There have been worse injury prone players. Yao is giving him a run for his money. There really is no proof that McGrady worsened his knee by playing last year. His knee was found structurally sound during surgery. It sounds to me like since this is his first surgery he is taking an exaggerated amount of time to rehab. I've also noticed Worrell's and Bullard's comments on the subject and surprised no one else has picked up the vibe. Worrell and Bullard are around the team and may know more than they let on. At this point I agree with emjohn. Just run the team like you don't have McGrady. And then when he does finally decide he feels confident enough he can be effective on the court, have him initially come off the bench for the first couple of games just like we did last year. Just think positive and try to find a silver lining. The schedule is tough to start the season but they can still win.
And as for the shoulder, McGrady says it's no longer an issue: "Ever since I stopped lifting weights, my shoulder's been fine." http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/The_Odd_Couple-285574-34.html?rss=true
My shoulder had, after surgery, kept bothering me. I had another MRI and discovered I have arthritis in there, so I have to have surgery again on my shoulder. That's something I have to deal with again this season, but my knee should be ready by opening night (Oct. 29)." And as for the shoulder, McGrady says it's no longer an issue: "Ever since I stopped lifting weights, my shoulder's been fine." http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/The...4.html?rss=true First he said he shoulder was bothering him and that was something he had to deal with now the since he stopped lifting weights his shoulder is fine.
If he wants to play 100% pain free, he'll play less than 10 games a season. I never said he didn't play through pain. Don't put words in my mouth. It depends on the situation. In your scenario, are the team doctors telling him not to play? Is he taking unecessary risks (a la Tony Allen) during the game?
If there is any time to miss games, it would be in the preseason and start of the regular season. He is making the right decision to ease off, and by all accounts, has been working hard in practice working on his game and strengthening his knee. The last thing you want from a player is to push it too hard when they shouldn't (ex Battier, Yao)
Why are the first games of the season so important for some of you guys? Even if T-Mac will not play we have a solid team...and btw all of us know T-Mac presonality, he says what he is feeling at the moment...
His knee was bothersome all of last year. He had a deep bone bruise among other things that we do not know about. That same injury kept Marvin Harrison sidelined nearly all of last season, and he is still recovering. And what t_mac1 was talking about was how last year T-Mac injured his knee in December, started to be taken out during the 2nd halves of games, and doctors said nothing was wrong with it. He played through the pain, reinjured the knee, and a new test showed an injury not spotted with the other test. As a result, he missed nearly a month because of doctor incompetince. Basically, he does know his body. He has played through injuries many times before...the back, elbow, shoulder and knee. I agree with you that he is likely having confidence problems, but I do believe him when he says he is hurting.
Just a bit of info on arthritis.. it doesn't go away, but aggravating it can cause more pain. ie lifting weights with the muscles of the joints where it is located on a regular basis It's going to hurt him at some point during the season just from the repetitive motion of shooting, I would imagine. I have the early signs of Rheumatoid arthritis in my fingers and wrists, but that doesn't mean it hurts every time I type on the computer or write my name. But it does hurt sometimes if I spend a long day of data entry at work or doing 4 hours of math homework.
What the hell do you expect to happen. Of course when you stop lifting weights, which puts major stress on your shoulder joint, the arthritis will feel a lot better. Not to mention he is participating in 0 contact drills in practice. Expect it to flae up during the season when he is taking 20 shots and having to battle physical defenders like Bruce Bowen.
Dude give off too many mix signals,One day the world is going to end the next day everything is utopia.
He didn't say that this shoulder is no longer arthritic (which, by the way, was his doctor's diagnosis). He said that the pain is no longer an issue for him now that he's stopped lifting weights. If you have to change your normal routine as an athlete in order to not feel pain, that doesn't mean your body is perfectly fine.
He said it was hurting when he was lifting. He said it hasn't bothered him since he stopped lifting (and participating in 0 contact practices). OMFG hE mUst beeee fAkiNg it!!!1111!!!11
