Chron: Alexander likes pep of Rockets

Alexander likes pep of Rockets
Owner praises Van Gundy's start at camp

By JONATHAN FEIGEN
Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle

GALVESTON -- There is one office in Toyota Center with a view of the practice court, but Leslie Alexander was not about to wait for his team to go to work one story beneath his desk chair to check out practice.

Jeff Van Gundy's first training camp with the Rockets has inspired the expected attention and analysis of his style. He's detailed. He's demanding. He's determined. Players have said all the right things, but being the players they would not seem to have much choice. And as Van Gundy said Saturday, no one worries about playing time in camp.

But Alexander -- who is free to express any opinion that occurs to him, a right he happily exercises -- was beaming about what he saw in two days at the Texas A&M-Galveston gym.

"They are distinctive practices," Alexander said. "The players get a sense of commitment early. They're very finite in every detail. There's nothing left to chance. They're going to know when they're on the court exactly how they should perform in a game. They are in great shape. Practices could be tougher than the games. That should make the games easier."

It did not take even the two days for Van Gundy's stamp to be all over the two-a-days. From an audience limited only to those who draw or write Rockets paychecks to the coaches' matching wardrobes, the practices have been all business.

Practices begin with every player on exercise bicycles wired into laptops with indvidual workout programs. Drills are fast and loud, except when Van Gundy jumps in to give instructions and complete silence is expected. There are five-on-five drills but no "loose scrimmages."

Players rush from station to station throughout the workouts. They stretch purposely, almost intensely, after workouts.

"They're so focused," Alexander said, his excitement growing. "They know the practices go so fast, and there's so much you have to do and there's so much he's telling them, there's no time for thinking about things. You just have to keep moving and doing stuff."

Van Gundy has shown little interest in describing his style.

"I'm already tired of talking about myself," he said before training camp even started.

But this is not only his first camp with the Rockets but also the first time he has been a new coach with a new NBA team. He took over the Knicks during the 1995-96 season after six seasons as a Knicks assistant.

For the first time, he has had to install his system and his style while evaluating unfamiliar players, a process he described as teaching his team how he wants it to practice so he can teach it how to play.

"It's not about what we do, but how we're going to practice. We have to become a great practice," Van Gundy said.

"It's different in that I don't really know people well. I've never coached them. So far, they're willing. I think they're going to have to adapt and adjust to the difference. It's a lot easier for 12 to adjust to one than one to adjust to 12 as far as what my expectations are in practice."

They might be still adjusting, but there seems little uncertainty about Van Gundy's expectations.

"I think Jeff is trying to get us out of bad habits, focus in on defense, focus in on being a championship team," said Rockets guard Jim Jackson, playing for his 10th NBA team. "It's an intense camp compared to any other. You have to stay focused all the way through. You go from one drill to the next to the next to the next."

If players are not ready, they will find out quickly. But no detail is considered too small.

"If you don't stay focused and concentrate as much as coach likes, he'll know if you're slacking," said guard Eric Piatkowski, who is playing for his sixth coach in 10 seasons. "I think we've picked up a lot already. I think we're going to be fine by the time the first game gets here.

"A lot of coaches assume you're a professional athlete and you should know everything and everything doesn't have to be so perfect. With us, you have to be in this spot instead of two feet over this way. And instead of looking at him like he's crazy, he's explains the reason why. And you say, `Oh, that's good.' "

So far, Van Gundy said he has been happy with the workouts. But he said that is expected before the first preseason game, because no one has been benched and there is more than enough work to go around. He said the key is establishing an intense pace and maintaining it.

"I think everybody has good first days," Van Gundy said. "The separation of teams comes with sustaining it. Whether it's in practice or games, the key to good teams is sustaining it. Hopefully, we'll continue to get better as a practice team because that's how you maximize your potential, to be the same team every day.

"I'm not going to take their temperature every day. If I'm doing my job, some days they'll like me and some days they'll hate me. If they always like you, you're not doing your job. If they always hate you, you're not doing your job. (I've) got to find that good balance of them liking me and hating me."

So far, they seem to be trying to decide, even if Alexander has made up his mind.