How Mike D'Antoni's style fits Rockets Feigen, Houston Chronicle https://www.houstonchronicle.com/sp...ke-D-Antoni-s-style-fits-Rockets-13293347.php James Harden went for the laugh and got it. After trying to keep a straight face, he laughed, too. But he also revealed something more than a sense of humor. Asked about why he and Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni have been such a successful partnership, Harden said, "Because he lets me do what I want." Harden was not attempting to reveal much, but on some level, he did. Harden's answer might seem to reflect star treatment afforded to the MVP, but when he continued, he struck upon a part of D'Antoni's management style that extends far beyond the face of the franchise types. "One thing I've learned from him is he's a great communicator," Harden said. "Not to me or not to Chris (Paul.) I'm talking about the entire roster. When you have a coach like him that communicates from player one to 15, it's one of the best feelings. "Mike is a genius, man. He's one of the coolest guys I've met in my life. He knows basketball. He knows what he's talking about. He never yells. He's so cool. You want to make him happy. You want to run through a wall for him." When Paul said last week that the Rockets do things differently, he thought of everything from their elimination of shootarounds to defensive assignments. But really, they were all about the way the Rockets reached those decisions. D'Antoni might not let his players do anything they wish, as Harden joked, but he expects to hear what they want, a style that the most veteran of his players have cited in recent weeks as a significant part of playing for D'Antoni's Rockets. "I probably do more now than I ever have," D'Antoni said. "I always brought Steve (Nash) into decision-making. It depends on who's making those decisions. I trust James totally. I trust Chris totally. Bringing them in on decision-making is an easy call for me. "I've told it to other guys, too. If I tell you to guard it a certain way and you have another idea, I was a player. I would show the coach why that idea wouldn't work. Everybody has to be on the same page. We just talk everything through." Some decisions are just to make the long season more enjoyable. There is a reason the Rockets spent 18 days in Los Angeles, including the All-Star weekend, last season. On many trips, the decision whether to stay in town after a game or move on to the next city will come from players' preferences. Other decisions are about the winning. The elimination of shootarounds came through weeks of consensus building with Harden the primary holdout. His 56-point game against the 76ers without a shootaround and losses to the Raptors came after the Rockets did hold the traditional morning walkthrough, games that helped convince him. But coming up with the plan Harden now endorses was as much about conversations as performances. "It took a while to convince everybody that was the best thing to do and we didn't do it until everybody was convinced," D'Antoni said. "It was James bucking it and other guys who like the routine. He wasn't convinced. We try to work with people. "If they feel like they're tired and can't go (at practice), don't go. What I care about is game-time, they're going to show up and play their rears off. I trust that they will. Luckily, with Chris and James and P.J. (Tucker), Clint (Capela), all these guys when it comes time to play, we're going to play." That trust, Rockets players said, develops a sense of collaboration and responsibility. For all the conjecture about Carmelo Anthony's willingness to play for D'Antoni again after their struggles in New York led to D'Antoni's resignation, Anthony said he enjoys the respect D'Antoni gives players. Anthony laughed off the idea that he and D'Antoni could have lingering issues and said that they even asked one another what went wrong in the first place. But he especially cited the sense of responsibility that comes from trusting players. "The thing I respect about him is he lets the players hold each other accountable," Anthony said. "Different coaches have different personalities, but a lot of times coaches can be kind of hands-on and overbearing, take that responsibility away from the player, where there are rules and regulations and you stick by the script. "That's not how Mike is. He understands this situation. He understands the personnel he has on the team. He allows guys just to be themselves. We're pros at the end of the day. We hold each other accountable." That suits a team loaded with opinionated veterans. D'Antoni's approach is not unique, but Rockets players so often talk about how often D'Antoni talks about decisions, his determination to seek input could be extreme. "We have somewhat of a veteran team," Paul said. "He expects us to get our work in. It's trust both ways. If he trusts us, we have to come prepared. If it's a play, if we see something, sometimes coach will say 'let's do it this way' but we talk about things. "It's cool. I'm not just saying that because I like Mike and all of our coaches. I think they respect the knowledge some of us have for the game. Not saying that other coaches don't respect it, but we're all trying to get to the same place so we talk about everything." They do not, however, always get to do whatever they want, but like all good jokes, there had to be some truth in the punch line for it to work.
Scrubs don't earn minutes because they are scrubs. Smart players earn minutes. So far, so good with Gary Clark.
