[Rockets.com] Campaign Begins to Get Chuck on All-Defense Team

durvasa · Nov 6, 2009

http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/the_campaign_begins_chuck_hay_2009_11_06.html

Houston - It’s funny what a little offense can do for one’s defensive reputation. On opening night, I tabbed Chuck Hayes as the Rockets’ “Stealth MVP,” given his immense importance to the team’s overall success, despite the fact he came into this season with career averages of 3.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.

Now, a mere ten days later, the invisibility cloak has been shed and Hayes has leapt out from the shadows of obscurity into, well… the white-hot glare of the spotlight would probably be overstating things but there’s no denying the fact the fifth-year forward is finally receiving some long overdue recognition. Just check out this small sampling from the last 24 hours, which includes Hayes being described as a “6-6 Kevin Garnett,” “The most remarkable player on the NBA’s most remarkable team,” and a legitimate contender for the NBA’s All-Defense team.

Why now? It’s pretty simple, actually. Yao Ming’s absence has opened the door for the Chuckwagon to seize Houston’s starting center spot and plow through the competition with far greater frequency than year’s past. Of course, he’s still had to make the most of those minutes and Hayes has more than held up his end of the bargain, especially on the offensive end. Through five games, the University of Kentucky product is averaging 8.8 points per game while shooting 64.7% from the floor – both of which would shatter his previous career highs in those areas.

The transformation is rather incredible, especially given the fact that, for the better part of the past two seasons, Hayes displayed a propensity to turn even the most wide-open of layups into an edge of your seat, “how’s it going to end?” thrill ride. Now he’s backing down Mehmet Okur in the post and casually flipping in left-handed jump hooks. What changed?

“One, his fitness is great,” explains Rockets’ Assistant Coach and big man guru Jack Sikma. “Fatigue, especially when it comes to finishing around the rim, is a real difference maker. And he put in work this summer on spinning the ball and having it come off his fingertips and not being in a hurry, whereas last year his shot was kind of just a quick push. With that, his confidence has grown and the guys have confidence in him.

“He has to finish. If opponents are lying off of him, he has to find his spots around the rim where he’s open. And if we’re good enough to find him and he gets the ball, it’s got to be two points, which is what’s happening; his conversion rate has been very high.”

All of which is great of course. Really, it is. It’s just that, believe it or not, this isn’t a story about Chuck’s offense. This is supposed to be the official kick-off of our grassroots campaign to get Hayes on one of the NBA’s All-Defense teams at the end of the season. So why all the offensive talk? Because Shane Battier – a guy who knows a thing or two about end of the year snubs when it comes to defensive honors – offered this gem when asked what Hayes has to do in order to have any hope of finding his name on a first or second-team list in 2010:

“As ironic as it is, he needs to score more. That’s basically what it comes down to: if you have a lot of big offensive games, people take notice of you and then maybe they notice your defense by default.”
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It's a long shot, but if he continues to play as he has he's absolutely deserving.

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[Rockets.com] Campaign Begins to Get Chuck on All-Defense Team

durvasa JBB Rockets Fan

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[Rockets.com] Campaign Begins to Get Chuck on All-Defense Team

durvasa JBB Rockets Fan

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