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Chron: Nachbar, Maddox solidify Rockets' future as picks from Olajuwon

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by ron413, Oct 14, 2002.

  1. ron413

    ron413 Member

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    http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/sports/bk/bkn/1616007

    Oct. 13, 2002, 8:32PM

    LINKS TO GLORY
    Nachbar, Maddox solidify Rockets' future as picks from Olajuwon trade
    By JONATHAN FEIGEN
    Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle
    Before they get started, there is a measure of excellence permanently attached to their names, a mere coincidence perhaps, but still, a welcome stamp of approval.

    Eventually, Yao Ming will be a high-profile Rockets rookie, even a presumed successor to Hakeem Olajuwon's place at the center of the Rockets' hopes. But for now, Rockets draft picks Bostjan "Boki" Nachbar and Tito Maddox are direct descendants in Olajuwon's Rockets legacy.

    The Rockets chose Nachbar with the 15th pick of the draft that they acquired from the Raptors in the sign-and-trade deal that sent Olajuwon to Toronto. They picked Maddox with the 38th selection after the Olajuwon trade gave them the right to switch second-round draft position with the Raptors (taking the Heat's second-rounder from the Raptors for a Pistons pick the Rockets held).

    With the selections, the start of Nachbar's and Maddox's Rockets careers will always coincide with the end of Olajuwon's. And if that is not the most immediate of connections, they said there is an honor in the relationship.

    "It's a privilege to be linked to the greatest guy in the history of the club," Nachbar said. "It's kind of funny to be part of the situation and be here instead of him. But I don't feel any pressure. It wasn't a direct trade. It was more to complete the trade. I'm comfortable with it. I like it."

    It beats becoming known as the other rookies, as they surely will be, or as `Boki and Tito,' a combination that sounds like the stars of a children's public television program.

    While going through the growing pains associated with the first preseason of rookie careers, even that slender connection to greatness was welcome, especially because it does not come with the pressure and comparisons of a direct trade. Better still, with Olajuwon to announce his retirement, there is no chance the connection will grow beyond small-print history.

    For now, Nachbar and Maddox said, it's fun.

    "I didn't know about it, but I like it," Maddox said. "I have already been working hard, but this is motivating me to make me work harder. He was the `Dream.' He was a great player."

    For the Rockets, the connection is like winning the draft lottery, again. They did not want to lose Olajuwon, and did not expect to receive much of anything in return when they did. The Raptors seemed destined to build one of the league's best records and return one of the first round's worst picks.

    Instead, they were tied for the worst record of any playoff team, and a coin flip sent the Rockets the 15th selection. The Heat also was expected to be a far better team than it became, offering the Rockets a chance to move up to the ninth pick of the second round.

    After Olajuwon chose to leave as a free agent, the Rockets agreed to the sign-and-trade largely to help Olajuwon get the best deal possible. Instead, they helped themselves.

    "(Nachbar) got overlooked by a lot of people because of our first pick of the draft, which was a fortunate thing for us, too," Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson said. "But he would have gotten a lot more attention if he was the only pick. Most people didn't know we had the option on the second-round pick. People asked, `How'd you get the 38th pick?'

    "We didn't want to take on any players, so it was better for us at the time to get those picks. When it was evident we weren't going to get him (Olajuwon), we said we wanted picks and it worked out better for us than we expected.

    "I knew they'd make the playoffs, but I was surprised it was as close to the lottery as it was. The pick was a lot better than we thought it would be. That happens in this business, which is why so many picks are protected. You never know."

    Stranger still, the Raptors seemed lottery bound (in which they would have kept their pick) until rallying in the final weeks without Vince Carter.

    Instead, the Rockets picked up players they consider assets.

    Neither appears ready to be an immediate factor. Nachbar is still coming off July hernia surgery and has not been able to excel consistently. But there have been practices when he has been stunning.

    "In Boki's case, going through that surgery has put him behind physically," Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. "He's doing a good job. He's battling through it. But there is no way you can make up for all that time he was out.

    "He is a little bit behind in strength and conditioning. He's trying to do the things we feel he can do and we are starting to see flashes of it."

    Nachbar has had some drills when he has seemed incapable of missing shots. On his better days, he has run the court and finished above the rim as Tomjanovich saw when he scouted him in Italy.


