http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6844530/ Tracy McGrady has twice led the NBA in scoring, and he's certainly a top-five talent in the league. There isn't anything he can't do on the court, but he just doesn't understand the team game. I think he's a great talent, but not a great player because if he was, his team, the Rockets, would be faring better. A role that doesn't fit I think McGrady is motivated by the fact Orlando traded him in the offseason. The deal united him with 7-foot-6 center Yao Ming, and all the talk became that McGrady and Yao would be the next Kobe and Shaq. It's easy to talk big in the summer about developing the best inside-outside two-man game in the league, but it's another thing to go out and prove that on the court -- something McGrady and Yao have been unable to do on a regular basis. So in mid-January, Houston hovers around the .500 mark, after a 45-37 record last season. I think McGrady has something to prove in trying to help the Rockets live up to their potential. They seem to be getting closer to doing so, and they still have a long season ahead to move forward on this front. But to be a greatplayer, McGrady has to find a way to lift his team, but he doesn't do anything in that regard. In Orlando the Magic tried to force feed McGrady into being a leader, but he's not a leader. He's not a vocal guy, he's not a hustle guy. He's not a guy who is going to come into practice and pick everybody up. He'll scowl at teammates, he'll frown at them, he'll show disgust and frustration at them, but he won't lead them -- and I don't know if he ever will since that's not his personality. He even says that's not who is, and that he doesn't want to be a leader. He's just a tremendous talent who needs better players around him. Hurting for help McGrady has not jelled with Yao and the Rockets nearly as well as many expected. I think when the deal with Orlando was made, people figured that with McGrady, a top-five talent in the NBA, joining Yao, who is arguably the second-best center in the league, the Rockets would soar. McGrady-Yao seemed like the type of 1-2 combination that every team is striving for, but a key to why they haven't emerged as the next Kobe and Shaq is that their supporting cast is not good enough right now. Houston lacks the kind of floor general, point guard, spot-up shooter that it needs to help make McGrady and Yao better together. The Rockets are trying to make do by splitting up time at the point between David Wesley, Bob Sura and Jon Barry. They have acquired these players (Sura in the offseason and Wesley and Barry in December) to help spread the floor for them. The threat of this trio's outside shooting makes it easier on McGrady and Yao to get what they want offensively, so these additions make sense. The Rockets are in better shape now in the backcourt than they were at the start of the season, but they still lack a true point guard, and that is holding them back. They have talked about signing Rod Strickland and giving him limited duty if the veteran can get into shape, but I don't think that move is the answer. Houston has other areas of concern. Their power forward position is ordinary at best, and their bench is nothing special. And the Rockets don't have high-energy guys -- animated players who look like they are enjoying playing the game. Barry is a live wire, but I don't think he has been with Houston long enough to have an affect yet. But Wesley, Yao and McGrady look unhappy, and look like they are not having any fun playing basketball. A work in progress In Orlando, McGrady had a free hand to come down court and shoot the ball, but to help his team, he needs to be a more complete offensive player: posting up, driving to the basket and utilizing his passing skills. McGrady developed some very bad offensive habits with the Magic, but he got away with that because he is such a good shooter and makes his fair share of shots. Since joining Houston, I'd say McGrady has taken some steps in the right direction, but he is still not close to where he needs to be as a team player. I've seen from the beginning of the season that he is posting up a little bit more, really going down low and playing with his back to the basket. The idea behind this is to create problems for the defense, draw double teams, and get some easy shots for the other guys who have trouble scoring. McGrady should realize that, but he's still prone to taking shots when he's fed the ball on a post-up, instead of passing out of it if there's a better option or an open man. He just doesn't see the game that way, and I don't know if he ever will. Defensively, I've seen him give a better effort this season. He is getting back in transition, something I rarely saw him do when he played with the Magic. This shows that he is more into the game, and that he realizes he and his teammates have got to get back on defense, and exert effort on defense -- something he wasn't used to doing in Orlando. I think Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy has gotten through to some extent with McGrady, and is heading him in the right direction. Changing philosophy My sense of seeing the Rockets play of late is that Van Gundy has gotten away from trying to put the square peg in the round hole. By that I mean the coach has lessened his emphasis on McGrady and others getting the ball inside to Yao on a very frequent basis. I think this will help the Rockets. Yao isn't comfortable when he is being consistently fed the ball down low since that's not who he is or wants to be as a player. I think there are certain games and certain matchups where going to Yao