From Monday's Chronicle: Rockets hope new era on court dovetails with marketing plans By JONATHAN FEIGEN Copyright 2001 Houston Chronicle The day's pickup games were going pretty much like every other Westside Tennis Club showdown of NBA players sweating through the offseason. But Cuttino Mobley was not happy. Mobley was shouting at teammates and opponents, arguing the few calls made, slumping silently, alone, to the floor to brood before exploding again in frustration voluble and echoing through the gym. "I can't wait anymore. I can't stand it," Mobley said a week before today's opening of Rockets training camp with the team's trip to Austin and dinner reunion there. "I can't wait for the season to start, even training camp. I hate this part. I hate it. I just can't wait anymore." Minutes later, Mobley, back on the court, made a quick move to his right, then spun back left to swish a short jumper marked by another shout. But Mobley's impatience was not the only unusual part of the scene. Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich had stepped onto the running track above to watch, his impatience inspiring a rare appearance above the court. While Mobley screamed, Tomjanovich beamed happily, laughing and loving what he knew Mobley's ire indicated, even sharing the sentiment. "Oh, I'm so excited. It is hard to wait," said Tomjanovich, who is preparing for his 31st season in the NBA. "It's like the night before the first day of school -- go to sleep thinking basketball, wake up thinking basketball." While the Rockets on and above the Westside court anticipated what could be the most important season of their recent retooling, a more important development might have been falling into place across town. On the day Mobley was overcome by excitement and impatience, the Rockets had their best day selling season-ticket packages in almost three years. The Rockets more than slumped from their back-to-back NBA championships of the mid-1990s to consecutive rebuilding seasons stuck in the lottery. They fell from the heights of 176 consecutive regular-season and playoff sellouts to the worst draw in the NBA. But just as last season's improvement from 34 to 45 wins inspired Mobley to eagerly await the presumed breakthrough this season, those across town in the front office were ready to begin another revival. "It will take some time for these things to take hold and to play out," Rockets chief operating officer George Postolos said. "I think the position that we're finding our fans in is they are excited about the future. And they know the future is now." The entryway to the Rockets' Greenway Plaza offices was redecorated last week. The Rockets and Comets' championship trophies still shine in their glass cases. But the faces have changed. The oversized photo of Steve Francis flying somewhere over the rim remains. But where the image of Hakeem Olajuwon once served as the symbol of the franchise, Mobley is pictured setting up one-on-one. On the next wall, an illustration of the coming arena is featured. Olajuwon is prominently featured inside the offices. But times have changed. Today, the Rockets begin another era. For the first time in 17 seasons, Olajuwon will not embody the Rockets' image and hopes. The franchise and its fortunes on and off the court are in his successors' hands. They have taken steps before, but now they must be ready to fly without him. "My heart is very tied to Dream, and I knew there was going to come a day eventually it would have to happen, and here it is," Tomjanovich said. "It's going to be a strange sensation going out on that floor and not having him there." But from a business standpoint, that might be what the Rockets needed. "We can be sad about him leaving at the same time that we're excited about the opportunity it presents for these younger players to emerge," Postolos said. "When you have somebody of Hakeem's stature, the greatest player in the history of the franchise, one of the greatest players ever, it's going to be harder for those other personalities to emerge. You never want to see his career with your franchise end. But the silver lining for that is it gives these other guys a chance to take center stage." Postolos compared the Rockets with Olajuwon to the NBA with Michael Jordan. Just as Jordan overshadowed younger stars and their achievements, Olajuwon could have obscured the talents of his young teammates. "People who really follow the team closely and people in the NBA have understood Steve and Cuttino and our team," Postolos said. "Now, with the relationship with the community or a marketing standpoint, they're taking center stage." To the rest of the NBA, the Rockets remained an attraction. While averaging just 12,648 per home game last season, they drew an average 16,714 on the road to rank ninth in the NBA. Francis has become one of the league's most popular young players. But general manager Carroll Dawson said deals are not made to help sell tickets. He was aware of the Rockets' dramatic slide in ticket sales and in the consciousness of local sports fans. The solution, he said, would be found in the standings. "A winning team is an attractive team," Dawson said. "We've been fortunate to be winning games while rebuilding. That's good marketing. It's a good team. It's fun to watch. And it's winning. That's what everybody wants." In their 34 seasons, the Rockets have won more games than they did last season (45) only 12 times. But their attendance the past two seasons was their worst since 1983-84, when their 29-53 record earned them the right to draft Olajuwon. The problem, clearly, was not only on the court. The primary emphasis of the Rockets' previous two offseasons was to sell the arena referendum instead of season tickets. Much of the discussion about the franchise centered on the arena debate, rather than the more entertaining basketball issues. The organization's efforts were dedicated first to surviving, rather than prospering. "Getting the building deal done was a tremendous