Rockets' brass, fans pin blame on Olajuwon

The Houston Rockets are the first winning team not to make theplayoffs since the league increased the postseason field to 16 teamsin 1983.

Rockets fans and management generally think center HakeemOlajuwon is as much to blame as anybody, and management would like totrade him for the rights to Louisiana State center Shaquille O'Nealor for Philadelphia 76ers bad boy Charles Barkley.

The Rockets were 37-30 when Olajuwon, who already had missedeight games with injuries, said he had a hamstring injury and refusedto play despite medical clearance. The Rockets said Olajuwon wasfeigning the injury because he was unhappy with the progress of hiscontract talks.

The Rockets went 0-5 while Olajuwon sat out and never recovered.They needed to win only one of their last three games, but they lostthem all.

The only significant veterans dropped from the final playoffrosters submitted to the league Monday were San Antonio Spurs guardWillie Anderson and Phoenix Suns guard Negele Knight.

Suns forward Tom Chambers was left on roster despite beinginjured. So was Spurs center David Robinson, whose hand is expectedto be healed if the Spurs make it into the later rounds.

Detroit Pistons coach Chuck Daly said the only problem beingnamed the Olympic coach caused him this season was the fact he hadthree players - Isiah Thomas, Dennis Rodman and Joe Dumars - selectedby the Olympic committee.

"Somehow, they thought I had a vote on the selection committee,but I didn't," Daly said. "In fact, one of the stipulations I madewhen I accepted the post was that I would not have a vote."

Some members of the USA Basketball Olympic selection committeewould like to see two more NBA players added to the team in the nexttwo weeks.

"I just don't see any college players out there better than NBAplayers we could put on the team," one committee member said.

The trials and tribulations of Barkley in Philadelphia thisseason is simply another warning to owners not to keep players whodon't want to play for them. They will end up being more harmfulthan helpful.