Getting acquainted period has left Beasley in stitches
Days after teammate Clint Capela opened a gash in Michael Beasley’s right eyelid, Beasley said his only challenge from the incident was keeping fresh bandages over the five stitches.
Otherwise, he did not seem bothered or too concerned with Capela’s confession that revealed how the newest Rocket was cut.
“He owes me something, maybe a dinner,” Beasley said. “It happens. It’s basketball. I’ll live.”
He has had no other complaints with his rapid move into the Rockets’ rotation or role as a provider of instant offense off the bench.
“It’s great,” Beasley said. “I feel I can be the piece that brings everything together. We have all the right pieces to make an impact going toward the playoffs. Still learning the fellas, the fellas still learning me. We’ll go from there.
“I watch basketball so I kind of knew. I was watching the Rockets a lot. It’s about when and how — how fast I can learn the system, how fast players can accept me and vice a versa. It’s going great. They’re making it easy for me.”
In his first three games in the Rockets’ rotation heading into Wednesday’s game, Beasley averaged 14.7 points on 52.8 percent shooting in 19.1 minutes per game.
“It’s more comfortable than I thought it would be,” Beasley said. “We’ve got a light team. Everybody on the team supports me. The coaches support me. They put me in a position to be most effective for the team. The guys are making it easy.
“J.B. (Bickerstaff) is putting me in spots I can be productive and help the team. Really, it’s just about me and my mindset. It’s going great. Every day is a little more. Every off day, every morning I’m in here, building, building.”
Smith falls out of the rotation
Forward Josh Smith went from the Rockets to the Clippers and back again. He played a significant role for the Rockets against the Clippers last season and again when he returned, only to fall out of the rotation upon the return of Donatas Motiejunas and the addition of Michael Beasley.
Smith had not played in the five games prior to Wednesday night’s game against the Clippers. He had moved into the starting lineup coming out of the All-Star break. But in his seven games before falling out of the rotation, he made 28.3 percent of his shots, averaging five points and 3.3 rebounds per game.
“Josh is taking care of his body right now, working to get himself healthy,” interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “When he got here ( Jan. 22), it had been a while since he played.
“We kind of thrust him into a position and made him play. His body wasn’t prepared for it at that time. So he’s taking this time to get his body prepared so he can help us down the stretch.”