Latest news with #HoustonRockets
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Jock Landale on Dillon Brooks' impact in Houston: ‘One of the best teammates I've ever had'
At 39.7% from 3-point range on 6.3 attempts per game, veteran Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks had a elite shooting season in 2024-25. Both figures were the best of any season in his eight-year NBA career. 'He had a career year this year that nobody talks about, because we had so much other stuff going on, positively,' Rockets teammate Jock Landale said on a newly released episode of the Ausmerican Aces NBA Show. Advertisement Of course, Brooks was also a big contributor to that 'other stuff.' As a hard-nosed, tough defender, Brooks was one of the key cogs in a Houston defense that ranked top five all season. That propelled the Rockets from a 41-41 finish in 2023-24 (No. 11 in the Western Conference) to a 52-30 record in 2024-25 (No. 2 in the West). In comments on the podcast, Landale praised Brooks for his approach: I don't say this lightly: He's one of the best teammates I've ever had in my life. Great guy. Prepares himself for war every single night. He just doesn't care who he ticks off. There would be games where I'd say to him, 'DB, you're so much better when you lock in on the game and don't worry about all the rah rah.' And he'll just be like, 'There's a method to the madness. Just wait, just watch.' He's completely psychotic, but it works, and he's an integral part of the team. We all feel the intensity drop off when he's not around. That's super real. He's an enforcer, a tone setter for us. With our young group, they probably needed that a little bit. Brooks is under contract with the Rockets for two more seasons at just over $20 million annually. Landale also has two years left on his deal at $8 million annually, though both are non-guaranteed. Both men are now 29 years old, with each having joined the Rockets during a transformative 2023 offseason that also featured the signings of Fred VanVleet at point guard and Ime Udoka as head coach. Since then, the Rockets have gone from last place in the West to a force, and the cultural impact from those newcomers has played a vital role in that success. Advertisement More: Naji Marshall names Dillon Brooks among select few 'real dogs' of NBA This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Jock Landale on Dillon Brooks: 'One of the best teammates I've ever had'
Newsweek
2 days ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Kevin Durant's Latest Comments Spark Major Trade Buzz
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Phoenix Suns super forward Kevin Durant is never one to shy away from sharing his thoughts on X, formerly known as Twitter. More NBA news: Lakers Superstar LeBron James' Plans Revealed Ahead of Impending Free Agency: Report Durant is known for his antics on X, and usually, he gets a reaction out of people. It was no different in his case. With summer on the horizon, Durant's future in Phoenix remains uncertain. Whether he stays put or ends up on the move is still very much up in the air. During a recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, ESPN's Shams Charania noted that there could be renewed trade conversations between Durant and the San Antonio Spurs. Shams says there was mutual interest between Kevin Durant and the Spurs at the deadline. (via @PatMcAfeeShow, h/t @BASKETBALLonX) — Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) May 27, 2025 The two sides were reportedly linked ahead of the trade deadline, and that mutual interest could resurface in the coming months. Kevin Durant #35 of the Phoenix Suns looks on during the second half against the Houston Rockets at PHX Arena on March 30, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Rockets defeated the Suns 148-109. Kevin Durant #35 of the Phoenix Suns looks on during the second half against the Houston Rockets at PHX Arena on March 30, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Rockets defeated the Suns 148-109. Photo byA user on X by the name of TheGreatOne, called out Durant for this rumor saying, "Would be the fifth franchise @KDTrey5 joins. Can't be a top 15 player all time if you've played for 5 franchises. Winners build dynasties. They don't jump ship every time there's a sign of a struggle." Durant later replied with this post. "Like I always say! Make your own rules up and curate this nba fantasy world the way u want. Enjoy that top 15 list," wrote Durant. Like I always say! Make your own rules up and curate this nba fantasy world the way u want. Enjoy that top 15 list — Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) May 27, 2025 Durant is set to enter his 19th season in the league, but where that will be is unclear. The 15-time All-Star has been linked to many teams, including the Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat, and