Sporting News: Stronger Francis the Star of the Show

http://www.sportingnews.com/nba/teams/rockets/

Rockets Team Report
By Michael Murphy/Houston Chronicle

Stronger Francis the star
of the show
October 13, 2001

TSN gets you ready for the NBA season with our
special "Going Hollywood" preview.

Without a doubt, Steve Francis will be the star of
this team. While everyone worries about zone
defenses and such, most teams will wind up being
confused as to what defense they are supposed to
be playing, leaving all kinds of holes that Francis
will be able to exploit.

Even when teams begin to jell defensively, Francis
will still be hard, if not impossible, to stop.

After a summer of weight work, Francis is much
stronger, but has not sacrificed any of his
gone-in-a-blink quickness. He can't be stopped
man-to-man, and his quickness will mean
crease-taking attacks inside any zone.

The added strength will allow Francis to more effectively attack the big oafs that are sure to be waiting
inside as teams attempt to cut off the isolation offense.

Rudy Tomjanovich has been on Francis about his shooting -- but in this case it's a matter of the coach
wanting the player to shoot more. Francis has been unselfish almost to a fault, but one can easily see
him putting up 25 points and seven or eight assists a night this season, especially since his stop-and-pop
pull-up jumper will be on display this season.

SUPPORTING ROLES

Cuttino Mobley has quickly blossomed into one of the league's brighter young stars. Why not? After all,
everything he does is predicated on quickness. While Mobley's decision-making is often a subject of
debate (you practically need an injunction to get him to give up the ball), he is an explosive offensive
player capable of huge scoring nights. His defense is way overrated, but with more technique work
(and want-to) there, Mobley could be one of the top stoppers, too.

The only conceivable problem could be attitude -- Mobley's intense desire to succeed is what made
Tomjanovich believe in him in the first place. Mobley refuses to accept anyone is better than he is,
which is why he enjoys the challenge of taking on some of the league's top guards. But does there come
a point where Mobley believes he has made it and no longer needs to work as hard as he has in the
past?

Hopefully not. And given his personality, it's probably not a concern.

Glen Rice is the third option in the Rockets' three-pronged attack. A superb outside shooter, Rice is
probably the Rockets' top post-up threat as well. His tender feet have been a problem in the past, but
Rice doesn't expect to miss much time this season. Good thing, because the Rockets have already
endured a season's worth of injuries.

Moochie Norris will play a vital role, even if he is an understudy. Yet another lightning-quick guard,
Norris bargained his way to a six-year, $22.6 million deal this fall, and he's the type who will earn his
money. Having Norris will allow the Rockets to slide Francis over to shooting guard, giving them an
embarrassment of breakdown riches.

The biggest question is whether rookie Eddie Griffin will make only a few cameo appearances, or
whether he has the ability to step in immediately and contribute. The Rockets are going to be hurting for
rebounds and interior defense -- two of Griffin's strengths. Can he withstand the pounding he's bound
to take while playing up front? Well, you can't hit what you can't catch, and Griffin is plenty quick.

MISCAST

This one's easy -- Kelvin Cato (we are contractually obligated to insert the words "much-maligned" in
here somewhere) will spend the entire season not only trying to emerge from the long shadow of
Hakeem Olajuwon, but also trying to escape the storm of criticism that has followed him around since
he entered the league.

Cato remains an enigma -- he showed enough promise for the Rockets to sign him to a $42 million deal
a couple of seasons back. But since then he's been hard to figure. A flash of brilliance is followed by a
flush of games where he does little or nothing. And the guy is apparently so fragile that he practically
has to be bubble-wrapped on the bench.

But to be fair, Cato has been playing well in camp and in the preseason. He doesn't have a go-to shot
(and won't have one until he stops taking 3-pointers in shootarounds), but Cato can be an intimidating
defender inside. His long-armed 6-11 frame and athletic ability makes him a fierce shot blocker, but
there are times when you can see him thinking the game, too, which makes him an effective position
defender as well.

Tomjanovich has been quick to praise Cato this season, but the Rockets are going to need the big man
for the long haul this season. Cato earned his big contract with a strong preseason, only to fizzle out
once the real games began. The Rockets can't let that happen again this year.

