NBAtalk.com Rocket's Season Preview

The State of the NBA
Houston Rockets
By NBAtalk Columnist Kelly Dwyer

TEAM: Houston Rockets
Coach: Rudy Tomjanovich
Record last year: 34-48
Key losses: Bryce Drew (5.8 points, 2.2 assists); Tony Massenburg (4.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg),
Charles Barkley.
Key additions: Maurice Taylor (Los Angeles Clippers – 17.1 ppg, 6.5 rpg.)
Rookies: Dan Langhi (Vanderbilt – 22.1 ppg, 40% 3pt., 6 rpg.)
Prediction: 35 wins. They’re not exactly running in place, but they are exactly playing in
the Western Conference.

One of the more refreshing things about the current NBA is the admirable candor of
most team’s front office. Sure, they may lie out their teeth about their latest hirings,
firings, or transactions; but when it comes to how good their team is, they’re not afraid to
lay it down:

'Yeah, we’re awful.'

Okay, the front office types may not get that low. But when you see team after team
stacking up on short-term contracts and hoarding draft picks, you know it’s-a time to
rebuild. Teams aren’t fooling themselves, and with ticket prices at an all time high, they
can’t afford to try and fool their fans.

The Houston Rockets aren’t an example of this. Though the team has laid waste to four
future Hall of Famers since 1998, they continued to chug along. Adding a Shandon
Anderson here, trading for a Steve Francis there. Youth was going to meet the veterans
half way, and hopefully life was gonna work out.

Innocence and Experience is a dangerous, double-edged sword. You mustn’t do too
much of it. Some succeed (Toronto), some fail (everyone else). Championship teams are
usually forged out of a veteran core with a couple youngsters thrown in to brighten and
clarify. Houston had in the mid-90s, with Sam Cassell and Robert Horry making life
interesting. The Bulls had players like B.J. Armstrong, Scott Williams, Stacey King, and
Jason Caffey making waves. As the last two champions proved, with Kobe Bryant and
Tim Duncan, the kids don’t have to be role players either.

Last year’s Rocket squad had the makings of a playoff team, but they also incurred the
worst-case scenario syndrome. With the vets, you have to keep their interest up, and
watch out for injuries. With the kids, you have to make sure they play the game the right
way, and hope the chemistry is on the same page.

For Houston, last year, both sides fell flat. Rookie sensation Steve Francis started the
year off with a barrage of ill-timed shots and embarrassing turnovers. Shandon
Anderson struggled early on to find his role in the offense before settling in as a
defense stopper. Hakeem Olajuwon pulled up lame with a hernia, and followed that with
a frightening descent into heart and respiratory problems. Scariest of all was the fall
Charles Barkley took in a game against the 76ers, a tumble that resulted in a ruptured
quadriceps tendon and initiated his retirement.

Whoa, instant rebuilding. Just add water. Serves two.

Serves two? Watch as Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley washed their hands and
sharpened their forks.

For a team that didn’t make the playoffs last year, won’t make the playoffs this year, and
had three of their superstars limp into the sunset with nary a draft pick in return; the
Rockets are pretty lucky. Usually this sort of Springfield Mass. purging takes some time
to recover from. The Lakers took twelve years. The Bulls are struggling, the 76ers can’t
get over the top, and you’ve already heard the Boston Rag. It’s a real drag.

But the Rockets have managed to stay competitive, even with the dreaded curse of
post-Dynastial mediocrity, and still retain some hope for the future. Everyone else had to
lick the bottom of the barrel for a while, but Houston looks two years away from the
playoffs. This fortune didn’t come without its bumps and bruises, however, I’m not
pretending the team is a few years removed from their last championship. There have
been two or three very distinct roster turnovers since then, not including the changes
the team went through between the back-to-back champions.

A whole set of role players were purged to make room for Charles Barkley, and the
same went for the addition of Steve Francis and the departure of Scottie Pippen. The
underlying theme is that every summer, regardless of what happened the year before,
this team has refused to dump everything and start over. Olajuwon never left for draft
picks. Drexler and Barkley were allowed to roam around the court for as long as they
pleased, and this comfort level was buffered by the fact that the future retirees were still
contributing at a high level until the day they d-, er, retired.

Hakeem took a lot of stick from the media last season. It was a Ewing-lite sort of
situation, where the pundits clashed over his role on the team and what they thought
he could do with it. The casualties of an era spoiled by Jordan: What, you’re not
dominating anymore? Retire!

