| Here's A Puzzle Authored by Dennis L. Silva II - November 16, 2006 - 11:49 am
What happens when your superstar player is condensed into little more than a glorified playmaker? What happens when your supposed third scorer ends up sitting the first few weeks of the season due to being out of shape and not being prepared to play basketball?
What happens when you still have little backcourt or frontcourt depth, and while the rest of the league embraces an open-court, all-out offensive style, you still maintain a controlled, deliberate pace that, more often than not, may end up not working in your favor once playoffs arrive?
Here’s the answer. A 5-3 overall record, the best defense in the league and an offense that takes advantage of any opening and really doesn’t give a flying hoot what you think because you have the league’s most dominant player through the first 16 days or so of the 2006-07 season.
That’s where the Houston Rockets stand right now. After an offseason that, once again, brought forth much promise but much uncertainty, Texas’ neglected son has survived a rugged opening schedule (defeating the likes of Dallas, New Orleans/Oklahoma and Miami) to surprise NBA loyalists.
To appreciate what has taken place so far, you must first understand from where this team has come from.
Tracy McGrady – once the NBA’s two-time leading scorer – has been delegated to a role primarily as a playmaker who can be a scoring threat, opposed to vice versa. Mired in a frustrating shooting slump (38 percent from the floor, 62 percent from the free-throw stripe), McGrady has taken control of the offense and has verified his status as the team’s best decision-maker, according to coach Jeff Van Gundy. McGrady has been adept at running the point guard position in fourth quarters, taking advantage of a deadly two-man game with Yao.
Most importantly, he has not forced matters and has been more than willing to share offensive responsibility. McGrady is averaging a team-best 6.4 assists per contest. He’s also showing more control with the ball, averaging just 2.88 turnovers in his 36 minutes per game.
Meanwhile, Yao has done nothing to disprove the quiet notions that he is now the game’s finest big man. With numbers of 26.4 points and 9.8 rebounds, it has been the obscure elements of his game that has impressed many. Elements such as holding his position on the block, asserting himself early within the offense, and improving his defensive movement and quitting with the silly fouls.
Those early adjustments from both Yao and McGrady have enabled the Rockets a more balanced offensive system. Defensively, they’re still the same stingy club that we’ve grown accustomed to during Van Gundy’s tenure in Houston. The Rockets have enforced more zone play, and with the length, athleticism and smarts of wings Shane Battier and Kirk Snyder, they finally have legitimate perimeter defenders who can guard the Manu Ginobili’s and Shawn Marion’s of the world.
Combine these newfound assets with a rejuvenated Rafer Alston and a more open-minded Van Gundy, and you get the impression that these Rockets are more prepared for adversity, with or without Bonzi Wells, who has played just two games and averaged three points as he tries to work himself back into playing shape after dismissing preseason play.
It’s a puzzle that is sure to find more concrete solutions as November comes to its close.
Houston will face Chicago, Detroit, Washington and Phoenix before December approaches. The Rockets have shown improved play against the halfcourt, deliberate teams of the league, but it will be interesting to see how their old-age style of offense combats the new-age style of run-and-gun.
And if that answer comes to work in their favor as well, the Rockets will leave NBA enthusiasts with another puzzle.
Will the NBA finally realize that Texas’s lethal duo is, in fact, a lethal trio? |
