Rockets' McHale: Motiejunas won't be cleared for start of training camp
The Houston Rockets were forced to play the back end of last season without one of their most valuable role players, and they'll have to kick off this year's training camp without him as well.
Rockets coach Kevin McHale said Tuesday that fourth-year big man Donatas Motiejunas, who suffered a lower-back injury in March and underwent surgery in April, won't be ready for the start of camp, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
Motiejunas said last week that he was unsure about his status for camp, which opens Sept. 29, and that he was dealing with his recovery on a "week-to-week" basis.
The Rockets were the NBA's most resilient team last season, making a spirited push to within three games of the finals despite losing Dwight Howard, Terrence Jones, Patrick Beverley, and Motiejunas for large chunks of time - the latter two for their entire playoff run.
With point guard Ty Lawson in the fold and nearly every key contributor returning for 2015-16, injury luck is a swing factor that could push the Rockets over the top. Not having Motiejunas for part or all of camp likely means he'll take longer to round into form, but having him fully healthy for the start of the regular season is the team's top priority.
The 7-foot Lithuanian was in the midst of a breakout season before being shelved, averaging 12 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 50.4 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from beyond the arc.
- with h/t to PBT