Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Rockets will take on the Grizzlies. It'll be a matchup
of two versus three in the Western Conference. And to
preview that and to recap what the Rockets have been
the last week or so. Is our friend Imaadoka, head
coach of your Houston Rockets coach. It's Matt and Ross.
Good afternoon. Uh, kind of excited about tonight. This Memphis team,
along with you guys, probably the two greatest, not surprises,
(00:20):
but most improved teams in the Western Conference.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
It's got a good measuring stick against this very good team.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Yeah, I mean, it's another game, but you know, due
to our position in the standings, means a lot obviously,
and then haven't seen them since the second game of
the season when they didn't have Jan Jackson junior. Some
guys were missing, so be a good test for us.
But yeah, more about what we're going to do anyway,
and on to the next Does.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
It feel like that was a situation first quarter? I
think you guys were down ten to the Wizards. You
kind of I don't know what it was because the
arena was stale, there was not a great crowd, hard
to get kind of get motivated for them because they've
gone through so many injuries, but when you got going
in the third quarter, especially Jalen, it was nice and
easy way to finish things off against the Wizards a
couple of night a couple nights back.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
Yeah, we definitely looked the little sluggist coming out of
the gate.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
You know, got down ten.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
They were just playing much harder than us. We weren't
moving the ball, and then even in the second quarter
to be up to a halftime, obviously we went plus
twelve in the second quarter, and you know, third quarter
was obviously a tail of two games. We came out
with energy, went on a crazy round. Alprind and Jalen
got going, and we and we guarded the way we
were capable and stretched the lead.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
Thirty points per game for Jaalen the last of three nights,
shooting forty eight percent from the floor, forty three from three,
just seeing the ball go through the hoop, a little
bit more, better shot selection, and I feel like we
we kind of always ask about this, but you know,
the alpha dogs on the team, the main go to guys,
always get this kind of microscope looked upon him. But
(01:48):
it has been a nice run for him as of late.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
Yeah, I mean sometimes it's just made our misshots. He
had really good looks at other games that he's knocking
down now. But I do say his recognition has continued
to understanding how teams are guarding him when they're trying
to double team. Ring he's handled on the blitz is better.
He's recognizing guys going under to ty to take away
his driving lane, and he's shooting the ball extremely well,
which opens everything up for himself and everybody else.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
Man Thompson is six seven and two fifteen measurable wise.
He has thirty one rebounds in his last two games.
Man the I hope America he may catches on to
how good this young man is, and it feels like
he's doing something different, whether he's coming off the bench
for you and now he's been starting because Jabari's out.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
He just knows where the basketball is, knows.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
Where he is on the floor, and I just think
his on court IQ just continues to grow and grow.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
Yeah, he's obviously a special athlete, so if he was
six two hundred, he'd probably get the same rebounds with
the athleticism, so has a knack for the ball, impacts
the game in several different ways. And obviously we know
who he is and a lot of people are get
to see it now that he's in the starting lineup,
but he was doing that stuff off the bench for us,
you know, season, and so he gives us a ton
(03:01):
of versatility with matchup wise defensively, him and Dilan out
there can kind of tag team different guys, and he's
doing what we've seen him do pretty much.
Speaker 4 (03:09):
This guy here, team's been keen on outbranching good more
and more as he's gone along in his career. We've
been seeing some fronting defense, some doubling as well. What
has it been like going through those types of things
with him where sometimes he struggled and what do you
want to see from him as he goes along in
the conversations you guys are having and what you want
to see from.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
Him, Yeah, I mean, he got to take it as
on or obviously he's one of the best low post scorers,
one of the scoring big men, one of the best
scoring big men in the league in general from all
over the court, and so teams just paying him that respect,
going after him quite a bit, putting different smaller guys
on him, doubling with the big and so he just
has to see it quicker adjust and what he's been
(03:47):
doing is picking the gym part lately. So it's sometimes
just simplify it, like make the right play whatever that is.
If they don't double, you go score. If they double,
make the right read. And so he's been doing that great,
especially lately. Washington went out after him a ton, and
even in the games before that, just making the right read.
He's he's a hub for us that it creates shots
for everybody else, and so we'll welcome that all the
time because we love the open shots that he creates
(04:09):
for us.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Yeah, especially like in double teams.
Speaker 4 (04:11):
You have to coach everybody on that because when he
passes out of him and there's four on three situations
and get everybody prepared to score in those situations.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
Yeah, I mean, we understand what our spacing is and
where we want specific players on the court, but you know,
we'll feed them with the guys that we like to
initiate the action out of the kickout, and a lot
of times that's for it and our shooters, you know,
being more of a threat right there and then they
can swing in and we have numbers and advantages on
the backside. So the thing is for helping to read
it and our guys to react off of that. And
anytime we know he can create an advantage with the double
(04:42):
teams on the post, we've been really good when the
balls popping moving and then it loosens.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
Up for him and he can go to work. You
may have dooka with us here on Sports Talk seven.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
Any coach, when I run into Rocket fans, they always
ask me, how's Torry doing?
Speaker 2 (04:54):
How's Tarry doing?
Speaker 1 (04:54):
And I don't mean to make you a doctor on
the radio here, but to the best of your generalization,
where are we on tari I know he's got to
be frustrating for you as a coach to see a
young man who played so well for you first quarter
point of the season have to miss as much time
as he's done the last month or so.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
Yeah, So we're just being cautious and being smart about it.
You know, he went through obviously a surgery last year,
and so for us, we want to be smart with it.
