CHRON - Super T-Mac to the rescue for the playoffs?

i want TMAC to win, I want him to win a championship and shut up those nay sayers ! Come on TMAC, everybody is rooting for you ! even Yao.. i'm sure Yao is your biggest fan right now ! go go tmac !

 

If the team is relying on Tmac to lead then it is doomed.

DD

 

LETS GO TRACY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"MCGRADY FOR THE WIN??????!!!!! YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

Look when McGrady tries to do too much it spells doom....

Just keep on keeping on...and play the team game with (Gasp) Rafer leading the show and we will be fine.

DD

 

That's funny b/c I seem to see him showing a lot of those leadership qualities lately, even before Yao went down. Basically as soon as he came back from injury, and moreso since the allstar break. The team is huddling, he's getting emotional out there, really looking to facilitate the offense, giving his teammates a "what the..." look if they do something wrong or stupid. He's expecting more from the guys around him, dogging himself, praising other players (not just Yao), etc.

Can he keep it up? Who knows...I sure hope so. B/c I tell you what guys/gals...I like what I see from him so far.

 

I am his biggest fan, but I just don't see it. For me, the first game without Yao would be a great indication of Tracy's fortitude and leadershp and he didn't show any of either. He missed assignments, he didn't drive the ball, he wasn't focused.

The game agaisnt the Wizards was a great telltale sign. He will have his good games, but the true test for him will be what will he do when games are going bad? WIll he step up or does he only respond when the Rockets are up and when he can see the endzone?

He hasn't been willing to go through the grind this year, executing every play, playing defense every possession. For every great possession, he will stand in the corner and rest for another possession. He needs to play every play.

Like Adelman said, he will be given opportunities to rest on off days.

 

I agree with you. If you look at the last game against the wizards; as soon as he went to the bench, you saw him getting up and cheering, Why? Because the team on the floor made two huge DEFENSIVE plays...that shows leadership in all aspects, not just flashy dunks and threes!

He knows what he has to do, and Rick knows what he has to do win...whether it be scoring, taking over games or doing what Scola said (I take his words over some of the people on board). Let's just wait and see...it's just infortunate that there are so many on this board who don't support him and call themselves a Rockets fan!!!!

 

Sorry that should be unfortunate...I mistyped!

 

Everybody on the team does that. Cheering is a form of encouragement and it's the last step of fulfilling the role of the leader. Encouragement comes after busting your tail, showing how it's done etc

Leadership is something that distinguishes you from the rest of the players. It's working the hardest, setting a tone for the team, playing defense.

He drifted agaisnt the WIzards. He stood out like a sore thumb. He was the least energetic player on either team. When Bobby has the ball on one side of the floor, the play is for him to come off a screen and get the ball to shoot or drive and/or dish. He didn't do that. Instead he was bent over with his hands on his shorts. That kind of play may have worked when Yao is playing, but now he can't take any plays off. He let poor Rafer try to do things that most of the time he's not capable of doing. He has to at least execute the game plan. Is that too much to ask?

He also has to start making his free throws and get rid of whatever mental barrier is not allowing him to make the free throws. He needs to play more physical and rebound. He has to be more active on defense. He is the one who gives up the most uncontested shots on our team.

He has to play harder and more focused every play. I watched Lebron last night. The dude's motor would never stop. He missed like 8 shots in a row at some point, but he kept getting the ball and trying to make something happen even though he didn't play well. That's leadership

 

I do expect us to win at least the first round with Tmac, wanna know why? because we are a team like the pistons. No one is super-star, we play as a team with all great players.

Tmac said it before we are like the pistons.

guess what did the pistons do? they beat the lakers with 4 future HOF. Not to mention our bench is super comparing with the pistons.

Not getting brent barry was a bump, but heck I still expect us to get into the playoffs and win the first round with his group.

next year with Yao back, we will win it all

 

Maybe Tmac is dogging it out there. Can you really blame him? Team is only doomed because the fans have already doomed him. This is equivalent to your own mother telling you you're nothing. Can I ask who else you expect to lead? Maybe you should be in the "Bring back Hakeem" thread.

 

Just look back at every season w/ our duo so far: every time Tmac is out Yao steps up, and every time Yao is out Tmac steps up.

Tmac is playing well...just needs a little more 'playing off the ball'.

 

Anybody else read anything like this before? Several times!? This is so tired, a plea for TMac to be an inspirational leader. Not happening, folks. Who was fired up for the Wizards after getting Yao's injury report? Everybody on the team but TMac. He seemed to finally catch on in the second half, but, inspiring leadership, hardly. TMac lacks consistency and intensity. The result of personality issues, temperament, or whatever, who knows?! But, this I do know, passion is more likely to come from Deke, Bobby Jackson, or even one of the rookies before it comes from him. It is just not the way he is wired.

 

A lot to ask of a guy in the midst of a shooting slump. If we make a run it'll be because of Scola, Landry and Deke.

 

Bada-boom, bada-bing!!! You nailed it, DD. And I actually like T-Mac as a player and, from what I can tell, as a person, too. T-Mac just has a lot of flair and talent but the fire in his heart is like a match in the wind during the playoffs.

 

I disagree. The lack of passion manifests itself during the regular season. He gets up for the playoffs. He's not vocal, but he definitely plays passionately during the plyaoffs.

The problem is that this year he has to lead us there first.

 

So give T-Mac a power dancers outfit and some friggin' pom-poms!!! Your crush on T-Mac is understandable (he's a good player), but you cannot see the forest through the trees when it comes to looking at the big picture of having T-Mac on this team.

Right now this team needs on-court leadership, effort and passion from T-Mac, but everytime T-Mac opens his mouth he says some crap like "I'm not mentally ready"...and that's when we had Yao and were waiting for T-Mac to come back. Now that Yao is out and T-Mac is back, he pipes up with something like "we're just like the Pistons" as some way of defraying the expectations that justifiably come along with his fat contract.

It's been said that you can't teach height. But let's not forget that you can't teach heart, and that T-Mac doesn't even appear to have one.

 

Getting past the first round would not be a painful experience AT ALL. Mark my words, if this team can get to the second round, with the West the way that it is, I would say that's an incredible feat. And it would be validation that we ARE headed in the right direction with this duo.....

 

No, Rockets getting past first round raises big, 7'6" questions. Remember Yao won't even be there!