Media Frenzy

Damien Pierce
Rockets.com Staff Writer

HOUSTON -- Despite being given proper notice about what was waiting for him outside the locker room, Rockets rookie Steve Novak couldn't believe what he was witnessing inside the lower corridors of Toyota Center.

Scrambling media. Microphones galore. Photo sets stretching across the building.

He had only experienced something like it once in his life.

"It’s like being at the Final Four," Novak said. "But I've never taken this many photos."

Welcome, rookie, to NBA Media Day.

Before a crowded room filled with reporters, flashing camera bulbs and players, the Rockets hosted their annual Media Day on Tuesday afternoon at Toyota Center.

The event drew about 100 reporters to talk about the upcoming season and Houston's potential to become a serious contender in the Western Conference.

Unfortunately for the media seeking sexy sound bites, there weren't any championship guarantees.

The media instead settled for promises of a better season than last year's 34-win campaign and updates on the health of Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady.

Well, that and some photos.

"Well, hope always springs eternal on Media Day," Rockets forward Shane Battier said. "Every Media Day is the same. Every team is excited and has playoff aspirations. Everybody is good. That's the fun part. There is a lot excitement surrounding this day, but we're all ready to find out where we really are at."

"This year, I think we're one of those teams that are deep. We can keep throwing guys at you, night in and night out."
- McGradySince acquiring free agent forward Bonzi Wells and Battier, there is certainly plenty of media hype surrounding the team heading into the season.

The Rockets have the potential with its new additions and healthy lineup to compete with the Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference title race.

The health of Yao and McGrady will, of course, weigh heavily on that. But the Rockets appear to be deeper than recent Houston teams.

"The problem last season is that we didn’t play with a high enough basketball IQ and our skill level wasn’t high enough," Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "This year, I think without question, we have better talent and better skill level. What remains to be answered is what kind of attitude and commitment we'll have this season."

During the next month of camp, the Rockets need to blend their new talent with their core group of players to find out.

Houston has eight new players on the training camp roster that weren't with the team last season and still must figure out how to divide the offense between players like Yao, McGrady, Wells and Battier.

The good news is that the Rockets should be able to withstand the absence of one of those players over a significant stretch. Houston was 13-38 when either Yao or McGrady were out of the lineup last season.

"We've had some good teams in the past, but I thought some of the other teams in the West had more depth than us in the past," McGrady said. "This year, I think we're one of those teams that are deep. We can keep throwing guys at you, night in and night out."

With that in mind, Wells, the Rockets' newest addition, was about the only man wearing a red and white uniform who dared to make a prediction about the upcoming season.

Sort of.

He said he recently signed with Houston to win a championship and he expects the Rockets to be in the hunt for an NBA crown.

"Barring injury, we can be great," Wells said. "We can make big strides and we can easily be one of the top four teams in the West. When you got a big man like Yao that you can throw it to 99 percent of the time and got Tracy who can get by any by, you’re going to win a lot of games."

After wrapping up Media Day, the Rockets began bagging their bags for Austin, where the first four days of training camp will begin on Wednesday.

Battier figures it's probably good to get out of town for the rookies after Tuesday's media madness.

"When you’re a rookie, it can be a little overwhelming," Battier said of Media Day. "The veterans don't take it so seriously. We just smile, take some pictures, give some good quotes and get on to the next day of practice."