Rockets leadership

It's a topic that's been discussed ad nauseum over the last couple of years, so naturally, it's time to bring it up again.

The Houston Rockets have not had a vocal leader since Steve Francis was in Houston. Now, whether you loved (apparently all of my friends) or hated (me) Steve Francis, he was indeed the outspoken player on the roster in the early part of the decade, with Cuttino Mobley also doing his part.

When those two (along with Kelvin Cato) were traded to Orlando, we had a tag team of Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, two superstars. Surely, one, if not both, would take over the team and bend them to his attitude. Alas, it wasn't to be. Then, there was the Ron Artest experiment, but he wasn't really a leader, either.

Now I know what you're going to say: leadership is overrated. We don't need one vocal guy. We just need each player to play hard and things will work themselves out in the end.

I disagree wholeheartedly.

A leader doesn't have to be a player, though those are usually the manifestations we see. I would argue that the leader can just as easily be a head coach. Want proof? Gregg Popovich and Larry Brown were the true leaders of their teams. You can even make a case for Pat Riley/Stan van Gundy and the 2006 Miami Heat.

But the player-leaders are great, too. As much as the media loves to crown Phil Jackson as some kind of guru in the leadership department, it was apparent to me that Kobe Bryant has been the leader of the Lakers. In 2008, it was the GAP gang in Boston. Going back, Jordan and Olajuwon, then even throw in Isiah Thomas, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird.

Having a vocal leader is not just for the sake of having someone talk. Teams tend to take on the personalities of their general. The intensity of champions is borne through one man, whether it be coach or player.

Do these Rockets have that intense leader this year? Would signing Joe Johnson (unlikely now) or Chris Bosh change that next year? We already know Sleepy can lead no one, unless it's in a thrilling game of count the sheep. It seems to me this Rockets team is very quiet. That won't help a young team with low expectations next year.