the Minnesota Timberwolves, to name a few. Durant just completed his second full season with the Suns, and it was not a pretty one. While his numbers were impressive, averaging 26.6 points, six rebounds, and 4.2 assists over 62 regular-season games played, the team's success was far from it. Phoenix finished out of the Play-In, as the No. 11 seed with a 36-46 record. Though Durant's next destination remains uncertain, the Spurs stand out as a team well-equipped to make a compelling offer for the 37-year-old star. San Antonio owns the No. 2 and No. 14 picks in this year's draft, in addition to a stockpile of future first-rounders. With that kind of draft capital and roster flexibility, the Spurs are in a position to put together a deal that brings in a proven talent without completely compromising their long-term vision. Durant will have a ton of options to choose from in the coming months. More NBA news: Timberwolves Star Anthony Edwards Gives Unexpected Reaction Following Game 4 Loss Nuggets' Russell Westbrook Underwent Surprise Offseason Surgery For more Kevin Durant and general NBA news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
New York Times
2 days ago
- General
- New York Times
Why NBA fans shouldn't be mad about teams' strategy of fouling when leading by 3
I'm having some cognitive dissonance about the 'foul-up-three' ploy the Oklahoma City Thunder used Monday at the end of Game 4 of the Western Conference finals. All I'm reading on social media is that the NBA needs to do something to penalize this strategy because it's too much of an advantage. And all I'm thinking is that the league needs to stop coaches from using this strategy because they keep screwing it up and botching a hugely favorable win-probability scenario. I'm spending the last 20 seconds of every game screaming, 'What are you guys doing?!' at my TV. Advertisement Before we go forward, let's back up. I'm a bit surprised that now is the moment we've decided this is horrible, because the foul-up-three ploy has been around almost as long as the 3-pointer itself. Notably, the Houston Rockets used it at the end of their Game 7 'kiss of death' game against the Phoenix Suns in 1995 after Mario Elie's shot put them up three with 7.1 seconds left. (I'll go more retro: My opponents in a 1989 high school game were trying to foul up three — in only the second year my state had the 3-point line!) Generally speaking, a team with a three-point lead in the final seconds of a game is in an incredibly favorable position. Not only does the opponent have to make a 3 to extend the game, but the opponent knows it has to make a 3 to extend the game. Thus, the 3s you end up seeing in those situations often look like this one, from when the Indiana Pacers conspicuously did not foul up three at the end of Game 2 against New York when the Knicks gained possession with 14.1 seconds left: An opponent 3 doesn't result in a loss; it results in a worst-case scenario of the game being tied and continuing. And often, even in these situations, the opponent 3 comes before the buzzer, which means the team with the lead still has a possession to respond. In the NBA, where a team can advance the ball with a timeout, this can be particularly powerful if a team has a timeout left. As a result, the foul-up-three isn't quite the life hack some people seem to think. However, there is one particular situation where it is valuable: the old Stan Van Gundy rule of fouling up three when the clock is inside six seconds. Even then, it can be difficult to execute. If the opponent is inbounding from the frontcourt after a timeout and can go straight into a shot, it brings the risk of a three-shot foul. Teams are probably better off defending in that situation. Here's a scenario where the Pacers didn't foul because of the risk of the player shooting immediately and were less fortunate: Jaylen Brown's shot from Game 1 of the 2024 Eastern Conference finals. Watch Pascal Siakam conspicuously not fouling as Brown's heave finds the net: Indiana then couldn't score itself with 5.7 seconds left and lost in overtime, eventually being swept by the Boston Celtics. (Indiana, I will note, also did not foul up three in overtime of Game 1 against New York, with 15.1 seconds left. New York forced up a similarly wild miss from Jalen Brunson; an offensive rebound produced a better look for Karl-Anthony Towns, but he missed too. Even if he had made it, Indiana would have had roughly five seconds to respond and retake the lead.) Advertisement So, back to Game 4 of Thunder-Timberwolves. Minnesota's last possession slammed into the golden Van Gundy Rule scenario where fouling up three makes the most sense: having no timeouts and needing to advance the ball the length of the court, with only six seconds left. Oklahoma City's Alex Caruso could give the foul and be relatively certain that Anthony Edwards wouldn't