There has been a sense that time is running out for the Rockets' superstar trio.
At 12-5 now, it’s tempting to panic, especially in light of last year’s torrid start. But prudence must serve as the NBA grind is a marathon and not a sprint. Artest, McGrady, and Yao are each a year older and several miles more worn after last summer’s push into June. If keeping the veteran trio fresh for an encore foray to the Finals means a few more losses, so be it; the ultimate prize is the end goal and why this team was assembled must be kept in mind.
From the blogs to the papers, observers abundantly seem baffled at what has been an unexpected start. The West’s defending champs should not be sitting 5th in the conference. But for all that has gone wrong, there is cause to reflect on what has been right. Ron Artest, it seems, is normal, seemingly having put his demons behind him, last night’s ejection notwithstanding. For the many cases of microfracture sounding the death knell upon an athlete’s career, Tracy McGrady has enjoyed a rebirth of sorts, while not the high-flying acrobat of his younger days, still one of the league’s craftiest stars; McGrady’s duel with Paul Pierce in last June’s Game 6 was an epic which will not soon be forgotten and evidence that the vet is not to be dismissed. And the early-career concerns over Yao Ming’s health now seem to have been entirely premature with the large man now having started in the team’s last 130 consecutive games. Yes, Yao is as good as ever and the force that keeps this outfit hopeful and a safe pick for the ‘ship. We knew we’d look back on ‘toe-gate’ one day and laugh.
This is still the league’s deepest team and perhaps it is reliance on that depth which has triggered the slow start; that is not a bad thing. Point guard Aaron Brooks has reportedly removed the walking boot from his injured foot and is scheduled to return within the week. Brooks’ emergence last season was popularly cited as a catalyst to the summer run with the lilliputian’s scoring serving as impeccable complement to McGrady’s playmaking prowess. The loss of Brooks should not be overlooked. Backup Kyle Lowry has looked sluggish, moving many to dub him overpaid, but back spasms are not a pleasant feeling.
Yet through injuries to their point men and slight wear on their superstar trio, through it all the power forwards have been the Rockets’ rock. The duo combining for a season average of 26ppg and 14rpg, the Rockets have the highest positional PER in basketball by a whopping margin. Backup Carl Landry attained cult-hero status with his Game 7 posterization of Kevin Garnett-evoking memories of Robert Horry’s Finals flush over Patrick Ewing–while Luis Scola held firm against the provocations of that same gadfly. Yes, the irony of the Houston Rockets is that for the greatness of their hall-of-fame trio, the team’s strength stems from two unheralded pivotmen standing each at 6’9.
For all that has gone wrong, for the many doubts that have surfaced, the Houston Rockets have seemed a team of destiny at times. With health, they can persevere. In ’08, it seemed frighteningly possible that McGrady was finished. With that hurdle cleared, the worst is behind the team, and anything can be realized.
Lowry, Landry, Brooks, and the enigmatic Von Wafer continue to grow and the wisdom of Battier seldom ceases to guide the way. The Rockets’ is an assembly of talent most enviable in this league, with fresh legged youth able to carry the load through the rigors of the grind, overwhelming opponents with waves of pace, just in time to hand the torch to a 30-something hall-of-fame trio for the closing of the door in the waning moments. The Rockets’ is an embarrassment of riches. For the second straight year, one would be wise to not bet against them.
