Tonight's Game

Game Notes for match-up between
Houston Rockets (2-0)
vs. Phoenix Suns (2-1)
Preseason Game #3 - Oct. 17, 2002

ROCKETS ROSTER:
Position: # Player: Ht. Wt. 2001-2002 statistics:
Guard 10 Tierre Brown 6-2 189 3.1 ppg., 1.1 rpg., 1.8 apg. with Houston
Center 13 Kelvin Cato 6-11 255 6.6 ppg., 7.0 rpg., 1.27 bpg. with Houston
Center 52 Jason Collier 7-0 260 4.2 ppg., 3.3 rpg., 0.4 apg. with Houston
Guard 3 Steve Francis 6-3 195 21.6 ppg., 7.0 rpg., 6.4 apg. with Houston
Center 30 Steve Goodrich 6-10 220 0.6 ppg., 0.6 rpg., 0.6 apg. with New Jersey
Forward 33 Eddie Griffin 6-10 220 8.8 ppg., 5.7 rpg., 1.84 bpg. with Houston
Forward 29 Juaquin Hawkins 6-7 205 13.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg., 2.4 spg. in ABA2000
Center 50 Brandon Kurtz 6-10 245 6.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg. in USBL
Guard 6 Tito Maddox 6-4 190 13.5 pp., 8.0 apg., 1.6 spg. with Fresno State (‘00-01)
Forward 32 Pete Mickeal 6-5 230 23.4 ppg., 6.8 rpg. in ABA2000
Guard 5 Cuttino Mobley 6-4 210 21.7 ppg., 4.1 rpg., 1.47 spg. with Houston
Forward 44 Terence Morris 6-9 221 3.8 ppg., 3.1 rpg., 0.9 apg. with Houston
Forward 9 Bostjan Nachbar 6-9 221 13.7 ppg., 4.1 rpg., 2.2 spg in Italian A-1 League
Guard 12 “Moochie” Norris 6-2 185 8.1 ppg., 3.0 rpg., 4.9 apg. with Houston
Forward 41 Glen Rice 6-8 220 8.6 ppg., 2.4 rpg., 1.6 apg. with Houston
Forward 2 Maurice Taylor 6-9 260 Missed season with Achilles injury
Forward 21 Kenny Thomas 6-7 245 14.1 ppg., 7.2 rpg., 1.18 spg. with Houston
Guard 18 Oscar Torres 6-6 210 6.0 ppg., 1.9 rpg., 0.6 apg. with Houston
Center 42 Sonny Watson 6-11 241 5.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg. in China Basketball Association
Center 11 Yao Ming 7-6 296 32.4 ppg, 19.0 rpg. in China Basketball Association

OFFSEASON TRANSACTIONS:
Oct. 16 - Waived centers Brandon Kurtz and Sonny Watson
June 26 - Selected Yao Ming with 1st pick, Bostjan Nachbar with the 15th pick and Tito Maddox with the 38th pick in
the 2002 NBA Draft.
July 11 - Signed Bostjan Nachbar.
Aug. 26 - Signed Steve Francis to a contract extension.
Sept. 12 - Signed Tito Maddox.
Sept. 24 - Hired Gianluca Pascucci as international basketball consultant.
Sept. 25 - Signed Steve Goodrich and Pete Mickeal.
Sept. 26 - Signed Tierre Brown and Oscar Torres.
Sept. 30 - Signed Juaquin Hawkins and Sonny Watson.
Oct. 1 - Signed Brandon Kurtz.

