Bucks, Wiz, Rockets winning without stars (Foxsports)

During its prolonged crusade to prove all "fantastic" claims, the NBA became a superstar-driven league.

To stimulate interest, the NBA and its broadcast partners emphasized the skills of individuals instead of marketing the overall greatness of a particular team. This tactic fell in lock step with what occurred on the floor, as most coaches relied on isolation maneuvers to guarantee that the best player was squeezing off most of the shots.


No star needed


Bucks Rockets Wizards
Injuries to their top players haven't hurt the Bucks, Rockets or Wizards. All have better winning percentages this season without:

Redd McGrady Arenas
With 12-19 13-12 3-5
(.387) (.520) (.375)

Without 3-1 6-5 14-11
(.750) (.545) (.560)

Overall 15-20 19-17 17-16
(.429) (.528) (.515)


During this prime-time era, championship teams were defined by their superstars. With the exceptions of Larry Brown's Detroit Pistons and the Seattle SuperSonics of Dennis Johnson and Jack Sikma, every NBA champ suited up at least one obvious Hall-of-Famer-in-waiting.

But with upgrades in team defensive rotations and the legalization of zones, coaches have been inspired to adopt scoring schemes that encourage greater ball movement and team play. And while it's true that having superstars in these situations still provides a franchise with increased opportunities to succeed, these sharing principles may explain why three teams are having short-term success without their top guns.

Seizing the starring roles in this recent phenomenon are the Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks and Washington Wizards.

Fans who've been busy watching three superstars embracing teamwork in Boston or Kobe Bryant playing nice in L.A., may not be aware that Tracy McGrady, Michael Redd and Gilbert Arenas are out and their teams are — for now — thriving.

Is this a collaborative condemnation of their offensive-flow-clogging proclivities, or can we find another explanation for the triumphant rallies of the Rockets, Bucks and Wizards?

Let's begin with Houston, which has played without T-Mac (left knee) for five consecutive games, a run that includes victories in the last four. Before attacking McGrady and his 44-percent shooting, let's take a look at the teams the Rockets have vanquished.

The streak began with an impressive victory at Orlando, continued with a less-than-remarkable home win against the New York Knicks, marched on with a nice win at Washington and reached its current level with another triumph over the Knicks.

OK, so this wasn't exactly a murderers' row of foes. But the grotesque inconsistency of the Rockets certainly makes any victory seem like a revelation. For perspective on just how a team can flourish without a 23-points-per-game scorer, let's consult an advance scout working for an Eastern Conference team.

"I've seen Houston a bit recently and the thing that stands out about them without T-Mac is a big difference in how they move the ball," the scout said. "I think you'll find that on any team with a great perimeter scorer, the ball not only stops as they prepare a 1-on-1 move, but teammates will quit moving and stand and watch.

"It goes beyond just ball movement, though, with the Rockets. When McGrady is in the lineup, they often go through him in a half-court set. Without him, they almost always go through Yao (Ming)."

And why is that important?

"Well, it's important because, for one, Yao's really good at scoring the ball," the scout said, "and he commands a double team, which creates inside-out scoring options after one or two passes."

For confirmation, let's check Yao's numbers over the last four games. The 7-foot-6 center began with 26 points in Orlando, added 30 in the first win over New York, contributed 21 against Washington and pumped in 36 against the Knicks on Wednesday. His 28 points-per-game average in the last four dates is six points more than Yao provides during the season.

The Rockets also have received timely contributions from Luther Head (24 points against the Wizards), Aaron Brooks (22 vs. the Knicks) and Rafer Alston (20 vs. the Magic) to offset the loss of McGrady.

If T-Mac is guilty of paralyzing the continuity of Houston's Rockets, how do we explain the Bucks winning without Redd, a catch-and-shoot monster who generally doesn't kill the shot clock while creating an opportunity?

Well, Milwaukee's three Redd-free victories were managed against three teams — Charlotte Bobcats, Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat — with lottery reservations.

The step-up player in Redd's absence has been guard Charlie Bell, who put 27 points on the Bobcats, 21 on the Sixers and a modest 11 on the Heat.

Bell, who's averaging about 21 minutes per game on the season, has been getting about 30 minutes since Redd (left thigh bruise) went down. His three-game scoring average (19.8) is almost 15 points more than he's contributing on the season.

Another Buck sharing the scoring load is point guard Maurice Williams, whose three-game scoring average of 24 points includes 35 against the Heat.

A much larger sample can be found in Washington, where the Wizards have been without Agent Zero (left knee) for their last 23 games. The Wizards (17-16 overall) have won 14 games without Arenas, but only five on the road.

"Gil is pretty notorious for dribbling away the shot clock while looking to score," the Eastern Conference advance scout said. "It's not surprising that they've had some success without that because (Wiz coach) Eddie Jordan runs some of that Princeton stuff and it seems to work better when dribbling is kept to a minimum."

Without Arenas, the Wizards still have two top-flight scorers in forwards Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler. Butler, who averages 16 points per game for his career, has increased that by six points this season. He's knocked in 25 or more points in 11 of Washington's games since Arenas sat down.

Butler and his buddies soon will be put to the test, with two games against Boston and one with Dallas coming up in their next six.

"Losing a star player over part of an 82-game season can be a motivating factor for teammates in the short term," the scout said. "Plus, it changes the way a team plays and how teams are forced to play against them. That can provide a temporary advantage."

And having the opportunity to knock off a few weaker teams can't hurt.

"Trust me, while having ball and player movement can be a coach's dream," the scout said, "losing a star player for a long period of time usually turns out to be a coach's nightmare."

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/7659798

Pretty good read, and makes sense