Fulfilling potential is elusive
MINNEAPOLIS — The potential, the Rockets insist, is there. But as they hit the All-Star break, the season-long chase of possibilities taunts them, a frustrating reminder that a confluence of issues, unavoidable and self-made, has held them back.
It is probably better to believe more is possible than to accept they have squeezed all there is from a roster reworked several times with additions to come.
Yet, when the Rockets begin a 25-game stretch run toward the playoffs, they have a sense they have been held back by injuries, but also underachieved, that they can be better than they have been, but have gone dangerously deep into the season without reaching consistent excellence.
“I don’t have a doubt that it’s in our locker room, that we can cure our problems,” coach Mike D’Antoni said. “It’s under our control.”
The loss to the Timberwolves on Wednesday combined with the Trail Blazers’ win over the Warriors dropped the Rockets to fifth in the Western Conference, one game behind the Blazers but just three games out of the lottery. But the disappointment was about a series of come-from-ahead losses when the intensity was lacking or dipped with a lead.
“You have to have it,” D’Antoni said. “You have to be professional. You have to know the standings. You have to know where we are, how important it is. Whatever the reason doesn’t really matter. If we want to be serious, we have to find it. We’ll take a week off, probably get away from each other, which is a good thing. Then get back at it next week.”
Capela’s practice time
Along with roster additions needed to get to 14 players, there is help on the way with the Rockets optimistic center Clint Capela will return in time to face the Lakers in the first game after the All-Star break.
He will have two practices in Los Angeles to get his first full contact work since surgery to repair ligaments in his right thumb, an injury that cost him 15 games and removed the Rockets’ second-leading scorer, leading rebounder and most indispensable rim protector from the mix.
But the Rockets had the same issues with Capela that have been conspicuous without. (The Rockets ranked 26th defensively and 28th in defensive rebounding percentage when Capela went out. They have ranked 25th defensively and 29th in defensive rebounding without him.)
“I know what we’re capable of,” guard Chris Paul said, “but for us, we won’t know what we look like until Clint gets back.”
Though Capela does bring exuberance along with production the Rockets have missed even with the successful addition of Kenneth Faried, the ongoing inability to generate consistent, reliable defensive intensity has become an increasingly frequent and vexing shortcoming.
“You can win a lot of games in the NBA if you play hard,” D’Antoni said after the loss to the Timberwolves. “And if you don’t, you lose a lot of games. We have periods where we just don’t play real hard.
“You could feel it … the whole game (Wednesday) there was not enough enthusiasm, not enough want. When we do that, we struggle because we’re not physical like the other teams, we’re not big. When we don’t push the pace and don’t defend with great energy and rebound we lose.”
That would seem correctable, but it also could point to the deficiencies defensively that become even more striking when the energy and urgency are lacking. The Rockets’ switching style holds opponents to the second-fewest 3-pointers in the league. But the Rockets allow the most points in the paint. The struggles to secure the defensive boards not only gives up second-chance points, it cuts off the Rockets’ chances to run.
Curtailed fast breaks
“I don’t know what it is,” guard James Harden said. “It’s been like that. We just haven’t put it together. Rebound the basketball, get out in transition. It’s night and day.”
On Wednesday, the Rockets took one fast-break shot, with the struggles to secure the boards slowing pace and sapping energy even on offense.
“Our biggest problem all season has been the rebounding, and rebounding really helps your defense, big time,” guard Eric Gordon said. “We’ve been struggling with that. We need to regroup and come with a better mindset, a fresh mindset. If we want to be a championship team, we need to do all the little things for us to win. We have a small margin for error. Clint will help with that. He’ll help tremendously. We still have new guys. We need to acclimate them. But we’ll be better.”
The Rockets believe that. They have gone 21-10 during Harden’s streak of games scoring at least 30 points. That confidence makes the losses frustrating, but allows the Rockets to consider their issues correctable.
“If I was telling you we need more shooting or more talent, then that would be different, but we don’t need that,” D’Antoni said. “We need some communication, some desire and understanding what we have to do. There’s no reason to think we’re not the best in the league or that we’ll make a run after the All-Star break.”