The Rockets only new starter this season will be rookie power forward Luis Scola from Argentina. The Rockets acquired him from the rival Spurs in the off-season because he wouldn’t sign with them because he wanted some playing time. Scola had a good pre-season with the Rockets as he played in 7 games (4 starts) and he averaged 25.0 minutes, 9.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 steals per game. The big key for the Rockets this season is the health of Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming. T-Mac only played in 71 games (all starts) for the Rockets last season and he averaged 35.8 minutes, 24.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He should improve on those numbers if his back holds up in Rick Adelman’s running system. Yao Ming will also dominate and establish himself as the best center on the planet if he can just stay in one piece. Yao played in 48 games (all starts) last season and he averaged 33.8 minutes, 25.0 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 blocked shots per game. Shane Battier will likely start at shooting guard and that’s a good thing for the Rockets as he does all of the little things that make a team better. He hustles on the defensive end and he’s a good shooter. He played in 82 games (all starts) last season for the Rockets and he averaged 36.4 minutes, 10.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.0 steal per game. Rafer Alston will start at point guard this season for the Rockets but he will likely see his minutes drop with Mike James and Stevie Francis on board. Alston played in 82 games last season (all starts) for the Rockets and he averaged 37.1 minutes, 13.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game. He needs to improve his shooting as he only made 37.5% of his shots from the floor last season.