<font size=""5"">Week 4: Rockets Weekly Wrap-Up</font> By Dennis L. Silva, II. 12.10.05 In what has become a rarity in these weekly recaps, this week?s wrap-up will be detailing more Rockets wins than losses. The Rockets have won three of their past four games, and have done so in a fashion that seems to belie their recent down fall. Instead of rushing shots and looking disorganized on every other offensive possession, they now have a purpose and identity. Instead of grabbing and holding on defense, they now understand where they?re supposed to be and when. As a result, with efficient execution on both sides of the ball, the Rockets are finally closing out games and adding up the totals on the left side of the win-loss column. Offense: It always helps when you get a two-time NBA scoring champion back in your lineup. Tracy McGrady returned to Houston?s lineup against the Atlanta Hawks, and promptly scored 25 points. Since his return, McGrady has averaged 25 points per game while giving Houston a go-to player during the fourth quarter. The Rockets have shown more variation in their offense as well (albeit just a little) by proving to be effective when they go to an inverted (or reverse) offense, where bigs set up the wings in post-up situations. The Rockets have shown to have some success when they post McGrady or Derek Anderson, as either has the height and explosion to score over smaller opponents. Houston still does not establish itself in the post very well. The Rockets are last in points scored in the paint, and 68% of their total shot attempts are jump shots. The fact remains that, aside from Yao Ming, no other Rockets post has the ability to score consistently on either block. Juwan Howard is more of a midrange shooter who can spread the floor, and Stromile Swift scores close to the basket, but lacks a consistent post move to score. Houston still does not appear willing, or able, to run or push the ball in transition, which would be a great opportunity to exploit the athletic talents of Swift, Anderson, and Luther Head. 53% of the Rockets? shots come with between the 11-20 second range of the shot clock. Another positive is how McGrady is finally receiving help on the offensive end. Instead of having the usual two suspects (Yao and McGrady) as double-figure contributors in the scoring department, the Rockets now have other solid players who are giving a hand. Anderson is averaging 11.1 points and 4.1 rebounds, Head is averaging 9.9 points on 48% shooting from 3-point range, and Swift contributes 8.8 points in 21 minutes off the bench. As a result, the Rockets? team shooting percentage is showing incremental progress as the Rockets now hover around 42%. What assists the success of the offense is that Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy appears to have settled on a rotation. He seems set on having Yao/Howard/Bowen/McGrady/Wesley as his starting five, with Swift, Head, and Anderson as his primary role players off the bench. However, the return of Alston and Bob Sura is greatly anticipated because Wesley and Head are both playing out of position by handling point guard duties. Both are more natural at the shooting-guard slot, and once the Rockets get the creativity and toughness of both Alston and Sura, the offense will be even more efficient. Defense: Even with more concentration and focus being thrown towards the way of the offense, the Rockets? defense has stayed consistent and solid. The Rockets are 2nd in the league in points allowed per game (88.9) and fifth in opponents? field goal percentage (42.4). The Rockets rely on three attributes that they feel are key towards a chance of winning: defense, rebounding (+1.6), and turnovers. They still need a lot of work to be done in the turnover department (they are 7th worst in the league at 15.2 per game), but the defense and rebounding is as good as can be expected for this point in the season. The newcomers? (Anderson, Swift, Head) grasp of Van Gundy?s defensive rotation and schemes are finally becoming clearer, and there is no reason to think that the Rockets? ability to defend and rebound the ball will see a demise anytime soon. The Rockets are in the midst of a six-game road trip. They will face Portland on Sunday, Golden State Wednesday, and then Seattle on Thursday next week. Players have appreciated the road trip as a chance to get away and develop a bond and closeness with teammates. It?s important to remember that the Rockets still lack three primary players who are out due to injury: Alston (who is expected to return in 2-3 weeks), Sura (is expected to return sometime after January 1st), and Jon Barry (day-to-day with a calf strain). Right now Houston us trying to stay above water by having the likes of Mutombo, Wesley, and Bowen contribute major minutes when they should, in fact, be relegated to smaller roles.
