Houston Rockets Rumors
That means players who were not starting for their respective teams were more likely to be voted as All-Star starters by their fellow peers than by fan voters. Just in this year’s voting results, we can cite various eyebrow-raising examples of players not taking their vote seriously whatsoever. How about Los Angeles Lakers swingman Kostas Antetokounmpo playing eight minutes all year and getting 10 votes from players to be an All-Star? That’s the same number John Wall got and one more than Bojan Bogdanovic, double-digit scorer for the best team in the league this year.
John Wall on DeMarcus Cousins: 'Hopefully he’ll get another job soon'
Kelly Iko: John Wall on the #Rockets letting DeMarcus Cousins go: “It’s tough. Someone I call my brother. The decision that was made, that’s out of my hands. I think he did a hell of a job coming back from an injury, hopefully he’ll get another job soon.”
As for whom that is, a new name is already in the mix: On Friday, Justin Patton was signed to a two-way deal, sources told The Athletic (HoopsHype was first to report). The Rockets will continue to keep an eye on the free-agent market as well, with names like Dewayne Dedmon and Ersan Ilyasova being of interest. But the position will remain something of a question mark until Wood returns. The only certainty is that Cousins won’t be the answer.
Ultimately, Cousins shouldn’t be held to be the scapegoat for Houston’s problems — not after losing seven straight games. The Rockets have fallen off a collective cliff defensively, posting a ghastly defensive 119.4 in non-Cousins minutes since Wood’s injury. That would be dead last in the league, worse than Sacramento, New Orleans and Portland. Getting Victor Oladipo and Tucker back will shore up their deficiencies, but the Rockets need to get back to their best no matter who is in the middle.
Bobby Marks: The Rockets are responsible for $1.6M of the $2.56M salary for DeMarcus Cousins. The NBA will reimburse Houston on the difference (roughly $950K).
Rockets waiving DeMarcus Cousins
Shams Charania: The Houston Rockets are releasing DeMarcus Cousins, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. This allows the four-time All-Star to find a team elsewhere and garner interest on the open market.
Shams Charania: Rockets guaranteed Cousins’ $2.3M salary for the season last week, and had positive feedback about his professional approach in 25 games for the team.
