[nba.com] Yao, T-Mac just the latest promising duo to flame out

http://www.nba.com/2009/news/features/shaun_powell/12/18/insider/index.html?ls=iref:nbahpt1

Yao, T-Mac just the latest promising duo to flame out

Well, it sounded good, anyway: Pairing a 7-foot-5 center with an all-around All-Star.

But it's very likely Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady are done for good, meaning they will never meet all the visions of greatness the Rockets had when they became teammates back in 2004. As individuals and players, they were a perfect match. Yao and McGrady's styles complimented each other. Yao did his thing on the inside, McGrady everywhere else.

They just couldn't stay healthy, as you know. Suddenly, it's nearly 2010 and McGrady, at least, got old.

McGrady just returned a few days ago from microfracture surgery and Yao is out until next season. There's an obvious conflict because the Rockets and coach Rick Adelman seem ready to move on with a team that's been surprisingly good without T-Mac and Yao. McGrady is a free agent this summer and might be shipped out by the trading deadline. The odds of the Rockets re-signing him are slim.

If this is indeed the end, then the duo leaves behind broken dreams and, unfortunately, bodies as well.

Sometimes it just doesn't work out, to no one's fault. Yao and T-Mac weren't the only duo that couldn't deliver in full or at least reach the NBA Finals this decade. There were a few others:

Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks. Their six years together in Dallas could also qualify as a threesome; nobody is selling Michael Finley short. But Nowitzki and Nash were the principals for a Mavericks team that never made the NBA Finals with one of the league's premier big man-small man combos. They had to deal with Kobe and Shaq in L.A. and Tim Duncan in San Antonio. Which means they probably didn't stand much of a chance of playing for a championship, in hindsight.

They came close in the 2003 playoffs, sweating out a pair of seven-game series before meeting the Spurs in the Western Conference finals. There, in Game 3, Nowitzki collided with Manu Ginobili during garbage time, hurt his knee and was done for the series. Eventually, so was the combo of Nowitzki and Nash when owner Mark Cuban refused to beat a contract offer given to Nash. Cuban would love to have that do-over.

Ray Allen and "Big Dog" Robinson, Bucks. They came a game away from reaching the NBA Finals in 2001; Allen took great offense at the officiating in the Bucks-Sixers series that went to a Game 7. The next year was one of the biggest collapses in recent league history, for any team. It was stunning to watch, especially the second half of the season. The Bucks evaporated on a nightly basis under George Karl and lost a playoff spot by bowing out ungracefully in the final regular season game. The expected dismantling began swiftly, and the Bucks haven't recovered since. Best of luck to Andrew Bogut and Brandon Jennings from here.

Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker, Celtics. Maybe they went as far as they could, reaching the Eastern Conference finals in 2002 but losing to Jason Kidd in six games. They presented matchup problems for others because both could score 30 on any given night. But they never had a capable big man or point guard; Kenny Anderson was on the downside. Pierce stuck around and eventually landed Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. Those were pretty decent replacements for 'Toine.

Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler, Bulls. Jerry Krause's grand vision was two-tiered, drafting a pair of high school big men and hoping they'd grow up together and push the Bulls forward to another identity in the post-Jordan era. So much for that. The growth process wasn' t pretty and the Bulls were mostly bad. Curry developed a heart scare and later was dumped on the Knicks after four years. Chandler stayed one extra year, and stayed mostly raw during his entire time with the Bulls before they lost patience with him, too. Curry and Chandler won two playoff games together.

Baron Davis and Elton Brand, Clippers. Over before it started.