What If Wang Chong Replaced McGrady?

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In the summer of 2004, the NBA free agency market was incredibly active. The biggest move was Shaquille O'Neal's trade to the Miami Heat, which made headlines everywhere. However, there were other significant deals that shaped the entire league.

One of those deals was the blockbuster trade between the Houston Rockets and the Orlando Magic. The Rockets traded away key players like Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley, and others, in exchange for Tracy McGrady, Juwan Howard, and Tyronn Lue from the Magic.

This trade officially formed the Yao Ming-McGrady duo, which turned the Rockets into a legitimate Western Conference contender.

Wang Chong, being a fan of Yao Ming, was well aware of how things panned out for the Yao-McGrady partnership. With the exception of the 2005-06 season, where both players dealt with injuries and the team missed the playoffs, the Rockets won over 50 games during the other seasons. They became a well-known inside-outside duo.

But there was always a lingering sense of "what if" around Yao and McGrady's partnership. Both players had a history of injuries that prevented them from playing more than 70 games together in just one season (2004-05). Although the Rockets enjoyed an impressive 22-game winning streak, their playoff runs always fell short, never advancing beyond the second round.

Wang Chong couldn't help but wonder: What if he replaced McGrady and joined forces with Yao Ming on the Rockets? But after some deep thought, he realized that even if he replaced McGrady, the outcome might not have been much different.

Yao Ming was one of the best centers in the league at the time, but his weaknesses were also glaring. His size made him too slow and reliant on half-court, positional basketball. On top of that, Yao's physical limitations, including his susceptibility to injury, capped his potential. Wang Chong had read a lot of hindsight commentary about Yao, suggesting that instead of bulking up early in his career, Yao should have focused on maintaining a lighter frame, like Dirk Nowitzki or Pau Gasol. That way, he could have developed into a more mobile, shooting-based big man, which would've reduced the wear and tear on his body.

Wang Chong agreed that this made sense. But could he, a rookie at just 20 years old, have influenced Yao Ming's career path? Absolutely not. Yao Ming would trust the opinions of his coaches and team over a first-year player like Wang Chong, no matter how forward-thinking Wang's ideas were.

Aside from McGrady joining the Rockets, another significant move that summer was Steve Nash's departure from the Dallas Mavericks. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban made the controversial decision to let the aging 30-year-old Nash go, not seeing much value in him anymore.

The Phoenix Suns, however, saw something in Nash. They signed him to a four-year, $40.26 million deal, which would turn out to be one of the best bargains in NBA history. Nash flourished under Mike D'Antoni's fast-paced system, averaging 15.5 points and 11.5 assists in the 2004-05 season. The Suns finished with a league-best 62-20 record, and Nash won the MVP award.

Nash would win a second MVP the following year, averaging 18.8 points, 4 rebounds, and 10.5 assists. His back-to-back MVPs made him only the second point guard in NBA history, after Magic Johnson, to achieve such a feat. Cuban, meanwhile, became a league-wide punchline for letting Nash walk.

Wang Chong had considered the possibility of Nash joining the Lakers, but realistically, it wouldn't have worked out. On the Suns, Nash was the undisputed leader, controlling the ball and orchestrating the offense. That wouldn't have been the case in L.A. with Kobe Bryant on the team. Kobe would have dominated the ball, and Nash would likely have been relegated to a spot-up shooter role, far from his MVP form.

Other teams, like the Miami Heat, Rockets, and Suns, all made significant moves to improve their rosters. The Lakers, on the other hand, were in a state of flux after trading O'Neal and seeing Karl Malone retire. The team's biggest move was trading Gary Payton and Rick Fox to the Boston Celtics for backup center Chris Mihm and forward Jumaine Jones. However, these moves were seen as minor, and Mihm, a career backup, wasn't expected to fill the void left by O'Neal.

Wang Chong remembered Mihm as the Lakers' starting center for the next two seasons before being replaced by Andrew Bynum. Still, with the current Lakers roster, there were few better options available.

The Lakers' main hope was in the development of Lamar Odom, who had been the centerpiece of the Heat's trade package for O'Neal. Odom had averaged 17.1 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 4.1 assists the previous season. At 26 years old, his potential was still high, and the Lakers hoped he, Kobe, and Wang Chong could form a new "Big Three."

As the summer wore on, Wang Chong prepared for the Dream Team tryouts in Las Vegas. The 2004 Athens Olympics had been plagued by fears of terrorism, causing several high-profile NBA stars like Kobe, O'Neal, and Kevin Garnett to withdraw from the team. That left the team short-handed, with only Allen Iverson and Tim Duncan remaining as the two marquee players.

Wang Chong admired Iverson and Duncan for sticking with the team despite the risks. As for himself, having traveled back in time, Wang Chong knew the Athens Olympics would be safe, which was why he decided to participate in the tryouts.

The tryouts featured several 2003 draft class stars, including LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and Kirk Hinrich. From the 2002 class, players like Amar'e Stoudemire and Carlos Boozer joined the fray. Even Dwight Howard and Emeka Okafor, the first and second picks of the 2004 draft, were invited to try out due to the national team's lack of depth at the center position.

After a week of physical testing and drills, head coach Larry Brown finalized the 12-man roster for the 2004 Dream Team. In addition to Iverson and Duncan, the team included Marbury, Shawn Marion, Boozer, Stoudemire, Odom, Okafor, Wang Chong, James, Wade, and Anthony.

Wang Chong had taken the spot of Richard Jefferson, who was left off the roster despite having a solid season. With Wang Chong's championship experience, it made sense for him to edge out Jefferson for the final forward spot.

As the Dream Team began their final preparations for Athens, head coach Larry Brown struggled with assembling the starting lineup. Iverson, Duncan, and Marbury were locks, but he was torn over the remaining two spots. Eventually, he decided to go with Stoudemire at power forward, and after much deliberation, chose Wang Chong over Odom to start at small forward.

On August 13, 2004, the Athens Olympics officially opened, and the Dream Team began their journey to reclaim international basketball dominance.

End of Chapter

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