Houston Rockets

The NBA season is in full swing, which means we're going to keep hearing some significant rumors. And with several players currently on the sidelines for various reasons, including injuries, things are bound to change. 

So, let's take a look at some of the latest buzz from around the NBA.

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Latest on LeBron James' Injury Timetable

LeBron James has been sidelined for two weeks with an abdominal strain, but the Los Angeles Lakers star could make his return to the court very soon.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the 36-year-old could return for Friday's game against the Boston Celtics. 

Wojnarowski noted that James has not participated in any 5-on-5 or contact drills yet, but he "has progressed" and resumed individual workouts. 

In six games this season, the four-time NBA champion is averaging 24.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and seven assists per game while shooting 46.7 percent from the field and 34.7 percent from deep. The Lakers are 4-2 in games that he has played but 4-5 without him. 

James missed two games earlier in the season with an ankle injury, but he's set to be out for an eighth-straight game when the Lakers visit the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday. 

With their superstar sidelined, the Lakers have primarily relied on Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook. Talen Horton-Tucker has also impressed. 

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'Zero Traction' on Deal for John Wall 

John Wall continues to wait patiently for a trade out of Houston.

According to Sport's Illustrated's Chris Mannix, there has been "zero traction" on a trade for the point guard. 

The news comes after Wojnarowski reported it's "increasingly likely" Wall won't play this season because his contract is prohibiting a move.

The 31-year-old is in the third season of a four-year, $171.1 million deal, which includes a $44.3 million salary-cap hit this season. He also has a player option for the 2022-23 season at $47.3 million.

The five-time All-Star and the Rockets reached a mutual agreement in September for him to remain off the court while the franchise worked to find a trade partner. 

Wall was traded to the Rockets last season in a deal that sent Westbrook to the Washington Wizards. When he took the court for Houston, it was his first action since December 2018 after two years out through injury. 

The 2010 No. 1 pick proved he can still be an effective piece for a contending team last season. He averaged 20.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game while shooting 40.4 percent from the field and 31.7 percent from deep. 

Still, it's not necessarily surprising that teams aren't showing much interest in Wall. Maybe as the trade deadline gets closer, more contending teams will show interest.

For now, though, things are set to remain as they are for Wall and the Rockets. 

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Sixers Fine Ben Simmons for Failing to Travel on Road Trip

The Philadelphia 76ers have fined Ben Simmons an unspecified amount for failing to travel on the team's current six-game road trip, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.

"Simmons believes that the team continues to try to force him back on to the floor despite his mental health concerns and are disregarding his mental health issues," Charania said. "But the team’s positioning has been that until there’s information otherwise from their mental health specialist or Simmons that he should be expected to ramp back up for a return to the court.”

The 25-year-old complied with a request to meet with a team-recommended mental health specialist, though he continues to sit out. 

Simmons' agent, Rich Paul, said last week that the Sixers pushing the point guard to return to the court could worsen his mental health issues. 

Philly began fining the three-time All-Star by withholding 25 percent of his salary earlier this season. The team also fined him for not playing while demanding a trade. The fines initially stopped when he revealed his mental health struggles. 

Simmons has been in a stalemate with the Sixers for months and reportedly wants a trade out of Philadelphia. The trade rumors began after the 76ers were eliminated from the 2021 postseason.

The Houston Rockets have reportedly gained "zero traction" toward trading point guard John Wall, who's yet to play during the 2021-22 NBA season while awaiting a deal.

"To this point, I've been told there has been zero traction on a trade for John Wall, so he's just hanging out," Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated said (around the 16-minute mark) on The Crossover NBA Show.

Wall and the Rockets reached a mutual agreement in September for him to remain sidelined while the front office worked to find a potential trade, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon.

There was no bad blood between the sides about the decision as the team expressed "deep appreciation" for how the veteran guard handled himself and took on a leadership role amid a period of transition for the franchise.

"He's been a rock for us," a Rockets source told MacMahon. "He's been great since he got here."

