RealGM

The only voice vote that counted was that Cookie-Monster-gargling-razor-blades-in-a-blender rasp that let everyone know the Secretary of the State of the Rockets was back at his post. "There is much work to do," said Dikembe Mutombo. "It will take time. I don't want to be stepping on anybody's shoes, because I just got back. But I will find my space to let them know I am the oldest guy here, and they should listen."

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Mutombo got his first taste of action this season in the second quarter against the Lakers, playing just under 4½ minutes, hitting a layup and a tip-in and grabbing one rebound. But he didn't get a blocked shot or a chance to wag his finger. "I was hoping I was going to get more than that," Mutombo said. "I think the coach is hesitant about my conditioning. But my conditioning is there. We had a wonderful practice, and I know that I am ready."

Coach Rick Adelman does not intend to use Mutombo to spell Yao Ming nightly. He feels comfortable with the production and the effort that he's getting out of Luis Scola, Carl Landry and Chuck Hayes on the front line. "I think you'll see him (Mutombo) against certain people, for sure, behind Yao when we really get undersized," Adelman said. "But against a lot of teams, we're really better off with the smaller people at both ends of the court. I said at the time, to get Deke back, there were two important reasons. His impact on the team off the court and in the locker room is huge. But I think, God forbid, something should happen to Yao for a period of time, Deke's a perfect guy to put in there. Right now, it's tough for him to get going, playing three or four minutes at a time. That's why I say it's really important to have him for insurance — and his impact in the locker room is enormous."

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