Rockets pair superstar with Yao and gain imposing offensive punch in 7-player trade
By JONATHAN FEIGEN
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle
T-Mac and Yao. Yao and T-Mac. The idea seduced the Rockets with possibilities. The Rockets imagined Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming together, and Tuesday, after a week teased by the notion of a blockbuster trade on the brink of completion, put the league's scoring champion with its presumed next great center and envisioned what they could become.
"Bring me a championship, big man," he said. "Bring me a championship. I've led the league in scoring two consecutive years. As long as we win, that's all that matters to me. I'm going to try to go in there and do what I do. If that consists of me sacrificing, giving Yao the ball and playing through other guys, that's what I'll do."
After initial reluctance he wore the nickname and all it suggested publicly and proudly. But he became the lightning rod of public debate and frustration. This season's playoff berth was his first.
In McGrady, the Rockets bring in one of the NBA's most sensational and celebrated stars in the hopes he and Yao could become the next great tandem.
"Sitting back and seeing Kobe and how much freedom he has because of Shaq, that's what I need to win a championship," McGrady told Florida Today. "They have a great coach in Jeff Van Gundy and they are going to do the things there to put the right pieces around me and Yao so that we can win a championship."
SI.com:
WHY THE ROCKETS MADE THE DEAL
Tracy McGrady is a top-five player. He can score, pass, rebound, block shots and, yes, defend (when he puts his mind to it). Last season was an aberration. Frustrated by the losing and bothered by a bad back, he simply put it in cruise control. With a chance to play for a good team and a demanding coach in Jeff Van Gundy, McGrady should bounce back strong if he stays healthy.
THE BOTTOM LINE by SI.com's Marty Burns
With McGrady and Yao joining forces, the Rockets are instant title contenders. It might take a year or two for Van Gundy to add a few more pieces and get his system in place, but Houston can expect to vault into the NBA's elite. Van Gundy knows how to construct stifling defensive units. Now, for the first time, he's got a superstar scorer to go with it. As long as T-Mac agrees to do his part on D -- and his balky back cooperates -- the Rockets should be terrific. As for the Magic, they better hope Dwight Howard blossoms quickly. NBA champions generally are built around superstars, and while Francis is an All-Star, he is not of McGrady's caliber. Never mind that the Magic were afraid of losing McGrady to free agency next season. If T-Mac goes on to win an NBA title in Houston, it will rank with losing Shaq on the list of all-time Magic blunders.
Haha...and then you see JONATHAN FEIGEN today writing some things that maybe considered out of hand and shots at T-Mac. He was the next biggest thing to hit this city, one of the biggest trades to have happened in the Rockets organization. Everyone was happy, the city was glowing, new expectations, and excitement.
But who knew 5 years later there would be so many unsolved problems?
25 year old McGrady paired with 23 year old Yao; 5 years later, battled injuries, 0 playoff series wins, and yet more hope.
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