Great news. I'm even more excited than normal for the season to start. But, this just in: Weisbrod is still a douchebag.
Yea, i didnt like seeing francis and mobley go, but i think its for the best, I just hope McGrady plays as hard as Francis, then we're definitely in business. No matter how you look at it, its a great investment for the future.
Leadership is a problem Steve was a good leader Look for the Rockets to bring in a veteran leader type, probably at point. Barry, Fisher, or Snow Look for the offense to run primarily run through TMac, but begin with Yao in the post. I believe Yao and TMac will click. The key will be the surrounding cast because team will try to take away Yao and TMac. So if we can get some players who can knock down the open shot. And TMac plays D and we get Yao a back up. And we don't have serious injuries. We will be better than last year. It may take 2 seasons to get the right supporting cast. But we can build around TMac and Yao. Please don't kill this team next year. This is a combo we can give some time. Both of these young players are coming into their prime. Shaq and Kobe couldn't win it the past 2 years. Why - supporting cast So be patient, the key building blocks are in place. I am ready for another championship.
Chad Ford is a complete and total bandwagon-jumping dumbass, very few fans on this board take what he says seriously. Instead saying the same thing over again, why don't you just say something like I disagree with the move and we'll see how it turns out, instead of being a doomsday sayer. But again its a forum, that your perogative. Hopefully you are a true Rockets fan lke the rest of us and will root for the team no matter what.
Third stop the charm for wayward star McGrady? June 29, 2004 By Mike Kahn SportsLine.com Executive Editor Tell Mike your opinion! This was inevitable. Tracy McGrady, now 24, was unhappy with the second team of his career and had to go. It's hard to believe, considering the Orlando Magic play just about a 7-iron from his hometown of Auburndale, Fla., but this is just the way of the NBA star in 2004. The Rockets hope Tracy McGrady can help fly them to an NBA title.(Getty Images) Evidently, Orlando didn't end up being any more fun than being with his cousin Vince Carter playing in Toronto. On to Houston, where Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley, while explosive offensively and fun to watch, drove a fundamentally grounded basketball man like Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy close to insane. And once Francis overcame the nausea of leaving the guarantee of playing with Yao Ming as a possible championship contender -- and getting comfortable with the future of the Magic -- the deal had to fly. So that means McGrady, Juwan Howard, Reece Gaines and Tyronn Lue go to Houston, while the Magic get back Francis, Mobley and Kelvin Cato in a blockbuster that has been talked about for weeks. The Magic also have prep sensation Dwight Howard, the top pick in last week's NBA Draft, to build around in the frontline. And yet, this deal cements that they still are a backcourt-oriented team and soft up front. Cato remains nothing more than a marginal, if sometimes tough, player. But it would figure the juice from Francis, Mobley and Howard will at least make them exciting ... if still not a playoff team for coach Johnny Davis. The Rockets will be more interesting too. McGrady will fit on the wing, presumably opposite Jim Jackson, and now the Rockets have to figure out who their point guard is going to be. Will it be Lue -- a limited, erratic player in his career? More likely, they will throw a long-term mid-level deal at the likes of somebody like Derek Fisher or Brent Barry, or maybe even Troy Hudson, who doesn't fit quite as well. Or, they could move Maurice Taylor in a package deal if there is somebody else they would like to land. Still, you now have a much more consistently effective star in McGrady fitting with the rapidly improving and dominating Yao. T-Mac also fits more what Van Gundy wants on the wing as opposed to the dribble-fest Francis laid on him every quarter of every game. It was a deal the Magic had to make considering McGrady tied up new Magic general manager John Weisbrod like a pretzel forcing him to make a deal to Houston since that was the only team he said he definitely would re-sign with. So, yeah, Weisbrod did OK getting an All-Star in return. But this is about where the Rockets are going and how McGrady wants to be an integral part of it. And that works. Then again, wasn't that the same song he sang in summer of 2000 when he signed with the Magic? http://www.sportsline.com/nba/story/7460325 Trade: The McGrady Deal (June 29) Tracy McGrady Stat 2003-04 GP 67 Minutes 39.9 PPG 28.0 RPG 6.0 APG 5.5 Steve Francis Stat 2003-04 GP 79 Minutes 40.4 PPG 16.6 RPG 5.5 APG 6.2 Analysis: It required effort on the part of Magic general manager John Weisbrod, but whatever he said was enough to convince Steve Francis that playing in Orlando was a viable move. Francis will be the main offensive threat, unlike in Houston, where Jeff Van Gundy attempted to work the offense through center Yao Ming. Both Cuttino Mobley and Francis saw a dropoff in their production as a result. Depending on how long it'll take for Dwight Howard to develop his game, both Mobley and Francis will need to carry this team through the painful process of rebuilding. The Rockets, meanwhile, have the league's top scorer in Tracy McGrady. It'll be interesting to see how well he works with Ming, who will also receive frontcourt support in the form of Juwan Howard. Van Gundy will certainly have his hands full with the talented McGrady, who possesses one of the league's stronger personalities. To Orlando: Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley and Kelvin Cato To Houston: Tracy McGrady, Tyronn Lue, Juwan Howard.
Welcome T-MAC!! Now please sign your extension so we can proceed to become the next dominate team of the NBA. Go ROCKS!!!!
Haha, this is priceless. Some of the reactions from Magic Fans are just funny to read http://www.orlandosentinel.com/spor...9.graffitiboard?coll=orl-home-specialbreaking
I'd still give the most dominant player in the NBA title to Shaq, there just aint nothing like him, and there really isnt much that stops him. And soon the most dominant will be Yao.
I'm delighted with the deal but I'm going to miss Cuttino,Francis and Cato. I will always cheer for them except against us.
This makes it pretty clear who won in this trade (sorry if you've already seen it): Sports Illustrated trade analysis
shaq isnt as skilled as timmy d on defense. but has great instincts. he gives hard fouls, and he used to really get up and knock balls into the 15th row. he was a dominating defensive presence when he wanted to be. i think all defensive team twice.