LAST GAME:
Rockets Beat Spurs In Clutch City Classic
On Oct. 15 at Compaq Center, the Rockets beat the San Antonio Spurs, 96-93, in their first preseason home game.
Playing without Steve Francis (left ankle tendinitis) and Kelvin Cato (left shoulder strain), Houston was led by guard
Cuttino Mobley with 22 points and four assists. San Antonio took the early lead in the game, but Houston came back
strong, leading by as many as eight in the first quarter. The two teams went into halftime with a Rockets advantage of
54-48, with Houston shooting an impressive 58.1 percent for the half. Mobley carried the Rockets on his back in the
second half, as he scored 18 out of his 22 points after halftime. Houston went into the fourth quarter with a significant
lead over the Spurs, but with just over one minute to go, San Antonio cut the lead down to just three points on a
Stephen Jackson driving lay-up. Houston countered with a Mobley lay-up, and with time running out San Antonio was
unable to catch the Rockets. Glen Rice and Maurice Taylor saw their first NBA action since last season, when both
went down with season-ending injuries. Rice and Taylor each contributed 10 points in the Rockets win.

RECENT GAME:
Rockets Open Preseason on Winning Note
On Oct. 8 at the Pyramid, the Rockets defeated the Memphis Grizzlies, 106-98, in their preseason game. Steve Francis
paced Houston with game highs of 30 points and 10 assists, as the Rockets led for the final 37 minutes of play. A 21-5
run midway though the second quarter allowed Houston to build a 20-point halftime lead, as the Rockets outshot their
opponent 48.9 percent-to-33.3 percent during the first two quarters. Houston led by double figures after halftime until
less than six minutes remained in the game. A Jason Williams jumper cut Houston’s lead to seven points with 2:27
remaining, but the Grizzlies could never get any closer than six points before the buzzer sounded. Rookie Drew
Gooden led Memphis with 26 points and a game-high 14 rebounds, while Terence Morris supplied 17 points off the
Rockets bench.

MISCELLANEOUS TEAM NOTES:
Rockets Waive Kurtz and Watson
On October 16, the Houston Rockets have waived centers Brandon Kurtz and Sonny Watson. After participating in
training camp, neither player made an appearance in a preseason game. Kurtz joined the Rockets after spending this
past season with Istanbul Technics University in Turkey, Fillattice Imola in Italy and the St. Louis Sky Hawks of the
USBL. The 6-10, 245-pound center had spent the previous year with the USBL’s Oklahoma Storm in his first
professional season. Watson averaged 5.3 points and 3.9 rebounds per game for the Shenzhen Yikang of the China
Basketball Association during the 2001-2002 season. The 6-11, 241-pound center also played for the Boston Celtics
entry in the 2002 Shaw Summer Pro League of the China Basketball Association, averaging 1.5 points and 2.5
rebounds.

Rockets Select Yao Ming in 2002 NBA Draft
With the first overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft, the Houston Rockets selected Chinese center Yao Ming. The 7-foot-
6, 296-pound center becomes the first-ever number one pick to come from an international basketball league.
Yao has averaged 23.4 points on .651 shooting with 15.4 rebounds in 122 games with the Shanghai Sharks of the
China Basketball Association. The 21-year old has increased his scoring average in each of his five CBA seasons,
averaging over 20 points and 10 rebounds in each of the last four years. He has also gained international fame as a
valuable member of the Chinese National Team. This past season, Yao averaged a career-high 32.4 points (on .721
shooting) with 19.0 rebounds and 4.8 blocked shots for the Sharks, leading the CBA in blocks and ranking second in
both scoring and rebounding. The recipient of the league’s “Sportsmanship Award” led the Sharks to Shanghai’s first
CBA Championship, averaging 41.3 points, 21.0 rebounds and 4.3 blocks against the Bayi Rockets in the CBA Finals.
In the clinching victory, Yao scored 44 points on 21-of-21 shooting with 21 rebounds and seven blocked shots. Yao
won the 2000-2001 CBA MVP award, when he averaged 27.1 points (on .678 shooting), 19.4 rebounds and 5.5
blocked shots for the Sharks. During the 1999-2000 season, he averaged 21.2 points with CBA-leading averages of
14.6 rebounds and 5.3 blocked shots. Yao averaged 20.9 points and 12.9 rebounds per game during the 1998-99
season. As a 17-year-old rookie, he averaged 10.0 points and 8.3 rebounds during the 1997-98 season. Yao has played
against elite international talent since being named to the Chinese National Team at age 18. In the 2001 Asian
Basketball Championship for Men, Yao averaged 13.4 points on .724 shooting with 10.1 rebounds and 2.8 blocked
shots, helping China capture the title and an accompanying berth in the 2002 World Championship, to be played in
Indianapolis later this summer. In the 2000 Olympic Games, he scored 10.5 points per game with team-leading
averages of 6.0 rebounds and 2.2 blocked shots. Yao also led China with a field goal percentage of .639. This year
marks the fifth time that the Rockets have made the first overall pick in the NBA Draft, following Elvin Hayes, John
Lucas, Ralph Sampson and Hakeem Olajuwon. Among the first overall selections in NBA history, Yao stands as the
tallest and second-heaviest player ever. Upon entering the NBA, Yao will become the third Chinese player in NBA.

