lol, "refreshing basketball" - Darko and Arroyo http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060227/COLUMNISTS0306/602270322/1065/SPORTS McGrady a winner only on scoreboard ORLANDO - -- Tracy McGrady was back in the O-rena on Sunday, and the Orlando Magic lost. Coincidence? Nah. Nothing much positive seems to happen for the Magic whenever McGrady is around. It was that way when he was here as the hometown star, and that way when he was here again, as a visitor in a different uniform. No, not much has changed. Not with the Magic and certainly not with Me-Mac. McGrady flew into Orlando hours before the game with typical theatrics. We wouldn't expect anything less from him, a one-man soap opera. The latest is that, because of the death of his fiancée's mother, McGrady missed Houston's Friday night game against Golden State, and then it was iffy as to whether he would show up Sunday. He did, lugging along all the usual drama we're accustomed to. And yes, we're very much accustomed to it. When he played for Orlando, Me-Mac shut down on the team two seasons ago, when the Magic went 21-61. He also feuded with then-GM John Wiesbrod, often criticized the talent level of his teammates, and talked about retiring or how he didn't always play his hardest. Now with Houston, McGrady recently said he'd like to go AWOL from the team. You know, just disappear for several days. After all, there's a lot of stress that goes with playing basketball a few times a week. Oh well. No, nothing much has changed, including the Magic being on the wrong end of the scoreboard when Tracy's in the house. On top of that, McGrady ripped into Weisbrod before the game, which is yet another one of his favorite pastimes. McGrady said (and I'm not making this up) that he was "escape goat" in Orlando. According to his revisionist history, nothing bad that happened while he was with the Magic was his fault. It was all Weisbrod. "You let one individual screw the whole organization up," McGrady said of the former general manager, who abruptly quit after last season. "He screwed the whole thing up, and it took a while for everybody to really realize that. Everybody thought I wanted out. I'm at home. Then you trade Cuttino Mobley. I didn't understand that. But like I said, it was too late. That's water under the bridge. I don't even think about that stuff no more." Yeah, whatever. Once again, nothing much changes. Witness Sunday's game for example, and how the Magic again lost with McGrady in the house. Different uniform, same result. But there's a flip side to this, too. You see, even while the Magic are again looking at another season with 50-plus losses, it's not like Me-Mac's new team is faring much better. Last season, which was McGrady's first in Houston, the Rockets were a one-and-out playoff team. If that sounds familiar, it's because that's exactly what the Magic were three of the four years Me-Mac played in Orlando. The other season, which was his last in Orlando, the Magic didn't even make the postseason. Yet, this is how McGrady summed up his Orlando years yesterday. Try not to choke on your corn flakes. "We had a great freakin' run here, man, and then he (meaning Weisbrod) started trading everybody away." That's right. "A great freakin' run." Imagine that. Don't look now, but McGrady's Rockets are bringing up the rear in the Western Conference's Southwest Division, with currently only five more victories than the Magic. Same old, same old. Maybe it's just something about Me-Mac, and the way he has a knack of bringing out the mediocrity in teams. But, you know, things move on. One by one the Magic traded all three of the players who came over in the McGrady trade -- the aforementioned Cuttino Mobley along with Kelvin Cato and just last week Steve Francis. Once again, there's a new look and a different energy. Recent additions Carlos Arroyo and Darko Milicic keep showing that they could be starters. The Magic also refused to fold, even when they were down 74-54 with 10 minutes to go. They eventually pulled to within three points during the waning seconds. Not bad. It was a refreshing brand of basketball. Come to think about it, it was about the only thing refreshing at the O-rena yesterday.
I like how he fails to mention our injuries even once. Yeah man, the Rockets are just as bad as the Magic. Keep telling yourself that.
Why is it that Orlando sports journalists still feel the need to write disparaging articles about McGrady every time we play them? He left. Get over it. That said, it doesn't seem like McGrady has gotten over it either. He still takes shots at the organization as well, but I feel like he only does it because the local media asks incendiary questions intentionally. I find it hard to believe Tracy would make any unsolicited comments about Weisbrod.
Look what he wrote last week.. LINK I think if I were a Magic fan I'd be mad at the whole world too.. They were a flash in the pan when they first came into the league, but have been nothing short of a joke ever since..
I think I've posted this a couple of times before. I was in Orlando in 96 when they were swept by the Bulls. I remember watching the news and they were taking polls of whether the fans wanted Shaq back. It was overwhelming that they did NOT want him back. The Sentinel did a poll and it was like an 80/20 margin. They said he couldn't win the big one. And he was promptly off to the Lakers. That killed that franchise.
Not to be too homerish, but everything in that article is right. Tmac quit on that team, demanded to be traded, and then said 'They had a great run" Tmac has a great mind for revisionist history, if I was a Magic fan, I would be hating on him too. At least Francis never quit on his teamates. Tracy seems to let a lot of things bother him, and he doesn't seem to have that warrior, win at all costs, mentality. That is ok, I am glad we have him, but someone else will need to supply the heart of a champion, here is to hoping Yao keeps developing, and it becomes his team. Because Tmac is not a leader of men. DD
DaDa--I think you're being a little too kind to that journalist...Yeah, T-Mac was definitely showing revisionist history when he said that they had a "great freakin' run," but when you consider the players they surrounded him with, it was a feat just to get that team into the playoffs and be competitive a couple of years. Another thing: that writer totally ignored the fact that we have had so many freakin' injuries this season. That takes away any credibility he has.
exactly, it was a "great freaking run" considering they didn't have the services of one of their max contract players for all that time and had to fill out their roster with trash because of those financial limitations. these same clowns who criticize his achievements those years (and yes making the playoffs 75% of the time with that squad is an achievement) are quick to slurp on the Kobes and Lebrons who haven't even carried a team to the playoffs yet -- with more talented supporting casts I might add -- more over get bounced in the first round. and his comments about Houston bringing up their rear shows what kind of idiot he is. I guess spinning the fact that we've won 1 of 14 games (+ the other 3 he didn't finish) without him into "look at their record now, he's a loser" passes for credible journalism -- honestly I won't even get on writers too much because he's a radio guy who gets a weekly column. he's your typical talk radio clown.
LOL. Yes I'm sure this "brand of basketball" is much more refreshing than going to the playoffs 3 out of 4 years with McGrady. This writer is saying, basically, the Magic lose whether McGrady is in a Magic uniform or not, and its always his fault. Interesting point
Actually, there's plenty in that article that is not right. Huh?! You are aware that they made the playoffs every year that McGrady was there, except that final year, right? Of course, it could have been all those other superstars on the roster that were responsible. If you look at the roster they had other than TMac, I would say that had a great run too. He quit on the team that last season, and that's just plain wrong. I'm not offering any excuses there. You know, that's absolutely true. Francis really did have the heart of a lion when he played here. I'm sure you also noticed his career-low averages this year in Orlando. Do you think he's been giving it his all the last couple of months?
All things considered, I don't think Tracy has brought any more 'drama' to the table than Steve Francis did (draft day fiasco, migraines, the mobley-moochie-francis clique, the super bowl, clashes with van gundy, etc.) + McGrady is a better player overall. Good deal.
I think we all know who's been choking on their corn flakes... ...realizing how his team fleeced itself over the last 2 years. Truth is they would take TMac back in a heartbeat... if they ever had the opportunity.
this article is absurd. he comes off as making fun of the death in the family and the personal issues t-mac is going through. if this was in any sort of respectable newspaper i am sure he would have been fired
the migranes were a legitimate problem. I do agree that francis is brings drama to the table, he could be a baby.
