DownSwinging.com

Yao Ming won’t be back until the 2010-2011 season. With Yao Ming, the Rockets are a Top 5 team. Without him, the Rockets, without an extensive make over, won’t come close to the playoffs next season. So assuming the Rockets do not follow up this season with another playoff run, they’ll find themselves taking part in the woeful lottery. Now lets imagine the Rockets really can’t get it together without Yao. Lets say they stumble to a frustrating 30-52 campaign, something that is not out of the realm of possibility, just for the sake of argument. With a record like that one, the summer of 2010 would see the Rockets with a top 5 draft pick, a returning all-star center, a salary cap free from the heavy constraints of Tracy McGrady’s contract, cap space to use towards a Free Agent talent pool more talented than any other in the history of the game, and a chance to make a serious run at the 2011 NBA Championship.