Does T-Mac Regret Leaving Orlando?

I think T-Mac regrets leaving his dominance in Orlando.

If he brought it over to Houston and continued without being injured the Rockets would have already won a couple championships with him and Yao.

 

This is the biggest crock of you know what.

We got that T-mac dude. There only thing difference is that he was playing Yao and had a different coach.

Notice how many 'ifs' and 'injured' show up on a tmac thread.

The reason Orlando got DHoward is because Tmac stunk up the court the year before.

Dominance = Hakeem, Jordan, Shaq etc.. not Tmac

Tmac got exposed for what he is in Houston, to be fair so did Steve Francis in Orlando.

A passionate player who can't function outside an offense designed for him and without his sidekick Cuttino.

Cuttino outside of Houston did fine.

 

he shouldve stayed because the east is weaker overall compared to the west

 

I don't think he regrets leaving Orlando.

I don't think he's happy in Houston.

I think he's deluded and thinks that he could be in the Finals like Kobe if he were given a "good" team to work with.

I think I won't miss him one bit once he's gone.

 

Repping you up.

DD

 

I think injuries had much more to do with either players' downfall than you lead on.

Francis played about as well as he's ever played that first year in Orlando and McGrady played well here too.

Even though he sulked, Francis was himself on the court through the end of that season without his buddy, the cat.

 

I think the bench guys were acquired too far past the McGrady trade to be included. Even Reddick's hard to include in. A McGrady/Howard/Turkoglu/Nelson core woulda been very good, but years later. Those guys werent big names in '05 yet. The '05 Rockets team woulda been better than that '05 Magic team.

I thought maybe after Weisbrod left Orlando that McGrady mighta imagined the greener pastures over there. But the Mind of McGrady long hasnt been a place to look for assurance of anything anywhere, so who knows.

 

think is the key word here.

I mean 95% of the people who post here...you would think they know McGrady personally and know what kind of toilet paper he cleans his ass with.

I do not know if he regreats leaving Orlando.

He did express in an interview that he would not mind going back if the management cahnged...which it has.

 

Name me one good season Steve Francis had post Rockets.
He didn't have a good season with Orlando, they didn't make the playoffs.

 

I disagree. There is no doubt that Tmac has never given 100%, but to say he got exposed is a pile of bull.

Tmac never had the supporting cast other star players have had. This was the first year in Houston where he had a good supporting cast, and it just so happened he was hurt. There is no body of evidence to suggest that he couldnt adapt to playing team ball. If there is, I love for you to show me.

If I remember correctly, Yao and Tmac has play exactly in 2 playoffs together. There first playoff run together, Yao was in his 3rd year in the league, and the second time Yao was coming back from an injury. For the majority of his career in Houston, his power forwards were Chuck Hayes, Ryan Bowen, and Juwan Howard. His point was Rafer Alston. I think that explains it all.

 

Probably, Orlando is his hometown and was a team he grew up cheering for.

Now that city hates his guts worse than the City of Houston does. I just find it funny that he wanted to draft Emeka Okafor instead of Dwight Howard.

 

Orlando does not hate McGrady. Most of the main Orlando forum considers him their starting SG for the all time team...

 

Dwight and Jameer would never develope like they have with TMac there

I mean . . . folx thought it was crazy to ask TMAC to defer to Yao . . .
would he defer to HOWARD?????? Doubtful.


Rocket River

 

What Orlando are you talking about? I'm talking about Orlando Magic fans. Nobody can deny how good he was in his prime, but most Magic fans I know hate him and want him to fail and never want to see him get past the 1st round.

T-Mac to Orlando is no different than Vince Carter to Toronto.

 

That is a First round exit and maybe not even making the playoff on the EAST.

 

We need a thread called,

"Not another t-mac thread"

 

WHy does this even matter...?

 

At the time that trade was made with Orlando, I raised the point that the ultimate success of that trade rested on the premise that the Rockets with Dawson as the GM, were capable of getting the right players to make the Yao-Tmac concept not only workable but ultimately a championship one. Around here it was virtually accepted as near gospel that it was only a matter of time before that happened in spite of the fact that the record of talent aquisition under Dawson was less than awful. They gave up their starting 1,2 & 4 for McGrady and have promptly spent the years since that trade trying to replace those 3 positions. Which all leads to the situation where we are now with TMac and his bountiful contract and no championships and THAT also helps explain it all.

 

B to the S

you are totally wrong dude. Orlando hates that guy, do you remember when he returned back to Orlando as a Rocket? I remember this game pal.

They booed the living crap out of him. there a youtube video but it was erased.
I never heard a crowd boo someone like that.

