For a leaner, hungrier Houston team, the future is Yao, with a new offensive system designed to take advantage of the center's lofty view of the court

By Ian Thomsen

	In Houston's new offense, top scorer Cuttino Mobley isn't likely to get the 18 shots a game he got last year.  Brett Coomer/AP

"I'm tired of losing and watching other guys playing in June," says stellar point guard Steve Francis, who enters his fourth year without postseason experience. "I'm in the gym shooting and they're on TV playing. The honest truth is that we can be as good as any team in the conference if we all stay on the same page."

That's a big if for a team with an average age of 25. Hurdles include inexperience, particularly that of 7'5" center Yao Ming, the league's No. 1 draft choice, who will be going from China's Shanghai Sharks to the NBA, and Francis's continuing problems with Méniere's disease, which caused migrainelike headaches, blurred vision and dizziness last season. Though Francis has been on medication and a low-sodium diet since last February, he is still suffering. "I'm taking every step possible, but until I feel 100 percent better for 30 days in a row I can't say I'm cured," says Francis, who missed seven games because of the illness in 2001-02.

Yet Francis believes the Rockets, racked by injuries last season, can be better than the team that won 45 games two seasons ago. Coach Rudy Tomjanovich has installed a motion offense to exploit Houston's wealth of talent, which is two deep at every position. "We're going to look a lot crisper," says power forward Maurice Taylor, "and everyone's going to be involved."

The Rockets arrived at training camp saying all the right things and looking hungry -- literally. Center Kelvin Cato lost 20 pounds, as did guard Moochie Norris. Forward Kenny Thomas, who four years ago weighed 261 pounds, has whittled 40 pounds off his 6'7" frame, thus giving Tomjanovich the option of playing him at both forward slots. But the Rocket who ought to write a diet book is the 6'9" Taylor, who bloated to 312 last spring while recovering from a right Achilles torn before last season. Taylor worried that he would take after Vin Baker and Shawn Kemp, two players whose production dropped off drastically after enormous weight gains. But the pounds began dropping off as soon as Taylor was permitted to start running in late April, exposing an upper body bulked up by the weightlifting he had done during his lost season. Taylor expects to play at 270.

The Rockets could use their youth as an excuse for poor play this season, but Francis is demanding a sense of urgency from himself and his teammates. "Our first day back Coach said, 'If you think about the future, you're going to lose,'" Francis says. "We have to put a whole lot of todays together, starting with today."

Enemy Lines An opposing team's scout sizes up the Rockets "They're a chaotic team. They break off a lot of their plays and end up going one-on-one. That matches the style of their two stars, Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley. ... Francis is no Jason Kidd, but I love him. He dominates the ball but he's unstoppable, he's competitive night in and night out and he's a leader. He's everything that Stephon Marbury ought to be. ... Mobley has developed some bad habits. He's shown he can hit big shots as the shot clock runs out, so now you see him dribbling out the clock and heaving up tough shots on a regular basis. ... Houston is weak at shooting guard behind Mobley. Glen Rice is no longer quick enough to play there. ... I give Rudy Tomjanovich credit for coaching to his talent. You see him changing plays as they go. It makes them really hard to scout. ... At first it looks like Rudy runs a loose ship, but he has an ability to get on his players and they accept it. You never hear them bad-mouth him. ... They're a risk-taking team on both ends. Yao Ming's shot-altering height might change them from a horrible defensive team into a decent one. He should give them an inside presence, even if it's only for 20 minutes a game. ... Francis and Mobley should love playing with him. You can just see the double-team coming to Yao and his teammates flaring out to receive open jump shots or making hard cuts to the basket. ... Eddie Griffin has turned into a nice player. His body is filling out. Last year he was a perimeter kick-out guy, but he's starting to balance his game with some inside play. ... Kelvin Cato never lived up to expectations as a starter, but he will look very good coming off the bench if Yao takes over. ... Maurice Taylor is more of a skilled player than a dirty-work guy, but he's the only one with the size and strength to be an enforcer inside. ... This is a team on the way up."

Issue date: October 28, 2002