[Chronicle] Rockets need name tags

Coaches believe lots of turnover should not lead to lots of turnovers

By JONATHAN FEIGEN
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle

Each day Carroll Dawson sits 10, maybe 15 rows up from the Toyota Center court and checks out Rockets practices.

This is not entirely new. He watched training camp workouts in Austin and Galveston in the past, usually with breaks to work his cell phone. And watching practices, especially the full-blown workouts of the preseason, is something general managers do.

But this season is different.

"It's a concern," Dawson said. "Watching practices, it's going very well, but it's definitely a concern. That's why I've been watching. It's not every year you have eight new players."


Not a problem

For the Rockets, change this extensive has come roughly every decade. The team has had as many as eight different players on the active roster from the end of one season to the start of the next in only three of their previous 37 seasons.

They have eight new players, although one, Bob Sura, likely will begin the season inactive with of a back injury. Guards Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley and center Kelvin Cato are gone to Orlando.


Heat's turnaround

Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy and the players have consistently referred to the turnover as a non-issue.

However it affects them, if at all, the Rockets will begin their preseason schedule Sunday against one of the few teams that can relate.

Just as the Rockets' trade for Tracy McGrady transformed their roster, the Heat's trade for Shaquille O'Neal led to an eight- or nine-player overhaul in Miami, depending on who makes the team, in its second consecutive season turning over the roster. Last season, the Heat had 10 new players on the roster for their first game.

With their rebuilt team, the Heat went 5-12 in the first month. But they reached the postseason as one of the league's hottest teams and with the trade for O'Neal arrive in Houston as one of the favorites to win the Eastern Conference.

"Schedule had a lot to do with it," Van Gundy said of the team coached by his brother, Stan, and assembled by his NBA mentor, Pat Riley. "They started out predominantly on the road and predominantly against the West. They were done with Western road games last year by January.

"People just look at what the start record was and what the end record was and say, 'What a great run.' And it was an unbelievable run. They ended up 21-4."


'More teaching'

Van Gundy said adjusting to a new mix would be neither an issue nor an excuse for the Rockets.

"I don't think it's that difficult," he said. "There's more teaching, obviously, going on. It's not like it's ingrained. I don't think it's that big a negative."

Even if it were a legitimate excuse, the Rockets and Heat likely would have made the moves for McGrady and O'Neal anyway.

Most teams would consider the potential rewards of such deals worth the risks.

"I think the teams in this league that have done well are the teams that take chances," Dawson said. "We're fortunate to have an owner (Leslie Alexander) that takes a risk if he thinks there could be a championship down the road.

"We've always done that. We brought in (Scottie) Pippen, (Charles) Barkley, Clyde (Drexler). We've always been risk takers. Sometimes the chemistry works. Sometimes it doesn't. Getting used to each other, getting comfortable and having the right mix is important. That's why ... we didn't just run out and get first guy we could.

"So far, it looks good on paper. We'll see how it works out on court."

jonathan.feigen@chron.com


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Rockets Summary

McGrady's back

Rockets forward Tracy McGrady returned to practice Friday after sitting out most of Thursday's practice with a sore back. Holding out McGrady was considered a precautionary move and the soreness was not an issue a day later.

"He was fine in practice," coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "Yesterday he could not practice so today he was better. There's a difference between being injured and hurting. Yesterday he was injured and couldn't practice. But if you're just hurting, you practice.

"That's not my call. That's player, Keith ( Jones, Rockets trainer) and the doctors."


For the fans

The Rockets will hold an open practice at Toyota Center from noon to 2 p.m. today.

Most of the Rockets' workouts on the Toyota Center practice court are closed to the public. Today, the team is expected to be on the main court for a 30-minute public scrimmage at about 1 p.m.

Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming will have a question-and-answer session with fans. Fans also will be given passes for free-throw shooting, autograph and picture sessions with players.


Spreading the work

Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said he would approach Sunday's preseason opener against the Heat pretty much the way he would any game.

The only differences would be keeping starters from playing too many minutes and trying to find playing time for training camp invitees Brooks Sales, David Hawkins and Derrick Zimmerman.

"You play to win, but that doesn't mean you play everybody the minutes you normally would play," Van Gundy said.

"I think I already know what I'm expecting to get from people. I'm not experimenting. You want to use combinations you want to use in a game. I'm not searching for anything.

"Some of the younger kids will play early because you want to reward them with a chance to play after all the work they put in. Zimmerman, Hawkins and Sales will play."

-- JONATHAN FEIGEN

 

Man yall gotta get with the program people. I'm new here and I'm posting all the damn articles every night.

On a lighter note, these Chronicle people need to stop being smartasses.

"Coaches believe lots of turnover should not lead to lots of turnovers"

Took me a minute for that one..

"Rockets Summary

McGrady's back"

Bad back AGAIN?? WTF!

Oh...wait... you mean he is BACK. Oh whew... thanks for making me soil myself. Ass.