I have to leave in about an hour and a half because I have a business meeting before the Rocket practice (practice is from 11:00 to 1:00pm today rather than 10-12), but this is my last day at camp because of my own schedule. I wanted to know if anyone had any good stories or questions they wanted answered. If we can come up with a solid consensus, I will try to get quotes aimed at that end. I did not see McGrady stop for media today ... so keep in mind that some players may not stop, but I will try to get who I can. Thanks!
Sura's knee and what he thinks about his NBA future. Moochie Norris's thoughts on this group of Rocket players compared to the Francis/Rudy/Cuttino group.
Definitely get some comments on the new dress code. Also, would love to ask JVG how this team compares, as far as depth, to other teams he has coached in the past.
I compiled some of the good ones from the other thread: YAO How does Yao feel about his summer conditioning to get up and down court? How much weight has Yao gained? Has Yao grown any taller? How much weight does he bench press now? Did Falsone set specific goals for Yao, and has he achieved them? Yao still feeling any jet lag? Does he have any new moves? He got more rest this past summer than usual. Did that help or hurt? What surprises (if any) does he have for opponents this season? Will he be playing a PSP on the road? (DaDakota should set him up with a Gizmondo) STRO Who does he want to posterize this year? How different is it from playing with Yao than Gasol. Is he going to be a starter? On the court, is he working on making any strong play connections with specific players? RAFER What does he think about playing with a guy as big as Yao Ming for the first time, and how does he plan to make sure the big man's skills get utilized as well as possible? Is he going to bring streetball to Houston? Root Memorial Square Park? T-MAC Ask him which aspect of his game he worked the most on during the summer Ask him how much muscle weight he added. Ask him if he prefers playing the 2 or the 3 How are his knees and back? JVG Ask JVG who worked the hardest during the summer (he said that some guys worked harder than others) Regarding starters: Does he start each season with a clean slate, and let players compete for starting positions, or does he stick with last year's starters? MISC Who's going to be our starting crew? For God's sake, see if you can find out what that three-finger hand gesture means!!!! Ask Yao to post on the CF bbs
I'm not too big on any Stro questions. Everytime I hear an interview with him he's so uninteresting, and just gives cliche responses.
Let them know that George Lynch is having a problem with his coach in New Orleans, trade Ryan Bowen for him, it'd be nice to have a back up SF like him.
Yao- ankle 100% ? cf.net member? Luther Head- ask him if he would like to do a Rookie diary for the front page cf.net (he could email you) JVG- Is Yao going to still run out on the pick and roll and switch on guards (he got so many fouls called when he ran out and switched on the p&r) Is he going to be able to get Tracy some rest or is TMac looking at 40+ min again? TMac- How are his knees?
I would definitely ask Yao to join us at CF.com if he hasn't already. I know from his post on his BBS that he loves to interact with fans on the internet. It will be sweet if he can do that here. I think he would love that idea since his English has improved a lot.
[1] (All Players) Ask about this new dress code. [2] (T-Mac) What is your impression of the Rockets organization for working so diligently to upgrade the talent in such a short span? [3] (Juwon Howard) What is the status of your heart condition? [4] (JVG) Is this the most talented team you've ever coached?
Clutch, I'm honored you would ask us. Thanks for all the recaps. Yao: Is he going to be more aggressive and muscle this year? Is he going to show more emotion? Have you heard of Clutch BBS? Clutch, hook him up! Barry: Are you definitely going to retire next year? T-Mac: What do you expect from this team now that you have the right players in the right positions? Have you heard of Clutch BBS? Skip to my Lou: How do you feel starting on an playoff caliber squad that has a chance to win it all? What do you think of T-Mac? What do you think of Yao? Just a few I could think of.... But the main question to everyone should be: Have you heard of Clutch BBS?
Yup, make him a lifetime member of clutchBBS for FREE I think Yao will like being offered free stuff even though he's a millionaire hehe also you can give him his nickname from the other BBS he frequents. wasn't it Sabonis11 or something?
One of my concerns about Rafer is his reputation among Raptor fans about being poor at feeding the post. I would ask Skip if he has ever played with a dominant big man and whether he feels that is a strength of his game or something he needs to work on.
