If Shane doesn't play in the games Tracy misses, the Rockets might have a tough time chance of winning. The Clippers have shown some snap recently, but they should beat the Warriors and Grizz if Ron doesn't play like he's lost his mind again.
I say let Tracy sit as long as he needs to, within reason of course. I'd be comfortable with him sitting up to 4 weeks-if that is as long as he needs to take to feel like he can perform the way he is expected to. So, I say if he expects to miss another week the Rockets should hold him out an additional week as a precautionary measure. We need Tracy to come back at our near 100%, and, more importantly, with the assurance that the chance of re-injury has been minimized to the fullest. Like someone else said, even though you never want your vital players missing time... if they have to, then now is certainly the time to do it. We need Tracy to be hitting his stride after the all-star break, down the stretch, and into the playoffs. If that means having him rest a month, and then easing him back into his starting role... I say do it. Finally, it sure would be nice to have Brent Barry healthy... cause even though he had a great game against the Spurs, I just can't stand Head on the court for more than 10 mins a game. Sure, Head has his moments, but I just don't trust him to be a bankable contributer (and it's not like Mr. Sharpshooter Barry has been all that great filling the role he was brought in to fill... but I'd take him on the court over Head any game.) Let's hope the rest of the team can stay healthy and hungry against the "soft" matchups we have coming up, because it seems to me we win the games against the top tier teams and blow it against teams we should beat. It's important to consistantly beat both levels of competition, because until we do that we can't truly be considered a contender.
The main thing is him mentally. When he is focused, he is top 5 in the league no question? But the man has suffered so much injuries, it has made his head unstable. Its like when he is on the court, he feels if he makes a sharp turn, will his knee give out? When it was with his back He was worried the whole time, if he would tweak it. Most of the time its in his head. Now that he knows that his knee is only going to get stronger, I think he will be more relaxed and will be TMAC by January. Its pretty much a routine that McGrady starts off slow. But come playoff time the man is ready to play. I'm more concerned about Yao when March hits...
He has only played 60 and less once in his career. Facts are facts, He will play more then 60 guaranteed
I don't understand why people keep saying that. It's not like every player has a one-injury-per-season quota. You fulfill the quota, all is good. If anything, getting injured early will increase the chance of getting reinjured later.
So what is the root cause of the soreness in TMac's knee? If the pain was legitimate, the cause must be found and it must be healed.
the repaired part isn't strong enough to hold the activities on the court, so naturally it won't feel comfortable. Doctors' opinoins (include today's, who is THE top specialist in the country on this) are that he gotta play through it and let the repaired part grows stronger. but the rehab process can be painful, hopefully t-mac has the mental toughness to go through this period. There is really no easy way out.
See post #11 from Worzel. The cause is in his head. The way I see it, he doesn't like the way he has played, so he simply "shut it down" to avoid more embarassment.
Damn i guess i should have said it in a different way..I don't want any injuries but injuries are part of the game and are hard 2 avoid getting. McGrady and Yao are always getting hurt at the wrong time. Mainly during the end of the season when we need them the most. Yao was hurt earlier this season and McGrady is going through the same thing as last year. Hurt earlier during the season and came on strong at the end. Its better for them 2 get their rest or treatment now then later when we need them the most and its crunch time
Not just embarrasment. He wants to shut it down so he can get more used to the pain/awkwardness of the whole process. Tmac is getting owned on the court right now. We know it. He knows it. Wouldn't it be much better for him to sit out, become more confident with his condition and then have him back when we really need him (latter part of the season)? The next few games are winnable w/ or w/out tmac. Having him out should be a non-issue at this point...
Not really... You could make the argument both ways. He gets injured early so the previous injury has a bigger chance of acting up (say you injure your right foot, you put more pressure on your left generally). But on the contrary, not being injured early means more playing time means more wear and tear means more chance of getting injured. He's done this like 3 previous times in three previous seasons. Sucked early because of a nagging injury, sat out for about a week or two, then came back and averaged 22-25 a game for the rest of the season. This gives Artest time to get his act together because now with Tmac on the shelf we have to rely on him more.
I am glad he got the 2nd opinion if it makes him more comfortable. However, the diagnosis and plan is exactly the same as has been in place...limiting his minutes, but he needs to play to strengthen it... And he is sitting one more week - probably to get in shape a bit.... At the end of the day, I believe he should have been playing and listening to the doctors, but if this gets his head on right then it will have been worth it. DD
