Hoops Rumors

One key reason the Nuggets were unable to defend their title last season was a lack of roster depth, which forced head coach Michael Malone to lean too heavily on his starters. Malone found himself falling back into old habits in Monday’s overtime win over Toronto as he tightened his rotation down the stretch and played all his starters at least 39 minutes in the first game of … [Read more...] about Northwest Notes: Nuggets, Randle, Wolves, Thunder, Blazers

Nikola Jokic was concerned about how the Nuggets performed in the preseason. Denver has also lost its first two regular season games but the superstar center says the offense simply isn’t clicking yet, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic. “I think we are struggling to score,” Jokić said. “We have scored 87 and 104 points in our two games. That’s not enough. In today’s NBA, … [Read more...] about Western Notes: Jokic, Branham, Conley, Wallace

Confirming recent reporting from ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack story that the messaging out of Houston suggests the Rockets are unlikely to make a major in-season trade in 2024/25. Still, Stein has spoken to multiple rival teams who are “hesitant to dismiss Houston’s trade ambitions so readily.” Those clubs believe the Rockets’ front office … [Read more...] about Western Notes: Rockets, KD, Butler, LeBron, Nuggets, Kings

Russell Westbrook‘s debut with the Nuggets — a 15-point home loss to the Thunder on Thursday — wasn’t ideal. The former league MVP recorded six points, five rebounds, five assists, one steal and two blocks in 21 minutes, but he shot just 2-of-10 from the floor (1-of-6 from three-point range) and 1-of-4 from the foul line, and Denver was outscored by 24 points when he was on the … [Read more...] about Nuggets Notes: Westbrook, Clippers, Jokic, Malone, Fouls

Rudy Gobert recognized that if he picked up his 2025/26 player option that would have been worth close to $47MM, it would have hindered the chances of the Timberwolves re-signing key pieces, including Naz Reid, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Julius Randle. That’s why, according to The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski, he sought after a “win-win” deal in re-signing for the three-year, … [Read more...] about Northwest Notes: Gobert, Reid, Braun, Jokic, Blazers