolosha opting out of the NBA’s restart later this month in Florida, the timing is finally right.

As reported by The Athletic‘s Shams Charania, the Rockets plan to sign Mbah a Moute to fill Sefolosha’s vacant spot. Mbah a Moute has not played for an NBA team this season, so he is eligible for a playoff roster.

Best known for his defense, the versatile 6-foot-8 forward played 25.6 minutes per game with the Rockets in the 2017-18 season. He averaged 7.5 points, including 36.4% on 3-pointers. Houston went 65-17 as a team that year, which was by far the best mark in franchise history.

Mbah a Moute had a 101.7 defensive rating with the 2017-18 Rockets, which was best on the team among consistent rotation players.

But Mbah a Moute dislocated his right shoulder twice during that season, with the latter incident occurring in the second-to-last game. That injury limited his availability and effectiveness in the playoffs.

Then, after signing with the Clippers before the 2018-19 season, a separate knee injury limited him to only four games. Now 33 years old, Mbah a Moute hasn’t played with any team in 2019-20, which means he’s played in just four NBA games over the last two seasons, combined.

Thus, between the normal aging curve for an NBA player and his own personal history with injuries, it’s not clear whether Mbah a Moute is still the same player physically as he was two seasons ago. But if healthy, Mbah a Moute would seem to be an ideal fit for the new frontcourt emphasis of the Rockets (40-24), who are prioritizing versatile defenders such as P.J. Tucker and Robert Covington ahead of traditional centers.

Mbah a Moute’s position versatility also lines up well with Sefolosha, making him a logical replacement as Houston fills out its bench. In fact, just before signing Sefolosha last September, reports indicated that the Rockets also had interest in Mbah a Moute for the same role.

Sefolosha wasn’t expected to be in the rotation once Houston’s 2019-20 season resumes on July 31, and the same will likely be the case for Mbah a Moute. But that prior stint means that head coach Mike D’Antoni knows him well — and if issues arise with injuries or health in Florida, having trusted veterans at the end of the bench could become very important.

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Rockets have open roster spot after Thabo Sefolosha opts out

The Rockets have an open roster spot heading into the NBA’s Florida restart after veteran Thabo Sefolosha declined to participate.

The Houston Rockets now have an open roster spot after veteran Thabo Sefolosha decided not to participate in the NBA’s restart later this month. The news was first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The 36-year-old Sefolosha averaged 2.2 points and 2.3 rebounds in 10.6 minutes per game this season. The 6-foot-6 forward played in 41 games for the Rockets, but fell out of the rotation in late February after Houston’s midseason signings of Jeff Green and DeMarre Carroll.

Sefolosha wasn’t expected to have a rotation role in Florida, but he was dependable veteran insurance at the end of the bench in the event of injuries or health problems related to COVID-19. Over his 14-year NBA career, Sefolosha has become known for his steady defense, high on-court intelligence, and solid 3-point shooting (34.9% career).

The Rockets will now have the option of replacing Sefolosha on the roster with a substitute player, though there were no immediate indications as to who that might be. They are not required to fill the spot.

Earlier Wednesday, head coach Mike D’Antoni had said the Rockets anticipated their full roster being available in Florida.

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Former Thunder player Thabo Sefolosha on George Floyd death: ‘That could have been me’

Thabo Sefolosha, whose leg was broken by police in 2015, sees his experience reflected in the killing of George Floyd.

Former Oklahoma City Thunder player Thabo Sefolosha has thought back to his own experience with police brutality in the wake of the George Floyd killing.

In 2015, Sefolosha’s leg was broken by police outside a nightclub.

After Floyd was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis, Sefolosha spoke to the Associated Press about how he saw himself reflected in that.

“I was just horrified by what I saw,” Sefolosha said to AP. “That could have been me.”

Sefolosha, who at the time was on the Atlanta Hawks, was outside a Manhattan nightclub when three people including then-NBA player Chris Copeland were stabbed. Sefolosha testified that police told everyone to clear the area and as he was walking away from the block, he went to give a panhandler money when police grabbed him.