pull up from 60 feet and make it a three-shot scenario. (While we're here: The other foul-up-three loophole nobody has tried exploiting, courtesy of Ken Pomeroy, is to foul up three in the waning seconds and then continuously commit lane violations on the second free throw until the other team makes it — thus eliminating the intentional miss and put-back scenario. A smart ref might eventually hit the team with a delay-of-game violation, two of which result in a technical foul.) However, Oklahoma City's earlier strategy — fouling Naz Reid when Lu Dort had him bottled up in the corner with 7.0 seconds left — was much more questionable. The reason why is contained in the two previous playoff games where this strategy overtly failed — the early foul-up-three introduces more possessions, and thus more variance, into a game where the team up three had an overwhelming advantage. The success of the Thunder's strategy depended on a clean inbound pass against a pressing opponent, and then matching the opponent's success at the free-throw line to maintain the three-point lead and foul once again. This is particularly true when teams foul with more than 10 seconds left on the clock, as the Thunder did in Game 1 against the Denver Nuggets and the Knicks did in Game 1 against Indiana. The Thunder's strategy worked out so well that they lost, in regulation and by two. Great work, everyone. The Knicks would have also lost in regulation had Tyrese Haliburton's foot been half a size smaller; they ended up losing in overtime instead. Advertisement The key problem was that Oklahoma City began fouling ridiculously early, with 12.2 seconds left on the clock. Denver ended up with three possessions in 10 seconds, where it normally would have had one, making four free throws and then an Aaron Gordon 3-pointer with 2.8 seconds left. Ditto for the Knicks, who fouled Aaron Nesmith with 12.2 seconds left in regulation in Game 1 and defensive ace OG Anunoby draped all over him. When Anunoby missed a free throw at the other end, the Pacers were only down two and still had 7.1 seconds left, taking away the foul-up-three on the last trip and leaving just enough time for Haliburton's shot to touch the sky and fall through the net at the buzzer. It's a point I've made over and over, but I will make again: The foul-up-three, especially with more than six seconds on the clock, is the only realistic way the leading team can lose in regulation. With all that said, let's circle back to the main point. There's an idea out there that something needs to be 'done' about the foul-up-three because it ruins the end of games. Right now I'd argue more the opposite: That it's making the end of games more exciting, because coaches keep screwing it up and giving away games they shouldn't lose. Also, the instances where it is truly advantageous are so specific — defending team up three, less than six seconds left, opponent not in a position to get into a shooting motion — that I wonder what a rule to address this would even look like and how often it would come into play. That said … I wanted to see Edwards make a bull rush up the court and fling up a desperation 3 for the tie Monday just like everyone else. Also, casual fans can probably appreciate that type of play more than his near-perfect free-throw miss that yielded a mayhem rebounding situation (10 guys went all out for the board, and it hit the ground before anyone got it) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander eventually flinging the ball from his back to an eager fan sitting courtside. The foul-up-three also drags out the end of games, which might be good in some ways (sponsor dollars!) but is probably more of a negative in the big picture, especially since the league seems pretty concerned about fitting games into a two-and-a-half-hour window. Advertisement So, if we really wanted the league's competition committee to legislate this, one possibility is to say that, if the offense is in the bonus, a take foul by the winning team up by three points in the last six seconds (or eight or 10, whatever the committee thinks is appropriate) is one shot and the ball out of bounds. But the league needs to be very careful about the wording of any rule, given the huge potential for unintended consequences. Either way, the thing I can't emphasize enough is that A) we're legislating an extremely specific situation, and B) thus far this postseason, coaches inadvertently have done more to create excitement by fouling up three than they have to remove it. We only got Haliburton's and Gordon's shots because coaches screwed up the scenario. That's why, for me, the story isn't that the foul-up-three needs to be addressed by the rules committee; it's that it needs to be addressed in coaches' meetings. Indiana is doing it right; Oklahoma City and New York, not so much, even if the Thunder ultimately hung on in Game 4.
