| | By Eric Karabell
ESPN.com
The names are legend: Tony Massenburg,
Michael Dickerson, Antoine Carr, Othella Harrington, Brent Price, Don MacLean, Michael Smith, Rodrick Rhodes, Lee Mayberry and Makhtar Ndiaye. That's 10 players and three future draft picks all to appease a young man who never wanted to play in Vancouver, but was drafted to do just that anyway.
|  | | Francis can dunk, but he also has a well-rounded game that few point guards can match. |
So Steve Francis went to Houston and flourished, putting up great numbers for an NBA point guard -- outstanding ones for a rookie -- and sharing the top rookie honors with the player drafted before him, Elton Brand. But injuries to a pair of future Hall of Famers ultimately derailed any chances the Rockets had of winning something. One of those legends will be back.
With that, here is our 10th offseason team spotlight, the Houston Rockets. As always, we have our opinions, which are below, but we also thank you for your thoughts. Click on the comments page on the right to see what ESPN.com users were thinking.
Why the Rockets were 34-48: The Rockets had a full stable of stars when they put together a pair of five-game losing streaks before Thanksgiving had even arrived. So to say Francis, Hakeem Olajuwon and Charles Barkley were going to the playoffs anyway is probably stating too much. Francis was great from the beginning. Charles and Hakeem looked old from the beginning. By the time the Rockets' first non-playoff season since 1992 and only the second in 15 years was over the team was just happy to see it end.
Barkley blew out his knee in Philly and Hakeem went under the knife for a hernia, then he suffered from a respiratory disorder. They played a combined 66 games. Barkley came back to play six minutes in the season finale and walk off the floor the right way. But these guys certainly weren't the only ones to suffer injuries.
Some said that Rudy Tomjanovich actually did one of his better coaching jobs, getting the Rockets to be competitive with a Pig (Anthony Miller) and a Bull (Matt Bullard) playing big minutes. More or less, after years of going with veterans, the Rockets had to play the kids. Francis, Cuttino Mobley, Kenny Thomas and Kelvin Cato are young guys who should be a big part of the future. The time they got last year will surely help.
With the young guys leading the way, the Rockets closed by winning nine of 13. If they can keep that up in 2000-01, we may have something here. There's no harm in having one bad season every decade or so, especially when you've already rewarded your fans with a pair of championships in their lifetime. (Houston fans say thank you, Michael, by the way.)
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Current projected top 6
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PG
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Steve Francis
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SG
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Cuttino Mobley
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SF
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Shandon Anderson
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PF
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Kenny Thomas
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C
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Hakeem Olajuwon
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6th
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Walt Williams
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Team MVP: Some rookie point guard. What, you were expecting Moochie Norris? Team LVP: There are no good choices here. Sure, Shandon Anderson was a disappointment. Sure, Kenny Thomas shooting .399 from the field was bad. But neither deserves to be LVP. Surprise! Some people (not us, of course) didn't think Francis would pass much. Granted, 6.6 assists isn't among the leaders, but Houston also had nobody to finish plays off. That assist number will go up. The fact it was that high at all is a surprise. Up and comer: Obviously Francis will get better, but so will Cato, Thomas and rookie Jason Collier, who gets to come in and learn from a once-dominant center and take his time getting into the lineup. Half of this team are actually up-and-comers, if you want to get technical.
What they need: Certainly the Rockets can't win if Olajuwon isn't in the lineup, at least not this year. Francis is going to get better and he will do a good job of getting others involved, but unless Cato takes a big step forward and Collier can play right away, the team will need Olajuwon to perform. Not star, not average 20 and 10, but contribute. He should be able to do that. Cato wasn't bad, as he did have nine double-doubles, did a nice job blocking shots and made the shots he took, but after being a major part of the Scottie Pippen deal, he has higher expectations placed on him.
If Hakeem, Cato, Thomas, Carlos Rogers and Collier are contributors, no problem up front. With Francis and Mobley (who may remain the sixth man, with Walt Williams starting) at guard, things look good. Dan Langhi slipped to the second round but seems a lock to make the team after performing very well in the summer league. Shandon Anderson is your small forward for a few years. And you've got one of the best coaches in the game.
We can't find a whole lot of things wrong with the Rockets that health and maturity won't cure. Francis was like a sieve defensively last season, but if he works on that, we're talking about an impossible-to-cover point guard with all-around skills.
What the plan is: The Rockets, like pretty much every other team, can't afford any big free agents, but they aren't desperate for anyone anyway. Olajuwon says he's feeling good and ready for another season (at $16.5 million, by the way). Of the 16 players on the current roster, and obviously this will change since 12 is the limit, only six have more than four years experience. So the plan, in general, is to develop this young talent. The only key free agent on the team was Mobley, but he was re-signed.
Another thing the Rockets have to think about is where not only their future lies on the court, but where the court will be. Will the Rockets have enough support to stick around, or will an NBA-wannabe town like New Orleans or Louisville, Ky., steal them away. Houston voters spoke up and the news wasn't good for staying. But there's still time to keep them around. Don't worry, Steve, they won't be moving to British Columbia.
Direction heading: With apparent depth, a Hall of Famer in the middle and some very nice young players, the Rockets couldn't possibly lose 48 games again unless something goes terribly wrong. This is a playoff team. But watch Hakeem's health.
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ALSO SEE
ESPN.com's Offseason Spotlight Index
Offseason spotlight: Rockets users comments
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