As Thursday’s NBA trade deadline nears, there is a growing amount of speculation and educated guesses surrounding many players on the Houston Rockets — headlined by Christian Wood and Eric Gordon.
With Caris LeVert and CJ McCollum already traded, Gordon may now be the most attractive wing option (among realistically available candidates) for title contenders to add as they look to bolster their teams for the 2022 playoffs. Meanwhile, with Indiana trading Domantas Sabonis and potentially keeping Myles Turner, that could make Wood more desirable for teams needing bigs. This is how crazy it often gets at the deadline.
With all the madness on social media these days and with a team full of young players, head coach Stephen Silas says his job with the Rockets is to make sure that he keeps his players focused on the court — and not on all the distractions that can take place away from it.
“There are always rumors and false narratives going on,” said Rockets head coach Stephen Silas when asked about keeping his players focused as the NBA trade deadline approaches on Thursday. #Rockets #LightTheFuse #Sarge pic.twitter.com/GgZEHQmCo3
— BIG SARGE MEDIA LLC (@BigSargeSportz) February 9, 2022
Before Tuesday’s game, Silas spoke about making sure his players are well equipped to handle what they may see on social media:
I don’t really address it very much, but I do discuss distractions borderline every day. Whether it’s a trade or referee or somebody that thinks he should be playing more than you are, or whatever. It is our job as a coaching staff, as a management team, to make sure everybody is pointed in the direction of things that you can control.
I know that there’s other stuff out there and rumors. There are always rumors and false narratives going on. But really focusing on what you can control makes everybody’s job easier. Whatever happens, you adapt to that.
Houston takes the court at New Orleans on Tuesday night for the second game of a home-and-home series. In Sunday’s opener, the Pelicans defeated the Rockets by a 120-107 margin (recap) at Toyota Center.
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