Houston

- The Houston Rockets are in the midst of the longest current losing streak in the NBA at 10 games, but that's only a footnote to how much Moochie Norris has overcome in his career.

Norris lingered for parts of four years in the CBA, and thoughts of playing in the NBA seemed a pipe dream. And when he did get a call-up to the NBA, he spent only eight games with Vancouver during the 1996-97 season and 12 with Seattle the following year. Norris also had to deal with bouts of insomnia because of the death of his mother.

He was desperately in need of a friend.

"I have an ongoing relationship with [Cavs assistant coach] Keith Smart," said Norris, guard for the Rockets. "He's been a father figure to me. He's good to talk to and he understands what I've been through."

The bond between Norris and Smart, who will be opposite each other when the Rockets host the Cavaliers tonight in Houston, developed when Smart was the head coach for the CBA's Fort Wayne Fury. Smart acquired Norris once the Milwaukee Bucks waived him after selecting him in the second round of the 1996 draft. Norris came to the CBA after setting a career scoring record for West Florida. The NBA remained in focus for Norris.

"Coach Smart told me to remain patient when I first got to the CBA," Norris said.

"It was some good advice."

But Norris didn't always practice what Smart had preached, and frustration would set in, especially when he was dominating the CBA and no NBA team seemed interested. Additional funk would set in on his mother's birthday.

"Whenever things weren't going well, I'd think about her and get down on myself," Norris said. "Sometimes I'd have problems sleeping."

Smart would often get calls during the night.

"He'd call me and leave a message that he couldn't sleep so he couldn't make it to shoot-around or practice," Smart said. "He couldn't close his eyes because he didn't think he could wake up. He needed to get his rest. He tried everything, from special glasses to listening to music. He eventually pushed through it."

Norris finally received a breakthrough in his career when he signed the first of two 10-day contracts with the Rockets on Feb. 8 of last year. Ten days later, they signed him for the rest of the season. Norris went through a lengthy contract battle with management during the off-season but the parties eventually agreed. Norris has been the team's starting point guard since Nov. 27, when All-Star guard Steve Francis went down with a foot injury. Norris is averaging 7.5 points and 4.6 assists per game in 102 minutes.

Smart is happy to see Norris living out his dream and putting his past behind him.

"When he was going through his contract holdout, I reminded him about how far he's come," Smart said. "I told him that even if he didn't get what he wanted, he has still come a long way from trying to keep afloat in the CBA. I'm proud of how he's grown as a basketball player and how he's grown as a person."