Last Season: Injuries again killed the Rockets. Tracy McGrady was lost for the year in mid-February but the Rockets regrouped and played even better without him. After his injury, the Rockets went 22-8 and grabbed the fifth seed in the playoffs. They beat the Blazers in the first round and took the first game against the Lakers in the Conference Semifinals. In Game 3 of that series Yao Ming broke his foot and everyone wrote off the Rockets, But the Rockets pushed the Lakers all the way to a Game 7 before falling 89-70.

Acquisitions: F Trevor Ariza, F David Andersen, G Jermaine Taylor, F Chase Budinger, C Pops Mensah-Bonsu

Departures: G Ron Artest, G Von Wafer, C Dikembe Mutombo

Starting Five: F Trevor Ariza, F Luis Scola, C David Andersen, G Aaron Brooks, G Shane Battier

Bench Mob: Brent Barry, Chase Budinger, Brian Cook, Chuck Hayes, Carl Landry, Kyle Lowry, Jermaine Taylor, Joey Dorsey

Most Interesting Man in the World: Tracy McGrady – While T-Mac often hasn’t been able to make a difference on the court due to injuries, he has made a difference off of it. McGrady has donated his time and money to humanitarian efforts in Darfur and has recruited other NBA players to do the same. He even changed his number from 1 to 3 to promote a documentary about his visit to Darfur and the refugee camps called “Three Points”.

Over the Hill: Tracy McGrady – In February of last year McGrady had microfracture surgery and while there are reports he is feeling much better, it’s difficult to believe he will finally be able to hold up for an entire season. The best the Rockets can hope for is that he is able to play a limited role and they can then trade him to a contender later in the season and be able to work Chase Budinger into the starting lineup.

Ready to Break Out: Aaron Brooks – He made his mark when the Rockets pushed the Lakers to a seven game series in the Western Conference semifinals last year. He made Derek Fisher look like it was time for him to retire. Brooks ran circles around the older Fisher and led the Rockets in scoring in the final four games of the series. With the Rockets’ personnel they should be looking to run and Brooks would be one of the biggest beneficiaries of that style of play.

Outlook: Without Yao Ming and with the uncertainty of McGrady it seems difficult to believe the Rockets will do any better than a brief appearance in the playoffs. But they surprised everyone last year and who’s to say they can’t do it again. Without McGrady the Rockets have no superstars but they do have a roster full of smart players that play their role. Coach Rick Adelman will get the most out of this team but there’s only so much he can squeeze out of a team of role players.

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