PHILADELPHIA – In perhaps a measure of expectations once outsized, or at least premature, now dramatically reduced, the Rockets merely had to play with intensity and desire in a loss to consider it a vast improvement. The trick would be to turn that improvement into a turning point for a sinking season. "At least we played with energy," Yao Ming said. "We played. We believed. We fought to the last second." Despite the encouragement the Rockets gleaned from taking the Hawks to the final shot without Tracy McGrady, Ron Artest and Shane Battier a night after they rolled over in Toronto, it is unclear whether they can make that change last. Teams often come out swinging when cornered and the Rockets were reeling by the loss and slump, while challenged by playing so short-handed. McGrady and Artest are expected back Tuesday against the 76ers, with hopes that the improvement without them will remain with them. Rockets teammates, however, have spoken to McGrady throughout the season about his erratic effort. Rockets general manager Daryl Morey and coach Rick Adelman have spoken with him at least twice in the past two weeks, including since the game in Toronto on Friday. McGrady, however, has struggled while dealing with the soreness still in his left knee. Teammates say they need more from him, though always add that they need it when he is healthy enough to bring it. "It’s going to come down to Mac getting healthy and then Mac’s got to kind of be more of a dog," Artest said. "Yao is definitely doing his part. "I think it’s coming along. For some reason, we’re not able to put a good game together. I think right now, we look better on paper than what it really is. You see the Big Three people talk about, it’s not turning into wins that people would think it would. We have to get more out of ourselves. Sometimes we play like our life is not on the line. Once we put our life on the line every game, we’ll be OK." Morey and Adelman have asked that players emphasize their own efforts, rather than worry about others, a point Yao made on Friday and Rafer Alston repeated on Saturday. "You have to look at yourself in the mirror," Alston said. "Then you get to look at your teammates and say something, but you can’t do that until you look yourself in the mirror and ask yourself are you giving 110 percent." After Friday’s game, however, Alston went so far as to suggest the team issue fines for poor effort, a step Morey said the team has not taken. Alston had said then that the team is "not at all" on the same page. On Saturday, he would not go as far as to say it is splintered, but did say that Saturday’s effort could serve as an example. "They know," Alston said. "Two of our guys out (Saturday), they watched and saw. They know the guys were battling their hearts out. The only thing they can do is come back and do the same. We count on that. We believe that’s what they’re going to come back and do. You have to get healthy to do it, first. "We all know we should be on the same page, but if you look at the four or five game, you have lackluster performances. You get blown out in two games. At times out there, guys take it upon themselves. You get down and try to come from behind, guys try to get more aggressive and try to take on more of a scoring load, rather than stay within the scheme of the offense." That has been an issue with Artest, and particularly on Friday. Effort, however, has not been a question. Despite the Rockets’ health and other issues, the Rockets believe they have an improved roster and a better record (they were 15-17) than this time last season. The Rockets have lost five of seven games and have three more games on the road trip and four games in four cities in a span of five days. But their longest losing streak this season is the current two games, an indication of some resilience. Even before the Rockets’ most determined of efforts on Saturday, Adelman expected at least that. "I trust them," he said. "They’ve done it before. I think we have a lot of quality people on this team. It’s got to come from within. "When you’ve been at this a long time, you know in 82 games, you’re going to win games you don’t even imagine, that you just hope to stay in the game and give yourself a chance in the end. And you’re going to lose games you try to figure out how in the world did that happen? It’s keeping an even keel. "Last year, we were able to do that. We’re not at the end of the world here. It’s just that we haven’t played as well as we should play." With their latest loss, they got closer to the way they should play. The trick will be doing it consistently and turning that into wins. "It’s to see yet," Luis Scola said when asked if an encouraging loss could turn things back around. "We have to see how the team reacts. It’s something like what happened last year. We won 22 games in a row and we (reached) the playoffs by two games. That means (if) instead of being 22 in a row we went 20-2, we would have been out of the playoffs. You can’t count on winning 22 consecutive. "We have to start playing now. I think everybody knows we have to start doing it now." jonathan.feigen@chron.com Link
Alston should be fined for calling out teammates in the press...if that is indeed what he did (which is not clear). Rudy and JVG would never allow players to call out each other, without consequences. That was their job that they did very well behind the scenes and sometimes in public. Things get out of mgmt's control when a coach allows players to start calling each other out.
