Rockets can kiss '06 playoffs good-bye

Bob Sura is still out. As is — surprise, surprise — the chronically incapacitated Derek Anderson.

 But Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady are now officially healthy.

Even a healthy T-Mac can't save the Rockets this season. (Paul Connors / Associated Press)

So, after a dismal beginning to what was supposed to be a terrific season, the Rockets landed in Phoenix on Thursday night with a 22-30 record. Whatever optimism fans in Rocket-town had was based on the health of Yao and T-Mac, a modest three-game winning streak and on the team being only four games removed from the last playoff spot out west.

On the down side of that equation was the fact that Houston had only 30 games left on their schedule in which to vault over the Lakers, Jazz, Warriors, Kings and T-Wolves to land into the postseason.

The evidence on exhibit during their shameful 109-75 loss to the Suns, proves that the Rockets have already run out of fuel and are light years away from playing in a half-way meaningful ball game.

Here's what's right and what's wrong with the Rockets.

Early on, Yao Ming was doubled-teamed on virtually every post-up catch and was willing and eager to pass the ball. But he was slow in releasing his passes. Also, the Rockets never sent any cutters through the middle to try to take advantage of the Suns' over-reactive rotations.

While Yao is extremely slow, he ran his hardest to the hoop in an early offensive situation and managed to win the race to the hoop. However, his teammates totally ignored him, and Juwan Howard fired up (and made) a 20-foot jumper.

Yao has long arms and is a more-than-adequate shot-blocker when approaching the ball from the weak side. But the Suns showed no respect for his shot-blocking prowess, relentlessly attacking him head-on, knowing that he's extremely slow off his feet.

Even Steve Nash drove the ball into Yao's sphere of influence and was able to snap off a pair of pull-up jumpers while the big man was still nailed to the floor. Yao was also spectacularly ineffective whenever Phoenix got him involved in defending high screen/rolls.

Yao Ming's shot release is so slow that smaller, quick-jumping players frequently force him into rushed shots. (Paul Connors / Associated Press)

Yao is a deadly short-range jump shooter. However, like all of his other movements, his shot release is so slow that smaller, quick-jumping players can frequently make him rush his shots.

Yao scored his only two baskets in the third quarter while being guarded man-to-man by 6-foot-8 Boris Diaw — first when Diaw tried fronting him, and the second on a baseline turn and dunk. But the only shots he could find against the Suns' perpetual two-timings were short-jumpers that all misfired.

Tracy McGrady hit a couple of perimeter jumpers, though he played with a sense of freedom only when Yao was on the bench and when the middle was open.

Back when he played for the trick-less Orlando Magic, T-Mac hustled on every play, but against Phoenix, he was more interested in whining to the refs when he missed easy shots than in hustling back on defense.

Plus:

 

Rafer Alston is quick enough to get into the middle and kick passes out to open perimeter shooters. But he's prone to forcing his drive and would rather shoot than pass.

 

Juwan Howard can hit baseline jumpers, and not much else.

 

David Wesley is strong and a surprisingly accurate one-on-none 3-point shooter. However, he's too short and too slow to make any other contributions.

 

Luther Head can shoot the lights out; but he can neither pass nor defend.

 

Keith Bogans is a powerhouse defender and quick-footed slasher, but his jump shot is afflicted with "miss-itis."

 

Stromile Swift played fairly well. But he bought his alarm clock from J.R. Rider. And the Rockets were already down by 30-plus points when Swift started doing his thing.

 

Ryan Bowen can defend but couldn't score if his live depended on it. If he ever played himself one-on-one, the game would be scoreless.

What a disaster!

The Suns simply ran circles around the grounded Rockets. It didn't help Houston that their offense was dull and motionless — some one-on-one stuff from T-Mac, a few combo-screens that failed to generate anything positive, forced penetrations by Alston, Yao doing his imitation of the Statue of Liberty and a bunch of long-range jumpers. It looked like the "visitors" were playing together for the very first time.

On defense, the Rockets were simply too slow to keep up with the Suns' rapid-fire pass work. Whose idea was it to constantly go under the Suns' screen/rolls and give their accurate 3-point shooters unobstructed looks from beyond the arc? Houston was likewise a step too late in trying to latch on to loose balls.

Jeff Van Gundy mercifully sat his starters en masse with 5:14 left in the third quarter as the Rockets trailed by 41!

What, if anything, can be done to at least make the rest of the season interesting for Rockets fans?

Yao is only effective against teams that have the same game plan as Houston, taking the air out of the ball and playing a slow, deliberate tempo. Against quick teams that feature swarming defenses, Yao should be stationed at the high post with T-Mac sent into the pivot. From there, Yao's jumper would be easily available, and he'd also be in prime position to make effective entry passes into McGrady.

A miracle healing of Bob Sura would help put some heart into this lily-livered outfit.

Somehow, rescinding that Mike James for Alston trade would be another plus.

Deal the likes of Howard, Swift and Wesley for whatever the market will provide. A case of jock straps. Some used adhesive tape. A bag full of lopsided basketballs. A pound of lottery tickets. Anything. Also, send Van Gundy and his grouchy, baggy-eyed, pouty-face far away. And play Yao and McGrady with the survivors.

Forget about the playoffs for the foreseeable future. The Rockets are lost in space and aren't even worth rescuing.

Charley Rosen is FOXSports.com's NBA analyst and author of 13 books about hoops, the current one being "The pivotal season — How the 1971-72 L.A. Lakers changed the NBA."