The Houston Rockets filled the open rosters spots they had from waiving players, signing power forward Michael Beasley and shooting guard Andrew Goudelock, both from the Chinese Basketball Association.
The Houston Rockets were active during the buyout period, as they waived two players–point guard Ty Lawson and shooting guard Marcus Thornton. The Rockets were trying to move both players at the trade deadline, but were unable to consumate deals.
There was not much interest in Lawson, while Thornton was traded to the Detroit Pistons before the trade was voided because power forward Donatas Motiejunas could not pass his physical.
The Rockets did not wait long to fill the open roster spots, as they already signed two players to contracts; power forward Michael Beasley and shooting guard Andrew Goudelock. Beasley will be signed for the remainder of this season to the veterans’ minimum, and the Rockets hold a team option on him for next season. Goudelock received a two-year deal from the Rockets.
Beasley is fresh off an MVP season overseas, as he won the award in the Chinese Basketball Association. Beasley averaged a ridiculous 31.9 points and 13.2 rebounds in 36.5 minutes per game in his time with the Shandong Flaming Bulls.
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The Rockets are hoping that Beasley can help fill the void at power forward, which has been a game of musical chairs for the Rockets all season long. They have been unable to get consistent production from anyone, using the likes of Motiejunas, Terrence Jones, Clint Capela and Josh Smith. Trevor Ariza has also masqueraded at power forward when the Rockets would play smaller.
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According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, the Rockets should consider themselves a little bit lucky that they were able to land Beasley. According to ESPN, Beasley had actually received offers worth more money from overseas teams, including Israeli powerhouse Maccabi Tel Aviv. But, he was intent on returning to the NBA, where he last played 24 games with the Miami Heat last season.
Like Beasley, Goudelock will be coming to the Rockets after a stint in the Chinese Basketball Association. He played with the Xinjians Flying Tigers, who were eliminated from the playoffs earlier this week. He is very excited to get a chance in the NBA once again, as he has not appeared in an NBA game since 2013, when he appeared in one game with the Los Angeles Lakers.
“I’m very excited. I’m very excited for the opportunity,” Goudelock said. “I’ve waited a few years to get back in there. Little surprised I got the call, but happy and ready to help out the team.” Goudelock is a good three point shooter, making 37.3 percent in 75 attempts in the NBA, so he could have a role with the second unit right away.
Goudelock is someone the Rockets are familiar with as well, as he played for their NBA D-League team, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. He was named MVP of the D-League for the 2012-13 season, so it is fitting he will be returning to the organization that he did it with.
The Rockets are hoping that Beasley or Goudelock can provide a spark for a team mired in mediocrity. The Rockets are 30-31 on the season, currently holding the eighth and final spot in the Western Conference playoffs, 1.5 games ahead of the Utah Jazz.
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It would be quite the disappointment for the Rockets to miss the postseason a year after making it to the Western Conference Finals. But, mismatched pieces and poor chemistry have done in the Rockets for a majority of the season, so there are questions as to how adding two more players at this stage of the season will impact the team.
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