http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/3701682.html Guard-forward is fitting in nicely as Rockets reserve With one notable exception in the last month, the Rockets have made a succession of small potatoes transactions that have done virtually nothing to change the makeup of their rotation. For the most part, they have sent away reserves who were barely playing (Moochie Norris, Derek Anderson and Jon Barry) and acquired others who have scarcely played (Maciej Lampe, Gerald Fitch and Rick Brunson). But in guard-forward Keith Bogans, whom the Rockets acquired from Charlotte for forward Lonny Baxter on Feb. 9, they added someone who makes a difference. Bogans has stepped in nicely as a reserve big guard/small forward, showing the grit coach Jeff Van Gundy has been searching for this season. Big expectations It's clear Van Gundy expects big things from Bogans, a 6-5 third-year player from Kentucky. In Friday night's 89-78 win over Denver, Bogans was sent in to try to slow down Carmelo Anthony. He played Anthony belly-to-belly, making Anthony work hard for each point. Anthony finished with 34 but only four in the fourth quarter. "I think Keith by nature is tenacious and intense," said Van Gundy. "He has a lot of bad habits that he needs to correct to be an every-possession player. I really think he should be a stopper in this league, but he needs to view himself in that way. He has to hold himself to that high standard, because I think he can do that." Bogans said his biggest problem since joining the Rockets has been learning the nuances of the defense. "I do have some bad habits, but he (Van Gundy) is on me every day to break them, and that helps," said Bogans. "I'm looking forward to getting better and better, and I will become that stopper. You've got to be disciplined. "I'm just learning the system, so I need to be in the right place at the right time. I have to learn the defensive rotations and terminology. Once I get all that down, I'll be fine. I know my main objective is to bring energy off the bench." Though Bogans is not a go-to player on offense, he doesn't seem to be one-dimensional. In three of 10 games with the Rockets, he has scored in double figures. Bogans is averaging 7.9 points and 3.6 rebounds in roughly 24 minutes per game. Versatility, too "I pride myself on defense, but I can do a little bit of everything else, also," said Bogans. "My main thing is to do whatever the coach asks me. I start with guarding one of the best shooters — the small forward or the shooting guard — and going from there. I want to bring that spark defensively." Juwan Howard, who played with Bogans in Orlando, said that once Bogans gets better adjusted to the Rockets' system, he'll become an important cog as the team attempts to make up ground in the Western Conference playoff chase. "Keith has a chance to make a home here," said Howard. "We're looking for a guy who can play hard on both ends of the floor and be a hard-nosed defender. Sure enough, Keith can be that guy. Jeff likes players like that, and I think Keith fits that description." If Bogans is such a stand-up guy and hard worker, why has he been traded three times since being taken by Milwaukee in the second round of the 2003 draft? He was traded to Orlando on draft night, to Charlotte on Nov. 1, 2004, and to the Rockets last month. "I don't know, because he's a great guy and a great teammate," said Howard. "I know in Orlando he got caught in a numbers game. It's nothing to do with his character or work ethic." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ROCKETS SUMMARY Wesley's streak in jeopardy Only one Rocket has played in all 59 games this season, and there's a chance that guard David Wesley's streak will end tonight. Wesley hurt his left hamstring during Monday's game against Phoenix, and coach Jeff Van Gundy said after practice Saturday that a decision will be made today about whether Wesley will play against Portland at Toyota Center. Wesley has not been himself this week. In the last four games, he is averaging 6.0 points and is shooting 7-of-32 overall (21.8 percent) and 4-of-21 from 3-point range (19.0 percent). In seven previous games, Wesley was averaging 13.4 points and shooting 55 percent overall and 45.4 from 3-point range. "He's obviously hurting right now," said Van Gundy. "We've got to figure out if it's in our best interests or his best interests to keep going on like this. We'll figure that out in the next couple of days." While Van Gundy said one option would be to sit Wesley down for a game or two until he's feeling better, the veteran guard didn't think that would be necessary. "It's fine. I'm getting treatment every day and working through it," Wesley said. "I'm not making any excuses. I'd rather just play through it. He (Van Gundy) mentioned it (missing time) the other day, but I played last night. "He probably knows that I'm not going to just sit down, so if he wants me to sit down, he'll have to do that himself." Little margin for error The Rockets conclude their stretch of four home games in seven days tonight against Portland. They have a chance to break even after losing to Phoenix and Philadelphia and beating Denver. The Rockets say they understand they cannot afford to lose at home to a lagging team such as Portland and maintain any hope of catching the Lakers for the final Western Conference playoff berth. "When we play like we did (against Denver), I feel like we're one of the better teams in the league," said Tracy McGrady. "Saying that, I think we need to do that on a consistent basis." Said Yao Ming: "With about 25 games to go (23 before tonight) we need to catch up. We dug ourselves a hole at the beginning of the season, so every game is important for us."
