If you agree with Barkley's assertion that McGrady is a "sorry" player now.... The thing about verbal spats is that they aren't always based on fact - but you're having a dig at McGrady because he took a shot at Barkley because Barkley takes shots at him. You're saying you've lost more respect for McGrady because he hacked out Barkley's time with the Rockets, so I just wanted to show how you were doing the same thing to Tracy that you're alleging he did to Barkley. Neither you nor he are correct. And nor is Barkely correct in the slurs he throws at McGrady and the Rockets organisation. Fact: Barkley is bitter and takes swipes, McGrady took a swipe back at him. I fail to see how it had any relevance to the fact that McGrady was a 19 year old in Toronto while Shaq fell over trying to back Barkley into the post! So I'm just pointing out that your 'AntiMcGradiness' might have coloured your post a little too darkly! But heck - go Rockets eh!!
I love how people love to throw around that McGrady has backspasms, as if the man shuts it down because he has a hangnail. His backspams are due to the fact that he has a mild form of scoliosis. His conditioning is based around this problem. It's not as if he doesn't know when to push away from the dinner table like Barkley. Barkley's problem with the Rockets goes back to the fact that he willingly accepted the vets minimum and actively sought for the Rockets to bring in his boyfriend Scottie Pippen. As Scottie has proven over and over, he was nothing more than MJ's valet. Or probably more appropriately, on the level of Robin with Batman. When MJ was playing baseball, and Scottie wasn't called on to make the last shot of one of the Bulls games, Toni Kukoc (SIC) was instead, Scottie pouted and sat out the last play of the game he was so upset. I can't believe the Rockets decided to bring him here after that episode. But a lot of that had to do with Barkely. Barkley wanted to hang with MJ so badly, he tried to befriend Scottie. This backfired. After every Scottie screwup, playing out of position, throwing the ball away, missingshots, etc. Charles would rush to his defense. What did Scottie do in return? Scottie told the media that Michael never wanted to play with Charles because of his lack of discipline. He further stated that MJ said that was why Charles would never win a championship, because he didn't have the discipline to get in shape. This is where all this stems from for Charles. I felt bad for him t the time because I've always felt Scottie had no class, and was spoiled. He has never accomplished anything without Michael Jordan. Nothing...NADA....Zilch..zero... So Charles should only be angry with himself.....and if you look at him, whenever he covers the Rockets this may be the case.
I watched alot of Tracy and i am well of aware of his back problems starting before he got to Houston. He is no longer a terrific athelete he hasn't been that since he was in Orlando. If you watch him nowadays he mostly kills guys with his triple threat skills, ball fakes, and post ups. When is the last time you've seen him burn a great defender from the perimeter without using many moves just quickness? I think he is still a great player but he peaked atheletically in like 2003, right around the time he started having problems with his back. These other injuries might have something to do with it also but even his first season with houston he looked diminished atheletically. As far as the playmaking goes i agree with you that he has improved at it but he was better than most people gave him credit for when he was in Orlando. I watched alot him do alot of the same things he does here but what can you really do with a squad full of terrible players, he's never been the selfish killer instinct type of player (like Kobe and AI) that people made him out to be. i think he is one of the greats also but if he could continue to play as atheletically as he did then and be the seasoned vet that he is now, he would have been an easy pick for top 10 of all time. You have to think about what he was doing at 23, he could have been the 2nd best SG of all time. He was lebron w/o the muscle. Now he is just a great player who doesn't have the atheleticism to dominate every night. It hurts me more than anyone else to think about this.
easy there... I actually agree with most of what you guys are saying. What i meant is that his back spasms really destroyed what he could have been he was arguaby better than Kobe. I think he's great now he just would have been much more unstoppable with the insane atheleticism he had before the spasms (which, as has already been discussed, is probably caused by his scoliosis). He is also arguably better now than any of those great statistical years (i don't read too much into stats) but he would have been much better w/o spasms because he hasn't been the same atheletically since then. I don't think you can disagree with that.
