The Rockets' statistics reflect the Jeff Van Gundy style, not at all the quality of their talent. They are 29th in scoring, 28th in rebounding, 27th in steals and 23rd in blocks even with Yao. Their field-goal attempts are 26th most, and they are 29th in free throws, showing a lack of penetration to the basket.

Tracy McGrady led the league in scoring during the last two seasons with a combined average of more than 30 points per game, but he has had only two games this season over 25 points. Yao, averaging 17.8, has been in single digits five times this season, twice in the last two games against teams without dominating centers.

"My game right now, I'm hesitant on the offensive end and I can't get into a rhythm," McGrady said after Saturday's loss to the Jazz. "I really don't feel in sync on the court. I can't get into the flow at all. I don't know what it is."

Sam Smith of the Chicago Tribune suggests that the problem is Jeff Van Gundy.

McGrady needs to get easy baskets in transition to open up his perimeter game. Improved rebounding would help. Yao is one of the league's best running centers, but he's walking into the defense too much.

"Neither of those guys has played like we need them to play to win down the stretch," Van Gundy said last week.

The style Van Gundy favors wears out players. The Rockets aren't great, but they have too much talent to allow lesser teams to stay in the game with limited possessions.

"Do we have enough personality? Do we have enough fight?" Van Gundy asked. "Every team follows a certain personality. Who are we following? I'm not sure. The coach should have a group playing with energy and passion, and obviously I don't have that right now. Certainly if the results don't change, we'll need to change either who plays or who's here."

The Denver Nuggets paid a heavy price for their win on the road over the Houston Rockets Saturday, losing star forward Carmello Anthony with a sprained ankle during the third quarter.

Chris Tomasson of the Rocky Mountain News writes that with 2 minutes, 21 seconds remaining in the period and the Nuggets leading 62-48, Anthony was wrapped up by Rockets guard Bob Sura to prevent an easy basket. Anthony crumbled to the floor, and had to be helped to the locker room.

X-rays on Anthony were negative, but he left the arena on crutches. He first said he would miss Monday's home game against New Orleans, but later said there's a "50-50 chance" he'll play.

"I just remember him grabbing me and I fell and stepped on his ankle," Anthony said. "There was a little soreness in it (due to stepping on Bruce Bowen's foot in Friday's 89-75 loss to San Antonio)".

Sura didn't feel the foul was excessive. But Anthony did.

"The way he grabbed me and, yeah, and he just threw me down," Anthony said. "I was in pain."

Look for the Houston Rockets to start making changes if things do not improve quickly, with coach Jeff Van Gundy unhappy with his team's start and their inability to mesh on the court.

"Certainly if the results don't change, we'll need to change either who plays or who's here," Van Gundy said. "Because one thing you don't want to get used to is mediocrity."

"To break the cycle of mediocrity that our organization has been in is a challenge for all of us from (owner) Leslie (Alexander) on down," Van Gundy said. "And the one thing I love about him is he has an urgent desire to win. And he doesn't have any patience with mediocrity. And I think our team needs to reflect that. And I don't think we do, yet."

Tracy McGrady missed most of the Rockets' practice Wednesday because of nagging hip and groin injuries, yet another sign that the two-time NBA scoring champ will probably sit out Thursday's game against Minnesota.

McGrady left midway through the third quarter of Tuesday's game against Memphis with strains in his right hip and groin and didn't return. He was still limping through some shooting drills during practice the next afternoon.

McGrady said the pain had gotten worse but still held out hope that he'd be ready to go against the Timberwolves.

"It's a sharp pain with every movement," McGrady said. "It's really limiting me. If I feel I can go, I'll be ready to play. I'm not counting tomorrow out just yet."

McGrady said his hip and groin started bothering him during Friday's game at Memphis. He reaggravated the injury late in the first half of a 90-87 win over the Grizzlies on Tuesday.

Eddie Griffin is ready to begin again as a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves, more than 18 months after the book seemed to close on his promising NBA career.

