Patrick Patterson is back from the Rockets visit to Las Vegas for the Summer League and provides some insight into the experience, his life in Houston and upcoming activities he has planned. It’s amazing to be able to watch these guys lives change before our eyes. Here are some highlights of his diary entry.
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[quote=Patrick Patterson]
What’s up everyone? Just finished my first NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, and it was great. But before I went out there, our team had two-a-days in Houston and while I was in town I got a chance to scout out my new home. Some of my new teammates helped me find a nice, gated community near a grocery store and some fun spots to go out to at night, and though I’m still learning all the great places in the Houston area, I’ve already explored the The Galleria shopping center and found a great soul food restaurant in Midtown.
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Right now, my primary focus is the Rockets. We left Vegas on July 14, and it felt good to get back on the court. But it was definitely challenging. The NBA has different rules, schemes, techniques and movement than college. The pro game is so physical, even in Summer League, and it’s tough to remember all the plays and defensive rotations. In college, a lot of the time it’s just about going out there and playing ball. In the NBA, as I’m finding out, if you don’t score on a fast break, you have to run a play.
I took the Summer League experience as an opportunity to try to soak in as much information as possible, since I have so much to learn. On a typical day, I’d wake up around 10:30 or 11, order some room service and then head to the team trainer’s room to pick up my jersey, warm-ups and the rest of the gear. About an hour later, we would head to the gym to play.
One of my goals is to getting used to shooting the NBA three – which, at the top of the arc, is four feet farther from the goal than the NCAA line — in game situations. I’ve been really working to improve my outside shot because it’ll be key to helping our team win, since Yao Ming attracts so many double teams in the post.
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I’m headed back to Lexington for a few days to see everyone from Kentucky before I take a much-needed vacation in Florida. It’s been a crazy past few months, so I’m going to hit the beach and try to relax.
When I get back to Houston, I’m throwing out the first pitch at an Astros game and attending an MLS exhibition game between the Dynamo and Manchester United. You already know I’m a big soccer fan, and just like I predicted, Spain won the World Cup. Of course, I wanted the U.S. to win, but I said before the start of the Cup that Spain was going to win, and I was right.
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The intimate look we get into lives of these guys is fascinating. It makes you wonder what it would have been like years ago if Twitter, Facebook and online diaries were around back in the Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson days…
