http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/4267370.html Oct. 18, 2006, 1:54AM By JONATHAN FEIGEN Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle DALLAS - Of all the personnel decisions that make the preseason almost worth playing, Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy has settled on one, assuming Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady had nailed down places in the starting lineup. "I think (Shane) Battier is going to start," Van Gundy said Tuesday. "I don't think it — he will start." That's where it gets interesting — as the Rockets preseason game against the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday demonstrated. Battier will start, but Van Gundy has not decided where. And once he decides where, he does not know who will start with him. In the Rockets' 72-69 victory over the Mavs on Tuesday, Yao's first game of the preseason, Battier started at small forward, with McGrady sliding to the backcourt. That made Chuck Hayes the starting power forward in a decided departure from Van Gundy's oft-stated desire to get range shooting in between McGrady and Yao. But when Van Gundy returned McGrady and Yao to the game, and through much of the second half, he had Battier at power forward with McGrady back at his usual small forward spot and Kirk Snyder or Luther Head at shooting guard. All the experimenting — including more zone defense in one night than perhaps in all of last season — offered little definitive. Yao did say his left big toe felt fine and he was confident his game would recuperate. "It will take a few games and it will be back," he said. "I have not played any games since the World Games. Games are another level. I don't want to take all the way to November." After so many months of waiting to get back on the court together, Yao and McGrady combined to make just seven of 21 shots for their 17 points. With the Mavericks playing just two players, Josh Howard and DeSagana Diop from last season's rotation, it turned out the Rockets' problems of the preseason might not have been when they played their reserves but when they played against an opponents' backups. But if the preseason is about trying things, the Rockets used the game to check their options. "I would say with one you would get defense and rebounding and with the other, the ability to space the floor and range shooting," Van Gundy said of using traditional or shooting power forwards. Van Gundy experiments Tuesday's game settled little, with the Rockets big and small and everywhere in between shooting horribly. But Van Gundy offered a hint. "It did remind me sometimes of how hard it is when both blocks are filled for perimeter players to have enough room to drive the ball," Van Gundy said. Still, Van Gundy was not ready to make the next lineup decision. "I have no idea right now," he said. Battier offered no preference. "It's all situational," he said. "A lot depends on the matchup that night. If I have a guy I think I can post, I'm going to be in the post more. If I got a guy that doesn't like to venture out to the 3-point line, I'm going to be out there more." Solid in paint Hayes does not have the option of playing differently depending on whom he goes against. He's almost always going to be shorter, and he said he plays pretty much the same way in every matchup. "I've been guarding guys bigger than me my whole career, even in high school," Hayes said. "There's always an advantage and disadvantage. Of course, the disadvantage to me is the height. My advantage is my speed and quickness, making them play multiple pick-and-rolls, making them run up and down the court." As a power forward between McGrady and Yao, Hayes cannot bring the perimeter shooting of Battier or even the midrange shooting of Juwan Howard. But he is the Rockets' most prolific rebounding forward. More crucial, perhaps, if teams double off him, as many undoubtedly will if the Rockets are making shots, he can cut to the basket, catch and finish. "You can't put guys out there ... that don't have to be guarded," Van Gundy said. "The area they have to be guarded when you put Chuck out there would be less. Certainly, I think Chuck has good hands and a good ability to finish around the basket. I think he has a chance to make people pay with second shots as well. He's a tremendous screener. Hayes versatile down low "The thing that is a challenge for Chuck is can he do it every night? I'm absolutely convinced off last year, if I don't play Chuck for two games and I insert him, he's going to play a great game. The challenge for him is can he be an everyday, every-play player in an every-night rotation for a good team in the NBA. Until he gets that chance, I don't know. But I have a good idea." There was little else to be sure about, even if a few positions had fallen into place. jonathan.feigen@chron.com
just another article highlighting our versalitity. well, it all looks great in theory and in newspaper/internet articles... but i wanna see it on the court, thanks very much.
nice article, seems like Gundy really likes Chuck. Hope he gets to see some serious minutes at the PF and even C when we go small!!
Ok. So we have four starting players: Alston, TMac, Battier & Yao. I think for the last spot Bonzi, Head, Snyder and Hayes will fight. My protected starting lineup is: Alston, TMac, Battier, Hayes, Yao.
it sounded like to me that JVG is going to get rid of bowen. he said no place for a player to be out there if he couldn't draw any guard.
"You can't put guys out there ... that don't have to be guarded," Van Gundy said. That is the key statement for Hayes. If he's brings energy each and every game and makes teams pay for not putting a body on him, he will get serious playing time. That, and the fouls, are Chuck's determining factors. It's up to him. JVG is clearly ready to give him a big role on the team and keep JH on the bench if Hayes is up to the task. Those of you who talked Hayes up so much: It looks like your theories on how good he is will get put to the test. Congrats.
