SI sizes up the rockets

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2003/basketball/nba/10/01/houston.preview/index.html

John Hollinger, SI.com

Last year's Houston Rockets were harder to figure out than Ray Romano's rise to stardom. Despite having two All-Star starters in Steve Francis and Yao Ming, they possessed an innate ability to lose to inferior teams, and somehow avoided making the playoffs.

The two culprits were a weak bench and a non-existent team concept, and the team moved to address both in the offseason. The supporting cast was upgraded with the additions of Jim Jackson, Eric Piatkowksi, Adrian Griffin and Mike Wilks in free agency, but the more important addition may be on the sideline. Health problems gave the Rockets a convenient reason to move Rudy Tomjanovich aside; he had won two championships in the '90s, but the team looked disorganized, and Houston underachieved under his tutelage over the past two seasons.

In his stead, Houston hired Jeff Van Gundy, the former Knicks coach noted for his commitment to defense and feeding the low post. The latter tendency should help Yao, who was ignored for long stretches last season while Francis and Cuttino Mobley took turns going one-on-five.

The Rockets have other reasons to be excited. Eddie Griffin is an up-and-coming talent at power forward, Francis is a stud at the point, and Yao should be able to step up his game after a year adjusting to American culture and NBA physicality.



Defense. The Rockets weren't known for defense under Tomjanovich. That will change in a hurry under Van Gundy. Trust me.

Van Gundy's ability to inspire defensive fervor is a trait he inherited from his mentor, Pat Riley. Van Gundy's Knicks consistently were among the best defensive teams in the league, despite possessing very ordinary talent on that side of the ball. It's no accident that the Knicks declined markedly in that area immediately after he left.

For Houston, the scary part is that the defensive talent is already there. Francis is big, quick and athletic, and is capable of making opposing point guards miserable. Eddie Griffin lacks bulk but is rapidly turning into one of the top shot-blockers in the league. On the wings, Mobley and Adrian Griffin both have outstanding quickness, while Jackson is incredibly strong and moves his feet well. The addition of Wilks, a defense-oriented sparkplug who could beat out incumbent matador Moochie Norris for the backup point guard job, should also help.

But the centerpiece will be Yao, an imposing obstacle at 7-foot-5 who is still learning how to use his size at the NBA level. He showed his potential when he rejected Shaquille O'Neal's first three shots in a matchup early last season, but needs to get more physical and read plays quicker if he's going to be a defensive force. Van Gundy and newly hired assistant Patrick Ewing should help him make this transition.



Passing. One reason Yao didn't see the ball nearly as often as he should have is because he might as well have been playing with Stevie Wonder. Last year's Rockets didn't give up the ball unless someone showed up with a warrant, preferring to dribble the shot clock down and then drive to the basket.

Yao wasn't the only one to suffer. Only the Heat had fewer assists than the Rockets a year ago, and the only reason they had less because they couldn't score. The Rockets, on the other hand, were a decent offensive team that just played selfishly. Only 53 percent of their baskets were assisted, which was easily the worst rate in the league.

And the stats didn't lie. Visually, the Rockets played like a team that just met each other a few minutes before tip-off. Other than Yao, no Rocket seemed to have a sense, or even an interest, for what his teammates would do or how to deliver the ball. Francis was the only Rocket to muster even three assists a game, and he only got that many because he had the ball for the first 23 seconds of every possessions.

On the bright side, the new Rockets should help that transition. Jackson is a good passer, and Adrian Griffin is excellent, while Wilks should help simply by virtue of the fact that he never shoots.



Will Yao get the rock? Obviously, Van Gundy faces a challenge in adjusting the mental approach of the team. He wants to play from the inside out, starting the ball in the post with Yao, and then letting him find teammates or shoot high-percentage shots from in close.

But even if Van Gundy succeeds in starting the offense with Yao there's still another level that needs improvement. Any time Mobley or Francis drove to the basket, Yao immediately turned into the world's tallest invisible man. Tomjanovich focused the offense around the guards and ran most of the plays for them, which also contributed.

That explains how Yao could average fewer than 10 field-goal attempts a game despite shooting 50 percent from the floor, 80 percent from the line and having a height advantage against every opponent except Shawn Bradley. Yao is strong enough in the legs to hold his spot in the post, and while he needs to make his moves quicker down low, it seems foolish for Houston to continue ignoring such a potent, high-percentage threat. Running the offense through Yao will help, but the real difference will come when the Rockets look to dish to the big man on their drives to the basket.



Driving for No. 5. The top four teams in the West are way too good for the Rockets. After that, however, they have as much talent as any team in the West. It's almost inconceivable that they could miss the playoffs again with this many weapons, especially given the depth they added in free agency. Van Gundy will add a defensive edge and a team mentality to a squad that was notably lacking in both areas a year ago, and the proof will be in the win column.