Talk sparks T-Mac Heart-to-heart with Van Gundy brings out best in Rockets forward By JONATHAN FEIGEN Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle Others might have been surprised. Reece Gaines knew. He saw it all day. He saw it in the way Tracy McGrady moved, in the way he talked, the way he warmed up before the game. McGrady did not tell Gaines he had met with Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy and felt freed to be himself. But with the Rockets struggling, Gaines could tell they have made a huge trade, dealing Houston's McGrady for Orlando's T-Mac. "I just knew he was going to do it," said Gaines, McGrady's teammate with the Rockets and Magic. "I can always tell when he gets in that mode. From that first move to the basket, I could tell he was going to attack the whole game. But I really could tell all day." McGrady felt as if he was given a green light and that was all he needed to press the accelerator through the floorboard. A day after meeting with Van Gundy in Houston, he scored 48 points with nine assists and nine rebounds in Dallas. The Rockets, while improving in some ways, still did not defend well enough to close out the win. But if they could not celebrate the return of the unstoppable, high-scoring McGrady, they finally found a reason to feel encouraged. "I pulled him aside because I didn't feel comfortable the way I was playing, the way the team was playing," McGrady said of his talk with Van Gundy. "I felt that talking to him would probably get me to the ball that I'm capable of playing. With his system, everybody is involved in the offense. I think we changed a little bit last game and it showed. Guys were still getting shots and I was still capable of getting my players involved. At the same time, I have to have the ball in order to make things happen like that. "I had a feeling I was going to have a big game, a breakout game. Before I talked to him ... every shot and every mistake I made, I seemed like I was looking over my shoulder. Why, I don't know. There was a lot of hesitation in my game." Van Gundy offered little insight into his conversation with McGrady. This week, the coach called several players' contention that they'd become hesitant because they were afraid to make mistakes a "copout." With McGrady, he more likely spoke about balancing his role as the Rockets' most effective scorer and playmaker. Without sharing just what he said to McGrady on Wednesday, Van Gundy on Friday said, "If it helped him, that's good." Even before mentioning his meeting with Van Gundy, McGrady had repeatedly cited his confidence in his coach and his "system." But McGrady also had often described himself as hesitant and uncomfortable on the court. After leading the NBA in scoring the past two seasons, scoring 32.1 points per game in 2002-2003 and 28 last year, he went into the Mavericks game averaging 20.2. Though his scoring was expected to decrease this season on a team with fewer possessions per game and a center certain to get touches in the halfcourt, McGrady has not had to take turns among a wealth of scorers and Yao has not been the offensive force he was expected to be. Instead, among their many needs, the Rockets needed McGrady to score. "I have a great deal of respect for Coach — great guy, great coach, great teacher," McGrady said. "Every chance I get to try to talk to him about basketball, what can make the team better, what can make me better, and also what can make him a better coach, I'm going to go in and talk to him. So far, it's helping, but we have to win basketball games. "It was just having him tell me the things he needs me to do, and the team needs me to do. ... I'm to the stage I want to win. I'm just trying to find a way to get us over the hump." There is actually a long checklist of ways, but at least the part about turning McGrady back into T-Mac worked. "Coach told him, 'We brought you in here to be Tracy McGrady; be yourself,'" Gaines said. "He did that (Thursday) night. Instead of looking to pass first all the time, he just looked to make things happen, to be a great player." http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/2931230
It seems like over the last few years, every time Steve and Cuttino shared the ball, we'de all feel great, the Chronicle would run stories, we'de get quotes from them about "getting it", hear about stories with Oscar Robertson etc. Then they'de just revert. Or more recently, every time Yao has a good game, we get quotes from him saying "I need to be agressive blah blah blah I'm feeling comfortable", then everyone on the board thinks he's finally turned the corner. Then he just reverts. Now McGrady explodes, everyone makes a big deal about "the talk" he had with Van Gundy and thinks they've really taken the shackles off for good. Let's hope this is real.