Constant Changing
Houston’s 27 different starting lineups last season trailed only Denver’s 36 variations. For the first time in Rockets
history (since the NBA started tracking starts in the 1971-72 season), every active player started at least one game.
Houston’s longest stretch of employing same starting lineup was seven games, as Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley, Glen
Rice, Kenny Thomas and Kelvin Cato started in each of the season’s first seven games. Only two other times this
season did the Rockets use the same starting lineup in more than three straight games, as the unit of Francis, Mobley,
Walt Williams, Thomas and Cato had two stretches of starting in five straight games together. After the season’s first
seven games, the Rockets never had the same rotation available to them for a stretch of longer than three games.

Starting Lineups

The Rockets employed 27 different starting lineups last season, trailing only Denver’s 36 variations. No player has
started every game, with 14 Rockets having started games altogether. Here is a look at the lineups and their
corresponding records.

Rice, Thomas, Cato, Francis, Mobley 6-5
Williams, Thomas, Cato, Francis, Mobley 6-9
Thomas, Griffin, Cato, Francis, Mobley 3-6
Morris, Griffin, Cato, Francis, Mobley 2-3
Langhi, Thomas, Cato, Francis, Mobley 2-3
Williams, Thomas, Cato, Norris, Mobley 1-3
Thomas, Griffin, Cato, Norris, Mobley 1-2
Rice, Thomas, Cato, Norris, Mobley 0-3
Rice, Thomas, Cato, Norris, Torres 0-3
Morris, Thomas, Cato, Francis, Mobley 2-1
Williams, Griffin, Cato, Norris, Mobley 1-1
Torres, Thomas, Willis, Norris, Mobley 0-2
Williams, Thomas, Willis, Norris, Mobley 0-2
Torres, Griffin, Cato, Norris, Mobley 0-2
Thomas, Griffin, Willis, Francis, Mobley 1-0
Morris, Thomas, Griffin, Francis, Mobley 1-0
Rice, Thomas, Williams, Francis, Mobley 1-0
Norris, Thomas, Cato, Francis, Mobley 1-0
Morris, Thomas, Collier, Norris, Torres 0-1
Torres, Thomas, Cato, Francis, Mobley 0-1
Morris, Griffin, Cato, Norris, Mobley 0-1
Rice, Thomas, Cato, Francis, Torres 0-1
Rice, Williams, Cato, Norris, Mobley 0-1
Langhi, Thomas, Collier, Francis, Mobley 0-1
Langhi, Thomas, Cato, Francis, Torres 0-1
Langhi, Thomas, Cato, Norris, Torres 0-1
Morris, Thomas, Cato, Brown, Torres 0-1

Medical Report
The Rockets lost 304 player games to injury last season, finishing third in the NBA in player-games lost. The
Rockets trailed only Atlanta, who had 319 player-games missed, and Memphis, who had 310 player-games missed.
Only “Moochie” Norris was available to the Rockets in every game this year. Below is a breakdown of who has
missed games due to injury, along with the number of games missed and the ailments.