challenge," Postolos said. "We devoted the best resources we have to that challenge. Getting past that put us in a position to focus our best resources to growing our business." The arena campaigns and the team's rebuilding hit when the league was in its post-lockout, post-Jordan slump and the Houston market added the competition of the NFL Texans' sales of private seat licenses and tickets. The Rockets also raised prices during their attendance slump. There was no price hike this season, but Rockets tickets are among the most expensive in the league. Still, the Rockets' highest-priced tickets have moved almost as briskly as in the team's heyday. The least expensive tickets ($10) consistently have been the toughest to sell. "We sold virtually all of our best seats for virtually every game," Postolos said. "At the end of the renewal process, we had very few seats available at our highest-priced categories, and those went very quickly, almost immediately when they were released." But with Rockets tickets suddenly readily available, the sense of urgency to buy season tickets that came with the sellout streak began a downward spiral. Postolos does not deny the trend. "We're not in the same position we were five years ago where we could count on one of the longest sellout streaks in the league," he said. "To compete in this marketplace, you have to have a much larger commitment of resources. You have to sell more aggressively. There's no question there's ample support for our team. What we have to do is work that. We have to get out there. We have to talk to enough people to where we move our product." To that end, the organization has expanded greatly. The sales staff has been more than doubled, with new marketing and sales directors hired to retool those efforts. An additional vice president, David Carlock, was hired to oversee the arena design and construction, freeing other members of the organization to attend to the usual basketball business. "There's no question in my mind we're going to sell more season tickets than we did last year," Postolos said. "We're ahead of where we were last year in sales. I think our organization is much stronger." Compared to the rest of the league, there is nowhere to go but up. But Postolos said the Rockets are headed in that direction. "Demand has been there, and it's been strong," he said. "We're excited by that and encouraged by that. People are excited about the priority in the new arena. They want to get in, and they can see it turning. People are starting to catch on to that. People want to get inside. They want to be a part of that excitement." For years, the Rockets thought this would be the offseason when they would have cap space to attract the next superstar. They decided instead to keep the usual superstar, then lost him. But Dawson said the offseason has been a success. "There are a lot of mixed emotions," he said. "But I think we're very fortunate in getting the guys we got in the draft and getting Glen Rice. It was an emotional summer. A lot of good things happened, some not so good. But I like this team. We're getting to the point the pieces are in place. It's time to grow from the experiences, mature. Fortunately, these guys are talented, too." Much differs from the championship years, or even the subsequent efforts to recapture them, but Tomjanovich said watching a young team grow is in its own way rewarding. The Rockets' stated goal last season was to make the playoffs, but they didn't, although with the best record to fail to qualify (45-37) since the postseason was expanded to 16 teams in 1984. But Tomjanovich said the season and the rebuilding have been successes in ways that some of Houston's most celebrated teams were triumphs. "It's like in our championship years," Tomjanovich said. "I would talk to people, and they were saying, `Houston has never had a winner (before.)' That was not an accurate statement. We had the Astros in the playoffs. We had `Luv Ya Blue.' There's got to be some enjoyment in the journey. I loved the Campbell-Pastorini-Burrough (Oilers) teams. I loved the Astros years. They were good rides. "I want to win. My goal is to win another championship. I'm going to coach that way. But I'm also going to enjoy the journey. I've had a great time the last couple of years teaching, watching young players that had to go through the pain of growth, the disappointment, but also learning. To see a look in a guy's eye of uncertainty turn to understanding is what this thing is all about." Rebuilding, Tomjanovich has often reminded, is never easy. The turnaround has begun. But like Mobley with a week to go before training camp, he could barely wait to put things into action. Postolos knows the feeling. "We're in this for the long term," he said. "I like our hand. I like where we are right now, and I like where we're headed. The most important thing now is to feel like we're taking steps forward all the time. I think we've taken significant steps forward on the court and off the court. We can remain optimistic and bullish."
Im excited as hell. I love Rudys comments about the jurney. It is so true. If your a true Rockets fan you know what I mean. I will always love the Rockets. I dont care how bad things can get sometimes I will always love them. I would also like to thank Rudy for being loyal to our beloved city. He and Caroll D are commited to bringing another championship our way and for that I would like to say thank you. Enjoy the ride, I know I will..GO ROCKETS
Glad to see that people are starting to get more excited about the team and the new arena. Great article...I think Jonathan Feigen could beat up Fran Blinebury in a fist fight!!!
I`m excited as hell can`t wait for tha first gm.That`s true a real die hard houston fan will win and lose with the teams TEXANS,ROCKETS,ASTROS no matter how much trash talk you get when we lose but when we win it`s all good all good baby hehehe. cowpokes 0-3 dam I feel good like sugar and spice so good shooo the TEXANS are coming..