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[CHRONIC] Meaningful preseason games? No, but....

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by Rockets34Legend, Oct 5, 2009.

  1. Rockets34Legend

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    ...there is something for the Rockets to gain this week

    http://blogs.chron.com/nba/2009/10/meaningful_preseason_games_no.html

    The idea was that I would write about all that could be gained by winning a few of this week's preseason games.

    I know better, or at least I should, but I was going to make that case, anyway.

    The idea was that the Rockets are young and very unsure of what they can do while Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady are out. Beat the Spurs, Celtics and/or Magic, and suddenly, they would have reason to feel very different about themselves. It wouldn't even matter if their opponents spend the second half playing future D-League All Stars. There seemed a chance to glean some meaning from meaningless games.

    That might be true, but coaches do lots of things they would not do if they cared about winning. Rick Adelman will play guys in unusual combinations to see how it looks. He will try defenses that might not be the Rockets' best, but that he needs to see. And if those defenses work one game, he will try something else the next game to see how that looks.

    That's the way it is in the preseason, especially with a young team, filled with questions to be answered. The Rockets have only six players in camp who went to camp with them last season. They will have at least one rookie in the rotation, maybe two. They need their preseason games to be typical preseason games.

    Then again, if their third-team backcourt outscores the Spurs' third-team frontcourt and the Rockets head back to McAllen with a win, they might feel pretty good about things, anyway.

    • • •

    I have not seen much of anything resembling basketball for a while, so I can't say much about how the Rockets look, at least not from any first-hand observation. The past two days offered 'open practices' which demonstrated only that people will wait a long, long time to see guys throw down uncontested dunks. In McAllen, people waited for hours to see six minutes, which was more than enough to tell that Pops Mensah-Bonsu can really dunk.

    Most of what I have heard is about how tired everyone is. They have gone 3 ½ hours a day and have not had a day off yet. Who knew that Jeff Van Gundy would be remembered for taking things easy? (I did miss Jeff yesterday, however, when one of the questions posed to Rick was, 'Anything funny to say about the weather?' Rick was kind of enough to leave it at "It's warmer." Jeff would been, let's say, memorable.)

    I have heard plenty about how good Chase Budinger continues to look. Asked about the rookies the other day, Rick said, "They're learning. We'll find out more when we get against some other teams." For Budinger, that could mean a few minutes against Manu Ginobili, Paul Pierce and Vince Carter.

    Trevor Ariza has been shooting well, too. The Rockets have been running him around screens and he has looked very comfortable as a catch-and-shoot option. The plan, however, is to see how well he can create off the dribble. Little would encourage the Rockets more than if he can do that against the Spurs and Celtics.

    Most of all, Aaron Brooks seems at ease with his role and the demands on him. He is still his best when scoring, and the Rockets need that from him. But he has shown ability to create as well, especially on the break.

    • • •

    There is one thing certain; the Rockets are determined to run.

    Every team says that, and the Rockets have for years. To me, they mean it if they are given the green light to take fast-break jumpers, including 3s.

    Any coach would endorse running a break to a layup. No one is opposed to layups. The teams that are given the freedom to launch perimeter shots on the break are the ones that look to run all game. Absolutely everything we have seen seems to indicate that the Rockets will take the first good, open shot they can get, rather than work clock to seek a better one. Without Yao inside, there might not be better ones to find.

    The Spurs and Celtics, however, might be the two most disciplined teams in the league. They run their stuff in the halfcourt and they get back defensively. The Rockets will have to defend and rebound extremely well to have any chance to run against them, and even then, they might not be able to do it.

    Come to think of it, that might be the best thing to get from these games. If the Rockets can defend, rebound and run on these teams, the Rockets' retooling might work, after all.
     
  2. Convictedstupid

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    Thanks for the read.

    I am SOOO excited for the game today. Holy crap I cannot wait.
     
  3. RMGEEGEE

    RMGEEGEE Member

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    My excitement meter is at 11.
     
  4. dejamike

    dejamike Member

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    i cant wait
     
  5. rocketblaze

    rocketblaze Member

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    ROCKETS BASKETBALL IS BACK!!!!!! :D

    [​IMG]

    PS. Its like a breath of fresh air, specially after this dreadful summer....

    -rocketblaze
     
  6. larsv8

    larsv8 Member

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    Wheres our game thread!!!
     

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