With Scottie Pippen out of town, the Rockets have a whole new look.

They also made it look so tedious, with 25 turnovers in their first preseason game, a 101-88 loss against Seattle on Wednesday.

Welcome to the new Houston Rockets. With nine new players and three new starters, they look a little different from the 31-19 team that was pushed out of the playoffs in the first round against the Lakers last year.

"It's like a whole different team," Hakeem Olajuwon said on Wednesday. "The style of play, the athletic ability, the running and the youth and experience -- we'll be a much better team than we were."

Gone is Scottie Pippen, who, after a nasty public exchange of words with Barkley, was traded to the Trail Blazers. And gone is the slower, halfcourt style. Instead of being a team identified with their veterans, Barkley and Olajuwon, the Rockets now reflect a mix of both the mature and the inexperienced.

"The only thing that helps me is talent. And we've got a lot of talent," said Barkley. "It's going to be fun. We're deep at every position."

And they could be very good. Periodically, they will also be very bad.

With the infusion of new players, the Rockets have picked up their tempo and plan to run the ball a lot more this season, thanks to the additions of rookie Steve Francis of Maryland and Shandon Anderson, acquired as a free agent from the Jazz. But with that speed also comes the danger of being out of control.

Both were on display in their preseason debut.

"It showed how good we can be and how bad we can be," coach Rudy Tomjanovich said after the game. "We're trying to get the running game going, be more of a slashing, driving team and hopefully we'll be able to press also."

	“	He has to work at being a point guard because they all think they have to score all the time. ”
		— Gary Payton, on Steve Francis

Starting over is what the Rockets seem to be about this year. The Pippen trade is long over -- at least in the minds of the players and the coach. Though Houston lost a veteran player with championship experience, in the end, it probably gained more by trading him.

"The team is still happy where we are," Olajuwon said. "I hope Scottie is happy where he is so he can play his game."

Asked to sum up his feelings on Pippen leaving, Barkley said it is "disappointing."

"I don't know what happened between me and Scottie, it was unfortunate, but it's over now," Barkley continued. "I really enjoyed playing with him. And I was disappointed when he asked to get traded. I feel like I didn't do anything to offend him or say anything bad about him. Obviously he didn't want to be here."

And ask people on the team how excited they are about Francis, the heralded rookie who landed with the Rockets via Vancouver, and the superlatives start flowing.

"We're blessed to have a guy of his talent. And I think he's going to be one of the best players at his position for a lot of years," Tomjanovich said. "He can grow into that role as a top-notch NBA point guard and the sky's the limit for him. He's got athletic ability and talent. How far he goes I think is up to him."

Barkley is already doing his part to take care of the rookie's sponsorship deals.

"Nike called me yesterday and said, 'Should we sign Steve Francis?' And I said, "As quick as you can get a pen to him,'" said Barkley about how confident he is in Francis' abilities. "He's special. We haven't had a good point guard that can create like that. When he's going to the basket, he's going with a mission."

Francis got a great opportunity to display his skills in his first professional outing, going up against Seattle's Gary Payton.

The team seemed to respond to the fast tempo which Francis helped create in the first half but the Rockets looked out of control in the second -- which is why they allowed the Sonics to make a 17-point comeback and win the game.

"I think I felt too good out there," Francis said. "I felt overconfident. The thing that I learned is how they're going to call the game, how teams can make rallies, going back and forth. My first experience was great. I learned a lot."

Francis brings quickness to Houston -- something they haven't always had in recent years, certainly not with the likes of Brent Price, Matt Maloney, Emanual Davis and a litany of other mediocre talent that has passed through. He's also going to have to learn how to set up the offense and slow it down when it starts to get sloppy.

"He's going to be good," said Payton. "He has to work at being a point guard because they all think they have to score all the time. He's got Hakeem and Barkley down there and he has to get those dudes the ball some of the time."

And that was part of the problem last year -- getting the ball to all of the dudes that wanted to shoot a lot.

But now Pippen, who complained about not getting enough shots last year, is in Portland and the Rockets are looking past him and toward their new future. No one is complaining about not getting enough shots or how they don't fit into the offense. This is a team with a different outlook. Barkley is healthy -- "This was the first time I can remember I haven't been rehabbing all summer," he said -- and the veterans are welcoming the improved look of the team.

"I think the West is going to be so much fun," said Barkley. "I'm excited about looking forward to what's going to happen here."

If the Rockets can harness their speed and control the mistakes of their young players, they'll not only be fun to watch, but they'll make the West more fun as well.