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Jock Landale on Dillon Brooks' impact in Houston: ‘One of the best teammates I've ever had'
Jock Landale on Dillon Brooks' impact in Houston: 'One of the best teammates I've ever had' 'He's completely psychotic, but it works, and he's an integral part of the team,' Jock Landale says of Dillon Brooks, his veteran teammate with the Rockets. 'He's an enforcer, a tone setter for us.' At 39.7% from 3-point range on 6.3 attempts per game, veteran Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks had a elite shooting season in 2024-25. Both figures were the best of any season from his eight-year NBA career. 'He had a career year this year that nobody talks about, because we had so much other stuff going on, positively,' Rockets teammate Jock Landale said on a newly released episode of the Ausmerican Aces NBA Show. Of course, Brooks was also a big contributor to that 'other stuff.' As a hard-nosed, tough defender, Brooks was one of the key cogs in a Houston defense that ranked top five all season. That propelled the Rockets from a 41-41 finish in 2023-24 (No. 11 in the Western Conference) to a 52-30 record in 2024-25 (No. 2 in the West). In comments on the podcast, Landale praised Brooks for his approach: I don't say this lightly: He's one of the best teammates I've ever had in my life. Great guy. Prepares himself for war every single night. He just doesn't care who he ticks off. There would be games where I'd say to him, 'DB, you're so much better when you lock in on the game and don't worry about all the rah rah.' And he'll just be like, 'There's a method to the madness. Just wait, just watch.' He's completely psychotic, but it works, and he's an integral part of the team. We all feel the intensity drop off when he's not around. That's super real. He's an enforcer, a tone setter for us. With our young group, they probably needed that a little bit. Brooks is under contract with the Rockets for two more seasons at just over $20 million annually. Landale also has two years left on his deal at $8 million annually, though both are non-guaranteed. Both men are now 29 years old, with each having joined the Rockets in a transformative 2023 offseason that also featured the signings of Fred VanVleet at point guard and Ime Udoka as head coach. Since then, Houston has gone from last place in the West to a force, and the cultural impact from those newcomers has played a vital role in that success. More: Naji Marshall names Dillon Brooks among select few 'real dogs' of NBA
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
"There were days where, oh man, he had some flashbacks" - When aging Hakeem Olajuwon made Rockets teammates look clownish in practice
Very few players have had the chance to play alongside an NBA legend like Hakeem Olajuwon. For Walt Williams, however, that rare opportunity actually came true during the 1999-2000 and 2000-01 seasons. In a 2021 exclusive interview with Basketball Network, Williams shared what it meant to be teammates with the then-veteran Olajuwon. Advertisement The former 6'8" swingman made clear that this experience was more than just soaking in the aura of a basketball icon. Even though "The Dream" was nearing the end of his legendary career, he still, at times, displayed moments of the incredible skill and dominance that had marked his prime. Olajuwon's battle with Father Time When Williams joined the Houston Rockets around the turn of the millennium, he found himself sharing the court with a mid-30s Olajuwon. At that advanced age — "The Dream" was 36 when their first campaign together began — the effects of a long career were becoming evident. This is common among veteran players but even more so for centers, whose bodies take a lot of toll from the countless battles under the basket. Advertisement As Walt recalled, Hakeem — undeniably one of basketball's all-time great big men — was no stranger to that. Dealing with age-related health problems, the former 12-time All-Star often needed medication just to breathe, his former teammate said. For example, Williams recalled seeing Olajuwon use an inhaler device to take medication and sometimes use steroids to help open his lungs. During their two seasons together, Hakeem's impact clearly lessened. He still started regularly, playing over 25 minutes per game, but his stats showed his physical decline. The Finals MVP-level performances were gone; the seven-footer averaged modest numbers by his standards: just over 11 points, nearly seven rebounds, and only a few blocks and assists. "He just wasn't at the same level that he had been at," said "The Wizard." Advertisement Still, even though the magic faded in official games, glimpses of the old Hakeem appeared occasionally. In scrimmages and behind closed doors, as Williams — who made the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 1993 — remembered. Related: "He's not a Hall of Famer, but he was on that next level" - Bob Ryan on a role player who was never recognized as the Celtics' X-factor in the 80s Turning back the clock Widely seen as one of the most skilled players in footwork, "The Dream" raised the bar for agility and deception in basketball. His moves weren't just accurate — they were smart. He mixed smooth fakes with quick changes in direction that left defenders confused, almost as if they were facing a completely different style of play. Even in his later years with the Rockets, there were times when much younger, fitter teammates struggled to keep up with that. Advertisement "There were days where, oh man, he had some flashbacks, and it was just amazing to see," recounted Williams. The now 55-year-old remembered how Hakeem could shrink the entire court to a small space near the basket, making defenders look "clownish" during practice. How did the future Hall of Famer do it? With a series of moves that flowed smoothly — from a hook shot to an up-and-under, then a pump fake and a sudden shift — that always seemed rehearsed but were still impossible to guard. "I mean, you could just tell exactly what the next move was gonna be," remembered "The Waiter," adding that defenders still couldn't do anything about it, finding themselves stuck "in the matrix." Those rare moments of brilliance showed exactly why the 1994 MVP, who led the team from "H-Town" to back-to-back championships, is still remembered as a true legend. As they say, real greatness never fades. Related: "I'm glad I did, too" - Hakeem Olajuwon on why he stopped Houston from trading him to the New York Knicks
