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NCAA investigating relationship between agent Rich Paul and Texas guard Myck Kabongo

The NCAA is looking into the possibility that Rich Paul, the representative of Miami Heat star LeBron James, provided improper benefits to University of Texas sophomore guard Myck Kabongo, sources told Yahoo! Sports.

James and two former Texas Longhorns – Cleveland Cavaliers forward Tristan Thompson and San Antonio Spurs guard Cory Joseph – are represented by Paul’s new management company, Klutch Sports. Paul also called NBA front offices on behalf of Kabongo before this year’s NBA draft, sources said.

“We’re aware of the situation,” Texas basketball media relations official Scott McConnell said. “But we have not heard any decisions from the NCAA.”

McConnell declined further comment but confirmed that the NCAA has interviewed Kabongo, and said the Texas compliance department was aware of the issue.

“At the end of the day, here’s the main thing, it’s no crime to have a relationship with the kid,” Paul told Yahoo! Sports. “Of course, I know Myck through Tristan and Cory. I haven’t been contacted by the NCAA and I wouldn’t put a kid in harm’s way. My time in Cleveland was getting [former University of Kentucky star] Michael Kidd-Gilchrist prepared for the draft. I live in Cleveland.

“I would never disrespect anybody’s program. I love the game of basketball. I understand the business of basketball, but I’m about doing it the right way.”

— Reported by Adrian Wojnarowski and Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports

Tracy McGrady likely signing in China

Former NBA superstar Tracy McGrady is finalizing a one-year contract with a Chinese basketball club, Yahoo Sports reported on Monday.

The 33-year-old will likely complete the deal with the Qingdao Eagles in days, and could arrive in one or two weeks, the report said, quoting sources.

Sheng Xishun, manager of the club, confirmed the news to multiple media outlets on Tuesday morning, and revealed that McGrady will agree to the signing by Wednesday.

“Qingdao chooses McGrady for two reasons. One is that we hope he can help improve the team. The other is to take advantage of his influence to promote the team and the whole group,” said Sheng in a Tencent Sports interview.

— Reported by Yan Weijue of China Daily

Rockets developing on-court bonds

The Rockets headed to McAllen hoping the time on the road would build solidarity for a team almost entirely remade. They returned hoping to have developed cohesiveness on the court as well.

“We built great team camaraderie, great team chemistry on and off the court,” said forward Patrick Patterson, one of just five holdovers from last season. “We built a great base this past week on the offensive end, getting everything set, learning to play with one another on the court, knowing what each other likes as far as jump shots, rolling to the basket and how each other plays. We got a good vibe for one another. This is just a steppingstone in the right direction to be a better team.”

Training camp ended with an open scrimmage. Kevin Martin led in scoring, making seven of 11 shots for 25 points. Gary Forbes made five of six 3-pointers and scored 24.

— Reported by Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle

Carlos Delfino a rare experienced Rocket

If the starters shake out as [Kevin] Martin, [Chandler] Parsons, Jeremy Lin, Patrick Patterson and Omer Asik, that could leave a second unit with little or no NBA experience.

“Carlos has played in a lot of NBA games,” Rockets coach Kevin McHale said. “He’s played in big games over in Europe. He’s played in big games in the Olympics and pre-Olympic stuff. He’s not going to be overwhelmed by anything. He’s going to come in and be a real pro, pick up things fast. Everyone runs a variation of offensive sets. If he hasn’t run it, he’s played against it. I think guys like him are hugely beneficial.”

Delfino, 30, is the Rockets oldest player and second-most experienced with seven seasons in the league (one fewer than Martin.) They are the only Rockets players with more than one full season as an NBA starter. But given his relatively extensive experience, Delfino has been a part of a roster that he considered similar to the Rockets’.

— Reported by Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle

Tracy McGrady may play in China

Tracy McGrady, one of the top NBA players of the past decade, is considering playing in China this season, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.

McGrady’s preference is to sign with an NBA club — preferably one that can compete for the championship — and a source said he will wait to see if he is picked up by such a team before committing to play overseas. McGrady could wait up to four weeks before making his decision, the source said.

The Chinese publication, 361 Sport, first reported on Tuesday that McGrady’s representatives are in discussions with the club, Qingdao Doublestar, of the Chinese Basketball Association.

