Hope this hasnt already been posted. Oh ya! and clutch won mascot of the year! www.rockets.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10.06.05 Day 3. Day 3 of the Rockets’ 2005 training camp marked the first practice of full contact scrimmages. After practice, players looked fatigued, yet were still shooting free throws and working on their games. Derek Anderson was at one side of the court shooting jump shots with assistant coaches, while rookie guard Luther Head was on the opposite end doing the same. Stromile Swift was planted on the middle right basket, shooting free throws alongside Yao Ming. The aura of the afternoon invoked a distinct presence that the season is finally upon us. “Today was the first day of contact,” Rockets forward Tracy McGrady said. “I expected us to come out and be throwing the ball all over the place and look real sloppy, but that wasn't really the case. We were under control at times. It's a process. We’ve just got to keep on improving as we go.” Players were shooting for as long as 30 minutes following the practice session. The work ethic was so intense that assistant coaches Patrick Ewing and Jim Sann were on the sidelines riding training bikes. Rockets guard Rafer Alston still managed a sincere smile and spirit despite an extensive study hall for the Rockets newcomer. “It’s going good,” Alston said with a genuine smile. “I'm just trying to get the schemes down. Today’s been a good day of scrimmaging and getting some reps in. I’ve got to continue to do that and continue to get better at all the schemes and the things that Coach expects from me.” While the Rockets still have three more days of running, planning, scrimmaging, and sweating, there is no reason to think that even the veterans are taking a break. This camp is all about business, and each player has one thing on their minds: progression. “There is no (rest or relaxation) with this guy (Jeff Van Gundy),” McGrady said. “Not at all. He won’t allow that, but at the same time, I don’t want to cruise through training camp because I know the importance of trying to get off to a great start at the beginning of the season.” Training Camp-Day 3-Quotes Jeff Van Gundy (on the importance of preseason play): “Most teams that win it (the championship) are .500 or better in the preseason. You can tell a lot in preseason. Just like how you can tell a lot in practice. That's why when people ask why a certain guy doesn't get a chance, in my opinion, he gets a chance every day in practice.” Tracy McGrady (on his mindset this season): “If I could play 82 games like I did in that series (last year's playoff series versus the Mavericks), I just pray I can do that. I don’t think I’m capable of doing that throughout the 82 games (because) of the wear and tear of the season. I'm going to bring it to the court like I do every night, and that’s to try and go out and get a win and make my team better. What happened to us last year is motivation, and that’s what drives me to come back stronger and improve myself.” Rafer Alston (on playing for Jeff Van Gundy): "As Jeff is yelling at me, I think of Stan (Jeff’s brother, Alston's former head coach in Miami). Stan was all over me and I was able to succeed and excel in that system. I expect to succeed and excel in this type of situation." Jeff Van Gundy (on the importance of the veterans' influence on the Rockets' new additions): “I think you can get through things a little quicker because you have less newness. So if you have less newness, you should have less guys making mistakes, although our veterans today made quite a few, so I'm not sure if the new guys watching the old guys today would’ve been a good thing.”
Woo Hoo, first to post - I predict 110 to 98. Oh wait, wrong thing, Um Sura faints No no Um SPLASH Oh man now I am just panicking!
-if tmac plays like he did against the mavs for the whole season he will win MVP for sure. -good to hear that stro's practicing FT shooting and DA is working on his jumper. -rafer will work out fine under JVG. he is used to the yelling of stan and is able to listen beyond the vloume and take the message for what it really is. rafer will have his best season as a pro! mark my words clutch classics!
Isn't McGrady saying something contradicting.."but at the same time"..not sure. But I like Rafer's quote. I'm pretty optimistic about this season.
Im glad DA is practicing those 3 pt shots. If he can't hit those 3 pt shots than i would prefer Wesley in the starting lineup because Wesley accomodates Tracy and Yao better with his shot and passing.
Somebody, somewhere, somehow, I think two offseasons ago, read/heard/or thought they heard/read Carroll Dawson indicate that the ROckets were looking to make a "big splash" in the next few weeks w/regard to personnel moves that ended up being not immediately forthcoming despite numerous wishes/dreamcasts otherwise.
Ah, I see someone has been visiting rockets.com. JJ. Thanks for the post. But I'm still waiting for the REAL story--from Clutch!!!
Wow I am really wondering about that last quote by Jeff Van Gundy. Are the "old guys" rusty or is he that much of a perfectionist? It's also good to see that RA is pushing it in practice. The more I hear about him in Clutch's reports, the more I wonder how bad it was on the Raptors. RA seems so friendly. He also seems to work really, really hard and knows what is needed to win. He seems to respect Van Gundy's type of coaching and embraces anything he can learn to improve any aspect of his game. I really wonder how could the raptors really not like the guy. He's such a competitor. I just really love hearing about the new group of guys. Everyone seems to be all on the same page and wants to give 110% on the court and even at practice. That really is championship mentality and effort. Go Rockets!
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2005/02/11/sports/s200941S24.DTL I think everyone's forgotten how bad it really was on that team last year. At one point, Carter and Mitchell got into a fight when Carter slams him against a table, claims Carter's mom. At another point, Mitchell challenged Skip to a fight when the two got into a disagreement. What kind of Coach constantly challenges his players to fights?!?!? And they're calling Skip the problematic one???
He's probably just one of those really competitive guys who's a bit immature about losing. If things are going well and the team is winning, then he's all smiles. But if the team is lousy then he wears his heart on his sleeve and has trouble dealing with things.
I think the team played with this in their favor. Vince Carter was canadian basketball. You can't just trade him and expect the fans to go along with it. Therefore, they let this go on so that Carter would demand a trade and they would act like their hands were tied.
