Nothing seemingly can slow down the Houston Rockets these days, despite the fact the team had an extreme makeover from last season.
“We have a coachable group, we have a mature group who want what’s best, not just for them but everybody in the group,” coach Stephen Silas said. “It’s good to know when we focus on something, whether it’s playing better defense or rebounding … we do it.”
Last year, the Rockets were coached by Mike D’Antoni and featured a star backcourt of James Harden and Russell Westbrook. This year, D’Antoni has been replaced by Silas, and the star backcourt features John Wall and Victor Oladipo.
It’s a lot of change, and things looked bleak when Harden demanded a trade (and some might even say pouted) earlier this season. Harden was eventually shipped to the Brooklyn Nets. And now, the Rockets have won six straight.
Silas, in particular, seems to be having a blast in his first stint as a head coach. He had been an assistant in the NBA for what seemed like 100 years.
“I’m having a blast,” Silas said. “I’m not going to wait 20 years to be a head coach and not have fun doing it. Even when times are hard or shaky as they were at the beginning, I’m going to have fun.”
The Rockets may not be done making moves, as small forwards P.J. Tucker and Danuel House have been the subject of trade rumors over the past few weeks/days. But those two continue to contribute, as do new centers Christian Wood and DeMarcus Cousins. And guard Eric Gordon, another holdover, remains as productive as ever.
So what felt like an almost definite season of struggle has turned into something worth watching.
“When you’re able to move the ball like that, you’re unpredictable,” Gordon said after Monday’s 136-106 rout of Oklahoma City. “It’s tough to scout to slow us down when we’re playing like that, moving the ball, guys are taking the right shots. As long as we’re playing like that, I’ll take our chances over anybody.”
The Rockets (10-9) visit the Thunder again on Wednesday.
