John Lopez writes for the Houston Chronicle that, after being mediocre during regulation, Kelvin Cato dominated the overtime of their first regulation game.  Cato has tried to renew his attitude and approach this season and it has paid dividends so far.

Meanwhile, Glen Rice suffered from jitters and performed badly in his first game.  He did have a game-saving block at the end of regulation, but his performance was otherwise unglamorous.

The Rockets didn't formally have captains last year, but informally, they were Hakeem Olajuwon and Matt Bullard.  This season, they're gone.  According to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, official captains have been appointed in their stead: Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley and Glen Rice.  Francis is the obvious franchise player.  Mobley also figures in their long-term future and is, surprisingly, the longest-tenured Rocket on the team.  Glen Rice has quickly made his leadership skills felt even though he has only just arrived.  As one of the few grizzled vets on the team, he provides mentorship for the Rockets' young guns.

Clutchcity:

Stop the presses. Kelvin Cato had a good game.

And it wasn't preaseason.

The enigmatic big man, knocked hard for his lazy play and poor attitude, grabbed 12 rebounds to go with 9 points, took a pivotal charge on Shareef Abdur-Rahim late in overtime and nailed a huge jumper with 1:31 left in the extra period to help the Rockets beat the Hawks 89-84 in the Compaq Center.

Sean Deveney of The Sporting News writes about Eddie Griffin's induction into the league.  Among other things is this great quote by Griffin: "It would have been nice because New Jersey is close to home in Philly. But when I heard I got traded I was happy, because Houston is a better team than the Nets."

The Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen ranks the league.  He predicts the Lakers to top the West and Toronto to top the East.  He puts the Rockets in the Western Conference's 8th seed.

It seems this era has been dawning for two years now.  But, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports, it now officially begins with the Rockets first regular season game without Olajuwon on the roster.

The Rockets decided their 12-man roster for opening night.  Jason Collier and Dan Langhi were placed on the injured list, along with Maurice Taylor.  At least one of the two must be really injured because Tierre Brown, who had been given a 99.9% chance of getting cut in the preseason, made the active roster.

Sheryl Swoopes previews the Rockets season and picks them to win the championship.

Michael Murphy writes for The Sporting News that what the Rockets lack over previous years in veteran talent, they make up for with good chemistry and a harmonious lockerroom.  He also speculates that Kevin Willis might replace Kenny Thomas as the starting power forward.

Eddie Griffin did not play in the Rockets' first five preseason games while coming back from an ankle sprain. In the sixth game, when he finally did play, the rust showed. Griffin made just one of 10 shots. And when you're 19 years old and an NBA rookie, you feel a need to prove yourself to the fans in your new hometown.

"I wanted to have a good game at home," Griffin said. "It was only preseason, but I wanted to show what I could do. A lot of people expect a lot out of me. The Rockets traded three players (their three first-round picks in June) for me. I wanted to let people know what I'm capable of doing."

The Rockets ranked ninth in the NBA in scoring and field-goal percentage last season. But they ranked 21st in opposing field-goal percentage and 26th in forcing turnovers.

But with so much quickness in the backcourt and a presumed defensive specialist in the middle, the Rockets found not just room for improvement, but a way to improve. Mobley and backcourt mate Steve Francis said they have become more defensive-minded and will take that attitude into the season starting Tuesday against the Atlanta Hawks. Center Kelvin Cato has been a far more disciplined and reliable stopper.