NBA Rumors: Latest on Rockets' Plans, Jameer Nelson and More
The fresh NBA season features plenty of faces in new places yet manages to feel the same in many ways.
There's been a big injury like the one suffered by Gordon Hayward. DeMarcus Cousins is already in trouble. LeBron James has already dominated stat lines and sounding like he's hungry for more. A worthwhile contender for his throne in the form of Giannis Antetokounmpo has appeared.
Oh, and the rumors market is alive and well.
It might be one of the most interesting aspects of the season right out of the gates because of the wheeling and dealing teams are already prepared to do if it means an improved roster. Here's a look a the latest rumblings.
Rodney Hood Injury Update
Nothing can compare to the injury suffered by Hayward right now in terms of impact on a contender.
Rodney Hood of the Utah Jazz, though, needed to be carried off the court Friday after suffering an injury and seemed headed to the shelf for a significant chunk of time.
According to Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune, though, Hood seems to have avoided the worst-case scenario and quite a bit more:
Coming off a 51-win season and trying to recuperate after the loss of a superstar, the last thing the Jazz wanted to do was stumble out of the gates due to an injury.
Hood, a first-round pick in 2014, looked great before suffering the injury, too, dropping 20 points behind a 7-of-12 effort. Overall, he's shooting 41.6 percent from the floor for his career and averaging 12.4 points, so the Jazz could use a leap from him if they want to remain relevant in the Western Conference.
With Hood sidelined, the Jazz will turn to Donovan Mitchell and Alec Burks.
Houston Hits the Phones
Hayward and Hood aren't the only injured players.
The Houston Rockets stumbled out of the gate this season due to an injury suffered by Chris Paul, which could sideline him for an extended period of time.
It should go without saying, but the Rockets don't want to take too much of a hit in the Western Conference while he misses time; the duo of Bobby Brown and Demetrius Jackson behind him on the depth chart doesn't inspire confidence.
As such, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the front office has put out feelers about a short-term replacement:
The market is scarce, though, especially after the next item we'll dive into soon. There are some interesting depth pieces who haven't hopped overseas like Isaiah Canaan, but the Rockets are mostly going to have to tough it out.
That isn't such a bad overall development. CP3 already helped the Rockets get past the Golden State Warriors in the opener and they're now 2-0 with a handful of Eastern Conference opponents on the schedule over the next month.
Maybe the Rockets find a way to do a deal, but an injury like this could have happened at a much worse time.
New Orleans Makes a Pair of Moves
The New Orleans Pelicans didn't wait long to make a splash in the transactions department.
Faced with missing Rajon Rondo for an extended period of time, the Pelicans saw it right to recruit the most capable name to help the team win games right now.
That turned out to be the 35-year-old Jameer Nelson, according to Wojnarowski:
At this point in his career, Nelson won't be asked to do much other than act as a court general. A year ago with the Denver Nuggets, he averaged 9.2 points and 5.1 assists in 27.3 minutes per night. After the team waived him Wednesday, Nelson found a destination willing to give him playing time, if not start him outright while also possibly offering a shot at the playoffs.
The front office in New Orleans needed to clear a move though, so it apparently showed Jordan Crawford the door, per Wojnarowski:
This one is actually a bit a surprise seeing as Crawford is 28 and last year looked good over 19 games with the Pelicans, averaging 14.1 points on 48.2 percent shooting. His last outing with the team was quality, too, as he hit half of his attempts from the floor on the way to 13 points and seven assists over 24 minutes.
Alas, teams don't get far without quality at point guard, the most important position of all. And the Pelicans aren't in a spot where they can wait around and fall in a hole, since the conference is deep enough to prevent them from digging back out.
All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
