No Rockets As Lakers, Nuggets Headline Christmas Day

AUG 3 TERRENCE WILLIAMS SENTENCED A former member of the Houston Rockets is in trouble with the law.

A federal judge sentenced former Rockets wing Terrence Williams to 10 years in prison on charges of health care fraud, according to the New York Post.

Williams, the No. 11 overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, played 23 games with the Rockets from 2010-12.

AUG 2 ROCKETS SIGN JERMAINE SAMUELS JR. The Houston Rockets are shaping up their training camp roster for the 2023-24 season.

According to the Athletic, the Rockets are signing two-way forward Jermaine Samuels Jr. to a two-way contract. The deal came less than 12 hours after the Rockets signed Jeenathan Williams.

Samuels played for the Rockets during the Las Vegas Summer League tournament, where he averaged 11.3 points, five rebounds and 3.3 assists.

AUG 1 ROCKETS SIGN JEENATHAN WILLIAMS The Houston Rockets are adding to their training camp roster.

According to HoopsHype's Michael Scotto, the Rockets are signing former Portland Trail Blazers wing Jeenathan Williams.

Williams, 24, played five games for the Blazers towards the end of last season, averaging 10.6 points per game. Portland cut him last week before his contract became guaranteed, but now he is a member of the Rockets.

JULY 31 CHARLES BARKLEY CALLS OUT KEVIN DURANT Former Houston Rockets forward Charles Barkley has never shied away from displaying his opinion about Kevin Durant. Barkley's comments regarding Durant have made headlines in the past, and his interview with Jon Wertheim of 60 Minutes wasn't no different.  

"He’s [Durant] very sensitive," Barkley said. "Great player. He’s part of that generation who think he can’t be criticized. He’s never looked in the mirror and said, ‘Man, was that a fair criticism?’"

JULY 20 JALEN GREEN TO USA SELECT TEAM Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green is playing some extra basketball this summer.

According to The Athletic, the third-year pro has been named to the USA Select team this summer. The USA Select Team will practice and scrimmage against the team that will represent the country at the FIBA World Cup this summer.

Other members of the team include Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams (Oklahoma City Thunder), Keegan Murray (Sacramento Kings) and Cade Cunningham (Detroit Pistons).

JULY 17 CAM WHITMORE NAMED SUMMER LEAGUE MVP Houston Rockets wing Cam Whitmore is off to a great start in his NBA career.

The No. 20 overall pick was named Summer League MVP for his efforts.

Whitmore looks to add to his trophy case with a championship trophy as the Rockets face the Cleveland Cavaliers at 8 p.m. on ESPN.

JULY 6 ROCKETS SIGN AARON HOLIDAY TO ONE-YEAR DEAL According to ESPN, the Rockets signed veteran guard Aaron Holiday to a one-year deal Thursday afternoon.

Holiday is joining the Rockets after a short stint with the Atlanta Hawks, where he appeared in 63 games and averaged 3.9 points and 1.4 assists in 13.4 minutes played. The 26-year-old guard is the youngest brother of fellow NBA players Jrue and Justin Holiday.

JULY 2 SUNS SIGN FORMER ROCKETS GUARD ERIC GORDON According to The Athletic, former Rockets guard Eric Gordon agreed to a two-year deal worth $6 million to sign with the Phoenix Suns. Gordon, 34, became a free agent after the Los Angeles Clippers decided not to guarantee his $21 million contract last week.

The Athletic added Gordon chose the Suns over a handful of teams, which included a reunion with the Rockets. Gordon averaged 11 points in 22 games with the Clippers, who acquired him from Houston at the February trade deadline.

JULY 2 ROCKETS RE-SIGN DARIUS DAYS, TREVOR HUDGINS The Rockets announced on Sunday that they re-signed forward Darius Days and guard Trevor Hudgins to two-way contracts.

Days spent most of 2022-23 assigned to the Rockets G League affiliate team, Rio Grande Valley Vipers, and earned All-NBA G League Second Team honors. In 29 regular season games for the Vipers, Days averaged 24.4 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.0 3-pointers made.

