Pistons' Cade Cunningham OUT 7-10 Days, Will Miss Rockets Game: Tracker

The Houston Rockets and the NBA represent a constantly-in-motion thing ... and Inside The Rockets, powered by Sports Illustrated, is here to chronicle it for you - news and rumors from H-Town and beyond ...

JAN 10 CADE OUT VS. ROCKETS The Houston Rockets may be getting a reprieve while on their current road trip.

According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, Detroit Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham will miss the next 7-10 days with a knee injury. This means he will not play the Rockets when they visit Detroit on Friday.

The Pistons currently hold the worst record in the league, giving the Rockets a golden opportunity to win a game on the road.

DEC 29 BEEF STEW SIDELINED, WILL MISS ROCKETS GAME When the Detroit Pistons take on the Houston Rockets on New Year's Day, they will do so without one of their key players.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart will miss the next 10-14 days with a toe sprain.

The Rockets host the Pistons on Monday. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT.

DEC 15 DARYL'S DEAL Former Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey is sticking around the NBA for a little while longer.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Morey is signing an extension to remain as the Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations until the 2027-28 season.

Morey, 51, has been in that role with the Sixers since the 2020 season. Before that, he was the Rockets general manager from 2007-20.

DEC 13 BANE QUESTIONABLE VS. ROCKETS Memphis Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane could miss Wednesday night's game against the Houston Rockets. He's been ruled questionable with an illness.

Bane joins Steven Adams (Right Knee PCL Surgery), Brandon Clarke (Left Achilles Tendon Repair), GG Jackson II (Two-Way Transfer), Luke Kennard (Left Knee Bone Bruise), Ja Morant (League Suspension) and Marcus Smart (Left Foot Sprain) on the injury report.

The Rockets and Grizzlies are set to tip off at 7 p.m. CT.

DEC 3 IME CONFRONTS LEBRON  A confrontation with LeBron James led to Ime Udoka's first ejection as coach of the Houston Rockets. The dispute took place late during the Rockets' 107-97 defeat to the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night. 

The quarrel led to double technical fouls for the two respective parties, which resulted in Udoka's second of the night. His first technical foul came with 2:51 in the second quarter.

Ime Udoka got ejected after having some words with Bron 👀 pic.twitter.com/GzNak5ZLzn

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 3, 2023

DEC 1 AMEN THOMPSON ON VERGE OF RETURN Houston Rockets rookie Amen Thompson has been out a month with an ankle sprain, but he appears to be close to returning.

According to Houston Chronicle reporter Jonathan Feigen, Thompson could return and work with the G League's Rio Grande Valley Vipers next week barring any setbacks.

Thompson, the No. 4 pick in the NBA Draft this year, averaged 6.2 points in four games before going down with an injury.

NOV 29 TATE, VANVLEET OUT VS. NUGGETS While trying to seek their first road win of the season, the Rockets will be short-handed Wednesday night against the Denver Nuggets inside Ball Arena.

Per the Rockets' injury report, Jae'Sean Tate and Fred VanVleet will miss their first game of the season. Tate is out due to left knee soreness, VanVleet will be sidelined because of a sprain in his left thumb. 

NOV 28 LUKA DONCIC TO PLAY VS. ROCKETS The Houston Rockets will have to get past Luka Doncic if they want to beat the Dallas Mavericks in tonight's final In-Season Tournament game.

Doncic raised some questions about his status when it was revealed that he sprained his thumb on Saturday against the Los Angeles Clippers. An MRI revealed a thumb sprain, but it isn't enough to keep him out against the Rockets tonight.

"MRI performed here in Dallas confirmed a left thumb sprain, but he practiced and will be available tomorrow," Kidd said via DallasBasketball.com.

While Doncic will play, the Mavs will be without Maxi Kleber (toe) and could be without rookie center Dereck Lively II (back). Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. CT.

NOV 20 Şengün questionable vs. Warriors As the Rockets close their three-game California road trip Monday night, Alperen Şengün is questionable due to a lower back contusion. He sustained the injury during Houston's 105-104 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers Sunday night.

Through the first 11 games, Şengün has been having a breakout season, posting 20.1 points on 59.1 percent shooting from the field, 8.4 rebounds and 5.4 assists.

In addition to Şengün's status, the Rockets will be without Tari Eason and Amen Thompson against the Warriors.   

NOV 17 RIVERS IMPRESSED BY GREEN The Rockets have been the league's most surprising team 10 games into the 2023-24 season. They won six consecutive games after starting the season 0-3. And even with their streak ending in a 106-100 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers Friday night, it took a game-winning triple by James Harden to prevent the Rockets from keeping their streak going. 

