10 Copyright (c) 2013 Yahoo!, Inc. All rights reserved. en-us 126 15 http://sports.yahoo.com http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/b/ysp_logo_rss.gif Latest news and information about the Houston Rockets. http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/teams/hou http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=12lukd0j3/*http%3A//www.csnhouston.com/basketball-houston-rockets/talk/harden-recruiting-trail It certainly sounds like James Harden is doing his part to help the Rockets out with free agency season about to get in full swing. Wed, 22 May 2013 16:19:08 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,47a64b0f-4454-3b62-95c0-c98373ef8de4-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=13cm9kh8n/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--suns-to-start-interviewing-outside-coaching-candidates--204701633.html J.B. Bickerstaff, Steve Clifford, Quin Snyder and Jeff Hornacek are all on the Suns' list of coaching candidates. Wed, 22 May 2013 13:47:01 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,c61b0eb3-cce0-35cf-a957-1b1ce733fdad-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=14055tp3t/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/rockets-general-manager-shares-favorite-draft-interview-quips-201201243.html Tuesday night’s draft lottery was typical – both a spectacle and spectacularly boring, and you get the feeling that Houston Rocket general manager Daryl Morey was more than happy to sit it out. Not only did Morey’s Rockets make the playoffs this season for the first time since 2009, but for once Morey doesn’t have a battalion of draft picks he’s hoarding. After owning three draft picks in the 2012 NBA draft, Morey happily sent each of his 2013 first rounders elsewhere via trade. And though he’ll be interviewing prospects for Houston’s No. 34 selection in next month’s draft, the playoff berth and iffy talent level have Morey in a good mood. As evidenced by his Twitter feed , on Wednesday afternoon. Check these out: Best draft interview answers ever part 1: player, can you pass a drug test? [grabs table] TODAY?!? — Daryl Morey (@dmorey) May 22, 2013 Wed, 22 May 2013 13:10:01 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,9ebaa9af-53a7-3622-b7a1-06ea2c397f47-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=134q2p24m/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/news/terrence-williams-boston-celtics-arrested-washington-182800048.html COMMENTARY | In 2009, Terrence Williams was a lottery pick, selected with the 11th pick by the New Jersey Nets. The swingman out of Louisville had many around the league intrigued, and played some decent minutes for the Nets in his rookie year. This seemed to hint at a long, successful career in the NBA. Wed, 22 May 2013 11:28:00 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,590e7027-3ef3-3cd6-bf05-ec42987b00c5-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=131v8ho5t/*http%3A//www.csnhouston.com/basketball-houston-rockets/talk/report-rgvs-nurse-raptors-candidate According to Yahoo! Sports, yet another coach from Red Nation is getting attention around the NBA. Wed, 22 May 2013 09:48:37 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,cba2b5cc-1cd4-386a-a5c8-7d06d8238a84-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=135n0pc16/*http%3A//www.csnhouston.com/basketball-houston-rockets/talk/draft-lottery-team-team-needs-breakdown Here is this year’s NBA Draft Lottery and a breakdown of each team’s needs moving forward towards June 27th and the draft. Tue, 21 May 2013 18:19:20 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,2cd823f1-14f7-3eaf-b7ec-a3377e63ff48-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=13vr2tvpb/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.comhttps://www.csnhouston.com/basketball-houston-rockets/talk/report-finch-also-head-coaching-candidate Chris Finch is reportedly a top candidate for the Sixers' head coaching job. Mon, 20 May 2013 19:28:42 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,bd4ad6d4-5de0-3b68-b7f6-232a4dfa3e57-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=13jbee7a1/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.comhttps://www.csnhouston.com/basketball-houston-rockets/talk/ap-terrence-williams-arrested The Associated Press reports Terrence Williams was arrested Sunday and is accused of brandishing a gun at the mother of his 10-year-old son during a visitation exchange. Mon, 20 May 2013 17:11:04 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,18826982-d31c-3d1c-8df0-425d8d498f37-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=13vjqq80c/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.comhttps://www.csnhouston.com/basketball-houston-rockets/talk/jeremy-lin-1-1-challenge-being-role-model In this portion of our Beyond Linsanity series, Jeremy Lin talks about his joys of Houston, meeting Wat Misaka, and handling his position as a role model. Mon, 20 May 2013 10:51:25 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,b169021c-d2c0-3eb8-98f6-243cf7734567-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=13q6ullio/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.comhttps://www.csnhouston.com/basketball-houston-rockets/talk/calvin-murphy%E2%80%99s-planet-hoops Calvin Murphy’s Planet Hoops is a year-round program, for boys and girls ages 5-18, designed to help individuals develop and progress in the game of basketball. Mon, 20 May 2013 09:37:44 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,bf70ee39-3cbd-312e-8873-fa9b419ed9df-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=141n25pq7/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/celtics-terrence-williams-arrested-making-threats-gun-domestic-155543583.html