Houston Rockets’ rotation to be a work in progress well into season
Houston Rockets have some work ahead of them with their rotation
Establishing a rotation will not be an overnight thing for the Houston Rockets, as coach Kevin McHale said the process could go well into December.
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With a crowded camp of talent, McHale said that players will have to not only step up in practice, yet also make the most of their playing time, as opportunities will be limited.
“You got to look good in practice, but I know one thing; in the famous words of Larry Bird, you don’t play many games at 10 a.m. I like them at 7 o’clock or 7:30. When the popcorn’s popping I like to see what they do in games,” said McHale.
“I know everybody wants everything yesterday, but we won’t have our (rotation) set until December,” he added. “We’ll probably have to take all of November to see how everybody is playing and get everybody shuffled in. Some of the young guys, I say they’re paper fires. They burn really hot, but then they’re out. In our business, you like big logs. They burn a long time.”
McHale’s case was stated in Houston’s 111-108 win at Dallas during Tuesday’s preseason opener. The Rockets had 10 players who had at least 15 minutes of playing time, while power forward Tarik Black and point guards Isaiah Canaan and Troy Daniels each played just under nine minutes.
Guard Jason Terry and forward Joey Dorsey did not play on Tuesday, which opened the door for guard Ish Smith (nine points, four rebounds in 18 minutes) to show his wares. Forward Jeff Adrien made the most of his time, scoring 11 points and four boards in 15 minutes of work.
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