Dick Justice: What to do with McGrady now?

you need to put at least one carrot for people to read this. like this

 

http://blogs.chron.com/sportsjustice/archives/2009/12/what_do_the_roc.html

What do the Rockets do with McGrady now? There's no easy answer
I feel sorry for Tracy McGrady. I could scream about his selfishness, but this thing goes way beyond McGrady caring more about himself than the team. There's a real element of sadness in this deal.

Yes, he bailed on his teammates this weekend. When Rick Adelman wouldn't give him what he wanted, McGrady got mad and left. In that moment, he revealed that he's only a member of a team as long as its in his own best interest.

Yes, he's the NBA's highest-paid player at $22.8 million, so he's not a sympathetic figure in the way most people see sympathetic figures.But he's 30 years old and on the verge of being considered a has-been. Think of how that must feel.

All we know for sure is that McGrady is a shell of the player he once was. Is he capable of being great again? That's the thing no one can answer. Meanwhile, the Rockets are playing and winning and doing things almost no one thought possible when they prepared to play a season without Yao Ming, Ron Artest and McGrady. Back when training camp began, we didn't know how good these Rockets would begin.

We've seen a team grow and get better by the day. Carl Landry has emerged as an impact player. So have Chase Budinger and Kyle Lowry and Aaron Brooks.

Adelman has done a brilliant job making all the pieces fit together. He may one day look back on these Rockets as one of his proudest accomplishments.

We're now looking at these Rockets differently, but we sitll have no idea how good they're going to be. They enter today's game at Cleveland with an 18-12 record, sixth-best in the Western Conference. They've survived a brutal early schedule on a 49-victory pace. Now they play 12 of their next 17 at home.

It probably is killing McGrady to see how the Rockets have moved on without him. Their stunning success probably hurts him far more deeply than he would admit even to himself.

These Rockets are passionate, unselfish and tough as nails. Those are three traits they didn't always have when Tracy McGrady was their cornerstone. He was once as gifted as any NBA player, but even when he was at his best, there was something missing. McGrady's legacy is that he never won a playoff series. We can rationalize all the different reasons, but the bottom line is clear.

He's incapable of playing the way they're now committed to playing. Instead of turning this team into a training camp for McGrady, Adelman wants to keep moving forward.

So there's no place for McGrady. He wants to play more, but the Rockets don't think he can help.

What do we do now? The Rockets surely are desperately trying to trade him, but a tough economy has made an expiring contract less attractive than it would have been in previous years. If the Rockets trade him now, they're going to have to throw a Chase Budinger or Carl Landry into the deal. Daryl Morey is unwilling to do that.

Adelman and McGrady will meet again before Tuesday's game to determine a course of action. Adelman seems unlikely to promise more playing time, and McGrady has been unwilling to accept less.

Not that these meetings matter. Adelman thought he and McGrady had reached an agreement in their previous meeting. McGrady would trust Adelman to do what was best for both the Rockets and him. Almost immediately, he began complaining that he needed more time.

If I had a guess, I'd guess McGrady will not be back on the bench when the Rockets play New Orleans Tuesday night. I just can't see him putting the uniform back on after this latest dustup.

I just hope someone in his camp is telling him the truth. That truth is going to be tough to hear. It's that he has no allies in the locker room, none on the coaching staff or front office.

Some fans still believe, but that's because they're seeing McGrady for what he once was or what they'd like him to be instead of what he actually is.

 

I just hope someone in his camp is telling him the truth. That truth is going to be tough to hear. It's that he has no allies in the locker room, none on the coaching staff or front office.

Some fans still believe, but that's because they're seeing McGrady for what he once was or what they'd like him to be instead of what he actually is.


He is connected and gets the inside dope, whether some people like to read it or not.

DD

 

It certainly sounds like it was Tmac, not the Rockets, who decided that Tracy was going to stay home for Christmas and miss the 2 game road trip.

If true then it certainly dispels the notion that the Rockets are giving him a raw deal and unfairly not playing him to "get back at him for last year". If he can't deal with the 8 minutes playing time and the way he is being used, which I'm sure Tmac said was fine when they first let him on the court, then that is on Tracy not the Rockets. Sure he can and should WANT more playing time, but he he hasn't done anything to warrant demanding it.

 

The Rockets have bent over backwards for him, he keeps pissing in his own bed.

DD

 

This is so typical of McGrady. He has consistently found a way NOT to play during Christmas. It is a running joke within the organization. It used to be laughed about as his annual Christmas injury. He could not use that excuse this year because he has not played and he can not be injured due to his contract year status/recovery. We (my company), as sponsors, have joked about this ourselves with the Rockets executive team.

It isn't funny any more. We do not need him nor do we want him. This is somebody we do not want identified with our company. Winning is one thing, but, image is everything from our point of view.

Personally, as fan, I have long since written this guy off. Totally selfish.....same player as in Orlando....same result-an ugly ending. His time is past here. Lets just hope we can turn him into something...either cap space, draft picks or a viable player and space without giving another valuable asset away.

 

What a tool. Expose him, Expose him, yes, yes, expose him!!!!

 

If a trade is to be made only TMac, Dorsey, Taylor, Cook should be in the deal no one else it will be dumb for the Rockets to include Chase, Landry, or Scola in a deal involving TMac. TMac for Jermaine Oneal sounds good, both are expiring contracts if not him the Rockets should only consider taking on expiring contracts in return for TMac. This will be all cleared up by end of Monday.

 

( sounds like )

For sample you sound like you may not had sex on years.
Its that true? or is just a wild interpretation to make a point?

 

"What do we do now? The Rockets surely are desperately trying to trade him, but a tough economy has made an expiring contract less attractive than it would have been in previous years. If the Rockets trade him now, they're going to have to throw a Chase Budinger or Carl Landry into the deal. Daryl Morey is unwilling to do that."

How is that? Shouldn't his expiring contract be MORE VALUABLE since teams are hemoridging money and want to get rid of long term deals?

 

Ditto to all of this. I hope he never puts on a Rockets jersey again.

McGrady, do me a favor: Please stay at home and suck your thumb until the trade happens. I and sick and tired of you being in the news here. Go somewhere else to earn your next contract. Your act is stale bread in Houston and a fresh start would be good for you.

 

[Tracy left the team when Adelman refused to commit to playing him the minutes he wanted to play. McGrady was to be in uniform for both games.--Richard]

[McGrady chose to leave.--Richard]

This pretty much tells the story we all knew was behind the story they had to sell the world.

Damn you Tracy for making us go through another one of your charades again.

The Rockets should've traded him when they could, now it's too late. Just think what kind of team the Rockets could be with an extra 22 million ?? They could one great player with Ariza coming off the bench and the be the man he was on the Lakers and we would go for the championship !!!!

Damn you Leslie and everybody in the Rockets organisation for keeping him here.

Damn....

 

Richard Justice! Heh Heh Heh! His past record speaks for itself. So many trashy rumours originated by that human being.

 

See, this is super annoying the guy knows what he is talking about, he could not LIE in the paper or he would be sued for libel.

But you and others will ignore it, because you don't like the messenger.

When in fact it is 100% factual.

DD

 

I dislike Justice, and don't take his opinion very seriously, but this was a good read.

 

Dick Justice is a r****d and his opinion isn't worth crap but I haven't seen him lie.

 

Just read his blog. He flip flops constantly.