{"id":319761,"date":"2025-10-03T18:46:11","date_gmt":"2025-10-03T18:46:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/319761\/"},"modified":"2025-10-03T18:46:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-03T18:46:11","slug":"sports-illustrated-nba-insider-notebook-rockets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/319761\/","title":{"rendered":"Sports Illustrated – NBA Insider Notebook: Rockets\u2019\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Greetings from Boston, where I\u2019ve arrived for a couple of days of Celtics practices that look a lot different than they have in recent years. Thanks to everyone who signed up for the newsletter<\/a> this week. The feedback has been fantastic and I\u2019m excited to keep building this community week after week. To that end, I\u2019ll be making a Mailbag a regular part of the newsletter. Feel free to send comments\/questions to mannixmailbag@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The WNBA is on fire, or at least that\u2019s the conclusion everyone is drawing after Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier napalmed WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert<\/a> this week. I\u2019m not sure airing out private conversations, no matter how inflammatory, is useful, but it did fully illustrate the divide between players and WNBA management as the two sides struggle to complete a new collective bargaining agreement.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Napheesa Collier\u2019s full statement today, where she challenged Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and the WNBA with directness and stunning detail we rarely hear from active players. Worth listening to every word. pic.twitter.com\/IRTvTc52EA<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) September 30, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

That\u2019s at the root of all this. The two sides have until Oct. 31 to hammer out a new deal, and by the sounds of it, they are miles apart<\/a>. A work stoppage could be inevitable, which it seems to me could be catastrophic for the WNBA. Players have leverage. There\u2019s money to be made in Unrivaled, the fledgling three-on-three league co-founded by Collier<\/a>. There are opportunities overseas. A work stoppage could bleed into next season. The W, turbo charged by the arrival of Caitlin Clark, has seen exponential growth over the last two years. This labor dispute could undo some of that.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nikola Jovi\u0107 Contract Intel<\/p>\n

The four-year, $62.4 million extension<\/a> the Heat handed Nikola Jovi\u0107 was eye-catching. Jovi\u0107 has shown signs of being a solid role player. He averaged 10.7 points last season and has shot in the high 30s from three-point range in each of his last two. But Jovi\u0107 has never played more than 46 games in a season and has never really looked like more than a reliable fourth or fifth man. I asked a rival team executive for his thoughts on the Jovi\u0107 contract.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a little over the mid-level so not a terrible deal,\u201d says the exec. \u201cI don\u2019t think he has done enough to earn that, but they see him every day. If he develops, you get a good player on a very good deal. If it doesn\u2019t, it won\u2019t kill your cap sheet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"Heat
\n\t\t\t\tHeat forward Nikola Jovic received a four-year, $62.4 million contract extension prior to this season. | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Replacement Rockets<\/p>\n

I\u2019m on record that the Rockets will be fine without Fred VanVleet, with Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard more than capable lead guard replacements<\/a>. Who the Rockets will miss is Dillon Brooks, who was part of the package Houston shipped to Phoenix in exchange for Kevin Durant. Durant, obviously, more than makes up for Brooks\u2019s on-court production. But Brooks\u2019s toughness was a big part of Houston\u2019s identity last season. Someone will need to fill that void.<\/p>\n

Tari Eason thinks it\u2019s him. Injuries have derailed Eason the last two seasons. But the rugged, 6′ 8″ wing is an emerging defender who is already a semi-reliable mid-30% three-point shooter. Eason told SI this summer was about improving his mental focus. \u201cI wanted to make sure that nothing can really throw me off or affect me,\u201d says Eason. And on a recent trip to Houston, Eason told SI he\u2019s eager to fill Brooks\u2019s sneakers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Dillon, what gave him an advantage over some people is what people didn\u2019t know about him\u2014he\u2019s very cerebral,\u201d says Eason. \u201cHe\u2019s watching the games. He\u2019s watching tendencies. He\u2019s watching so much basketball that that can really help him in certain ways. I\u2019m probably a little bit more athletic than Dillon is. I can move around. I\u2019m a little bit more switchable, so adding that to my game as far as the mental side that he brought, for sure, I think I could bring that and then some.\u201d<\/p>\n

How Brooks handled the mental side are lessons Eason says will stick with him.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cJust not getting caught up in a game,\u201d says Eason. \u201cThere\u2019s 48 minutes in a game, so you can\u2019t get upset over one miss. You can\u2019t get upset over one bad shot, one bad play or outside factors like a coach yelling at you, things like that. Ime [Udoka] is tough on us, but that\u2019s how I like to be coached at the same time.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes there was tension with that, but that\u2019s always good because I think we grew a lot from that. So, just him teaching me not to get caught up in certain things, and then knowing what\u2019s going to happen. Reading stuff or knowing plays and know what\u2019s going to happen before it happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"Warriors
\n\t\t\t\tWarriors head coach Steve Kerr is entering the 2025\u201326 season on an expiring contract. | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Steve Kerr\u2019s Contract Situation\u00a0<\/p>\n

Steve Kerr isn\u2019t sweating the final year of his contract and Warriors fans shouldn\u2019t either. Normally it\u2019s not great when a coach is on an expiring deal<\/a>. But Kerr, 60, has 11 years and four titles of credibility with Golden State. He has the unequivocal support of Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. If he wants to be there beyond this season, he will be.<\/p>\n

I interpreted Kerr\u2019s contract status as a way for both sides to maintain some flexibility. If the Warriors have a great season that encourages the team to keep the team together, Kerr comes back. If it goes south and the team needs to do some retooling, both sides could go a different direction. It\u2019s impossible to believe that money or contract length would break Kerr and the Warriors up. <\/p>\n

More NBA on Sports Illustrated<\/p>\n

Listen to\u00a0SI\u2019s NBA podcast,\u00a0Open Floor, below or on\u00a0Apple<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Spotify<\/a>. Watch the show onSI\u2019s YouTube channel<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This article was originally published on www.si.com as NBA Insider Notebook: Rockets\u2019 Identity Shift, Steve Kerr\u2019s Future<\/a>. <\/p>\n