Zhou impresses D’Antoni with rare skills for 7-footer
Rockets forward/center Zhou Qi remains a rookie with a long learning curve.
But coach Mike D’Antoni said Zhou did turn heads in the first practice of training camp Tuesday.
The Rockets do not expect Zhou to compete for a place in the rotation this season, but D’Antoni liked what he saw from Zhou’s first workout with the veterans.
“He has a chance. He has a real solid chance,” D’Antoni said. “He’s 7-2. He can shoot 3s, run the floor, knows how to play.
“There’s no reason other than strength and bulk and things that come naturally. I’m looking forward to having him up here all year and working with him.
“We’ll play him when we can. We’re not going to rush him. It probably won’t be this year when he makes a mark. But everybody keeps going, ‘Wow, he can be pretty good.’
“What’s surprising is he’s 7-2 and can shoot like he can, pass and do all that running. He’s very coordinated. I’m sure I’ll learn more about him as I go forward.”
Gordon, Paul share odd tale
Now that they are finally teammates, as they were through much of Tuesday’s first practice Tuesday, guard Eric Gordon
and Chris Paul have made a point to cite the road it took to get them there, specifically the 2011 deal in which they were traded for one another in one of the stranger episodes in their careers in the NBA.
The Hornets had reached an agreement to send Paul to the Lakers, but former NBA commissioner David Stern, acting as the owner of the Hornets, refused to sign off on the three-team trade that included the Rockets, citing “basketball reasons.”
Instead, the Hornets traded Paul to the Clippers for Gordon.
“It’s crazy,” Gordon said. “We talked about it all summer. We went through that trade.
“Now, we’re here as teammates. But I think we’re both in a great situation where we really have a chance to win a championship.
“This is probably the best team both have us have been on.”
They were not the only ones who had to regroup after Stern’s decision only to end up on the Rockets.
Rockets center Nene intended to sign with the Rockets as a free agent after the deal cleared the necessary salary-cap space.
He instead returned to the Denver Nuggets, not joining the Rockets until last season.
Paul handles unlucky strike
Guard Chris Paul came over to help defensively, challenging a drive from Demetrius Jackson.
It did not end well. Jackson’s knee caught Paul below the belt, sending Paul to the floor for several minutes.
“I caught a knee,” Paul said. “I was cool. Things happened. He got me.”
Paul stayed in the scrimmage until the end of the first day’s practice.
Yao contributes to relief fund
Former Rockets center Yao Ming donated $100,000 to Mayor Sylvester Turner’s Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund on Tuesday in an appearance at Hilliard Elementary School.
Yao watched the first Rockets practice after that appearance.
The Rockets will play the Shanghai Sharks in their preseason home opener Oct. 5.
Yao played for the Sharks before he was drafted by the Rockets in 2002 and owned the Sharks before he became the head of the Chinese Basketball Association.