Fueled by a high-powered backcourt and a 7-foot-5 giant, the Houston Rockets boast playoff potential By KEVIN ARON DIRECTVSPORTS.com Staff Writer It’s been seven years since Houston was the toast of the basketball world. The Rockets had just swept Shaquille O’Neal’s Orlando Magic out of the 1995 NBA Finals to earn their second consecutive championship and talk of a dynasty was a main topic around office water coolers and radio talk shows. Little did anyone realize it was really the beginning of the end. Houston failed to make it to the Western Conference Finals in 1996 and has not qualified for the postseason since 1999. One of the key figures in the second title run, Clyde Drexler, retired in 1998. Hakeem Olajuwon, the centerpiece of the franchise, started to experience physical ailments, limiting his time on the hardwood and eventually forcing the Rockets to let him go prior to last season. With that move, Houston officially let go of its past and focused on the future. While it often takes organizations several years to get back to the level of contention—and some never get there—the Rockets appear to have the foundation laid for a quick ascent toward the top of the NBA. The news out of southeast Texas has been excellent of late, which has helped accelerate rebuilding plans. First off, Houston won the NBA Draft Lottery, which netted it Chinese giant Yao Ming, the most coveted big man in the draft since Tim Duncan. The 7-foot-5 Chinese center with a smooth outside touch has the potential to be the next big thing in the NBA. But there are also question marks that surround a lot of foreign imports: Is he strong enough to handle the NBA grind? Can he adapt to the NBA pace and style of play? Will he be able to hold his own against the physical post players? Making his American debut in an exhibition game against Team USA on Aug. 22, Ming scored 13 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and added six blocked shots in 34 minutes of action. He left quite an impression on some elite NBA players. “The guy can play,” said Charlotte’s Baron Davis after the game. “I like him a lot. My boy Steve Francis is a good friend of mine and he's going to have a good time with that big guy down there. He's going to block a lot of shots that will lead to some fast breaks and he can score inside.” That’s big praise from one of the NBA’s premier points guards, but it’s not the little guys that Ming has to play against and impress. So what does the reigning NBA’s Defender of the Year have to say? “He's got a nice touch and a couple of post moves, a couple of good moves around the basket,” Detroit’s Ben Wallace said. “As long as he continues to play the way he was playing, he's going to continue to grow as a player. To my surprise he was a whole lot better than I thought he was. We definitely beat him up. I think after we banged him a little and got to running on him, I think it took a little out of him. Once he gets the experience he needs, he can be a factor in the NBA. He didn't back down, but I think there were times out there he got a little winded.” Ming has acknowledged the need to build upper body strength. Kelvin Cato started 73 games in the middle of Houston’s lineup last season, averaging 6.6 points, seven rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. Ming should be able to double that production this season. That will take some of the burden off of one of the NBA’s least-respected scoring duos. Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley form an unstoppable backcourt that often gets overlooked. The dynamic duo is capable of scoring 50 points a night, but Francis needs to stay healthy, having played in just 57 games last season due to an inner-ear disorder that caused migraine-like headaches. He is also coming off surgery on an injured right shoulder. Luckily, backup guard Moochie Norris has proven to be reliable and durable, having played in every Houston game during the last two seasons. Francis is the franchise, but he was not the only Rocket spending a lot of time in the training room, thus costing the team plenty of victories. Power forward Maurice Taylor missed the entire season after injuring his Achilles and sharpshooter Glen Rice played just 20 games because of knee problems. Neither veteran needs to play a starring role on this young, up-and-coming team, but consistent and steady production from them would go a long way in moving Houston into the upper echelon of the Western Conference. Those injuries opened the door for a pair of youngsters. Rookie Eddie Griffin led the team in blocks while averaging close to nine points and six rebounds. He has unlimited potential and is capable of making a big jump in development this season. Third-year man Kenny Thomas filled in admirably for Taylor, starting 71 games and averaging 34.5 minutes. Thomas proved to be a solid scorer in the paint with 14.1 points—he also led the team with 7.2 rebounds per game. Adding to the youthful nucleus is another imported first-round pick, Bostjan Nachbar from Slovenia. He might be the surprise of this year’s draft because of his ability to hit jumpers from inside the three-point arc, run the floor and soar above the rim. With all this talent beginning to gel and blossom, is there any wonder optimism in Houston is starting to soar? Making the playoffs this season will be tough because the West is stacked with powerhouse teams, but this squad appears ready for the challenge. With a new state-of-the-art arena set to open for the 2003-04 season, it seems the course has been charted for the Rockets to rise up and quickly get back into title contention.
