Print
High-Flying Act
Landry's energy has sparked Rockets during hot streak
.
Damien Pierce
Rockets.com Staff Writer
HOUSTON -- During the waning moments of last week's game against Memphis, Carl Landry was slicing through the paint when he noticed one thing standing between himself and the rim.
Kwame Brown.
Unsurprisingly, that didn't deter the Rockets' high-flying power forward. Adjusting in mid-flight, the rookie briefly brought the ball down to his chest before throwing down a vicious dunk over Brown with his right hand.
Upon landing, Landry slapped high-fives with Rockets fans as his teammates looked at each other in disbelief from the forward's latest highlight slam.
That's the sort of play the Rockets are growing accustomed to seeing from the energetic rookie.
"Carl is just a pogo stick," Rockets forward Shane Battier said. "He's all over the place. His young legs are fun to watch."
Landry's rim-rocking show is becoming a regular feature for the Rockets.
Nearly
five months into his NBA career, Landry has become a regular contributor off the bench with his high-flying antics and helped the Rockets remain one of the league's hottest acts.
The Rockets (39-20) have climbed into fifth in the Western Conference after winning 15 straight games. With a victory over the Pacers, Houston will have a new franchise record for consecutive wins.
Landry has been one of the chief reasons for Houston's rise. The Rockets are a stunning 19-1 when the power forward plays at least 11 minutes and Houston expects to rely more on the rookie over the next month as they deal with life without Yao Ming.
With his relentless game and knack for attacking the rim, Landry has supplied the Rockets with about a million kilowatts of energy off the bench.
"I'm a young kid and I'm just having a lot of fun," Landry said. "I'm out there just trying to play with as much energy as I can. I try to set screens, dive on the floor for loose balls and get offensive rebounds. Whatever I can do to get my team an extra possession. I just try to be active."
The Rockets weren't sure if Landry would even have an active role coming into the season.
Despite making a deal during the 2007 NBA Draft to select Landry with a second-round pick, the former Purdue star was one of three power forwards in Houston's training camp. He was joined by returning starter Chuck Hayes and a seasoned international star in Luis Scola.
Through the first 36 games of the season, Landry was the odd man out. He was on the inactive list for most of Houston's early games, playing a grand total of 17 minutes in three games.
But on the practice floor, Landry kept improving and showcasing a sudden bounce in his step. The Rockets inserted him into the lineup against Minnesota on Jan. 11 and he responded with his first career double-double.
Since then, the Rockets have noticed a more versatile player than the one that they drafted from Purdue.
"He was a different player in college from the tapes that I saw of him," Rockets coach Rick Adelman said. "We worked out with him (before the draft), but he was more of a back-to-the-basket, post-up player at Purdue. When we worked him out, that's what he was too. I thought in the summer league, he shot the ball well. But he didn't rebound as well as we thought he should be able to. The biggest difference between Carl then and what we see now is he's worked his tail off and he's in great shape. He's a totally different player than what we saw before."
How did Landry go from a back-to-the-basket player to a human pogo stick?
The Rockets rookie said he reinvented his game by working out at the St. Vincent Performance Center in Indianapolis before getting extra help from Houston's strength and conditioning staff following the NBA Draft. Landry added over four inches to his vertical leap.
With that improvement, Landry has seen a noticeable difference in his game. He's gone from an undersized power forward to an athletic reserve who suddenly has visions of stretching his game to the perimeter.
"It feels a lot better playing like this," Landry said. "I feel lighter, faster, quicker and stronger. I feel a lot better. I can still play with my back to the basket. But hopefully soon, you guys will see me step out on the perimeter for a little bit and mix it up."
Landry has so far translated that athleticism into an impressive two months of action.
Back in January, the rookie had one impressive slam where he snatched an offensive rebound from San Antonio's Tim Duncan and threw a one-handed slam over the Spurs' All-Star forward.
Two weeks later, Landry had a coming out party of sorts against the Pacers. Despite having his bell rung late in the game, the Rockets forward scored 13 of his career-high 22 points in the fourth quarter to lead Houston to a road win. He had several dunks in that performance, but showed off his shooting range for the first time in the win, stroking several 15 to 18-foot jumpers.
Still, Landry has become a popular player because of what he's doing at the rim.
"Carl has been tremendous for us," Rockets point guard Rafer Alston said. "We just want him to continue doing what he's doing. We don't want him to change his routine because we're thriving on his energy level."
The Rockets will be relying on that energy level now more than ever.
Not long before talking to the world about his foot injury last week, Yao spotted Carl Landry in the Rockets' locker room. He pulled aside the rookie for a pep talk.
Yao wanted Landry to understand his increased role since the Rockets' All-Star center would no longer be in the lineup.
"Yao came to me right away after he found out that he was hurt," Landry said. "He told me, 'It's time for you to be great now. You can't be good anymore. You have to be great.' I'm trying to take that and make the best of it."
Despite not having Yao drawing attention in the paint, Landry continues to provide energy off the bench and throw down emphatic dunks. He is averaging 8.0 points and 5.0 rebounds off the bench.
His play has been so impressive that he's beginning to earn notice as a potential candidate for the NBA's All-Rookie Team.
Landry, though, isn't interested in that. He's more worried about supplying the energy that he has brought to the Rockets over the past two months.
"I want to be the best player I can be as rookie," Landry said. "That's my focus. I 'm not looking to win any kind of awards. I'm trying to make an impact with the Houston Rockets."
With every emphatic dunk, Landry is.
