Rockets: Corey Brewer shares thoughts on Danuel House fiasco

Former Houston Rockets forward Corey Brewer spoke about the Danuel House incident, which got him suspended and brought negative attention to the team.

For many, Houston Rockets forward Danuel House was an example of the importance of persistence, resilience, and belief in oneself. House went undrafted despite being an All-American during his final season of collegiate play.

In addition, House found himself on four different NBA teams through his first three seasons, and was waived by the Golden State Warriors, who didn’t believe he held enough value to play spot minutes on the second unit. House had a stellar showing during his 2018-19 cameo with the Houston Rockets, as he made 41.6 percent of his threes, which was a team-high.

House’s representation and the Rockets had a contract standoff, which forced him to miss a number of games throughout the 2018-19 season, as he was demoted to the G-League. The Rockets eventually awarded House with a long-term deal at the conclusion of the 2018-19 season, which meant he was finally getting rewarded for his hard work.

House purchased a new home for him and his family and he appeared to have finally found a permanent landing spot. House averaged 10.5 points during the 2019-20 season, and posted career-highs in blocks, steals, assists, and rebounds, while also making 36.3 percent of his threes.

House was able to prove his value to then Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni, who gave him an increased number of minutes during the playoffs. But just as soon as House’s career goals seemed to be materializing, they came tumbling down when it mattered most.

House was withheld from more than half of the Rockets’ Western Conference Semifinals matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers, and very few people knew or understood why at the time. It was later determined that House broke the NBA’s bubble protocol by having an unapproved visitor in his hotel room, which was verified by door data, which suggested that House opened the door to his hotel room while a female visitor was inside of the Rockets’ Grand Floridian hotel.

House was coming off a Game 2 performance in which he had 13 points on 42.9 percent from the floor and made 50 percent of his field goals. The incident was embarrassing for the Rockets as an organization, not to mention for House’s family back in Houston, and Rockets superstar James Harden didn’t hold back when asked about the House incident.

Harden on the Danuel House situation: "Very, very disappointing. And it affected us. Obviously we still had to play the series. But it affected us. The distraction, and he was a huge part of our rotation."

— Anthony Duckett (@a_duckett) September 13, 2020

The national media had alot to say about House’s involvement in the scandal in the days that followed and rightfully so. Longtime NBA veteran Corey Brewer recently voiced his opinion on the matter as well.

Next: Brewer shares thoughts

Brewer shares thoughts on House incident

Former Houston Rockets forward Corey Brewer shared his thoughts on the incident, which got House sent home early and brought negative attention to the franchise. Brewer was on SportsTalk 790’s The A-Team and explained how House let the team down.

“I think it’s really disappointing. I don’t know all the details and I don’t know what happened but it’s disappointing for it to happen during a playoff series. When you’re in a playoff series and you’re on a team that has championship aspirations, you have to try to do the right thing.

I don’t like to judge people unless I have all the facts, but you could tell it affected them, because he was a big part of the team. He played great. Danuel House was a big part of their rotation, and Coach D’Antoni really had a short rotation in the first place. So when you take a guy like him who was playing 30+ minutes, that hurts the team a lot.

I hope they get to the bottom of whatever happened.”

As Brewer pointed out, we don’t exactly know what happened, as House hasn’t spoken out about it publicly and the NBA’s investigation was questionable at best. Brewer joins all Houston Rockets fans in being disappointed in House for putting himself in such a situation, and especially as the Rockets faced the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers, who the Rockets needed a full crew to get past.

Next: Speaking from experience

Speaking from experience

Brewer knows a thing or two about being a role player and delivering on a team with championship aspirations as he helped the Rockets overcome a 3-1 deficit during the 2015 Western Conference Semifinals against the LA Clippers. With the Clips returning home to Los Angeles for Game 6 with a 3-2 lead, their sights were set on eliminating the Rockets and advancing to the Western Conference Finals.

The Rockets entered the fourth quarter down 92-79 and seemed bound for defeat, until Corey Brewer emerged as an unstoppable force. Brewer had 15 points in the fourth quarter, which led all players, and made 66.7 percent of his 3-pointers and went 5-of-8 from the floor. Brewer finished the night with 19 points on 40 percent from deep, while also grabbing 10 rebounds, which was the second-most in the game and remains a playoff-career high for the former Rockets forward.

It’ll be interesting to see what the Rockets decide to do with House, and especially if he was dishonest with them, as we heard he told the team and the NBA that he didn’t do what he was alleged to have done. For a Rockets team devoid of young assets, Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey will surely be tempted to include House in a trade package, depending on what he can yield in return.

Add that to the list of decisions for Morey this offseason, as he’s currently tasked with identifying the right head coach for the team. House would have himself to blame if the team decides to part ways, as the situation could have been prevented altogether.