Mon, 20 May 2013 08:50:43 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,85b3e4ad-fb9b-33d1-a824-8391c2dcdae9-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=12rtth7n0/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/news/report-lakers-howard-considering-other-020041670--nba.html Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard, who soon will become a free agent, plans to consider several teams and does not seem likely to rush the process, CBSSports.com reported Sunday. Sun, 19 May 2013 19:00:41 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,927f9136-2612-3427-9d56-a8aa83de1826-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=13p2i62i5/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.comhttps://www.csnhouston.com/basketball-houston-rockets/talk/report-rockets-intrigue-howard-most According to a report, the possible free agent destination that intrigues Dwight Howard the most is Houston. Sun, 19 May 2013 17:50:06 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,53dc87d8-15de-3680-bdb3-5072403e08f9-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=13rv7scgs/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.comhttps://www.csnhouston.com/basketball-houston-rockets/talk/76ers-hinkie-discusses-sampson-report Sam Hinkie responded to a report from Thursday that the Sixers have received permission to speak with Rockets assistant Kelvin Sampson for their head coaching job. Fri, 17 May 2013 16:11:55 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,689a4275-6b8d-3e86-b897-9d55ce57444d-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=12ok0nddh/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/news/thunder-season-fades-fast-westbrook-200725996--nba.html OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- The way Kevin Martin describes it, the Oklahoma City Thunder lost the ''vision'' of a potential championship run the morning they learned All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook would be out for the rest of the postseason. Thu, 16 May 2013 14:16:46 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,9832240e-ac7c-34dc-ae9b-65df5e37d95a-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=13vjtd480/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.comhttps://www.csnhouston.com/basketball-houston-rockets/talk/report-76ers-get-permission-sampson-talks According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the 76ers have received permission to talk with Rockets assistant Kelvin Sampson about their head coaching vacancy. Thu, 16 May 2013 11:35:40 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,82e5e1e4-25a9-39d6-95c7-ff8d94ffbfff-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=13qhmoaa9/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/cuttino-mobley-attempting-nba-comeback-retiring-nba-due-150435658.html Cuttino Mobley retired in 2008 at the too-early age of 32 years old. The former Houston Rockets standout was never an All-Star, but he was a solid starting-level shooting guard who mixed sound outside shooting with a point guard’s knowledge of spacing and timing. Mobley was being counted on in 2008 to act as a needed veteran buffer for a New York Knicks team in bad need of outside shooting, but an MRI revealed a heart condition ( hypertrophic cardiomyopathy ) that encouraged the retirement. At the time, Mobley said that the MRI “basically saved my life,” which flew in the face of a disappointing lawsuit Mobley brought up against the Knicks a few years later. In the suit, Cuttino alleged that the Knicks only asked Mobley to retire in order to realize luxury tax savings (for a roster that was already millions over the luxury tax) and to save money for the 2010 LeBron James-led offseason (completely incorrect in every way). Years after that suit was sent away, the man they once called “Cat” is back to try and make one more NBA stab. It may be because his medical marijuana efforts have been smoked out, and it might be to spite the Knicks, but we’re guessing it’s mainly because Mobley still feels like he has something to contribute to an NBA team, and because he wants to go out on his own terms. Completely understandable. Thu, 16 May 2013 08:00:35 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,484d9325-541e-3658-8604-a4ad55139fef-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=13b0vl1pp/*http%3A//probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/05/16/76ers-receive-permission-to-interview-kelvin-sampson/ New 76ers general manager Sam Hinkie reached out to his former bosses in Houston and received permission to interview Rockets assistant Kelvin Sampson, according to John Mitchell of The (Philadelphia) Inquirer. Sampson has already interviewed with the Bobcats and Bucks, and the Pistons, another team with an opening, showed interest when they previously had an… Thu, 16 May 2013 07:14:10 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,21d6cba7-71e2-3d31-b810-454192d79ca5-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=137abq4oc/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/grizzlies-hang-game-5-4-1-series-win-055507478.html When Russell Westbrook went down in Game 2 against the Houston Rockets, the Oklahoma City Thunder knew that their ability to fulfill their championship aspirations would be seriously compromised. It seems as if the severity of Westbrook's loss couldn't communicate just how difficult that path would be. Despite a late push by the Thunder and several missed free throws by the Grizzlies to give Kevin Durant a chance to tie the game in the final seconds, Memphis escaped Oklahoma City with an 88-84 victory in Game 5 to finish off a 4-1 series win over the West's top seed. They will