McGrady:'When did wanting to play become a problem?' Here's the answer [Chron:Feigen]

McGrady: 'When did wanting to play become a problem?' Here's the answer
The question, spun artfully, seemed fair. That was probably the point.

Tracy McGrady was surrounded as expected by microphones and cameras and at least one notepad and though no one brought up the backlash that had found him again, he sent a question back.

"When did wanting to play basketball become a problem, a bad thing?" McGrady said.

Well played.

Since he asked, and we are here to help, endeavoring to answer such questions, it seems only fair to explain things now, too.

The problem is not that he wants to play. It is — again — how he's gone about it.

The Rockets were abundantly clear about the plan to have him practice and go to an MRI on Nov. 23. It was not a secret. There was a press release in September. McGrady answered a ton of questions about that date, even joking that he would remember it because it was the day before his wife's birthday.

Then Yahoo reported that McGrady said he would be back Nov. 18. His explanation a day later that Nov. 18 was just a "target date" did not change anything.

It was a date that defied the plan everyone knew the team had put in place. Right or wrong, the team said discussions about a timetable would begin Nov. 23. Despite that, McGrady said he was targeting something else.

It was a subtle bit of pressure to speed the process.

When the date came, he played dress up. McGrady dressed to play, though he knew that could not possibly happen, having waited until the inactive list had already been turned in. At a time, less than an hour before tip, when Rick Adelman would have preferred to be concerning himself with how to defend Al Jefferson, he was dealing with someone that was not playing at all that night.

By Monday, when he completed that long-awaited Nov. 23 practice, he said again that he was ready. He is entitled to have an opinion that differs from his bosses'. He is even entitled to express that opinion since he was asked. It was not as if he called a press conference. But it still came off as another effort to talk his way back on to the court.

McGrady might not have noticed all these years, but you can't talk your way onto the court. He never had to, of course, but all those years he was the star, plenty of his teammates have not gotten the playing time they thought they deserved. They had to wait and work and hope their chance came.

You can't get playing time by announcing a target date or putting on a uniform or declaring yourself anything.

McGrady is practicing again. That's how you get back on the court. Prove it. Be great. Whip Chase Budinger off the dribble. Stick jumpers in Shane Battier's face. Play your way back.

It always comes down to what happens on the court, anyway. It's not a job interview. It's not about who you know. That's the nice things about sports. It's a bottom line business. It's not about what anyone says they can do; it's about what they actually do.

McGrady wanted to know what is wrong with wanting to play. The problem is that everyone wants to play. You get what you earn in sports, not whatever you want.


• • •

Maybe the difference is simple. Maybe Tracy McGrady wants to play his way back to a star level and perhaps the Rockets want him to get back to that level before he plays.

That brings me to my mistake.

I quoted Trevor Ariza yesterday, but left off the attribution when I sent the story. When the story appeared, the quote was attributed to Elston Turner.

"He looked good," Ariza said. "He looked better than what he did earlier in training camp. He's shooting the ball well. He's going to the basket. It's a little different (than going against McGrady in the past.) Once he gets a couple games under his belt, in game situations, he'll be good. He'll be back to what he used to be."

It's not clear if McGrady has to be all he ever was. His days as the league's top scorer might be forever behind him.

He probably does not have to reach that level to play. He might, however, have to be able to be the guy Ariza has faced the past few seasons.

Plenty of other guys are getting on the court without being able to do the things McGrady once could. If he can sprint back defensively, get in a defensive stance and slide, turn the corner on a screen, he will likely then be able to bring his other skills to the floor.

It does seem ironic, however, that last season McGrady said he needed a mid-season training camp and returned to declare himself ready to go after the hard work he had put in, and this season he said he is ready without a training camp. All indications are that he worked hard to rehab after surgery. In the NBA, that gets you ready to go to work, not necessarily to play.

Either way, McGrady's career is not going to slip away the way Steve Francis' did. Francis, at the end, never was able to prove it in practices and his last three teams (not including the Trail Blazers, who just bought him out) could not use him, despite the pleas of his numerous and loyal fans.

McGrady does not seem headed for that. He'll likely be back when people like Ariza (next time, I'll get the name in there) compare him not to what he was coming off microfracture surgery, but to "what he used to be."


Posted by Jonathan Feigen at November 24, 2009 12:42 PM
Share:

Comments
Good article Jon,

I agree with you on most points, though I think this whole 18th vs 23rd Nov thing has be inflated to seam like some great act of defiance. McGrady knows he can't play until RA and co say so. He said the 18th was a target date, a target date for what? To play again, to take part in practice, to reach a level of conditioning that would allow him to play? I wish you guys would actually clarify what he meant by this rather than try and spin stories around to make an interesting read.

I just hope the Rockets don't decide to activate McGrady only if their record drops below .500 because that be reminiscent of the Marbury situation.

