"The Houston Rockets - No team has had a rougher summer than the Houston Rockets , who, after a promising playoff run learned that they would be without Yao Ming for the foreseeable future. With Yao, this team could legitimately expect to compete for home court advantage in the playoffs and perhaps even a championship. Without him, they're going to be hanging around the bottom of the Western Conference playoff picture. There's still plenty of talent in Houston, and any team with Luis Scola, Shane Battier, Trevor Ariza and Aaron Brooks is going to win their share of basketball games. The heart and determination that have defined the Rockets throughout the Yao Ming era will keep them competitive, but the unfortunate reality is that you can't lose the best center in the NBA and expect to be anywhere near as good as you were with him. Add to that Tracy McGrady's ongoing injury issues, and it's very likely to be a tough season for the Rockets. They could still be a playoff team, but they're a far cry from the team that's been in the thick of the race for the second seed in the West in each of the last two seasons."
