30-year old backup SF/SF Carlos Delfino is going to miss the rest of the playoffs due to a bone fracture in his right foot which will require surgery to repair.  Delfino played in 5 games (0 starts) in the playoffs for the Rockets and he averaged 24.0 minutes, 9.0 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.  Delfino also played in 67 games (5 starts) during the regular season for the Rockets in which he averaged 25.2 minutes, 10.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  This is a big loss for the Rockets’ bench moving forward.

21-year old rookie power forward Royce White will be spending the rest of his “rookie” season in Houston, at the advisement of the team physician for the Rockets.  That doesn’t mean that he will play for the Rockets this year.  He played in 12 games (8 starts) for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the D-League this year and he averaged 25.9 minutes, 9.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.  He only shot 41.6% from the floor and 62% from the free throw line for the Valley Vipers this year.  The Rockets probably wish that they never drafted White already.

UPDATE:  (3/27/2013) - The Rockets have sent White back to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the D-League.

The Rockets have signed 28-year old point guard Aaron Brooks.  Brooks played in 46 games (20 starts) earlier this year for the Kings and he averaged 20.8 minutes, 8.0 points, 1.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.  He has now played in 318 games (149 starts) in his first five years in the NBA and he is averaging 24.4 minutes, 11.8 points, 1.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.  Brooks spent his first four years in the NBA with the Rockets.  His best year with the Rockets came back in 2009-10, when he played in 82 games (all starts) in which he averaged 35.6 minutes, 19.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game.  Brooks led the NBA in both three point shots attempted (525) and made (209) in 2009-10 for the Rockets.  He will likely bump Patrick Beverly to the #3 spot at point guard.  This was a good move for the Rockets.

The Houston Rockets have acquired 21-year old rookie power forward Thomas Robinson, 31-year old SG/SF Francisco Garcia and 22-year old small forward Tyler Honeycutt from the Kings and a second round pick in 2013 from the Phoenix Suns.  In return, the Rockets sent 23-year old power forward Patrick Patterson, 26-year old PG/SG Toney Douglas, 24-year old center Cole Aldrich and $1 million bucks to the Kings and they sent 23-year old forward Marcus Moore to the Suns.

Thomas Robinson was the #5 overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft.  He played in 51 games (0 starts) for the Kings this year and he averaged 15.9 minutes, 4.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.  He is a power player and he will complement Omer Asik pretty well.  Robinson has a huge upside.  Francisco Garcia played in 40 games (15 starts) for the Kings this year and he averaged 17.8 minutes, 5.2 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.  But, he didn’t shoot too well, hitting only 37.6% from the floor and 36.7% from three point range.  Garcia has now played in 462 games (128 starts) in his first eight years in the NBA and he is averaging 22.2 minutes, 8.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.  22-year old forward Tyler Honeycutt has had a rough career to this point.  He has played in only 9 games (0 starts) for the Kings this year and he is averaging 3.6 minutes, 0.9 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game.  He has now played in 24 games (0 starts) in his first two years in the NBA and he is averaging 5.0 minutes, 1.2 points, 1.0 rebound and 0.4 assists per game.  He is only shooting 31.4% from the floor so far in his NBA career.

Patrick Patterson is off to the Kings and he probably won’t start there.  He played in 47 games (38 starts) for the Rockets this year and he averaged 25.9 minutes, 11.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.  Patterson played in 163 games (45 starts) in his three years with the Rockets and he averaged 21.9 minutes, 8.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game.  Toney Douglas played in 49 games (0 starts) for the Rockets this year and he averaged 18.6 minutes, 8.1 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.  Cole Aldrich played in 30 games (0 starts) for the Rockets this year and he averaged 7.1 minutes, 1.7 points, 1.9 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game.  Marcus Morris goes to Phoenix where he will get to play on the same team as his brother Markieff.  Morris played in 54 games (17 starts) for the Rockets this year and he averaged 21.4 minutes, 8.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game.  He played in 74 games (0 starts) in his two years with the Rockets and he averaged 18.0 minutes, 7.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.

