http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/4361143.html Nov. 27, 2006, 12:34AM Novak fans get look at cult hero With Rockets ice-cold, chants for rookie heard By FRAN BLINEBURY Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle There were precisely two minutes and 54 seconds left in the second quarter when the prayer of the faithful finally was answered. The Rockets had seen an early lead against the injured, undermanned Memphis Grizzlies turn into a four-point deficit, and head coach Jeff Van Gundy had no choice but to give them their savior. The Toyota Center walls and roof didn't tremble, but a fresh breeze did riffle through the building Saturday. The air wasn't exactly filled with the ear-splitting roar of The Who that recently rocked out on the same floor, but there was a buzz of anticipation. Taking off the wraps Steve Novak took off his warmups. For the first time since Nov. 5, the sharpshooting second-round draft pick got off the bench and into a game, and it can hardly be coincidence that the Rockets for once did not go down to the final minutes in cruising to an 85-76 win over the Grizzlies. In the three weeks since he had last played in New Orleans, the Rockets had compiled an 8-2 record. Yet during that time Novak had become a cult hero. "Oh no, that's not possible," said the 6-10 forward with a shake of his head and a chuckle after making one of the two 3-pointers he launched in his abbreviated stint. Oh yes, it is. To listen to the sports talk shows on radio, open the e-mails, read the Internet blogs, Novak was the answer to virtually every problem the Rockets had from shooting to rebounding to energy to halitosis. And it was only myopia or a prejudice against rookies that prevented Van Gundy from seeing the light. When the Rockets made an early trip to Milwaukee, it was expected Van Gundy would hear the pleas, and he did from a crowd that wore gold shirts bearing Novak's name and wanted to see their hometown boy. But Saturday night, even the Red Rowdies, the group of superfans who sit in one end zone in seats bought by Van Gundy, chimed in. "Play Novak! Play Novak!" the Rowdies chanted. It's a free country Van Gundy didn't threaten to revoke their tickets. "They can say whatever they want, because they're into it," he said. "I didn't hear that necessarily. ... If they want to yell who to play, hey, more power to them. "I also pay at home when my wife tells me who to play, so it ain't any different. She's yelling for different guys. Most wives understand: 'play too many young guys, lose, fired, no income, no shopping.' My wife, she's smart about that stuff. "This reminds me of New York. I like it, because whoever doesn't play, that's who we end up talking about. ... I think this: I play the guys I think give us the best chance to win. You don't add to the rotation to have 10 or 12 guys. In fact, from what I'm seeing, you might go the other way to less. Because our efficiency is not what it needs to be. "That being said, (Novak) has a special skill. Not surprisingly, he was ready to play. ... He knows to run to the corner and get ready to jack." Van Gundy tossed Novak into the mix against Memphis because he was out of options when the Rockets went cold in the second quarter, making just four of 20 shots. Juwan Howard had to leave the game due to an abdominal strain and Scott Padgett was suffering through a 1-for-7 night and picking up five fouls, bringing on the chants. "Sometimes I hear them," Novak, 22, said. "It's nice to have those guys there. I never expected to have a fan section like that in the NBA. They're really neat. I hope those people get their way and he does play me more. But right now, we're winning games, and that's what it's about." Padgett in a slump If Padgett's shooting woes (11-for-32, 34.4 percent) continue, Novak could move up. "Coming in, I didn't know what to expect," he said. "I had never played with this team, never played with these guys, never played at the NBA level. I didn't come expecting to start, that's for sure. I didn't know what the league would be like. But I feel it's definitely where I belong and there's a place for me." The e-mails, blogs and chants keep hammering home that point. "What do you say?" the cult hero said sheepishly. "I guess it's better than 'Trade Novak!' I'll take this anyday." fran.blinebury@chron.com
Just read the internets. I think those guys have always read the BBS, but didn't REALLY start feeling stuff like this until they started Chronicle blogs. Look at McClain. That guy was about as pro-Texan or, at the very least, middle of the road over the past few years as possible. Since he began getting all that vitriol via email and his blog comments, suddenly he's screaming for Carr's head and calling the team pathetic at every turn. I'm not sure those guys were expecting the response they got. It's kind of funny to see them try to defend their positions against people who know about 1/100th what they do. They get pulled into it like third graders at recess. Pretty funny.
We'll see how many more games it takes for Novak to see three or four minutes again. JVG has to do something different than play Padgett all of those minutes and have him look lost. Hell this rookie can shoot the damn ball and it would be nice to see somebody help this team to score 100 points for a change. We struggle every game to make four or five shots in a row that it's ridiculous. I'm old school NBA (126-118) scores back in the 70's and 80's era and this brand of ball they play today is hard to watch sometimes with the Iso's everytime down the court. Novak is a lost art...a player who can really shoot the ball and we don't have many on the team who can consistently do that!
This isn't a slump for Scott Padgett it's the 2006/2007 version of an aged Padgett, we should not expect very much more from him as he is way past his better years. It is time to develop our sharp shooter- Novak.
This confirms what we have been saying....JVG is worried about his contract situation, and is hesitent to put in younger players. I want a coach who is playing to win, not one that is afraid to lose. DD
Actually, if we were to take the quote seriously, it really says that JVG's wife is worried about his contract situation. JVG, on the other hand, plays the people he thinks will get him wins, and what do you know...we're winning...so if that means not playing Novak or only in short bursts throughout even the rest of the season, I really don't care.
JVG rarely plays rookies, unless his hand is forced....I am ok with him as long as we are winning... DD
as long as we are winning.. That term is being thrown around too much lately. When you know something needs to be fixed its better to look at it proactively and do something about it instead of waiting for it to blow up and then admit ok we need to make some changes. Right now the Rockets remind me of my car which is running quite well but occasionally makes a funky squeaking noise. I could just be like JVG and say "oh well at least its still running" or I can try to diagnose the problem now and hopefully avoid a much bigger issue later on. Everyone knows something is wrong even though we are 9 - 4 we could have easily been 5 - 6 as we have been terrible in the 4th Qtr. We need a sparkplug someone who comes in and gives us a big lift when our offense becomes stagnant which it does quite often. I dont know if Novak is the answer or Bonzi when he finally quits spending his whole day at the all you can eat buffet. However, we need to make some adjustments and to me it starts with JVG's substitution patterns. J
yea, I had never really read the blogs the Chron guys have since anything interesting they say is posted here So I had missed all the comments fans leave on them...which then Fran responds to....It gets pretty funny especially when the stupid trade posts pop up. He seems to have a pretty sarcastic bent to his answers.....which is alot like me so I find them hilarious.
