Rockets78: Just wanna thank everyone here. I won't take long.
1)Wanna first thank Etan Thomas for his contributions here. He was a steady producer and better person off the court. Wish him well in Minny.
2)Last season was a surprise. We expected to improve, but not sure if we expected winning 19 more games and tied for the 2nd best record in the West and just one game back of the top seed. Really want to give credit to coach Jeff Van Gundy. Felt he really kept the team going despite missing Manu for a third of the season. No way we are successful without him.
About our offseasons move.
3) We drafted two guys in Johan Petro and Alan Anderson who we hope can become steady contributors in the future.
4) We resigned Brad Miller and Eddie Griffin to provide good depth.
5) We signed Aaron McKie because he is a quality backup. He provides great leadership and production.
6) We traded Etan Thomas to relieve cap space for the future and we felt that Al Jefferson could start if needed.
7) We signed Samaki Walker to be the backup PF because of his defense and rebounding. He will get plenty of minutes with Al being the backup center. We trained his defense after training camp. Gonna leave the floor to coach Van Gundy.
Jeff Van Gundy: Thank you. Hello everyone. Really ready to start the season. We made alot of strides last year, but we feel we can be better, especially in the playoffs. Anyway, here's our depth chart and gameplan.
1) Okafor will start at center. He brings defense and rebounding. Should be even better this year in his second season. Jefferson will be the backup center and Brad Miller will be 3rd string.
2) Jefferson will also start at PF. He will bring inside scoring and rebounding. He's improved his defense as well. Samaki Walker will be the backup and bring defense and rebounding. Eddie Griffin will be 3rd string.
3) Carmelo will start at SF. He was an All-Star last season and one of the best scorers in the league. He's improved his defense this offseason. Rodney Rogers will be the backup while Eddie Griffin is the 3rd string.
4) Manu will start at shooting guard. He brings scoring and defense. We expect him to have a big year. Aaron McKie will be the backup. He brings scoring, ball-handing, and defense. Tim Pickett is expected to improve in this 2nd season and will be 3rd string.
5) Damon Stoudamire will once again run the point. He's been a strong player in his time with the Rockets. Aaron McKie will be the backup and Shaun Livingston will get minutes as well and hope to improve from his productive rookie season.
6) We're gonna put the two rookies, Petro and Anderson on injured reserve. But they will be called upon if needed.
7) Gameplan. We're gonna go at a fast pace again. We're going to trap off and on. Not too often, but more than sometimes. We're only gonna press sometimes because we feel we can defend well in the halfcourt. And we will have an inside focus offensively.
8) Scoring options. With an inside focus, we're gonna give the ball down low to Al Jefferson. We feel he will be a premier inside scorer. Carmelo will also get plenty of touches as he can score inside and from the perimeter to compliment Jefferson and Manu Ginobili will also get touches.
Thank you and I'm gonna give it back to Rockets78 for one final statement before questions begin.
Rockets78: Ladies. Gentlemen. You've eaten well. You've eaten the Sim-League's wealth. Its spirit. From this moment on, none of you are safe.