Dec. 27, 2004, 1:13AM Rockets eye the present a while longer By RICHARD JUSTICE Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle The more Jeff Van Gundy talks about energy and effort, the more it sounds like he's using code words. He prides himself on being blunt, but maybe he can't say what he really thinks. Maybe he sees the same problems you see. Maybe he knows the Rockets need more than tweaking. Maybe he knows next summer will be as interesting as last summer. The Rockets never believed the Tracy McGrady trade would be an overnight cure-all. They made it because they were convinced the Steve Francis-Cuttino Mobley teams had gone as far as they could go. They believed McGrady and Yao Ming could be the foundation for teams that had a chance to play deep into the playoffs. They also knew they were taking a chance. They knew that being different didn't guarantee being better. They simply believed it was worth the gamble. Bold, if not beautiful Give them credit for making moves that took guts. The safe route would have been to fill in around Francis and Mobley and hope for a repeat of last season. Instead, Van Gundy and general manager Carroll Dawson tore apart a playoff team because they wanted to set higher goals than a first-round exit. Nothing that has happened since has changed their minds about the deal. McGrady has been everything they hoped he would be and then some. Now about the Charlie Ward signing. No, they wouldn't do that one again. Ward has missed 13 of 27 games because of a sore knee, and the Rockets have no idea when he'll play again. Signing Ward instead of former University of Houston star Damon Jones is a mistake that might slow the franchise's reconstruction. For Van Gundy, it's easier to talk about energy and effort. This is how a coach shares blame with his players. This is how he focuses on saving this season instead of planning for the next one. "We have enough to win with," he said. "I don't want to get bogged down into analysis." No-win situation You can make the argument the Rockets would be better served long term by missing the playoffs and getting a lottery pick. You just can't make that case to a coach obsessive about convincing his team every game is winnable. Next summer, the Rockets will look for a rebounder and a point guard. They'll look for more players who fit with T-Mac and Yao. Until then, Van Gundy will think small. On nights like Sunday when Jim Jackson is throwing in 3-pointers and Maurice Taylor and Juwan Howard are combining for 23 points and 10 boards, the Rockets defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 96-79 and did a pretty good imitation of a playoff contender. If only they hadn't lost to Charlotte four days earlier. If only they hadn't entered the game with the Western Conference's 11th-best record. If only they hadn't sleepwalked through so many games. Jackson might be the key to this season. Some have questioned Van Gundy's methodical style, but style isn't why the Rockets are the NBA's 21st-best 3-point shooting team. Style isn't why they've gotten fewer offensive rebounds than any other team, either. Still, if Jackson is shooting 40 percent from 3-point land as he did last season, the Rockets might make the playoffs despite their other holes. Jon Barry's arrival means another 3-point threat. Making those perimeter shots is the key at a time opponents are double-teaming McGrady on almost every possession and Yao on most possessions. "Some other guys have to step up," Jackson said. "I think it's as much mental as anything. "You don't want Tracy and Yao thinking they've got to do it all." When Orlando traded McGrady, one of the things that was whispered about him was "selfish player." That he's not. "You couldn't have a player who was more unselfish," Van Gundy said. "If they've got two guys on him, he's a very willing passer. If they're playing him with one guy, I don't care if he shoots every time." McGrady and Jackson scored 21 apiece, and Yao had 20 as the Rockets had three players with at least 20 for the first time this season. Barry, Taylor and Howard also contributed, and despite 20 turnovers and a sloppy stretch in the third quarter, the Rockets once more did a decent imitation of a pretty good team. "There are going to be nights when the shots aren't going in," point guard Bob Sura said. "That's when the effort has to be there. That's where we've had some problems." They've got other problems, too, but for now, they prefer to focus on the ones they can fix now. richard.justice@chron.com
Hopefully, Ward will never play again for the Rockets. Please tell me we didn't actually turn down Damon Jones in favor of Charlie Ward. Did Jones want to come here? Maybe it's just wishful thinking, but I was under the impression that he chose to go to Miami and wasn't forced to turn to the Heat because CD and Van Gundy are complete idiots.
Why does he write Francis and Cuttino vs. T-Mac and Yao and not include Yao with Francis and Cuttino.
This is a great article for doom and gloomer. We're not as bad as our losses show. No matter what, the TMac trade is worth it. We might pick up some garbage along with the trade, well, you don't get good things without bundle with some less things.
This article is crap. To say that this team needs more than a little tweaking is rediculous. We just need to have some guys step up. We saw it last night. Jon Barry is going to be great for this team. Maurice Taylor showed what he can do. And, Jim Jackson finally showed a little of what he did last year. We are a little over a quarter through the season and a game below .500 and everybody is giving up. I am still very optimistic. I didn't become a Rockets fan until Barkley came, but I believe that the Rockets won titles in 1994 and 1995 from a 6th seed and a 7th or 8th seed. We may not have Hakeem but we have a guy that is pretty darn close in T-Mac and we have some role players who have the potential to be every bit as good as the players on those teams. In my opinion, a little tweaking is all we need.
1993 - 2nd best record in the league; 2nd seed (1st was Seattle) http://www.basketballreference.com/leagues/leagueyear.htm?lg=N&yr=1993 1994 - 6th seed - only team ever to win a championship from the 6th seet
Alright, I was way off there. Thanks for the clarification. It doesn't really matter anyway. I'm still not ready to write off the season.
So Justice is in the GJVGMT camp. What a surprise. I haven't been a fan of JVG and was leery of the trade so I'm still wondering why JVG and CD felt that the Francis, Mobley and Yao Rox had gone as far as they could? Now talking about going into the lottery it seems to me that the attitude is that even though we're a team with perhaps two of the best players in the NBA this is a rebuilding year. Wasn't last year also considered a rebuilding year, the year before and so on since Hakeem left?