Wall was acquired in December 2020 as part of a blockbuster deal that sent Russell Westbrook to the Washington Wizards. The following month, the Rockets dealt James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets as part of a large-scale rebuilding process.

The 2010 first overall pick played well for Houston during the second half of last season. He averaged 20.6 points, 6.9 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.1 steals across 40 appearances.

His contract is the biggest hurdle to overcome for a trade. He's in the third season of a four-year, $171.1 million deal, which includes a $44.3 million salary-cap hit this season and a player option for next season at $47.3 million that he's highly likely to exercise.

Trading Wall could require an extra team or two involved in the deal in order to make the financial side of things work out for the side acquiring the five-time All-Star.

The other question is where he would fit.

At 31, the University of Kentucky product isn't a long-term building block for teams looking forward to the future, and it would be difficult for most contenders to fit his cap number into their salary structure without impacting their luxury-tax outlook.

So it's not a major surprise the Rockets haven't found any takers at this stage. It's possible that could change closer to February's trade deadline as more teams make a final decision about whether to go all-in to chase a championship this season.

Wall proved during his short stint with Houston that he can still make an offensive impact, but the other factors in play could keep him sidelined for several more months, if not the entire campaign.

Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham didn't seem too bothered by Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green's trash talk, if his postgame reaction following his team's 112-104 road win Wednesday at the Toyota Center is any indication.

"It depends on what they're saying," Cunningham said when asked about handling trash talk.

"I'll talk too. Nothing that I heard tonight held any weight—it was all for the cameras."

Green notably got a technical foul after a ferocious slam dunk and ensuing trash talk in Cunningham's direction:

Jalen Green trash talked Cade Cunningham after this dunk 👀👀 https://t.co/m8SyooaAJE

— House of Highlights (@HoHighlights) November 11, 2021

The matchup was the first featuring the top two picks in the 2021 NBA draft.

In the end, the No. 1 overall selection's team got the last laugh as Cunningham posted 20 points.

Green also fared well, scoring 23 of his own.

The two teams are scheduled to meet one more time this regular season when Detroit hosts Houston on Dec. 18 at Little Caesars Arena.

The Houston Rockets held a moment of silence prior to their home game against the Detroit Pistons following the tragedy at rapper Travis Scott's Astroworld festival in Houston's NRG Park on Friday, which left eight people dead and at least 25 others hospitalized.

The Rockets were previously slated to host Travis Scott Night on Wednesday in honor of the Houston native, but the plans were postponed.

Rockets president of business operations Gretchen Sheirr spoke with Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle regarding the matter.

"After what was a horrific tragedy last week, we felt it would have been insensitive and not the right time for us to move forward," Sheirr said. "Tonight, we'll honor victims with a moment of silence to help our community heal."

The people who died were between the ages of 14 and 27 years old (the age of one of them is unknown), per CNN's Jason Hanna, Maya Brown and Rosa Flores.

A total of 50,000 people were in attendance at the sold-out festival, which saw a wave of concertgoers rush to the stage as Scott was performing, causing a crush.

"Once (Scott) started, all hell broke loose," Alexis Guavin, who attended the concert, told CNN. "All of what is to be 50,000 people ran to the front, compressing everyone together with the little air available."

Over 300 people were treated at a field hospital near the event, per CNN.

Per NPR's Jaclyn Diaz and Bill Chappell, Scott is receiving criticism for not stopping the concert as the situation was developing. Lawsuits are mounting against the 30-year-old, per BBC.

Scott has publicly apologized and said he will cover all funeral costs and one month of mental health services for anyone affected by the tragedy.

Houston Rockets point guard John Wall has yet to take the floor this season, and that doesn't look to be changing anytime soon.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported during Wednesday's NBA Countdown that Wall might not play at all this season.

"There are no plans for John Wall to play for the Rockets, and it's becoming increasingly likely that John Wall may not play anywhere in the NBA this season because the cost of his contract right now is just too prohibitive," Wojnarowski said.

After signing a four-year contract extension worth $170 million with the Washington Wizards in 2017, Wall is owed $91.7 million over the next two seasons. He has a player option worth $47.4 million for the 2022-23 season, and those numbers have made teams hesitant to trade for the 31-year-old veteran.