Kenny Thomas will spend much of the season trying to convince everyone that he's not miscast as the
starting power forward. Thomas waited patiently behind Charles Barkley and Othella Harrington, only to
see the Rockets sign Maurice Taylor away from the Clippers. But Taylor's Achilles' injury opened up an
opportunity for Thomas to prove that he can play the position. He's still undersized (6-7), but Thomas
has strong post moves down low. If only he could stop taking those three-pointers, though.

CASTING CALL

The Rockets once were Power Forwards 'R Us, with Barkley, Harrington and even Olajuwon in there in
a pinch. But not anymore. Thomas, Griffin, Cato and Jason Collier will all get a look-see at this spot.

Thomas will get the early starts, and it's probably his job to lose.

Griffin's quickness and ability to play inside or outside would seem to make him the best fit with
Francis, Mobley and the rest of the quick young players. But his stick-figure body can't hold up against
the likes of Chris Webber, Karl Malone, Elton Brand, Tim Duncan, Vin Baker or any of the other big
power forwards in the West.

Collier's perimeter shooting makes him a perfect fit in Tomjanovich's system, but it's at the other end of
the floor where the problems begin. Suffice it to say that Collier probably couldn't stop Elton John from
scoring, much less Elton Brand.

Cato doesn't have the shooting -- you can measure his range with a gap wrench -- to play the position
effectively in Tomjanovich's system.

Marc Jackson would be the ideal answer here. Jackson can hit the outside shot, rebound and has the
body to lean on other big forwards. With the Rockets' stable of point guards, Jackson won't have to
create shots for himself -- just get open and Francis, Norris and Mobley (well, maybe) will find you.

DIRECTOR'S CUT

The introduction of zone defenses this season means the Rockets have to adjust their offensive scheme.

In the past, Tomjanovich has employed an isolation set, first in the low post with Olajuwon as the
decision-maker, and later out on the perimeter with Francis pulling the trigger. Both were predicated on
the same idea -- give the ball to a premier scorer, force the defense to make a decision and then exploit
that decision.

With Olajuwon, it worked to perfection, resulting in back-to-back NBA titles in 1994 and '95. With
Francis, it worked well enough for the Rockets to somehow win 45 games last season. Accomplishing
anything close to that this year will be nothing short of miraculous.

Tomjanovich must somehow figure out a way to beat teams that can now resort to zones in an effort to
stop (or at least slow down) Francis and Mobley. The logical answer would be to fast break -- get the
ball out ahead of the defense. The Rockets have the athleticism, especially with guys like Cato and
Griffin trailing, but they lack the rebounding necessary to run a consistent breaking offense.

Tomjanovich will instead see how the defenses are employed and tweak his isolation offense to take
advantage. Teams will be scrambling to get a grasp on the intricacies of the NBA zone, leading to mass
confusion anyway, so it probably won't be a factor until a quarter of the season has passed.

INJURY REPORT

Taylor: Had surgery ago to repair a torn right Achilles' tendon and will miss the entire season.

Mobley: Is day-to-day after suffering a hip-flexor strain in training camp.

Collier: Had surgery to remove a cyst from his waist, but should be ready to play in the regular season.

Rice: Has plantar fasciaitis and will miss some of training camp. It is not expected to impact his ability
to play during the regular season.

Dan Langhi: Is out after spraining his right ankle in practice. The Rockets expect him to be ready for
the regular season.

SEAN DEVENEY'S BOTTOM LINE

The Rockets seemed a good pick to sneak into the playoffs before Taylor's injury. Now it's up to new
guys Jackson and Griffin to fill in (5th, Midwest Division).

THE CAST

Projected starting five

PF Kenny Thomas: A long-time understudy finally will get his chance to start after Maurice Taylor's
injury.
SF Glen Rice: A pure shooter whose attitude sometimes is deadlier than his textbook jump shot.
C Kelvin Cato: Sometimes shows incredible skills, but they're often overshadowed by bonehead plays.
SG Cuttino Mobley: Oozes confidence on offense, but most nights a subpoena is needed to get the ball
from him.
PG Steve Francis: Could emerge as the best point guard in the Western Conference, but he must score
more.

The rotation (in order of expected appearance)

PG Moochie Norris, C Jason Collier, PF Eddie Griffin, SF Walt Williams, SF Dan Langhi.

The rest (in order of expected appearance)

SF Terence Morris, SG Damon Jones.