— Reported by Chris Broussard of ESPN the Magazine

Rockets rookie Royce White already struggling due to anxiety disorder

While Rockets forward Royce White remained in Houston, missing the start of the Rockets training camp, he issued a statement through a publicist and a series of tweets that indicated his start was delayed to work on a plan to treat his anxiety disorder.

White did not attend the Rockets media day on Monday or travel with the team to McAllen. He met with Rockets officials on Wednesday in Houston, according to a person with knowledge of the meeting who said “progress” was made that indicated he could be joining the team shortly.

In a lengthy statement, White said he needed more time to plan for the start of his NBA career.

“It causes me anxiety to know that serious consequences could happen if I do not express what I deal with, or if I am not truthful enough to ask for what I need, to be healthy. For me, hiding is no longer a healthy option in treating my anxiety or OCD, so I have asked for some help from the organization to ensure long-term health for myself.”

— Reported by Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle

Jeremy Lin in talks with Harvard on licensing deal

Rockets point guard Jeremy Lin and his alma mater, Harvard University, are in talks to create a co-licensed merchandise line, two people with direct knowledge of the negotiations said.

The line would be created with Nike Inc., which has Lin as an endorser and which outfits the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based university’s football and basketball teams, said the people, who were granted anonymity because the contracts aren’t signed.

Lin, 24, the first Taiwanese- or Chinese-American to play in the NBA, became a global sensation last season after taking over as the starting point guard for the New York Knicks. He moved to the Rockets during the offseason on a three-year, $25 million free-agent contract that the Knicks chose not to match.

— Reported by Scott Soshnick of Bloomberg News

Jeremy Lin seems healthy at start of Rockets training camp

Though Jeremy Lin had pronounced his rehabilitation from knee surgery as “100 percent” and Rockets teammates praised Lin’s play on the first day of camp, Rockets coach Kevin McHale said “the knee is still a thing he is working through.

“He’s in a really good spot right now physically,” McHale said. “It’s just a matter of topping everything off. But he looked good.

“This will be the first time since he had the surgery that he will be pressing that knee day after day after day at an NBA level. No matter what you do in rehab it’s hard to replicate NBA level. I don’t foresee it being a problem.”

— Reported by Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (Blog)

Rockets open camp in atmosphere of uncertainty

With an average of two years of NBA experience on their roster, the Rockets will head to training camp Tuesday with more than the usual work to do.

Coach Kevin McHale will have less than a month to evaluate the hand he has been dealt and how to best play it. There is little that can be considered a certainty.

General manager Daryl Morey said last week that only two players on his 20-man roster are known commodities. That did not include his top free-agent additions, guard Jeremy Lin and center Omer Asik. Of the 20 players heading to McAllen, only two — forward/center Patrick Patterson and forward Chandler Parsons — finished last season in the rotation. Only one, guard Kevin Martin, went through the bulk of last season’s abbreviated training camp.

Finally, they will begin to work through the uncertainty. But after a nearly complete offseason overhaul of the roster, the summer of their reinvent sends them to camp with more questions than answers.

— Reported by Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle Blog

Gary Forbes believes diabetes helped further career

But after all the twists in his career, taking him from the NBA Development League to the Philippines, Italy and Israel and finally back to the NBA, Forbes’ perspective has changed as dramatically as his address. He not only could have an NBA career with diabetes, he might not be in the NBA without it.

“I think the disease has helped me become better,” said Forbes, a veteran of two NBA seasons. “I’m better … at taking care of my body, getting the right amount of sleep, eating the right foods, working out, doing the things it takes to be in this league, and not only to be in this league but to be a good diabetic.”

Forbes was heading into his sophomore year at Virginia (he transferred to UMass after his coach, Pete Gillen, left) when he developed an unquenchable thirst and began dropping weight, losing 20 pounds in a week.

“I was going to the store every five minutes to get something to drink,” Forbes said.

Even with the checklist of diabetes symptoms, he did not start to realize that he could have the disease until doctors began asking about his family history. He had watched his father check his blood-sugar level and give himself injections of insulin, but it was so routine in Forbes’ life that he did not think that he would soon follow the same regimen.

— Reported by Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle