THE ROCKETS’ CHRIS PAUL IS OUT. BUT FOR HOW LONG?
Team considers help at position; D’Antoni will use Jackson as sub
The Rockets were certain star guard Chris Paul would be out when they play their home opener Saturday against the Mavericks.
How much longer they would be without their prized offseason acquisition became more uncertain Friday.
Though Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said Paul was day-to-day after Saturday and did not rule him out of Monday’s game against the Grizzlies, the New York Times reported there are fears Paul’s bruised left knee could keep him out for up to a month.
Several player agents said Friday they had heard the Rockets could be looking for point guard help and that they reached out to the team about their clients.
Former Magic and Nuggets point guard Jameer Nelson could be a logical fit to fill the Rockets’ final roster spot, though the Rockets are limited to offering only a veteran-minimum contract. He likely would seek a guaranteed contract and the Rockets might prefer to maintain flexibility with their roster, depending at least in part on Paul’s prognosis 10 days after suffering the injury.
Err on side of caution
D’Antoni said the Rockets do not consider the injury serious. But after Paul’s difficulties in the opener, when he was 2 of 9 shooting with 11 assists and eight rebounds, the Rockets have opted against having him play through the soreness that slowed him.
“It’s only a bump,” D’Antoni said. “It’s not a tear or something like that. It’s a bruise. We just have to make sure he’s 100 percent the next time he plays.
“I don’t think there’s (concern.) All indications are he should be OK.”
Paul, 32, bumped knees with Grizzlies guard Mario Chalmers on Oct. 11 in Memphis, missing the final preseason game against the Spurs two nights later. The Rockets held him out of the second half of the season-opening back-toback against the Kings on Wednesday. Paul said that night he would consider “the big picture” when choosing when to return, but said Wednesday that he had not ruled out playing Saturday.
The Rockets face the Grizzlies at Toyota Center on Monday before opening a three-game road trip.
“We’ll see on Monday,” D’Antoni said of getting Paul back. “I think we’re shooting for that, but that doesn’t mean that. This time, we’re going to make sure it’s 100 percent and go from there.”
Paul’s adaption slowed
Paul’s absence has slowed the process of getting him accustomed to a new offense and role, but it has kept James Harden running the offense much as he did last season. Harden had at least 27 points and nine assists in each of the first two games, the fourth player since 1983-84 to reach those numbers in the first two games of a season. He has averaged 37.1 minutes per game, slightly more than last season, though the uptick was minor enough to be just from both games going down to the final minute, rather than a change in his workload.
“It’s the same thing whether he’s playing or not,” Harden said of his responsibilities with Paul out. “Be aggressive, make the right play. Offense is not going to be a problem. I think we’re still building our identity on the defensive end.”
With the defense in mind, D’Antoni said he would use guard Demetrius Jackson as Harden’s backup for a second consecutive game. Jackson is on a two-way contract with the Rockets, but his allotment of 45 days with the Rockets does not begin until the Rio Grande Valley Vipers’ regular season begins Nov. 3.
“I think he gave us some good minutes,” D’Antoni said. “First time he’s been on the floor for us. I like his defense. He’ll get into people. That’s all we kind of need. We have other guys who can score. He does all the little things. Smart. Great (in the) locker room. We’re happy with him.”
Jackson, who played five games with the Celtics last season, played 10 minutes in Sacramento on Wednesday, missing his two shots, but getting three rebounds and two assists as the Rockets outscored the Kings by four while he was on the floor.
Reserves get a chance
“We’re a vet team,” Harden said. “We’re a mature team. When one guy goes down, other guys are able to step up and be ready to play.
Obviously, Chris needs to take his time and make sure he’s healthy. That’s important. Other guys … have opportunities to step up.”
But DJ2 is not confused for CP3. Paul’s absence allows an early-season look at options, particularly at the 23-year-old secondyear guard who caught D’Antoni’s eye in training camp. But the “big picture” remains to get Paul back and ready to make his adjustment to the Rockets.
“You try to find a lot of things out,” D’Antoni said. “You don’t want to find them out. You want to have Chris. We have a team that is deep. You might as well use it if it is deep. We want to play well.”