"Any team that would potentially trade for him would want him to decline that option," Wojnarowski said. "Well, he's not doing that, he's not giving that money back."

Wojnarowski noted that the other route towards free agency for Wall would be a contract buyout, but he has shown no interest in that and neither have the Rockets.

Wall was traded to Houston last season in a deal for Russell Westbrook. The five-time All-Star averaged 20.6 points and 6.9 assists in 40 games.

At one point, Wall was one of the most explosive point guards in the league. But injuries have limited him 113 games over the last four seasons. He missed all of 2019-20 with a torn Achilles.

The Rockets are currently in a rebuild and have handed the reins to 2021 No. 2 overall pick Jalen Green, who is 19, and 21-year-old third-year guard Kevin Porter Jr. Wojnarowski reiterated that Houston's commitment to its young players makes it unlikely that Wall will see the floor this year.

"He sits for now as the Rockets rebuild, play their young guys, and John Wall might not play at all this season," he said.

The Rockets entered Wednesday night's game against the Detroit Pistons riding an eight-game losing streak, giving them a 1-9 record.

Former NBA star Kenyon Martin enjoyed seeing his son, Kenyon Martin Jr., go up against one of his former teammates recently.

When asked about Martin Jr. and the Rockets facing Carmelo Anthony and the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday and Tuesday, K-Mart told TMZ Sports: "It was dope. Strange feeling at first but testament to Melo for one. ... His longevity in his craft. Still playing at a high level."

Martin, 43, spent 15 seasons in the NBA from 2000 to 2015, playing for the New Jersey Nets, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks.

The former University of Cincinnati standout was the No. 1 pick in the 2000 draft and went on to be a one-time All-Star.

Melo, 37, is in the midst of his 19th NBA season and his first with the Lakers after previous stints as a member of the Nuggets, Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers.

Anthony and Martin spent six-plus seasons as teammates in Denver and later reunited in New York for two more seasons.

Martin Jr. was just a toddler when his father and Melo played together for the first time, and now he is going head-to-head with one of the NBA's all-time-great scorers.

The younger Martin was a second-round pick in the 2020 draft out of high school by the Sacramento Kings, and he has spent the past two seasons with the Rockets.

If Martin Jr. enjoys an NBA career as long as Melo's or even his father's, he has at least a decade left in the league and plenty of opportunities to leave his mark.

The Los Angeles Lakers earned their third straight win, topping the Houston Rockets 119-117 at Staples Center on Tuesday. LeBron James had 30 points and 10 assists to lead the way as Los Angeles improved to 5-3.

✨ The Lakeshow in the open court! ✨

2Q on League Pass: https://t.co/5QqkBhf1W0 pic.twitter.com/EKTtQWRUsU

— NBA (@NBA) November 3, 2021

BRON BRAWN.

Watch on League Pass: https://t.co/5QqkBhf1W0 pic.twitter.com/aTJIzombYV

— NBA (@NBA) November 3, 2021

The Lakers trailed by as many as 11 points in the third quarter before storming back.

It was the second meeting between the two teams in the last three days. Los Angeles won Sunday's matchup, 95-85.

The Rockets fell to 1-6 and their losing skid is now at five straight games. Christian Wood had 26 points and 16 rebounds in the loss. Rookie Jalen Green had 24 points, with six coming late in the fourth quarter to make it a close game, but it wasn't enough.

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Notable Player Stats

F LeBron James, LAL: 30 points, 10 assists

G Russell Westbrook, LAL: 27 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists

F Anthony Davis, LAL: 27 points, 9 rebounds

F Christian Wood, HOU: 26 points, 16 rebounds

G Jalen Green, HOU: 24 points (18 in first half)

F Jae'Sean Tate, HOU: 20 points

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Lakers' Defense Remains an Issue Despite Victory

Los Angeles has struggled on defense throughout the season. Entering Tuesday's game, the Lakers ranked 26th in the league with opponents averaging 112.0 points against them.

