Barkley IS a role model (check out this article)

Rockets notebook: Barkley looks out for Francis
By JONATHAN FEIGEN

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- The Rockets arrived at GM Place with a horde of media types gathered to document the belated arrival of guard Steve Francis. Teammate Carlos Rogers wrapped a long arm around Francis' neck and face and ordered, "Leave him alone."

No one did, of course. And as appreciative as Francis might have been for Rogers' support, Rogers also led him to the wrong hallway and toward, in an unfortunate irony, the Grizzlies' locker room. It was something like Spinal Tap's wandering backstage in Cleveland.

Francis, having shunned the news-conference stage that had been readied for him, later sat on the scorer's table and said that in refusing to play for Vancouver, he did what he believed was best for him and would be best for the Grizzlies.

Charles Barkley took a seat away from the fray and watched.

"I've been talking with him about this for two weeks," Barkley said. "I didn't want to hit him with all this at once."

For all of Barkley's complaints about the new stars who will inherit the NBA from his generation, it has become increasingly clear that he is determined to help Francis meet the burdens of celebrity and the demands on his talent.

When Francis was ejected from the loss to Dallas, Barkley stood next to him while he faced the media to ensure he didn't talk himself into more trouble. When Francis seemed hurt on a dunk, Barkley rushed down the court to carry him off. When Francis fell to the floor and lay there Friday, blaming himself for the loss to the Trail Blazers, Barkley picked him up and led him to the locker room.

As mentors go, Mr. "I am not a role model" might appear at first blush to be an odd choice. But few players know more about the demands of life in the spotlight, handling the NBA lifestyle and, most of all, the pressures to carry a team.

"He's been tremendous," Barkley said of Francis. "He's a good kid. He's working really hard. He wants to be better.

"I'm really proud of Steve Francis. I know he hates my guts sometimes because I'm on him all the time. But I told him I was going to be on him. He's the best player we've got. He's going to have to lead us and make everybody better.

"Sometimes he's frustrated that I'm on his case all the time. But I think now he's starting to get what I'm trying to say to him."

Francis insists he understood all along. He said he considers the guidance of Barkley and Hakeem Olajuwon a compliment.

He said he only hates Barkley in the mornings, when the veteran insists he arrive early for daily weightlifting sessions.

"But I'm getting pretty big," Francis said, showing off his right biceps.

"I found out he's trainer, assistant coach, mentor, counsel, shrink, everything you can think of," Francis said of Barkley. "Comedian, too. Everything you can think of."

Don't pan the plan -- Grizzlies coach Brian Hill seemed offended. He had been asked if his team was still with him now that its losing streak had reached seven games.

"Are they listening to Rudy T?" he shot back. "He's got two of the top 50 players of all time on his team."

Hill meant only to say he had not lost his team. But his response seemed valid, considering the Rockets arrived in Vancouver with a 3-11 record, only two players left from the championship years and eight new players on the roster.

But Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich said he has been pleased that his team has not lost faith either in one another or the program as a whole.

"They're fresh enough," he said. "A lot of guys know they have a ways to go. They're feeling how they fit in. You never know what's going through their heads, but there's no sign of that. It's not like last year, where every shootaround was a debate."

It doesn't hurt that the Rockets have brought back many of the motion-oriented half-court schemes that had been put aside early in the season.

But if Tomjanovich does not know what players are truly thinking, they have increasingly voiced their opinions, usually unsolicited, about the system and their problems. And they make the point that the plan cannot be blamed for the hole the Rockets find themselves in.

"We believe everything the coaching staff brings to the floor," center Kelvin Cato said. "Sometimes we don't execute it like they want us to. But Rudy always says if we give the plan a chance to work and it doesn't work, we'll change the plan. Sometimes we don't even give it a chance. But if we stick to the game plan, it works for a whole game."

Saved from the fire -- When the Rockets filed into the Trail Blazers' training facility for Saturday's practice, they walked past a portrait of center Kelvin Cato and Trail Blazers forward Brian Grant left over from Cato's time in Portland.

"You notice they took down the picture of me," forward Walt Williams said.

"That's because Brian is in it," Cato said. "If it was just me, they would have taken it down, broken it and burned it. They would have burned their $90 frame until there was nothing left."

Celebration simulation -- Charles Barkley might still be ringless, but he did get to cavort with the championship trophy. It's just that it was the wrong trophy.

The Rockets arrived in Vancouver roughly at the same time the Hamilton Tiger-Cats were winning the Canadian Football League's Grey Cup. Within hours, Barkley was with new friends sipping from the Grey Cup.

"It was an honor," Barkley said. "It's my last year. It doesn't look like I'll hold a championship trophy over my head. I wanted to get the feel for one."



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