Hudgins signed a two-way contract with Houston after he went undrafted during the 2022 NBA Draft. In 28 regular season games for Rio Grande Valley, Hudgins averaged 20.0 points, 6.1 assists and 4.5 3-pointers made.

JULY 1 ROCKETS AGREE TO ONE-YEAR DEAL WITH JEFF GREEN The Rockets' latest acquisition may not have been James Harden, but the franchise did reunite with one of their former players. According to HoopsHype, the Rockets signed veteran forward Jeff Green to a one-year deal worth $6 million.

Green is coming off a season where he played 56 games with the Denver Nuggets and won his first career NBA championship. Green is entering his 16th season in the league. He played 18 games for the Rockets during the 2019-20 campaign.

JULY 1 ROCKETS ACQUIRE PATTY MILLS IN TRADE FROM NETS The Rockets spent all of Saturday revamping their subpar roster. According to The Athletic, the Rockets have acquired veteran guard Patty Mills in a trade from the Brooklyn Nets.

Mills is joining the Rockets after shooting 36.6 percent from deep while averaging 6.2 points in 40 games for the Nets last season.

JULY 1 ROCKETS, DILLON BROOKS TO MEET SATURDAY The Rockets are currently in the running for their second highly sought-after free-agent target, Dillon Brooks. According to The Athletic, the Rockets will meet with Brooks on Saturday.

Brooks has already met with the Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers. Los Angeles is out of the running following its acquisition of Gabe Vincent. 

JUNE 19 ZION WILLIAMSON TRADE RUMORS - The Houston Rockets could see a big change within their division in the coming days.

According to Bill Simmons, New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson has been a strong name in trade rumors and could be dealt ahead of Thursday's NBA Draft.

“The Zion thing is a real, real, real, subplot," Simmons said on his podcast. "I had somebody tell me yesterday—that I trust—that he will not be on [the Pelicans] by Thursday.”

Williamson was selected with the No. 1 overall pick just four years ago, but the Pelicans have only won two playoff games since his arrival, both in the season where he didn't play a single game due to injury.

JUNE 18 LOU WILLIAMS RETIRES - Former Houston Rockets guard Lou Williams announced his retirement Sunday morning, as first reported by The Athletic. He retired after 17 seasons and finished his career as the NBA's all-time leader in bench scoring.

Williams began his career with the Philadelphia 76ers as a second-round pick in 2005. He went on to play for six different franchises, which included a short stint with the Rockets in 2017. 

His most notable tenure came with the Los Angeles Clippers, where he won two of his three Sixth Man of the Year awards. Williams averaged 14.0 points on 41.9 percent shooting from the field and 3.9 assists in 1,123 career games.

JUNE 16 JA MORANT SUSPENDED - The in a move that can have ramifications in the Southwest Division, the NBA announced Friday morning the suspension for Memphis Grizzlies' All-Star point guard Ja Morant. 

According to ESPN, Morant - a star for a Memphis team that is a Houston Rockets' divisional foe - has been suspended 25 games for conduct detrimental to the league. He will also have to complete a program that "directly addresses the circumstances that led him to repeat this destructive behavior.”

Morant - who issued an "I'm sorry'' statement following the suspension - has been in trouble with the league for his penchant for gun play on social media.

JUNE 12 LOSING CHUCK 

Charles Barkley, the former Houston Rockets star - among many other things, of course -  is explaining how and why he recently lost 60 pounds.

While appearing on the Turner Sports pregame show before a recent Stanley Cup Finals matchup, Barkley told a story about his weight loss.

"My doctor told me I was fat. So I'm down 60 pounds," Barkley said. "She said to me, 'There's no fat old people, only fat young people.’ And she said, ‘If you don't get this stuff together you're not gonna be around.’"

Barkley, 60, went from 350 to 290 pounds and he said using the drug "Mounjaro" helped him along. Hey, the "Round Mound of Rebound'' being less round? We're all for it!

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