Rockets still have high hopes for Yao-McGrady pairing

As dapper as Tracy McGrady has looked while recovering from a left knee injury, his Rockets have looked even better. Chris Livingston/Icon SMI

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After sputtering to a 13-15 start, an opening to the season that earned "Most Disappointing" honors from nearly every corner of the sports media universe, the Rockets have spun off seven wins in their last 11 games. A modest profit, to be sure, but one more befitting a team expected to contend in the Western Conference after winning 52 games last season.

While the schedule has softened during that 7-4 run, the Rockets' improved play has come at a curious time: It has coincided with an injury to star guard Tracy McGrady, sidelined since Dec. 23 with a bone bruise and strained tendons in his left knee. With each Houston victory sans its seven-time All-Star, fans and league insiders ponder whether the Rockets are finally finding their rhythm in spite of McGrady's absence or because of it.

"I don't know if he's completely sold on everything that's going on with the team," one NBA scout said of McGrady. "His body language would tell you that he's not bright-eyed and bushy-tailed all the time about doing what he's doing. I would think the best thing for that team in the long run is to split up [McGrady and Yao Ming]."

It's the sort of speculation that gives rise to headlines such as "Who needs McGrady?" and "Rockets can win with, without hurt McGrady." But it isn't the type of speculation that has Houston's front office contemplating life without him long-term (McGrady could return as early as Saturday against San Antonio).

"We had a lot of people telling us to trade Yao Ming when we played well when he went out last year," general manager Daryl Morey said. "The talk about Tracy is similarly ridiculous. Trading Tracy is not a consideration."

Nor would it be easy to deal a player due more than $44 million over the next two seasons after this one.

Economics aside, the Rockets appear poised to stay the course with one of the game's most gifted offensive talents for more philosophical reasons.

Though the Rockets' playing rotation hasn't changed significantly from 2006-07 -- they did add Argentine forward Luis Scola and welcome back swingman Bonzi Wells from his season-ending banishment -- their plan of attack has. Gone is the defense-first Jeff Van Gundy calling out almost every play offensively and defensively; in is "a concerted effort to push the ball more and get more movement in our game," according to new coach Rick Adelman.

"Jeff did a great job of laying the foundation defensively, and we've been pretty consistent on that end this year," Adelman said. "But every coach is going to do things a little different offensively, and it's been an adjustment for everybody."

McGrady and the Rockets have learned that adjustment takes time. While the new emphasis on offense should appeal to his inner scorer, McGrady's output (22.8 ppg) has dipped to its lowest level since his last season in Toronto, in 1999-2000. And the Rockets averaged 94 points a game over the first two months, down three points from last season's production under Van Gundy.

"There's an assumption that every year you have continuity," forward Shane Battier said. "That's not the case, even for the really good teams. You have to form your identity every single year because of personnel changes, coaching changes, etc. Even though we had a lot of talent coming back, it takes a while to mold that.

"We've gone from a grind-it-out style to a much more open, flowing offense where reads are paramount. Coach Adelman wants to get it up and attack quickly; last year we sent three guys back every shot. And though it's something we practice every day, it's still not a habit every single night, but we're doing a much better job of it."

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