[Chron] Rockets' Battier is urged to shoot

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/4274777.html

Rockets' Battier is urged to shoot
Player known for intangibles asked to share offensive load


By FRAN BLINEBURY
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

No one has to tell a bird to fly, a fish to swim, a politician to make a speech.

So you stick a basketball into the palms of your average NBA player and figure the first thing he'll look to do is shoot.

Except for Shane Battier. Who is anything but average.

While walking out of the Rockets' locker room at Toyota Center following Wednesday's exhibition win over Milwaukee in which he never got off the bench, Battier turned to teammate Bonzi Wells and cracked, "You know, I scored just as many points tonight as I did in Dallas."

On Tuesday night against the Mavericks, Battier played 25 minutes and took just one shot.

Which is the problem. The good kind, at least, for coach Jeff Van Gundy.

"I think Shane is better than I expected," Van Gundy said of the 6-8 forward, who was obtained in the draft-night trade from Memphis for first-round pick Rudy Gay and Stromile Swift. "You're always happy when you get more than what you expected. Most times in life, you get less. So I'm happy about that."

What it will take for Van Gundy to be blissfully exultant is for Battier to stop working at merely being a facilitator for Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady and start thinking about carrying more of the offensive load himself.

"I think he hurts us by passing up open shots," Van Gundy said. "He's one of our best shooters. When the ball comes to him and he's open, he needs to shoot it every single time, and I should be the one pulling the reins back versus him passing up shots to do what he's been conditioned to do — hit the open man.

"It's just as bad for a good shooter to pass up an open shot to throw it to a more guarded guy. Unfortunately, I think I think he's a better shooter than he thinks he is.


A vote for Shane
"I want to reiterate we did not bring him here for his intangibles. We brought him here for his tangibles. He is a highly efficient, multi-position, versatile, tough, smart, sound, solid player. And if he wants to run for office, I'm all for it. I'm voting in 2016. I'm on the bandwagon. But I think people have minimized his abilities because of how great a guy he is, and he does bring all of those intangibles."

Battier smiles, because he remembers having a similar discussion with another coach a few years ago.

"I had this talk before my sophomore year at Duke, when I averaged seven points and was a banger, rebounder and screen-setter," Battier said. "Coach K (Mike Krzyewski) brought me into his office and said, 'That's not gonna cut it anymore.'

"Then he really got on me my junior year after Elton Brand, William Avery, Corey Maggette and Trajan Langdon left. Coach K used to call me every day in Chicago, where I was interning in the summer. He'd say, 'Can you picture yourself as a 20-point scorer?' I'd say, 'Well, coach,' and he'd hang up on me. He called me every day, and the second that I hemmed and hawed, he'd hang up on me.

"It took me a few days. When I finally said, 'Yes, coach, I can see myself being that guy,' then we had a normal conversation."

As a senior, Battier averaged 19.9 points, was named the National College Player of the Year and helped Duke win the NCAA championship.

Despite that pedigree and being the No. 6 overall pick in the 2001 draft, he was never asked to be a big-time scorer in Memphis. In fact, he was coached to fill a role and, over the past four seasons, did not average in double figures. In three exhibitions with the Rockets, he's averaging fewer than five shots a game.


A new role
"I've always thought of missed shots and turnovers as basketball imperfections and been conscious of those things driving me crazy," Battier said. "I need to get out of that thinking."

Even with a pair of All-Stars as teammates.

"My initial thought was that I was gonna come here and be the same sort of guy I was in Memphis," Battier said. "I mean, we have Yao and Tracy, and I would guess like everybody else, I thought my job was to complement them.

"But the first day I got here, (Van Gundy) brought me into his office and said he wanted more out of me."

What Van Gundy wants is a wing man who can open things up for Yao and McGrady by first opening himself up.

"Everybody's labeled in every profession," the coach said. "And sometimes you can believe it versus realizing just how good you are."

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/4274775.html

ROCKETS NOTES: Spanoulis draws Nash comparrison


By FRAN BLINEBURY AND JONATHAN FEIGEN
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle


Are the Rockets ready for Steve Nasharopoulos of Athens?

As you would expect, progress is coming in small steps for Vassilis Spanoulis. The star of the Greek national team had 10 points, eight assists and four turnovers in 22 minutes against Milwaukee.

"Every day for me is a new lesson," Spanoulis said. "I learn new things every day about the NBA, because it's totally different than playing in Europe. Every day I'm learning my teammates a little better, and that makes things better for me."

Spanoulis' tallest teammate is quite impressed.

"He is great," said Yao Ming. "He can see the court. He always makes the right decision. He makes passes to the right people, and passes are right on target.

"Give him time, and I think he will maybe be like Steve Nash one day."


Haryasz released
The Rockets released Matt Haryasz on Thursday. The 6-11, 230-pound forward/center averaged 3.0 points and 3.5 rebounds in two preseason games.

He also averaged 7.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.25 blocked shots in four games with Houston in the 2006 Toshiba Vegas Summer League.

With the departure of Haryasz, the Rockets are down to 18 players, including guard Bob Sura, who has not yet made a decision about a comeback or retirement.


Hometown edge
Playing for the first time against his hometown team, Rockets rookie Steve Novak had 17 points, making five of six shots, all from beyond the 3-point arc against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday.

"I definitely knew it was my hometown (team) coming in," Novak said. "It was not like hard feelings, got to go beat them up because they didn't draft me. I've always been a huge Bucks fan. I grew up watching them. When I played at Marquette, we played in the same arena, so we would always try to go to (Bucks) games and watch them. It was neat to be out there with those guys."

More than neat, he made scoring look "easy."

"The guys I've been playing with have been sharing the ball so well and finding me in open spots, so it's been real easy to knock shots down," Novak said. "So far, our chemistry has been great, so it's been real easy to be in the flow of the game and play. When you play with guys you're comfortable with, it makes it real easy."


Green with envy
Count the Rockets' Jeff Van Gundy as one who was very impressed by the postgame rant of head coach Dennis Green after the Arizona Cardinals blew a 23-3 lead and lost 24-23 on Monday night.

"That was one of the best ones I've ever seen," said Van Gundy. "I loved that. It was great. I could feel his passion. I could feel the sting, too."

 

If Battier is able to get a little mean streak, he would be even more effective. We need some toughness in the starting lineup especially if Bonzi doesn't start.
We have a bunch of milkdrinkers in the starting lineup as JVG likes to call them

I love this quote from Van Gundy back on October 5:

"The best competitors I've ever been around have also been the orneriest," he says. "You don't find too many sweet guys who are cutthroat competitors. Give me the knife-fighters. You can't have all knife-fighters, but you can't have all milk-drinkers, either."