The whole success of this deal from the Rockets’ perspective will depend on how well Thomas Robinson plays.  They dealt Patterson and Moore to open up a shot for Robinson to start right away for them.

UPDATE:  (3/6/2013) - The Rockets have released Tyler Honeycutt.  He didn’t play any games for them before getting let go.

24-year old small forward Chandler Parsons has been selected to play in the Rising Stars Game.  Parsons has played in 47 games (all starts) for the Rockets so far this year and he is averaging 36.0 minutes, 14.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game.  He has now played in 110 games (104 starts) in his first two years with the Rockets and he is averaging 31.8 minutes, 11.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game.  Parsons is one of the Rockets’ best kept secrets as he has been a really solid player for them in his first two years in the NBA.

The Rockets kept making offers to teams over the summer for star players, but no one bit….that is…until last night. The Rockets have acquired 23-year old shooting guard James Harden, 23-year old center Cole Aldrich, 25-year old SG/SF Daequan Cook and 25-year old small forward Lazar Hayward from the Thunder. In return, the Rockets are sending 29-year old shooting guard Kevin Martin, rookie 20-year old shooting guard Jeremy Lamb, a first round pick in 2013 from both the Mavericks and Raptors and a 2nd round pick of Bobcats in the 2013 NBA Draft.

The Rockets are likely going to try to sign James Harden to a max contract extension and make him their starting shooting guard from Day #1. He will team with Jeremy Lin to give the Rockets a pretty good looking starting guard tandem. Harden played in 62 games (2 starts) for the Thunder last year and he averaged 31.4 minutes, 16.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.0 steal per game. Harden has now played in 220 games (7 starts) in his first three years in the NBA and he is averaging 26.7 minutes, 12.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game. His scoring average has gone up three years in a row now and he was voted the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year in 2011-12. Cole Aldrich was a first round pick just three years ago, so he might have some untapped talent. Aldrich played in 26 games (0 starts) for the Thunder last year and he averaged 6.7 minutes, 2.2 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game. Aldrich has now played in 44 games (0 starts) in his first two years in the NBA and he is averaging 7.2 minutes, 1.7 points, 1.9 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game. Daequan Cook is a gunner off the bench. He played in 57 games (22 starts) for the Thunder last year and he averaged 17.4 minutes, 5.5 points, 2.1 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. He has now played in 279 games (48 starts) in his first five years in the NBA and he is averaging 19.9 minutes, 7.1 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. Lazar Hayward played in 26 games (0 starts) for the Thunder last year and he averaged 5.4 minutes, 1.4 points, 0.6 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game. He has now played in 68 games (0 starts) in his first two years in the NBA and he is averaging 8.2 minutes, 2.9 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. Hayward is only shooting 35.4% from the floor so far in his career. Aldrich, Cook and Hayward could help the Rockets off the bench….if they all make the team.

Kevin Martin has been in head coach Kevin McHale’s Dog House for a while, so he probably welcomes this deal. He will likely have Harden’s role in Oklahoma City as an assassin off the bench. Martin played in 40 games (all starts) for the Rockets last year and he averaged 31.6 minutes, 17.1 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. He played in 144 games (142 starts) in his three years with the Rockets and he averaged 32.8 minutes, 21.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. Jeremy Lamb was one of the Rockets’ first round picks in last June’s NBA Draft and he has a big upside. The Rockets also gave up three valuable draft picks that they had in their kitty. The Rockets really need for James Harden to be a star to make this trade look good for them as they gave up a lot to get him.

UPDATE: (10/29/2012) - The Rockets have waived Lazar Hayward.

The Rockets have signed 29-year old small forward Carlos Delfino. Delfino played in 54 games (53 starts) for the Bucks last year and he averaged 28.5 minutes, 9.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He has now played in 440 games (165 starts) in his first seven years in the NBA and he is averaging 22.5 minutes, 7.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. This was a great signing for the Rockets as Delfino will give all of the kids a good role model and he’s still a solid player.

