Umm.,any TMAC news??? i think TMAC has learned a bit from the past..he seems very quiet now since the start of preseason.He's keeping his mouth shut.Maybe letting his game do the talking this time instead of saying that he promises that we will see a very fierce TMAC on the court etc..like he said last year.But...anyone got some scoop???Whats up w/ the dude?
Last updates are verbal ones from Bill, Bull and Co on the telecasts. They are saying that hie workouts have been continuing and he is doing more and more full speed scrimmages every week. A MRI done in the last week shows no problems, and his return is still tentatively set at after another MRI scheduled towards the end of Nov. If everything goes well, then he will be cleared to return to action.(hopefully) Still too many variables to set a definite date.
Has anyone heard any more news on T-Mac? Just wondering how a healthy McGrady will impact our rotation. Would Battier or Ariza come off the bench? Assuming that T-Mac start at SG, where does Ariza & Battier get their minutes? Can any of these guys slide to the 4 position & could we see all three on the court at the same time? I know Ariza was brought here to expand his game, probably wouldn't go so well with him not starting. Can't forget Budinger, he has shown he deserves some playing time. Hopefully, RA will spread the minutes and use our depth to wear down the opponents.
well I don't think this has been posted yet and it can be considered as good news seeing as how Bill said that t-mac had a really nice dunk in a scrimmage during practice. So we can look forward to some good basketball from the Mac I think. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKsR8CVK63s&feature=player_profilepage
A "healthy" TMac sends Ariza to the bench - which is no big deal for a MLE guy -but in the prayerful event he plays like he did the year before last, I hope RA is willing to experiment with the starting rotation. The problem is if TMac is Tmac, will he still play the way he did before or see what this team needs and make the pass (he's great at it) instead of jacking up shots? How long can TMac stand coming off the bench (he will when he comes back) in a contract year? BTW, I'm not bashing TMac here. In fact I'm more willing to trust him now because we really need him this year (desperation needs hope). As for Ariza and Battier playing the 4, argh. They can defend some 4s, but offensively that's trouble unless they start shooting lights out on 3 pointers.
I think Ariza can handle defending some 4. The problem will be teams who have multiple 7 footers with post up games, which luckily is only a few teams in the NBA. If we run Brooks, McGrady, Battier, Ariza, Hayes Hayes can handle one good post up player, but that would leave Ariza mismatched.
Agreed. JVG and CD really experimented with Shane playing at the 4, but it negated most of his defensive strengths. Ariza at least has more length and better quickness, so who knows? We're definitely going to be picking our poison at times.
Anybody want to break down the playing minutes for each positon, all assuming T-Mac comes back 100% and is the player he was a couple of seasons ago? For example: PG- Brooks 28 mins Lowry 20 mins
outside of tracy and shane, the other guys' minutes will vary depending on their performance and matchups.
Ariza at PF would be a disaster for the Rockets. Sure, he has more length and athleticism than Shane but his physique also looks like a crack addict's. Shane is big for a SF and he doesn't have near the strength/size to guard most PF in the league. What do you think will happen to Ariza when he puts all 210lb of him against players 40-50lbs heavier than he is?
I can see T-Mac at the point with Ariza and Shane on the wings to close out some games or against some favorable matchups.
I don't think you read my post. In limited quantities, Ariza can handle the 4 , as long as his defensive assignment isnt an overpowering post player. He is quick/long enough to guard shooting stlye big men and "front up" bigmen.
Your post stated that he would be over-matched if the opposing front line had multiple 7 footers. I don't know what you meant but that's what you typed. I disagree with what you typed. I think the rule is that he would get killed by opposing PF and the exceptions to that would be so rare they are not worth considering.
There is no way Ariza is anywhere near strong enough to guard the opposing 4. Even if the opposing 4 isn't an offensive threat (i.e. Varejao), think of all the offensive rebounds they'd get.
We got two people going against larsv because 1) One is mad that his prediction of McGrady was false. Predicted he would be traded A LONG time ago. 2) One did not have any experience of weight lifting and playing basketball in general.
I don't know why you're getting all sensitive, but those two guys make a lot of sense when they post.
Ive seen games where Lowry ended up guarding the PF, to say Ariza can't handle it in small quantities is foolish. Its all about the matchups.
I doubt that for real. Ariza was brought here to to what shane does defensively and a little extra offensively by running,slashing, and other things. Shane is going to give his 7 ppg whether he starts or come off the bench.