You know, the pain is lessening day by day, and
so he's trended in the right direction and when he's
ready to play, he'll be ready to play. And so
I'm not gonna make a hasty decision to rush anything
in December January. I want to be smart about it
and have them when it really counts later in the season,
(05:34):
and that's where our depth comes into play. Other guys
have stepped up, but obviously he'll be a welcome sight
when he comes back.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
Is there a threshold email that he's got a wake
up two three days in a row not feeling sore.
Is it a workout then followed by a good wake
up in the morning. What is your sports medisin team
and you got great folks that work with you. What
have they said about when it's time to push it
a little bit further into the testament to a different
level than maybe he was, say three or four days ago.
Speaker 3 (05:59):
Yeah, he's he's going harder on non game days and
seeing how he feels on game days. And so that's
been the plan as of now, and sometimes a little
more sore than others. But they're being cautious, like I said,
with being smart about it and really ramping up his
off days, and when we have two three good days
of the pain lessening and lessening, he'll be back out there.
And so that's the plan right now. He's been really
(06:20):
good at you know, attacking the rehab, getting after it
in the workout sessions, and so anticipating coming back soon.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Did you catch in the Okay See Cleveland game last night? Yes,
I do. What do you think Lee gonna do a
good job of?
Speaker 1 (06:34):
I mean, look, I want the Rockets get as much
publicity as possible because that's a team we love here
in this town and you guys certainly deserve it. But
it was kind of nice to not to have you know,
Lebron James and Golden State on television for like the
nineteenth consecutive night.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
I mean, that's a good matchup with the two top
teams in the West and East right now, so you know,
with really good records and obviously talented players. So we'll
see Cleveland coming up in the next few weeks twice,
and obviously I've seen Okay See a few time, so
it's good to kind of see see what they're doing,
how they're playing, and obviously shoot the aim to try
to catch these guys, and so good game back and
forth obviously two of the top teams, and it panned
(07:09):
out like you thought it would.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Our guys on the squad and maybe today's NBA players
have they use measuring sticks against other opponents or is
it just what's ahead of me now?
Speaker 2 (07:18):
And we'll just you know, keep winning games that are
right in front of us.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
Well obviously, uh, you got to play consecutive games and
you gotta play who's in front of you. So that's
really how the NBA goes. You're on to the next
pretty quickly. But matchups and team you know, personal personnel
wise and teams in general are good measuring sticks all
the time. And so we've had a tough stretch of
games at times, and we had teams with tougher with
lesser records, and so for us, we want to always
(07:43):
measure ourselves against the better teams, and regardless of who
we're playing, we want to play the same way. But
it's always good to have measuring stick and and I
know guys get ramped up and amped up for certain
matchups and so that's just human nature and it's always
going to be like that.
Speaker 4 (07:56):
Rockets head coach Imyadoka was here on Sports Talk seven ninety.
We had you on last week talking about the comments
from Cam Whitmore since then, how things been with him,
what you've seen off the floor, and.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
On Coun's been good. He's been you know, playing hard.
You know, I heard people mentioning body language or whatever.
It seems like people are kind of looking for something now.
But very efficient last game in Washington, eighteen points in
seventeen minutes on sixth race shootings continue to obviously, score
is natural. Like I said, I'm always harping on your
little things, the defensive things and you know, recognizing who
(08:27):
is where on the court and how we have to
guard specific guys. And so that's always going to be
the thing with him and the young guys, is defensive coverages,
schemes and knowing your personnel. So that's that's a big
thing there. Stop selection has improved vastly, and he's the
he's scoring it like he always does. So I think
people are making a little bit too much out of nothing.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
Before I let you run, reach Shepherd.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
I mean, my goodness, as soon as we finished playing
that game against the Wizards, everybody on the bus was
like watching the highlights and Jack Landell's giving me like
minute by minute of there's another three pointer for Reid.
He's got what are he finished with forty nine points.
I mean, I don't know if you want to put
that on the all time great our GV Hall of
Fame scoring from one night. But obviously he got down
there and got some of his mojo back.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
Yeah, it was good to see.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
We wanted to see some things from him to be aggressive,
confident and run the team and hunt his shots, you know,
guard defensively as well, and I think he did all
of the above, and so it kind of took and
it was it was pretty natural. It wasn't like he
was for saying he took what they gave him, had
a bunch of walk in threes and he got to
go in there and so loved his aggressiveness. Didn't miss
a beat from not playing much with us, and so
(09:30):
obviously a good sign one of our most talented young
guys going forward and big plans for him obviously, So
with the lack of time with us, it was good
to see him go down there and play a little
bit and you're looking forward to get him back as well.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
How much do you guys talk on a daily basis
about how long you think he needs to be there?
Obviously injuries could play a role up here, rotation times,
opponent's number of games in a certain days, but anything
right now or is that kind of a fluid situation.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
No, you looked at the three game road trip we
were on. It went perfectly with their schedule of three
home games. We'll reevaluate it after that, but that was
the plan of them. Now he'll be back with us
when we played Memphis at home and go from there.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
Last question, where are we on Jabbari? I know he
was with us. He's on with us on the trip here.
Now what have they told you in terms of I
know that you mentioned a couple of days ago the
media that there was not surgery scheduled. Is that an
option that maybe he can't avoid that or is that
ultimately going to be the plan of action.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
Oh, he's looking at both options. You know, one takes
a little longer than the other, but they're both available,
and I think the rehab process is different with no
surgery and versus getting the pin in there, And so
he's figuring it out, looking at some second opinion doctors,
and he'll make a decision soon.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
Sorry to get some medical on you, but you know what,
you got a couple of key guys out, So that's
what I had to be asked. Hey, thanks for the
visit we' we'll see you tonight and good luck against
the Grizzlies.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
All right, thank you guys, we'll see.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
That's emay I don't go with us here. On The
Matt Thomas Show with Ross