MVP?

Chuck Hayes getting used to a brand new role

Jason Friedman
Rockets.com Staff Writer

Houston - Chuck Hayes has had a great many labels affixed to him during the course of his four-year NBA career. Adjectives like tough, hard-working, undersized, smart and determined have all received heavy circulation and all most definitely apply.

Such terms pay homage to his blue collar, hard hat-and-a-lunch pail play on the basketball court which allows him to not only survive, but thrive despite routinely being matched-up against players blessed with a significant height advantage. He is in many respects the ultimate underdog and, as such, he’s earned another label: fan favorite.

Hayes also has his limitations, as his box score numbers routinely remind us. There is, after all, a reason why he averaged a mere 1.3 points and 3.5 rebounds per game during the regular season while playing about 12 minutes per contest. The fact is he’ll never be a great, or even average, scorer for his position and though his passing skills are extremely underrated, his shortcomings on the offensive end will probably always pose a challenge in his bid to receive heavy minutes on a regular basis. He is, then, the quintessential role player. He knows this, accepts this, and plays that role to a T.

All of which makes it even more mind-boggling to hear the brand new label some Rockets players are attaching to the Chuckwagon these days. With both Yao Ming and Dikembe Mutombo done for the postseason due to injury, Hayes has been thrust into the spotlight as Houston’s last line of defense down low. In classic Chuck fashion, he has risen to the challenge and made an instant impact. So much so, in fact, that no one regards him as a mere role player anymore. He is an integral part of the Rockets’ bid to upset the mighty Lakers. He is irreplaceable. He is a vital cog. He is… an MVP.

“Chuck has become our most valuable player, believe it or not,” confirms Shane Battier, without the slightest hint of sarcasm. “He holds the key to our defense. He allows us to do certain things against Kobe and he’s our best post defender against their tall trees down low, so he needs to stay in the game.”

Anyone who doubts Battier’s last point need simply look at the divergent paths Houston took in Games 4 and 5. In Game 4, Hayes avoided foul trouble and the Rockets rolled to victory. Two nights later, he was forced to the bench after picking up his second foul at the 6:35 mark of the first quarter with Houston nursing a 15-11 lead. Los Angeles immediately responded by racing off on a 32-9 run and the Rockets never recovered.

Clearly those examples paint a simplistic view of the determining factors dictating whether or not the Rockets emerge victorious, but they also demonstrate a trend which has been witnessed throughout the entire series: When Hayes is on the floor, the Rockets win. It’s a fact borne out not just in Hayes’ team-leading plus/minus (+26) but also the reality that no one else on the Rockets’ roster is even in positive numbers for this series. Hence, Battier’s assertion that it’s of paramount importance for Hayes to avoid cheap fouls. It may go against Chuck’s nature to approach the game slightly less aggressively, but for the sake of his team a cautious approach would be wise; especially in the early going.

“He needs to be smarter and we told him that,” says Battier. “He needs to escape the first half without a couple fouls so it can allow us to be more aggressive in the second half.

“We need to maybe throw some double-teams at (Los Angeles) early to keep them off balance and to give Chuck some help. Chuck being the great defender that he is never thinks he needs any help from anyone but sometimes you’ve got to help him out a little bit.”

The notion of occasional help on the defensive end is one Hayes realizes he probably has to accept, but that realization certainly didn’t stop him from bristling at the idea when asked if he welcomed a teammate coming over to help double his man every once in awhile.

“No, not at all because that means you’re leaving somebody open. Personally, just leave me on an island and I’ll do my best. You can’t contain everybody for the whole 48 minutes. You’re going to have a breakdown or a period when your momentum is going to lead you one way and the guy is going to go the other way, and that’s when you’re going to need some help.

“I just have to pick and choose when I want to be aggressive and when the officials are going to let me be aggressive. If I can be aggressive early and not get the foul call, then great. If not, then I’m going to have to find another way.”

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