Insider Special: Best/Worst ~ Rockets

[Weez]

By Ric Bucher

ESPN The Magazine

Editor's note: Here's a glimpse of the good -- and the bad -- that could happen to the 2003-04 Houston Rockets.

If he does get to play again, Eddie Griffin must accept a complementary role.

Best Case Scenario

These three things have to happen for the Rockets to make the playoffs and take their first step toward the title-contending future owner Les Alexander envisioned with the acquisition of Yao Ming.

1. Get comfortable with the program. Jeff Van Gundy's level of accountability on every front has a team that's used to rolling free and easy now feeling a little locked up. Cuttino Mobley, Eddie Griffin and Maurice Taylor all must grasp -- and quickly -- that the team now consists of a two-man showcase and their role is to polish the brass, take tickets and man the velvet ropes. In short, Steve Francis and Yao Ming are the decision makers and everyone else is expected to get them the ball, play defense and make shots when left open. It sounds easy and all three have demonstrated the ability to play such a role -- but only occasionally. Doing it, and doing it well, night after night, is a matter of discipline, not talent. Don't be surprised if one, or all three, are gone by next season should they struggle getting with the new program. Van Gundy believes in this quote he got from Lou Piniella: "Patience is a good thing. Too much patience is utter stupidity."

2. Yao becomes as tough as his touch is soft. Yao has developed some particularly bad rebounding habits, perhaps from his years competing against centers smaller and weaker in Asia. He tends to simply go after a missed shot rather than use his body to create space and then chase the ball, a must for someone who isn't a quick leaper. His endurance also can't be an issue, as it was last year after playing a full summer with the Chinese national team and then conducting at least two interviews a day for most of the season. Van Gundy is certain to protect him from overextending himself off the floor and, although Yao showed last year he's already a disciple of the weight room, will make sure he's as fit as can be on it.

3. Houston fans, media and ownership demonstrate the necessary patience. Van Gundy was asked after the Rockets' preseason win over the Kings if his team could take the Western Conference. What he said: "That's putting the cart before the horse." What he meant: "Are you freakin' nuts? Didn't you just see us shoot 5-for-17 and commit six turnovers in the fourth quarter?" But the clock began ticking with the arrival of Yao and no one seems to care that a roster built for Rudy T isn't necessarily what you want for Van Gundy. The Rockets should make the playoffs, but they will be a work in progress throughout the season and the roster will have to be reshaped to fit Van Gundy's style. In particular, they must deal for more perimeter shooting and a legitimate blue-collar defensive power forward of the Kurt Thomas-Tyrone Hill-Troy Murphy variety.

Worst Case Scenario

The Rockets will not make the playoffs if these three things happen.

1. The Rockets are hamstrung by the players union from punishing Griffin or they drag their feet moving him in search of the perfect deal. A player missed a flight; so what, right? It happens. Wrong. Getting players to buy into a new system -- particularly a new, more rigid system -- is like building a dam: one leak or gap, particularly in the initial stages, and the whole thing will never stand up to the tougher challenges sure to come. Griffin, unwittingly, has given the Rockets the perfect means by which to drive home how important it is to be professional. It's understandable that personal issues will occasionally arise and get in the way of work. But the Rockets still didn't know where Griffin was or why he wasn't with them when he went AWOL before the Oct. 16 game against Sacramento. No phone call, no e-mail, no page. That simply doesn't fly, especially with career 38-percent-shooting power forwards. If Mobley, Griffin and Taylor all balk at their new roles -- and that's certainly not inconceivable -- this team doesn't have the depth or personality to overcome their defection.

2. Yao's summer of labor for the Chinese national team causes him to hit the same wall as last year. Such a development would leave the Rockets to survive on the postup games of Taylor, John Amaechi and Kelvin Cato. Yao looks improved on all fronts compared to last season, but he will play more minutes and draw more attention. The West is tougher than ever and while Utah's anticipated slide opens a playoff berth, Houston won't be alone chasing it.

3. Francis doesn't stay healthy. All the hoopla surrounding Yao and the fact that Francis played in 81 games overshadowed the fact that Francis played with a variety of injuries that would have sidelined a lesser leader. He is their go-to guy and the perfect counterpoint to Yao.

Ric Bucher covers the NBA for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at ric.bucher@espnmag.com. Also, send a question for possible use on ESPNEWS.