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TORONTO, Canada -- When the two major off-season trades of Shaquille O'Neal and Tracy McGrady happened, a lot of writers and fans believed that Houston and Miami had just secured playoff births, if not a ticket to the quarterfinals in their respective conferences.

But, sometimes the old adage of "the team that gets the best player wins the trade" doesn't always work. I believe that may be the case in these two instances.

Much of what failed the Lakers in the last season, their only weak point in season's prior, was the lack of depth on the bench. Admittedly the Lakers went very far with the starting lineup they had, and the two superstars, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal, were the main reason. But when the team's majority of the salary cap is being paid out to two players, it handcuffs the bench depth. If any catastrophic injuries occur, or the length of the season and playoffs begin to wear on the starting lineup, there is a great dropoff in talent coming in off the bench for the few minutes the starters need to rest.

In the finals last season, the Lakers came face to face with a Detroit Pistons team that not only focused on unselfish, team-oriented basketball, but one that had impressive players coming off the bench.

The Miami Heat struck a deal with the Lakers to get O'Neal in Miami, but they gave up a whole lot to get him - three starting lineup players, in exchange for one, albeit one of the most dominant post players in the league.

This move excited the Miami area. Some feel that Miami is now a contender to reach the East finals. I think that's a stretch.

The Heat are now in the same boat as the Lakers were in years past. Now with three very good starters in O'Neal, Dwayne Wade, Eddie Jones, a capable Rasual Butler, and Malik Allen, who usually takes a while to get going, the squad has no bench. Aside from a quick, streaky shooting and potentially dangerous backup point guard in Damon Jones, the subs are either unproven and young, like Udonis Haslem and Michael Doleac, or getting up there in age and declining in production like Wesley Person.

While Shaq has entered this season in the best shape he's been in years, the man is getting older and it seems that every injury lingers longer. He could be a big toe injury away from missing 20 games. And who is there to stake his place? Michael Doleac.

Rockets Sputter

In Houston, where fans are also excited thanks to the addition of Tracy McGrady in a trade that took away Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley, there's also cause for concern. Here, the problem the Rockets faced in the previous season was much the same as the Lakers'; the productivity from the bench suffered, and in conjunction with a new coach in Jeff Van Gundy, who doesn't necessarily want his point guard hoisting up shots whenever he feels like it, the team was strained and weakened in the final moments of games, and it ultimately cost them in the standings.

So how do I draw a similarity between these two trades?

Well, the Orlando Magic were able to snag three starters off of the Houston roster, two of them repeat all-stars in Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley. If you look at this, it was almost a steal, in return for a star of McGrady's calibre, who is obviously one of the top threats in the league, but had no intension of playing in Orlando ever again.

Now the Rockets are facing much the same issues they had last season: A potent starting lineup, with glaring holes sitting on their bench.

Outside of Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady and Jim Jackson, who I stretch to include on this list, there are no real threats other teams need to set a game plan for. Houston other guards are sporadic at best, and won't improve much until they get Bob Sura back from the injured list.

The outcome of these two trades may very well have the reverse effect of what was originally intended.

The Orlando Magic seem to be more complete now, with a stronger lineup and decent depth off the bench. In time they will impress people and opposing coaches. Watch out for my pick for rookie of the year in Dwight Howard.

The Lakers are also more of a balanced team. Although they will definitely miss the inside presence of a Shaquille O'Neal, there are a few guys on that team -- Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom and Caron Butler -- who can step up their game and show the Western Conference that they are as good as anyone.