Mailbag: Rockets nail down rotation for playoff push

Click here to E-mail a question to Rockets.com beat writer Damien Pierce and he'll take a shot at answering it. Questions may be edited for length or brevity.

What do you expect the Rockets' rotation to look like in the playoffs?
-- Mark Smith, Houston

Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy was exploring different lineup options last week, but I suspect that you'll see the same eight-man rotation in the playoffs that you've seen over much of the past month.

So, in other words, Luther Head, Dikembe Mutombo and Juwan Howard will be the options off the bench. Mutombo will probably play about 10 minutes to give Yao a breather, but Head and Howard will get minutes based on what the team needs down the stretch of games. Head tends to get playing time in crunch time thanks to his clutch three-point shooting and Howard's minutes will fluctuate based on whether Van Gundy wants more rebounding (Chuck Hayes) or more offense (Howard).

I also expect to see more of Houston's two stars. Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming will be logging more minutes in the postseason, although Yao will have to avoid foul trouble to stay on the floor. McGrady will probably be hovering around the 40-minute mark throughout the playoffs.

With that said, I suspect some fans will question this short bench.

Don't you think Coach Van Gundy needs a deeper rotation for the playoffs to rest his starters? The Mavs and Suns have deep benches.  
-- David James, Houston

Who called that one? Unfortunately David, I'm not with you on this one. The Rockets shouldn't extend their bench for the sake of trotting out as many players as other teams and I'd even argue that those other teams are going to shorten their benches as well for the postseason.

Do you think Avery Johnson is going to decrease Dirk Nowitzki's minutes in the playoffs to get a ninth guy off the bench? Probably not. And, I'd like to point out that the Suns are running eight guys these days. During Wednesday's win over Seattle, the Suns only had three players log significant minutes off the bench. Sure, three additional guys ended up playing two minutes each at the end of the game. But that wasn't part of Phoenix's primary rotation.

With all that said, here's what really matters: The Rockets have, for the most part, played their best with an eight-man rotation. That might very well be because those guys at the end of the bench didn't get more playing time earlier in the season, but even if that's the case, that's not a reason to extend their minutes right now, heading in the playoffs.

As for resting starters, Van Gundy will be playing his primary options the same amount of time whether he has a bench that goes three deep or six deep. So that, to me, is really a non-issue.

The bottom line is the Rockets are be going with a rotation that has shown the best results over the course of the season.

What the heck happened with Bonzi Wells and is the situation a distraction for the team?  
-- Jorge Lopez, Houston

Frankly, I would just be speculating to come up with answer. Here's all you really need to know: Bonzi Wells was placed on the inactive list after missing Monday's game at Seattle and he isn't expected to activated for the remainder of the season.

As for the second half of your question, I don't think the situation has been a distraction. The issue was handled fairly quickly and the team appears focused on making a playoff push.

What happened to Steve Novak? In the beginning of the season, he was making three pointers as if it were no problem. I haven't seen him play in a long time.
-- Sadiq Amir, Houston

I'm happy to report that Steve Novak is still a heck of a shooter. However, the rookie is not in the rotation because he's still improving his strength and developing his defensive skills.

How is Novak handling the situation? Glad you asked. I actually talked with him about how he was handling the lack of minutes about two weeks ago in Los Angeles. He said that he'd obvioulsy like to be playing, but he understands that he's got veterans playing in front of him and that he has to improve in certain areas. He said that he's added about 10 pounds to his 230-pound frame since the season opener.

There's no queston that Novak is a skilled shooter. He could earn himself some playing time next season.

Do you think that Yao Ming needs to work on his strength and ability to get the ball in the post? He recently had major problems getting the ball against the Warriors.
-- Fred Tavalaian, Houston

I'll suggest to Yao that he should start lifting weights. OK, I'm kidding. Since I started covering the Rockets, I haven't seen another guy work harder than Yao. He's typically in the weight room after most games, even after logging 30-plus minutes on the hardwood.

In other words, I wouldn't equate his inability to get touches against Golden State on April 4 to his lack of strength. The Warriors were certainly physical with him, but what limited Yao's inside looks was the fact that three defenders were hovering around him. He couldn't get the ball inside even when he reached his spot because the Rockets' guards couldn't find an opening in the defense.

What would have opened things up for Yao is better shooting and more efficient passing. The Warriors dared Houston's collection of perimeter players to beat them. And on that night, they didn't. They shot 41.3 percent, made 15 of 37 three-point attempts and had 24 turnovers.