ANALYST	PREDICTION
J.A. Adande ESPN.com	SOUTHWEST: 3 | WEST: 6  Love the influx of new players, but only one of them (Mike James) brings what this team what it desperately needs: experience playing beyond the first round. T-Mac, Yao and Co. need to take that step before they're ready for the West's elite.
Greg Anthony ESPN.com	SOUTHWEST: 2 | WEST: 4  Rick Adelman is the perfect coach for this team. His offensive system has shown in multiple places that it helps players thrive. Bonzi Wells did well under Adelman, but he needs to be in shape.
Jon Barry ESPN.com	SOUTHWEST: 3 | WEST: 6  Underwent a total change in philosophy, bringing in offensive-minded Rick Adelman. Can T-Mac get his team past the first round? Yao is up for a big year. Can Steve Francis accept being a role player? Success depends on how well they play defense.
Chris Broussard ESPN Mag	SOUTHWEST: 3 | WEST: 5  Loads of talent and a terrific offensive coach in newcomer Rick Adelman. Could be problems, though, with James, Alston and Francis fighting for minutes at the point. Their W-L record should be strong, but neither the coach nor the two superstars have proven they can go all the way.
Ric Bucher ESPN Mag	SOUTHWEST: 3 | WEST: 5  If Yao stays healthy and Bonzi Wells plays the way he did for Rick Adelman in Sacramento, the nights Tracy McGrady decides to be his electric self will be icing rather than essential.
Chad Ford ESPN.com	SOUTHWEST: 2 | WEST: 3  We want to see if this team's ready for prime time. They finally have depth and a head coach that could be a great fit. But whether Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady can keep healthy is the big question.
Jemele Hill ESPN.com	SOUTHWEST: 3 | WEST: 5  Yao Ming might have been the league MVP if he hadn't gotten hurt last year. If the West and their own division weren't so loaded, they would be a better favorite to go to the Finals. They'll have to settle for being my dark horse, but they're a very dangerous team.
John Hollinger ESPN.com	SOUTHWEST: 1 | WEST: 1  Yes, those are two 1s. Nobody added more talent in the offseason than this team, and it already had a ton with the Yao-McGrady combo. They have much to prove, yes, but don't be shocked if they get a ring.
Chris Sheridan ESPN.com	SOUTHWEST: 2 | WEST: 4  We're not going to predict Luis Scola will be the Rookie of the Year, but we will opine that he'll be the biggest impact rookie for a playoff team. It's tricky relying on Tracy McGrady's back and Yao Ming's feet. Their health makes the difference between 40 wins and 60 wins.
Marc Stein ESPN.com	SOUTHWEST: 3 | WEST: 5  Tracy McGrady hasn't won a playoff series in his 10 pro seasons and Houston has likewise failed to win a single round in the same span. I think both droughts end this season, but that's as far as I'm going. Professor Hollinger is on his own with the bold Rockets talk.
	TOTAL             SOUTHWEST: 2.5 | Standings             WEST: 4.4 | Standings

Team Strength: Backcourt Depth

Last season, the Rockets had to play Rafer Alston nearly 40 minutes a game -- even as his bricks were killing them in the playoff loss to Utah -- because they had nobody else. Suffice it to say that shouldn't be an issue this season.

In fact, the Rockets have so many quality backcourt players that it's going to be difficult to decide whom to play. At the point, Steve Francis and Mike James figure to split most of the minutes, but Alston and Aaron Brooks remain in the picture too.

Yet that position seems relatively easy to figure out compared to the shooting guard slot. Tracy McGrady is the nominal starter, but could see a lot of minutes at small forward if the Rockets choose to play small. If so, that opens up room for Wells to re-establish himself as a quality scorer off the pine.

Then there's Luther Head, last season's 3-point specialist. There's Kirk Snyder, who played well for the Hornets two seasons ago but lost most of last season to injuries. And of course, there are Francis and James, both of whom are capable of sliding up from the point guard spot to play the 2.

Complicating matters further is that Rick Adelman rarely goes deep into his bench. It might be that only three of these guys will play, or four at most. McGrady is obviously one, with the smart money on Francis, James and Bonzi Wells being the others. If so, there are going to be some awfully good players waving towels at the end of the Houston bench.

• John Hollinger's complete Rockets forecast

STARTERS	ANALYSIS
Rafer Alston Point Guard 6-2 | 175	Trade bait, but fits new up-tempo better than Mike James or Steve Francis.
Tracy McGrady Shooting Guard 6-8 | 223	Will still get touches and shots, but later in the shot clock.
Shane Battier Small Forward 6-8 | 220	The breath on his neck is from a trimmed-down Bonzi Wells.
Luis Scola Power Forward 6-9 | 230	Olympic-qualifying tourney MVP? Okay, what else you got?
Yao Ming Center 7-6 | 310	One injury-free season away from league's-best-center status.

ESPN The Magazine's NBA Preview hits newsstands October 24.

Chuck Hayes Player efficiency rating projection: 15.41 vs. NBA avg.: +0.41 Rockets profiles

Scouting report: Hayes was one of the league's best defensive power forwards last season despite his small stature. While that sometimes allowed taller players to shoot right over him, more often it resulted in an opponent running unsuccessful post plays against Hayes because he was able to muscle the guy so far from the basket. Hayes is also an excellent team defender who frequently put himself in position to challenge shots.

Hayes' shot is one weird bird. He has a hitch in it, almost like he's double-pumping, and he does this even on free-throw attempts. It's as though he took shooting lessons from Juwan Howard. At least he knows it -- he only attempted one jumper all season.

2007-08 outlook: Hayes signed a four-year deal worth $8 million (if likely bonuses are achieved) to stay in Houston, allowing the Rockets to keep him at a fairly large discount to the market. I'm a little surprised there wasn't stronger interest. While Hayes can't score in quantity, he makes his few shots, and his defense and rebounding have real value. Teams have been throwing bigger bills at far lesser players this summer.

Hayes will have to take a back seat, however, as newly arrived Luis Scola figures to take over as the starting power forward. But look for Hayes to play a major role off the bench, backing up Scola and likely finishing games when Houston goes up against tough post players.