Game Gordon needs games; D’Antoni remembers Stern
With Friday’s game to be Eric Gordon’s third since returning from knee surgery, he did not feel the need for the odd break in the schedule.
The Rockets’ game against the 76ers on Friday is their only game in a span of seven days. Gordon, however, said he is at the point he just needs game time to get in game shape after sitting out for six weeks.
“I need games,” Gordon said. “Rest for me, I need a little bit of both at this point so I can get a chance to play as many minutes as I want to.
“I’m not there yet. I’m getting there. A few weeks, maybe a month and I’ll be at that point. I’ll still try to play well for the amount of minutes I’m out there. All my athleticism, my explosiveness — I just have to get in better condition. It’s hard to condition outside of the game because the game is a lot harder. As time goes on, it’s going to get better and better.”
Gordon averaged 16 points on 52.6 percent shooting and 58.8 percent 3-point shooting in his two games after missing 22 games following his knee surgery. He said he feels none of the discomfort in his knee that he had before the procedure when he averaged 10.9 points on 30.9 percent shooting and 28.4 percent 3-point surgery through nine games.
“I like when we’re in the routine,” Gordon said. “I like how we are when we play every other day or so. I like when we’re playing all the time.”
When the Rockets’ schedule resumes, they will play a back-to-back in Atlanta and Oklahoma City, bringing the possibility that Gordon and Russell Westbrook would be held out of one game each.
Gordon is expected to be limited to roughly 25 minutes on Friday.
Stern’s global impact lauded
As tributes have poured in following the passing of NBA commissioner emeritus David Stern, Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni especially felt the impact of Stern’s vision regarding international play. A former player and coach in Italy, D’Antoni said he appreciated Stern’s outreach internationally.
“It’s a very sad day, obviously,” D’Antoni said. “He meant so much to the league. It’s hard to, in a few soundbites, to be able to say how much he means. But, just a force of nature.
“The biggest thing that relates to me is how he was involved in the international game early and really opened up international markets, and being able to play the Olympics the way we do it … bringing so many players over from Europe and opening that market up. There’s a whole laundry list of things that he’s done that’s impacted our league that won’t ever be forgotten.” Rockets CEO Tad
Brown, who described Stern as “a force of nature,” also cited Stern’s influence in bringing the NBA to international markets, and particularly how that helped grow the game, as evidenced by Yao Ming’s career.
“Yesterday was a very tough day for everybody in the NBA family,” Brown said. “Commissioner Stern was just an amazing guy. He’s done so much for this game, to transform the game, to grow the game. You look over the 30 years of his career, I don’t think there’s ever been a commissioner in professional sports that’s had that kind of impact and had been that kind of change agent for the growth of the sport.
“You just look at the globalization of the game. We were fortunate to be able to choose Yao Ming with the first pick of the (2002) draft. The impact that made not only on our franchise — his number is right here in the rafters — he’s going to be an icon in the city of Houston for the rest of my life. It’s really about the growth of the entire NBA. It’s become the world’s most popular sport.”
Harden among All-Star leaders
Rockets guard James Harden was in line to start the 2020 All-Star game in Chicago in the first fan balloting announced by the NBA.
Harden, a seven-time All-Star and the NBA’s leading scorer in each of the past three seasons, was second among Western Conference guards, behind the Mavericks’ Luka Doncic. Rockets guard Russell Westbrook was fifth. Damian Lillard of the Trail Blazers and Stephen Curry of the Warriors were third and fourth, respectively.
The Lakers’ LeBron James and Anthony Davis lead Western Conference frontcourt players, followed by Kawhi Leonard of the Clippers.
In the Eastern Conference, the Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Sixers’ Joel Embiid and the Raptors’ Pascal Siakam lead among frontcourt players with the Hawks’ Trae Young and the Nets’ Kyrie Irving the leaders among guards.
Fan voting counts 50 percent toward naming starters with media and player balloting accounting for 25 percent each. Voting continues through January 20.
Harden named Player of Month
Rockets guard James Harden was named the Western Conference Player of the Month for December, the fourth time in the past six months in which he was been selected.
Harden averaged 37.3 points, 6.9 assists, 5.6 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 1.2 blocked shots in December as the Rockets went 10-4 in games Harden played.
Harden scored at least 34 points in nine of his 14 games played in December. He joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only players in NBA history with at least 54 points in consecutive road games and Stephen Curry as the only players with at least 10 3-pointers in consecutive games.
The Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo, who averaged 29.3 points, 12 rebounds and 5.3 assists, was the Eastern Conference Player of the Month.