What the Pre-Season is For

I know that many basketball fans view the pre-season as a time to try out new players, test rotations, give rookies playing time they need to contribute in the regular season, etc. And it is. But...

By all accounts, this Rocket team is projected to finish in the lottery. The team itself expects to make the playoffs. Why? Because they finished so strong last year and expect to build on that. What they need more than anything is confidence.

Now, I understand the wisdom of bringing new players in and giving them extra minutes (Dallas did this perfectly with Najera), but it serves no purpose whatsoever to run rotations that have NO chance of succeeding.

I have long been suspicious of Rudy's rotations. Tonight, I think, showed that he often makes mistakes in this area.

The second quarter was ALL bench. Aside from Mobley, we ran the very bottom of our bench. This will never happen in the season except in a blowout. These guys don't need to learn to play together because they never will (except in a blowout). What they learned tonight did not teach them confidence -- quite the opposite.

Then the starters came back, understandibly shaken since their lead had been squandered by a squad we will never use in the real season, and they played like they were shaken.

Rudy's answer? A four guard rotation with an undersized power forward to help out. What did this teach our young team?

It taught them: you better make your shots -- because no one will be there to rebound.

Shouldn't we be teaching this young team that they can win?

Shouldn't we be teaching them confidence?

This team can not only play up to their talent -- they can play above it. IF they believe in themselves. Tonight was an exercise in making them doubt themselves.

I say: aside from limiting Olajuwon's minutes (for obvious reasons), play to win. Don't risk injuries or anything like that, but play to win. The two most important things to do in this pre-season are to teach this team confidence and teach our ACTUAL rotation to play together. Tonight was a step back on both fronts.

Reminded me of two years back when the starters had off nights, the bench saved the day (ironically, mostly the Barkley-Price-Mack tandem) and then the bench stars of the night were benched til the game was out of reach.

Does anyone else see a problem here?

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I agree the scrubs need playing time. They're not the only ones. Where are our big question marks?

Certainly not at the guard spots. That is where we are the most solid. And yet, we ran four guards at the same time (thus teaching them they're not as good as they think -- how could they be with no one to clean up the boards).

We should have been playing Cato, Taylor, Collier, Langhi and perhaps even Hakeem, just to get him into game shape. What purpose does it serve for us to play all four guards when we're strongest there? And, especially, what purpose does it serve to play all four of them without any support?

Notice how Dallas played Najera til he fouled out? We should have at least done that with Cato. He's the biggest question mark on the roster.

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