Well whatever they were doing clearly is not getting through. The effort has dropped off slowly as the seasons gone on when T-Mac is playing.
The article also says that Rockets Managment as allready spoken with T-Mac behind closed doors twice and that hasn't done a damn thing. T-Mac needs to be called out in public, since keeping it behind closed doors hasn't worked.
so apparently Morey and Rick have talked to Tmac post the Toronto game, well done finally. Glad Rafer called him out too, if he doesn't respond to this, I think the next step is to obviously trade him.
yea obviously speaking to him behind closed doors didnt work. i bet they didnt even call him out....probably just asked him how healthy he was. noone from management is going to step on anyone's toes, especially that of a star's. rafer sort of called him out but nothing over the line. it was a very diplomatic comment.
I think between Ron Ron and TMac, one has to become really healthy, fully cure from the injury before stepping back on court again. The other, it's all mental thing, get him a shrink and keep him away from the court until he is mentally ready to compete. Both shouldn't be seen on court in the near future. Time to develop our bench players. With the efforts they displayed in the past game, we are not totally out of competition for the playoff spot. We need solid bench performance, which has been the weakest link in the past playoff, to get out of the first round.
Rafer didn't call anybody out. But I love the message from Adelman, Artest, Yao, Scola and Rafer. Edit: didn't mean to quote you A_3PO
not by Alston. What? Is he now our leader? Look, the only people on a team who should call out any players in the press (which is not clear that Alston indeed did) are the leaders of the team...ie, the coach and someone like Dream, Magic, Bird and Jordan. And I still don't really agree that anyone other than a coach should do it. But sometimes it's clear the coach wants the leaders to do that. That said; Rudy didn't really allow The Dream to call out players, because The Dream was not very diplomatic about it. "Giv me da ball" is about the best he could do. JVG always managed the media himself, too. imso, the breakdown of chemistry often begins with players calling out each other in public...and coaches like Larry Brown calling out the leader as well. I have big worries when a team can't keep things in the lockerroom, unless it is the coach doing it based on knowing how to motivate his players.
I don't know. Do you think McGrady responds to that sort of pressure? I could see him shutting it down even more after that. He's proven to not be very strong, mentally. When has he done anything to prove that he responds to that kind of public pressure?
Does anyone think McGrady is trying to force a trade? Isn't this T-Mac redux from his Orlando days? I'd love to see them trade him for just one bonafide prospect...
we should have traded Mcgrady for Artest instead of Dontae Greene McGrady would be an idiot to force a trade with the talent around him. Unless he can't candle the high expectations this team has...i have no idea anymore
1) Rafer didn't call anybody out. 2) Tmac is not a leader. He never was. He sure as hell isn't now. And he never will be. 3) Dream, Bird, Magic, Jordan .... all those guys you mentioned first and foremost led by their actions on the court. Of course Jordan gave the verbal beat down to his scrub teammates every once in a while but he expected the best out of them which is why and he GOT results. Tmac was never vocal towards his teammates and now that he doesn't even lead with his play on the court. I have 0 problem with what Rafer said. It's the truth. Just because you're not a superstar doesn't mean you can't say your teammates are not healthy or dragging ass.
That could be the case. See CCR's post in the Tmac Chron thread. If he does I wish he would straight up say it so we can go ahead and trade his ass.
He's killing the trade value by being such a bum. Assuming that he's another Brad Lidge and is going to do well in his new team, someone's going to get a deal