Player Number of Games Missed (Dates) Injury Description
Brown 5 (Nov. 17-27) Plantar fasciitis, left foot
Cato 7 (Dec. 9-13, Feb. 4, Feb. 21, Apr. 5, Apr. 14) Left wrist sprain; food poisoning;
left ankle sprain; left knee strain
Collier 25 (Oct. 29-Dec. 18) Medial tibial periostitis
Francis 25 (Nov. 23, Nov. 27-Dec. 26, Dec. 30, Ruptured plantar fascia, left foot; flu;
Jan. 16, Jan. 19, Feb. 1, Feb. 12, Mar.16, Apr. 14-17) headaches; right shoulder strain
Griffin 7 (Feb. 23, Mar. 20-26, Mar. 30-Apr. 2) Flu; left ankle sprain; left middle toe sprain
Langhi 19 (Oct. 29-Nov. 17, Dec. 28- Jan. 16, Mar. 7, Right ankle sprain; left ankle tendinitis;
Apr. 14) migraine; right ankle sprain)
Morris 2 (Mar. 12, Mar. 30) Flu; ingrown toenail
Mobley 8 (Nov. 15, Nov. 27-Dec. 1, Apr. 8, Apr. 16-17) Right ankle sprain; left ankle sprain; flu
Rice 62 (Dec. 8-Apr. 17) Partially torn patellar tendon, right knee
Taylor 82 (Oct. 29-Apr. 17) Torn right Achilles tendon
Thomas 7 (Nov. 23, Dec. 18-22, Dec. 30-Jan. 3, Feb. 5) Achilles tendinitis, right foot; hip pointer;
left calf strain
Torres 8 (Dec. 22, Mar. 2-10, Apr. 9) Left ankle sprain; right ankle sprain
right thigh contusion
Williams 34 (Dec. 13, Dec. 22, Jan. 3, Jan. 18-Feb. 25 Back spasms; flu; right ankle sprain
Mar. 10, Mar. 28-Apr. 17) right ankle spurs
Willis 13 (Jan. 12, Feb. 23, Mar. 12-26, Apr. 16-17) Flu; back spasms; left wrist sprain;
right knee tendinitis

Notable Moments from last Season …
• For the first time in franchise history, the Rockets open the season with back-to-back overtime wins with an 89-84
overtime win over Atlanta on Oct. 30 and a 98-92 victory over the LA Clippers on Nov. 1.
• Cuttino Mobley scores 26 points on Nov. 4 at Phoenix, as the Rockets rally from 15 points down in the fourth
quarter (second-best fourth-quarter comeback in franchise history) to defeat the Suns, 103-100.
• The Rockets defeat Philadelphia, 77-72, on Nov. 8 to move them to 5-1, their best start since the 1998-99 season.
• On Nov. 17 Steve Francis scores 33 points to propel Houston to its biggest win of the season, a 124-87 triumph
over Dallas.
• On Nov. 27 Steve Francis joins the injured list with a ruptured plantar fascia in his left foot.
• Houston loses Glen Rice due to a partial tear in the patellar tendon of his right knee Dec. 6 vs. Washington.
• In a 107-101 loss to the Lakers on Dec. 20, Eddie Griffin sets career highs with 25 points and 13 rebounds.
• On Dec. 22 vs. Milwaukee, Cuttino Mobley scores 39 points and the Rockets tie a franchise record with 17 3-
pointers to end their season-long 15-game losing streak with a 115-110 victory.
• Steve Francis ties a career high with 36 points and the game-winner in a 99-97 win over Detroit on Jan. 3.
• On Jan. 15 at Philadelphia, Allen Iverson sets a Rockets opponent record with an NBA-season-high 58 points.
• Steve Francis posts his fourth career triple-double and first of the season with 26 points, 15 rebounds and 10
assists as the Rockets defeat the Celtics, 104-101, at Boston on Jan. 18.
• Cuttino Mobley sets a Rockets individual season high with career-high-tying 41 points and Steve Francis collects
his fifth career triple-double and second of the season in a 103-98 loss to New Jersey on Jan. 24.
• On Feb. 4, Steve Francis finishes with 33 points and Cuttino Mobley adds 30 points as the Rockets shoot a
season-high 61.1 percent in their 104-97 win over the Utah Jazz.
• On Feb. 20 at Washington D.C., the Rockets defeat the Wizards, 102-89, and hold Michael Jordan to 11 points, his
lowest scoring total ever vs. Houston.
• On Mar. 5, Steve Francis scores 35 points as the Rockets rally from 17 points down to defeat Toronto, 112-109.
• On Mar. 10, Steve Francis hits a last-second game-winning 3-pointer in Houston’s 95-92 win over Utah, as Rudy
Tomjanovich surpasses takes sole possession of 25th place on the NBA’s all-time wins list with his 455th victory.
• On Apr. 11, the Rockets rallied for a 20-comeback with a 98-95 overtime win at Dallas.