now move on to the Western Conference Finals to face either the San Antonio Spurs or Golden State Warriors for a chance to move on to the NBA Finals. Wed, 15 May 2013 22:55:07 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,715be524-f3c8-37a2-b1ce-5af34159b939-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=13c3oovr9/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--lindsey-hunter-discusses-suns--coaching-job-with-new-gm-022914476.html Phoenix Suns general manager Ryan McDonough met with interim coach Lindsey Hunter. Wed, 15 May 2013 19:29:13 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,f6daa542-6887-3720-8141-cb0a1fd87dad-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=13v7pjm1a/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.comhttps://www.csnhouston.com/basketball-houston-rockets/talk/report-cuttino-mobley-attempting-comeback First, it was Tracy McGrady. Now, it appears another former Rocket, Cuttino Mobley, is attempting an NBA comeback. Wed, 15 May 2013 17:09:52 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,7c80d32c-c481-3492-b90d-6570ec7ccef1-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=12v2k32a0/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/news/hinkie-formally-introduced-76ers-president-210945199--nba.html PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Sam Hinkie wants the 76ers to use the Moneyball-type of thinking popularized in baseball to build a championship team in Philadelphia. Tue, 14 May 2013 15:50:37 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,f3c010b3-58cc-3017-9408-c45d14a0606b-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=12adl49pk/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/news/hinkie-hired-76ers-gm-215032112--nba.html Former Houston Rockets executive Sam Hinkie was named Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations and general manager on Tuesday afternoon, the team confirmed in an announcement. Tue, 14 May 2013 14:50:32 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,e407f737-c3a9-3c86-8648-3d8036528508-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=13pjq3e8d/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.comhttps://www.csnhouston.com/basketball-houston-rockets/talk/morey-knows-hinkies-ready-next-step Daryl Morey knows Sam Hinkie is ready for his new challenge as Philadelphia 76ers President/GM. Tue, 14 May 2013 14:50:14 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,02cd3103-0965-35b3-b9d4-73fd56a0877c-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=13n59vrv0/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.comhttps://www.csnhouston.com/basketball-houston-rockets/talk/hinkie-introduced-76ers-president The 76ers have officially named for Rockets executive Sam Hinkie as the club's team president and general manager. Tue, 14 May 2013 14:24:23 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,290389b2-5213-3779-b3cc-e9d25d3ec6e5-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=13q1ndkrk/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/10-man-rotation-starring-wilt-chamberlain-animated-more-210658506.html Tue, 14 May 2013 14:00:58 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,499abf9e-c8c5-38ce-835a-85af65e4656c-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=13m9olih5/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/memphis-battens-hatches-shuts-down-kevin-durant-way-062945650.html “Team without its second-best player loses close game to a very good team while playing on the road. Film at 11.” If the Houston Rockets’ surprisingly competitive first round turn against the Oklahoma City Thunder wasn’t convincing enough, then the Thunder’s 2-1 second round deficit entering Monday night should have been more than the proof you needed to appreciate Russell Westbrook’s many talents. The injured OKC guard was badly needed throughout the Thunder’s 103-97 overtime loss in Game 4 of the team’s series against the Memphis, especially with Kevin Durant missing 17 of 27 shots against a world-beating Grizzlies defense. Westbrook’s finest attribute – making an efficient offensive play when all hope is seemingly lost – would have fit in perfectly for the Thunder on Monday. Scott Brooks’ crew ran out to a 17-point lead in the first half based mostly on Durant’s presence and the sound shooting touch of Serge Ibaka, but the Grizzlies did well to cut the lead down to eight by the half. Oklahoma City roared out of the gate once again to start the third quarter, but Durant’s shooting touch wore down in the face of expert Memphis defense by Tayshaun Prince, Tony Allen, and Marc Gasol (geez, good luck scoring on that ), and the Grizz had it tied by the fourth period. Mon, 13 May 2013 23:25:45 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,e1cba9a1-139b-34ce-b3c4-30d8f21c2a21-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=13m98rcuc/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.comhttps://www.csnhouston.com/basketball-houston-rockets/talk/james-harden-1-1-years-beginning James Harden was pleased with his first year as Houston Rockets team leader. Now, he expects more. Mon, 13 May 2013 16:12:53 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,d0f76d6a-d137-34e2-ba60-77ed46d09df3-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=144ucsovv/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.comhttps://www.csnhouston.com/basketball-houston-rockets/talk/sources-rockets-not-picking-garcia-team-option NBA sources have confirmed the Rockets are not picking up Francisco Garcia's team option for next season. Mon, 13 May 2013 15:50:50 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,bb2a9b21-3f64-3a51-a137-de57e7ec9c99-l:1 Wed, 22 May 2013 16:19:08 PDT