Rudy Speaks Jeff Balke snapped this shot of Rudy T honoring Charles Barkley after the game

I knew I needed rest when I thought I saw Alf and Spuds McKenzie fighting over the remote control in my living room. You hit that stage of hallucinations and you must get sleep. Kerplunk -- 5:30pm to 7am, out like a light.

You know though, it really was worth it and hopefully we'll have more clutchcity.net gatherings in the future. Next go-around we'll actually tell you about it instead of this "dump work and take off for Houston" bit hours before the game.

Anyhow, it was a great time: I'm convinced Rocket fans truly are the greatest in the world.

Not only the fans, but the organization. You can tell, from the people you meet to the things they put on, this franchise is one of the classiest in sports. Their concern the entire evening was to give Charles the best sendoff he could possibly imagine. Giving Charles the entire goal where he got his last rebound was completely unique, and word has it that was Rocket media director Tim Frank's idea.

Going to be a big offseason
The Rockets came on strong at the end of the season. Granted I wish they had waited 10 games to do it and not hurt their draft position so much, but they still came out OK and I saw three very encouraging things as the season came to a close. Here they are.

1. Steve Francis.
2. Cuttino Mobley.
3. Shandon Anderson.

So, there you have my in-depth analysis in a nutshell.

When I had the opportunity to attend training camp (which it looked like ended some point in late March), I really talked up "BackCourt 2000" and how awesome I thought they would be. 10 games into the season, with the exception of Francis, I thought I had really overhyped them.

Now it appears these guys improved greatly over the past 82 games and are something special. These three fast guards, all young and extremely talented, will be the anchor of this team for years. That is if Mobley doesn't bolt for more immediate greener pastures and sign elsewhere this summer, but we expect a deal to be made.

Changes will be coming. From what we hear there are lots of things in store, and not just the issue of the new arena (SaveOurRockets.com will be very active later this summer)

Bryce Drew likely to be traded
We say "likely" because you just never know with the Rockets, but "extremely likely" is more like it. Barring any unforeseen snags in re-signing Moochie Norris, Bryce Drew will be traded. Bryce played well when he got starters minutes, but seems awkward in a backup role. Is there a starters or big minute position out there for Bryce? Possibly. The Clippers and Raptors are two teams that desperately need a point, and Drew has 2 years left on his rookie contract (the team holds the option for 2001-2002).

Could Cato be elsewhere? It didn't seem likely after signing a 6-year, $42 million deal, but Cato may be wearing another uniform next season

Cato could be on the block
Reports are mixed here and I doubt there is a consensus within the organization -- Cato certainly has the size and athleticism to be very good roaming the middle, but lacks the work ethic to improve greatly over the span of his 7 year, $42 million deal he signed back on September 23rd of last year.

One source described it simply as "lack of enthusiasm" that concerns the team and if the team feels like he's not going to improve or be more consistent -- look out... "they'll move him before his salary slot becomes an albatross."

Rashard Lewis coming on board?
Personally we think that is a touch overhyped, but it's possible if Lewis, who is just 20, still has that burning desire to return to his hometown. However, keep in mind the Rockets don't have the money to offer him in a direct signing... it would have to be via a sign and trade with Seattle, who won't give him up easily.

I expect Lewis to re-up with the Sonics, but anything is possible.

Lottery Race 2000: Finishing at #9
No, the Rockets did not tank this season, but I can promise you there were some smiles on some faces when the loss at Vancouver, coupled with wins by Denver and Boston, took the Rockets out of the 11th spot and into the 9th spot for the Draft.

Does that mean they pick 9th?

No, but it's most likely. For those who don't know how the lottery works, it's a drawing for the top 3 picks only (weighted towards the worst teams), and after those randomly drawn selections are made, then the teams left are ordered 4-13 from worst record to best record.

Denver, Boston, Dallas and Orlando hold 10 through 13 in the lottery. When the lottery is called out, if those selections are called out 13 to 10, then the Rockets can do no worse than 9th. If one of those selections (10-13) is randomly drawn 1-3 as a top pick, then that bumps the Rockets down to #10. If two are chosen, it bumps them to #11, etc. Only it's not highly likely one of those teams will be picked (but it has happened).

The real suspense will be, as they call out the teams from 13 to 1, if it goes in order and the Rockets are not called out by the 9th pick. That means they've won a top 3 pick.

But keep in mind, the team has just 18 out of 1000 ping pong balls.... their chances aren't real good.

Wouldn't put it past the Rockets to swing a draft day deal either. They reportedly like the top picks and aren't crazy about 6-12. The Rockets wouldn't surprise me if they traded down or up.

Also the status of the picks the Rockets are to receive from Detroit (via Philly in the 1998 Mirsad Turkcan deal) and Orlando (1999 Don MacLean experiment) are unknown, and in our opinion, unlikely to come this season. Both teams have until 2004 to part with those picks.

According to the Houston Chronicle, the Pistons and Magic must make their decision before the May 21st lottery.

Watch out for the surprises
Last season we all anticipated a Scottie Pippen deal, in the midst of his strong need for warm milk and pacifying love. Then from out in left field came the Othella Harrington and Michael Dickerson for Francis trade and it completely reshaped the franchise.

Thinking outside the box... watch for some surprises.

Huge year for clutchcity.net
Man it was a fun year. It started out with us moving the site. We didn't want to move the site, but after a lot of consideration, we decided that option was one we simply had to pursue.

It was, without a doubt, the best decision we ever made.

Fortunately, it didn't even classify as a bump in the road for us. Within days after our move, with no links and no real pub, clutchcity.net became the industry standard and the fans had no problem identifying authenticity. We saw 30,000 page views in one day in February, and consistently get over 20,000. We got props and publicity from About.com, Yahoo!, DigitalCity, ESPN the Magazine, University of Houston, Houston Chronicle and other media outlets.

We became a dynamic, database-driven site, able to do so much more like the Houston Rocket historical database, the lottery generator, full player and game stats, trivia game, archives and more.

We saw Jeff Balke's brainchild, SaveOurRockets.com, get launched and be a huge force in raising awareness to keep the Rockets and Comets in the city of Houston.

We had a great time and we hope you did too. The offseason will be crazy at clutchcity.net -- the draft will be very entertaining. We've got more fun ideas we plan to reveal this offseason, and don't even get me started on the ideas we're kicking around for next season.

Need anything, drop me a line at clutch@clutchcity.net. I'm a little behind, just now finishing up 1996 and responding to some mails from 1997 ("Yeah, I think we can re-sign Sedale Threatt"), but I'll get to it. :)

We'll continue to bring you the latest news, and keep your eyes peeled on the BBS. Always interesting inside info from the community being posted.

Our 4th season is complete. Thanks again to all those who made it happen, and remember...

Keep it clutch.