Rockets rookie Jordan Hill moved into the rotation in the three games with David Andersen out, but Luis Scola averaged 42.5 minutes per game. Andersen’s perimeter shooting could allow him to play with Hill inside.

“I think Jordan can play the four and David the five,” Adelman said. “Like I told the team, we have more guys than we had before. Now guys have to play hard all the time the whole time they are on the floor. You’re probably not going to play extended minutes so the time you’re out there you got to go hard, you maybe have to do more than you were before.”

via Rockets notes: Andersen ready to return to court | NBA Basketball | Chron.com – Houston Chronicle.

David Andersen makes his triumphant return to the lineup tonight for the Houston Rockets, admittedly, much to my chagrin.  I have been a solid backer of Andersen since his signing, even despite his struggles, but it’s common knowledge that Jordan Hill has the far greater upside and potential to impact this team.  I worry that Hill’s minutes will be reduced – it is well known that with Rick Adelman, players do not lose their spot in the rotation over injuries.

Whether for his development or for the building of his trade value prior to this summer, it is imperative that Jordan Hill is given a healthy dose of minutes for the remainder of this season.

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•The aforementioned sequence isn’t demonstrative of any malfeasance on Ron’s part, but it’s a convenient segway: I find this entirely contrived vendetta Artest has been perpetuating against Ariza to be pretty odd. The best part is that I’m pretty sure the former actually thinks he would still be a Rocket were it not for Ariza. It’s like “Dude, she dumped you. It wasn’t because of Trevor. She just dumped you. Move on.”

•Chase Budinger had two monster tomahawk slams in the 1st which pretty much reinforced my belief that he’s one of the most confusing players I have seen in some time. Despite the jaw-dropping vertical, he can’t be considered ‘athletic’ because he is actually pretty slow. There’s no other word but ‘odd’ that can describe watching Chase drive in at half speed and then suddenly explode to the rim and attempt to tear it down. That’s shock value right there. The worst part about Chase is that I can’t think of a guy to whom I can compare his game. (Yes, not just white guys.) That’s really what makes this so difficult. Because honestly, when assessing a player, you can always bank on praise for some sort of insight or a couple of cheap laughs when offering a comparison to a former player.

•David Andersen’s game really reminds me of Mo Taylor pre-Krispy Kreme discovery.

•This game demonstrated why I have been backing David Andersen so hard this season. I just love this guy’s skillset. Like Taylor, he’s just smooth. He has a beautiful stroke from the outside and a very solid repertoire in the post. Also like Taylor, he’s pretty much not even there defensively. I think that will come though. Look, he will never be a guy who can guard Amare Stoudemire. The goal is to get his defense to a level where it doesn’t negate his offensive contributions. Give him time. The offense is already there.

•Another interesting point came when Chase Budinger was seen guarding Kobe for a few series’ after the 8 minute mark of the 2nd. That’s some serious confidence Rick Adelman is showing in this guy. And I do think this possibly has Tracy implications.

•What does this win mean? I was going to include my thoughts as a bullet here, but I decided this is a topic worthy of a separate post. More on this later.

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I hate to do this just hours before tip-off, but this needs to be nipped in the bud ASAP. The overall amount of discontent with Houston Rockets center David Andersen is snowballing at such a rate that, if constant, he’ll be at the ‘Luther Head’ level on the ‘persona non grata’ chart by the 3rd quarter tonight.

Look, I realize he’s not very good defensively right now. Okay, admittedly he’s terrible. Irrelevant. As I said in my Houston Rockets season preview, each independent element should be assessed, not in respect to its present value, but through the lens of its potential to induce future overall growth. To put it simply, it’s not about this year, it’s about next year.

Naturally, such a mindset is difficult to adopt in a domain where the intended end is, as a passive participant, instant gratification. I understand this and I empathize fully. This team is incredibly entertaining and looks like it will be pretty good too. But the broader picture is the championship. Save the machismo – that’s not happening this year.

David Andersen can help this team next year when Yao Ming returns. His skillset is the perfect complement at a bargain basement price. He’s shown some nice moves in the post and an ability to step out on the floor. That versatility will be vital next year as we limit Yao’s minutes upon his return. Have we forgetten so soon that Scola basically looked like an Argentinian reincarnation of Pig Miller at this same point in his rookie campaign?

Fans need to be patient with Andersen’s development. It’s a very difficult adjustment process, especially inside. We tend to think that because he’s 30, we can expect immediate return. In actuality, its not always the player’s age that impedes immediate impact, but rather the adjustment to the speed of the game.

Give him time and then we can assess.

The post Thoughts on David Anderson: Part Deux appeared first on Red94 | essays and musings on the nba and houston rockets.

I know I’m not alone. Watching the game last night, I had that “I guess I’ll watch but my heart isn’t exactly racing here over the outcome…wait, do I even want us to win?” feeling going on that I haven’t had since Stromile Swift still had potential.

Nothing against the Houston Rockets. They play a refreshing brand of ball that would put a smile on even Bobby Knight’s mug. I apologize, but it’s just hard to push from my mind the thought that at this time last year, we were in that glorious denial phase about Tracy McGrady’s injury and were still considered a legitimate threat to win the title. My God, what I would give for false hope and delusion right now.

As I said in my Houston Rockets season preview, what makes matters more difficult is that this team doesn’t have any high profile growth prospects. I can’t key in on one guy and tell myself, “okay, we’re going to suck, but this kid is fun to watch and…is going to take us to to the top within 5 years!” as was my in-game ritual from 1999-2002. Okay sorry, I’m ruining the fun for those of you still interested.

As is to be expected, we beat up on the utterly pathetic Warriors. They’re more talented, but they are young, undisciplined, and just overall completely suck. This is the type of team the Houston Rockets will feast on this year on their way to a range of 35-42 wins. This would probably be an appropriate time to admit that I wasn’t exactly upset when Aaron Brooks turned it over late to give the Warriors a chance. Yes, I feel a bit guilty. More on this later.

I should mention that, just two games in, I really, really like David Andersen. Yes, he might not ever become even average defensively but that’s irrelevant. He’s just a solid offensive player who I really think will be huge next year upon Yao’s return. He can shoot from the perimeter and has been showing off a very nice array of moves inside. Again, this is a 7 footer making $3million. Most 7 footers that can walk and chew gum at the same time are making at least twice that amount. I can’t begin to understand why some are actually complaining about his defense. He won’t exactly be asked to guard Dwight Howard when the games actually matter. He gives the team an option it didn’t have in the past when Yao was ineffective. The objective is to assess each part, not on the basis of its own independent merit, but in relation to the whole. The question isn’t whether he can fill Yao’s shoes or guard premiere ‘bigs.’ The question is whether he can be a legit option at the backup center position and be a reliable scoring threat off the bench. So far, it is looking very good. Another solid move by Daryl Morey.

Finally, Trevor Ariza has really been having a hard time holding onto the ball. This actually reached humorous levels last night. I’ll have more on this in-depth at a later time.

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