I would think it is much safer to expect Tmac could sustain the level that earned him the scoring title as long as he is really assured of the coaches ok. I believe he has been so concerned with getting other players chances to score, he hasnt been as aggressive in finding his own shot. Before he always was told to get Yao involved first, and so he didnt feel permitted to take advantage of his strengths. I like the new emphasis on allowing the players to pplay at a faster pace, adn let Yao get his shots in the flow rather than force feeding hiim in the post/paint. It plays to Tmac and Sura's strengths and reduces the pressure on Yao to shoulder the reponsibility of being first option the majority of the time. As long as VG allows this wy to continue, we should get much better very quickly. A little better defense and a better showing from the PFs and we would have had Dallas last night.
I'm hoping the same thing. I believe that, as long as JVG allows him offensive freedom, McGrady will be consistent. Yao is another issue altogether.
Fair enough. At the same time, Steve and Cuttino never nearly dropped 50 while just missing a triple double.
Good read, my favorite part of it was this line: I would love to believe that TMac is stepping into the role of the leader on this team. If Yao doesn't want/have enough balls to take that role, than we only go as far as TMac.
No offense to Steve (I like Steve alot) but he can't come close to TMac in terms of being a good playmaker. You can't give Francis a free reign and expect him to make the right play all the time, nor be an unstoppable scorer when he needs to put his team on his back. TMac has shown he can do all of that this season. He makes great plays with the ball in his hands, whether it be scoring or making a nice pass WITHOUT TURNING THE BALL OVER.
good, maybe he can inspure the rest of the team to play better. if it can influence yao to attack the basket immediatly after catching the ball, we will get at least 6 more points.
Great too see that the rockets finaly see Via Tracy is the only Succesfull Option we have left. Yao is going through a Horrid patch and other then him, we got nothing left to speak of anyway. now and in the Future, i think this team should belong to Tracy.
I have been a big fan of Jeff van Gundy, but this offense has looked terrible. They tried going through Yao first, and he has shown he is not capable of being the go to guy (with a little help from the refs). Maybe if McGrady starts making plays on his own, and breaking out of the JVG system, things will open up more for Yao. And not to get too far off the point, but what in the hell has Ewing accomplished since he's been here? Yao looks worse!
I am not worried about Yao one bit. In fact, this is the beginning of the endof Yao's slump if McGrady continues to throw up 30 a night. Because if TMac continues, then we will start winning, and teams will start concentrating on slowing him down. When that happens, look out, Yao will be getting his 24. Everyone's efficiency will increase with TMac playing like he did against Dallas. All they have to do now, is work on their defense and we will be in the thick of the playoffs. We're not good enough to win it this year, but we are good enough to get in and make some noise, get to the second round. But they have to play uptempo and take the shackles off TMac and let him gun it.
This bothered me a little bit. I think it is great that McGrady made the initiative and it shows that he cares, but shouldn't Van Gundy already have done this? With the comments in the papers, McGrady has obviously been uncomfortable. Instead of just (or in addition to) telling the media that was a "cop-out," shouldn't VG have pulled aside his best player with the goal of helping him feel comfortable and bringing out the best in is game? So...they talked, and so far it looks promising. Why does it seem as if VG would have never figured that out?
Well first I have to say Yao has no one to blame for his struggles; not JVG, the system, the refs, the point guards, the blame should lay solely on Yao. But with that said, I am positive Ewing has taught Yao absolutely nothing. Nada. Everytime I see Yao going to the bench for playing like crap I see him telling Ewing what went wrong. And Ewing probably responds with his 5 star basketball analysis and Yao goes "uh huh" but I can't help but wonder if Yao's thinking "Man, WTF is he talking about?". Let's be honest guys, does anyone actually think Ewing has an higher B-ball IQ than Yao? Heck, forget about B-ball IQ, how about overall IQ? The only IQ Ewing could vouch for is probably playa-PIMP strip club IQ.
But I thought the Rockets were centered around Yao Ming? If we let Tmac take 40 shots a game, won't our team be the same as the Orlando Magic with T-mac???