Chron/Feigen: Good news - Rockets are hot topic again

Good news: Rockets are a hot topic again

By JONATHAN FEIGEN
Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle

Time to look at the bright side. Enough with the "negativity" as Rudy Tomjanovich calls the analysis of everything wrong with the Rockets, perceived and otherwise.

Sure, the season was filled with infuriating moments and an ultimately disappointing place watching the playoffs on cable. But hey, enough of that. It's been done to death.

The good news: People are talking. They might be talking about what is wrong with the Rockets, blaming everyone in sight but Bostjan Nachbar (if he can be considered in sight). But a year ago, the Rockets were dismissed and forgotten. Apathy is worse than anger.

More good news: They know what's wrong. A year ago, the Rockets went without Maurice Taylor and Glen Rice, and Steve Francis was tortured by a shoulder injury and was battling Meniere's Disease. The Rockets might be going into the offseason sooner they expected, but they can at least make their decisions knowing the hard facts about themselves.

Need more? Two words. Yao Ming. Hard as it is to believe now, there were those that questioned whether the Rockets should take Yao with the first pick of the draft. Jay Williams, anyone? The Rockets scouted Yao's size and skills; they found him to be a determined professional that rises to challenges.

"By December, everybody in the league was double-teaming him, which was good for us," Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson said. "They felt they had to get it out of his hands to beat us. So he was a factor in other teams' game plans pretty fast."

More? They are in pain. Humbled and embarrassed by their two-game collapse against Portland and Utah that basically ended their playoff chase, the Rockets seemed to have grown up enough to realize and admit the shortcomings they had so stubbornly denied.

"When you have an opportunity to get in the playoffs, like we did, and you get the door slammed in the face like that, you feel the pain," Rockets forward Glen Rice said. "I think that definitely is going to fire (us up) for next year."

So when they got together Thursday for a team meeting to begin another offseason, Tomjanovich joined his team for the first time since he announced his leave of absence and spoke of his planned return to the controls. He insisted the team is not as far off as it might seem.

"Floundering means you're going the wrong way, doesn't it?" Tomjanovich said. "We're going in the right direction.

"A lot of times ... the coach who had all that fun gets the heck out of Dodge. I didn't want to get out of Dodge. I was willing to go through the pain, and I knew it would be painful, and here we are. We're not horrible. If we're on the other side of the Mississippi, we'd be in the playoffs.

"Of course I'm disappointed, everybody is. And now it's where do we go from here. We've beaten a lot more good teams. So there are positives. But we've got to get to the next level."

But even if the Rockets were in the junior varsity Eastern Conference, even if they had beaten the Hawks and Cavaliers enough to be in the playoffs in the West, they were far from contenders.

The lack of maturity they cited might come, and Yao is expected to become a more consistent force. But 82 games of evidence demonstrates a need for some changes if the goals are greater than just finishing eighth. As much as they need Francis to become more polished, Taylor to become a more productive rebounder, Eddie Griffin a more efficient and versatile scorer and Cuttino Mobley a more accurate shooter, they will also have to consider some changes.

The Rockets go into the offseason with a shopping list, if not much of a budget or flexible roster to make changes.

They must find a back up point guard or rehabilitate Moochie Norris as a playmaker. Norris has a hugely important role not only as the only backup guard but also as the point guard to allow Francis to dabble at shooting guard. The Rockets still need Francis to score, but he often has to work too hard to find his own shot while trying to balance the offense.

They need another shooter or two. Bostjan Nachbar could fill some of that role. But the Rockets regularly get open outside shots and often lament that all those "good shots" just would not fall. The Rockets are a team of 40 to 43 percent shooters. As role players go, that is not nearly accurate enough.

Another veteran would be nice. Rice offered a been-there, done-that voice that is respected in the lockerroom. But the Rockets have a bench almost entirely filled with kids.

In the start of the luxury tax era, however, the Rockets do not have an easy roster to retool. Kelvin Cato filled his niche and moves into the last three years of his contract. Once unmovable, he might be considered relatively attractive. Rice will be in the last season of a contract worth $9 million.

Griffin is young and brings potential at a low price. Mobley has always been considered an attractive commodity and is a consistent producer with a relatively modest price tag.

James Posey is a free agent and his agent, Mark Bartlestein said when Posey was traded to the Rockets that the mid-level exception (to start between $4.5 and $4.7 million in the first year) might not be enough. Posey finished strong, excels on the break and is a good defender, all qualities attractive to the Rockets. But the price could be steep for the fourth or fifth option in their offense.

"I'm going to go back and look at a lot of tapes again, where you take all of the emotion out of it," Tomjanovich said. "I had a hard time at the end watching the games, it's really tough."

The Rockets seem certain to get what they said they needed most. Assuming Tomjanovich's treatment for bladder cancer goes as expected, he expects to be back. He said that with two seasons left on his contract (worth $12 million), he needs no confirmation from Alexander. He also does not have to wonder about how he feels.

"My No. 1 goal is to get back," he said.

"Once you get something sort of taken away from you a little bit, you get focused on it -- just the whole life, being with those guys, the growth. We got a lot of work ahead of us. I love a challenge. I've had a lot of adversity, things in my life that I've had to deal with. I'm ready for the challenge."

Posey said the team can do big things with "just a little more time."

"That's all we need. Hopefully we'll get one more season together," he said. "Then if we can't get it done, there's no excuse."