Paper: HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Date: FRI 01/21/2005
Section: Sports
Page: 1
Edition: 3 STAR
ROCKETS 108, MAGIC 99 / McGrady's night complete / Rockets make it their task to help teammate gain victory over Magic

By JONATHAN FEIGEN
Staff

CORRECTION: Three members of the Rockets in uniform Thursday - Yao Ming, Scott Padgett and Clarence Weatherspoon - played alongside Steve Francis with the team last season. A photo caption that accompanied this story incorrectly reported the number who had played with Francis. Correction published 1/22/05.

ORLANDO. FLA. - The final seconds slipping away and the arena finally quiet, Public Enemy No. 1 smiled and winked the way you do when you know something.

Tracy McGrady had been talking about this night for a week, telling his teammates that it would be special to him and that in an arena and city pitted against him he would need them more than he had ever needed them.

But while Orlando hit him with all the rage and volume it could muster, he never changed his famously placid expression, never let on how badly he wanted this win, or what he knew all along.

Then finally, he smiled and winked.

A week before, he told his teammates that they would have to be at their best, and then they were, letting the Rockets and McGrady leave town triumphantly this time, with a 108-99 victory Thursday night over the Magic at TD Waterhouse Centre.

"I told them - I've been talking to them for a week - about what kind of game this would be," McGrady said. "I told them, this means a lot. This means a lot to me."

In their first meeting since they were traded for each other in a seven-player deal that so dramatically re-created their teams, McGrady and Steve Francis battled to a virtual draw.

Francis attacked the rim with his familiar flair, scoring 16 of his 28 points in the second half while collecting nine assists, with just one turnover, and seven rebounds.

McGrady set the early tone and finished with 27 points, six rebounds and four assists. He scored six of the Rockets' last eight points after the Magic closed to within four.

"To say he didn't want to win this game more would not be truthful, but he played the game to win (instead of) as an individual showcase," said Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy. "And for that matter, so did Francis."

But McGrady got the help of four teammates scoring in double figures, with Bob Sura - 19 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists - chasing a triple double and Yao Ming making eight of 12 shots for 20 points in 31 minutes.

"We knew Tracy wanted to win the game bad," Sura said. "He talked about that. He didn't want to come out here and score 50 points. He wanted to win the game.

"He told us five days ago, we better all bring our `A' game for this game tonight."

McGrady set an early pace, scoring nine points in the first quarter while the Rockets rushed to a 12-point lead.

He scored on a flying slam, switching the ball to his left hand on the way.

He threw in a spectacular runner off the glass while crashing to the floor from a Tony Battie foul.

Into the flow

But as the game went on, he seemed to step back, and his teammates stepped up.

"Things were said about Mac," the Rockets' Juwan Howard said. "The way he forced the trade, we had some unhappy people here tonight.

" We knew this was not like a regular game. It almost felt like a playoff game. We showed a lot of mental toughness. We could have easily been caught up in the hype.

"We could have easily got caught up into stargazing because of Steve Francis and Tracy McGrady. But we tried to come out here like men, come out here and do a job."

The Magic gave the Rockets ample opportunity to crack. With six minutes to play, Yao hit a top-of-the-key jumper to keep the Rockets' lead at nine points.

But not only did the Magic take off on a 7-2 spurt to close to within 96-92, they did it with a run of highlight plays that seemed to bring all the momentum to a home team and city that had waited months for this night.

Kelvin Cato had a rim-swinging slam. Grant Hill scored on a break, drawing a foul on McGrady. Dwight Howard flipped in a lefthanded runner over Yao.

The Magic were closer than they had been since the Rockets led 9-4 2 1/2 minutes into the game. McGrady had scored just two fourth-quarter points.

"We talked about that before the game, to not get caught up in mano a mano, all the hype, Tracy's day back," the Rockets' David Wesley said. "Tracy did a great job taking his time out there and not feeling like he had to do it all because he was back in Orlando."

But after biding his time, McGrady took over down the stretch and for just long enough.

McGrady pump-faked Hill into a foul on a 3-pointer, making two shots. Francis made one free throw before McGrady scored on a drive for a 100-93 Rockets lead with 2 1/2 minutes remaining.

With the Magic within seven points and inexplicably choosing not to foul, McGrady missed a 3, but Wesley ran down the rebound and McGrady was sent to the foul line to clinch the win with two free throws with 22.4 seconds left.

A winning smile

Moments later, McGrady could not hold back the smile any longer.

"It was fun," he said. "I really enjoyed myself."

Then McGrady grinned just a bit again, and said: "I feel good. They love me."

If he was really the No. 1 they love to hate, he didn't seem to mind.