The Houston Rockets: Where "What If" Happens

When you think of your prototypical NBA General Manager, you typically don't think of a guy in his mid-30s who doesn't have much—if any—experience as a player. But if you're thinking about Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey, then you better start thinking along those lines.

During his first offseason on the job last summer, Morey wasted no time retooling a Rockets squad that couldn't hold on to series leads of 2-0 and 3-2 before collapsing against the Utah Jazz the previous spring.

Steve Francis and Mike James were brought back to H-Town within a few years of being exiled. Argentine power forward Luis Scola was fleeced off the San Antonio Spurs for next to nothing.

According to a number-crunching stats honk like Morey, he had the supporting cast in place around cornerstones Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady. First-round losses and disappointments were now going to be a thing of the past.

That memo apparently never reached the first team that was supposed to get it—Utah.

Instead of collapsing this time around, the Rockets found themselves playing catchup against the Jazz before being dismissed in six games. Here's a stat for a numbers guy like Morey: Getting Francis, James, and Scola took you from being a seven-game first round loser to a six-game first round loser. Most math books define that as "regression."

So it should have come as no surprise that Morey and the Rockets were the winners of the Ron Artest sweepstakes that ended this week. But for a team that always finds itself relying on several things to go exactly their way, all Artest may end up adding is another "what if?"

Three years ago, the Rockets came into the 2005-06 campaign as a legitimate title contender. Sure, they had just blown a 2-0 lead to Dallas in the previous postseason after taking the first two in Dallas (and according to a certain rogue referee, the Mavericks may not have been their only opponent), but this was a squad that was starting to come together. T-Mac's honeymoon period with the Rox was over. Yao could officially be regarded as the best center in the league.

The foundation was in place for Houston to make a title run not just for that season, but for many seasons to come.

Whoops.

What actually happened was a season where McGrady injured his back on opening night, an injury that would end up bothering him for the entire year, as he missed 34 games. Yao? A painful left toe put Yao under the knife in December of that season, and the 7'6" center would miss 24 games of his own.

Little did Houston know it at the time, but the '05-06 campaign was a microcosm of what the Yao/T-Mac Era would become—one gigantic "What If?"

This past season, the Rockets were in the midst of a franchise-record and eye-popping 22-game winning streak when Yao went down for the rest of the season with a stress fracture in his right foot. Before the injury, the Rox looked like world-beaters and legitimate championship contenders. "What if" Yao's injury had never happened?

Based on Artest's past, he isn't going to anything any time soon to change that "what if" factor. In fact, Ron-Ron is already laying the groundwork for a disastrous '08-09 campaign in H-Town.

Although reports indicate that Artest and Yao wasted no time in sorting this out before it became a P.R. nightmare, the two displayed their differences in philosophies and personalities right off the bat.

"Hopefully, he's not fighting anymore and going after a guy in the stands," Yao told the Houston Chronicle.

Get your popcorn ready.

Of course, Ron-Ron was at no loss for firing back.

"We've still got to make sure there's still a commitment [from the Rockets]," Artest told the Sacramento Bee. "That's the main thing, is to make sure there's still a commitment. When I speak to the powers-that-be of the Houston Rockets' organization, we're going to find out how much they really want me there. We'll find out. I'm still waiting to find out if this is just a trade or if this is like a long-term commitment-type thing. I haven't spoken to anybody yet. I'm still waiting."

Artest has never been a solid piece to a championship puzzle. After dashing Indiana's hopes in 2004 after the brawl in Detroit, Artest repaid the Pacers by wanting out the minute he came back in 2005. When the Pacers ended up shipping him to the Kings for Peja Stojakovic, Artest whined about how the small market of Sacramento would limit his endorsement opportunities.

Psssst—here's how landing Artest in '06 helped out Sacramento. They lost in the first round that season, and failed to make the postseason in each of the following two years. So much for "bringing a defensive attitude."

On paper, Ron Artest goes with McGrady and Yao to complete a formidable "Big Three." On paper, Houston's "Big Three" is every bit as formidable as the one in Boston.

On paper.

In reality, what Houston has on their hands is the "Big What If." What if Yao actually stays healthy for the entire season this time around, and doesn't have to shut it down at the worst possible time? What if T-Mac's back can hold up for 82 games this time? And now, what if Ron Artest can actually accept his role and maximize his strengths to help the team get out of the first round?

There's more to winning championships than crunching numbers and putting big statistics together. But don't tell that to Daryl Morey.