The Houston Rockets have dealt 26-year old SG/SF Courtney Lee to the Celtics for 23-year old power forward JaJuan Johnson, 23-year old shooting guard E’Twaun Moore, 25-year old PF/C Sean Williams and a future 2nd round pick. Lee played in 58 games (26 starts) for the Rockets last year and he averaged 30.3 minutes, 11.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He played in 139 games (27 starts) in his two years with the Rockets and he averaged 25.0 minutes, 9.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. JaJuan Johnson played in 36 games (0 starts) as a rookie for the Celtics last year and he averaged 8.3 minutes, 3.2 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game. E’Twaun Moore played in 38 games (0 starts) as a rookie for the Celtics last year and he averaged 8.7 minutes, 2.9 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game on 38.1% shooting from the floor. Sean Williams played in 14 games (0 starts) for the Celtics and Mavericks last year and he averaged 9.7 minutes, 3.6 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. He has now played in 137 games (29 starts) in his first four years in the NBA and he is averaging 14.4 minutes, 4.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. The Rockets continue to add players and draft picks while dumping salary at the same time.

UPDATE: (7/20/2012) - The Rockets have acquired the draft rights to 24-year old shooting guard Jon Diebler as part of this deal. Diebler was a second round pick of the Trailblazers in the 2011 NBA Draft. He is 6′6″, 197 pounds. He played in 33 games in Greece last year and he averaged 26.0 minutes, 10.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. Diebler shot 45.3% from three point range last year.

UPDATE II: (7/25/2012) - The Rockets have waived E’Twaun Moore.

UPDATE III: (8/29/2012) - The Rockets have waived Sean Williams.

UPDATE IV: (10/29/2012) - The Rockets have waived JaJuan Johnson.

The Rockets have been trying to trade 32-year old power forward Luis Scola for quite some time now. They have not found any takers as of yet, so they are likely to release him soon via the amnesty clause. If they use the amnesty clause on Scola, they will save $21 million dollars in cap space over the next two years. That being said, Scola won’t be too easy to replace. Scola played in 66 games (all starts) for the Rockets last year and he averaged 31.3 minutes, 15.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. He has now played in 386 games (343 starts) in his first four years with the Rockets and he has averaged 30.2 minutes, 14.5 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. He is the Rockets’ #8 rebounder in franchise history with 2,166 of them. He will have no problem finding a new job if the Rockets let him go.

UPDATE: (7/14/2012) - The Rockets have officially waived Luis Scola using the amnesty clause.

The Rockets re-signed 38-year old center Marcus Camby to a 3-year, $13.2 million dollar deal and then they dealt him to the New York Knicks for 26-year old PG/SG Toney Douglas, 23-year old center Josh Harrellson, 25-year old PF/C Jerome Jordan and second round picks in both 2014 and 2015. Camby played in 19 games (13 starts) for the Rockets last year and he averaged 24.1 minutes, 7.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.5 blocked shots per game. Camby played in 59 games (53 starts) overall last year for the Rockets & Trailblazers in which he averaged 22.9 minutes, 4.9 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.4 blocked shots per game.

Toney Douglas had an awful year in 2011-12 for the Knicks. He played in 38 games (9 starts) for the Knicks last year and he averaged 17.3 minutes, 6.2 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. But, he only shot 32.4% from the floor for the Knicks last year. Douglas has now played in 175 games (30 starts) in his first three years in the NBA and he is averaging 21.2 minutes, 9.0 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. He might really benefit from escaping the pressure of playing in New York. Josh Harrellson was solid off the bench as a rookie for the Knicks last year. He played in 37 games (4 starts) for the Knicks last year and he averaged 14.6 minutes, 4.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. Jerome Jordan played in 21 games (0 starts) as a rookie for the Knicks last year and he averaged 5.1 minutes, 2.0 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game.

This was another solid deal for the Rockets as they keeping adding chips which are going to allow them to make a lot more trades before the 2012-13 season begins. I think they are going to bring in at least two star players before next season starts.

UPDATE: (7/19/2012) - The Rockets have waived Jerome Jordan.

UPDATE II: (8/16/2012) - The Rockets have waived Josh Harrellson.