Police broke his leg and tore some of his ligaments. Sefolosha, accused of misdemeanor obstructing government administration, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, was found not guilty and settled for $4 million.

“It changed me a lot, toward the way I see law enforcement in this country,” Sefolosha said. “And also toward the way I see the whole justice system. I went to court and I had to do all of this to prove my innocence. It really got me deep into the system and I’m really skeptical of the whole system.”

Floyd died after an officer kneeled on his neck for more than eight minutes on May 25.

The officer, Derek Chauvin, was arrested Friday. The other three officers standing by them have not been arrested.

“You see what happened in Minnesota where three human beings with a badge are watching another human being killing somebody,” Sefolosha said. “And instead of saying, ‘OK, this is my duty as a human being,’ the duty was more toward not interfering with the other officer and saying, ‘We are a clan, we stick together no matter what.’ It should be the other way around.”

Now on the Houston Rockets, Sefolosha thinks there needs to be change within the system and not just weeding out specific police officers.

“People talk about a few rotten apples,” Sefolosha said. “But you know, in my experience and from what we’re seeing, I think it’s deeper than that as a culture that’s deeply rooted in it, to be honest. That’s just my honest opinion. I think it’s really … part of a culture where it’s deeper than just a few bad apples.”

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Danuel House Jr. makes strong case for Rockets’ starting lineup

Houston is 26-11 when Danuel House starts, and 8-9 when he does not. Between House, Robert Covington, and Eric Gordon, only two will start.

When Danuel House Jr. was pulled from the Houston Rockets starting lineup on Jan. 11, he was in the middle of an extended slump.

Over nine games from Dec. 28 through Jan. 15, the 26-year-old forward scored in double figures just one time. In 30.8 minutes per game, House averaged 7.6 points (27.5% 3-point shooting), 3.8 rebounds, and 0.4 steals, and his frustration appeared to boil over on Jan. 8 in Atlanta with an angry sideline incident in which he kicked over a chair.

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But since that cold stretch, House has turned things around in a big way. In 14 games since Jan. 18, House is averaging 11.6 points (38.6% 3-point shooting), 5.9 rebounds, and 1.8 steals in 32.1 minutes. After scoring double figures just one time in his prior nine games, he’s now done it for the Rockets in 10 of his last 14 games.

Though House was never formally given his starting job back, injuries to Clint Capela (prior to his trade) and more recently Eric Gordon — along with absences by Russell Westbrook during one half of a back-to-back — have led to House starting eight of those 14 games.

For the 2019-20 season overall, the Rockets (34-20) are 26-11 (.703) when House starts, and 8-9 (.471) when he does not. That .703 clip would be good for approximately 58 wins over a full season.

It’s unclear what head coach Mike D’Antoni‘s long-term plan is for the starting lineup, though Westbrook and James Harden in the backcourt and defensive ace P.J. Tucker at center are fixtures. From there, there are three realistic options for the two forward spots — 6-foot-7 newcomer Robert Covington, the 6-foot-3 Gordon, and the 6-foot-6 House.

When House was first removed from the starting lineup in mid-January, it was initially Ben McLemore, rather than Gordon, who took his spot. At the time, part of D’Antoni’s stated rationale was for the defensively versatile House to help back up Tucker at power forward, with the team hoping to limit Tucker’s minutes to approximately 30 per game.

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Later in the month, Gordon took over that spot for McLemore. But since both of them are 6-foot-3 guards known best for their shooting, it didn’t cause any significant change to the team’s playing style or rotations.

When the Rockets begin play after the All-Star break, however, their rotations will look decidedly different than when the original decision to remove House from the starting lineup was made in January. For starters, Tucker now plays at center, rather than power forward.

The Rockets also have additional backup options on the front line. After playing just two times in 10 games from Dec. 23 through Jan. 15, veteran Thabo Sefolosha has recently carved out a rotation role as a backup center. The 6-foot-6 Sefolosha has played in all 10 of Houston’s most recent games, and with double-figure minutes in eight of them.

