HOOPSWORLD | Basketball News & NBA Rumors

With the trade deadline less than a month and a half away, the Houston Rockets are doing their due diligence after failing to live up to expectations early in the season. The team is taking calls and exploring their options, but the team isn’t itching to make a deal after winning eight of their last 10 games.

The Rockets have been able to ride their recent five-game winning back into playoff consideration and are competing for the final seed in the Western Conference which they held prior to Wednesday’s loss to the Miami HEAT.

While much of Houston’s core has been mentioned in trade rumors recently, sources close to the situation say that the team isn’t in any hurry to make a move and will only pull the trigger on a deal if it yields a significant upgrade. So far, the Rockets haven’t been overly impressed with any of the offers they have received and are waiting for the right package to materialize.

After stockpiling talent and picks, Houston would love to turn their assets into an All-Star so they continue to do their homework and are aware of what’s available around the league.

The team has had conversations centered around Yao Ming and are asking for prospects, picks, and ending contracts in return. Though his health is still up in the air, Yao brings plenty to the table when it comes to the team’s sales and exposure. That’s why it will take a very attractive package for Houston to part with Yao. Even when injured, he generates plenty of China-based sales and remains a valuable piece for the franchise, so much so that one source close to the situation insists that the Rockets won’t move him unless it means acquiring a superstar.

Kevin Martin is in a similar boat. Teams have approached the Rockets with offers for Martin, but management won’t budge. When the Orlando Magic offered Marcin Gortat for Martin prior to completing their six-player trade with the Phoenix Suns, Houston declined and instead countered with a deal involving Courtney Lee. Like Yao, Martin won’t be moved unless he’s included in a package that would bring back a superstar, such as Carmelo Anthony.

The Rockets want to be players if the Denver Nuggets decide to trade Anthony because they believe they have the talent to both acquire Anthony and also convince him to sign a contract extension. One person with knowledge of the Rockets’ thinking jokes Houston would trade anyone, including Rick Adelman and his staff, if it meant acquiring Anthony before February’s trade deadline.

Trade rumors involving Aaron Brooks have also surfaced, but sources say that he’s the least likely player to be moved by the Rockets. Teams like the Sacramento Kings, who have always let their interest in the point guard be known, continue to pursue Brooks, but the chance of a deal happening is very slim. Because he’s a restricted free agent after the season, teams aren’t offering anything substantial for Brooks. No team, including Sacramento, wants to risk losing or overpaying to keep him this summer should he sign a large offer sheet elsewhere.

The Rockets aren’t going to blow up their roster for just anyone which is why many of the incoming offers haven’t been appealing to the team. While pieces such as Jared Jeffries or Courtney Lee could be made available for roster tweaks – the Rockets have had their eye on Brendan Haywood – they’ll continue to hold onto their other assets should an All-Star become available closer to the trade deadline.

With a huge cost clearing chip in Yao Ming, plenty of talented players, and draft picks to sweeten a deal, the Rockets are expected to be players closer to February should a team choose to part with a star player. But until that happens, don’t expect Houston to settle and deal away the valuable pieces they hope to eventually use in a blockbuster trade.

Orlando’s Unexpected Turnaround: One week ago, the Orlando Magic had resigned to the fact that they would have to take several steps back before their new team found success. They were expecting a lengthy adjustment period and were begging fans to remain patient throughout the process as they tried to work out the kinks and get all of their new acquisitions on the same page.

"This is a difficult situation for all of them, it really is. People are trying to compare it to teams that make moves in the offseason and their early season struggles, but that’s B.S. Those teams are together all through training camp and they don’t play a game for a month. There’s no comparison to what these guys are going through here," Stan Van Gundy said last week. "I’m more frustrated than any of them. We’ve lost eight of nine and four in a row, but this is whole new situation. It’s a whole new team and the last three weeks here, not a lot of things have been working in our favor to be honest."

Van Gundy was frustrated, the team was losing, and the upcoming schedule wasn’t favorable with San Antonio and Boston coming to town.

"It’s not even a matter of taking a couple of steps back. We’re literally starting at square one," Van Gundy said. "You’d like to get it going sooner rather than later because you don’t want to drop too far in the standings, but I don’t know how long it’s going to take. It’s going to take as long as it takes. This is a brand new team and we almost never have five guys out there that have been together all year. It’s harder for me than it is for the fans or anything, but it’s going to take some patience."

Dwight Howard begged everyone including fans, media, and his head coach to wait out the rough patch. Following Orlando’s two trades, Van Gundy referred to each day as another day of "training camp." Jameer Nelson compared the stretch to another preseason because everyone was getting acclimated.

{AUTHOR_BOX}But in the last week, the Magic have exceeded all expectations by beating some of the best teams in the league. They delivered a 22-point beat down to the San Antonio Spurs and then took down the Boston Celtics on Christmas Day. Taking down the top teams in each conference is always impressive, but when you consider that Orlando’s additions had yet to even unpack their bags and the team wasn’t playing up to their full potential, it makes their wins even more extraordinary.

After beating the New Jersey Nets and Cleveland Cavaliers by 16 and 15 points respectively, the new-look Magic have won four straight with about the same number of practices under their belt. Rather than experiencing a temporary fall in the standings, Orlando has actually climbed past Atlanta and New York and now trail the third-seeded Chicago Bulls by just one game.

The new additions couldn’t find their shooting stroke early, but during this stretch Gilbert Arenas, Jason Richardson, and Hedo Turkoglu have all recorded 20-point games and Earl Clark matched his season-high with a 12-point game against Cleveland.

The team has been clicking on all cylinders and their upcoming schedule suggests that their success isn’t just temporary. Eleven of their 16 opponents in January have losing records and games against Boston and Chicago will test the Magic, but could also help them improve their position in the standings.

Following their trades, the Magic expected to struggle as their team adjusted to the changes. Instead, the players have risen to the occasion and turned around their season. The group is playing with a new energy and optimism has returned to Orlando.

Not bad for the eleventh day of training camp.