Rockets: Will Van Gundy Pay for Rookie Policy?

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By Bill Ingram
for ***************
Apr 3, 2007, 10:43

When Yao Ming went down with a leg injury in late December he was playing the best basketball of his career. Frankly, he was playing the best basketball of any big man in the NBA. As he went through rehab in preparation for a return to the Rockets’ lineup he confided that his primary concern was that he not give the wrong impression to his teammates. He didn’t want them to think he was up to full speed, that they could rely on him completely as they did prior to the injury.

Now it’s time to put all of that talk aside.

Yao Ming is back. He’s at full strength and is playing every bit as well as he did leading up to the December 23rd game in which he broke a bone in his knee. He’s dropping double-doubles on a regular basis, dominating the paint on both ends of the court, and even getting to the foul line with some regularity. All of those elements culminated in Yao earning his second Player of the Week award of the season for last week.

Yao averaged 30.0 points, 12.5 rebounds and 2.25 blocks in leading Houston to a 3-1 week. Yao posted three straight double-doubles to close the week, including consecutive games with 35 or more points against the Lakers and Jazz. Yao scored 39 points on 11-of-18 shooting and 17-of-21 free throws on March 30 in a 107-104 win at the Lakers. Since Yao returned to the Rockets' lineup on March 3, Houston owns an 11-4 mark.

So now the question must be asked: How far can Yao take the Rockets?

He’s not doing it alone, of course, but on most nights the offensive load is being carried by Yao and Tracy McGrady, with everyone else sort of chipping in where they can. Rafer Alston was doing a great job of being the third offensive threat for a while, hitting better than 50% from three-point range in a stretch of six-out-of-seven games in mid-March before hitting a cold spell that has now lasted for three games. Luther Head is a capable scorer, but he’s been out for the past two games with a strained shoulder and the Rockets struggled without him. Shane Battier can put some points on the board, but it’s not his primary role.

So where do the Rockets look to find some extra points to fill in around the brilliance of their two All-Stars?

It’s unfortunate that Jeff Van Gundy refuses to play young players. He has never been one to develop or have any faith in young players, but the fact that his organization brought in some offensive firepower that he’s refusing to use could come back to bight him in the end. Steve Novak is an amazing shooter, but after a few cameo appearances early on he has been relegated to the very end of the bench. It would be interesting to see how well he might be playing if Van Gundy had allowed him to get his NBA legs earlier in the season. There are very few pure shooters in the NBA, and Novak is destined to be among them . . .if he can ever get on the court.

And what about Vassilis Spanoulis? Van Gundy’s comments last week about needing a back-up point guard got more than a few international fans up in arms. When Spanoulis agreed to come over to join the Rockets he was promised a role on the team. He made it clear he would rather stay in Greece and start and actually play basketball than sit on the end of an NBA bench, even if the money were substantially more. The young man who led his team to the gold medal in 2005 is now rusting away next to Novak.

Hey Jeff, need a point guard? Take a look around the locker room!

Yao Ming is absolutely unstoppable on most nights. In fact, if he were with the Dallas Mavericks they would probably be looking at an 82-0 season. Then again, Avery Johnson builds up his young players and they quickly become legit NBA performers at the highest level. Take Josh Howard and Devin Harris, for example. If they were in Houston they’d probably be sitting down there at the end of the bench waiting for a chance to play. Instead they’re both starting for a championship-caliber team.

Yao and Tracy can easily account for 60-70 points between them, but that’s not enough to win a game, much less a playoff series. If it turns out that the Rockets get an early dismissal because they didn’t have enough help, questions will have to be asked about Van Gundy’s decision to let his young players sit and stare when they should have been out there getting ready to contribute come playoff time.

Team Notes

Thursday, April 5 – Rockets and Toyota Clutch City Shootout Rocketized Rally – 12:50 – 1:30 p.m., Ross Shaw Sterling High School – The Rockets are congratulating Zekesha Brock, the “Clutch City Shootout Champion,” by having a Rocketized Rally in her honor. Rockets Power Dancers and the Rockets Launch Crew will be in attendance along with Sterling High School students. The Clutch City Shootout is a 3-point shooting contest for high school girls and boys basketball players in the Greater Houston area.

Rare Okur-ence
Mehmet Okur led the Jazz with 20 points in an 86-83 victory over the Rockets. Okur was only the third center to score at least 20 points when starting opposite Yao Ming this season. The others: Amare Stoudemire (22 on Nov. 29) and Chris Kaman (20 on Dec. 17).

Home-Court Advantage
The attendance of 18,280 vs. Utah (4/1/07) marks Houston’s 22nd sellout of the season, extending the new single-season record for Toyota Center (prev. high: 19 in 2004-05).

Yao’s Big Game
Yao Ming recorded 35 points, 16 rebounds and four blocked shots vs. Utah (4/1/07), which marked his fourth game this season with at least 35 points and 15 or more rebounds. He had just three games of 30-plus points and 14 or more rebounds all of last season. Yao also scored 20 of Houston's 32 first-half points against the Jazz. He has now reached 20 points in each of the last two first halves after posting 20 points in the opening half at the L.A. Lakers (3/30/07).

 

It's from h o o p s w o r ld, sorry I don't know it's banned here.