Furthermore, 6-foot-9 newcomer Bruno Caboclo could be an option, as could anyone the Rockets hypothetically sign from the buyout or overseas markets. At the moment, the team has two open roster spots.

All of those are potential reasons that House’s availability off the bench as a fill-in replacement for Tucker might not be as necessary now as it seemed to be several weeks ago.

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It’s also possible that the Rockets might see the limited size of someone like Gordon or McLemore at small forward as more problematic now that their starting center is the 6-foot-5 Tucker, rather than the 6-foot-10 Capela. If that’s the case, gaining extra height, athleticism, and defensive length by going back to House could be a consideration.

It’s not yet evident what D’Antoni’s verdict will be, and we won’t know for some time, since the Rockets don’t play again until Thursday, Feb. 20 at Golden State. And it’s certainly possible, if not likely, that D’Antoni could experiment with different combinations over the regular season’s final two months to see what fit is best for his new-look roster.

But on paper, House’s recent surge gives the Rockets even more to consider as they try to find their ideal rotation for the 2020 NBA playoffs.

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Clint Capela, Danuel House Jr. doubtful for Saturday due to illness

Clint Capela and Danuel House Jr. (ill) are doubtful, with Tyson Chandler and Ben McLemore likely to start in their place for the Rockets.

The Houston Rockets could be without two starters for Saturday’s home game versus the Atlanta Hawks.

Starting center Clint Capela and small forward Danuel House Jr. are each doubtful due to illness, head coach Mike D’Antoni said at practice Friday. Capela also missed Wednesday’s win over Miami for the same reason.

The Rockets (12-6) are significant favorites over the Hawks (4-14), who entered Friday tied for the worst record in the Eastern Conference. That could present the team with an opportunity to be more conservative in their treatment of injured or sick players.

Veteran Tyson Chandler would start in Capela’s place if the 25-year-old is unable to go — just as he did Wednesday. Young prospects Isaiah Hartenstein and Gary Clark could also figure into the mix.

Clark added 12 points and eight rebounds in 28 impressive minutes off the bench Wednesday, while Hartenstein had 16 rebounds in 30 minutes on Nov. 16 when Capela missed a game in Minnesota.

In his sixth season, Capela is averaging 14.6 points, 14.7 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks in 31.9 minutes per game this year, and he’s on a historic rebounding run with at least 19 boards in his last seven games played. Those are large shoes to fill for any of his potential replacements.

Prior to Capela’s current streak, the only NBA player to have at least 19 rebounds in seven straight games was rebounding legend and Basketball Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman, who last did it in the 1994-95 season.

The only player in Rockets franchise history to have posted averages of at least 14 points, 14 rebounds, and two blocks per game in a single season was Hakeem Olajuwon, who did it 30 years ago in the 1989-90 season.

Meanwhile, Ben McLemore would likely start in the place of House. McLemore scored 14 points and hit 4-of-9 (44.4%) from three-point range when House missed a game last Friday at the Los Angeles Clippers.

But at 6-foot-3, McLemore isn’t as long or as versatile defensively as the 6-foot-6 House. House also has the advantage as a shooter, with the native Houstonian connecting on 42.4% of his three-point attempts this season — as compared to 29.1% for McLemore.

Further down the bench, starting McLemore for House could also present a rotation opportunity for veteran forward Thabo Sefolosha or rookie guard Chris Clemons to help fill McLemore’s usual bench minutes.

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Report: Eric Gordon could miss up to six weeks after knee procedure

After a slow start to the season, Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon could reportedly miss up to six weeks due to a planned knee procedure.

Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon may be looking at an extended absence, as first reported by The Athletic‘s Shams Charania.

Gordon, who has struggled to find a consistent role with the team so far this season, may need knee surgery that could sideline the 12-year veteran for as long as six weeks, and a month at minimum.

