article link <b>TRADE T-MAC?</b> Let's turn now to some old-school emailing, from my man Stinder S., who sends me a pack of musings every now and then. One of them involved the Rockets. "If the Houston Rockets don't get out of the first round next year, I could see them dealing T-Mac. T-Mac has fallen off the NBA map in a big way. T-Mac's body is breaking down due to slight frame it appears." I will agree that if things do not go well for Houston next spring, team officials have to consider trading McGrady. You can point to injuries holding this team back, but they were healthy last postseason. You can point, too, to Jeff Van Gundy being a bad fit, but now that Rick Adelman is aboard that excuse is out. Still, I would hesitate to say McGrady has fallen off the map. He averaged 22.4 points and 6.3 assists last year and though injuries were a recurring problem, the 11 games he missed were not all that many. He played through a lot of pain, and he helped his team to 52 wins. He happens to have the misfortune of playing in the Western Conference. And, if you've ever stood next to McGrady, you know his frame is certainly not slight. The guy is big. He just has a consistently bad back. I don't think T-Mac has fallen off the NBA map. What do you guys think?
I agree with the article. If you think McGrady is still an elite player you are kidding yourself. He settles for jumpers. The killer instinct, the 2nd gear, its not as ferocious, its now rare. McGrady doesn't get to the foul line nearly enough. His once high impact defensive game has been replaced by often lazy play on that end. He never attacks the offensive glass (although JVG probably favored the transition D). Yes sometimes he is at a high level. But he doesn't bring it every night like Kobe, Wade, or Nash. He can regain that elite status, the article hints at it. But if we are 1 and done again I could definitely see McGrady being dealt. Les Alexander loves to make noise.
Normally Deveney is very insightful with his opinions, but this time he's slipped up imo. One major thing is, Mac averaged 24.6 points and 6.5 assists last year, not 22.4 and 6.3 like he said. 2 points and .2 assists is quite a big difference. And yes, I would agree that Tracy might be shopped around if the team fails to get past the first round again next year. But we might see him around for one more year, given that Adelman IS new, and one season might not be fully enough for the players to get comfortable in Adelman's complex offensive set-up.
He certainly is NOT a superstar as a superstar is special and will impose his will to win playoff series all by himself a la LeBron James. Although I like how Tracy has changed his game from a ball hog to being a playmaker, he needs to take over during crunch time.
Your statement is not fair. LeBron did win several playoff series...but in the Leastern conference. If the Rockets were in the East, they would have definitely made it all the way to the finals and would have had a more interesting series against the Spurs.
McGrady finished 4th in the MVP race just this last season. the guy was a triple double threat everytime he stepped on the court,. he was the glue that kept our playoffs hopes alive when yao was injured. we went 20-12 during our toughest stretch of the season with him having like crazy offensive and assist numbers.. he putp 25 points in a defensive oriented game plan. Here our the games where tracy carried this team without yao.. ATL-W 31 points 13-18 FG 4-6 3 point att 4 assists. MEM-W 38 points 15-30 FG 5-8 3 point att 7 assists SEA-W 31 points 11-21 FG 3-6 3 point att 7 assists 6 boards 2 stl UTA-W 44 points 14-31 FG 3-10 3 point att 2 assists 9 boards @MIN-L 31 points 12-29 FG 2-6 3 point att 4 assists 6 boards @CHIC-W 31 points 14-29 FG 2-7 3 point att 8 assists 6 boards LAL- W 8 points 4-16 FG 0-7 3 point att 12 assists 5 boards @DEN-W 12 points 5-17 FG 0-4 3
They were exampel of some of the games he played in and stepped up. i did put the couple of the games he struggled to make it look balanced.
LeBron still beat a more talented Detroit team all by himself - he imposed his will to put the team on his shoulders and carry them to victory.
Just like how LBJ imposed he's will on the spurs?. give me a break, tracy took the jazz to 7 games without any real contribution from yao, battier, rafer and everybody else. LBJ beat a bunch of 2 nd rate teams like the wizards without arenas and butler. tracy would have went just as far as LBJ did in the east.
The rockets would have handeled the Pistons. also dont discount gooden and gibsons contribution in the playoffs. if tracy had those guys we have have crushed the spurs.
Don't these dudes know anything about basketball!? How can you finish 6th in MVP voting(and have a legit case to be top3) and 2nd team All-NBA and still fall off!? And for those on Lebron's jock, the guy had help. And thats on top of beating a team missing its 2 best players, a team where only one guy has heart(Kidd), and a stuck up cocky team that believed the Finals was already handed to them(much like Dallas). I'm tired of hearing how Lebron took me, Squirtle, Charmander, and Eric Cartman to the Finals. Drew Gooden, Pavlovic, and Gibson were outstanding throughout the playoffs. If Luther Head gave us 1/3 of what Gibson did we're in the West Finals. T-Mac finished game 7 with 29pts and 13asts. He literally had a hand in every basket we put through the hoop. He can't transfer himself into another body and shoot 3's for head, make a layup for Rafer, grab a rebound for Yao, or kiss Gundy's ass for Bonzi.
I disagree, in a seven game series Pistons win. Tmac will burn out and not show up in the crucial moments of the game.
Did you also include the part where he ran out of gas in the last six minutes of the game. Never before in the history of the NBA has a superstar ran out of gas.
Umm he played a pistons team and took them to the brink( 3-1 lead)that went on to become the world champions 12 months later. he also played a hornets team that had a healthy mashburn and a very, very good baron davis in it. also took them to a 3-1 lead. just look at he's teammates in orlando in those years and it's a miracle he took them to the playoffs. Next time you try to hate on tracy, atleast try to be logical? is that to much to ask?
