The Houston Rockets didn’t waste much time in finding their new head coach after firing Stephen Silas at the end of the regular season. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that Ime Udoka will serve as Silas’ replacement after agreeing to a deal with the Rockets on Monday. 

The Rockets moved on from Silas after finishing the 2022-23 campaign with a 22-60 record. The team hopes Udoka can change their fortunes and kickstart the transition from a rebuilding team to a contender in the Western Conference.

Udoka previously served as a head coach with the Boston Celtics in 2021-22, leading the team to an NBA Finals appearance. He was suspended by the Celtics before this past season started for inappropriate behavior.

The suspension didn’t seem to hamper Udoka’s chances of landing a new head coaching job. He received interest from the Brooklyn Nets after they fired Steve Nash and was considered the favorite for the Toronto Raptors’ job. But Udoka was excited to work with the young Rockets team that has plenty of talent, salary cap space, and chance of landing a high pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.

The Rockets reportedly looked into several other candidates, including ex-Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel and former Charlotte Hornets head coach James Borrego. However, they favored Udoka all along, believing he could take command of the locker room and bring out the best of the inexperienced roster. 

The post Rockets Hire Ime Udoka as Their New Head Coach appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After playing poorly in the Game 1 of Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets found their footing in Game 2 beating the Warriors 127-106 to tie the series 1-1.

One of the reasons why Houston Rockets managed to win so convincingly was the fact that James Harden didn’t have to carry the offensive load by himself. Rockets had five of their players scored 16 or more points including Harden and Eric Gordon who had 27 points, while PJ Tucker and Trevor Ariza added 22 and 19 respectively. Chris Paul ended the night with 16 points but dished out 6 assists and had a great performance on the defense.

Rockets collectively played an impressive game and proved that they can give Warriors run for their money but according to Harden, we are yet to see them on their best.

“If the first game we were at a 70, tonight we were at a 95,” – said Harden after the game. “We were pretty aggressive defensively, and that allowed us to get out in transition. If we be comfortable, sit back and just allow them to get to their spots and run around freely, then they’re going to pick us apart. But if we get into them and try to make it tougher on them, good things will happen for us.“

“We can beat anybody, anywhere at any time playing the way we play,” – added Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni.

Golden State Warriors, on the other side, struggled early on with the turnovers and couldn’t find the answer for the Rockets defense. Kevin Durant had another great game scoring 38 points, but he couldn’t do it all by himself especially since Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson failed to leave their mark on the game. Curry was the only Warriors player except Duran to score in double digits with 16, while Thompson had 8.

“They were desperate tonight and played like it, and we weren’t and it showed,” – said Warriors coach Steve Kerr after the game.

The series will now move to Oakland, with the Game 3 of Western Conference Finals scheduled to take place on Sunday night at Oracle Arena.

The post Rockets Beat Warriors 127-106 in Game 2 of Western Conference Finals appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Houston Rockets keep adding players to their already stacked team. The team’s general manager Daryl Morey announced on Wednesday the acquisition of guard Joe Johnson, who signed a contract until the end of the season. Johnson joins the Rockets after being waived by the Sacramento Kings, where he landed from the Utah Jazz on the last day of the NBA trade deadline.

OFFICIAL: #Rockets GM Daryl Morey announced today that the team has signed free agent guard/forward Joe Johnson for the remainder of the season. Johnson will wear #7 for the Rockets.

Details » https://t.co/78V6LBIDNl pic.twitter.com/MknYCi4CLC

— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) February 14, 2018

“At this point in my career, obviously I still have something left, but this obviously has been a great team,” – said Johnson. “I understand what I’m up against with playing time or not playing. No gripes or groans with me, man. I’m here to help out. This is the team I wanted from the start. I didn’t even have a conversation with anybody (else).“

Joe Johnson played a minor role with the Utah Jazz this season, averaging 7.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. The Rockets will surely benefit from his past playoff experience as well as his shooting ability, something that is highly appreciated in Mike D’Antoni’s system.

“He can play different positions, play one through four, guard anybody Just experience, he makes big-time shots at the end of the game,” – said D’Antoni. “Playoff time, he’s got a lot of experience there. Then we’ll see how it all works out. We have to figure it out. It’s up in the air. We’ll see how it goes. Now, we just have to find room and get everybody comfortable and find rotations, which won’t be easy. Some guys are going to get squeezed a little bit. Hopefully, it’s all about the bigger picture and trying to go deep in the playoffs.“

Joe Johnson entered the league through 2001 NBA Draft where he was selected 10th overall by the Boston Celtics. He went on to play for a number of teams including the Phoenix Suns, Atlanta Hawks, and Brooklyn Nets. Highlights of Johnson’s basketball career include seven All-Star selections and one All-NBA Third-team honors.

