<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">"I worry about chemistry," center Yao Ming said. "We have 10 new guys. Chemistry may (present) some problems, maybe like a couple weeks. We need better communication to pass through those times. That's very important for us." The Rockets have been so radically retooled that Van Gundy said practices will be more oriented to discovering how players fit with one another than in the past. Van Gundy said Yao's concern is valid ? "I don't even know half these guys," the coach said ? but he also believes in the Rockets' leadership. "Chemistry is important," Van Gundy said. "That's being a good teammate to each other. That's where it starts. Then being coachable. If your best players set the right tone as far as leadership, if they're doing the right things as far as commitment, attitude, being good teammates and playing with high IQ, you'll have good chemistry. The locker room will be right. "I believe the best players on our team want to win, they know what goes into winning big, and they know what goes into losing. Yao's right that our antennae be up. We have to get it right. But I don't have worries that it won't get right." That would take care of attitude. Whether the Rockets become the sort of team Alexander "expects" will still be determined. One clue the Rockets are on the right track will come if they can launch a better start than the past two seasons' limp from the gate. "It's a factor but not an excuse," newcomer Shane Battier said. "There is roster turnover every year with every team in the NBA. It's the coach's job to jell the players and the players' job to meet the coach. That's the exciting part. We're building something. We're starting from scratch, and there's a lot of potential there. "It's exciting to see our roster, but I could fill up the Astrodome with all the teams that look good on paper. You've got to go and produce. We have a very difficult early season. Four of our first five games are on the road. The vast majority of our first-half games are on the road. We have to come together quickly. It's not a matter of if; we have to do it." In keeping with the occasion, the consensus was that the Rockets will.</div> Source
Yao's right, but almost every team that's seen major moves this offseason will have the same problems. Chemistry takes time, and since none of the new players are as dumb as Stromile Swift, we should have the plays running smoothly in no time.
Kirk Snyder being the only exception because he is known to be a slight headcase like when the Rockets played them.