But that isn’t the Rocket way. Never has been, at least, when it counted. Hakeem has
taken his shots at the Rocket organization, including a very public meltdown over salary
and teammates in the early 90s. He has also given the team two very good things,
those shining Larry O’Brien trophies, gleaming and reminding of Dream Shakes gone
by. Is he worth his 14 million dollar salary? Few are. But is he a legit 7-footer with
smarts, instincts, and influence to die for? Damn straight. They could do a lot worse.

By keeping the spirit of their flickering stars alive, the Rockets have created an
atmosphere of warmth that shivering youngsters want to be a part of. It wasn’t that
respect bunk, I’m not comparing this team to the Bulls, it was the fact that the kids like
playing with Hall of Famers.

And give credit where credit is due, this team has drafted exceptionally well. Cassell was
a 24th pick. Robert Horry was a lottery pick, 11th overall; but was selected after
luminaries like Todd Day, Clarence Weatherspoon, Adam Keefe, and one spot before
Harold Miner. Those two brought in Charles Barkley.

Back in 1998, Michael Dickerson was looked at as a solid shooting guard prospect who
shriveled up in the clutch, and now he is nearly a twenty point scorer. Othella Harrington
was a 30th pick, a second round flier that grew into a starter-quality big man with a
plethora of offensive skills. Dickerson and Harrington turned into Steve Francis.

Back in 1998, a coin flip was the only thing that could have told you who would be the
better player, Tyson Wheeler or Cuttino Mobley. Now Wheeler is struggling to make the
first week cut, and Mobley is going to make 31 million over six years. Kenny Thomas
was an offensive monster at college, but also a headcase who only managed one point
in his final game at New Mexico. Thomas was the team’s power forward of the future
until Maurice Taylor hopped on board. Who knew? GM Carroll Dawson and Coach Rudy
Tomjanovich did.

Which brings us to the next step. With Hakeem’s deal, Walt Williams’ well-placed contract
extension, and a bundle of rookie deals on board; life was a little thin under the
Rockets’ salary cap. Throw in Mobley’s extension (five million a year? He’ll pull a Cassell
by 2002!), and Kelvin Cato’s cash, the Rockets have had to chase after scraps and wait
for the other deals to run out. The thought of a 34 win team having to chase for scraps
isn’t a tasty one, but the team was able to give their fans some tasty thoughts before
the summer ran out.

Shandon Anderson was already on board with a three million a year deal when Maurice
Taylor stuck his tail between his legs and decided Houston was the place he wanted to
be. Nobody is insinuating that Mo had his fair share of lucrative offers on the table this
summer, but he could have taken his act to NYC, Seattle, or the Lakers. Normally if
you’re hopping on the $2.25 million wagon, you want to do it with a team that is thinking
championship. Instead, Taylor’s one guaranteed year in Houston will be with a team
with little playoff hope. They are that promising.

Obviously, this is because of Steve Francis. Not the uniforms, not Hakeem’s knee pads,
and not the chance at being able to run with cats named Cuttino and Moochie. Francis
seems to be well on his way to becoming the point guard Allen Iverson never could be.
Though Francis’ numbers pale in comparison to Iverson’s rookie year, and Steve
obviously has better teammates at this point than Allen did, there is a fresher feeling
about Francis’ features.

It doesn't seem as if he’s dominating the ball at the team’s expense, dropping his 25
and 10 but taking the rest of the teammates out of it. Throw in the fact that he’s reacted
well to the fallout from his inglorious misstep after being drafted by the Vancouver
Grizzlies, and the thumbs up from his departed (or otherwise) All Star friends, and you
can see the Rockets should be on top of things sooner or later.

You can also see why these guys won’t crack 40 wins. The squad will have its issues
with defense, depth will be a problem, and they also play in what we call 'the Western
Conference.' This a potent offensive squad with its fair share of unheralded players that
could bust out with enormous years. While Houston waits for said players to emerge, the
rest of the Conference will go right ahead and take all the wins they can at the Rockets’
expense. Sorry.

The team boasts a nice four guard rotation, even with the departure of Bryce Drew for
the mere second-rounders (although, in Houston’s hands, those second round picks
could become…). Moochie Norris is quick, defensive minded, and ready to spell Francis
at the point. The tag team of Shandon Anderson and Cuttino Mobley is a nice luxury,
though working the minutes and chemistry out may take some time.

Anderson is a streaky shooter-- he line-drives it, who crashes the boards and locks up
on his opponent. Mobley goes for steals, and goes for the hole. He can shoot
anywhere on the floor, and he’s as iced as they come (running things for Dream, Chuck,
and Pip will do that to you).

