[NBA.COM] TMac On the Spot, Clutch on SLAM Online

[freemaniam]

Surprisingly no one mentioned this, or did I miss something? Sorry if already posted.

On the Spot
By John Schuhmann

Link: http://www.nba.com/preview2006/onthe...y_mcgrady.html

You could call them question marks. Or maybe X-factors. Call them whatever you want. These guys have something to prove this season. NBA.com gives you 10 players (in alphabetical order) who will be under the microscope in 2006-07. For various reasons, all eyes are on them.

Next up is Tracy McGrady.

On the Spot Index


Tracy McGrady, F-G, Rockets

Tracy McGrady has the talent to be one of the top five players in the league, but does he have the back? He played just 47 games last season, injuring his back on more than one occasion. Ask Larry Johnson or Larry Bird. Back problems can be debilitating and sometimes, they just never go away. But McGrady says he feels "extremely good," so we hope to see him back in 13-points-in-33-seconds form.
Yao Ming became showed tremendous improvement last season. He is now clearly the best center in the Western Conference. The Rockets brought in a quality veteran in Shane Battier over the summer. If they're healthy (and that has been an issue for Yao this preseason), they could (and should) be the most improved team in the league this season.


What the Papers Say

"He pulled up for a jumper as smooth as ever. He flashed that pump fake at the 3-point arc that sends him to the line. He drove the lane again and again.
"Before long, he was slinging no-look darts to a cutting Chuck Hayes at the rim, one with around-the-back sleight of hand that had the Toyota Center crowd gasping.

"With that, McGrady seemed to have regained at least a familiarity with this basketball thing and all of the love for it. He was so sensational, he nearly overshadowed the second-half collapse he and most of the Rockets veterans watched as the Memphis Grizzlies came from a 21-point hole to a 75-69 win Tuesday before 11,913 at the preseason opener."
-- Jonathan Feigen, Houston Chronicle

"The big surprise and grand experiment as camp opened Tuesday? Giving McGrady, 6-8, more touches in the half-court as the point.

"It's risky and cannot become an every-possession thing. But the possibilities are endless, considering all the offseason moves the Rockets made. And McGrady has run the offense on numerous occasions in the past, particularly at the end of a quarter or in game-deciding moments."
-- John P. Lopez, Houston Chronicle


What the Blogs Say

"However, it still all hinges on Tracy McGrady’s health. Houston fans who watched McGrady last season are still fearful that one errant landing or bump in the lane could throw out T-Mac’s back and, by extension, the Rockets season. Health is still the primary concern."
-- Clutch Fans via SLAM Online

[freemaniam]

Thursday, October 12th, 2006

Rockets Preview

in NBA, Mutoni's Spot, Columnists

by Marcel Mutoni

Link: http://slamonline.com/online/2006/10/rockets-preview/

The pre-season is underway and the regular season jumps off in less than a month (Oct. 31), so it’s probably time to start previewing the 2006-2007 NBA season. With the help of some of the most prominent hoop writers on the web (bloggers and newspaper columnists), we’ll be taking an in-depth look at each one of the 30 teams.

Today, Clutch Fans’ David Hardisty helps us preview his team, the Houston Rockets.

SLAM: The Rockets loaded up the summer by adding a number of key players. How excited should their fans be at this point?

DH: Cautiously optimistic. Shane Battier, Vassilis Spanoulis, Kirk Snyder and Steve Novak are all good additions and expectations are even higher with the recent addition of Bonzi Wells. The Rockets should have a strong defensive starting lineup and if the end of last season is any indicator, Yao Ming looks ready to explode. However, it still all hinges on Tracy McGrady’s health. Houston fans who watched McGrady last season are still fearful that one errant landing or bump in the lane could throw out T-Mac’s back and, by extension, the Rockets season. Health is still the primary concern.

You’d have to think that Jeff Van Gundy is on the hot seat this upcoming season, right?

I believe so. I don’t think anyone should be looking at Jeff Van Gundy as if he’s been a major disappointment so far, but I believe that if the team struggles, all eyes will be on him. You can’t blame the rash of injuries last year on JVG, but when you follow that up by trading a top lottery pick for a “win now” player like Shane Battier, you have to produce – injuries or not. It’s his fourth season in Houston so I think he will have to win a playoff series in 2006-07 to survive.

If McGrady and Yao can stay healthy for the whole year, how high is this team’s ceiling?

Very high. Both players can be dominant and require double-teams while they have great chemistry — they love playing with each other. But with that said, like any stars, they still need the right supporting cast. The current squad has the potential to be a great defensive team, but I believe that they need better three-point shooters considering they are a mostly a half-court team centered around Yao. They finished the 2004-05 season with a 35-14 record because of just that kind of three-point shooting success around the Rocket duo.

Those grey warmup suits the Rockets wear. Worst thing ever?

I’m not sure anything can beat the NASA knockoffs the Rockets wore in the late 90’s nor the hot dog stand scrubs the Houston Astros wore in the 80’s.

Alright, enough foreplay, how will the Rockets fare this season?

Both their conference and division are very strong. Assuming that Tracy McGrady can return to form and that both he and Yao can stay healthy all year, I’m going to say 51 wins and the 5th seed out West.


~~So Clutch, is that Mr. Mutoni or Miss Mutoni? :D

[don grahamleone]

51 wins? Clutch. I'm dissappointed. You sound like a realist, not a fanatic (fan).

[Pest_Ctrl]

Originally Posted by don grahamleone 51 wins? Clutch. I'm dissappointed. You sound like a realist, not a fanatic (fan).

Clutch is probably trying to get all the other teams to underestimate us.

[AroundTheWorld]

Originally Posted by freemaniam Those grey warmup suits the Rockets wear. Worst thing ever? I’m not sure anything can beat the NASA knockoffs the Rockets wore in the late 90’s nor the hot dog stand scrubs the Houston Astros wore in the 80’s.

Great answer :D.

[freemaniam]

Seriously, where can we have a collection of all time Rockets Jerseys photos? I think it would be cool to put such a link of those photos in Clutchfans.net with captions like years in service and a brief description of those eras.

[HAYJON02]

At least they know who to ask about all things Rockets.

"Yeah lets go to Mark Stein for some Rockets insider info..."

Good reads. I just washed my Yao jersey getting ready for some serious wear. I wont wash it until the seasons over. I'll give it a champagne bath first when we take the title. :D

Rockets over Bulls in 5.

[Nelly]

has anybody read this article from SLAM online?

http://slamonline.com/online/2006/10/17-tracy-mcgrady/

they rate the best players in the nba and tmac is at 17.

the funniest part of the article is when KG thinks tmac is injured just b/c he had his leg up on an ottoman.