SportsLine.com Report
July 28, 2000

Free-agent update

The Rockets are desperately trying to re-sign combo guard Cuttino Mobley but they are facing stiff competition from Toronto.

The Raptors had superstar Vince Carter burning up the phone lines to Mobley's house, trying to persuade the two-year guard to jump ship. The Rockets, meanwhile, have Mobley's backcourt buddy Steve Francis jabbering in the free agent's other ear.

The monster contract of Hakeem Olajuwon is the chief reason the Rockets are salary-capped out and unable to pursue other free agents.

Nevertheless, the free agency period will have to be dubbed a success if Houston is able to keep Mobley, the team's second leading scorer last season.

Noteworthy

TOUGH START: The Rockets don't have it easy in their quest to get back to the playoffs in the 2000-2001 season -- last year was their first postseason shutout in seven season. They start with a rugged stretch that includes 11 games against playoff teams from last year, two against the defending champion Lakers.

SUMMER STARS: The Rockets have been getting some hot shooting from a trio of shooters in the Rocky Mountain Revue summer league.

In an 84-75 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on July 27, Moochie Norris, Kenny Thomas and rookie Dan Langhi shared scoring honors with 16 points apiece as the Rockets won their third straight after opening play in the Revue with two losses. Houston concludes league play on July 29 against Chicago.

SportsLine.com Report
May 9, 2000

1999-2000 in review

Leave it to the ever-quotable Charles Barkley to sum up the biggest bright spot of the Rockets -- otherwise forgettable 34-48 finish.

"They've got somebody to build the team around in Mr. Steve Francis, Barkley said after the Rockets ended their worst season in almost 20 years with a home loss to Vancouver. Francis was named the league's co-Rookie of the Year with the Bulls' Elton Brand.

Yes, Houston definitely has a building block in the irrepressible Francis, who entered the league amid a cloud of controversy as the No. 2 pick last summer by refusing to play for the Grizzlies. By the time the 6-3 point guard from Maryland had ended his rookie season, the controversy was forgotten -- and superstardom appeared to beckon.

So, too, did the end of the Rockets' decade of dominance. The two-time NBA champions, who had sputtered to a 41-41 finish the year before amid infighting between Barkley and the since-traded Scottie Pippen, finally ran out of gas in 1999-2000.

The season began with Pippen's trade to Portland after deriding Barkley for "his fat butt," then saw the Rockets drop their first five games, saw Barkley go down in December with a devastating leg injury that ended his career, then saw the great Hakeem Olajuwon forced to the brink of retirement because of numerous injuries and health woes.

In between, Houston struggled to win games and frequently tested the patience of coach Rudy Tomjanovich. The franchise also remains under a cloud of uncertainty after local voters in November voted down a proposal for a new arena, prompting NBA commissioner David Stern to issue a grave warning four months later about the Rockets' prospects of remaining in Houston beyond 2004.

But all was not bleak, thanks mostly to the dazzling moves of Francis and the superb play off the bench of second-year guard Cuttino Mobley. If Francis is the Rockets' cornerstone, then Mobley isn't far behind.

The Rockets are moving on. If there is one thing this season taught Houston, it's that NBA life without Barkley and perhaps Olajuwon still could be good.

"Right now our chemistry and comfort zone is as good as it's ever been," Rockets executive vice president Carroll Dawson told the Houston Chronicle. "Sometimes, finding it can take a team half a year, sometimes the whole year, sometimes longer."

The Rockets ended the year with victories in six of their final eight games. They beat playoff teams. They took to the road like a hardened veterans and most important, they did it all with neither Barkley nor Olajuwon seeing the court.

"You had to know it was going to come together because all Rudy has talked about is how much fun these guys are and how many good qualities this team has," Dawson said. "They like each other and they have fun."

SEASON HIGHLIGHT: A season-high six-game winning string in January included victories over Portland and Miami and improved the Rockets to 16-24 at the time, fueling hopes that Houston could turn around its season. Those hopes went even higher on Super Bowl Sunday, when the Rockets upset the Los Angeles Lakers, 89-83, on national television.