    "From what I've seen, I'm very excited," Tomjanovich said. "He's a full-court player. He can slash to the basket with the ball and he has a way of finishing and surprising people. He can shoot the ball from the outside. He's a true European player. They have a way of knowing how to get the ball in the basket."

    Nachbar has had enough of those flashes to fight the frustration of his slower-than-expected rehabilitation. He has not been able to do everything he can do every day. But he has done enough to confirm to himself that he belongs.

    "The coaches said they are satisfied with what I am doing and I am satisfied," Nachbar said. "But I think I could do much more if I didn't have problems with my groin. It bothers me. I thought it would be rehabilitated, but it's still here in everything I do. Bit it looks like it's going to stay here a little while more.

    "I had two good days and two not so good days. I had two days when I was really good, I was able to run, spring, jump. But I had two days my groin was really hurting me, but I had to go anyway. I have to go through it. It's limiting a little bit, but there are small times I can play and show everybody what I can do."

    Maddox has gone through other pains -- and similar successes. After not playing at all last season when the NCAA declared him ineligible, he has not only had to come back as an NBA rookie, but while learning to play both guard positions.

    "Tito is doing OK," Tomjanovich said. "We got so much stuff in, probably double what he did in college, and we might be halfway done with all the stuff we're going to put in.

    "But we want flexibility. With his size, I think he can defend both guards. And he's a full-court player, which we want."

    Maddox said he has felt more at home at the point with the ball in his hands. He has shot well when penetrating and has been strong in the lane, even offering hints of Steve Francis' knack for rebounding from the backcourt. But he has been inconsistent when working in catch-and-shoot situations on the perimeter.

    "I'm having fun," Maddox said. "I'm competing, going up and down, learning a lot from Steve, Cuttino (Mobley) and Moochie (Norris). I'm learning both positions. I'm still more comfortable at the point, but I like learning the two. I'm having fun."

    Neither will make anyone forget Olajuwon. But as difficult as a comparison to Olajuwon and his championship teams has been for the Rockets, Maddox and Nachbar said they enjoy their connection.

    "We're a young team, a learning team," Nachbar said. "You can't compare us to 1994 and 1995. That will take time.

    "But it's good to know that there were championships here, that the Rockets had a great history. We're proud of that. Whenever the name Hakeem Olajuwon comes up, you think of the Houston Rockets. You can't think of anything else. It's great to be linked to him."
     
  2. ron413

    ron413 Member

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    http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/sports/bk/bkn/1615974

    Oct. 13, 2002, 7:40PM

    Rockets summary
    Praising Terence

    The Rockets have been raving about forward Terence Morris' growth in his second training camp, particularly his consistency.

    "Terence has had a great, great camp," Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. "He really has consistently put together good practices. He had another good one (Saturday) -- his all-around game, his passing, his defense, he's been shooting the ball real well. His confidence level is real high."

    Rockets guard Steve Francis, Morris' Maryland teammate in 1998-99 said he is not surprised.

    "These are the things I was used to seeing him do," Francis said. "Out of all the people in camp, including myself, I think he is the most improved so far from last season. He rarely misses shots. He plays great defense. I think the coaches probably realize that too."

    Running instinct

    As much as needing to work on the details of a running game, the Rockets continued to try to instill a running mentality in practices.

    "We have to get ourselves conditioned (mentally) to do that," Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. "Even though we are working on all this half-court stuff, I want when that ball switches hands, those first three or four strides to be explosions going the other way. We have to start working on exploding out of there."

    -- JONATHAN FEIGEN
     
  3. Sane

    Sane Member

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    Ming, Mo, Boki, Cat, Wink, Tito, Moochie, and Tierre. What the hell? LOL!
     
  4. Rockets34Legend

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    It sucks to say that we salvaged something from Hakeem, but it sucks that his career had to end this way...:(
     
  5. wrath_of_khan

    wrath_of_khan Member

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    I absolutely love how much knowledge and respect Boki -- a European -- has for Rocket history. Impressive that he knew the championship years.
     
  6. RC Cola

    RC Cola Member

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    Don't these quotes really get you excited? It sounds like T-Mo's good performance against Memphis may not have been a fluke. Maybe he could be a big factor factor for the team. Maybe he could be like Artest...j/k. (I bet everyone's tired of hearing that name.)

