I have posted only the first question and answer. Jason has asked that we do not post his whole article. Please click on Rockets.com link, so that Jason Friedman can get his hits. Ready To Thrill Q&A with Houston Rockets' rookie Patrick Patterson Jason Friedman Rockets.com HOUSTON - With the start of Rockets training camp rapidly approaching, the Toyota Center practice court is the place to be as players start ramping up the intensity level in an effort to make sure their games are good to go. You see a sharper focus during the various training drills players perform and the competition taking place during the daily scrimmages is certainly heating up as well. So with the guys getting ready for the 2010-11 season, it's time for us to do our part as well. And what better way to do so than to catch up with the various members of the team to find out what they've been up to this summer? Today Rockets.com sat down with lottery selection Patrick Patterson. JCF: Your rookie season is about to begin. How has life changed the most since you were drafted and became an NBA player? PP: The amount of time I have to myself outside the gym, whether it’s after a workout or weightlifting. Let’s say we workout for four hours – then you’ve still got the rest of the day to yourself. You of course have the option of coming back to the gym or working out more or getting up a bunch of extra shots, but you still have so much free time to yourself. Back in college, everything was scheduled: you had classes in the morning, then you have to lift, then you’ve got practice, then study hall and you don’t get done with everything until about 8 o’clock at night, so you’re pretty much busy the whole day. So one of the things that’s really shocked me so far is the amount of time I have to myself – so much free time, so many extra things you can do and so much time to be by myself.
[qoute]JCF: Well I don’t really know how to top that. So let’s get back to basketball for a bit. You’ve had a chance to do a lot of scrimmaging at Toyota Center the last few weeks, how do you feel that you’re fitting in and who has really stood out and impressed you? [/quote] I immediately guessed it was going to be chuck...
Have I mentioned lately that I love Pat! I don't know that he's going to get enough pt to be invited to the rookie/soph game, but I hope he does. He and Chase both.
He keeps saying one of his goals is to make it to the Rookie game. Its not going to happen with Scola starting and Hill, himself and Chuck fighting for the other mins.
I definitely see him getting more PT than Hill at this point. Maybe even Chuck if he can continue his defensive play in the league. I'm actually looking forward to seeing him and Chuck out on the floor together. Man, we have a deep tem!!! :grin:
Chuck is a 5-year vet and a team captain. If Pat beats him out for playing time I'll be very surprised.
Nice interview. I liked this part: [rquoter] JCF: Well I don’t really know how to top that. So let’s get back to basketball for a bit. You’ve had a chance to do a lot of scrimmaging at Toyota Center the last few weeks, how do you feel that you’re fitting in and who has really stood out and impressed you? PP: I definitely feel like I’m fitting in. I’m just trying to get used to the guys, get a feel for them, how they play, how they like to attack and how they like to move away from the ball. I feel like I’m doing pretty good. Hopefully I’m making an impression on them and letting them know that I can play, that I can hang with them and that I can contribute to the team. One of the guys who has surprised me the most would have to be Chuck Hayes. He’s obviously known for his spectacular defense. He’s a big body and he’s hard to get around. So everyone knows about his defense. But watching games, it doesn’t seem like he does much on offense – every now and then he’ll make an offensive move and he’s the king of finishing on the other side of the rim. So a lot of people see that, but not many see him actually getting the ball and scoring the ball 8 straight times in a row from the post making moves, the way I’ve seen it this summer. I didn’t know he had that type of offensive game, that type of repertoire down low on the post. So that’s something that definitely shocked me, his overall ability to score all over the court. He was even shootings 3s and he hit a game-winning 3 over me, so his ability to score has really caught my eye. JCF: Well I’m sure since Chuck is a fellow Wildcat you were probably more familiar with his game and reputation than other rookies might have been. But when you saw him for the first time, saw this 6-6 guy you tower over, did you think you’d be able to take him no problem? PP: Definitely. You may look at him and think, “This guy’s short, I can go over him or around him because he doesn’t look that fast or that quick,” but when you step on the court and actually go up against him, you find out quick that your assumptions are wrong because Chuck has got some fast feet on him. You may be able to go over him but you aren’t going to get that close to the basket because he’s going to push you all the way out. My impressions when I first got here were that I thought I could just keep jumping and shooting over him but as I learned, he pushes me all the way out to the free throw line because he’s so strong and his body is so wide. So it’s definitely something he’s been helping me out with and teaching me, in terms of how to move around defenders, and how to better utilize my offensive skills. JCF: Everyone has commented about how receptive you are to the learning process. So how much has it meant to you to have a guy like Chuck who has so much knowledge to share? PP: When I first got here, I knew that Chuck was someone I wanted to be my mentor, someone I wanted to look up to and look forward to as someone to get advice from. When I got here I talked to him right away just because he went to Kentucky and we have that history together. He plays basically the same position I do, he’s been in the league for quite some time, and he’s been through the highs and lows. He’s been through the hardships and he’s put a lot of hard work in, so he knows what it takes to stay at this level, and he’s someone I definitely look up to and someone I definitely look to for help. Same with Shane Battier when he gets here – he’s the same way. He’s been through a lot and put so much work in in order to stay where he’s at right now, so he’s someone I’m going to look up to as well. That’s one of the things I love about this team: we have people with experience under their belt, and so many great guys who are willing to help.[/rquoter]
I really feel Patman is going to get significant minutes this season and will probably take minutes from Hill easily. He is faster and quicker than Hill. Does not get pushed around like Hill and he can shoot a three(although he needs practice). This guy is going to be a special talent for this team. Just wait and see.
Seriously, if he is the one guarding Hayes when Hayes score on 8 consecutive shots, I really doubt his defense.
Agree to a certain extent, but don't sleep on Hill and his second season as an NBA player, he should do much better than last season. I think we will see both Hill and Patterson playing alot together especially towards the second half of the season. A great speed lineup with Hill, Patterson, Budinger, Lee and Lowry would be fun to watch.
