[Chronic]Rockets begin opening day of Camp Adelman

http://chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/4950923.html


Steve Novak, the forward taken early in last season's second round, and Carl Landry, the forward taken early in this season's second round, were talking about something they shared before their similar entry to the NBA as Rockets draft picks.

Milwaukee natives both, they talked about neighborhoods and childhood basketball courts until they determined they grew up about 10 blocks apart.

Soon after, however, Novak mentioned their common burden to keep a streak alive, and their past made way for the immediate future on the Rockets' summer league team.

The Rockets' past two summer league teams swept through their schedule unbeaten, Novak reported before the Rockets' first summer practice on Saturday. And both knew they had work to do.

Yet, as Rockets players and the new coaching staff spoke of goals, summer records did not come up again, as the team began the on-court transition to Rick Adelman's system and staff.

"It gives us something to live up to," first-round pick Aaron Brooks said. "But whatever happens, happens. We'll just play hard."


Getting up to speed
Adelman and assistant Elston Turner, the summer league head coach, happily returned to the court after taking last season off. Both said the first step of summer league is rather than getting the players up to speed, it's getting the staff ready.

"It's good work for us as a staff," Turner said. "We're back together. We added Jack Sikma to our staff (of Adelman, Turner and T.R. Dunn). We're getting to know each other, trying to bring Jack into the fold, also."

Adelman said much of that is almost a coaching rehearsal for training camp, which begins in Austin on October 1.

"For us, as a coaching staff, it's basically a dry run to go through a lot of things and meet a lot in the next two weeks so when fall camp comes around, we know what we want to do," he said.

After that, he and Turner said the two-days this weekend at Toyota Center and practices and five games this week in Las Vegas will be a start to implementing the system.

Brooks, who should receive even more playing time after guard John Lucas' decision to skip the summer league, Landry and Brad Newley from this season's draft, along with Novak and Lior Eliyahu from last season's draft, are on the summer team.

"We're putting some things in, but it's not like what you're going to do in the season," Adelman said. "You make them understand what you want. We don't want a lot of standing around. It gives everybody a chance to create and do what they want to do, but within reason.

"I think we've been able to do this enough times, we know what we want to put in. Especially the guys who are going to be on our team, we want to see what they can do in a situation like this."


A learning process
After that, the emphasis will shift to evaluation. After one practice, Adelman said he has already considered ways to make players more effective in the five games (Tuesday through Sunday) in Las Vegas. He also would like to determine if there are unsigned players he would like to bring to camp in the fall.

For now, however, Saturday's first practices represented a start. There would be time for other goals later, including perhaps keeping the streak alive.

"As far as implementing the system to the younger guys, first of all, we know it works," Turner said. "We did it in Sacramento and were pretty good at it. It's going to be more teaching. Things move along at a slower pace.

"The coaching staff is new. Guys don't know us. We're trying to get to know them, also. It will take some time, but hopefully, we'll get there."

jonathan.feigen@chron.com

 

only brooks is referenced in the picture. carl landry is not mentioned as being in the picture. it can be wrongly assumed that both are referenced to the picture.