[Chron] Alston taking control, Street-ball star is handed Rockets' reins

Alston taking control
Street-ball star is handed Rockets' reins

By JONATHAN FEIGEN
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

Rafer Alston, long ago and in another life celebrated as the street-ball legend "Skip to My Lou," started the sort of drive move NBA point guards make every night, slicing into the lane, weaving around the Knicks' towering defenders.

Then with a quick jab of sleight of hand, Alston was alone. He had yanked the ball back as if it was a yo-yo on a string to clear the Knicks out of his way before putting in a layup. Blink and you missed it.

"Oh, baby!" guard David Wesley shouted, mimicking the screaming announcers in Alston's former life. "That was And1 Mix Tape stuff. The announcer, instead of saying 'Rafer Alston,' should have said, 'Oh, baby!' He should have ran into the stands, threw his jersey off."

If Alston had that urge, he resisted it. If anything, that one slick flash of deception was out of character in what has become a tidy, efficient style. It's so tidy, Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy handed Alston control of his offense in the hopes Alston could do everything from provide a jolt of fast-break scoring to help Tracy McGrady escape his shooting slump.

The Rockets' offense for much of the season has needed something, and it certainly missed the touch of a point guard when Alston was out with a hairline fracture in his left leg. But it is a safe assumption Van Gundy would not have handed him the keys if Alston were racing out of control in a street-ball show.


'Low-turnover guy'

"If you watch him, he's anything but that type of player," Van Gundy said. "That's how everybody wants to make him out to be. He's a low-turnover guy. He's sound. And yet, people still want to label him as that kind of guy. Maybe he can do that stuff. But he doesn't play like 'the Professor' out there."

So with Alston pressing the accelerator, Van Gundy has ordered the Rockets to get moving. Averaging just 6.5 fast breaks per game, the second fewest in the NBA, the Rockets have averaged 11.9 in the past eight games, getting at least 15 points on the break in half of those games.

Alston has averaged 8.4 assists per game in February and 6.4 overall with just 2.1 turnovers per game.

"Rafer's greatest strength would be that," Van Gundy said. "We want to take advantage of that. To do it, we have to have guys willing to run, and when they do run, reward them.

"If you want to run, you have to be able to get stops, get rebounds, have a point guard who advances it and has good decision-making capabilities, wings who are willing to get ahead of the ball and a big man willing to get ahead of the ball. You have to get a 4-on-3. That's not been our greatest strength."


Speed's the cure

The Rockets' greatest offensive strengths, Yao Ming and McGrady, are half-court players. The Rockets hoped that some fast-break offense would augment their top scorers.

"I know we have more transition points as of late than we're averaging in the season," Alston said. "If we can continue that and take it up a level, that would take a load off some of the times we're struggling in half-court sets."

The Rockets did not expect to have McGrady struggling, but in the past 10 games he has made 80 of 232 shots (34.5 percent). Van Gundy hopes running more might get McGrady going again.

"All the great perimeter scorers in this league have a better chance in transition than they do against set defense to get to the line," Van Gundy said. "There's less you can do to scheme in transition. That's not Tracy's greatest strength, but I think it would really help him to get out more actively because I think he could find more freedom, more room to move."

It's still not the Rockets' greatest quality and likely won't be any time soon. But finally, it is at least heading in that direction quickly.

jonathan.feigen@chron.com


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Rockets Summary

Moochie traded

The Rockets on Monday sent point guard Moochie Norris to the New Orleans/Okalahoma City Hornets for 6-11, third-year forward Maciej Lampe.

Lampe, chosen by the Knicks with the 30th pick in the 2003 draft when he unexpectedly slipped out of the first round, played in just two games this season. He was dealt to Phoenix as part of the Stephon Marbury- Antonio McDyess deal and traded to the Hornets last season with Casey Jacobsen for Jim Jackson. Lampe averaged 3.1 points and 2.4 rebounds for the Hornets and Suns last season.

The Rockets signed Norris out of the CBA in the 1999-2000 season, traded him to the Knicks for Clarence Weatherspoon last season, then reacquired him for Maurice Taylor. He averaged 2.2 points and 1.0 assists and 1.2 rebounds in 29 games with the Rockets.

"(Lampe is) a guy who moves his feet well," Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson said. "He can play outside. He's got an outside shot and he's very active. He's not your basic post-up paint guy. He's good on high pick-and-roll, side pick-and-roll, a pick-and-pop guy and he's got some bulk to him."

The teams did not have to match salaries because the Hornets are under the salary cap. Depending on how the deal is structured, the Rockets could have $3.4 million to $4.2 million to use as a "trade exception" for up to a year from Monday.


Team picks up McGrady

With Tracy McGrady seemed frustrated with his recent shooting problems and his 3-of-20 shooting against the Knicks on Sunday, teammates said they were not worried. They contend that he can help in other ways and that he will regain his touch.

"I kept telling him to keep playing the game," guard David Wesley said. "He still carried us. He still draws double teams. If he passes the ball, it's our job to knock down shots. He got me a couple early. He's still doing what he does, even though he's not scoring. He creates double teams, people rotate and we benefit from that."

JONATHAN FEIGEN

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/3657340.html