Rick Adelman has always been a good NBA coach but we will see what he can do going into a season where he will be without Yao for the whole year and T-Mac until at least December. Adelman has a 108-56 (65.9%) record in his two years with the Rockets during the regular season and he is 9-10 (47.4%) in the post season. He now has a career NBA regular season record of 860-537 (61.6%) as a head coach and he is 79-78 (50.3%) in the post season. The Rockets will be hard pressed to win half of there games this season.

It’s hard to replace numbers like Yao can put up. He played in 77 games for the Rockets last season and he averaged 33.6 minutes, 19.7 points, 9.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 2.0 blocked shots. 29-year old David Anderson has played overseas since he was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2002 NBA Draft. The Rockets are hoping to strike gold with him the way they did with Luis Scola. 26-year old Pops Mensah-Bonsu also could get huge minutes at center for the Rockets this season. He played in 22 games for the Spurs and Raptors last season in which he averaged 12.9 minutes, 5.0 points, 5.1 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. More minutes could bring out the best in Mensah-Bonsu and that is one thing the Rockets can definately offer him this season. 26-year old Chuck Hayes is a natural power forward who could get some time at center this season. He played in 71 games for the Rockets last season and he averaged 12.1 minutes, 1.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. Hayes’ game is defense and rebounding so he could be a darkhorse to get a lot of minutes this season.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CENTERS IN 2009-2010: F+

29-year old Luis Scola is the starter here for the Rockets and he is a player with a nice upside. He played in all 82 games for the Rockets last season and he averaged 30.3 minutes, 12.7 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. Those numbers should spike some especially the scoring average without Yao and T-Mac (out until December) around. 26-year old Carl Landry would likely start on a lot of teams in the NBA. He played in 69 games for the Rockets last season and he averaged 21.3 minutes, 9.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. Joey Dorsey will likely be #3 at power forward this season for the Rockets. He played in 3 games for the Rockets last season and he averaged 2.0 minutes, 0.7 points, 0.3 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. Chuck Hayes could also get some time here when the Rockets aren’t playing him at center.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE POWER FORWARDS IN 2009-2010: B

24-year old Trevor Ariza was brought in to start for the Rockets and that will likely be at small forward. He played in all 82 games for the Lakers last season and he averaged 24.4 minutes, 8.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.7 steals per game. Ariza gives a great effort at both ends of the basketball court so look for his scoring average to get into double figures this season. 31-year old Shane Battier will get playing time at both small forward and shooting guard for the Rockets this season. He played in 60 games for the Rockets last season and he averaged 33.9 minutes, 7.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. Battier also could see his scoring average spike this season. 21-year old rookie Chase Budinger is a sharp shooter who will likely be the #3 small forward. He was a 2nd round pick out of Arizona who was traded to the Rockets from the Pistons during the NBA Draft. 28-year old veteran Brian Cook is also around but he didn’t play too well last season. He played in 30 games for the Rockets & Magic in which he averaged 5.7 minutes, 2.5 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game. Cook is a deadeye from long range as he did hit 43.3% from three point range last season.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SMALL FORWARDS IN 2009-2010: C

30-year old Tracy McGrady reportedly won’t be ready to play in a regular season game until December and that’s bad news for the Rockets. He played in 35 games for the Rockets last season and he averaged 33.7 minutes, 15.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.2 steals per game. It’s quite possible that either Shane Battier or Trevor Ariza would shift over from small forward to fill in while T-Mac is out. The problem with that scenario is that Ariza and Battier are both good defensive players with limited offensive games. Regardless of who is starting 37-year old Brent Barry will be coming off the bench. He played in 56 games for the Rockets last season and he averaged 15.3 minutes, 3.7 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. His main asset is his shooting as he has nailed 40.5% of his shots from three point range. 21-year old Jermaine Taylor was a 2nd round pick out of Central Florida who will likely be sitting at the end of the bench this season.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SHOOTING GUARD POSITION IN 2009-2010: C