He said, “it’s the happiest I’ve been in my career”. The Undefeated asked in a January interview how happy he was playing for the Rockets. He replaced an injured Chris Paul at the time and has played his role well since Paul’s return. Rivers has been good defensively since being signed by the Rockets late December. Faried expected to be waived on Saturday and clear on Monday.
The Rockets have added depth to their roster with the addition of Austin Rivers, Kenneth Faried, and most recently, Danuel House.īrooklyn's Kenneth Faried has agreed to a contract buyout with the Brooklyn Nets, clearing the way for him to sign a free agent deal with the Houston Rockets, league sources tell ESPN. This season, the team is much deeper than they were heading into the WCF last year. Outside of the starting five, only Eric Gordon and Gerald Green played significant minutes. Coach Mike D’Antoni was limited in his ability to have players playing for extended minutes. Key Mid-Season Pickupsĭuring the WCF last year, the Rockets only had a 7-man rotation when matching up with the Warriors. The Rockets took their chances by not offering anything more than the veteran’s minimum, which has been the right play thus far. This season, Luc has only played 4 games for the Clippers and has been out (knee soreness) since October 23rd. Luc averaged just 2.8 ppg in 9 games for the Rockets during the 2018 playoffs. It was clear he was no longer the same player when he returned during the 2nd round of the playoffs. Due to a dislocated shoulder, he was sidelined twice last season. Luc was also great for the Rockets for the better part of the regular season when healthy. Notoriously, Ariza went 0-12 from three in the Rockets game 7 loss to the Warriors.
Ariza’s poor shooting during the 2018 playoffs could’ve been a reason the Rockets weren’t willing to spend big on the veteran forward. He shot 36.8% from three and averaged 11.7 ppg during the 2017-18 regular season. The Suns later traded Ariza to the Washington Wizards after he played 26 games with Phoenix.Īriza was a key role player for the Rockets last season, defending the best player on the court while shooting the three-ball efficiently. Both players signed one-year deals with the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers, respectively. Īfter starting this season 11-14, the Rockets gained some criticism for not re-signing key players in Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute over the offseason. Mbah A Moute will sign for $4.3M, league sources tell ESPN. Houston free agent Trevor Ariza has agreed to a one-year, $15M deal with the Phoenix Suns, league sources tell Yahoo. With the team being the healthiest it’s been all season, are the Rockets better than last year’s WCF (Western Conference Finals) team? Key Losses From Last Season This feat almost seemed impossible after going into the all-star break with a record of 33-24. The Rockets have a chance to be just 2.5 games behind the 1st seed with a win tonight against the Warriors. They are playing their best basketball with just 15 games left in the regular season. This healthy Rockets team is currently rolling on a nine-game win streak.
Today, the Rockets sit with a record of 42-25, which is good for 3rd best in the Western Conference. Had it not been for the Rockets going 0-27 from the three-point line (the worst shooting stretch in NBA history) and an injured Chris Paul, the results may have been different. Only a handful of teams can say they went toe-to-toe against possibly the greatest team ever assembled. The Rockets finished with the best record in the NBA and took the Warriors to seven games in the Western Conference Finals. During the 2017-2018 regular season, the Houston Rockets had a franchise record of 65 wins.