Print
Thursday December 4, 2008 11:05 AM

Rockets' Depth Put To The Test


Rockets vs. Mavs, 7:00 PM, FSNHOU, ESPN

Jason Friedman
Rockets.com Staff Writer

Houston - Before the season began, the Rockets were roundly lauded as one of the deepest teams in the NBA. Tonight they'll likely get a chance to prove it.

Here's what we know so far: Yao Ming (foot) is probably out this evening, as the team is taking a precautionary approach to his sore left foot. Meanwhile, Tracy McGrady (knee) and Ron Artest (ankle) are definitely playing, but it's difficult to know just how effective they'll be or how many minutes their bodies will allow them to spend on the floor. So it's all hands on deck tonight as players like Von Wafer will be asked to step up and fill whatever void might be left behind.

"Von’s become very important," says Rick Adelman. "Every time we’ve used him, he’s stepped up. Offensively, he really gives us a boost because he can shoot it and attack the basket. He’s just a very good offensive player. Defensively, we lose a little bit, but he’s proven he can step in offensively."

Wafer says he's fully prepared for the challenge which lies before him.

"It’s something I take very seriously because guys are depending on me to be in the right spot and they’ve put a lot of hard work into this, so I owe it to them to take my role very seriously and try to do the best I can with this opportunity.

"I’m very excited. The last couple games I’ve tried to play with a lot of positive energy but I’ve made a few mistakes. So I’m going to try to be a little more calm out there tonight."

For those in search of silver linings to the Rockets' recent rash of injuries, here are two: 1.) It's far better that they take place in November rather than April, and 2.) It's not as if the Rockets haven't been through this before.

"We’re accustomed to it," says McGrady. "When you’ve been there, done that you know how to get through it. We’ve been there several times and we’re a team that knows how to overcome when one of our guys goes down. We’re not in a panic mode by any means."

Luis Scola simply employs a more pragmatic approach.

"Injuries are part of the game," he says. "Just look around the NBA: You’ve got San Antonio, Utah… everybody has injuries. I think the best thing is just don’t look at the injuries. Just play hard and win games no matter what happens. We’ve got to know that 82 games is a lot and these are not going to be the only injuries we’re going to have. We just have to be ready to win, no matter what the situation is."

And 1's: Shane Battier was upbeat the morning after taking part in his first practice of the season. Battier said he felt the typical soreness which accompanies a step up in workout, and the next step will be consulting with the doctors to ensure everything is still on track.

Tip-off for tonight's game takes place at 7:00. For ticket information, visit ticket central or call 713.627.DUNK.

Got a question for Rockets.com? Send it to Jason Friedman.