Chron: Morris is Rocket-steady in victory

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/sports/bk/bkn/1609666

Oct. 8, 2002, 11:25PM

Morris is Rocket-steady in victory
By JONATHAN FEIGEN
Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle
MEMPHIS -- There was a day in training camp, Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich said, that Terence Morris might have been the best player on the court. That, however, is not what has impressed him.

Morris has always had his moments. But moments are not enough. There is too much competition at his position for a few blocked shots and a nifty steal to win playing time. Tomjanovich has been raving not because Morris has been occasionally eye-catching, but because he has been so "solid."

For Morris, as with the often spectacular but insufficient Rockets, there had to be more than the best moments. On Tuesday, Morris and the Rockets began their preseason schedule by delivering more. Morris helped build a 20-point halftime lead, and the Rockets held on for a 106-98 win over the Grizzlies in The Pyramid.

"Terence, that's no surprise," Tomjanovich said. "That's how he's been playing, letting those high points come more frequently. He gave us a big, big spark off the bench.

"When we graded him as a college player, he did everything well -- pass, defend a couple positions, block shots, rebound -- and the way he shot it today, was the way he shot it as a junior and sophomore when I was really high on him."

Morris, a second-round pick in 2001, has been overshadowed by the return of Maurice Taylor and Glen Rice from injuries and this season's first-round selections, Yao Ming and Bostjan Nachbar. But he had 17 points in his 21 minutes Tuesday, including 13 in the decisive second quarter. He shot 7-for-12 and mixed in his customary spectacular blocked shot.

"Those other things -- playing defense, rebounding -- are always there consistently," Morris said. "This year, I'm trying to shoot the ball more consistently to be a more consistent ballplayer. I was on and off last year. I need them to know they can get this from me every game."

Morris has said that last season he tried only to fit in. He did not shoot confidently. He made just 38.4 percent of his shots, just 19.2 percent of his 3-pointers.

The Rockets still believed in his defensive talents and his knack for doing the little things well. But there did not seem to be many minutes to go around for the little things to add up if he could not occasionally get open shots to fall.

"I just came out real confident and tried to make plays," he said. "After a couple shots fell for me, the guys were looking for me and things worked well for me."

The usual suspects played their part Tuesday. Steve Francis had 30 points and 10 assists. Cuttino Mobley had 17. Kelvin Cato showed his improved touch, making two jumpers and finishing with 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting.

The Rockets' lead eventually grew to 24 before the Grizzlies made a run to within seven with 2 1/2 minutes left. Mobley hit a pair of jumpers before Francis scored on a drive and set up Cato for a fast-break dunk to keep the game from getting tighter.

"I thought we executed most of the game and even late, when it really, really counted," Francis said. "We got a grade of probably a 'C' because we didn't keep it up the whole game."

But the Rockets' finest moments came in the first half when they ran just a small slice of their "five-man" offense well, and often found Morris uncovered.

"He's been playing great in training camp," Francis said. "I was surprised they let him be open so much. After he hit two in a row, I would think you would switch. But we kept going back to him. He deserves it because he worked so hard in the off-season and in training camp.

"The first play he got in, he blocked a shot. I mean he really beat up a shot. That was a sign he was going to have a really good game."

With Glen Rice resting his still sore right knee, Kenny Thomas started at small forward before making way for Morris in the second quarter. Nachbar picked up six minutes in the fourth quarter without taking a shot.

Morris said he has not thought about the battle for playing time, saying "it will work out" if he plays as he did on Tuesday. As with the Rockets as a whole, the key, he knew, is to make it a habit.

"This means a lot," he said. "There was a lot of hard work over the summer. Coming into training camp really in shape helped out a lot. But getting a game like this can be the start of something."