http://msn.foxsports.com/story/2572974 McGrady won't make Rockets better Story Tools: Print Email Charley Rosen / Special to FOXSports.com Posted: 13 hours ago The trade that brought Tracy McGrady to Houston for Steve Francis and company is not quite the second coming of the Rockets' championship hopes. For sure, T-Mac can fill the basket from every conceivable angle — he can shoot from the outskirts, pull-up left or right, post, penetrate, and is routinely spectacular in the shadow of the basket. Nor is he unwilling or unable to share the ball. Too bad that his stupendous ball-in-hand talents aren't enough to make T-Mac a winner. Discounting his self-congratulating post-dunk antics, and his public pouting over the Magic's chronic losing, the young man's most serious problems begin with his lackadaisical work ethic. As great a player as Tracy McGrady is, he's simply not a winner. (Pat Sullivan / AP) T-Mac's point-making talents are so outstanding that even when he's operating on cruise-control he can always make a scoreboard blink and flash. (And he's really a wonderful down-home kind of kid.) But his lazy, disinterested malfunctions on the defensive end are critical deficiencies. McGrady's game plan on defense includes recklessly trying to intercept any pass made in his general vicinity, sniffing out the ball instead of attending to his proscribed rotations, and generally taking every available short cut. The result is poor team defense, as well as unnecessary fouls whistled on his teammates as they scramble to cover for T-Mac's indolent gambles. Fortunately, young players can learn to play all-out all of the time. This is simply another necessary technique, just like good footwork or making a timely outlet pass. But time is running out on T-Mac. If Jeff Van Gundy can't get McGrady to amp up his competitive energies from the get-go, then T-Mac will never mature into a winner. Indeed, it may already be too late, because nothing gets unfixable as quickly as bad habits. At first glance, though, McGrady's offensive prowess seems a good fit with Yao Ming. Since Yao is routinely allowed to set moving picks, their pick-and-roll combinations could easily eclipse the legendary effectiveness of Karl Malone and John Stockton. Defenses will likewise have difficulty two-timing Yao in the low post with McGrady roaming the perimeter. Still, T-Mac's rampant juvenile delinquencies may even short-circuit these devastating possibilities. While Van Gundy is understandably intent on making Yao the focus of Houston's offense, T-Mac has developed a bad case of sticky fingers. Blame Doc Rivers for spoiling (and maybe even ruining) the youngster by running every play through him during his tenure as Orlando's coach. That's why McGrady barely pays attention to the proceedings if he doesn't have (or is not destined to have) the ball in his hands. Perhaps T-Mac can score enough to offset the loss of Francis and Cutino Mobley. But with Kelvin Cato also dealt away, who will generate the aggressive interior defense and board-power required to transform Houston from an entertaining pretender into a bona fide contender? Not the soft-hearted Yao. Not the point-minded Maurice Taylor. Neither the undersized Clarence Weatherspoon, nor the light-weight baseline shenanigans of Juwan Howard. Even assuming that the Rockets' roster remains a work in progress, unless Van Gundy can con, cajole, and/or force McGrady into becoming an unselfish, perpetually hustling player, there'll be trouble in Houston. Trouble with a capital T. Charley Rosen, former CBA coach, author of 12 books about hoops, the next one being A PIVOTAL SEASON — HOW THE 1971-72 LA LAKERS CHANGED THE NBA, is a columnist for FOXSports.com.
