http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/6207762.html If you read between all the nice words, the Rockets sent a tough message to Tracy McGrady on Monday. To summarize: 1. Get in better shape. 2. Learn to deal with the pain in your left knee. 3. Don’t come back until you do. There were all sorts of things left unsaid as the Rockets delicately attempted to do the right thing for the team while not mentally losing their $21-million star. Conditioning? That’s a tough word to use halfway through an NBA season. Is McGrady’s conditioning an issue because he hasn’t been working hard, or because his surgically repaired left knee won’t allow him to work hard? Pain? Another tough one. The Rockets and their medical staff believe McGrady’s knee is sound and suggested he play through the pain. McGrady has been unable to do this, and it’s important to remember that none of us — including the doctors — knows how badly McGrady is hurting. If he says the pain is intolerable, then the pain is intolerable. Unsettling rotation Rick Adelman is a patient, patient man, but after weeks of not knowing when McGrady would play or how hard he would go when he did play, he seems to have drawn a line in the sand over the weekend. “Pretty much everybody thought something had to be done,” Adelman said. “I think he’s intent on going out and doing what he has to do to get to another level conditioning wise. “It was something he was down about, the way he was playing and the performance he can give. Hopefully, this will give him a better chance … We need him playing at a high level.” Adelman met with McGrady and general manager Daryl Morey on Saturday to come up with a new plan. The Rockets earlier suggested McGrady take another few games off until his left knee allowed him to do the things he normally does. He persuaded them to keep going. This time, he agreed. “He can go through his normal off-season regimen,” Morey said. “He wasn’t able to do that after the surgery.” Adelman has two short-term goals. One is to have the same group on the floor for a few days and see if the Rockets can develop some continuity. Artest won’t play tonight against the Lakers and is uncertain for this weekend. When he returns, the Rockets will have enough talent to beat most teams. This arrangement beats taking McGrady’s pulse each day. It also allows Carl Landry, Aaron Brooks, etc., to know what is expected of them. The Rockets may be good enough to make the playoffs without McGrady. They probably can’t succeed without him. The Rockets haven’t written off McGrady for the season, but they have no idea when he’ll return. “When you’re dealing with an injury, there’s only so much you can know,” Morey said. Difficult times If you’re inclined to criticize McGrady, remember this hasn’t been much fun for him, either. “I talk to him as much as I can, him and Ron,” Rafer Alston said. “It’s been tough for both of them. They’re fighting hard. They could have easily said, ‘Hey we’re going to wait to get healthy,’ but they’re fighting through some games and not able to play through the next. I can see the frustration day in, day out.” Adelman’s offense is based on passing, cutting and moving without the basketball. It requires players to become comfortable with one another, to instinctively react to one another. When there aren’t enough healthy players to develop consistency in practice, there isn’t going to be much flow during games. Pain-killing injections got McGrady through the playoffs last year, and his recovery from surgery has taken far longer to heal than almost anyone thought possible. His 15.4 scoring average is his lowest in nine years, and 6.7 points below his career average. His shooting percentage (38.8) is a career-low, his rebounding average (4.6) the lowest since his rookie year. Through it all, the Rockets are still on a 50-victory pace and have the fifth-best record in the Western Conference. Even with a revolving-door lineup and a laundry list of injuries, they’ve positioned themselves to make the playoffs. To make more than a token appearance requires a healthy, happy Tracy McGrady. They have no idea if they’re going to get that guy this season. If they can’t have him, they prepared to move on with what they have. - Richard Justice lock if posted already
if richard justice truly knows something, it looks like this is the last chance mcgrady has got as a rocket. if he gets his act together and come back in a few weeks (you've got to figure morey had set a deadline for him before the trade deadline) healthy, in top condition and ready to roll, then maybe all the drama is behind us. if not, then les may be ready to part ways with his biggest investment. it does read like that, doesn't it? the only thing i can't reconcile here is what doc rocket said - all eyes on yao. ??
Why should they? I mean this guy is taking up 21 million of cap space and in one game he scored a mediocre 4 points. Thats just not going to get the job done, unless McGrady wants to be a roleplayer lol.
