ducks
10-20-2005, 09:30 AM
Wesley unafraid of future
Nothing certain for Rockets guard in contract season
By JONATHAN FEIGEN
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
David Wesley, 34 years old and coming off knee surgery, is a shooting guard struggling with his shot.
This is not the way a 12-year NBA veteran typically would like to go into a contract year.
But Wesley is unconcerned.
"I can't see any reason I can't get $10 or $12 million a year," Wesley said, unable to keep a straight face. "There shouldn't be any argument."
Latrell Sprewell could not have said it better. But that Wesley went for the punch line might be an indication of how little concern he has about next season's status or playing his way into the Rockets' long-term plans.
In the last season of a five-year contract worth $4.95 million this season, Wesley, 6-1, was one of the keys to last season's Rockets turnaround and likely to start at shooting guard this season. But beyond that, nothing is certain.
"I'm going to play as long as I can," Wesley said. "I haven't started talking to them about it. I'm too old to worry about it. I know this business. If it's meant to happen, it will happen. I know what I want to do. They know what they might want to do. No talks have started, so there's nothing to worry about.
"It's not going to be that sticky. It would be different if I was asking for a ton of money or a ton of years. It can't be that difficult."
But for now, Wesley said he will concentrate, among the usual preseason concerns, with regaining the shooting touch that became the key to his long, perhaps unlikely career since coming out of Baylor in 1993.
Knee detriment in playoffs
A career 42.6 percent shooter, he got off to a slow start after the Rockets traded Jim Jackson and Bostjan Nachbar to the New Orleans Hornets to get him, and made 40.4 percent of his shots last season. With his sore left knee getting worse, he made just 35.2 percent in the playoffs against the Dallas Mavericks.
Wesley had arthroscopic surgery after the season and said he is feeling stronger and quicker. But the shot has been slow to come around. After making just one of seven shots in each of his first two preseason games, he made five of 13 on Monday against the Seattle SuperSonics in Laredo.
"It affects me bending my knees getting into my shot," Wesley said. "It's just going to take some time. I watched a lot of film, and I shot a lot of shots straight-legged last year, especially toward the end of the season. I'm focusing now on making sure I'm getting down into my shot. But I think I'm thinking about it too much. Just let it fly."
For now, signs of improvement will be enough. When Sonics guard Ray Allen threw a collection of crossovers and up fakes at Wesley, Wesley moved well enough to stay tightly with him. In an exhibition in Laredo, it hardly mattered that Allen, forced to jump sideways, hit the shot anyway.
"I felt better," Wesley said. "There were some defensive opportunities in that game where some guys made some dribble moves at me that I felt better. Shot-wise, I'm still hitting the front of the rim on everything. I finally made a 3, which made me happy, but the shot is not there yet.
Value beyond scoring
"I'm not moving as well as I hope to be moving by Nov. 2. It takes time to get that rhythm, get that shot back. There's certain things I am doing. I'm running the floor well, stop-and-go and things like that. There's just certain times I get down into that bent-knee position, I think I'm thinking about it too much. When you shoot the ball in rhythm, you shoot the ball your best. When you rush it or take too much time, your percentages go down, I think."
It might not make a shooting guard feel better about struggling with his shot, but Wesley's value to the Rockets goes well beyond scoring, especially now with their offensive game well ahead of their defensive play. Wesley has become their designated defender, switching to opponents' toughest perimeter threat.
With Rafer Alston playing point guard and Luther Head coming off the bench, Wesley has not had to match up with every slick point guard, but he does allow Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy to go without a traditional point guard because he has a shooting guard able to match up with the points. And when Spurs sensation Manu Ginobili came into Saturday's game for Brent Barry, Tracy McGrady, who had been defending Barry, immediately switched Wesley over to Ginobili.
"He's a good defender, and he's a low-risk player, moves the ball quickly," Van Gundy said. "We need that from him. But we need him to make shots as well.
"He's done fine. I think everybody can play better, but David will do what he does well, and I believe he will shoot the ball well."
If he does, Wesley will probably have been right not to have worried about the next contact. He might even be laughing about it again next season.
[email protected]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ROCKETS SUMMARY
Don't get fooled
The Rockets are 4-0 in the preseason, but that does not necessarily indicate they have outplayed the opponents that count.
Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said he is more concerned with how the team is progressing, citing the Rockets' ability to outplay the players that have finished games, players that often will not make teams or get meaningful minutes, for the Rockets' record.
The Rockets have won by an average of 8.5 points. They have outscored opponents by an average of 7.5 points in the fourth quarters.
"You should never get fooled by the records," Van Gundy said. "It's all about the process. But certainly in the preseason, you should put no stock in what the record is, but how you're playing.
"We have not progressed as we would have hoped after the first week."
Yao's back
Rockets center Yao Ming, after missing a practice and two games with a sore big toe after losing a toenail, practiced Tuesday and Wednesday with no difficulty.
"Today was very physical contact," Yao said. "But it felt better than watching practice and games. That was boring. But I felt good. I was fine."
Open practice
The Rockets will hold their annual open practice today at Toyota Center. The event will begin with Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson giving a chalk talk at 11:45 a.m.
The team will take the court at 12:30 p.m., and after a warm-up, will have a 20-minute scrimmage. After the scrimmage, there will be question-and-answer and autograph sessions. Admission is free and includes lunch. A limited number of passes are available at the Toyota Center entrances, which open beginning at 11:30 a.m.
