Well at least we know we have a chance against the Lakers now. Of the Rockets' trio of current invalids, Battier has proven to be the most important.
And he'd be returning for another home stand so that doesn't really add up to all that much. Eventually he's going to have to face the fans(barring a trade). I really wouldn't admit to that in public unless you were amongst the Rocket Rowdies.
Go over to the Chronicle and read the comments. They're overwhelmingly negative with regards to T-Mac. I don't know if the fans were going to boo him before, but I'm guessing that the next home game he plays he's going to hear it.
You think the casual fan does not know what is going on? Perhaps not. But I think if they watch the games and newscasts and read the papers they will get the general idea. DD
Well, now there are three arenas that have the potential to boo him, toronto, Orlando, and, ug, Houston....he's going for the record.
Haha, no thanks. I don't want to go read all DD's Chronically negative T-Mac quotes. I know things are not peaches and cream right now, but I think many are blowing it out of proportion. I mean come on. Noone has seen anyone quit like T-Mac in Toronto in the history of the NBA. Really? I recall Kobe quitting on his team IN THE PLAYOFFS vs Phoenix. How strange. The strongest of them all quit? Hmm. T-Mac has not been helped his team that much this season, but he is still a good guy and he is still a great talent. This team has so much potential, and it would be a shame if a little quibbling brought down the entire experiment.
The general idea right now is that McGrady's knee is keeping him from playing. Everything else is just rampant speculation on blogs and fan forums.
It has nothing to do with my view of the casual fans. I merely think the Toyota Center is filled a rather large number of people who have had their voice boxes removed. I really can't envision a chorus of boos being cast down upon him. I can easily envision you and a few chronies screaming bloody murder at him though. Merely saying I've rarely heard the TC rocking, but hope to during the playoffs.
So far as experiments goes it's run for five years and produced nothing but failure. Magic was saying last year that it was time to shut it down and try something new. And this latest two week absence doesn't seem suspicious to you? I'm not sure what's going on, but I'm 99% certain something is going on behind the scenes.
The guy had his knee scoped months ago. The last two physicians he saw, one of whom is one of the best experts in the country, told him there was no damage and that he should be playing his way back into shape. I just don't buy. This latest two week absence just smells funny. I'm not sure what's going on, but I'm 99% sure something is going on behind the scenes.
I don't recall a Rockets crowd, or any Houston crowd, ever, booing a specific player that was playing for the home team. Heck, our fans don't boo the team when we are blowing large 4th quarter leads.
How could you miss the controversy last year when Magic Johnson said it was time to break up the core?
Did he? I mean really? Or did the team carry itself, with Tmac as part of the team, then when the playoffs started, they reverted back to an army of one and ultimate failure. I hate it when people say one player carried something, because it is never true. Even Dream in the year he was by far the best player, trusted his teamates to make plays down the stretch....Kenny, Horry, Cassell, Elie, those are the players that made the plays when the defense clamped down on Hakeem at the end. Hakeem only won when he learned to trust his teamates in Clutch situations and let the TEAM carry itself. I believe Tmac has not learned that yet...as evidence by him trying to do too much late in games.....even Jordan passed the ball to Kerr and Paxson in crucial moments. You want to look at Tmac's biggest failure as a team leader....look to him trying to do too much, far too often, and not trusting his teamates in crucial game altering moments. DD