Jalen Green has been at the forefront of Houston's early season success. His maturity and on-court efficiencies have showcased his growth. Green is changing the perspective about his career. And former NBA coach and ESPN analyst Doc Rivers displaying his new profound respect for Green. 

"Jalen Green, I’ll be honest with you, I didn’t know he could be this guy," Rivers said on the Bill Simmons Podcast. "I didn’t. The jury was still out for me; could he ever turn into a serious basketball player? Watching him, I think he’s going to turn into what we want him to turn into."

NOV 17 MARCUS SMART OUT FOR GRIZZLIES The Memphis Grizzlies are one of the most short-handed teams in the NBA, and they are taking another hit.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Grizzlies point guard Marcus Smart will miss 3-5 weeks with an ankle injury.

The Grizzlies face the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on Wednesday. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT.

NOV 16 ROCKETS RECALL WHITMORE FROM G LEAGUE The Rockets recalled Nate Hinton, Jermaine Samuels Jr. and Cam Whitmore from their NBA G League affiliate, Rio Grande Valley Vipers Thursday morning. The recall came following the Vipers' 140-124 victory over the Austin Spurs.

Whitmore recorded a career-high 29 points and six assists in the win. Samuels posted 29 points and 10 rebounds, while Hinton scored 14 points.

NOV 14 IS Şengün A TOP-3 CENTER? The Rockets have won six consecutive games after starting the 2023-24 season 0-3. As a result, players and coaches have received recognition for their success.

HoopsHype recently released its ranking of the top centers in the league, which has Alperen Şengün as the third-best center. Ahead of Şengün are Nikola Jokić and Joel Embiid. Since the start of Houston's winning streak, Şengün has averaged 19.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.2 steals.

His best game came during the Rockets comeback victory over the New Orleans Pelicans Friday night. He finished with 24 points on 11-of-15 shooting, eight rebounds, two steals and a block. 

NOV 7 CAM WHITMORE TO G LEAGUE The Rockets announced that they have sent rookie Cam Whitmore to their NBA G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers Tuesday afternoon. Through the first six games of the 2023-24 season, Whitmore saw little to no playing time. In addition, the Rockets have also assigned Nate Hinton and Jermaine Samuels Jr. to the Vipers.

NOV 6 TARI EASON CLOSE TO RETURNING Second-year forward Tari Eason is close to making his season debut Wednesday against the Los Angeles Lakers. Coach Ime Udoka announced that Eason had participated in some on-court workouts with the team during shootaround and will practice on Tuesday.

Eason sustained a stress reaction in his left leg during the Rockets' preseason victory against the Indiana Pacers. He has missed the previous nine games due to the injury, which has included six regular season contests. 

OCTOBER 30 DE'AARON FOX OUT VS. ROCKETS: The Sacramento Kings will be without All-Star point guard De'Aaron Fox for their two-game series against the Rockets, which will begin Friday night inside the Toyota Center.

According to The Athletic, Fox sustained a moderate right ankle sprain in Sunday's 132-127 overtime victory against the Los Angeles Lakers. He scored 37 points in the win.

ROCKETS UNVEIL IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT COURT: The League unveiled its court designs for the first-ever In-Season Tournament Monday afternoon. They will play their first In-Season tournament contest of Group B on Nov. 10 against the New Orleans Pelicans inside the Toyota Center.

The Rockets will then travel to Los Angeles for a match against the Clippers on Nov. 17. The team will return to Houston for a contest against the Denver Nuggets on Nov. 24. The Rockets will close the preliminary round on the road against the Dallas Mavericks on Nov. 28. 

NBA DEBUTS IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT COURTS FOR ALL 30 TEAMS pic.twitter.com/OHmOA8LYGL

— NBA (@NBA) October 30, 2023

OCTOBER 27 KEVIN DURANT MOVES PASSES OLAJUWON: Kevin Durant scored a game-high 39 points during the Phoenix Suns' 100-95 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers Thursday night inside Crypto.com Arena. In the loss, Durant passed Rockets' Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon to move into 12th place on the NBA's All-Time scoring list.

OCTOBER 17 ROCKETS COULD MAKE MORE ROSTER CHANGES: The Rockets departed from Kevin Porter Jr. Tuesday morning in a trade that sent him and two future second-round picks to the Oklahoma City Thunder. In return, the Rockets received Victor Oladipo and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl.

According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, the Rockets could flip Oladipo. Fischer reported that the Rockets have expressed interest in trading for Malcolm Brogdon, Alec Burks or Talen Horton-Tucker.

Rockets 'Playing Like Animals - Don't Mess With Us!'