While there’s a chance the Indiana native can avoid it, it seems probable the ex-Hoosier will elect to have a clean-up operation as the team and player search for a solution to his early woes.

Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni confirmed the injury news at Tuesday’s practice, and indicated that Gordon would, in fact, have the procedure.

If the procedure is greenlighted, it will further solidify fourth-year wing Danuel House Jr.’s role as the team’s starting small forward, one the 6-foot-6 wing has embraced in the wake of one of the worst starts to his teammate’s career.

Gordon, on the other hand, finds himself logging his worst three-point shooting (28.4%) since his inaugural season with the New Orleans then-Hornets, when he managed an abysmal 25% from beyond the arc. He has also put up the worst field goal percentage of his career in nine games so far this season, a mere 30.9%.

Whether or not knee problems are the culprit, it’s hard to imagine a player who has logged a career .372 percentage from three-point range and .426 overall from the floor to remain so cold over the course of a complete season, if fully healthy.

If the Rockets are going to seriously contend for an NBA title this season, they’ll need Gordon as close to that status as possible — and hitting more like he has over the course of his career.

While House has been a pleasant surprise in how well he has adapted to his new role, Houston will need at least some backups to step up, in order to compete against the league’s better teams.

With only Thabo Sefolosha currently available to spell the three in Gordon’s likely extended absence and House navigating injuries of his own, success in a stacked West is predicated on the Indiana product regaining at least some of his shooting touch, and in a hurry.

In the meantime, expect the organization to lean heavily on House when possible, with a big boost to Sefolosha’s minutes in the short-term as the team scrambles to shore up a banged-up wing rotation.

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Rockets list Danuel House Jr. as doubtful for Clippers game

Houston Rockets forward Danuel House Jr. is doubtful for Wednesday’s showdown versus the Los Angeles Clippers with a bruised lower back,

Houston Rockets small forward Danuel House Jr. is doubtful for Wednesday’s home game versus the Los Angeles Clippers due to a bruised back, head coach Mike D’Antoni said at Tuesday’s practice.

The 26-year-old suffered the injury during Monday’s victory at New Orleans when a Pelicans defender attempted to draw a charge. House was in the air on a drive to the basket and fell several feet, with his lower back taking the brunt of the impact.

House stayed in the game to shoot the ensuing free throws and played for much of the first half, but his back stiffened during the halftime break — when the team announced he would not return.

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The native Houstonian is scoring 11.8 points in 29.2 minutes per game this season, including a blistering 45.5% shooting clip on three-pointers. The defensive rating of 104.0 is among the best in Houston’s current rotation, and his 6-foot-6 frame offers valuable length, athleticism, and defensive versatility.

However, the Rockets (7-3) may catch a slight break with House’s probable absence in Wednesday’s showdown. That’s because the Clippers (7-3) are not expected to play superstar forward Paul George, with Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reporting that George will make his 2019-20 season debut on Thursday in New Orleans, instead.

As of midday Tuesday, it was unclear if fellow star forward Kawhi Leonard would play, since it’s the first of a back-to-back sequence of games for the Clippers — who to this point have sat Leonard for one game of their back-to-backs this season.

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However, given the controversy (including a fine from the NBA) from last week’s decision to sit Leonard in an ESPN game and considering that Wednesday’s game in Houston is also on ESPN, Clippers coach Doc Rivers could play Leonard in this one as a gesture of good faith.

As for the Rockets, the team is likely to start 6-foot-3 guard Ben McLemore in House’s place. That’s because Eric Gordon, who as recently as last week started at forward over House, is now expected to miss six weeks after undergoing a medical procedure on his knee.

That knee problem may have contributed to Gordon’s much worse than expected start to the 2019-20 season.

With Gordon and House both presumably out, that’s likely to mean more minutes than usual in D’Antoni’s rotation for McLemore, as well as veteran forward Thabo Sefolosha and perhaps rookie guard Chris Clemons off the Houston bench.

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