5:42 PM EDT, Tue September 26, 2023
Sep 25, 2023
Should Rafael Stone be on the hot seat following Kevin Porter Jr. incident?

Should Rafael Stone be on the hot seat following Kevin Porter Jr. incident?

Is Stone the future GM of the Rockets? | Photo by Cristobal Zelaya/NBAE via Could Stone’s commitment to Kevin Porter Jr. cost him his job? Alternate title: Another Rafael Stone piece. Alternate alternate title: Another KPJ piece. Sigh. The season could not come quickly enough. You’d rather be reading about which lineups are succeeding and failing, and which areas of the floor Amen Thompson is defending well. Only, the NBA is rumored to be cracking down on public access to advanced metrics and openly looking to squash illegal streaming services. I guess I’ll...
Sep 24, 2023
Who will lead the Rockets in each major category this season?

Who will lead the Rockets in each major category this season?

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports Who will lead the Rockets in these major categories next season? We are now a little over a week away from new Houston Rockets content after a rollercoaster of an offseason. Media day is eight days away, and training camp is nine days away. We saw the Rockets have a great draft night, big-name free-agent signings, and excellent summer league performances. We also had horrible allegations come to light against Kevin Porter Jr. that have still not been resolved. As I said, it is an up-and-down offseason. In today's article, though, I want to...
Sep 21, 2023
Gilbert Arenas criticizes Hakeem Olajuwon for training rates

Gilbert Arenas criticizes Hakeem Olajuwon for training rates

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports Excuse me? In a big WTF of the day, Gilbert Arena went in on one of the game’s all-time greats when he cirticized Houston Rockets great Hakeem Olajuwon for charging $50k per training session at his big man school. On his podcast, Arenas said: “Nobody wants the Hakeem Olajuwon sky hook. Nobody wants none of that... You should be ashamed of yourself, charging these young whippersnappers $50,000. When you came in the league in 1984, you wasn’t even making $50,000 a game. You’re trying to make your month back through the youth! Do not...
Sep 19, 2023
LISTEN: Kiss Of Death, Episode 35: How good can the Houston Rockets’ young talent become?

LISTEN: Kiss Of Death, Episode 35: How good can the Houston Rockets’ young talent become?

Michael Brown and Jeremy Brener discuss the most recent news and rumors involving the Houston Rockets. Host: Michael Brown Host: Jeremy Brener Michael Brown and his Pops co-host Episode 35 of The Kiss Of Death Podcast. Topics include, but are not limited to: How good can the Rockets’ youth become, how Ime Udoka can impact the youth of this roster and their development, and the comments made by Gilbert Arenas on Hakeem Olajuwon’s training program. Follow Jeremy on Twitter: @JeremyBrener Follow Michael on Twitter: @BSWPodcast_MB Follow Kiss of Death on Twitter:...
Sep 18, 2023
Predicting Rockets best defensive lineup this season

Predicting Rockets best defensive lineup this season

Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports Let’s put the clamps down. The Houston Rockets did quite a bit of tinkering with the roster this offseason and now we’re on the verge of seeing what that will amount to with preseason just around the corner. We have a solid idea of what the Rockets rotation will look like going forward, but what about specific lineups for specific situations? Other than the projected starting lineup — Fred VanVleet x Jalen Green x Dillon Brooks x Jabari Smith Jr. x Alperen Sengun — Ime Udoka will be tasked with mixing and matching to find lineups...
Sep 16, 2023
Rockets trade options for Kevin Porter Jr.

Rockets trade options for Kevin Porter Jr.

Could Duncan Robinson soon be a Rocket? | Photo by Eric Espada/ The outlook is bleak. I can’t stop thinking about the situation. You? It’s honestly just...so....gross. There’s a lot of morality to unpack around the situation too. Not on his end - what he did was unequivocally disgusting. Yes, details are perpetually emerging. It’s possible that his actions weren’t as severe as initially reported. Unless this was all a sick, elaborate prank, that shouldn’t change anything. Kevin Porter Jr. is an abuser. With that said, there’s moral ambiguity on the...
Sep 15, 2023
How the Rockets rotation looks without Kevin Porter Jr.

How the Rockets rotation looks without Kevin Porter Jr.

Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports Here is how the Rockets rotation will look for the upcoming season. We were already going to see a significant change this upcoming season with the Houston Rockets. With a new head coach in Ime Udoka, new more established players like Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks, and a new win-now attitude. We were going to see a different Rockets team in 2023-24. With horrific allegations against Kevin Porter Jr., the Rockets will be in for even more changes. My colleagues have detailed the charges and the latest updates, but there is no excuse for what...
Sep 14, 2023
LISTEN: Kiss Of Death, Episode 34: What should the Rockets do with Kevin Porter Jr.?

LISTEN: Kiss Of Death, Episode 34: What should the Rockets do with Kevin Porter Jr.?

