Chron: Guard fills hefty hole on roster

Guard fills hefty hole on roster
By MICKEY HERSKOWITZ
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle

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COMING UP
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at Milwaukee, 7:00 p.m.
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The Houston Rockets have tried everything else, why not a 12-year veteran from the mean streets of Waco?


No one expects the addition of David Wesley to rescue the Rockets as they yo-yo their way through the first half of the season. But the onetime Baylor star does offer another option at point guard, where coach Jeff Van Gundy has tried everyone except Yao Ming.

The surprise in the deal is the price they were willing to pay for Wesley, one of the leading scorers for the truly woeful Hornets. The Rockets gave up Jim Jackson and Bostjan Nachbar, a starting forward-guard and a backup forward, for a starting guard.

After eight seasons in Charlotte and New Orleans, Wesley must have been wondering if this torture would ever cease. The Hornets (2-25) have a legitimate shot at being the worst team in NBA history.

But this is another of those times when a player must ask what he can do for the Rockets, not what they can do for him. They are still evolving, still searching for pieces of the puzzle they created in the off-season when they swung the blockbuster trade for Tracy McGrady.


Rockets' new(est) look
Jon Barry made his debut Sunday, looking good as he filled valuable minutes for the injured Charlie Ward.

Mo Taylor and Scott Padgett will try to fill the hole left by the departure of Jackson, who will be joining his 11th franchise in 13 seasons. A reliable fellow and a voice of reason in a sometime clueless locker room, Jackson deserves a better fate than being banished to the Hornets.

Early in his career, when Jim moved entire communities seemed to go with him. Dallas traded him to New Jersey in 1997 in a transaction involving nine players. A few months later, the Nets shipped him to Philadelphia in an eight-player deal.

He put up McGrady-type numbers after he broke in with the Mavericks, who never figured out whether one basketball was enough for Jackson and Jason Kidd. They solved the problem by trading away both of them.

Brilliant.


Hard to say goodbye
Jackson was a pleasant and mature presence with the Rockets and letting him go could not have been easy. His last game here was, ironically, one of his best of the season — 21 points, five of 11 from
3-point range.

"It's not his fault," said Carroll Dawson, referring to the team's struggles. The general manager is known for his compassion, not necessarily an asset in a sport that consumes him.

"Both our point guards came up with injuries. Charlie (needs) surgery, and Bob Sura got his knee banged up. We were faced with Tracy bringing the ball down against double teams.

"Sura is a gritty, old school, hard knocks kind of player. Our rebounds have gone up since he started playing. Jon Barry is a smart player who can hit the open shot. He knows what it takes to win in this league."

That description also fits Wesley, who started nearly every game while he was with the Hornets. He leaves as their leader in games started and is second in scoring and 3-point percentage to Dell Curry.

In another era, Dawson was an all-conference center at Baylor at 6-5 and later coached the team. He was a good one but always faced long odds.

Carroll doubted that Wesley knew about their school ties.

"I don't think David was born yet," he said.

Wesley wasn't drafted out of Baylor and signed with the Nets in 1993 as a free agent.

A year later, he signed with the Celtics, and since his second season in Boston has never averaged below double digits as a scorer. His career average is 13.3, about two points below Jackson.

"When you make a trade," said Dawson, "people see a negative side to it. But that wasn't the case here. We had to give up two players we liked to fill a need."

The Rockets are still making adjustments, still filling needs, desperate to find that elusive quality called team chemistry. In Yao and Tracy McGrady, they have a high-profile duo, but finding the right combination has been a challenge. Jeff Van Gundy has been mixing and matching since October, and there may be more changes to come.

On the surface, Jackson-for-Wesley doesn't appear to be a stop-the-presses kind of trade. But Wesley can hit the
3-pointer and go to the hole. He will relieve McGrady of the need to put the ball in play, and that clearly adds to his value.

The Rockets don't pretend that this is the kind of deal a team makes from a position of strength and that they are a good team striving to get better.

But if it works and if a floundering team can come together, the Rockets may look back on it as the move that saved a season.

And Wesley can wish his former team, the Hornets, well in the quest to win their third game.

mickey.herskowitz@chron.com

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/2967806