Gordon moves to second unit
Days after Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said he would use Wednesday’s game against the Spurs to look at the rotation he would likely bring into the regular season, he changed his starting lineup.
Danuel House Jr. started at small forward with Eric Gordon coming off the bench in the sixth-man role he had in his first two seasons with the Rockets.
D’Antoni wanted to get more offensive punch back with his second unit, but largely made the change to make it easier to always have two of his top three guards — James Harden, Russell Westbrook and Gordon — on the floor.
“It allows us to control his minutes a little bit and keep him, Russ and James, two of them, on the floor,” D’Antoni said. “Eric is just as important on the team as anybody. We have to find a spot where we maximize what he does. There is no use playing 37 minutes and there’s dead minutes out there. We have to keep him at 32. The only way to do that is if he doesn’t start.
“In my mind, he’s a starter. But we need that punch coming off the bench. I’d say 90 percent of the time they’re going to finish the game, those three.”
D’Antoni said he has not made a final decision about his starting lineup, though he was leaning this way.
“We’re going to look,” D’Antoni said. “I don’t know. We’re going to try it. If it doesn’t look good or somebody is uncomfortable, we might go back. We’ll see. But right now, that’s how we’re going to do it.”
House ready to roll as starter
The move of Danuel House Jr. to the starting lineup might have been largely to better balance the Rockets’ rotation, but it does allow House to bring the size and rebounding potential the starting unit could use.
In 13 starts last season, House averaged 11.2 points on 49.5 percent 3-point shooting and 4.2 rebounds in 29.8 minutes per game,
“The biggest thing is athleticism,” coach Mike D’Antoni said. “We’re taller. We’re bigger. Danuel can really go in and crash the boards, just get that energy we need right off to start the game. James (Harden) and Russ (Westbrook) and the rest of them, let them get off (offensively).”
House said he will especially look to run the floor, defend and rebound with the starting unit.
“Mike D’Antoni knows what he’s doing,” House, said. “The team trusts me. Now it’s time to … do my part, find a way to go out and perform and make things happen for us. Probably rebounding and in transition running and defensively bringing a bigger body. It adds a little bit more height on the wing. And I can run in transition, get the motor running for our team.”
At 6-6, House is three inches taller than the player he replaced as a starter, Eric Gordon.
House missed a week after cutting a gash open on his right leg.
“He’s fine,” D’Antoni said. “He’ll get back in the swing of things. He’s going to be an important piece for us. He just has to feel comfortable and he will.”
No speculation on Olympics
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said he was eager to see Rockets guards Russell Westbrook and James Harden together. He stayed far away from offering whether he wants to see them together on the Olympic team he will coach next summer in Japan.
“Oh, I’m not going to talk about the Olympics, who is going to be on the Olympics (team),” Popovich said. “You’re going to get me in trouble. Do I look that stupid?”
He said it would be good for his young backcourt of Dejounte Murray, Bryn Forbes and Derrick White to get to go against the Rockets stars.
“Those guys have been around for a while, they’re great players, they’re MVPs,” Popovich said. “It’s good for our guys to play against them and learn. There’s no shame in that.”
“I would assume (the pairing of Westbrook and Harden) will be just fine. They’re pros. Mike ( D’Antoni) is a great coach. They’ll figure it out.”