Off-Season Game Plan: Rockets
A terrible season in Houston could be attributed largely to the team's two best players missing large chunks of time due to injury.
Tracy McGrady missed 35 games, most due to ongoing back problems, and the Rockets were 27-20 when T-Mac was in the lineup as opposed to the 7-28 record without him.
The Rockets' other star, Yao Ming, missed 25 games, most of them because of a toe injury and a season-ending broken foot. With Yao out of the lineup the Rockets were 7-18 and 27-30 with him. When he did play, though, Ming started to assert himself more and started to look like the kind of player that the Rockets were hoping he'd be when he was drafted first overall in 2002.
From February on, Yao averaged 24.1 points and 11.0 rebounds per game. If he can continue to produce at that level, the Rockets will have a much better chance to turn around their fortunes next season.
Of course, the ineffectiveness of the supporting cast was magnified when Yao and McGrady didn't play, so the Rockets need to address a couple of positions.
First off, a shooting guard or small forward to complement McGrady on the wing would be helpful -- someone that can spot up and shoot the three when the Rockets' big guns get double-teamed. Keith Van Horn, Vladimir Radmanovic or Mike James might have some value, though James would be an undersized two in the Rockets' lineup unless they were going to get rid of Rafer Alston and that seems unlikely.
The other focus for the Rockets will be on adding athleticism to the front line. With Yao and Juwan Howard starting, the Rockets are slow afoot, but even bringing in Stromile Swift didn't really solve the problem since Swift's motor is so inconsistent.
With the eighth pick in the draft, the Rockets might snag Patrick O'Bryant or Cedric Simmons to address that shotblocking need, though they could also grab Rodney Carney to play the wing. If the Rockets were feeling adventurous, they might consider Duke's J.J. Redick as a three-point specialist, the kind that could just wait for defenses to collapse on Yao and McGrady.
Greek point guard Vassilis Spanoulis or Senegalese center Malick Badiane could also contribute to the Rockets rotation to some degree, though they might have a hard time beating out the likes of Bobby Sura and Swift, respectively, for playing time.
The real truth of it is, though, that the Rockets are a decent team when Yao and McGrady are healthy so the Rockets just have to hope they stay healthy and that a couple of off-season additions will be enough to get them back into the playoffs.
GM/COACH
Carroll Dawson/Jeff Van Gundy
CENTERS
Returning: Yao Ming, Dikembe Mutombo, Maciej Lampe. Free Agents: None
FORWARDS
Returning: Juwan Howard, Tracy McGrady, Stromile Swift, Ryan Bowen (PO). Free Agents: Keith Bogans (RFA)
GUARDS
Returning: Rafer Alston, Luther Head, Bob Sura. Free Agents: David Wesley (UFA), Jon Barry (UFA), Rick Brunson (UFA), Richie Frahm (UFA)
DRAFT
8th - Brandon Roy, Rodney Carney, Rudy Gay, Cedric Simmons, Patrick O'Bryant, J.J. Redick. 32nd
FREE AGENCY
Payroll: $56M
TRADE MARKET
Swift (3 years, $17.4M)
