Houston Rockets

So Rony Seikaly gets traded from Orlando to Utah, and doesn't report within the allotted 48 hours. Kenny Anderson is not happy about his deal from Portland to Toronto and decides he won't report. Same for Doug West, an original member of the Minnesota Timberwolves who's not happy about his trade to Vancouver -- he cites an alcohol problem as his reason for not reporting.Kind of makes you wonder who's running things in the NBA these days.Coaches and owners are getting fed up with the trend of not reporting when you're not happy with the team you're being traded to. The Seikaly deal was eventually voided, and he later was traded to New Jersey.

When Dave Carrodine sat down nearly three years ago to develop a marketing plan for Sam Cassell, he didn't have the easiest of jobs. Cassell was not a lottery pick (he was the 24th player taken in the 1993 NBA draft, by the Houston Rockets). He lacked the name recognition of Chris Webber, the top pick that year. And he was attempting to break through in a market where future Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon was entrenched."When I first started out with Sam, it would be hard to get people to take my calls, and when they did they said, 'No, thank you,' " said Carrodine, the vice president for marketing at Columbia-based Precept Sports.

LANDOVER -- As the Washington Bullets walked off the court at halftime last night, a promotion flashed on the USAir Arena scoreboard that a certain fast-foot chain would provide free burgers if the Bullets reached 120 points.Given the Bullets had just 30 points when the message flashed, the burgers appeared safe for another day.Yes, the Bullets could manage just 30 points at the half. Which was why there were few fans in attendance at the end of last night's 92-79 loss to the Detroit Pistons, and many of those few were booing mightily.

HOUSTON -- Why not the Houston Rockets? Why not again?It was necessary to win two NBA rings to do it, but the Rockets convincingly earned the respect of the basketball world last night as they defeated the Orlando Magic, 113-101, in Game 4 to earn a sweep of the NBA Finals.The win completed an improbable championship run for the Rockets, who became the lowest-seeded team (sixth) to win a championship. Houston became the first team in league history to win a playoff series against four opponents with more than 50 wins, and won the title without the benefit of home-court advantage in any of their series.

HOUSTON -- It was a trade that brought him home, but there wasn't exactly a welcoming committee that greeted Clyde Drexler when he was traded to the Houston Rockets in February.There was this little matter of going to battle without a power forward, and in acquiring the all-star forward the Rockets had to give up Otis Thorpe, who played a pivotal part in the team's championship run last season."Everyone was uncomfortable at first because we knew we won a championship with Otis," guard Kenny Smith said yesterday.

BaseballCincinnati Reds -- Acquired P Mike Curtis, OF Mike Palivoda, OF Lee Granger, OF Barbaro Garbey and C-1B Dave Grayfrom from the Cleveland Indians for considerations. Acquired P David Hursey from the Florida Marlins for considerations.Colorado Rockies -- Announced a discount of 50 percent for all regular-season home games played with replacement players.Los Angeles Dodgers -- Announced that P Darren Dreifort, the No. 2 pick overall in the 1993 draft, will undergo season-ending reconstructive elbow surgery.

HOUSTON -- Perhaps the Houston Rockets, unaccustomed to being in control of a series, have a subconscious desire to make life as difficult as possible.Or perhaps the San Antonio Spurs just came into The Summit yesterday afternoon and kicked the jump shot out of the Rockets.Whatever happened, the Spurs' 103-81 victory stunned a populace that was whispering sweep three days earlier and changed the complexion of the Western Conference finals.Now the series is tied, 2-2, in the most improbable way. The home team has yet to win a game as the teams mosey down I-10 for Game 5 tomorrow night at the Alamodome.

LANDOVER -- There's a date at the White House this morning for the Houston Rockets, who will be recognized by President Clinton for winning last year's NBA championship. But there will be no sign of Clyde Drexler at the ceremony."I wasn't on that team," Drexler said. "Those guys deserved it. Hopefully, I'll be going this summer."Drexler wasn't so hopeful when the week began, playing for a struggling Portland Trail Blazers team. His season-long wish for a trade came true Tuesday, when the Rockets shipped Otis Thorpe and the rights to 1993 second-round pick Marcelo Nicola to Portland in exchange for Drexler and Tracy Murray.

BaseballCleveland Indians -- Signed C Brett Boretti to a minor-league contract.San Francisco Giants -- Released P Pat Fetty.BasketballNBA -- Named Washington Bullets F Juwan Howard Rookie of the Month.Atlanta Hawks -- Signed G Ennis Whatley to a 10-day contract. Announced that G Jim Les will miss at least two games with an injury to his left foot.Boston Celtics -- Signed G James Blackwell to a 10-day contract.Detroit Pistons -- Placed F Bill Curley (severely sprained right ankle) on the injured list.

