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Battier's concluding remarks were, "We must remember how to win tightly contested games," Ariza muttered something like, "You don't know hardship until you've been through it," and Adelman couldn't help but mention Yao Ming's name again. The final pre-season game ended with a score of 94-98, which wasn't too bad, but it didn't set up a good start for the new season beginning in four days. At this crucial juncture between old and new, they were all forcing themselves to forget about Yao Ming first, even if it was a kind of forgetting for remembrance.
Rockets vs Trail Blazers NBA Pre-season game on October 28
Let's not mention McGrady for now. Another leader, another injured player, if luck is good, we can watch him play in a month, if not, we will have to keep waiting forever. In the Yao-less era, guarding the role of the Rockets isn't just about McGrady.
With McGrady, the problem is called "crowded"
McGrady has been practicing alone these days, and the advantage of this is that Rockets coach Adelman doesn't need to waste too much brainpower when directing the pre-season games.
He has never been one to overthink things. Without McGrady on the wing, Ali扎 and Battier can both start at the same time, so there's no need to consider who should be the "sixth man." Last season, there should have been the same issue, but Adelman was lucky again; Battier was injured, so he didn't hesitate to use McGrady and Artest as starters. Throwing all his best cards out at once is what Adelman has always done.
At the moment, it's not a problem. He hopes Ali扎 can score 20 points per game and Battier can hit five three-pointers each game. The newly announced faster-paced Rockets seem to lack scoring most, so rookie Badinger can become the first substitute on the wing. But once McGrady returns, either Ali扎 or Battier will have to move to the bench. Who?
Tomorrow depends on today, so we still need to figure it out clearly. Having Ali扎 play as the starting small forward was a perfect plan, whether before or after McGrady returns, the only difference is the amount of work. But now, what's troubling is that Ali扎 hasn't found his role yet. When the ball is in his hands, it's hard to ensure enough goals, and suddenly he seems like the person who most looks forward to McGrady's return. Battier, on the other hand, can adhere to his responsibilities regardless of who he plays with, but if he continues to hold down the three position, wouldn't Ali扎 playing off the bench make him more confused?
Some things really should be handled by McGrady, even if he can only talk and not act right now. Passing some insights to Ali扎, or reminding Battier to do more "extra" things, a leader shouldn't just be someone who directs teammates on the court. Moreover, one is the Rockets' most anticipated new addition this summer, and the other is the team's most experienced veteran. Both could be the most critical piece in the new Rockets puzzle, and it's not something that can be explained in a few words.
Adelman needs to think carefully, temporary choices ultimately need to consider the long term. If the Rockets are heading into the new season for excitement, letting Ali扎 play freely might not be bad. But if they continue to have playoff aspirations, many things need to be meticulously calculated. Isn't he also considering having Brooks occasionally play as a shooting guard?
Without McGrady, leadership requires competition
Since the Rockets are aiming for the playoffs, they cannot go a day without a leader, even if it's just a temporary one before McGrady returns.
Before Ali扎 finds his rhythm, there seem to be only two and a half candidates for this role: Brooks and Scola are two, and Battier is half. The former two rely on their scoring ability, while Battier relies on his popularity and intangible charisma. Don't think Adelman isn't anxious. After the last pre-season game, he also mentioned, "Usually, a team has one or two All-Star level players, our current task is to discover such figures," but he isn't as decisive as Sloan and waits entirely for the players to step up.
So there will definitely be a competition, even if it doesn't show any signs of fire and smoke. Little Broke used to boast that his strength is scoring while subtly "criticizing" himself for not being a great passer. Yet, he knows his background of only two years in the league and didn't get special favor from day one. Scola's MVP from the Americas Championship this summer certainly added a lot of impression points for his rise, but the Argentinian's international player identity and quiet personality always make people hopeful while also remembering many things. As for Battier, Adelman trusts him, but would Adelman dare let him focus solely on offense and not defense?
Ultimately, the Rockets' immediate priority is actually finding cohesion. It's not about who is a difficult character ruining the atmosphere, troublesome Wells and Artest are already irrelevant to the Rockets. The key is, when there is a situation where someone needs to play the role of a pillar, whoever it may be, can they inspire their teammates' confidence and make the opponents nervous? The Rockets' strength will surely decline in the new season, but they haven't declined to the point of being preyed upon by anyone. This means that almost half of the games will require the Rockets to fight fiercely with their opponents, deciding the game in the last five minutes or even just a few minutes. At such moments, it doesn't matter who the coach mentions as the leader, it all comes down to whether you can make the shot. In the last playoff game against the Mavericks, the Rockets desperately wanted to win, but in the fourth quarter, they made only 4 out of 20 shots. They have no one to blame but themselves.
This doesn't seem to be Adelman's strong suit. In the Kings era, he couldn't resolve the hidden conflict between Webber and Stojakovic. In the first two years with the Rockets, he was caught in the dilemma of whether to center around Yao Ming or McGrady. Unfortunately, the Rockets now no longer have the luxury of maintaining harmony. If no one steps up, they might collapse by the time McGrady returns, leaving him no time to regret.
American media disclosed an eight-year-old sealed story: then-Nets president Thorn rejected a trade proposal from Rockets GM Dawson, thus missing out on the top pick in the 2002 draft, naturally, they also missed out on Yao Ming and the opportunity to build a dynasty team.
It was revealed that in June 2001, Thorn made big moves, first trading Marbury to acquire Kidd from the Suns, establishing a new core in the backcourt. In the subsequent draft, Thorn selected Eddie Griffin at the 7th overall pick and traded him to the Rockets for Jefferson, Collins, and Armstrong. It was during this rookie trade that Rockets GM Dawson proposed bundling the 2002 first-round draft pick in the deal. What additional demands the Rockets made is unknown, but the final result was that Thorn rejected this request.
What happened afterward is well known: the Nets rose to become a power in the East but always fell short of winning the championship. The Rockets, on the other hand, luckily drew the top pick in the 2002 draft and selected Yao Ming from China. Thorn could only lament that the decision he made back then not only cost him a first-round pick but also a super-center in the NBA. If Yao Ming had joined the Nets, one can imagine that with the personnel configuration of that Nets team, they would have been one of the strongest contenders for the championship within a few seasons.
Rockets vs Trail Blazers NBA Pre-season game on October 28