HOUSTON – Fresh off a trip to the Bahamas for training and team bonding, the Rockets are back in Houston and looking ahead to the upcoming season.
On Tuesday, General Manager Daryl Morey, CEO Tad Brown and new signee Rob Gray visited a 911 call center to spend time with first responders in honor of Sept. 11.
Brown enjoyed the time spent with Houston’s heroes.
“They’re the ones who save lives and keep us safe. It’s always an honor. To come out here and just say thank you is a very easy thing to do,” Brown said.
VIDEO: Rockets talk about returning from vacation in Bahamas
With the team now back in Houston, they’ve been working out at Toyota Center. There is already a buzz about what can be accomplished this upcoming season.
“The only thing they have left is to win a ring. They’re all very, very focused. I think being as close as we were last year, we were a hamstring away. It really makes these guys even more motivated," Morey said.
Gray, a former University of Houston basketball star and now a Rocket, experienced that motivation firsthand while in the Bahamas with the team.
“They want to win a championship. That’s all the vets talk about. This is a championship year. That’s the goal that we’re after starting last week,” Gray said.
Brown feels encouraged to know that the vets and rookies are already hungry for postseason basketball.
“We’re chasing a ring. That’s something that our guys will have the opportunity to do. But it’s going to take a lot of hard work,” he said.
The Rockets open training camp on Sept. 25 in Lake Charles. The 2018-19 preseason opener will also be on the road, in Birmingham, against the Memphis Grizzlies.