-- JONATHAN FEIGEN
Nothing certain for Rockets guard in contract season
By JONATHAN FEIGEN
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
David Wesley, 34 years old and coming off knee surgery, is a shooting guard struggling with his shot.
This is not the way a 12-year NBA veteran typically would like to go into a contract year.
But Wesley is unconcerned.
"I can't see any reason I can't get $10 or $12 million a year," Wesley said, unable to keep a straight face. "There shouldn't be any argument."
Latrell Sprewell could not have said it better. But that Wesley went for the punch line might be an indication of how little concern he has about next season's status or playing his way into the Rockets' long-term plans.
In the last season of a five-year contract worth $4.95 million this season, Wesley, 6-1, was one of the keys to last season's Rockets turnaround and likely to start at shooting guard this season. But beyond that, nothing is certain.
"I'm going to play as long as I can," Wesley said. "I haven't started talking to them about it. I'm too old to worry about it. I know this business. If it's meant to happen, it will happen. I know what I want to do. They know what they might want to do. No talks have started, so there's nothing to worry about.
"It's not going to be that sticky. It would be different if I was asking for a ton of money or a ton of years. It can't be that difficult."
But for now, Wesley said he will concentrate, among the usual preseason concerns, with regaining the shooting touch that became the key to his long, perhaps unlikely career since coming out of Baylor in 1993.
Knee detriment in playoffs
A career 42.6 percent shooter, he got off to a slow start after the Rockets traded Jim Jackson and Bostjan Nachbar to the New Orleans Hornets to get him, and made 40.4 percent of his shots last season. With his sore left knee getting worse, he made just 35.2 percent in the playoffs against the Dallas Mavericks.
Wesley had arthroscopic surgery after the season and said he is feeling stronger and quicker. But the shot has been slow to come around. After making just one of seven shots in each of his first two preseason games, he made five of 13 on Monday against the Seattle SuperSonics in Laredo.
"It affects me bending my knees getting into my shot," Wesley said. "It's just going to take some time. I watched a lot of film, and I shot a lot of shots straight-legged last year, especially toward the end of the season. I'm focusing now on making sure I'm getting down into my shot. But I think I'm thinking about it too much. Just let it fly."
For now, signs of improvement will be enough. When Sonics guard Ray Allen threw a collection of crossovers and up fakes at Wesley, Wesley moved well enough to stay tightly with him. In an exhibition in Laredo, it hardly mattered that Allen, forced to jump sideways, hit the shot anyway.
"I felt better," Wesley said. "There were some defensive opportunities in that game where some guys made some dribble moves at me that I felt better. Shot-wise, I'm still hitting the front of the rim on everything. I finally made a 3, which made me happy, but the shot is not there yet.
Value beyond scoring
"I'm not moving as well as I hope to be moving by Nov. 2. It takes time to get that rhythm, get that shot back. There's certain things I am doing. I'm running the floor well, stop-and-go and things like that. There's just certain times I get down into that bent-knee position, I think I'm thinking about it too much. When you shoot the ball in rhythm, you shoot the ball your best. When you rush it or take too much time, your percentages go down, I think."
It might not make a shooting guard feel better about struggling with his shot, but Wesley's value to the Rockets goes well beyond scoring, especially now with their offensive game well ahead of their defensive play. Wesley has become their designated defender, switching to opponents' toughest perimeter threat.
With Rafer Alston playing point guard and Luther Head coming off the bench, Wesley has not had to match up with every slick point guard, but he does allow Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy to go without a traditional point guard because he has a shooting guard able to match up with the points. And when Spurs sensation Manu Ginobili came into Saturday's game for Brent Barry, Tracy McGrady, who had been defending Barry, immediately switched Wesley over to Ginobili.
"He's a good defender, and he's a low-risk player, moves the ball quickly," Van Gundy said. "We need that from him. But we need him to make shots as well.
"He's done fine. I think everybody can play better, but David will do what he does well, and I believe he will shoot the ball well."
If he does, Wesley will probably have been right not to have worried about the next contact. He might even be laughing about it again next season.
[email protected]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ROCKETS SUMMARY
Don't get fooled
The Rockets are 4-0 in the preseason, but that does not necessarily indicate they have outplayed the opponents that count.
Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said he is more concerned with how the team is progressing, citing the Rockets' ability to outplay the players that have finished games, players that often will not make teams or get meaningful minutes, for the Rockets' record.
The Rockets have won by an average of 8.5 points. They have outscored opponents by an average of 7.5 points in the fourth quarters.
"You should never get fooled by the records," Van Gundy said. "It's all about the process. But certainly in the preseason, you should put no stock in what the record is, but how you're playing.
"We have not progressed as we would have hoped after the first week."
Yao's back
Rockets center Yao Ming, after missing a practice and two games with a sore big toe after losing a toenail, practiced Tuesday and Wednesday with no difficulty.
"Today was very physical contact," Yao said. "But it felt better than watching practice and games. That was boring. But I felt good. I was fine."
Open practice
The Rockets will hold their annual open practice today at Toyota Center. The event will begin with Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson giving a chalk talk at 11:45 a.m.
The team will take the court at 12:30 p.m., and after a warm-up, will have a 20-minute scrimmage. After the scrimmage, there will be question-and-answer and autograph sessions. Admission is free and includes lunch. A limited number of passes are available at the Toyota Center entrances, which open beginning at 11:30 a.m.
-- JONATHAN FEIGEN