Just saw a quick bit with TMac on ch2 from the Tux/Tennies event. McGrady said he's not ruling himself out, but if they aren't in the running for the playoffs when he's able to come back he "won't come back for 4 or 5 games" and will shut it down and get ready for next season.
That would only be wise on his/the team's part. It's pretty obvious anyways that would've been the case, I think pretty much everyone here would've guessed the same thing...
He is done for the year then............. Lets hope they trade the pick, or at least get a rook than contribute right away.
tmac will end up sitting out the rest of the year. we can't win without him. we don't have an easy schedule ahead of us either. we may only win a few more games. hopefully that lands us a mid lotto pick, 9-7.
The most important thing right now is Tracy's health. I think tis the right decision to shut it down this season, get healthy and come back strong next year. A huge part of the future of this franchise is riding on that back of his, and I want Tracy & the Rockets to do everything to ensure that he is healthy long term.
He needs the rest big time. I want him fresh and ready to go for next season. We are stuck in a HUGE hole though as a team. We don't have a very good supporting cast, and I doubt we could get one if we don't trade away one of our superstars. I don't know, I don't want to trade away T-Mac or Yao, so how are we going to get a good supporting cast to be a championship contending team? The draft and the FA can only do so much...
smart GM be more creative You know, get a 3rd or 4th team involved. We dropped the ball this deadline Last summer was a bust dont repeat the same cycle
Might as well sit DW also, even if he does feel better the Rox brass should shut him down. Give the young guys like Lampe a chance to play and lets get Swift out there for 30 minutes a game for the rest of the season and see what he can do with big minutes.
It makes no sense logically! And sounds quitting to me, too. I do not know any great players in the history quit. Like Kobe or not, he never quits. No matter Tmac playing or not, I hope the Rockets won't quit. Now Yao's playing his best bball since he came in the league. Let's say to him, you are not good enough big fella to carry the team; take some rest and wait Tmac till next season. What the h*ll does that sound? Quitting cultivates loser's mentality. As long as Yao's still playing, the rockets can not tank the season.
What quit? He said "if they're not in the running for the playoffs".Which means he is actually still thinking about playing this season if by that time there's still a chance of us making it (still possible, especially if the Lakers suffer a small collapse due to losing Chris Mihm).
Tmac came back too quickly earlier this season and re-injured himself. We all know that. It's the limitation of his body, not his heart. Plus, I think what he means is if the Rockets is not in the playoff run by the time when only 4 or 5 games left, then he will just shut it down. I think that's a wise move for both this team and himself. Edit: come to think of it, if he does come back when only 4 or 5 games are left AND we are still in the playoff run, that means somehow this team has developed a good on-court chemistry. I am afraid he coming back then will disrupt the chemistry (Ewing theory )
A guy with a back injury which needs rest, who has nothing to play for, saving himself for next season is quitting? If there is no chance we make the playoffs-he sure as hell should rest up and get healthy, not to mention the fact that winning for no reason will only hurt our draft position. I want mcgrady to play only if we have a shot at making it. Otherwise we need to play the youngin's and rest our superstar.
I'd rather he "quits" now since we are virtually a miracle away from making the playoffs and him get better for the rest of his career then him sucking it up and ruining his back for years to come just for us to finish in the 9th spot, still on the outside looking in. Get better T-Mac, and come back strong next season!
I still remember an olympics diving competition years ago. The diver at the second place was no where near the first place and the third was not even close. He tried hard just to make his score gap to the first place slightly closer. Then at last dive, the diver at the first place fell... I want the Rockets to fight till all the 8 seeds are clinched! If not, quitting is not acceptable. Miracle does happen sometimes! And if you have one excuse to quit for the first time, you will have another to quit again!!
Um....I think that's what he's saying. He'll shut it down if we're out of the race. Why come back for the last 5 games if we're already eliminated? Especially since he obviously needs rest. I can't believe some people here are accusing T-Mac of quitting in this situation. Well, on second thought, yes I can. If he was a quitter, he wouldn't have played all season because he's been in pain since day 1.
More from the Chronicle: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/3729683.html T-Mac eyes next season This year likely over for ailing star unless Rockets in playoff hunt late By JONATHAN FEIGEN For the first time since he was helped off the Toyota Center floor, Rockets forward and leading scorer Tracy McGrady was there again Thursday. It was, he said, the last time he expects to be on that court this season. McGrady said the prognosis that he would be out "up to five weeks" was actually firm doctor's orders. Speaking at the Rockets' annual Tux & Tennies dinner, McGrady repeatedly referred to coming back "next season." He was confident he would fully recover from his injury, a strained lower back. But he could only hope he would not suffer through another season of back spasms. "I can't do anything physical until five weeks (from last week's diagnosis)," McGrady said. "That leaves me with four or five games left. It all depends on where we are after those five weeks. I'm definitely not ruling myself out right now. But if we're not in the running for the playoffs and we only have four or five games left, it really doesn't make sense for me to come back. Just prepare myself and get ready for next year. "That's what my doctor advised me. The five weeks is definitely something I've got to abide by. That's not doing anything physical for five weeks." Owner feels frustration The Rockets have had 13 players miss a combined 219 games with injuries or illness. They have gone 2-17 in games McGrady has missed. "It's the most frustrating season for me since I've owned the club," Rockets owner Leslie Alexander, who bought the Rockets on July 30, 1993, said. "We had such high hopes, with such great players. To see Yao (Ming) emerge as one of the best players in the NBA, if we had a healthy Tracy right now with a healthy Yao, who knows where we could go. "We've still got a chance to make the playoffs. That's obviously a slim chance. But we still have a chance. We salvage it by looking forward to what's coming up in the future." McGrady, who averaged 24.4 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists, said he could do little else. "It's a real difficult situation knowing I'm dealing with the back issue again," McGrady said. "Thank God it's not what I was dealing with in the beginning of the season. But right now, I'm in a five-week process of not doing anything. After those five weeks, I can see how I feel and I can get back to my training regimen and get ready for next season. "For this to set me back throughout this whole season was not just frustrating but very disappointing as well. But I will bounce back. My team will bounce back. And I will be ready to go next year." While the treatment, including an anti-inflammatory injection Wednesday, is designed to heal his strained back, the condition that caused the muscles to spasm is considered separate from his current injury. McGrady suffered back spasms on three occasions this season, starting Nov. 4, missing 13 games before his March 5 injury. "I'm praying I don't have the awkward landings I've been having," McGrady said. "That does trigger things. Because my disc is bulging I'm not going to wake up one morning and my back will be in spasms. It all comes from awkward landings or coming down wrong. "That's just how I play. It doesn't concern me. I'm not going to go out and tone down my game because it is a possibility I might come down wrong. If I think about that, I would be miserable out there and I won't be helping my team, I won't be helping myself." Yao worth watching For now, however, he is watching games on television and waiting for next season. "My big fella is giving me something to watch," McGrady said. "I've been loving the way Yao has been coming around and taking over, doing the things he's been doing since the All-Star break. That is fun to watch to me. And I'm laying in my bed every night just cringing, wishing I could be out there with him and helping my teammates out. But with all the bad coming out of this as far as me being out and my team struggling right now, there is a lot of good with Yao emerging into the kind of player he has become of the past couple weeks. "I'm real confident about moving forward because I was fine up until that awkward landing. That all triggered it, just landing on my tailbone. ... I'm in good spirits. I'm walking. I'm frustrated and disappointed, but OK."
