link: http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/3424437 Preseason loss to Hornets a wake-up call By JONATHAN FEIGEN Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle For whatever difficulties or dissatisfactions the preseason might have brought, the Rockets could have ended it feeling as powerful and promising as when it began. Even with the condition of Tracy McGrady's sore knees hovering over the preparations for Wednesday's regular-season opener, the Rockets had a chance to end the preseason on something of a roll. They were scoring quickly and winning easily. It was just one game, a preseason game at that. But after the Rockets blew a 22-point lead, crumbling under the pressure of the Hornets' intensity and a delirious crowd of 15,063 in Oklahoma City, they knew it was not just a one-game blip. They knew that there might be more challenging tests than the Hornets' likely lottery team simply playing hard. There might even be tougher venues than Oklahoma City's Ford Center. But more than anything, the last preseason game served as a fitting reminder of a preseason in which the Rockets demonstrated some of their potential to excel, but also how inconsistent and occasionally sluggish they have been throughout the preseason. Had they finished the final preseason game the way they started it, they might have only been masking issues they have talked about all month. But now, they cannot even try to fool themselves. "We've gotten better," Rockets guard Derek Anderson said. "That's good. That's a good sign. But how much better we need to get, we're still a ways away. Playing consistently, getting a rotation together, we have a ways to go." Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy has not said who his starters or what his rotation will be, but said that it won't be much of a surprise. But whatever combinations he goes with will have had relatively little time together. He has said developing on-court chemistry is an overrated concept. "Everybody will play with everybody," he said of a rotation in which playing time and roles of several starters and reserves around Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady will have to be interchangeable. But more to the point, concerns about the rotation seem to ignore the greater issues for a team not yet playing with consistent intensity. Only two teams have scored fewer points per game than the Rockets; only one has given up fewer. But their unreliable focus has led to players being out of position offensively and defensively, and to occasionally letting their energy wane. No on-off switch "That's something you can't turn on and off," Rockets forward Juwan Howard said. "You want to be a team that is hard-nosed, that plays hard for 48 minutes, mentally and physically. We can't just turn it on for the preseason for one game or two games and then for two games don't do it and think we can turn it on Nov. 2. We have to be a team that is going to be sharp no matter what. If a team comes out and pressures us, we have to be able to respond and handle ourselves with poise under pressure. "There's always room for improvement. If we went 8-0, I don't think anyone in here would be satisfied. We're building for something special. We're building to be not only a good team, but a great team. In order for that to happen, we have to be mentally and physically ready to go and play a solid ballgame for 48 minutes." Ways to go, mentally The concern is that it won't turn around when the page on the calendar turns. "At times, I feel pretty good," guard David Wesley said. "But you can call it the preseason, but we're not going to change our stripes that much. The old saying is you can't turn it on and turn it off." Perhaps the start of the regular season is what the Rockets need. But they hint at expectations and hopes greater than just finishing a preseason game in Oklahoma better than they did Thursday night. "Our inconsistencies are just a telling sign we have a long way to go mentally," Van Gundy said. "Like playing with a lead at halftime, you would think that an experienced team would understand that a game is 48 minutes long. "Most teams have ups and downs in intensity throughout the year, but not the good ones, not the great ones, not the championship-caliber ones." jonathan.feigen@chron.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ROCKETS SUMMARY Same old problems A year ago, the Rockets lost eight games to last-place teams, two more to the expansion Charlotte Bobcats. Besides their seeming inability to bring the same intensity to games against struggling teams as they did against the best teams, they also could be shocked by hot-shooting perimeter teams. That usually was the result of guards getting inside their defense, forcing big men to help and leaving shooters open. Both problems seemed to still be issues for the Rockets on Thursday. They blew a 22-point lead to lose to the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets. And they were unable to prevent the penetration that led to too many open shots on the perimeter. "Once they got into a rhythm, it's hard to get a team out of a rhythm the way they were shooting the ball," Rockets point guard Rafer Alston said. "Their point guard