Chronic: Battier's biggest play is dunking doubters

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/4043685.html

Told he can't do this or that, incoming Rocket proves 'em wrong

By JONATHAN FEIGEN
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

Shane Battier did not hear the crowd boo that night at Toyota Center. But it would not have bothered him. He's heard worse.

Before he became so widely praised as a player and citizen, before he became a draft-night acquisition of the Rockets, a favorite in Memphis or a Player of the Year at national champion Duke, he was doubted.

And with every stop, he said he heard — and answered — those doubts again.

"My whole career has been about lesser expectations," Battier said Wednesday. "Back when I was in high school, I went to the same high school (Detroit Country Day) as Chris Webber, so you can imagine I had every comparison thrown at me. 'You'll never be as good as Chris Webber. You'll never make it. He was bigger than you, stronger than you.' "

In college, the second-guessing continued.

"They said, 'Oh, you're a power forward, but you're too small to be an effective power forward at Duke. You should have gone to a smaller place where you can play more. Duke is too good for you.' I think it turned out OK."

He heard the same thing in the NBA: "Battier is too slow. ... He's not athletic enough. ... He's a tweener, doesn't have a position."

"And I had a pretty good five-year run and signed a six-year extension," Battier said. "If anything, I learned you can't always listen to people. You have to have confidence in who you are and play to your strength. I don't let that stuff bother me anymore."

The Rockets acquired Battier, 27, for forward Stromile Swift and the rights to Rudy Gay, taken with the eighth pick June 28. They could not complete or discuss the deal until Wednesday, when Battier ceased to be considered a "base-year compensation" player and his salary could match Swift's.

Not a numbers guy

The sixth pick of the 2001 NBA draft, Battier, 6-8, has averaged 10.5 points and 4.8 rebounds in five seasons with the Grizzlies. But the Rockets believe he will bring them more than the statistics can show.

"It's a real thrill to have him on this team," general manager Carroll Dawson said. "He adds so much. I think he's one of the biggest winners in this league. He's one of those guys that makes everyone on the floor better. ... We thought it was a great move for us and one we did without hesitation."

Battier said he thought of the Rockets as diminished largely by injuries last season. He said he would not refer to himself as the "missing link to a championship," but when he described his play, he spoke of the qualities the Rockets said they want.

"My MO my whole career — ever since kiddie ball, high school ball to the first five (NBA) years in Memphis — is all about winning basketball plays," Battier said. "I don't get caught up in statistics or positions. I've always had coaches and teachers that taught me to make winning basketball plays, whether it's a key block, a key steal, making a guy work for 40 minutes, hitting a great 3-point shot. I look to do the same thing here."

Battier expects to be more productive offensively because he will be playing with Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady.

"There are ample opportunities here in different spots," he said. "I know there are a lot of shots out there that Tracy and Yao create for everyone else, so I can be more aggressive than I was in Memphis.

"Obviously, this team is Tracy's and Yao's team. It's all of our jobs to complement them and make them better."

Playing second fiddle

Just as the acquisition of Battier was overshadowed by what the Rockets gave up to get him, his introduction Wednesday was also obscured by the one who got away.

Coming a day after the Rockets lost their pursuit of free-agent guard Mike James to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the trade for Battier was announced amid nearly as many questions about what the Rockets could do to retool their roster.

There is not much precedent for a favorite son of Duke to be overshadowed by an undrafted guard from Duquesne.

But Battier did not seem to mind, having been there, and played his way past it many times.

"The beauty of draft night is you think about the potential of your draft pick," Battier said. "You can go from pick one to 30 and find a Hall of Famer. I'm sure every GM goes through the same thought that they could be drafting the next Michael Jordan.

"I really wasn't upset at the reaction. As I enter the season, I'm going to work hard, try to play the right way and win basketball games. If you do those three things, it's funny how the fans come around."

jonathan.feigen@chron.com

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ROCKETS SUMMARY

Sura shoots again

The Rockets moved a step closer to getting guard help, after all. Guard Bob Sura, out all of last season, moved his rehabilitation to the practice court for the first time since knee surgery last season.

"He's been here the past couple days," Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson said. "He's been on the practice court. He's making a lot of shots."

Sura, 33, had an operation on a microfracture in his right knee.

Rockets center Yao Ming is also on the practice court, having been cleared to run.

"Right now, Yao is back in Beijing," Dawson said. "He's on the floor with the team every day, but he's not actually playing with them. I think he will be released around (Aug. 1) to start playing again. For all intents and purposes, he's well. So is Tracy ( McGrady)."

Alternatives eyed

When Mike James turned down the Rockets on Tuesday, Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson began formulating a free-agent Plan B. He had plenty of help.

Agents representing guards that would like to be next in line for an offer began calling, but Dawson said he was not ready to target another guard to help with the Rockets' backcourt void they had hoped James would fill.

"We got a pool of five or six guys," Dawson said. "We got film we're letting the coaches get a look at. You're always trying to find that find that will come in and do well. Like Mike James. Three years ago, he was kind of out of the league, and look what happened."

So far, Dawson said, he has not concluded any free agent is ready to blossom like that.

"But we just started," he said. "Plan B started yesterday. I've said before: It's not a great year for free agents. We're in the process of going on down the line and putting together a group. The one thing I've never believed in doing and never will do is just have a knee-jerk reaction when something happens that you didn't plan on or like and go out and make a bad play.

"We'll go on down the road. We'll find the next guy. We'll get our share here."

Looking back

With the terms of the contract offers (about $23.4 million over four years) comparable, Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson said there were few signs that the team would not be able to sign Mike James until shortly before James chose the Timberwolves.

"I was surprised," Dawson said. "There's no doubt about that. He campaigned pretty hard to get here. Usually if you don't get a person it's because you don't have enough money or you don't have enough years. That wasn't the case. As far as I know, we were right in there, according to what his agent was telling me.

"It was a shock. Those things happen, but I felt good about it all the way. There weren't any bumps in the road. I think we did our work very well. We were very diligent about it."

JONATHAN FEIGEN