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Rockets' new dynamic duo soars while Adelman closes in on mentor
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Jason Friedman
Rockets.com Staff Writer
HOUSTON - There's a treasure trove of important tidbits to discuss today, so let's dive right in. First, the injury update: Chase Budinger rolled his ankle late in Monday night's 113-96 win over Utah and, less than 24 hours later, there seems to be no indication that the injury is anything serious.
Budinger says the ankle felt "a little stiff" when he woke up this morning but that it has since loosened up somewhat. He also added that he does not expect the injury to linger and he expects to be fine "in a couple days."
As for his availability for Wednesday's showdown with the defending champion Lakers, Houston's red-hot rookie wants to wait to see how he feels tomorrow before making a definitive statement one way or the other. Clearly Budinger's presence would be a boon for Houston if he’s able to go; both for the instant offense he provides off the bench and the fact that the Rockets’ fallback options at the wing position are limited in his absence.
“I don’t have a lot of options if he can’t go,” admits Rockets’ Head Coach Rick Adelman. “We’ve only got Kyle (Lowry) and Jermaine (Taylor) on the bench. They’re small guys. We could throw Carl (Landry) at the three-spot some. He hasn’t done it much. Right now we’re just hoping it’s not going to be serious because that’s been a worry because of the way our roster is.”
One other note about Budinger: pay special attention to the special on-court bond forming between him and point guard Kyle Lowry. Those two connected from the opening days of training camp and that alliance has subsequently manifested itself in the sparkling way they operate when sharing the floor together. Both players excel in the open court and Lowry especially has delighted in finding the rookie for frequent alley-oops, back-door cuts and wide-open threes when the Rockets are racing up the floor in transition.
“We have great chemistry right now,” says Budinger. “We always just try to emphasize getting the ball in transition. When he gets it, he’s always looking up and he always hits me in stride in transition. We’ve been getting a lot of back-doors and he’s been getting the ball ahead to me where I can finish and we’ve really got that chemistry going.”
Their coach has noticed that, chemistry, too.
Says Adelman: “I think Kyle especially senses Chase when he’s out there because, one thing about Chase from day one – and he did it last night about three times – when we get the rebound, he’s gone and he really runs the floor. Kyle has a real good sense to look for him and he also has a great sense to look for him in the open court for the transition three. We did that about five or six times last night where we took that transition three. But you only get that if all of your guys run and you flatten the defense out.”
Adelman’s last point brings us back to the subject of last night’s win; one which has engulfed Toyota Center in its golden afterglow the day after. It’s no secret that expectations for this club were rather muted nationally (to say the least), so seeing the team lift off to such a hot start – and capping it with an emphatic road win against rival Utah – has put an extra hop in everyone’s step. Yes, there’s still an exceedingly long way to go and there will surely be plenty of bumps along the way, but it’s hard not to get excited by the way this team has taken to Adelman’s system while making the transition to a club that pushes the pace at every opportunity and takes advantage of the speed, quickness and athleticism of its players.
“I was really pleased with two things,” said Adelman of Monday night’s big win. “Offensively, it’s probably the best thing we’ve done all year. We moved the ball, changed sides of the court and we got them on their heels. They were reacting to what we were doing and we were able to capitalize on that. Then, defensively, we really picked it up in the second half. We got a ton of deflections defensively to make it tough on them. That’s how we have to play. We can’t have anything less than that.
“When you lose your star players, people don’t expect very much from you but we’ve had the attitude that we’re going to play hard, compete and we’re going to see what we can do with this group. That’s how these guys have approached every day and that’s what makes them fun to coach because they do compete. You know you’re going to have your ups and downs but if someone would have told me we’d be 3-1 with the schedule we’ve faced, I’d say that’s pretty good. But it’s very early and we’re going to have a tough game tomorrow.”
Ah, yes, the Lakers – the team which needed all seven games to dispatch the never-say-die Rockets last spring. They offer a fascinating match-up on so many levels. Of course, it’s always an event anytime Kobe Bryant comes to town to renew his mini-rivalry with Shane Battier (and now you can add Kobe’s former teammate Trevor Ariza to that mix as well). And tomorrow night also marks Ron Artest’s return to Houston. No doubt much will be written about all those two subjects over the course of the next 24 hours.
But there’s yet another storyline to follow, one which might fly below the radar despite possessing at least as much overall significance as the juicier subplots listed above. Adelman heads into Wednesday’s game with 863 career head coaching wins to his credit, placing him one behind his mentor, Jack Ramsay, for 11 th on the NBA’s all-time regular season list. Humble, hard working and brilliant at the art of maximizing the talent at his disposal, Adelman lets his credentials speak for him. So, too, do his players.
“He’s actually one of my favorite coaches I’ve ever had in my life,” says Lowry. “He’s really good at what he does. He puts us in situations where we can succeed and he pushes us. He knows his team, he studies us and he plays us in a way where we’ve got to succeed and we don’t want to let him down.
“He’s a player’s coach. He’s one win away from tying Jack Ramsey so obviously he knows what he’s doing. Even playing against him in Memphis, I noticed his offense. It’s a great concept, it works and it’s a tough thing to guard.”
Adds Battier: “I’ve really, really enjoyed playing for Coach. He has a style that I’ve never played under before and a style that really gives a player ownership in the team. When you win a game, a lot of coaches will try to take credit but he deflects all the credit to the players and really makes the players feel like they earned the win; it’s an amazing trait. He has amazing patience, more patience than I could ever have, and he wins games. He knows the game and he’s just been a real treat for me to play for.
“All successful coaches have an ego but the way Coach deals with his is he really tries to spread the credit around. He’s done an unbelievable job and he should be up for Coach of the Year every single year. He never is, that’s one of the travesties of this league and one of the farces of the award, because he’s done a masterful job coaching through injuries and adversity. His teams are always there and they always play hard and always play together. They play the way that basketball teams should play. I think all of our wins so far have been a reflection of him. He preaches unselfishness and team basketball and that’s the only way we’re going to win. That’s all Coach Adelman.”
Have a question for Rockets.com? Send it to Jason Friedman via email at: jasonf@rocketball.com.