Tmac is not tough enough to accept this "tough message". I bet he'll be traded by the trade deadline.
So it was really McGrady's idea to come back and play before he was ready? I can't understand what the logic of that decision was. Anyway, it's good to hear Adelman finally putting his foot down.
Solomon & Blinebury's podcast on McGrady sitting out two weeks: http://images.chron.com/content/news/photos/blogs/sportscast/solomon_blinebury_tmac_0112.mp3
chickens, mountains and remotes..... the grass is greener, but only when the cows fly south. its cold in the winter, its cold in the summer, abra kadabra the summer in the winner. he doesnt see coming. sit once, sit two weeks. come back and its denial. strength and pain, pain and stress, everything will come off, including the dress. jimmy counts his corns, but only when jimmy wants to count corns.
Don't come back until you do,it sounds like they have already all gotten fed with his excuses on how sore his left knee is and don't want him to be a chemistry killer and the weakest spot on the floor! If this is true,then heads up Mac,I bet he won't be traded for a pack of Big-Macs!
i think that was the time battier or artest was out so tracy came back earlier than his 3 week that he said he would take off.
solomon's right. this is all on adelman. and this doesn't just apply to tracy. artest has done the same thing (he has played when he feels like he wants to play--we don't know his pain level). battier has shut it down by his own admission. this is ALL on adelman. dude has no spine.
It's all on tracy to get his butt in shape,Adelman can't go do the workouts for him,He has to get up off the couch and get his butt into playing shape PERIOD POINT BLANK.
yes that is all on tracy and he's receiving the backlash right now. but the coach has got to put his foot down on how he wants to run his team, not letting the players decide they want to play that day b/c they feel good, and then the next day their ankle or knee is sore so they can't do it. like solomon said, TAKE THE NECESSARY TIME OFF IF YOU'RE HURT. adelman just let the players decide when they can and cannot play. that is an undisciplined style he's running. tracy, artest, and shane battier have all decided to take time off and play whenever they wanted to play, esp. tracy and artest.
Rick wants to win,Ron wants a new contract.The players have to take responsibility Bruh. In Ron's case he didn't let the coaching staff or trainers know the real deal because he wants to prove he can play with kobe and paul pierce.Ron will suck it up just to play those game because he wants to compete + he has an incentive because of his contract. Rick's attitude is like you say you are good then suit up and contribute. He is the coach he isn't a doctor or trainer and if the medical staff say such and such can play rick wants them out on the floor and if they lie and be untruthful about the situation then it's on the player to tell the freakin truth on how his own body feels. You can't put this on adelman just because you feel sorry for tracy. I mean your including ron in the mix and ron's sitaution is totally different.It's getting weak bruh,Bottomline tracy needs to get his body in shape,He needs to get stronger,He needs to just get his game together and come back ready to contribute. They already said it was tracy's decision to come back early when he was supposed to be out 3 weeks.
OK so if I understand this correctly, Adelman did NOT want McGrady to return when Battier or Artest was out. He preferred all three players to sit and come back when they were healthy. But McGrady insisted on coming back early, to compensate for Battier and Artest being out, and Adelman for some reason relented. Which led to McGrady's poor play and drama. Kind of weird if you ask me.
i think this is all effing bullsh!t. Typically, when a player comes back from injury, especially an offseason knee surgery and on top of that has been having problems from day one of the season, you start the guy off the bench and with limited minutes. Adelman seems a bit too excited to throw tmac, artest, and battier immediately into the starting line-up with serious minutes. I think they are all set-up for failure. Look what happened, all three went in and out of the line-up. A lot of this has to fall on the coach to diagnose whether or not the player is in game shape to handle the minutes they are given. What happens when you push yourself when you are out of shape? YOU GET HURT. I think all of you who play any type of competitive sport know this. Steve Francis wanted to play every game that he was suited up for after coming back from injury. He did not play. What was the reasoning? He was not conditioned, and other players who were at practice and playing everyday deserved the playing time ahead of him. I think the same should be done with all players, and usually is on other teams. Adelman set tmac, artest, and battier up for failure. I think this is on the coach to sit a player who is not ready for excessive PT. flame away.