Not sure if this really warrants a thread, but last night , while listening to a national sports radio show (think it was George Sordano), a Houston Rocket fan called in to the show and proceeded to bash on Tmac, calling a wuss, because he couldn't even play with the flu He then said that he and his friends all play sports, so they don't understand why Tmac is so "soft." (yeah like they know whats its like to play professional basketball). The host, who's apparently a big fan of Tmac, stood up for Tmac, and said that his back injury (ies) and some of the thing that has happened to him is not his fault (some). I know this is random, but I was just disappointed that a Rockets fan can stoop that low just to call a show and bash a player from that team. So I just wanna hear your guys' opinion. And PS, lets not try to bring up the YOF/TOF thing again, I've realized that bringing it up only begs for more headaches.
There's a thread like this in the Feedback forum, I think. A lot of the criticism is reactionary and stupid, but part of it is warranted. We had certain expectations when we brought him in, and he hasn't met them. It's not all his fault (he can't control how fragile his body is), but its frustrating nevertheless. To exacerbate things, he's not well equipped mentally to handle adversity. When he's feeling good, he's great. Too often for my liking, he's not feeling good. He also has a tremendous ego; some of the things that come out of his mouth are comical. I tend to defend him, but I get why that turns some people off.
What "comical" comments has he said relating to his ego? I'm not denying that he has a pretty big ego (every star player does), but from what I've seen, most of the comments he makes that can be classified as arrogant are more subtle than comical. ... Other than the comments me made after being up 3-1 on Detroit.
Hey he can frustrate me as the next guy (ie talking out of his butthole, especially when it comes to the topic of the playoffs; his occasional (okay regular habit) of chucking; and his apparent facial and body language may sometime give the misconception that he isn't giving it his all. But that notion should immediately be discarded once you see him in playoff mode, where he truly does step up every facet of his game and tries to give his all. I truly think that if he can learn to take less of those heat check, the team will TRULY be SPECIAL. His game is just so more than scoring and he is underappreciated for the little things that he does to make this team better. I truly don't see anyone more perfect to compliment Yao.
Yah we all know how regular outdoor sport is extremely similar to the NBA. There's a lot of talent out there on the playground.
For instance, when he says: "I imposed my will on the game". What the hell does that even mean? There are many positive things you can say about Tracy McGrady, both as a person and as a basketball player. Being strong-willed isn't one of them.
you guys need to stop hating on the old Rockets teams before this team. The Rockets didn't start playing when Yao and Tmac showed up. Its not a tradition to lose in the 1st round every year. The REAL ROCKETS FANS , the ones who know not only the history and facts of the Houston Rockets, but know the FACTS and history of the NBA. The REAL ROCKETS FANS don't give a crap about stupid radio shows or what TV personality says about their team. ROCKET FANS DON'T NEED TO SEEK MEDIA AFFIRMATION ABOUT THEIR TEAM. IF YOU DO, THEN YOU ARE NOT REPEAT NOT A REAL FAN.
Well then tell the media to stop saying it as well. I cannot provide specific examples of this b/c I don't write them down, but I have heard National Media (not just Bill, Clyde and Bull) say this about him repeatedly. "Tracy McGrady, when healthy, is one of those people who can impose his will on the game" "T-Mac imposed his will on the game and that what the Rockets need him to do more often" etc. He is not the only guy saying this.
Yeah, but those type of rhetorical flourishes are to be expected from the media. Players shouldn't use them when describing themselves. T-Mac gives in to defensive pressure way too often to use that phrase in reference to himself. And I hate to say it, but a player who "imposes his will" does not lose by 40 in a game 7. He just doesn't.
I respect your sentiments, and agree with them. But unfortunately with a lot of people on this board, T-mac can't do anything right.
If you don't defend your team from what you perceive as undue criticisms from the national media, then: YOU ARE NOT REPEAT NOT A REAL FAN Of course, the original topic of the thread isn't b****ing about media affirmation, just stupid "fans" spewing feces from their mouths.
how about along the line of getting out of the first round when we were up against Dallas and "It's on me" when we were against Utah and "depth perception"....etc. I'm a big T-Mac fan but it's frustrating at times.
That's a bad example. I can show you 20 games where Tmac imposed his will to a far lesser degree and the Rockets won. He didn't lack will or energy in that game. The Mavs were far better. The title of this thread is "Let's stop the hating". This thread immediately turned into a conversation about Tmac. Let's face it, most of the hate in this board is directed toward Tmac. I think there's a legion of Chinese fans who want their guy to be the guy and can not accept Tmac in that role. Those fans are in great numbers and many of them are not very knowledgable about basketball. They create a lot of buzz on this board but they also lower the level of discourse. It's sort of like getting in an argument with children. That is why I see a lot of old posters like myself abstaining from participating in discussions. Clutch is the ultimate manager of this board and he makes the rules.
Honestly, the only time I've really felt he said something that I thought was completely dumb was this idea of the TC not being a good place to shoot the ball. That was/is just a silly excuse. The rest of the stuff that seems to bother alot of people never bothered me much at all.
<---- Tmac fan IMO, he is the best compliment to Yao. He's always in control, a great passer, and if he takes a contested jumper, so what? He probably just knocked it in to put us up by 5 with 30 seconds left, so STFU about Tmac not having heart or not giving effort. Also, when the game is on the line his defense is ridiculous, he can be a stopper... Both of our playoff series losses in GAME 7 situations vs very good teams... didn't Dallas go to the finals the year they beat us?? See us in the playoffs this year and you will see a different team than last year, improved with Scola and Landry, A much improved Rafer, and a motivated Bonzi Wells... We're going to be tough to beat in the playoffs. NOONE wants to see us in the first round I guarantee that! GO ROCKETS AND STOP THE HATE http://youtube.com/watch?v=CXeYJOfmVk4 yea Tmac has no heart at all.....