 

Looking at the lineup stats we were 5-7 with Morris in the starting lineup and 5-4 with Morris and Francis in the starting lineup. Now that he can shoot I wonder how we will do in games that he starts. We are 1-0 in the preseason when he starts.

B

 

We're also 2-0 when Pete Mickeal doesn't start...

 

The above list shows the Rockets went 3-22 when Moochie Norris started. I said previously that he is a loser. This record supports that. He dribbles too much, shoots at inappropriate times, and is too short to be an effective defender. But, he is one of Stevie's boys, so he will not be cut. Will he be first man off the bench this year or only play in garbage time? It will depend on how RT and CD see this team's weaknesses and whether there is merit in going for another lottery pick in the next draft.

 

Moochie is what he is, but saying he is a loser is unfair. Even with Francis last year, its not like our team were world beaters. How many teams win when their superstar goes out and is replaced by a backup? Not many. I dont think its a reflection of Moochie's capabilities because hes not expected to start and lead this team to greatness like Francis is. Hes just not capable and isnt asked to do this.

That being said, for the role that he is given as a backup point guard and spark plug off the bench, Moochie fills it nicely.

 

He was a backup playing with backups and 1 or 2 starters against starters. I'm sorry that I think Francis is a good player and losing him caused the losses more than Moochie starting.

 

No, he won't get cut because he has a guaranteed contract for the next five years...

 

I really don't think Moochie is much of a spark plug off the bench. He slows the game down too much and does not push the ball up the court. That is the reason I'm not a big fan of his. I think the backup should push the ball up the court constantly, even if you have to wait for your teamates to catch up, it still forces the defense to have to get back.

 

Being a spark plug is more than just pushing the ball up the court though. Moochie brings a certain "energy" with him on the court and thats what gets the crowd going. In my eyes the shots he made at the end of games last year is what justifies his being on this team as well as his contract.

I compare Moochie to the Energizer Bunny. They both have that "energy" and Moochie will keep dribbling that ball as often as that stupid bunny beats his drum.

 

UH OH CATO was showing his mad handles

 

would somebody give the update please, i can't watch or listen to the game (suck!)

 

I was just noticing Amare Stoudemire's numbers for the preseason and they aren't bad at all.

Hes reminding me of a young Shawn Kemp in tonight's game. I did not realize he was that explosive

 

i dont know the stats right now..vtkp but Amare and Taylor are having a battle.
Griffen scored 13 points and 9 of it was in the 3rd quarter i think.
T-Mo injured his ankle and is out of the game

and Nachbar has just entered the game.

 

Morris is hurt?

G-d d-mn it ....thats all we need as we get closer to the regular season .........

 

Amare does resemble Kemp in the early years...
but his freethrows are really bad.

 

Kemps were even worse lol

 

http://www.nba.com/games/20021017/HOUPHO/livestats.html

Ugly game. 21 turnovers, 41% fg. Eddie is firing it away.

 

Amare is just going crazy with dunks..16 pts so far

and Collier is playing with a funny mask for that broken nose.

Tito (troll doll) turning the ball over too many times

 

Stoudemire also reminds me of a young Olajuwon. His quickness and jumping ability are uncanny. He is going to be a superstar, even better than Ginobilli.