Is upgrade a do-it-yourself project?
Players believe it’s on them to improve, resurrect season
TEMPE, Ariz. — There was no giant countdown clock reporting the time left before Thursday’s NBA trade deadline, but there also was no point in pretending Rockets players were unaware of the deadline and the potential of moves to come.
With that in mind, before interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff ran the vacation out of the Rockets’ legs, he delivered a message. Heading into Thursday’s 2 p.m. trade deadline, he told his players they should assume the needed repairs might have to come from within. They have 27 games left to get it right.
Center Dwight Howard, subject of the most persistent trade rumors, insisted he never thought of the deadline and the remainder of the season any other way.
“I don’t pay attention to that stuff,” Howard said. “I came out here to Arizona, and I spent some time here in the mountains, got away to train, get ready for the second half of the
season. No matter what is being said, the only thing I can control is what I do on the floor. That’s been my only focus.
“You always put it out of your mind. There’s always going to be rumors. People are always going to say stuff. At the end of the day, none of that stuff matters. You’re out there working hard. Hard work always pays off. That’s my approach. Things are always going to be said. Just know: I said nothing. I’ve been in the gym, trying to get better, thinking about what I can do to make this team better.
“My objective is to go out and play as hard as I can for this team no matter what happens.” Lawson to Utah?
Howard was not alone as the subject of trade speculation.
Multiple individuals with knowledge of trade talks said the Rockets have discussed options to deal Howard but added there have been conversations about most of the roster, save James Harden.
ESPN on Wednesday reported the Rockets have been in talks with the Utah Jazz about dealing point guard Ty Lawson for a package centered on point guard Trey Burke.
Like Howard, Lawson said he has learned not to concern himself with the possibility he will be dealt.
“If something happens, it happens. You’d go crazy if you tried to find out ‘what’s this’ and ‘who’s saying that,’ ” Lawson said. “I just keep doing my job, keep trying to play hard. Just being in the league, you hear a million trade rumors, and maybe two trades go down. I don’t feed into them.
“We can right the ship and finish the season strong, make some noise. I’d like to stay here.”
Bickerstaff echoed that sentiment, even adding that his description of the Rockets as “a broken team” was not taken as intended.
“My message is we’re not where we need to be,” Bickerstaff said. “The word ‘broken’ was taken a little more strongly than I anticipated. We’re not at the level we want to be. We haven’t been. That Portland game, the (message) was we’re not at our peak level. It’s everybody’s responsibility to get us there.
“We had the conversation before practice. We’re going to get better. By April 15, we’ll be the team we want to be. It’s because of the guys here. The coaching staff, the front office, the organization has trust in each other, belief in one another. And the talent is here.” ‘We’ll figure it out’
Bickerstaff said there is enough confidence in the roster that he would not be surprised if the same 14 players at Wednesday’s practice — forward Terrence Jones worked out in Houston as part of the concussion protocol — return for the workout after the Thursday deadline.
“Nobody is … demanding trades,” Bickerstaff said. “Everybody here is in. We’ll work together, and we’ll figure it out.”
While general manager Daryl Morey worked on his options, his players said they would at least try to focus on turning things around on their own.
“There’s going to be rumors,” forward Trevor Ariza said. “That happens all the time, whether it’s offseason rumors, trade deadline. It happens. You just have to stay focused.
“It’s not over. We still have (27) games left. That’s what we’re focusing on. We’re working to do better than we did in the first half. I still like our chances of getting where we need to.”