Read the part about T-Mac. Damn, I hope it isn't true, but from what I've seen, it's a pretty accurate description. http://dimemag.com/2009/01/dime-sma...farmar-ron-artest-al-jefferson-allen-iverson/
[rquoter]Speaking of guys not looking like themselves, T-Mac (15 pts) has hit the stage in his career where he’s like the old dude in a pickup game who you can tell used to be nasty, he just doesn’t have his legs anymore. He moves two gears slower than all the young guys, he can’t really get to the hoop anymore, and he doesn’t even try. He relies on screens and craftiness to get his shots, but is still a threat because he can still shoot and pass. Not saying McGrady couldn’t still contribute to a deep Rockets playoff run, but he may have seen his last All-Star Game. (And remember, HE’S ONLY 29!) …[/rquoter] That sounds spot on to me. Best we can hope for is a 6'8, mid-30s Sam Cassel. T-Mac is no more; he is now Grady, the old, crafty veteran.
He can't get to the hoop anymore, but he blew right by all-universe defender Prince for a layup on one of the key plays of the fourth quarter?
If he attacked as soon as he touched the ball he would get to the hole with no problem early but he tends to wait until the defense sets up which can cause a problem. But this team is very talented without T-mac, so we don't need T-mac to be the all-star he was a few years ago, it would be a plus if he was but we don't need it. We just need him to be solid and play like he did last year in the 2nd half of the season.
He didn't really 'blow' by him, it was a pretty slow drive. There was no blazing speed. He usually only gets by people with head fakes, jab steps, etc. And it's not that he can't get by people ever, i'm sure on isolated plays Eddie Jones can get by guys, it just isn't going to happen as often as it used to.
does anyone remember the last game of last season where he dropped roughly a trillion points on the jazz in amazing fashion? the "old guy" with no legs is a couple of months removed from that performance. lets give this guy, i dont know, TWO GAMES before we go ahead decided his career is shot. yeah he didn't look great yesterday but that was the first game back after not having played in weeks and not truly even close to being his normal self. just relax, its a loooong season.
the strength in his legs just isn't there and that's something you CAN regain. i think he just needs a full offseason workout to really get back to himself. but we'll see as the season progresses. by no means is he done. just last yr, when he still had that knee bruise, he was still able to do well.
Sam Cassel is waay craftier than t-mac. The guy has never been athletic, yet he still is very effective. Were it only true that t-mac was as crafty as cassel. I'm thinking more like Penny Hardaway--his hero. Same size, injury problems, used to relying on athleticism, but take that away and you've got a decent, but not great player.
Couldn't you say that about most great players? Of course if you take away one of their strengths they are no longer great.
It's hard to believe someone can decline so much at age 29 without any major injuries. I think Tmac is just out of shape and playing on cruise control (lazy).
He has *a lot* of milage on those legs. 11 years in the NBA and you will decline... But I also think he's not 100%. Probably won't be until after he has another offseason.
excuse me clutchcityreturns, i claimed "a couple of months" based on the fact that he has played about 20 games since that game (zero of which he was in shape for). i didn't count the time he sat on his tush at home and the time he has spent rehabbing. the shoulder surgery seems to be relatively negligible at this point and i'm pretty confident that once he gains the strength back in his knee, he can get back to his solid form. i'm not making the claim he is going to revert to orlando tracy, but i think its absolutely feasible for him to return to 2004-2005 form. sure you "got" me by pointing out that he has had two surgeries and "a couple of months" has actually been 9 months (although i don't understand how time spent on his butt could completely suck out his innate talent). my point is that he has not played a healthy game this entire season, is still by no means in game shape, and people are already overreacting and making the claim that he is completely washed up. i lost a lot of faith in him after watching him this season and i certainly dont think he is more than a shadow of himself right now. but i've also done some thinking and have realized that what he said actually seems to make sense. he had the surgeries in the off season, probably lived his life to the fullest, and didn't touch a weight and didn't play ball (shoulder and knee surgeries respectively). he comes back thinking that because he is a freak of nature he can compete and help his team. he fails miserably at that, goes back to the gym and gets his body back in decent shape, and yesterday's game was the FIRST game back. trust me when i say this, i was as frustrated by the drama as anyone else but i would say just be patient. if at the end of this season he is as lackadaisical and doesn't have the elevation then feel free to dredge up this post. for now, lets just let him get a couple of games under his belt, no?
Decline yes but not at such a fast rate like Tmac has shown. Kobe Bryant and Garnett came into the league earlier then Tmac and both are older.
T-mac has had more injuries to deal with than those guys. He has played with a back problem for most of his career.
