Yao Ming: 10 Moves Rockets Can Make To Stay In Title Race Without Him
Yao Ming may be one step closer to retirement.
The Houston Rockets center has suffered another stress fracture in his left ankle, which will reportedly sideline him for the rest of the season.
Perhaps more importantly though, Yao's latest injury could be the one that ends his career.
And with Yao's future in Houston cloudy at best and the Rockets struggling to a 10-15 start, Houston's title aspirations have probably already been flushed down the toilet.
But it's the NBA: Where amazing happens.
So you never know if the Rockets can get their season turned around.
If they want do that though, they'll have to make some big moves or they might as well forget about the playoffs.
Here's a look at 10 moves the Rockets can make to get back into contention without Yao.
10. David West
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The Trade: Trade Shane Battier and a first-round draft choice to the New Orleans Hornets for Marcus Thornton and David West:
Why It Works: The Rockets don't really need a power forward, but they could play David West and Luis Scola at the same time in certain sets or play West at the small forward position.
Houston would also acquire a solid bench player in Marcus Thornton who seems to have fallen out of favor in New Orleans.
For New Orleans, this would be nothing more than a salary dump—Battier has an expiring contract—but it would give them some flexibility during the offseason.
They would be able to pursue another free agent as well as get a decent draft pick if Houston fails to make it to the playoffs.
9. Marcin Gortat
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The Trade: Send Jared Jeffries to the Orlando Magic for Marcin Gortat.
Why It Works: This is a totally lopsided trade for the Rockets, but the Magic are paying far too much money to Gorcat as a backup center.
He has a four-year deal worth $6.3 million per year, and he's played less than 16 minutes per game so far this season.
Orlando is already bogged down with a ton of expensive contracts, like those of Rashard Lewis and Vince Carter, and trading Gortat for Jeffries would provide some cap relief for Orlando.
The Magic will probably want more than just an expiring contract in return, but I doubt teams are gonna give up a lot for a center who's unproven as a starter.
If Houston does manage to acquire Gortat, however, he'd be a nice fit for a team looking for some help at the center position.
8. Gerald Wallace
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The Trade: Send Shane Battier and Patrick Patterson to the Charlotte Bobcats for Gerald Wallace.
Why It Works: The Bobcats have been one of the more disappointing teams in the league all season, and they could be looking to change their roster in the offseason.
By moving Wallace to the Rockets, Charlotte would get some cap relief and a solid veteran presence in Battier as well as a young talent in Patterson.
As for the Rockets, they would get an underrated starter in Wallace, who averages 16.7 points and 8.1 rebounds per game.
Wallace would provide an immediate upgrade at the small forward position, and he won't limit what the Rockets can do in the future—his contract has two years left at $10 million per year.
7. Michael Beasley
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The Trade: Send Shane Battier and Jordan Hill to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Michael Beasley.
Why It Works: Though Beasley has had a resurgence during his first year in Minnesota, he plays the same position as Kevin Love, so the Timberwolves might consider him expendable.
By trading Beasley to the Rockets, the Timberwolves would get a solid young talent (Hill) and an expiring contract (Battier).
As for Houston, they'd get Beasley, who has a ton of potential and could also play small forward in the same unit with Luis Scola at power forward.
Beasley, who comes with just a $5 million annual price tag, could also work in and out at the four with Scola.
6. Tayshaun Prince
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The Trade: Send Jordan Hill, Chase Budinger and Jared Jeffries to the Detroit Pistons for Tayshaun Prince.
Why It Works: In this trade, the Pistons would get exactly what they want: two good young players and cap relief.
Budinger and Hill aren't going to take up a whole lot of salary space, and Jeffries comes off the books at the end of the season.
Houston, on the other hand, would get a very good, experienced player in Prince, who has won an NBA title and is a top flight defender.
5. Chris Kaman
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The Trade: Send Shane Battier and Jordan Hill to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Chris Kaman.
Why It Works: The Los Angeles Clippers continue to have a talented team, but they're still not going anywhere. Kaman has been linked to other teams in the past, and it might finally be time to make some serious changes in Los Angeles.
The Clippers would benefit from moving Kaman and grabbing the expiring contract of Battier and a good young player in Hill.
As for how this move affects Houston, it obviously gives them a very good center to replace Yao, and Kaman has just two years remaining on his contract.
Though it will limit some of the team's impact off the bench, it will vastly improve their starting lineup.
4. Anderson Varejao
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The Trade: Send Shane Battier and Jordan Hill to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Leon Powe, Anderson Varejao and a first-round pick.
Why It Works: The Cavaliers are going nowhere fast, and they could be looking to completely change the makeup of their team. Though Varejao is one of their best players, he also has the most trade value and could get some cap relief and a young talent in exchange.
By trading for Hill and Battier, Cleveland gets exactly that.
As for Houston, the Rockets would get an absolute pest of a defender in Varejao, who eats up a ton of space in the paint.
Powe is just in there to make the money work, but Varejao could fit as a solid defender and rebounder in Houston's starting lineup.
3. Marcus Camby
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The Trade: Trade Shane Battier and Terrence Williams to the Portland Trail Blazers for Marcus Camby.
Why It Works: If the Blazers decide they want to keep Greg Oden around after this season, it's going to be hard for the team to hold onto him, Joel Przybilla, Camby and LaMarcus Aldridge.
There's just not enough minutes for those guys to share, and Camby could be the odd man out considering his age and his $11 million price tag.
As for Houston, they'd obviously get a nice defensive presence at the center position in Camby, who has just two years remaining on his contract.
2. Carmelo Anthony
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The Trade: The Rockets trade Shane Battier and Kevin Martin to the Denver Nuggets for Aaron Afflalo and Carmelo Anthony.
Why It Works: Anthony has been linked to the Rockets in the past, and his time in Denver is obviously coming to a close. The Nuggets will be looking to clean house if Anthony is traded, and this trade will help both teams in much different ways.
Denver will get an effective scorer in Martin and an expiring contract in Battier, while Houston would get a superstar (Anthony) and a replacement for Martin at the two guard (Afflalo).
Even if Anthony is just a rental, he's worth it for the short run.
A team with Aaron Brooks, Afflalo, Anthony and Luis Scola would be a very solid unit and could get that team turned around quickly.
1. Steve Nash
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The Trade: Houston trades Aaron Brooks and Jared Jeffries to the Phoenix Suns for Steve Nash.
Why It Works: Though this one's a long shot, it does have its advantages for both teams. The Suns, who likely aren't making the playoffs this year, certainly need to rebuild.
And by trading for Brooks and Jeffries, Phoenix acquires two expiring contracts and could also choose to re-sign Brooks to split point guard duties with Goran Dragic.
As for the Rockets, they'd obviously get an aging Nash, but he'll be good to go through the remaining two years of his contract.
He's an instant upgrade at point guard and has a pretty friendly $10 million price tag.
Plus, it's almost inevitable that Nash makes the players around him better.
