Houston Rockets Preseason Thread 2018

The Houston Rockets should sign Jameer Nelson

With Chris Paul potentially being out for a month, the Houston Rockets have an even bigger need at point guard, one that Jameer Nelson could fill admirably.

When Chris Paul sat out the final five minutes of the Houston Rockets‘ win over theGolden State Warriors and was subsequently ruled out for Houston’s next two games, fans were told not to worry as he was simply dealing with a bruised knee.

However, Marc Stein dropped a significant update on Paul’s injury and the possible duration he may miss:

There are fears that Chris Paul's knee problem could sideline him for a month in Houston, according to league sources

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) October 20, 2017

That deals a big blow to a Rockets team that is looking to grow together and build the synergy between Paul and James Harden. It also leaves Houston down a man in an already thin backcourt.

An injury to Paul isn’t that surprising at this point. Paul has dealt with his fair share of the injury bug over the past couple of seasons. Over the last four years, the 32-year-old guard has played an average of 70 games per season. It looks likely that Paul will miss at least the next couple of weeks, but his injury could leave him out for over a month.

Coming in to the season, the health and durability of the backcourt was something to monitor. Paul and Gordon have both struggled with injuries in recent seasons, and overextending them during stages of the regular season could lead to significant injuries. With it looking likely that Paul has already been bitten by the injury bug, it’s time the Rockets move to sign a quality veteran point guard to fill in for the next couple of weeks.

And their ideal target was just waived this past week. Yes, I’m talking about Jameer Nelson.

Although Nelson is 35 years old, he can still provide quality minutes as a backup. Last season, Nelson played 27.3 minutes per game in 75 games for the Denver Nuggets, averaging 9.2 points and 5.1 assists per game. More importantly, Nelson is a good shooter, hitting 38.8 percent of his 3-pointers last season (and 36.9 percent for his career).

Although he is a poor defender (defensive box plus-minus of -2.3 last season) , Houston now has enough wing and post defenders to make up for Nelson’s shortcomings on that end of the floor.

Nelson would be able to run the offense alongside Gordon or Harden, is a capable passer, and experienced veteran that would join a Houston locker room filled with quality experienced players. The fit seems perfect for both Houston and Nelson. The Rockets would have a quality backup point guard for not only the immediate future while Paul is out, but also for later in the season when/if Gordon misses time or Mike D’Antoni begins to rest his key players.

For Nelson, he would join a contending team with a defined role over the next month. Then he would shift to a spot rotational player that fills in when necessary. At this point in his career, the Rockets present the ideal fit for playing time and an opportunity to compete for a championship. - FANSIDED

 
^I wouldn't even want Deron Williams to sign with the Shanghai Sharks. He was putrid last year.
 
It’s early in the season and it’s a 2-4 week injury. Don’t see the need to sign anyone really. Just expand the rotation a little bit and we’ll be alright. Just need him back to work on chemistry and be ready for the playoffs.
 
It’s early in the season and it’s a 2-4 week injury. Don’t see the need to sign anyone really. Just expand the rotation a little bit and we’ll be alright. Just need him back to work on chemistry and be ready for the playoffs.

Ideally this would be nice. Start getting Jackson and Troy acclimated cause you never know what can happen come playoff time
 


Couldn't have asked for a better overall sports night here :lol: was surprised at how packed TC was with the Astros in a game 7, but as the Mavs were getting washed, you can tell people started to leave to MMP :rofl: the final score should have been by 30, but I expected the lead to get cut once the bench was emptied. Dirk looked despicable :sick: like the Walking Dead
 
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The Rockets filled their second and last two-way spot this morning.
The Rockets have decided to finally fill both of their two-way contracts when they signed Briante Weber this morning. The other spot is taken up by backup guard Demetrius Jackson.

Houston filled up both of their two-way spots with guards. With Chris Paul‘s injury, the signing of Briante Weber is likely a precaution. He can still show and could potentially find playing time with the Rockets.

To refresh on two-way contracts, the player gets paid based on time with the team. They can spend up to 45 days with the team and the rest with the G-League affiliate.

How he plays
Briante Weber has not really gotten a chance to show off his talent in the NBA. Most games he has played, Weber was not needed in a significant role. Unfortunately, he likely won’t have one in Houston either. Regardless, he has had a great 2 years in the G-League, let’s look at some stats from last year:

Points: 16.5

Rebounds: 7.5

Assists: 7.3

He has the ability to fill up the stat sheet on any given night. He shot 35% from deep, too, and is a career 37% shooter from 3 in the G-League.

