--With the Rockets handing point-guard duties to speedy point guards Rafer Alston and Kyle Lowry, they want to pick up the pace, not only in fast breaks, but in getting into their half-court offense more quickly.
"We're trying to push the ball up and not walk the ball up," Adelman said. "The people we have off the bench, the two point guards we have, it's to their advantage to get it up the court. And if nothing is there ... then we've got Yao as our anchor. He's a guy we can go to at the end. And it helps him where he doesn't have to try to get down the court and get banged every possession. Let's see if we can get something before you get there and then go to you. "If we get to that point, now you can see the flowing offense, the other team cannot lock into. We've done it in stages but not enough. A great example is Tony Parker. He'll push it. He'll attack. Or then he'll pull it back and they'll look for something else. It's really important he (Brooks) will pick and choose his spots."
Brooks described the revised Rockets' offensive emphasis in simple terms. Run to look for the "easy option.
"Then," he said, "it's Yao time."
--Tracy McGrady's announcement last week that he would be out for the remainder of the season seems certain to make Ron Artest's move to the starting lineup last for the rest of the season. Artest, who has averaged 20 points per game since replacing McGrady in the past four games since McGrady went out, said for the second time in a week that he thought he belonged in the starting lineup all along.
"It never changed for me," Artest said. "I've always been a starter. I'm not a multiple-time All Star but my game speaks for itself. The way I play, I can start for any team. For me, it's not really being happy to start because that's an easy case to make no matter who is on the team. You put Kobe (Bryant) and LeBron (James) on the team, I'll make a case that I should be starting."
QUOTE TO NOTE: "I think we're kind of clicking. We are getting better. We are playing better defense, we are fighting and we are competing harder every day. That is pretty much what we need." -- Luis Scola.
