Olajuwon must alter his game for good of the team

Sporting News, The, Nov 22, 1999 by Dave D'Alessandro

It has been said so often it has become axiomatic, but we'll beat this to death one last time' It takes years, not weeks, to learn the point guard position on this level. You can come with more game than anyone--you may have more talent than Iverson, mom resolve than Payton, better instincts than Bibby. But the most important development still takes place between your ears.

Not even court awareness can shorten the learning curve. Put it this way: It took the most prolific point guard in history three years to become an NBA starter. It was more innocent in those days, however, so people weren't preoccupied with John Stockton's defects before he became the league's all-time assists and steals leader. The early '90s marked the advent of the Rush to Judgment for point guards. People were calling Gary Payton a bust after his rookie season.

So now some have nominated Steve Francis as the point guard blockhead of the moment. We keep hearing about his shortcomings, how he isn't the right fit, how his untamed streak is as wide as Texas, or critical variations thereof. It has been suggested he is the main problem plaguing the Rockets, the primary reason they were 2-5 entering the week

It's all rubbish, of course. What's ailing the Rockets is a basketball myopia, one that has permeated the entire operation, and Francis happens to be the one most affected by it all. He also is the one catching most of the heat, when he probably deserves praise for being the only interesting part of a season headed for disaster.

"I'm just not sine what my place is on this team," Francis says. "I've got to find that out."

We've got a better question: What exactly are the Rockets supposed to be? Are they old or young? Athletic or not? A plodding halfcourt team or a transition team? Are they in a win-now mode, or entering a rebuilding phase?

The Rockets seem to have concluded they can have it both ways, but they soon will learn they cannot You cannot take an athlete of Francis' brilliance and turn him into an athletic version of Matt Maloney. You cannot keep Cuttino Mobley around for another year unless you are committed to an up-tempo style. You cannot bring in Shandon Anderson and turn him into a spot-up shooter.

Rudy Tomjanovich is guilty of all this, refusing to junk the old post offense in favor of throwing Francis into the deep end and finding out what happens. Instead, he has subjected this supremely talented kid to one commandment--thou shalt not slash--while upholding an old and tired principle that the old and tired Hakeem Olajuwon must be The Man. Meanwhile, it is clear to everyone else around the league bold, irrevocable change is needed. What choice do the Rockets really have?

It is up to Tomjanovich to show Hakeem he still can be valuable and productive, but explain how he must sacrifice for the group. Tomjanovich must tell him the Rockets didn't trade away half their team just to acquire a guy to throw it into the post and spot up along the weak side. Tomjanovich must tell Hakeem they traded away half their team to acquire a potentially devastating weapon--a point guard with the rare ability to become a franchise player.

Getting Hakeem to accept this will not be easy. He is proud and headstrong. But make no mistake, it is doable. It took the Knicks four months to strike a workable balance between the old and the new, but when Patrick Ewing learned to subjugate his role and his ego, they turned into a conference champion. Somebody has to let Olajuwon know this is a good and intelligent approach for someone going on 37.

It hasn't happened yet. You keep hearing from Rudy T that the system is developing, that the rotation, with six new members, needs more time to jell. Enough already. The sooner Francis is allowed to make this his team and learn from his mistakes, the sooner Houston stops embarrassing itself.

And a lot can happen between now and April. We may not know how much Olajuwon and Charles Barkley have left, but we do know there are good pieces here. Kelvin Cato, who could never crack Portland's rotation, is a game-changer on defense; Anderson and Walt Williams are able perimeter threats. Francis is destined to be a superstar point guard, if they only let him--perhaps not now, but soon. Then the Rockets will have one question: What are they trying to be?

TSN's
Power Poll

Rk.   Team            W-L   Comment

 1.   Portland        6-1   Teams are scoring more points, but not
                             against the Blazers.
 2.   San Antonio     6-1   Don't even think about coming inside
                             against this team
 3.   Miami           5-1   Heat already has more 100-point games
                             than last season.
 4.   L.A. Lakers     5-2   Now accepting bets on how many times
                             Shaq will be tossed.
 5.   Seattle         5-2   It's tough for guards to score against
                             Payton and Mad Max.
 6.   Toronto         4-1   Role players are getting their share of
                             the headlines.
 7.   Minnesota       3-1   Forget about Duncan. Garnett is the best
                             player in the NBA.
 8.   Charlotte       4-3   Who needs offensive sets when you get
                             this many steals?
 9.   New York        4-3   This team suddenly needs Camby in order
                             to be effective.
10.   Phoenix         4-3   Maybe Googs can run, after all. Kidd can
                             elevate anyone's play.
11.   Milwaukee       4-3   The Bucks are beating good teams on
                             the road.
12.   Indiana         4-2   With the new rules, Reggie won't break
                             down.
13.   Cleveland       4-2   Rookie Miller's presence is bringing
                             the best out in Knight.
14.   Utah            3-3   Malone in NRA ad: Gives new meaning to
                             "run-and-gun."
15.   Sacramento      2-1   Second unit doesn't score much, but it
                             doesn't have to.
16.   Boston          4-3   Celtics are running around everyone,
17.   Houston         2-5   Can Hakeem alter his game?
18.   Philadelphia    2-4   Iverson can do the scoring, but losing
                             Hill hurts on the glass.
19.   Orlando         4-4   It needs bigger guards to be competitive
20.   Dallas          3-4   Keep the faith--Nellie will find a way
                             to lose.
21.   Vancouver       2-3   Abdur-Rahim can't do it all by himself.
22.   Atlanta         1-5   Rider wants to be the man. First he has
                             to be a man.
23.   New Jersey      1-5   Jayson Williams hopes to be back soon;
                             the team needs him.
24.   Denver          2-3   If only Van Exel could get 20 assists
                             every night ...
25.   Detroit         2-5   Maybe Bill Laimbeer can still play.
26.   L.A. Clippers   1-4   Like a fine wine, Odom will get better
                             with age.
27.   Golden State    1-5   Why haven't we heard Blaylock's name
                             mentioned at all?
28.   Washington      1-6   The reserves are outplaying the
                             starters. That's not a good sign.
29.   Chicago         1-5   Hawkins can still shoot. Too bad no
                             one else can.