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....