They're always the Other Guys. Sam Cassell's mother gets more hype than the Houston Rockets.They played opposite the mega-market Knicks in last year's NBA Finals. This year, they have played the foil in the postseason against the powerful headline-hunting trifecta of Charles Barkley's Suns, Dennis Rodman's Spurs and Shaquille O'Neal's Magic.They're Ed McMahon to the NBA's high-pub Johnnys, always the co-star, never cast in the leading role.In the time it takes you to read this sentence, Michael Jordan will sell more shoes than the Rockets ever have.

Spurs@Cavaliers 1 p.m. [chs. 2, 7] Cleveland is suddenly looking vulnerable after a pair of bad losses, and a victory over San Antonio could help refuel its mojo, as well as keep it ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers for best record in the league. The Spurs are trying to hold off the Houston Rockets and New Orleans Hornets for the Southwest Division title.

No. 24 Clemson @Georgia Tech 7 p.m. [ESPN2] Clemson (21-7, 9-5) is trying to hang onto third place in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Georgia Tech (12-16, 5-9) is just trying to stop a free fall in which the Yellow Jackets have lost six of their past seven. NBA Doubleheader 7 p.m., 9:30 p.m. [TNT] LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers play against the Chicago Bulls at 7. At 9:30, the Houston Rockets -- who have played well without the injured Yao Ming -- get tested by the Dallas Mavericks.

HOUSTON -- Hakeem Olajuwon, the soft-spoken Nigerian emigre who led the Houston Rockets to two NBA championships, is becoming as celebrated in the city's real estate circles as he was on the basketball court. Following an unorthodox yet disciplined strategy, he has managed to make as much in real estate in the past 10 years as he did in 17 seasons playing professional basketball. "He buys high and sells higher," said David L. Cook, executive vice president with the commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield, who has represented Olajuwon in several transactions.

There are plenty of curiosities about the NBA this season. Take, for example ... The long-running, prime-time drama that is the New York Knicks. The lost - and losing - stars in Boston, Minnesota, Indiana and Philadelphia. The return of Don Nelson to Golden State. Michael Jordan's re-emergence as part-owner in Charlotte. Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson: still together, still in Los Angeles. The question of when Mount Artest might blow up. The defense of the Chicago Bulls. And the offense of a half-dozen other teams.

MARYLAND Rain stops, but water still rises Nearly a week of rains that drenched Maryland wound down yesterday, leaving behind widespread damage and six people dead or missing. But even as the sun emerged, some people were fearing what might lie ahead with streams and rivers still rising. pg 1a Review finds falsified records Officials at a state-run juvenile detention center falsified records for more than a year to make it look like workers were getting required training on how to deal with troubled youths, an independent monitor has found.

Through the first month of the NBA season, a few trends are starting to develop. Let's take a look at the league, division by division: Atlantic Call this the gang that can't shoot straight, as no team has seen fit to stick its head much above .500. The New Jersey Nets, the two-time defending Eastern Conference champions, have been the biggest surprise, stumbling about, what with three of their top six (Jason Kidd, Kenyon Martin and Lucious Harris) hobbled with injuries, and the retirement of Alonzo Mourning.

NEW YORK - The Houston Rockets are expected to meet this week with Jeff Van Gundy about becoming Rudy Tomjanovich's replacement as coach, according to an NBA source. Houston must get permission from the New York Knicks before it can formally interview Van Gundy, who is still under contract with the team until July 31. As of late yesterday, Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson had not spoken to Knicks president Scott Layden. Knicks officials yesterday declined to comment on Van Gundy's status.

During a recent Houston Rockets practice at the Compaq Center, the equipment manager caught a mouse and showed it to the team's 7-foot-5 rookie center, Yao Ming. Yao studied the mouse at length. Then, turning, he called to his teammate, Moochie Norris, the shortest player on the team at 6-1. Norris is nicknamed Mouse. "Hey, Moochie, your brother is here!" Colin Pine, the man who is Yao's public voice, laughs as he tells the story. "Yao has a wonderful relationship with his teammates," Pine said.

Look for Clyde Drexler's name on a team Web site, and you won't find it this year, but the former Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets guard is hoping that won't be the case next season. Drexler, one of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players, isn't looking to add a chapter to his playing career, like Michael Jordan, but is taking the necessary steps to become an NBA coach, serving as an assistant with the Denver Nuggets. "For me, it's more of what I would like to do," said Drexler while helping Nuggets players prepare for a game against the Washington Wizards.

The Houston Rockets were prepared to draft former Maryland standout Terence Morris with the last of the team's three NBA first-round choices last night. Then the telephone rang, with the New Jersey Nets calling to offer former Seton Hall standout Eddie Griffin - the No. 7 selection overall - for all three picks. There was one stipulation: The Rockets had to draft Pepperdine guard Brandon Armstrong at No. 23, the pick with which Houston was hoping to take Morris. It was the first in a series of telephone calls that finally ended with Houston obtaining Morris, who had been picked early in the second round and 34th overall by the Atlanta Hawks, for a future draft choice.