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Saturday, January 31, 1998
Houston Rockets groping for answers to their
tumble
By MICHAEL GRACZYK / Associated Press Writer
HOUSTON (AP) -- The coach is baffled. The players are mystified.
The fans are booing.
The Houston Rockets, who won two NBA championships during the
1990s and became known as the team from Clutch City, have become
Crutch City this season because of injuries. Now, they could be
considered from Clueless City.
"I don't know what to do," coach Rudy Tomjanovich
said.
The Rockets have lost 11 of their last 14 games, have slipped
two games below .500 (20-22) and are clinging to the final Western
Conference playoff spot.
Their defense is non-existent, the shooting haphazard and the
performance on the court is lifeless.
"No defense, no energy," Tomjanovich said.
"We are a team searching for our identity," Mario
Elie said.
The Rockets sleepwalked through the first three quarters Thursday
night, allowing the Orlando Magic to build a 17-point lead, then
rallied before fading down the stretch and losing 95-88.
Orlando had lost seven straight, was playing the second of
back-to-back road games, and was missing center Rony Seikaly,
out with a sprained ankle. Penny Hardaway, the Magic's best player,
was making his first appearance after a layoff of nearly two months
because of knee surgery.
One of the lowest scoring teams in the NBA, the Magic got 60
points in the first half alone.
Tomjanovich called his team's performance disgraceful.
"I wouldn't call it basketball," he said.
A week ago, the Rockets thought they had turned the corner
with a 25-point victory over San Antonio, the Midwest Division
leader. Two nights later, they lost by 25 to the Spurs.
Help may be on the way with the expected return next week of
center Hakeem Olajuwon, who has missed 31 games because of knee
surgery.
"We don't have a shot-blocker without him," said
Charles Barkley, who had a terrible game Thursday, hitting only
2-of-10 shots and six rebounds, half his rebounding average. "The
All-Star break (next weekend) can't get here soon enough."
It was expected to be tough without Olajuwon, but then Barkley
and Clyde Drexler, the team's other stars, joined the medical
list with various ailments and the Rockets' slide became a freefall.
Added to the injury bug was the emotional upheaval earlier
this month with reports that as many as four players could be
going to Toronto in exchange for guard Damon Stoudamire. The trade
never happened, but the damage was done.
Elie, who with Olajuwon are the only holdovers from the Rockets'
1994 and 1995 title teams, was outspoken in his disgust about
publicity over the rumored deal. He later apologized to his teammates,
but hasn't been in the starting lineup since.
Rockets players held a players-only meeting after Thursday's
debacle, keeping the locker room closed for about 45 minutes.
"This is rock bottom right now and we have to give Rudy
some answers," Eddie Johnson said. "We are all befuddled
by everything that has happened lately and I feel bad for Rudy.
We have to clear the air and move forward."
Barkley agreed.
"Right now, we're letting them down," he said of
the coaches. "We have to answer the questions ourselves.
As individuals, as a team, we have to play better."
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