FanHouse JohnLucas

The NCAA tournament is just one day away, so FanHouse writers and editors got together to talk over each region. The Midwest Region got the ball rolling, followed by the East. The South looks like it could go to the top seeds, but what about the West? Here is the last installment of our NCAA FanHouse Roundtables.

Chris Burke: Unlike the other three regions, where it's the top seeds' bracket to lose, UConn may not have the same stranglehold over things due to Jerome Dyson's injury. The Huskies have lost two straight and are just 4-3 since Dyson hurt his knee, so they look, to me, like the most vulnerable of all the No. 1 seeds. It doesn't help that, after the first round, they may not have another easy game. The other six teams in the top-half of this bracket can be considered threats, from Washington right on down to Mississippi State and Northern Iowa.

The Bulls are taking their time with this whole "finding a coach" thing, interviewing just about anyone with a shred of interest in the job. According to Brian Hanley of the Chicago Sun-Times, John Paxson has already talked with ...deep breath ... Lakers assistants Brian Shaw and Kurt Rambis, current Jazz assistant Tyrone Corbin and former T'Wolves coach Dwane Casey -- and that's just this week!

Paxson was also scheduled to meet with Jeff Hornacek today and Kings assistant Chuck Person sometime this weekend, as well as John Lucas and Eric Snow sometime in the yet to be determined future. And, of course, don't forget about Celtics assistant Tom Thibodeau, who won't get permission from his current employer until Boston completes their playoff run.

Oh, and remember Avery Johnson? Forget what you heard about him giving Chicago the cold shoulder. Now that the Bulls have the No. 1 pick, he's had a change of heart and was expected to talk to Paxson today.

Count 'em up: that's 10 names, and that doesn't include Mark Jackson, who already interviewed, nor Pistons assistants Terry Porter and Michael Curry, who have been suggested as candidates in the past. Do you notice a recurring theme with all these names? With the exception of Thibodeau and Casey, they're all former players, which makes you wonder if a career coach who never had the chance to rub elbows with Paxson as a player stands much of a chance.

The Raptors will soon add an impact player to their rotation without having to make a trade as T.J. Ford finally looks ready to ready to return from his violent collision with Al Horford back in December. He's been working out with John Lucas in his hometown of Houston and on Sunday worked out with some of his teammates for the first time.

As Sam Mitchell told Dave Feschuk of the Toronto Star, Ford looked rusty, but if all goes well, there's a chance that Ford could return to action as soon as Friday or Saturday. Working out on the side is one thing, but is he in game shape? John Lucas answered that question ... I think:

Though the 6-foot, 165-pound Ford began this season talking about the diligence required to stay strong enough to absorb the NBA pounding, Lucas said Ford got lazy.

"(Before he got hurt) he looked more like one of those rappers, Snoop Dogg. His muscle tone had left because he hadn't done the work," said Lucas. "Now he's going to do that. ... (Yesterday) morning he got up and did it, and every day he's got to do it, maybe for the rest of his life."

I don't really get it. Is Snoop Dogg fat? Whatever Lucas meant, we'll find out soon enough in just a few days. Now the question is, who deserves to be the starter: Ford or Jose Calderon? But that's a post for another day.

At last count, there were five of them on the roster: Mike James, Rafer Alston, John Lucas, Steve Francis, and Aaron Brooks. Plus there's Luther Head, capable of manning the point, and Bob Sura, still under contract. What's even more astonishing--James, Francis and Brooks were all brought in this summer. Common sense said that someone had to go, most like Alston after his brushes with the law.

But according to the Rockets themselves, there's no problem whatsoever. For one thing, it's still training camp, and there's no such thing as real minutes yet. More importantly, though, is that in Rick Adelman's offense this might not be a problem. From The Houston Chronicle:

For much of the practice time, Adelman has had two point guards playing together. Even if someone is designated the point guard, the duties of both guards in the halfcourt sets are usually interchangeable. In the open floor, either could receive an outlet pass and direct the offense.

Rafer took it one step further:

"I think our offense, as long as you're making hard cuts and good picks, anybody can handle the ball, anybody can come off scoring

Houston has one of the league's best big men and is thinking title. They're not going to trot out some four-guard experiment, nor are these the guard to do that with. But as James points out, all these guys are good, and good player are good players. Why not make talent work for you instead of looking for excuses to run it out of town?

Previously on FanHouse
On Rick Adelman's Task

Steve Francis has spurned the Clippers, Heat and Mavericks to return to his original team, the Grizzlies err, the first team he ever played for, the Rockets. From the Houston Chronicle:

"I just hung up with Daryl (Morey, the Rockets general manager)," [Francis' agent Jeff] Fried said. "He is dealing with facilitating the contract.

"It's a combination of a variety of factors including the fit with the team, a comfortableness with the organization and a familiarity with the surroundings. He has a home in Houston. In so many ways, it has remained his home, despite some interim stops, Orlando and New York.

"For Steve, it's coming home."

A lot of people (including myself) figured Francis was a shoe-in to sign with the Clippers, where he would be reunited with man-friend Cuttino Mobley. But as FanHouse reader cdrive pointed out, Francis has a pretty good friendship with Yao Ming, as well, which may have been a factor.

Either way, he now becomes the fifth point guard on the roster, joining Mike James, Rafer Alston, John Lucas and rookie Aaron Brooks. Needless to say, don't be surprised if the Rockets aren't done dealing, as they could certainly stand to thin out some of that bloated backcourt depth.