A big reason for Sunday's win was the Lakers' effort on the defensive end as they held Houston to 85 points. Their lack of focus on Tuesday created problems and allowed a young Houston team make the game competitive.

LAL were scoring so easily early on that their attention to detail on defense may have waned comparative to Sunday’s matchup with Houston, and the Rockets shot 58.3% (making 5 3’s) to take a 35-32 lead out of the 1st Q.

— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) November 3, 2021

Halftime: Rockets 70, Lakers 64

Lakers' defense was subpar in the first half. Houston scored 40 points in the paint and made 8/18 3s (41.2%). LeBron, AD, Russ and Melo have combined for 53 points (82.8% of LA's total). The bench has struggled to make an impact (outside of Melo).

— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) November 3, 2021

Wait, the Los Angeles Lakers just allowed the G League Rockets to score SEVENTY points in the first half and trail and trail by 6 AT HOME??? LeBron is hot. Melo is hot. Yet nobody wants to play ANY defense???

— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) November 3, 2021

The Lakers finally woke up in the third quarter. They started forcing more turnovers as Houston made some sloppy mistakes. Los Angeles held the Rockets to 19 points in the third after surrendering 70 in the first half.

Lakers on an 8-0 run, Davis taking over. In a shootout, Rockets need to shoot. Turnovers stopping them. https://t.co/rSiIEJYDsc

— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) November 3, 2021

James took over in the fourth quarter to help put the game away, and he likely saved the Lakers from an embarrassing loss.

5-5 in the 4th Q.
11-14 in the game.
LBJ.@Lakers up 4 with 7:30 left on League Pass: https://t.co/5QqkBhf1W0 pic.twitter.com/9MHkohplNz

— NBA (@NBA) November 3, 2021

The Lakers will have to fix their issues on the defensive end if they hope to compete for their second NBA championship in three years. They allowed the Rockets, who entered the game averaging 101.5 points, to score 117 and shoot 52.7 percent from the field on Tuesday.

Los Angeles will continue find itself having trouble against younger teams if they can't consistently get stops and keep getting into back-and-forth shootouts.

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Young Rockets Enjoy Early Tempo, Get Sloppy Late

The Lakers and Rockets both came out playing fast, pushing the ball after makes and misses. Both teams thrived with the uptempo start to the game.

In matchup of top two teams in pace, Lakers really looking to run, even after made baskets. Good start all around. Lakers up one through five minutes. Teams a combined 13 of 18 but Rockets miss a couple fts.

— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) November 3, 2021

But as the game continued, the pace of the game seemed to favor the younger Houston team. After scoring just 15 first-quarter points on Sunday, the Rockets tied a season-high with 35 in Tuesday's opening frame.

Green, who was held to seven points on 2-of-8 shooting in the first meeting, had 12 of his 24 points in the first quarter. He did his damage both on the inside and outside.

https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/1455729052526862339

JALEN GREEN https://t.co/v6nok4JCaz

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 3, 2021

https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/1455732903166365696

The Rockets got contributions from multiple players early on. In the first half, Wood already had a double-double and Kenyon Martin Jr. had 12 points off the bench on 5-for-5 shooting. Houston did a better job of moving the ball and creating opportunities for each other.

https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/1455735968179228681

https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/1455736208315731968

But Houston got sloppy after halftime and allowed the Lakers back into the game. The Rockets entered the game averaging 18.7 turnovers. After just 10 giveaways in the first half, the Rockets finished the game with 24 turnovers.

Rockets turnovers issues https://t.co/XmgxiTGpKc returning. Have committed seven in 7 1/2 minutes to start the second half.

— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) November 3, 2021

Green also stopped being aggressive and didn't score in the second half until the waning moments of the fourth quarter.

The fast-paced game allowed Houston to get easy baskets and take advantage of a weak Lakers defense early on. But the Rockets need to do a much better job of taking care of the ball.

Houston knows it is a young team and playing fast is a nightly game plan. They will be able to surprise some teams who can't keep up, but it will be hard for them to scratch across some wins as long as turnovers remain an issue.

