Nachbar's chance to shine at hand Focus on forward in summer play By JONATHAN FEIGEN Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/1992177 The crowd that filled the old arena first buzzed and then built to a roar at the mere sight of Bostjan Nachbar. The game was stopped so he could be introduced and celebrated again in a more suitable and official manner. Nachbar was back, back on the floor, back in Treviso, Italy, where he was remembered fondly a year after he had left to take his talents to the Rockets. As part of the NBA's Basketball Without Borders program, he returned to the home of Benetton Treviso to help run a clinic a year after the Rockets made him a first-round pick and put him on the shelf for what amounted to a redshirt season. In Italy, fans knew why the Rockets considered Nachbar a valuable commodity. At the Summer Pro League, however, he returned to the NBA as another raw talent struggling to find a niche. Nachbar, the only former first-round pick on the Rockets' summer-league team, has gotten the sort of playing time and touches he never saw as a rookie. But in two games, he has made just four of 18 shots. On Saturday, he made just one of nine attempts and had four first-quarter turnovers. He finished with 10 points and eight rebounds. But with their presumptive go-to scorer unable to lead them, the Rockets made just 25.6 percent of their shots and lost 86-79 to the Raptors at the Long Beach State Pyramid. "I think it's just rotten shooting," coach Jeff Van Gundy said, discounting two-a-day practices as impacting the Rockets' shooting touch. "I could try to make an excuse. But it's rotten shooting." Van Gundy was similarly pointed in his assessment of Nachbar. Though he praised Nachbar's efforts, particularly defensively where the Rockets' new coaches have placed their greatest emphasis, Van Gundy expects more. "We are trying to have him get a chance to play a lot and to evaluate him," Van Gundy said. "But what he needs to do is to play well. That's what he needs to do. "I don't think in those terms as far as trying to figure out why (a player struggles). He has to find ways to be effective. He's fine defensively. He had eight rebounds. "When you play with a great post man and a penetrating point guard, you have to make people pay for double (-team defenses) and help (defenses) and be a knockdown shooter. And really, when you look at our team, that is one of the areas (where) we have to improve team-wide." The 6-9 Nachbar, 23, will be given every chance to improve in the Rockets' three remaining games. "Obviously in the summer league, the coaches are trying to get me more touches and put me under pressure a little bit," Nachbar said. "Our practices have been great. It's a learning process for all of us. And I sat out all of last year. Of course I feel it. When I was on the court, it was like a year since I was in a game with pressure on me, knowing I'm the scorer, I'm the go-to guy. "It's a new beginning for me. It's going to take time, but I'll get there." If a season spent waiting for a chance to play did not steal Nachbar's confidence, a few days of wayward shooting could not. "Mentally, it was very hard," Nachbar said about last season. "I expected a lot more. But after the trade for James Posey, and when Glen Rice got healthy , and (with the Rockets) being close to the playoffs, coaches gave time to players with more experience who they trusted more. It was tough being quiet, staying on the bench. But that's what I had to do. "I was working hard all season. I didn't play in the games, but I had a chance to work hard in the practices because those were the games for me." Now, he has a chance to play in real games, or as close as summer-league games are to real games. He might be the only Rocket in Long Beach likely to be with the team next season. Tito Maddox, last season's second-round pick, was more solid at the point in the second game and showed the defensive pressure Van Gundy demands. But he made just one of six shots. Maddox could earn an invitation to training camp. Malick Badiane, this season's second-round pick, was as quick and bouncy as advertised and had 11 points and five rebounds in 26 minutes. The Rockets were led by forward DeMarco Johnson, who had 17 points but was limited to 26 minutes by foul trouble. But the summer league is as much about improvement as results, especially for Nachbar. "He hasn't played a lot in a year so this is very important for him," Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson said. "The feel of competition when you haven't played a lot is a shock when you first come back. I think as it goes along, it's going to get easier for him." But if Nachbar had forgotten what it feels like to be the star, he was reminded last month in Italy. "It was good to go back, see old friends, old teammates, coaches and everybody," Nachbar said. "I went to see a game and the whole gym stood up. Everyone was clapping. It was great. Fans started cheering my name. It gets kind of wild in Europe. "It's good when coaches and teammates trust you and know you'll be the guy with the ball in your hand and will make good decisions. It's a great feeling. But if you don't do it for a long, long time, you need time to adjust." --

※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.csie.ntu.edu.tw) ◆ From: 61.230.7.69