I think all of us would be most intrigued if we knew how often the players, coaches or staff visited our BBS, if they ever post, are they members or just lurkers, do they get offended by some of the posts here, do they log on after games to see everyone's reactions, etc. Especially Yao, since he's so internet fluent. You could simply ask him, "can you rate your favorite websites for rocket info, both English and Chinese, and how often do you visit them?" And, if he does, does he have any suggestions on how to improve the site? Also, if he does visit ClutchFans, "Do you post under an assumed name on the Clutch BBS, and how often?" We would go crazy trying to figure that out, like a Doc post ... lol But, it would be great to find that out about any of the players ... could turn into a great story, that might get picked up by the media. I bet your could get some great quotes. I'd also love to get any quotes from Rocket's staff regarding this last broughaha of keeping Clutchfans out ... we'd love to know the "other side of the story."
It's been said numerous times, but this really is a once in a life time opportunity to find out if Yao uses CF. And if not, recruit him. Oooh!!! Maybe we can do a weekly or monthly Q&A with him, sorta like the Being Del Harris thing a while back.
more questions: Yao - Tell us about your girlfriend. How does that work, living in different countries ... any details would be fun. Marriage anytime soon? - What have you improved on over the off-season, and how do you see that improving your play this year? - How do you think having more of a traditional point guard affect your play this year? - How will having Swift at PF affect your play? - Many have talked about you needing to be "meaner," and more agressive, such as an Amare Stoudamire. Do you agree with that assessment, or do you see yourself as more of a finesse player, and how will that improve this year? - Last year, you dealt with fouls and limited playing time. Do you see that increasing this year? How many minutes a game do you think you'll average? - Would he be interested in doing a blog or column on the Clutchfans website to stay in touch with his fans? Let him know the traffic here, and its reputation as the best fansite in the country. - What is the funniest story he can remember from last year? - You've said the most important thing to do this year is to do what the coach says. What is he telling you to do? - You're known for your BB IQ. Tell us something we might not know yet, that you think is important in winning a championship here. T-Mac - How do you believe having Alston on the team affect your play this year? - What's the funniest story about Yao you can remember? - What makes JVG such a good coach? - What did you do this off-season to improve for this year? - What do you believe will be your biggest improvement as a player this year? - What will it take to get out of the first round this year, besides "get in?" - When the Rocket's got Swift, you said you'd make him into a better player. How will you do that, and how do you think he'll improve from when he was in Memphis? Barry - Tell us some funny stories about JVG, Yao or TMac. - How much longer would you like to play for the Rockets? - Would he be interested in writing funny stories for our website? Howard - How do you see splitting time with Swift this year? - How did the episode with your heart change you? Alston - In the press, some have said you can be a "chucker." With players like TMac and Yao, how do you see that changing? - Do you believe that with your passing ability, you'll be able to get the ball to Yao more in the post than other's did last year? Swift - We've heard you've always wanted to be a Rocket fan. How much of a factor was that in you becoming a free agent and signing for the MLE, when you probably could have gotten bigger contracts elsewhere? - Do you think you'll reach your potential here in Houston, and why? Moochie - why do you dribble so much? - Do you think you can contribute to the team this year, and how? Anderson - Last year, Portland said you were injured a lot, but we heard from you that wasn't true. Can you tell us more about that? Why do you feel you might be healthy this year? - All Rocket's fans know you signed for less to be here, and really appreciate it. What is something we might not know as to why you made that decision? Ward - We understand you are moving to a coaching position. Could you tell us what led to that decision? Ewing - Are you going to be a coach here next year? If not, where will you be going and doing? Rocket's Marketing Director - Tim McDougal posted from time to time on our fan BBS, which was a wonderful connection to the Rockets. How do you feel you can reach out to the fans on our BBS, especially after some of the hard feelings from last week? JVG - So, what motivated you to cut off that combover? Curious fans want to know... - What is the difference between Houston and NYC in your experience? - Last year's team had wonderful chemistry. How do you see that happening this year? - Do you expect any ramifications with the referees from what happened last year in the playoffs? What kind of feedback from players, the league, and referees have you gotten since that time?
Yao: Non-basketball questions: 1) We know you're a gamer - what system's do you have and do you own? Favorite game(s)? 2) What do you miss most when you're in the US? 3) Favorite restraunt in the US? Have you found any good Chinese? 4) Favorite website?
