Strong foundation
ORLANDO, Fla. – "Who got the better end of the trade?" That was the question on everyone's mind when Tracy McGrady and the Houston Rockets visited the Orlando Magic Thursday for the first time since the two teams completed a blockbuster trade last summer.
The general consensus so far this season has been that Orlando got the upper hand in the trade. After all, Steve Francis is having an all-star season and the Magic have already matched last season's win total of 21. Houston, on the other hand, was expected to be a championship contender but has plodded along inconsistently, entering the game against the Magic in eighth place in the West.
While one game can't justify a trade one way or the other, Houston took it to the Magic Thursday. The normally passive Rockets played an inspired game, turning in one of their best efforts of the season and dominating the Magic, winning 108-99.
The game was played before a raucous crowd that booed McGrady lustily at every opportunity. After the trade, T-Mac left town on bad terms with the Magic, calling the fans "fair weathered," blasting general manager John Weisbrod and even blaming the Orlando media for misrepresenting some of his comments. (It is believed to be the first time any athlete has blamed the Orlando media for anything).
He even recently admitted to Sports Illustrated that he didn't always play hard during last season's wretched Magic season. Effort was not an issue Thursday for T-Mac, however, as he passionately led his team to victory. The Rockets showed more energy than they have all year by hitting the offensive glass, attacking the rim and dominating in the paint. It was the type of performance Houston fans were expecting from the outset of this season.
Despite losing the game, Weisbrod is quite happy with the trade overall. The Magic have a deep roster, are playing an entertaining, up-tempo style and appear to be a legitimate playoff team in the Eastern Conference.
A year ago, Weisbrod felt that he had to alter what had become a losing culture, and that sweeping changes were needed. "Players would leave the building last year and feel fine when we lost," said Weisbrod recently. "Tracy would get his 35 and say, 'what else can I do?' Nobody was taking any responsibility for the team's failures. You can't knock down any walls that way."
Weisbrod proceeded to overhaul his roster, trading McGrady and adding eight new faces, including three starters who came over in the trade from Houston – Francis, Kelvin Cato and Cuttino Mobley. (Mobley was traded last week to Sacramento for Doug Christie).
In addition, the Magic signed free agent Hedo Turkoglu and selected Dwight Howard with the No. 1 pick in the draft. Howard is starting and averaging close to a double-double at 10 points and just fewer than 10 boards each game. Also, he and Cato have shored up the team's interior defense. As Howard grows, begins to understand the NBA game and develops his offensive skills, he'll be downright scary.
Perhaps the biggest addition to the Magic lineup has been Grant Hill. The former all-star has made one of the great comebacks in league history. After missing most of the past four seasons with foot problems, Hill is back and playing well. He has lost some of his athleticism, but he has reinvented his game and is now a very good jump shooter. He's scoring almost 19 points per game and shooting 51 percent, and his maturity and leadership are helping to build the winning culture Weisbrod wants.
The Magic now have talent at every position, and they appear to be building a strong foundation for the future. Weisbrod has done a great job, and the trade worked out well for him. His team is on the rise.
As for Houston, the future is unclear. McGrady and Yao Ming haven't been as potent together as many people predicted. Both are extremely gifted, but neither is a natural born, fiery leader. And as good as they both are individually, they need help. The trade depleted the roster of depth and speed, and Houston is thin at several positions.
GM Carroll Dawson addressed some of those issues by signing Bob Sura and trading for Jon Barry and David Wesley. They have given the team much-needed toughness, and Sura in particular has been terrific. But these guys are also a bit long in the tooth and are short-term solutions.
For this trade to make sense for Houston, the Rockets have to add depth and athleticism to surround Yao and McGrady. Yao has a wonderful touch and is a good low-post player. But he needs a Charles Oakley-type strongman next to him to rebound, defend and knock down 17-foot jump shots. And McGrady, despite his prodigious talents, needs a point guard who can handle the ball and lead the team.
So was the trade good for Houston? We'll see. Unlike Orlando, the Rockets have a lot of holes in their lineup still. It is what the Rockets do from here that matters most.