Again, I have to disagree. At the start of this season he was giving terrific highlights, and easily driving past anyone he wanted. In 04-05 he looked more explosive and agile than his last season with the Magic. He is still a terrific athlete when healthy IMO. He burned Bowen last year pretty easily during the game at SA when he dropped 37, and of course this year he absolutely flew past Rip Hamilton for that monster dunk in the Pistons game. I agree he peaked athletically in 2003...no question about that. But he is still an incredible athlete who, when healthy, has such a quick first step that he can get past anyone in a one on one situation. Agreed...he was a great passer in Orlando, but his instincts as not only a passer, but overall playmaker have done gotten considerably better. We agree...yay. He was NEVER the kind of player that LeBron is. Even in 2002-2003 over 70% of his FGA were jumpshots, which is considerably higher than the LeBron's and Wade's of the world. He also, despite all the great highlights, was never a great finisher around the rim statistically (59% EFG compared to LeBron;s 71% EFG or Kobe's 65% EFG). He has always been primarily a jumpshooter, and in the midrange department he is actually better than he was in Orlando. Honestly, as long as he is health-wise where he was to start off the season, he should have no problem consistently being a top 5 player in this league and rolling up the all-time ranks.
i think we pretty much agree... Obviously he isn't slow but i was just getting at the fact that a tmac with 2003 atheleticism now would be a better player. Back then he routinely blew by any defender where as nowadays you remember when it happens. Also, i wasn't trying to say that he played like Lebron, i was using him as an example to show the comparison of the disparity in atheleticism. He was the early 2000's Lebron, as in he was a 6-8 beast, with a tremendous wingspan, crazy vertical, and moved like a much smaller guard. incedentily my comment on him being like Lebron w/o muscle is somewhat accurate because that is one of the biggest reasons he doesn't finish as well around the rim. Those other two guys have much more muscle to take the contact and still finish.
Well I gotta disagree with you for some of your previous statements. T-mac does still have his explosive first step, and these things are something people will never lose, unless they break their leg or something. Even bobby jackson has awesome ball handles, and he is age 35. There are many games where he blew by defenders, nuggets, pistons. Also, t-mac alley-oops alot in games lately (well at least once every 1-3 games). Alley oops also requires a big first step in order to get away from your opponent. As for althetism. We can agree that he isn't as good as before, but in his orlando days, his athletism was Olympic worthy. He althetism was that of an olympic player. It was that amazing. Its only a little worse than MJ's jumping ability. But now, he may no longer have that olympic atheltism (but for some reason all his olympic atheletism returned to him in game 2 playoffs last season. He made 2 insane circus shots, REALLY insane circus shots.) However, he is still a terrific athlete. Yes, terrific. In fact, he could actually do some of the things lebron does if he was as strong as him, because he could control the basketball better. However, to distinguish someone between a good athelete and terrific athelete, simple. Rudy Gay and McGrady. Rudy is a good athelete, he can dunk, but he cannot do the things Mcgrady does. Step backs, fadeaways, rocketstep. In fact. ONLY terrific atheletes will have the full set of offensive moves that kobe and mcgrady and jordan have. It has been confirmed by many writers that right now, only 2 players in the league possess the complete offensive arsenal, step backs, rocketstep, fadeaway. And that is kobe and t-mac. Only these 2 players have perfected it, and it requires a terrific athelete to do this. So yes, that is my opinion, and it has been justified. So im not bsing.
Barkley was not a sorry player. But to say that Barkley "carried" the Rockets with Dream and Clyde on the team is just laughable. Only a person who is blinded so much by hatred would say that.
he's antisonic, one of the best and consistent tmac bashers, give him credit for that. barkley's stats with houston 96-97 - 19.1ppg and 13.5rpg 97-98 - 15.2ppg and 11.7rpg 98-99 - 16.1ppg and 12.2rpg 99-00 - 14.5ppg and 10.5rpg i wouldn't say he "carried" the franchise when those are all career-low scoring #s. tmac's career as a rocket has been better. i mean, who wouldn't do well if you had 2 other HOFs playing with you .
