The Rockets have major problems, and the rebuilding process probably won't be over for a couple of more years. There are positive things to consider though, and let's look at a few of them. Les Alexander isn't dumb. He's got a new Arena, and he wants to sell tickets. He's got to generate some buzz. That means at least one major change will happen with the Rockets, if only to show fans that effort is being made to improve the team. Let's look at the possible changes. Rockets bring in one or two veteran players to bring stability to the team. It's highly unlikely the Rockets bring in a star third player to go along with YM and SF, but the team doesn't need more star players. What the team needs is a couple of veteran role players, who are consistent and give you 100 percent every game. Those type of players are easier to get. While the Rockets don't have much trade bait, they do have Glen Rice. He's an attractive player for salary cap reasons. They also have Cato, who finally played like he was worth the fat contract he got. Now Eddie Griffin has really bottomed out his value with the pot arrest (well that and suck play), but he still has a few whispers of potential left, and might be offered in a multi player trade. Then there is Mobley, a good scorer, who is still young, and doesn't have a huge contract that would scare teams away. Now you might say that the Rockets couldn't get much for EG, GR, or Cato, but the Rockets don't need much value in return for them. Like I already said, the Rockets need veteran leadership (younger versions of GR), and those type of players are easier to trade for. Plus the Rockets could pick up a veteran player (or two) through free angency. The Rockets might be reluctant to do this for cap reasons, but it's not out of the question. The next change is at the coaching position, but RT has two years left on a fat contract, and it's unlikely Les will eat RT's contract, when that same money could be used on the court to bring in a new player. The third change might be moving SF to shooting guard. This is very likely, because it would 1. generate buzz and 2. cost no money. Any time a lottery team can shake things up without spending money, it's going to be tempting. These are my official predictions: 1. RT stays (unless his health gets worse) 2. The Rockets pick up a veteran point guard, and move SF to the two. 3. The Rockets pick up a veteran power forward. 4. The Rockets pick up a veteran sharp shooter. 5. Two of these three players are traded. Glen Rice - most tradable player Cato - most tradable player Mobley - most tradeable player I don't put EG or Moochie on that list, because honestly they have little or no trade value. So I think the Rockets will shake things up, and maybe make at least a couple of important changes to team chemistry. Raven