Their inside game is really outside, as the Rockets boast a crew of offensive-minded
all-arounders who can put pressure on the opposing big men. In Taylor, the Rockets
have a power forward capable of going for twenty a game, although he’ll need the ball
in his hands more than the team will like. In back of him lies Kenny Thomas, a big man
with touch and taste, although he lacks the multi-dimensional game that starters are
made of. Everyone seems to love Carlos Rogers’ game, in practice at least, as he’s one
of those guys who still manage to make more than half his shots despite facing the
basket on most of his touches.

The problem with those three is simple, they don’t take the time to concentrate on
defense and on the boards. Nobody needs a shot-blocker here, just move your feet
and stay strong while defending the post. And box out, for Rudy T’s sake. Even with an
un-assuming contract, Taylor will have a hefty amount of attention placed on how well
he plays with a real team. Thomas isn’t the most athletic guy around, he’s tremendously
skilled, but still has holes. Someday, perhaps, he may play a three-way center with
Kelvin Cato and Jason Collier.

Which leads you to the pivot, and the dubious trade the team made to secure Collier’s
rights. JC may turn out, he may not. How well he plays matters little, because even in his
wildest dreams, he’s no Joel Przybilla. The Rockets drafted Joel in the top ten, then
dumped him for a non-lottery pick and the Bucks’ selection in 2001. Hmm. Teamed with
Cato, who still has yet to develop any sort of offensive game outside of gimmies, the
two will do for now. Olajuwon is a wild card. He will start, but not even Hakeem knows
how well is body will respond to 2000-01.

At small forward, more offense. Walt Williams has consistently disappointed in his NBA
career, if he comes through with the sort of a season we know he’s capable of, the
Rockets could have a stronger chance at a playoff spot. Dan Langhi is looking good.
The tall Vanderbilt product boasts a tantalizing display of offensive skills that will really
help off the bench. He’s no Matt Bullard, Langhi can score in a variety of ways. But no
worries: Bullard is still in town.

Houston fans should be excited in the direction this team is heading. They are a smart
team making smart moves, waiting for the kinks to iron out before they can make their
way to the top once again.

Starters

C: Hakeem Olajuwon – Dream caught us all off guard last year with the severity of
his injuries, looking out of place and out of time as he staggered to the bench.
Here’s hoping this year leads to better memories.

PF: Maurice Taylor – All the potential in the world, so don’t play like a $2.25 million
bracket-teer.

SF: Walt Williams – Wizard could be the difference.

SG: Shandon Anderson – Learning from Willie, learning from Utah, Anderson’s a
good fit.

PG: Steve Francis – It was no Naismith Slip that I kept typing 'Franchise' instead of
'Francis.' Stevie Wonder runs the show now, so don’t you worry ‘bout a thing.

Bench

Carlos Rogers – His health should always be a concern, but this guy could develop
into an X-factor that contributes to wins.

Matt Bullard – A chucker that you have to love, Bullard is the set-shooting reminder
of half-court glory gone by.

Kelvin Cato – Developing, slowly, Cato should be a gem someday. Still, Houston is
running out of patience.

Jason Collier – 'Bullard, the Next Generation! With Brad Lohaus, as Grandpappy.
Raef LaFrentz, as Weak-Kneed Willie. Vladimir Stepania, as Latka. Serge Zwikker,
as the Invisible Man. And featuring Jim Petersen, as Sarge!'

Dan Langhi – 'And introducing Dan Langhi, as Lanky Langhi!'

Cuttino Mobley – A joy to watch, Cat won his fair share of games for the Rockets
last year.

Moochie Norris – Although I enjoy recounting the famous night Dizzy Gillespie
stabbed Cab Calloway, you have to love any player named after a Cab song.
Maybe that’s why we’re pushing for Jason Williams to start calling himself 'Reefer
Man.'

Kenny Thomas – A nice offensive touch who can score on three different positions,
though he can’t guard any of them.

Devin Gray – I got nothing.
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35 wins??!?!?!?!? Come on. They also say that were not gonna be a playoff team.That's sad. They need some better reporters. maybe they can hire me.....maybe not.

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Francis out top, 9 seconds on the clock, he gives a no look pass to Cuttino Mobley, 4 seconds left, Mobley passes to an open Langhi in the corner with 1 second left! Langhi at the buzzer.......YES!!! How Sweet It Is!!

[This message has been edited by Rockets R' Us (edited October 11, 2000).]