After serving a three-game league suspension for a drug conviction, Griffin should make his debut with the Timberwolves this week instead of watching them play on television. Coach Flip Saunders plans to rotate Griffin into the front court Tuesday when the Wolves play the Indiana Pacers at the Target Center.

It would be Griffin's first regular-season game since April 16, 2003, when he finished his second year with the Houston Rockets. The personal demons that have haunted Griffin since college derailed his career, though, and now he finds himself at a crossroads in Minnesota.

"I'm definitely excited about it. This is what I worked hard for all summer, to get back to play in the NBA," Griffin said after practicing Sunday at the Target Center. "It definitely did a lot by making the team. But you've still got to prove that I'm going to get through the season, do the right thing on and off the court."

Rebounding and shot blocking are natural assets for Griffin, 6 feet 10 and 232 pounds. Discipline has been more elusive. The seventh overall draft pick out of Seton Hall in 2001 has been convicted of marijuana possession, was indicted for assault, jailed for violating curfew, and treated in the past year for alcohol dependency and depression.

The NBA 2004-2005 season kicks off tonight as the Detroit Pistons receive their championship rings and then battle the new-look Houston Rockets.

With Larry Brown and Joe Dumars at the helm, there will be no complacency in the Motor City.

"There are a lot of things that we still have to work on," coach Brown said. "Right now I'm a little concerned because we did lose three guys that contributed" -- Corliss Williamson, Mehmet Okur and Mike James.

"I don't think McDyess is going to have a problem. It's just a matter of us finding ways to help him," he added. "The other positions are going to be hard to fill. We have an awful lot of young guys on the team, which makes me a little nervous. Last year we had some veterans coming off the bench."

Only one person in the organization has played on a team that successfully defended its title, Joe Dumars, president of basketball operations. He thinks the group he has put together is ready to duplicate the Pistons' feat of winning back-to-back championships in 1989-90.

"I think what happens is that throughout the season you get used to being the hunted," Dumars said. "You become used to being the team that everybody is using as a measuring stick; that we're going to find out where we are by playing these guys. Over the course of the season you become accustomed to that.

"I like the personality of our team to be able to take that challenge. We have some pretty level-headed guys. We have some guys who are warriors, who will fight, who have a lot of pride."

Tonight's game will be the debut of Tracy McGrady in a Rocket uniform.  Many expect him and Yao Ming to become the best tandem in the entire league.

Maurice Taylor, the team's sixth man a year ago, will start at power forward against the NBA champion Detroit Pistons, beating out Juwan Howard, who came over via the Tracy McGrady trade with the Orlando Magic.

Taylor started six preseason games, averaging 9.8 points and 3.2 rebounds. His best all-around outing of the preseason was in the team's last game against Denver, when he had 14 points and eight rebounds.

"He's really on the right path," Van Gundy said. "Sometimes it's hard to quantify with specific reasons, nor do you want to say them always. But I just feel that it gives you our best rotation early in the year to play our best. I really do. And it's not just one guy. It's how they all fit together."

"Last year with Kelvin (Cato), I thought he gave us our best chance because we could play big against bigger, stronger power forwards.

"This year, we're a little smaller at that position, so I just think he (Taylor) gives us our best chance."

Juwan Howard will come off the bench after starting three games during the preseason and averaging 10.2 points and 6.2 rebounds. Howard has typically been a starter at every stop in his 10-year NBA career. He has come off the bench in only 26 of 730 career games.

Tracy McGrady will not be opting out of his after this season as he signed a contract extension with the Houston Rockets today.

Leslie Alexander is proud to announce the signing of another superstar to the Houston Rockets organization. ?Tracy McGrady is one of the greatest players in the game today. This marks another stone in the foundation to making the Rockets one of the premier organizations in all of sports. Yao is next, and we hope to sign him to a long-term contract as soon as allowable.?

McGrady is the NBA's two-time reigning scoring champion.