Francis was at his most sensational during the winning streak, reeling off 27, 31 and 26 points in three consecutive victories. He also was Houston's leading scorer in the win over the Lakers, pumping in 17 points.

SEASON LOWLIGHT: When a team finishes with its worst record since 1982-83, there are bound to be plenty of highlights. The Rockets certainly were no exception to that this season.

Barkley's gruesome leg injury, coming in Philadelphia in his much-hyped farewell visit in the city where he spent much of his NBA career, was depressing enough for Rockets fans. But it only got worse when Houston faded from playoff sight with eight consecutive losses in March while Olajuwon's career was slowed to a crawl by injuries and what eventually was diagnosed as a respiratory condition.

KEY STAT: Considering the Rockets were without Barkley and Olajuwon for much of the year and had no one of consequence to replace them, it is remarkable that Houston was outrebounded by an average of just one board per game in 1999-2000.

Even so, the Rockets were undone by their almost total lack of an inside offensive presence -- in stark contrast to previous seasons, when virtually all of Houston's offense was produced off lobs into the low post. The Rockets didn't get more than 8.3 points per game from any big man with more than 44 appearances this season.

The Personnel File

MVP: The Rockets handed the keys to Francis when injuries decimated their frontcourt, and the dazzling rookie from Maryland was up to the task -- despite getting a crash course in the NBA at point guard, otherwise known as the most difficult position on the floor.

When it was over, Francis had few doubters. Not after they saw the 6-3 playmaker average 18 points, 6.6 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals. Francis not only was the Rockets' no-doubt MVP, but he is one of the bright young stars in the entire league.

BIGGEST SURPRISE: The emergence of sixth man Cuttino Mobley as a force at both ends of the court. Although Mobley had shown flashes as a rookie point guard, few expected the 6-4 prospect from Rhode Island to flourish after he essentially switched to shooting guard with the arrival of Francis.

But flourish Mobley did, earning serious consideration for NBA Sixth Man of the Year honors by averaging 15.8 points -- nearly double his rookie number -- to go with 3.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.7 steals per contest.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: Although they were out of his control, Hakeem Olajuwon's repeated health and injury problems resulted in the worst -- and perhaps last -- season of his otherwise magnificent career.

Olajuwon was limited to a career-low 44 games because of a hernia, various injuries and, ultimately, a respiratory problem that kept The Dream's playing time to a career worst 23.8 minutes per contest. By the end, many in Houston wondered if Olajuwon would be able to finish the final year of his contract in 2000-2001, as he has vowed to do.

COACH: Say this for Rudy Tomjanovich: He's not only a great strategist and motivator (two world championships in the 1990s), but the soon-to-be-U.S. Olympic coach is loyal, to boot.

Although Tomjanovich would have been in demand around the league this summer after his contract expired, the lifelong Rocket player, coach and broadcaster decided to stay put by signing a four-year extension late in the season. For that, the Rockets breathed a sigh of relief.

Offseason tinkering

THE DRAFT: The Rockets finished with the ninth-worst record in the league, so their chances of moving up in the lottery don't appear good.

Even so, that doesn't figure to change Houston's draft emphasis, which figures to be squarely on the frontcourt. The Rockets are hoping to find another young big man they can groom to replace Barkley, much the way they did with New Mexico's Kenny Thomas last season.

A late first-round pick who slid because of what were said to be bad work habits, Thomas proved a pleasant surprise, averaging a steady 8.3 points and 6.1 rebounds in 72 appearances.

FREE-AGENT MARKET: The Rockets will have six free agents this summer, but the only one of consequence is Mobley. A former second-round pick, he will command much more than a second-rounder's salary after two exceptional seasons in Houston.

The Rockets' problem, both with Mobley and in luring free agents from other teams, is salary cap room. Houston will benefit cap-wise from Barkley's retirement, but the bounce won't be much considering the Rockets owe Olajuwon one more season at the very steep price of $16 million.