    T-Mo>Kobe :p
     
  7. codell

    codell Member

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    Great ..now Terps is going to post on this thread 78 times. You bas tard.

    j/k :D
     
  8. DearRock

    DearRock Member

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    Reading between the lines I see Boki dropping way back and will be on the IR to start the season. This is the case because he is still recovering, he is a rookie that has to make a transition and there is currently no room for him in the rotation which I am sure now includes Tmo. At best Boki is our 12th man behind, Cato, MoT, KT, Wink, Mobes, Ming, EG, Rice, Moochie, OT, and Tmo.

    Also reading between the lines suggests that Rice may have to play some at the 2 spot, due to the play of Tmo. In other words, Tmo is pushing Rice out who in turn will push out OT. If all of this is correct then I feel very good about our defense going into the season. Scoring will not be the problem but to reach Top 4 in the West our defense has to be significantly improved.
     
  9. codell

    codell Member

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    I agree totally. We all had high hopes for Nachbar coming out of the draft, but it looks like hes caught in a numbers game. Too bad.

    Rice would get killed defensively at the 2. Hopefully, he wont have to play their often.
     
  10. ricerocket

    ricerocket Member

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    MT, EG, Rice, KT, Yao Ming, Cato, Steve, Cat, Mooch.

    Boki, TMo, Tito, Torres.

    From the reports it looks like Boki may be IR and Tito, TMo and Torres make it.
     
  11. codell

    codell Member

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    You really think Torres has a shot? Alot of people are counting him out. I liked his game last year though.
     
  12. Yetti

    Yetti Member

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    Its just speculation!
     
  13. ricerocket

    ricerocket Member

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    He's dual position, and defends well. Maybe Rudy will put Snackbar on IR. So far the guy is an over rated version of Langhi anyway... Time will tell, and he is injured so I/we should give him time.
     
  14. DearRock

    DearRock Member

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    I expect Tierre Brown to make the team. If the team has a problem with Brown, we are not hearing it. But on the other hand we not hearing great news either. I cannot see how Brown got the nod last year, played well under the circumstances and tore up the Summer League and not make the team. Unless they hook him up like they did with Damon Jones, last year.
     
  15. ricerocket

    ricerocket Member

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    Poor Tierre. I can't see him making it for the fact he only plays PG. I agree that he will/should hook up elsewhere, he is too good and there are teams that need him.
     
  16. Relativist

    Relativist Member

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    DearRock, I want to see TMo get minutes as well, but how confident are you that you're not reading into the articles more than is there? I can see Nachbar being pushed back in the rotation, maybe to the IR. I can also see TMo moving up to take his place. (I can also see those things not happening.) But what's this about Rice? Playing the 2? Why do you think that?
     
  17. DearRock

    DearRock Member

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    It is all speculation on my part. I live in CT and saw alot of Knicks games. My recollection was that Rice, Spree and Houston were all interchangeable, for the most part. I see Rice as a swing man. So when Tmo shows up playing like he is with Clutch saying that Tmo, at times, was the best player on the court and Francis says he is the most improved, I do not see Rudy T letting that go. Plus there is always the concern that Rice could be defensive liability at the 3. Tmo solves that problem. Going up against Marion, for instance, I would assign KT and Tmo to him for the game. If he gets 20 with those guys then he would have gotten 30 on Rice. In the same game, Penny or Joe Johnson may have to deal with Rice. Rice's scoring ability from outside and the low post makes that matchup, for 10-12 minutes, even at worst.

    In addition it is becoming more evident that our least strong position is the backup 2 spot and adding Rice adds strength.
     
  18. ROXTXIA

    ROXTXIA Member

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    DearRock,

    You live in CT? Isn't that where ESPN is? You need to drive over there and pimpslap whomever's in charge: more Rockets footage during the forthcoming season!

    I think BOKI's injury is generally half "not-healing-like-I-hoped" and half "let's let Rice play himself into getting traded so we can play Boki when he is closer to 100%."

    But then again, I believe that the CIA, the Cubans, the Mafia, and the U.S. military industrial complex were all standing on the grassy knoll in Dallas in November 1963.
     
  19. DearRock

    DearRock Member

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    Yeah, they are in Bristol, CT. When you drive by there you could not miss it based on the number and size of the satellite dishes outside. I have always had a problem with their take on the Rockets but I see some improvement with Chad Ford. He did say early that the rockets were all set. That is the kind of accurate assessements that I like rather than those predictable stuff coming from Dr. Jack. I cannot wait to hear what he says this year. I sure he is going to say they need time to work together. At his age he should go out on a limb more often.
     

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