Tmac is still a very special player healthy or not. I expect him to continue to set up his teammates. Like you said earlier, it's been a season long trend that our role players simply cannot hit shots. Frustrating....
C'mon guys/gals. T-Mac will not be anything like a ballhog. He takes control, and takes most of the shots as he should. but he has shown he trusts in his teammates. He has consistently passed off to his open teammates, whether they hit the shots or not. And still tells them to keep shooting it. I think all the players are on the same page. Just as they expect T-Mac to be the leader and make the big plays down the stretch (shooting or creating shots for others), he expects them to do their part as well. T-Mac also often gives props to his teammates. He shows confidence and leadership. Sure, it borders on conceit, but he always gives props to the other players from what I read and watch.
Tmac is a great player. However, I'm worried that he'll get injured again. I still have hope and I believe we can win.
You might want to wait to diss Kobe for a day when he doesn't put on one of the most incredible performances in basketball history. - Bill Walton
I completely agree. As well as pumping up himself, he's trying to give the rest of the team confidence. This team has been decimated by injuries. Somebody has to step up and say that they are not afraid. You damn well better want that someone to be Tracy.
I hope the remaining healthy teammates did not read his statements...he basically threw them under the bus. The timing is especially strange given we're coming off a game in which his teammates were the ones who carried the team so that he would be in position to make the final shot. TMac should realize that Head and Wesley have been on fire of late, Stro was someone he said he'd make an all-star, Juwan is a solid vet...he has capable players surrounding him. Why even bring up the "TMAC of old"? It's not like THAT TMac was even remotely a winner? And that was the TMAC that, IMO, led to our trouncing in Game 7 last year. TMAC came out gunning on a night that he didn't have his outside shot and ignored everyone not named Yao until it was too late. That said, since coming to the ROX, TMAC has been nothing but an unselfish and supportive teammate 99% of the time. I hope this was just the typical NBA bravado that we see from time to time and that he will not forget about how well some of our players have been playing of late.
Well, I think you're being a little unfair to T-Mac here. Even if T-Mac is not scoring, he is never "being carried" by the other players on the team. As the #1 scoring option, he is more responsible than anyone when his teammated get open looks. That is why Wesley and Head had the freedom and opportunity to knock down shots in the Third quarter. As we saw when T-Mac was out, those opportunities are not there without T-Mac. I think Tracy is essentially saying that with all the injuries, he will be and has to be the #1, #2, and #3 scoring option on this team. He NEEDS to assert himself. He needs to replace the offense that is gone. If he starts taking 30+ shots, that is good in this instance, because IMO those will be higher percentage shots (not only in terms of make/miss, but also in terms of creating offense in general) than anyone else can provide. By necessity other players will need to score as well, but if TRacy wants to go for 40 every night, I don't call that selfish, I call it necessary for this particular group to get any wins.
I just think our offense is going to be very simplified. TMac brings the ball up and either shoots or creates the open shot for Head, Wesley, or Howard from the top of the key. Plus on the defensive side, Van Gundy will have us pressing all over the floor starting at the half court line since Yao is out and we are smaller and more athletic with Stro on the floor. I think it will be very entertaining. Toronto and other teams will counter by doubling TMac from the endline, which will result in somebody else being open and bringing the ball up the floor, probably Moochie.
what's the career high for the single game scoring record for Houston? It's nothing in the 60's is it?
Um, i think he does. Why do you think he trained so hard this offseason? Why do you think he PERSONALLY contacted Swift to try and convince him to come to Houston? Why do you think when Wesley hit another big three against LAL and T-Mac was on the bench (i think) and gave him daps on the head? Why? B/c he knows he's the leader, everyone in the rockets organization knows that. He gave his man props not only in interviews, but also right there on the court.
The quote is of concern, not because he'll play selfishly or something, but because he's getting this idea that he has to carry the whole team all the time. That's why he left Orlando, because he felt like he had to do all the work because his teammates sucked. He's finding himself in the same situation here. He's taking it in stride for now. And, since it is a temporary thing until our injured players come back, hopefully it won't be a problem. If Yao becomes a chronic injury like Grant Hill, we may get some chemistry problems.
I don't think it's a concern. He never said, "well, when Yao, Sura, Alston, Barry, and Mutombo are healthy, I'll still have to score 50." He recognized the reality of the situation. That's all. Everybody knows this. You think Ryan Bowen doesn't realize that his jumper stinks like rotten eggs? Or that Swift doesn't realize that he ain't exactly Hakeem in the post? I didn't see that as belittling his teammates, but rather acknowledging that injuries have removed a huge chunk of the offense, and that he's going to have to make up for the slack. Hell, maybe it'll let the other guys play more loose, knowing they're not expected to suddenly shoot like allstars.
Ya, I don't think he feels he had to carry them all the time, but he does right now, when times aren't all gravy. I think you have that feeling too. But any given night, he has to put up 20+ points, penetrate to create shots for teammates, hit the big shots or create the big shots in crunch time, and be the leader out there...hardly easy, so it is a burden or a challenge I'm sure he lives for it, every day, every game. I see your point, and it WOULD be a concern if I didn't feel that everyone on the team were on the same page.
geez, some of yall are a tad too sensitive. i dont want to compare tmac to michael jordan, bc it is obvious that he isnt up there, but michael took the pressure off his teammates when they played bc of the way he controlled the game and because he is the leader. tmac is stepping up to be the leader of the team. now seriously, if any of the other rockets read this and are offended...get rid of them, because it is quite obvious they do not grasp their own talent. they SHOULD know that they are the role player and they SHOULD be rallying around tmac right now. he is the leader, they are the followers. the leader just proclaim that he is going to step it up and take total control. what are the rest of the players going to do? i dont think they will find that offensive at all, they will probably kick up their own game a notch because their leader is going to as well. sure there is no I in team...but not everyone is equal.
That's what I love about T-Mac. The guy knows he is the man. He isn't exactly humble. He's got swagger. That's a good thing.
Geez, way to overanalyze things, guys. It's fairly obvious what has been going on here. T-Mac was a pretty humble guy last year, causing some idiots in the media (most notably Charles Barkley) to question his leadership, most recently on TNT the other week. It's no coincidence that McGrady has almost been going out of his way since then to make comments like this one. It's a little too obvious what he's trying to do, as over the top as his comments have been. When asked on TNT after beating Sacramento who the leader of the Rockets was, he said, "no doubt, this is my team, the Rockets will go as far as T-Mac takes them." After beating Seattle on TNT, he said, "I wanted to take the shots, no doubt in my mind we were going to win this game." And now this. Nothing to see here, folks. He's a humble guy. He's just trying to silence the critics about his vocal leadership.
I have no problem with him dominating the ball while Yao is out he just has to be a little smarter than he was with the Magic, I guess Juwan will be having a flashback too being the first option in the post, wow that's pretty depressing when you write it out.
