Texas rivals already feeling the heat, getting nervous

For those who are still uncomfortable with the trade: this will definitely make you feel better.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/columnists/dmoore/stories/063004dnspomoore.ee06.html


McGrady boosts Rockets

Houston gains offensive help for Yao, can close in on Spurs; Mavs need their own right fit


01:43 AM CDT on Wednesday, June 30, 2004


While the Mavericks stockpile and posture and try to figure out how to land one of the top five players in the sport, the Houston Rockets went out and got one.

Tracy McGrady is no Shaquille O'Neal. But then, the Rockets don't really need one of those. Yao Ming will do just fine.
What Houston needs is McGrady. Acquiring him as part of a seven-player deal Tuesday nudged the Rockets closer to San Antonio – and possibly past Dallas and Memphis – in the newly formed Southwest Division.

The trade has been on the verge of happening for more than a week. Trust us when we tell you that will seem like the blink of an eye compared to the odyssey that lies ahead for the Mavericks in their pursuit of O'Neal. But enough what could happen. Let's focus on what did happen.

Think how bad the Mavericks are on defense.

Well, that's how bad the Rockets are on offense. The only team that made the playoffs with a worse offense than Houston was ...

There wasn't one.

The Rockets were one of only five teams that failed to average at least 90 points during the regular season. The team broke the 100-point barrier only 15 times. Houston ranked next to last in the league in offensive rebounds and next to last in turnovers with 16.7 a game.

Jeff Van Gundy is a splendid defensive coach. But his peers will tell you his level of offensive sophistication is lacking.

That's why McGrady is such a wonderful fit. When the offense breaks down, as it did repeatedly last season, the Rockets now have someone who can bail them out. He's good enough that Houston will score in spite of itself or a pedestrian scheme.

Not everyone will embrace this theory. Skeptics will point to point guard Steve Francis, the key player who went to Orlando in this deal.

Francis is an outstanding offensive player who averaged 20.1 points in his first four years in the league only to record career lows in points (16.6) and field goal percentage (40.3) in his one season under Van Gundy. Why will it be any different with McGrady?

Because McGrady doesn't pound the ball on the dribble the way Francis does. He's a wing player who can catch and shoot or slash to the basket. He's a more efficient scorer than Francis – a key in an offense that doesn't generate a lot of shots – and is unselfish. McGrady's scoring will go down with the Rockets, but his assists will go up.

The question is defense. Coaches and players around the league say McGrady's defensive intensity has slipped the last two seasons. Van Gundy won't allow that to continue.

McGrady won't win the league scoring title as he has the last two seasons. But he'll become a better all-around player.

It's not just McGrady that makes this a good deal for Houston. Juwan Howard is an upgrade at forward over Maurice Taylor. It's hard to say what, if anything, the Rockets will get out of Tyronn Lue and Reece Gaines. But it didn't get much out of Kelvin Cato and what it got out of Cuttino Mobley – the other two players shipped to Orlando in the deal – was too erratic for Van Gundy's taste.

McGrady fantasized about playing next to an elite center during All-Star weekend. He openly lobbied for owner Mark Cuban to rescue him and O'Neal in recent weeks and drop them onto the Mavericks' roster.

McGrady wasn't able to orchestrate that deal. But he got the next best thing with Houston. The Mavericks can only hope their pursuit of one of the league's top five players turns out as well.

If not, Dallas could find itself behind Houston in the standings.
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http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/stories/MYSA063004.2C.burning.15f00aba.html

Burning Question: How will the McGrady trade affect the Rockets?
Web Posted: 06/30/2004 12:00 AM CDT

San Antonio Express-News

It just got a little tougher for the Spurs to win the inaugural NBA Southwest Division championship.

Now that the back-to-back NBA scoring champion, Tracy McGrady, has moved from Orlando to Houston, the Rockets have risen to a level that puts them nearly on a par with the Spurs and the Dallas Mavericks. And if the Rockets should manage to sign one or two quality free agents this summer — it won't be easy, but who believed the Lakers could sign Karl Malone and Gary Payton last summer — well, the Rockets might even be the division favorite. New Rockets point guard Tyronn Lue is no legitimate starter, but the fact is, the position will be something of an afterthought for the team with T-Mac in the fold, because McGrady will be triggering the offense most of the time.

There have been whispers in Orlando that McGrady wasn't a good teammate, and hardly a leader. And you have to wonder: If McGrady is supposed to be as good a player as Kobe Bryant, how did he let his team lose all but 18 games?

The Rockets aren't going to miss having Steve Francis as their crunch-time go-to guy, not with McGrady there to take all the big shots. And it's doubtful Jeff Van Gundy is going to miss Francis' occasional lapses of judgment. Remember when Francis nearly dribbled out the fourth-quarter clock against the Spurs when a 3-pointer would have tied the game on Feb. 9 last season? Or when Francis missed a team flight because he wanted to attend the Super Bowl in Houston? You can bet Van Gundy did.

Juwan Howard will help Yao Ming in the low post because he is a legitimate post player himself, capable of taking some inside pressure off the big center. And he is much better suited to a Van Gundy-style halfcourt game than he is in anyone's fast-break scheme.

As for the Magic, the future is ... the future. Francis will be "The Man" next season, with teenager Dwight Howard not apt to be a star for a season or three. It remains to be seen.

Mike Monroe

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http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/stories/MYSA063004.2C.hotlist.15e83c7a.html

The Hot List: Best big man, 'little man' combos
Web Posted: 06/30/2004 12:00 AM CDT


San Antonio Express-News

Houston has one of the best big man-"little man" combinations in the NBA, acquiring Tracy McGrady (a little 6-foot-8 compared to 7-5 Yao Ming) from the Orlando Magic. Here are the top five — barring any trades or free-agent departures.

The Hot List: Best big man, 'little man' combos


5. Indiana Pacers

Power forward Jermaine O'Neal and swingman Ron Artest helped lead the Pacers to the league's best regular-season record in 2003-04. But O'Neal faces the West powers only twice a season. And if Artest is so valuable, why are there reports that the Pacers are trying to trade him?


4. Houston Rockets

McGrady, a 25-year-old shooting guard (right), has averaged 25 or more points each of the last four seasons. And Yao Ming (left), a 24-year-old center, improved his scoring from 13.5 points per game his rookie season to 17.5 last season. Still, McGrady has back problems and has shown little interest in playing defense, while Yao appeared fatigued in the playoffs last season. If they address their problems, though, and McGrady stays healthy, this young duo could become No. 1.


3. Minnesota Timberwolves

Power forward Kevin Garnett won his first MVP trophy last season, thanks in large part to the play of point guard Sam Cassell, who kept defenses honest with his shooting. But Cassell is 34 and Minnesota must worry about his hip injury.


2. Spurs

Tim Duncan is a two-time MVP who might have made a run at a third last season if not for the Spurs' long championship run and his decision to play in the Olympic trials in the offseason — Garnett didn't play. Point guard Tony Parker, meanwhile, continues to look more confident each season.


1. Los Angeles Lakers

Kobe Bryant is so good he's drawn comparisons to Michael Jordan, while Shaquille O'Neal is merely the most dominant big man in the game. They had a run of three-straight NBA championships, and when they're on, even the Spurs can't stop them.


Honorable mention: Cleveland Cavaliers (Zydrunas Ilgauskas-LeBron James), Dallas Mavericks (Dirk Nowitzki-Steve Nash), Detroit Pistons (Ben Wallace-Richard Hamilton), New Jersey Nets (Jason Kidd-Kenyon Martin).