Yao Out

Just when the Rockets looked like the team I predicted they would be, another injury seems to have doomed the Rockets chances in the tough Western Conference. On a roll and headed toward a high seed in the play-offs, now the Rockets may fail to make the play-offs. They played and survived with McGrady for several games; can they do the same without Yao?

In October, I wrote:

Houston will be the breakout team this year, both in terms of wins, play-off success and entertainment. If they get consistent PG play and stay healthy, there is no reason why the Rockets cannot win the championship and give Adelman the elusive title which would establish him as one of the era's best coaches.

It took them a little longer than I expected to grasp Adelman's system, and the recent trades totally shook up the powers in the Western Conference, but even with two small moves, the Rockets looked poised to contend for the rest of the season. It's too bad we won't be able to see how this plays out.