The post Houston Rockets Sign Veteran Guard Joe Johnson appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Houston Rockets didn’t waste much time in finding their new head coach after firing Stephen Silas at the end of the regular season. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that Ime Udoka will serve as Silas’ replacement after agreeing to a deal with the Rockets on Monday. 

The Rockets moved on from Silas after finishing the 2022-23 campaign with a 22-60 record. The team hopes Udoka can change their fortunes and kickstart the transition from a rebuilding team to a contender in the Western Conference.

Udoka previously served as a head coach with the Boston Celtics in 2021-22, leading the team to an NBA Finals appearance. He was suspended by the Celtics before this past season started for inappropriate behavior.

The suspension didn’t seem to hamper Udoka’s chances of landing a new head coaching job. He received interest from the Brooklyn Nets after they fired Steve Nash and was considered the favorite for the Toronto Raptors’ job. But Udoka was excited to work with the young Rockets team that has plenty of talent, salary cap space, and chance of landing a high pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.

The Rockets reportedly looked into several other candidates, including ex-Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel and former Charlotte Hornets head coach James Borrego. However, they favored Udoka all along, believing he could take command of the locker room and bring out the best of the inexperienced roster. 

The post Rockets Hire Ime Udoka as Their New Head Coach appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After playing poorly in the Game 1 of Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets found their footing in Game 2 beating the Warriors 127-106 to tie the series 1-1.

One of the reasons why Houston Rockets managed to win so convincingly was the fact that James Harden didn’t have to carry the offensive load by himself. Rockets had five of their players scored 16 or more points including Harden and Eric Gordon who had 27 points, while PJ Tucker and Trevor Ariza added 22 and 19 respectively. Chris Paul ended the night with 16 points but dished out 6 assists and had a great performance on the defense.

Rockets collectively played an impressive game and proved that they can give Warriors run for their money but according to Harden, we are yet to see them on their best.

“If the first game we were at a 70, tonight we were at a 95,” – said Harden after the game. “We were pretty aggressive defensively, and that allowed us to get out in transition. If we be comfortable, sit back and just allow them to get to their spots and run around freely, then they’re going to pick us apart. But if we get into them and try to make it tougher on them, good things will happen for us.“

“We can beat anybody, anywhere at any time playing the way we play,” – added Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni.

Golden State Warriors, on the other side, struggled early on with the turnovers and couldn’t find the answer for the Rockets defense. Kevin Durant had another great game scoring 38 points, but he couldn’t do it all by himself especially since Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson failed to leave their mark on the game. Curry was the only Warriors player except Duran to score in double digits with 16, while Thompson had 8.

“They were desperate tonight and played like it, and we weren’t and it showed,” – said Warriors coach Steve Kerr after the game.

The series will now move to Oakland, with the Game 3 of Western Conference Finals scheduled to take place on Sunday night at Oracle Arena.

The post Rockets Beat Warriors 127-106 in Game 2 of Western Conference Finals appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Houston Rockets keep adding players to their already stacked team. The team’s general manager Daryl Morey announced on Wednesday the acquisition of guard Joe Johnson, who signed a contract until the end of the season. Johnson joins the Rockets after being waived by the Sacramento Kings, where he landed from the Utah Jazz on the last day of the NBA trade deadline.

OFFICIAL: #Rockets GM Daryl Morey announced today that the team has signed free agent guard/forward Joe Johnson for the remainder of the season. Johnson will wear #7 for the Rockets.

Details » https://t.co/78V6LBIDNl pic.twitter.com/MknYCi4CLC

— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) February 14, 2018

“At this point in my career, obviously I still have something left, but this obviously has been a great team,” – said Johnson. “I understand what I’m up against with playing time or not playing. No gripes or groans with me, man. I’m here to help out. This is the team I wanted from the start. I didn’t even have a conversation with anybody (else).“

Joe Johnson played a minor role with the Utah Jazz this season, averaging 7.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. The Rockets will surely benefit from his past playoff experience as well as his shooting ability, something that is highly appreciated in Mike D’Antoni’s system.

“He can play different positions, play one through four, guard anybody Just experience, he makes big-time shots at the end of the game,” – said D’Antoni. “Playoff time, he’s got a lot of experience there. Then we’ll see how it all works out. We have to figure it out. It’s up in the air. We’ll see how it goes. Now, we just have to find room and get everybody comfortable and find rotations, which won’t be easy. Some guys are going to get squeezed a little bit. Hopefully, it’s all about the bigger picture and trying to go deep in the playoffs.“

Joe Johnson entered the league through 2001 NBA Draft where he was selected 10th overall by the Boston Celtics. He went on to play for a number of teams including the Phoenix Suns, Atlanta Hawks, and Brooklyn Nets. Highlights of Johnson’s basketball career include seven All-Star selections and one All-NBA Third-team honors.

The post Houston Rockets Sign Veteran Guard Joe Johnson appeared first on SportzBonanza.