was penetrating the lane. That always hurts a defense. All of a sudden, we all have to help, and they're kicking it out to guys that can flat-out knock down a 3." The Hornets made seven of 11 second-half 3-pointers. The Rockets' 3-point defense overall was not too great a liability in the preseason, but was not a strength either. Opponents made 35.5 percent of their 3-pointers against the Rockets to rank just 13th in the NBA. "Obviously, we think we can do some things harder and better," Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "A lot of it started with pick-and-roll and an inability to guard the dribble again." Hornets have a hive With the Hornets displaced because of the damage to the New Orleans Arena, Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy was impressed with the atmosphere in the Hornets' temporary Oklahoma City home. "I did enjoy coming here," Van Gundy said after Thursday's game at the Ford Center. "It's a great atmosphere. Compared to last year, with no home-court advantage, this year they'll have a great home-court advantage." Ward a coach The Rockets hired former guard Charlie Ward on Friday as an assistant coach. Ward signed with the Rockets as a free agent in August 2004. He played in 14 games and averaged 5.4 points and 3.1 assists before having season-ending surgery on his right knee in December 2004. Taken by New York in the first round of the 1994 draft, he spent his first 9 1/2 NBA seasons with the Knicks. Ward played for San Antonio in 2004. JONATHAN FEIGEN
Am I the only one who is sick of all the negativity coming out of JVG and his puppets err players? I admire JVG's basketball knowledge and his coaching skills, but this team is taking on his personality for better and for worse. I think he's a great coach, but he doesn't know how to loosen up. Miami players complain about the same thing of Stan, the Van Gundys don't know how to let up. Players play best when they have fun. I haven't seen a lot of smiles from this bunch. Crticism is fine, but when it comes with a dose of encouragement and optimism. It certainly hinders the team's ability to draw more fans. If I was the owner I wouldn't be very happy. It creates an aura of negativity and pessimism about the team.
I disagree, I think with Sura especially now out there on the court to fire up this team, and considering that the majority of our players are the 'mellow' type (including our superstars), we NEED someone who will keep this team on its toes, who will push them harder and harder. I don't see it as pessimism, and JVG did (following some pre-season games) praise some aspects while criticizing others. IMO, it's a good balance, and I too don't like the level of energy in ANY of our pre-season games. I hope this team won't be as 'laid back' throughout the season, but we won't have to wait for much longer to see.
To each his own, but I'm with macfan here all the way. After starving for Rox tidbits all summer I'm now picking up the Chronicle and finding myself suddenly depressed after reading Feigan's articles. And it's ridiculous. I, like several others here expect a slow start given the almost complete makeover of the roster in less than 2 seasons, and I'm completely cool with JVG not accepting that. That's his job, and I don't really have problems with his philosophies, but I'm sick of his bromides. Was SA mentally tough last year when they let one of the most prolific scorers in the NBA torch them for 13 in the final 35? Did they play that game for 48 minutes? Isn't SA the team with the mental toughness by which every other team is judged? And don't they along with the best teams in the league get inexplicably trounced several times a year during the season? The thing that really bothers me is that casual Rockets fans get most of their info about the team from the Chronicle and probably aren't aware of how much better this team should be this season. I liked DA's remarks: "We've gotten better," Rockets guard Derek Anderson said. "That's good. That's a good sign. But how much better we need to get, we're still a ways away. Playing consistently, getting a rotation together, we have a ways to go." But so much for my 3 seconds of bliss: "Gundy has not said who his starters or what his rotation will be, but said that it won't be much of a surprise. But whatever combinations he goes with will have had relatively little time together. He has said developing on-court chemistry is an overrated concept." Hmm, in the offseason team chemistry was everything and fragile but this "on-court" stuff is overrated? I know JVG was just trying to focus on intensity, hustle and grit but those things are impeded by unfamiliarity and over-thinking. Again agreeing with macfan here: If I were Les I wouldn't be happy with what's coming out in the morning newspaper either.
I don't really understand why there has been such a big deal made about these games. Players never play all out in the preseason. San Antonio sucks every year at this time. It means nothing. Seriously, are we going to start worrying about McGrady sucking because he has only put up 15 ppg this preseason? How can players play consistently when regular season rotations are not being used consistently? It is the stupid preseason.