Weber’s defensive stats are pretty solid, as well. He had a defensive rating of 103 last year. For those who are not familiar with the advanced stat, a defensive rating of 103 is pretty darn good. Weber also managed to average over 3 steals per game. His 7.5 rebounds per game are also pretty high for a guard. He is everywhere on the court during a game, even at his 6’2 height.

Weber has the scrappiness to make it in the league, he just needs an opportunity to show it. Will he get that opportunity in Houston? He will likely spend most of his time with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, probably.

RGV Updates
Speaking of Rio Grande Valley, a couple of players have been assigned there from Houston. Troy Williams and Chinanu Onuaku will likely both be with RGV as they start their season on November 3. Williams is the surprising send-down as he had a fantastic Summer League and hoped to stay up with the Rockets most of the year.

Zhou Qi is still with the team after the first G-League assignments. This may be due to Ryan Anderson‘s back injury that could keep him out of tonight’s game. - FANSIDED
 
Rockets should be up way more. They've played sloppy, but they haven't been helped out by s bunch of BS whistles. Rockets are getting called for everything while Memphis has free reign.
 
Really ****ty 4th quarter. Wouldn't be pissed if it was simply bad play and the Grizzlies outplayed them, but the refs from start to finish aided in Memphis winning that game. I'm not sure if I've ever seen such blatant calls for a road team. It's like they were dead set on screwing over the Rockets. On to the next one. Philly, Charlotte, then Memphis at The Whinehouse after that.
 
Yeah bound to have shooting night like that.
I thought to my self a couple times earlier in the game, we should be putting this game away or it’s going to haunt us. And it did.
 
Well this is excellent





You have some older players on the roster and you're playing Ariza for 40 minutes while using an 8 man rotation this early in the season. Did McHale get re-hired as an assistant?
 
The Rockets are hitting the road for a three-game swing that starts tonight against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Houston will be without the services of Chris Paul and Trevor Ariza. Also doubtful for the game is Nene.

As much as it hampers the Rockets to lose Ariza and probably Nene, the Rockets are in a much better position to handle those losses than they were last season. Then, they would have had to turn to Corey Brewer or Sam Dekker to fill in for Ariza. Now they have Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and can still have PJ Tucker coming off the bench to provide minutes at the wing position.

Last season, the Rockets played out the season with just two true bigs in Clint Capela and Nene. With Nene sitting on back-to-backs, the Rockets were forced to rely on Montrezl Harrellto give them minutes at the position. Harrell was great in spots, but as a player already undersized as a power forward, he floundered plenty of times on both ends of the court.

Cue Daryl Morey once again, who went out and signed Tarik Black to be the third center on the Houston roster. With the Nene situation, Black is really more like a 2.5 on the depth chart rather than the third center. With Nene guaranteed to miss more games and Capela to likely get a knock or two, Black’s contributions will be vital to maintaining consistency on both ends of the court.

But enough about Houston. Let’s talk about the Philadelphia 76ers. Once dubbed the 6-76ers (h/t Xiane), The Process seems to be complete. Philly started with a murderer’s row in the East, opening at Washington, home against the Celtics, and at Toronto. The Sixers lost all three games, but bounced back with a nice win in Detroit. Ben Simmons had a triple-double.

The Markelle Fultz shoulder situation will be the topic of discussion tonight, as a single cortisone shot has suddenly been blown way out of proportion. Fultz will be fine.

What’s more, Rockets fans should remember that last year Embiid was an absolute force when the teams met in Philadelphia. It was an incredibly memorable game, and not just because James Harden had a 50-point triple double. No, the game was awesome because it felt like every time the Rockets, weary and injured during a 5-game road trip, started to pull away, the young Sixers kept clawing back. It was impressive to watch a young team starting to put things together. What’s more, it just seemed like Embiid was about as perfect as you can be as a rookie. The only hole in his game seemed to be pick-and-roll defense, and even then you have to remember that no one player can solve a pick-and-roll run by James Harden.

I don’t know if Philly is a playoff team. What I do know is that they have tons of young talent (the three guys mentioned earlier and Dario Saric), plus some vets in J.J. Redick, Robert Covington, Amir Johnson, and Jerryd Bayless who all know their roles on this team. If they can put everything together, they’re a terrifying out for any of the top teams in the East. - DREAM SHAKE
 
Better now then later. MDA needs to get some of these younger guys in their and quit messing around.
 
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