inside is effective, and has to be utilized, but the third-year center is probably more comfortable facing the basket and shooting from 17 or 18 feet. And I think Van Gundy is open to letting him play that way more now than he was earlier in the season. Same thing with McGrady as instead of trying to put him in a role where he's not comfortable, the Rockets are now unleashing him, letting him go ahead and make the decisions he wants as to when to shoot the ball, and when to pass it. That's really the type of player McGrady is, and I don't think you can harness him into a specific role that he doesn't really buy into. Without a strong enough supporting cast for McGrady and Yao, Van Gundy has apparently opted to just have them play the way they are most comfortable playing, and take his chances with that. Blueprint for future success The Rockets look to me like a team that will win 42 or 43 games, and that could land them the seventh or eighth seed in the Western Conference. I think Houston is better than Minnesota, and as long as McGrady and Yao stay reasonably healthy, I think the Rockets will hang on and find a way into the playoffs. In the future, I think further success for this franchise comes down to a question of how much Houston can upgrade the supporting cast for its two stars. I also think the Rockets probably have to figure out just who Yao is as a player, and probably be a little more consistent with that once they arrive at it. They need to realize that Yao's personality isn't going to change. He's got skills and can improve them, but his personality is not to be this big force inside, which they want him to be because he's so tall. As for McGrady, I'm not saying he's doesn't try and doesn't care, but in the basketball world we're in today, there is so much emphasis on individual achievement, stats, All-Star teams, endorsements and contracts, that very rarely is team basketball talked about. But when it is, McGrady should take in what's being said, and then put it into action on the court -- for that is his path to greatness. Goukas makes excellent points. I said it last year, and I'll say it now. I'll take the short, muscular black guy every single time over the tall, skinny Asian guy as far as the low post goes. This is why the ultra skilled white guys like Dirk don't play in the low post. Of course, Yao should get some points in the low post, but the dude is not Shaq. I liken Yao to more of a slow KG. TMac is a badass, but he Goukas says it like it is. He's no leader. He brings fire for himself. That's it. He doesn't bring passion and brimstone for any other teammate especially Yao. If Yao is looking for TMac for a pick me up after he gets a facial, he is looking to the wrong place. The only thing he'll get from TMac is a look of disgust which seems to be more commonplace.
McGrady's looked pretty happy the last few weeks. I think he's easily shown that the old McGrady that Goukas is referring to here is dying. Case in point the other night when he dove for that lose ball and where he was able to knock it off the Pacer player on the sideline. The look on his face after that play was not the look of a person who doesn't have the personality to lead this team. Hell, getting frustrated with your teammates is a trait that's shared by all leaders. Players like Jordan, Malone, Magic, Shaq, etc. have all shown frustration at their teammates when they weren't giving the effort they were. Wesley just looks frustrated with his shot. Yao, well Yao looks frustrated because he's probably having his worst shooting year ever playing basketball. I think that effects the rest of his game more than anything else. It hurts his confidence and that translates into being lazy and passive with the ball. I still contend that all this team needs his to start hitting its shots more consistently, starting with Yao, and they'll continue to move up.
I disagree with the article in general. I think the days of one player being able to put a team on his back for 82 games is more a thing of the past. Arguably the best player in the league Kevin Garnett has his team barely hanging onto a playoff spot. This guy is probably the ultimate leader in basketball and it doesn't matter.
This might be true to some degree, but I think it has more to do with the position the star player plays, and the system they play under. Traditinally, PG & center (post) have the biggest impact on the game, and it's still true in todays game. It's obvious that a PG has the biggest impact on any teams success since he handles the ball 90%+ times. Nash is your typical example. He was very good with the Mavs, but the MVP with the Suns. As for the center's impact, just check out the attension Shaq got on both end of the floor. (oh, I don't consider guys who shoot 15ft+ regularly a center.)
I think a defensive powerful PF would turn things around. I beleive that this team is close, because we play certain teams outstanding and disappear against others. 1 piece of the puzzle is missing and it's big. Once Yao get's his spacing and a new PF puts his big body in there to draw attention away from Yao down low, things will change. Once the inside improves, I don't believe you'll see us throw up 3's quite as much. At least I believe that to be the case.
I remember watching a documentary of Kobe and Shaq and they couldn't quite get it together their first year together. They showed signs but it wasn't until the second season that they became dominant. We just gotta be patient.
I'm not saying that T-Mac and Yao won't do better but Kobe was 18 and a rookie when he joined Shaq. Of course they weren't dominant when they joined together.