I don't think many players like training camp. It doesn't give them much to smile about. If our players take on JVG's mentality of bringing it every game, so much the better. Any when it comes to coaches letting up, you ever heard of Pop & Larry Brown? From what I understand, Brown berates his players constantly, even when they play well and the Pistons players were plenty tired of it. Behind closed doors, LB is known to continually harp on the negative and ignore the positive. That is one of the reasons he's moved around so much. And don't get me started on Pop. The volcanic eruptions and mind games in past years with Parker and Manu are well-known (I'm a semi-Spurs fan, forgive me). I think last year was the first year he finally pulled back some. In private, both of these coaches are more demanding than JVG. Both are also championship coaches. I don't know much about SVG's "bedside manner" yet. He's certainly not the sour grapes in public his brother is. In public, JVG is JVG and it won't change. Just accept it. The fact the players publicly agree with him is a good thing because it shows everyone is on the same page. His basketball knowledge and attention to detail gain him the respect of hard working players. Slackers will be shown the door, which is fine with me. In private, I think JVG loosens up more than we think. Several times last year when Rockets players were on AM610, they dropped a few hints in that direction. Also this summer, Jon Barry had a hilarious conversation with JVG on the radio. In fact, playing for JVG was so much fun JB came back for another season. When a team has championship aspirations and hasn't accomplished very much, nothing can be taken for granted. I like JVG's approach. P.S: Late last year when the Rockets hit their stride, they sure looked like they were having fun to me.
I don't care about the preseason games scores. So, the Hornets starters beat our bench players. Big deal. There is something I don't like, though: all this talk of "we've got a long way to go." Well, ya know what? If it takes us so damn long to get going, we shoulda started earlier. We shouldn't be beginning the regular season saying "we've got a long way to go." We should begin the season saying "we're ready to go right f***ing now."
Good post, and I agree. You know what? Name me ONE great coach in the league now (with proven track record) who is NOT a bit rough on the players. Larry Brown? Ask AI and others how demanding he is. Phil Jackson? He's never been accused f being 'optemistic'. George Karl? You know what happened there. Pat Riley? JVG? SVG? Popovich? My point is this: Too bad if you don't like this approach to coaching, but it's what f***ing works, especially when you have a team lead by two young star players who are known to be of the 'laid back' type, who need someone to keep pushing them to greatness. This is what our team needs, especially the younger guys, and I am more than happy with it.
It seems playing for JVG is kind of like playing for Larry Brown in that he's a political coach. If he likes you and you do as you're told then you get to play, but if you buck his system in any way you'll be watching from the bench. I think Stromile and maybe even Skip will find themselves on the bench. JVG is likely to play Bowen more than Stromile just because Bowen is his type of player. He'd also rather play Sura at PG than Skip for the same reason. JVG is a good coach but he's just to inflexible. He turned T-Mac loose last year only because the pressure of loosing was starting to build. How long will it take him to turn Stromile loose if the Rockets start slow again? JVG second biggest weakness is that he's not a good offensive coach. His idea of offense is pick and roll all night. He'd almost prefer Skip to walk the ball up the court to keep the tempo slow and the game a defensive grind. The Rockets would be better off if JVG let the offense run through one of his assistant coaches.
2nd in defense? Great! 28th in offense? Ugh. Seriously, I do not want to start the season scoring 89 points a game like last year before everyone starts clicking two months into the season. We were all anticipating 105ppg at least. Seems pretty unrealistic considering all of our turnovers. JVG's got some work to do in the next week if he wants to look dominant to start the season.
I wish JVG would be more positive from time to time, but I don't think he's any more negative than Popovich or Larry Brown. It wouldn't even surprise me if Popovich criticized his team after winning their Championships. Ok, that's a stretch but my point is that these elite coaches are no different.
If a coach doesn't bench a player for "bucking the system", that coach doesn't have control of his team. To think Bowen will get more regular season minutes than Stromile is just plain nutty. I thought JVG was too inflexible very early last season also, but he proved me wrong. If giving Jon Barry the green light to pull up and take 3 pointers on fast breaks isn't being flexible, tell me what is. What has impressed me about JVG is he has clearly grown as a coach since coming here. "Inflexible" and "slowdown" are just two labels some people will keep on him no matter what.
I like JVG's intentions of instilling a frame of mind that we don't got it made in the shade. When a team openly declares it's good, it loses its hunger on a daily basis and stops developing good habits. A team needs to quietly prove it. I don't want to see a team that isn't humble because in the end last year, I really believe it was a factor. Let others talk about you, don't talk about yourself. There is one thing a person can never do successfuly and that is uplift himself. It always comes off the wrong way. Just prove it. The Astros quietly believed in themselves while everyone else trashed them to no end, especially when they were 15-30...then after that they had the best record in baseball.