Please, Alston is not a starter. We're still weak at the starting 1, I'm pulling hard for Kill Bill to take over, how soon is all up to him adjusting to the NBA and how stagnant our team is when Skip is on the floor. V-Span is twice as tough and quick as Skip.
Reading the article and seeing how the first 3 preseason games went makes you think JVG is leaning towards starting Shane at the PF. Of course, we haven't seen Juwan yet this season, and as much as he does suck, he is at least a sucky version of Shane/Chuck combined - more range than Chuck, less than Shane, more of a true PF than Shane, less than Chuck..
yao/tmac/shane are the only decided starters as of now. i think bonzi will be coming off the bench as a post player, and as JVG said, he will need a range shooting 4 to play with him. enter novak. JVG also said he has a pretty good idea that hayes can be a solid rotation player so count him in as a backup c/f for now. the guard situation is up in the air. i tihnk everyone is routing for billy to take over!
Shane is the starting PF. he will be for the entire season because Bonzi or Kirk will eventually start for the Rockets. and there's a 99% chance that Rafer's going to start as well.
Wow....stagnant? I guess those 20point leads the first team had lead by Skip in the first two preseason games were null. He's the last player on the team I'm personally worried about. He does his job and just because his teammates couldn't buy a jumpshot last night doesn't mean its the way he's running the team. Maybe by next year V-Span will be able to contend for the starting spot, but clearly Rafer is the 1 for this team. V-Span is a turnover waiting to happen right now and he needs time to adjust, but to say he's twice as quick? MMMMM I'll give you the tougher part lol The point guard for the Rockets need to push the ball up the floor as fast and efficent as possible....Plus for Skip Don't turn the ball over.....Plus for skip Make the right pass and THINK PASS FIRST........Plus for Skip Hit Open Shot.........a Plus minus for Skip. Right now Skip is all we have and I'm content with him. I love the intensity V-Span plays with (especially on the defensive end) but he needs time to make a huge impact.
Stagnant? Based on what, the 15 or 20 games that Skip actually played with our best players last year? With the flexibility this team has and the number of guys that can score, Alston is the ideal PG (as long as he is hitting the open 3's). Alston is a great distributor and doesn't turn the ball over. We're calling for VSpan to start after 1 good game? When he proves he can hit the open three consistently and not turn the ball over night in and night out, then he can be considered for starter. As far as Hayes goes, you cannot simply leave him alone like you can with Bowen. Hayes will be all over the offensive glass for points if you don't keep a body on him.
Van Gundy was experimenting with both personnell and tactics last night. Not only were the Rockets playing a ton of zone D (especially with the starters around), I remember seeing some offensive sets that were not familiar from the first two games (or maybe those offensive sets were just so badly executed that they looked totally different from the same sets they ran in the first games? ). The guys looked like they just started practicing together yesterday. Anyhow... Van Gundy doesn't sound worried about the starting unit in that Feigan interiew, and we know if he was worried, he would have said it already.
While I really like VSpan, can't see him becoming the starter this early. This basically leaves one position on the floor open. So, it looks like it is going to come down to Snyder, Head, or Novak at this point. I would bet against Head starting at the 2. So, I think it really comes down to Snyder or Novak alongside the other 4. Bonzi will likely come off the bench at least to start the season. I would bet on Snyder for the most part to be the 5th starter. But there could be some opponents where it would make sense both offensively and defensively to move Novak in for Snyder and move TMac and Battt to the 2/3 respectively.
Alston is obviously the starter at pg. But, if he were to lose the job, I bet Head would be the starter over KillBill, Lucas or whomever. He can defend pgs, he has range, and he has some experience. His pg skills may be so-so, but McGrady would handle most of the offense anyway. JVG said he needed a shooting 4 paired with Bonzi at SG. Battier would be a shooting 4 if Bonzi is a starter. That seems like a good match to me. The other alternative I see is Yao, Howard, Battier, McGrady, Alston, which is tempting with all that shooting -- Yao in the low post with Howard at mid-range weakside, Battier and Mcgrady on the 3-point line and Alston... maybe we start Head at pg. I like Hayes but I don't see him as a starter, until he's proven himself as an offensive threat. My choice would be Yao, Battier, McGrady, Wells, Alston. When Hayes or Howard come in at PF, Wells sits and Battier and McGrady shift over.
Hell, Hayes better learn to make a free throw. The other things he does allows somewhat for his offense to be made up of put-backs and the like, but he has to make his bloody free throws.
head was getting a lot of plays ran for him last night when the 2nd unit was up so JVG might be thinking of making him our 6th man.