(He was very clear. It was his target date to make his season debut by playing that night in Minnesota. -- Jonathan)

Posted by: Batigol at November 24, 2009 01:39 PM

Jonathan, I'm afraid if McGrady starts to play he will totally disrupt the chemistry of the Rockets. He is being very selfish, ignoring the coaching staff and the players who know this team is a good team even without him. Obviously he doesn't think that. Do you think if TMac comes back he will destroy the chemistry?

(No. Things will change, but if he plays hard and if he is healthy, chemistry should not be an issue. -- Jonathan)

 

Good read.

It also blows the "Elson Turner said Tmac will be back to his old self" quote out of the water. McGrady nut-huggers will need to find a new reason for unrealistic optimism regarding their boy.

 

now its getting a bit repeatitve on the Chrons end.

 

Good read, but at the same token, it all seems like blatant speculation. Everybody wants to weigh in on the Tmac situation, but by doing so how does that help the rockets? Personally, i see it as one big distraction that management needs to sweep under the rug at once.

 

I agree with this. He needs to bust his ass in practice and show that he is best player on the team. If he can't, then I don't think this team really needs him.

 

If Feigen is reporting this, then it tells you pretty much what the Rockets organization thinks.

Perhaps Clutch's tweet yesterday was more succinct, but it is looking like it's TMac and his acolytes against the world. I still hope he just shuts up and proves he can still play ball.

Am I alone in thinking the SF3 references were more than a hint? Unless we have a shot at Bosh or CP3 I want him and his contract to just go away after this season.

But if he's going to be a problem with this team this year, I want him gone now.

 

I expected some damage control stuff. It looked like the organization would not say anything about what's really going on between Coach A and TMac (Did Coach A said he would not play TMAC or not).

 

Good read..

It's coming from Feigan... so no more excuses for Tracy fans.

 

geez why cant some people be fans of someone without being a "nut hugger"?

i bet if you saw tmac in person you wouldnt be talking like mr tuff dave_78. i wish him the best no matter what he does. the only thing he has done wrong is not live up to expectations. and i think a lot of that has to do with injuries. not everyone is a robot like kobe or karl malone. and some people are more injury prone then average.

 

what do you mean? did you not read Ariza's quote?

"He looked good," Ariza said. "He looked better than what he did earlier in training camp. He's shooting the ball well. He's going to the basket. It's a little different (than going against McGrady in the past.) Once he gets a couple games under his belt, in game situations, he'll be good. He'll be back to what he used to be."


the bold parts of the quote show that they aren't just blowing smoke of their orifices. If Ariza say's t-mac is looking better I'll trust him cause he did say in september t-mac couldn't move laterally very well and was getting winded quickly. He wouldn't lie or sway the truth, t-mac will be a useful player in some regard, I don't understand why people think since he's lost athleticism he's useless.... I mean he's been losing athleticism since 2004-2005 and he's still been a good 2nd option and he's still a better scoring option than Ariza or battier even now. I'm not too sure about brooks but he can still be a good 2nd option for this team.

 

zzzz

Can we find something else to write about?

 

Thats what I was thinking....and I know its just another TMAC bashing article, but I cant help agreeing w/ the premise that even if he is healthy, why not just wait your turn instead of going out of your way to complain at every turn? If he had just kept quiet and kept practicing, he'd have gotten his chance....now I'm going to remain skeptical of that ever happening here...

 

Or, more precisely, what they want us to think.

 

Staggering how many people miss that.

DD

 

for all the ignorant "rocket fans" who hate mac...
you watch the games right?? you got league pass right??

Phoenix@Houston-Tuesday November 17 2009

with 1:20 left in the game rockets down two 100-98 and have the ball....they get not 1...not 2...BUT 3 shots at the basket....and get nothing out of it..Suns get the ball... Channing Frye hits a 3...game over

for all you rocket fans who actually know basketball...and actually know this rockets team....you can see right off the bat how lost they looked on that posession...guess what...as much as you might hate to admit it...with him on the floor...you get him the ball...let him go to work..he either scores himself or forces the double team for a open shot...the rockets need Tracy for AT LEAST those situations...which will happen more often this season

 

Or... maybe there is nothing going on.

If there was this major rift between Adelman and Tmac... something would've happened by now. If the plan was to never let Tmac see the floor, then do the professional thing and either cut him or trade him. Don't let him believe he still has a shot with this team if he doesn't.

However, if there is no rift, and it's just about whether or not he's ready. Then he'll eventually see the floor. Give Tmac a little props for being PC for once too. He said the right things. He didn't demand to be put on the court; basically said that he'd do what the coach said.

 

True, but how is that self-serving unless they're already convinced they're going to have to Marbury him?

The Rockets as an organization go out of their way to respect the players, and TMac was even coddled by JVG to a great extent.

The only player I can think of that they've really hit hard the last few years was the comiscally irrelevant (except for Les' wallet) Joey Dorsey.

If they're coming after TMac in the media now, they have even lost hope of trading him.