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Rockets' shopping on hold
Signing Swift, moving on guard won't happen until labor deal is done
By MOISEKAPENDA BOWER
In the winter of 1999, with a lockout behind them and a truncated regular season ahead, the Rockets spent nearly four weeks showing up at Compaq Center hoping to begin workouts, only to be sent home as the I's and T's of the newest collective bargaining agreement were dotted and crossed.
While anxiety marred those delays, the news of the latest moratorium on signings being extended into next week was greeted with a collective shrug late Monday.
After originally setting a July 22 date to open the frenzy of free-agent signings only to push that deadline back to Thursday, the NBA extended the moratorium into early August as lawyers on both sides continue the process of drafting the six-year deal.
While agreements between teams and free agents have been struck around the league — including one between the Rockets and power forward Stromile Swift on July 18 — nothing becomes official until the moratorium is lifted. Until then, players and teams remain in limbo, waiting to consummate deals that have been reached in principle only.
Without finalization of the CBA, the financial formulas re-
main unavailable, which in turn limits the level of detailed conversations between teams and free agents.
It has been speculated that the Rockets and Swift have agreed to a five-year deal worth $28 million to $32 million, but until those numbers are etched in stone, it is difficult to determine the Rockets' course of action in obtaining a guard to fill their backcourt needs.
Damon Stoudamire tops the wish list. The two sides met last Monday, validating their mutual interest. The only obstacle between Stoudamire, who lives in Houston, and the Rockets is money.
The Rockets can't offer much more than the salary-cap exception, expected to be worth around $1.8 million.
Sign-and-trade needed
Stoudamire, 31, earned $12.5 million while averaging 15.8 points and 5.7 assists per game with Portland last season. He was the 1996 Rookie of the Year with Toronto.
"Damon is very interested in playing for Houston," said Stoudamire's agent, Aaron Goodwin. "A sign-and-trade would have to be worked out in order for that to happen.
"Portland has shown interest in working deals with other teams. We have asked Houston to contact Portland and see if there is something that they can work out."
Veterans available
Whether the Trail Blazers have any interest in the Rockets' expiring contracts — those of Clarence Weatherspoon, Moochie Norris, Vin Baker and Charlie Ward — remains to be seen. Should a deal with Stoudamire fail to materialize, the Rockets might turn their attention to Gary Payton, Latrell Sprewell or Michael Finley.
Finley is expected to be cut loose by the Mavericks as part of the one-time amnesty clause where a team can buy out the contract of a player while not having that salary count in its luxury tax.
Once the Rockets get Swift and a guard, they could sharpen their focus on their free agents, notably Dikembe Mutombo and Jon Barry.
Of course, before the first domino can fall, the league and union have to iron out the CBA