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What's Next?

The Lakers will look to complete the sweep of their four-game homestand on Thursday when the Oklahoma City Thunder come to town. The Rockets will look to end their losing streak on Thursday at the Phoenix Suns.

2007 NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion Gerald Green announced his retirement from the NBA on Friday, joining the Houston Rockets as a player development coach.

Green spent 12 years in the NBA with the Boston Celtics, Minnesota Timberwolves, Dallas Mavericks, New Jersey Nets, Indiana Pacers, Phoenix Suns, Miami Heat, Boston Celtics and Rockets.

A gifted athlete and scorer, Green averaged 9.5 points and 2.7 rebounds over the course of his career. He defeated Dwight Howard, Nate Robinson and Tyrus Thomas in the 2007 Slam Dunk Contest and also won the 2012 G League MVP.

The Rockets are in the midst of a full-scale rebuild and have young developing guards like Kevin Porter Jr. and Jalen Green who could benefit from Green's tutelage. 

Jalen Green, especially, has the type of athletic and shooting prowess that could give him some kinship with the elder statesman. 

The Houston Rockets have reportedly agreed to a four-year deal with guard Armoni Brooks, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

The new contract is only guaranteed for the first year but will have trigger dates for guarantees moving forward.

Brooks spent last season with Houston on a two-way deal, averaging 11.2 points and 3.4 rebounds per game in 20 NBA appearances. He shot 38.2 percent from three-point range while averaging three made three-pointers per game.

The University of Houston product had signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Atlanta Hawks after going undrafted in 2019 but was waived before the start of the season. He spent most of the next two years in the G League with the College Park Skyhawks and Rio Grande Valley Vipers before getting a deal with Houston last April.

Brooks averaged 16.8 points in 15 games with the Vipers during the 2020-21 season.

The 23-year-old took advantage of his opportunity in the NBA, scoring double digits in 11 of 20 games while scoring 24 points in a two-point loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in May.

The Rockets went onto post the worst record in the NBA (17-55), but Brooks showed he could be part of the rebuild thanks to his scoring upside.

There could be a fight for playing time in the backcourt with other young players like Jalen Green, Kevin Porter Jr. and Josh Christopher needing minutes. The deal still provides Brooks with an opportunity to stick in the NBA while helping turn things around in Houston.   

The Houston Rockets gave Kevin Porter Jr. an opportunity for more playing time when they acquired him from the Cleveland Cavaliers via trade last season. On Monday, he said they also did something else.

"This organization saved my life, potentially," Porter Jr. told reporters during the Rockets' media day. "I just love being here and I want to be here for a while. I needed a new scenery and they picked me up when I was down."

Cleveland traded Porter, whom it selected with the No. 30 overall pick in 2019, to the Rockets in January for a top-55-protected second-round pick.

"I’m just in a better space, a better role," Porter Jr. said. "I'm just being used better. I feel like (both Cleveland and Houston) have seen I can be a special talent, but Houston just knew how to utilize me and nurture me and take care of me, basically."

He continued, saying the Rockets "gave me love and confidence in myself, and motivation to become a better player and person."

Matt Young of the Houston Chronicle noted Porter was suspended for part of his one collegiate season because of "personal conduct issues."

The USC product still looked well on his way to a productive NBA career when he averaged 10.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 50 games during his rookie campaign with Cleveland, but he never played for the Cavaliers last season.

He was arrested in November, although misdemeanor drug abuse and traffic violation counts and a felony firearm handling count were all dismissed. However, Young noted he "got into an altercation with Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman because his locker location had been moved" and was eventually traded to Houston.

Porter appeared in 26 games for the Rockets last season with 23 starts and improved his per-game averages to 16.6 points, 6.3 assists and 3.8 rebounds.

As the Rockets continue their post-James Harden rebuild, it wouldn't be a surprise if Porter started this season and boosted those numbers with more playing time. He's only 21 years old and figures to be a key part of the organization's future alongside 2021 No. 2 overall pick Jalen Green.

It seems as though Porter is happy with his situation as well.