Rockets aim for higher flight

COMMENTARY
Houston's offseason moves aimed at crafting a top contender]

By Matt Guokas
NBCSports.com contributor
Updated: 8:39 p.m. ET Sept. 12, 2005

It's been a busy offseason for the Rockets who have followed a blueprint they hope will result in a rise in the Western Conference, and a longer stay in the playoffs.

Moving on up?
Last year the Rockets took off once they added the players they felt they needed to surround their two stars, Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming. In their final 43 games they went 31-12. They finished third in the Southwest Division behind San Antonio and Dallas, and drew the Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs -- a series that was a good one until Houston had a melt down in Game 7 and got blown out.

This summer the Rockets improved themselves dramatically at the power forward position by signing unrestricted free agent Stromile Swift, who is coming off a bit of an off year with Memphis.
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They also signed free agent Derek Anderson, a 6-foot-5 guard who was released by the Portland Trail Blazers under the NBA's amnesty provision. And they re-signed three unrestricted free agents: Jon Barry, Ryan Bowen, and Dikembe Mutombo.

Last season Houston won 51 games, good enough to claim the fifth seed in the conference. But in the coming season the Rockets could win 70 percent of their games, and finish with 54 to 58 wins, which might be enough to claim the No. 1 or No. 2 playoff seed in the Western Conference.

Such a move up in seedings is not solely contingent on Houston improving. It could come about because in addition to the Rockets getting better, Dallas will miss Michael Finley, waived for luxury tax considerations, and San Antonio puts more of an emphasis on having Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker fit and ready come playoff time than it does on piling up regular-season wins.

Plus, Seattle and Phoenix, winners of the other two divisions in the Western Conference, are no locks to repeat their success of last season.

The new faces
Given the personality of its key players, Houston feels it needs the energy Swift brings to the court. He can block shots, and he can score around the basket.

How good an individual defender he is remains to be seen, but his athleticism on the back line can lead to blocked shots which result in easy baskets and take some pressure off the offense.

Anderson had a disappointing season last year, but earlier in his career he was considered a good defensive player. The Rockets like his shooting and ball-handling skills, and Houston general manager Carroll Dawson thinks that Anderson is underrated as a passer.

Anderson was offered more money to play elsewhere, but choose Houston and the challenge of earning minutes among a group of guards, including David Wesley, Bob Sura, Barry and top draft pick Luther Head.

Sura and Wesley are the incumbent starters, but both are recovering from offseason surgery.

Anderson is a question mark to me as he has had some attitude issues. The Rockets are the fifth NBA team Anderson has played for, and in his first year with any of his previous teams he seems to have been on top of his game, and hasn't created any problems -- so I think that's what the Rockets are banking on.

How much work Anderson's done this offseason, what kind of condition he's in, where he's at mentally, how well he defends, and how well he blends in with McGrady and Yao will determine how much he plays this season.

Centering in on Yao
Yao has established himself as one of the better centers in the league.

I feel that through added experience he will get a little better in some areas, but he is never going to be a mean, tough, low-post guy that is going to be dominant defensively. That's just not his personality.

But he can be a force in the NBA doing the things he does best. I think Rockets' coach Jeff Van Gundy realizes that his team needs to do the best job it can in utilizing Yao's strengths, and not worry so much about the things he doesn't do and can't do.

I don't think anyone is going to change Yao given his nature and his background, but that doesn't mean he isn't a pretty darn good center. He can score, pass out of the post effectively, rebound, and at 7-foot-6, he takes up space.

And he fits in well with the Rockets. His teammates seem to gravitate to him, and that's good. He's earned their respect by not backing down when going against the more physical centers in the league, especially Shaquille O'Neal.

McGrady's challenge
McGrady's one of the top players in the league, but he has never been on a team that has gotten past the first round of the playoffs.

What we know McGrady can do is score from outside or from down low, and rebound. But I think he can also be an off-the-ball shot blocker, and is capable of being a better individual and team defender.

McGrady's long arms and his strong body should help him play a more solid game defensively. Van Gundy's challenge is to get the most he can out of McGrady on defense, and I think the coach is going about it in the right way in that he is not going to have a contentious relationship with McGrady.

Instead, Van Gundy is sending his message to McGrady gradually, and in doing so he's gaining the confidence of McGrady. Van Gundy is hoping that this method results in a case of self discovery for his superstar -- McGrady realizing he can raise the level of his defense to that of where his offense is at.

McGrady's surrounded by good players now, so he must ask himself what adjustments does he have to make to help get his team deep in the playoffs. I think it is slowly getting through to him that he has to do more than score to help his team become better. He has to do the little things that make a team tougher to beat.

If and when McGrady does those things on a consistent basis -- that's when I think Houston takes its next big leap.

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