"Rockets guard Kevin Martin made his way downstairs from the Toyota Center practice court confident he would play Saturday night's game against the New York Knicks.

"Looking good," he reported cheerily.

Minutes later, trainer Keith Jones sat Martin down for a talk. Martin would remain on the inactive list for a second game as the doctors considered the swelling in his right heel and the Rockets looked to the lockout-season schedule.

In any other season, Martin, 28, would have been free to play. Instead, he received another reminder this is a season unlike any other.

"Everything we do is geared toward recovery. Everything," Jones said. "We changed our whole routine for this compressed schedule."