After visiting Odom, Ariza continues strong preseason
Trevor Ariza capped a long, difficult week with perhaps his best game of the preseason, hitting 10 of 14 shots for 24 points in less than 27 minutes against the Heat. In between his previous game against the Suns and his return to the floor on Saturday, Ariza went to see former teammate Lamar Odom in a Las Vegas hospital.
“That’s my friend,” Ariza said. “Whenever one of your friends or family members is hurting, you’re going to be concerned. That’s pretty much all I want to say about that.”
Ariza declined any additional comment about his trip to see Odom, asking instead for basketball questions only. That has gone exceedingly well for Ariza, who is averaging 15.5 points on 57.1 percent shooting in his four preseason games.
“I’m ready,” Ariza said. “I for sure worked hard this summer. I understand what I’m here for, the offense we’re running, and defensively what we’re doing. I feel very comfortable with what we’re doing.”
An opportunity for Kazemi
The Rockets’ newest player is no stranger to Houston. Former Rice and Oregon standout Arsalan Kazemi has lived here the last few years.
Kazemi, who is from Iran, has had a few chances in the NBA but has yet to make a regular-season roster. On Saturday, he played 13 minutes in the Rockets’ 105-100 loss to Miami and grabbed six rebounds.
“I liked what I saw,” coach Kevin McHale said. “He was quick. He was active. He was aggressive.”
Said Kazemi: “I watched the Rockets in the playoffs last year and cheered them on with my friends. It’s nice to have a chance to play in this city for this team.”
Terry eager to ramp it up
Veteran guard Jason Terry has played just 29 minutes in two preseason Rockets games but said he is ready to pick up the pace on preparations heading into the start of the season Oct. 28.
“What I do what to ramp up, especially here in practice, is my intensity level — make it more game like, every drill, every possession , get that fight,” Terry said. “You have to be playing at a certain level to play regularseason basketball. This is the week. Today was a great start. The energy was up. The intensity was up. We need to continue to go.”
Dekker strives for growth
After making just 30.6 percent of his shots in his first five games, rookie Sam Dekker made three of six attempts, including two of his three 3-pointers, on Saturday against the Heat.
“As a rookie, there is that little growth process,” Dekker said. “I don’t think I’m anywhere near as comfortable as I’m going to be. I’m learning every day and trying to learn from the best and ask as many questions as I can.”