sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/basketball/nba/06/29/tmac.trade.analysis/index.html WHY THE MAGIC MADE THE DEAL McGrady was unhappy about Orlando's losing situation, and the Magic were afraid he might leave next summer when he can become a free agent. Orlando got burned in 1996 when Shaq bolted without compensation. In order to prevent a repeat of that disaster -- as well as a season-long distraction -- GM John Weisbrod decided to deal T-Mac now and get what he could. While he's no McGrady, Francis is a three-time All-Star. He can score, rebound, defend and produce highlight-reel dunks. Freed from having to set up Yao Ming, he can thrive and even become a fan favorite in O-town. Unfortunately, he might have to be a one-man show since the Magic gave up Howard, their only proven low-post threat, in the trade. Cuttino Mobley and Kelvin Cato are solid support players, but they couldn't join with Francis to do much in Houston before Yao arrived. There's no reason to think it's going to be any different in Orlando. WHY THE ROCKETS MADE THE DEAL Tracy McGrady is a top-five player. He can score, pass, rebound, block shots and, yes, defend (when he puts his mind to it). Last season was an aberration. Frustrated by the losing and bothered by a bad back, he simply put it in cruise control. With a chance to play for a good team and a demanding coach in Jeff Van Gundy, McGrady should bounce back strong if he stays healthy. Throw in the addition of Juwan Howard, a solid power forward, and Lue, a ball-pressure point guard with NBA Finals experience, and this trade is a no-brainer for Houston. Rockets fans will miss the always-entertaining Francis-Mobley tag team, but Francis was not a true point guard anyway and the duo was not a good fit alongside Yao Ming. Now Houston can go out and find a true quarterback to set up T-Mac and Yao, and the team will be better off as a result. THE BOTTOM LINE by SI.com's Marty Burns With McGrady and Yao joining forces, the Rockets are instant title contenders. It might take a year or two for Van Gundy to add a few more pieces and get his system in place, but Houston can expect to vault into the NBA's elite. Van Gundy knows how to construct stifling defensive units. Now, for the first time, he's got a superstar scorer to go with it. As long as T-Mac agrees to do his part on D -- and his balky back cooperates -- the Rockets should be terrific. As for the Magic, they better hope Dwight Howard blossoms quickly. NBA champions generally are built around superstars, and while Francis is an All-Star, he is not of McGrady's caliber. Never mind that the Magic were afraid of losing McGrady to free agency next season. If T-Mac goes on to win an NBA title in Houston, it will rank with losing Shaq on the list of all-time Magic blunders.
