"As part of his responsibilities as team captain, Shane Battier drafted another team captain, having point guard Aaron Brooks join him for pregame meetings with officials to allow Brooks to talk with them about something other than calls he doesn't like.

"Aaron and I have been doing the pregame referees meeting," Battier said. "He was reluctant to do it, but I think it will benefit him."

Brooks led the Rockets with nine technical fouls last season.

"Learning their names is important," Brooks said. "I never had a conversation with the refs besides them making a bad call. This is a chance to work on that relationship because it matters."

Maybe a little nerv-Ish

With Kyle Lowry out with back spasms, rookie Ish Smith expected to receive his first playing time in a particularly challenging environment, the season-opener at the Los Angeles Lakers. That would seem a daunting task for a player that was nervous heading into a preseason game against the Pacers, but Smith said he had taken care of the nervousness with the preseason games."