as long as we win games, that's all that matters. tmac makes the team better when he's on the court, and that's all that matters.
i think that's a really great idea. the fans need to let the man know that they have faith in their superstar. it should be a great confidence booster for TMac.
Is this really about motivation or is this actually about capacity? Not about what he wants to do, but what he can do.
We all know what Tmac can do when he's healthy. And regardless of how tentative he's looked on the court now, it's absurd to suggest that he's not healthy now. I'm calling it all mental, the way he's playing. What can we do to help? Keep believing in the team, that's how. And pray that JVG will run more plays to get him easy shots, instead of running the same damn Tmac iso/post-up play to death and having him create everything for himself. That's no way to get a struggling player going.
wingz0, I can't agree with you more. I remember reading a few articles about TMac's summer back strengthening routines and thinking if he bulks up during the offseason it will effect his explosiveness. It seems that it did not only effect his explosiveness but also his shot. It could be that he is not driving to rim as often because his defenders are not respecting his shot. I hope he backs off the bulking up and focus on taking 18000 jumpers everyday in practice to regain his stroke. Unlike most people I do not think his decision making is flawed. So much of decision making is based on KYP (know you personnel) and chemistry will come in time. I hope his newly strengthened back loosens up in time as well.
Does anyone think current situation is sort of similar to the time when TMac first joined the Rockets? I remember he was not playing well in the beginning, defer to Yao too much, according to himself. I wonder if this is the repeat of that experience for TMac, giving Yao's improvement and increasing demand of the ball. He will figure it out. The great players always do.
I think whoever said this is all mental might be right. I think what he needs is a good pissing off. Someone needs to start a fight with him or piss him off really bad. Get him all steamed up and give him some motivation to explode on the court. Cmon Gay, Warrick, or even Mike Miller... someone slap TMac and wake him up!
From the game i saw (mavs vs rockets) and the highlight clips r2k puts up i say T-Mac is healthy. He's just in a shooting dip. He will come around, so yes he still has it. Just wait a couple of games and the real old T-mac everybody knows will be back. illustration: http://ultrashare.net/hosting/fl/5b7cc57af9/ all credits go to the evolotion team (vc)
i do think tmac will come around, but those of you who say he is in a shooting slump don't know basketball. he's not in a slump. he is playing like a b****. he is not even hustling! he pissed me off watching that NOK game. he is the reason we lost! i am waiting to see if he'll pull his head out cause this team is going nowhere with tmac as a jump shooter. signed, very f-n frustrated!
T-Mac's shot selection is horrible, It could be so much easier for him and Yao if he helped by taking good shots (high percentage shots) not jacking shots. He has been like that since he has been with the ROCKETS. He has the green light to do what he wants and its not productive. When you have someone like Yao and you don't use him to improve your own game as well as your teams game. Your the Leader of this team! quit trying to make the highlight reel on espn and play to win with heart. Did anyone notice how good the Rockets played in the Dallas game when he was on the bench and how fluid the team looked. Everyone hustling playing defense, running the plays, scoring. Just cursious?
This is his 10th season -- he will be playing a different game than he did a few years ago. Don't expect that ultra-explosive player from 5 years ago - he will be playing smarter now. The shot will start to fall.
Genius? I think yes. That's what I was thinking too. I'm wondering how many crazy drives/dunks we'll be seeing from T-Mac now barring the All-Star game... It's all good. If his assists are up, TO's down, percentages up and shots going down, it's all good. 79 more games, I think we're ok. EDIT: Good thing we have Yao Ming and Shane Battier on our team
I think it's a combination of 2 things. 1) Tmac hasn't logged a lot of minutes playing basketball over the last 12 months. All reports from the off season say that he spent a lot of time strengthening his core to protect his back. You don't stay sharp by doing pilates every day. His FT% is all the evidence we need of this. Unless his back is causing him serious pain, his FT% would not be affected by his physical condition. The fact that he can't sink a free throw and the arc of his jump shots are flat mean that he is very rusty. Practice and playing time will cure this because we know he is a world class shooter. 2) He isn't going to the basket because he is worried about injuring himself. He seems to be moving around the court fine, but not willing to take any risks. Frankly, I agree with the way he is playing. I think he needs to ease his way back into it rather than being wreckless. Give him a month. He'll stop thinking about the back and concentrate on the game better. Once he takes a few hard fouls he will gain confidence.... if he takes a few hits and reinjures himself, then it unfortunately it isn't meant to be. Currently, I don't see him grimacing, so I don't think he is experiencing any real pain right now. He always makes faces or walks gingerly when he is hurting. That said... for the Rocket's playoff seeding, I hope things turn around sooner than later.
I 100% agree with this post. JVG needs to treat Tmac like a regular SG for right now and have in running around picks for open shots and back doors etc. he is not in the decision making place that he was in the 05 playoffs.. but it will get there. but really, JVG needs to start designing and going to plays that are specifically made to get TMac going.
I second it. He is mentally weak. The following is quoted from http://clutchfans.net/game.cfm?gameID=2853: "It's getting pretty bad over here. It's still early and way too premature to think he's lost it, but the "I'm hesitating" excuse doesn't work when you can't even hit your free throws. Right now, McGrady just can't shoot well from anywhere ... guarded or not."
I agree the shooting thing looks more like a little rust than back woes. I am sure T-Mac is gonna pick and choose his spots to attack the rack like the T-Mac of old. I think Tracy is still capable of that kind of slashing full-attack mode style, but we might not see a lot of it in the Regular season, particularly if the complimentary pieces jell, Yao remains monsterous and we don't need Tracy's A+ game to make the playoffs.