Michael Brown and Jeremy Brener discuss the most recent news and rumors involving the Houston Rockets. Host: Michael Brown Host: Jeremy Brener Jeremy Brener and Michael Brown co-host Episode 34 of The Kiss Of Death Podcast. They discuss the current legal situation involving Guard Kevin Porter Jr., and what the Houston Rockets should do moving forward. They also discuss how this situation impacts the roster for the 2023-2024 season. Follow Jeremy on Twitter: @JeremyBrener Follow Michael on Twitter: @BSWPodcast_MB Follow Kiss of Death on Twitter: @RocketsFFSN Follow Fan First...
Sep 14, 2023
Report: Rockets trying to trade Kevin Porter Jr. along with draft compensation

Report: Rockets trying to trade Kevin Porter Jr. along with draft compensation

Photo by Alex Bierens de Haan/ The operative word here is “trying”. Following the news of Kevin Porter Jr.’s arrest for assaulting his girlfriend, Shams Charania is reporting that the Houston Rockets are looking to trade Porter, while also including some draft compensation, to a willing partner. Rockets working to trade Kevin Porter Jr. along with draft compensation in wake of charges of felony assault and strangulation due to alleged attack on girlfriend, per sources. Details at @TheAthletic: https://t.co/2ddHr7wBjT— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September...
Sep 13, 2023
Kevin Porter Jr. deserves whatever he gets

Kevin Porter Jr. deserves whatever he gets

Porter Jr. cannot play for the Houston Rockets again. | Photo by Brock Williams-Smith/NBAE via We all need to reckon with what has happened here. It’s hard to know how to begin this piece. Well, there’s one thing worth establishing: this piece deals with domestic assault. If you’re a victim of domestic assault or otherwise have difficulty with content relating to domestic assault, stop reading. Protect yourself. Other than that, it’s hard to know how to begin this piece. He broke her vertebrae. What adjective is sufficient here? Disgusting? Feels too mild....
Sep 11, 2023
Kevin Porter Jr. arrested on assault charges

Kevin Porter Jr. arrested on assault charges

Photo by Brock Williams-Smith/NBAE via Some bad news for the Rockets. Some bad news for the Houston Rockets less than a month away from training camp, as guard Kevin Porter Jr. was arrested today on assault charges in New York City after an altercation with his girlfriend at a hotel. Porter’s girlfriend reportedly sustained injuries and was sent to the hospital, with ESPN reporting that: “Upon arrival officers were informed that a 26-year-old female sustained a laceration to the right side of her face and was complaining about pain to her neck. A preliminary...
Sep 10, 2023
Rockets resign Boban Marjanovic

Rockets resign Boban Marjanovic

Photo by Scott Taetsch/ He’s back! The Houston Rockets resigned one of their most popular, yet seldom-used players today when Adrain Wojnarowski reported that Boban Marjanovic is heading back to H-town. Boban’s Back: Free agent C Boban Marjanović is returning to the Houston Rockets on a one-year deal, Mike Lindeman and Jeff Schwartz of @excelbasketball tell ESPN. Marjanovic is entering his ninth season, including stops with Spurs, Pistons, Clippers, Sixers, Mavericks. pic.twitter.com/YgfulfZFjX— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 10, 2023 Boban appeared...
Sep 9, 2023
Does the national media underrate the young Rockets?

Does the national media underrate the young Rockets?

Is national media too low on Jalen Green? | Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports It feels like they do, but do they really? Everything is a list these days. Have you noticed that? The top 10 reasons you might be an avatar controlled by an extraterrestrial species. Top 10 microbes to adopt as house pets. The top 10 top 10 lists you can’t miss and the top 10 reasons why. It bleeds into NBA discourse, too - especially during the offseason. There isn't much to talk about these days, so naturally, the major media outlets are releasing their top 100 lists. Now, Houston Rockets...
Sep 8, 2023
What does Jalen Green need to do to make “the leap”?

What does Jalen Green need to do to make “the leap”?

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports Green will need to ascend to new heights in his third season to join the ranks of the league’s best shooting guards. It’s colloquially known as making “The Leap”. What exactly is the leap? I’m not necessarily sure you can precisely define it, but I’ll try my best. The leap in question is in regards to Jalen Green. Will he? Won’t he? How will Houston Rockets and other NBA fans know? To me, you just know it when you see it. It’s when a 24-year-old Dwyane Wade goes for 42 points in Game 3 of the NBA Finals to ignite a...
Sep 7, 2023
Report: Ime Udoka squashed James Harden’s return to the Rockets

Report: Ime Udoka squashed James Harden’s return to the Rockets

Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Houston’s new head coach squashed The Beard’s potential return, according to ESPN. Many of y’all already figured this to be the case, but we finally got some confirmation from a major media source when ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported in her article yesterday that it was new Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka who squashed James Harden’s potential return to H-town this offseason. Harden was reportedly very interested in coming back to the Rockets — though there were many (myself included) who felt he was using Houston for...