You answered your own question. Back on topic: If Tracy really wants to prove he's ready to get serious and stop taking the team for granted, he needs to show effort on the defensive end and act like he wants to be on the floor on offense. His coach and teammates deserve better.
If you were TMac and playing so poorly that the fans in Houston were ready to send you packing for a twinkie and a pack of swisher sweets would you really want to sit in an aluminum fold out chair in a monkey suit and listen to drunk white folk tell you to grow a pair??? OR would you rather sit in the back in some comfy sweats sippin on some tasty adult beverage and watchin the game on tv. Who knows maybe for a guy who ALWAYS has courtside seats, watching your team on TV is the cool thing to do...
If he played hard on defense, I guarantee that would transfer over to the offensive end. It will never happen though. He'll show you one or two strong defensive plays a game (shutting down a scorer, blocking a shot or poking the ball away) but he'll also play lazy defense 10 other times in the same game. It's always been that way with this guy since we've had him and it always will be.
It doesn't matter what he WANTS TO DO... it's about what HE SHOULD DO. If McGrady did what he "really wanted to", as you put it, he would stop playing and collect paychecks. True superstars love the spotlight on top of the money. If you offered Kobe or Wade or LeBron to get paychecks to sit on a comfy chair, they would say hell no. They love the game. They thrive off of the competition.
Says the guy who emphatically declared that the Rockets had ZERO chance of making the playoffs last season. Of course we believe you. (here's a hint: you should probably think twice before making categorical statements like this in the future.)
McGrady was one of several reasons I didn't think they'd make the playoffs last season. I was wrong about the team. I wasn't wrong about McGrady. By the way, 16 out of 30 teams make the playoffs. Not much of an accomplishment. Why are you a rookie?
If you're going to hold him accountable for one inaccurate prediction (which everyone conveniently forgets, was very sound at the time), how can McGrady, with his history, have ANY credibility?
First off, can we please not post rumors here, at least not in this forum. This is a place for real news that impacts the Rocket's, not gossip. That's what seperates this board from the likes of RealGM. I would prefer to keep T-Mac as a Rocket. He is still a top 5 peirmiter threat when healthy/motivated. He has the complete package (minus defense), and doesn't need to pump points to be effective. Unless we can find a deal that keeps us competitive (for the title) and in prime cap position in 2010, then keep him. This entire fiasco has given me a new appreciation for Jordan. T-Mac has some knee pain and his whole game suffers. MJ lost a lot of his athleticism after his 1st retirement, but he was still able to transform his game and dominate. His knees were shot after his 2nd retirement, but he was still able to pump 20 a night on jumpers...and at a good clip too. And he didn't bi&%h about it, miss games, etc....
Unfortunately, I have to agree with this 100%. He is my favorite player. It sucks. It's always one thing after another with him and for the longest time I always looked the other way and or ignored the fact because I believed in him. He has the opportunity of a life time with all the pieces he needs to make it happen. He makes frickin nearly 21 million dollars a year. WTF more does he need? " I will be back. We will be back. " Remember that quote Tracy? You know the quote you made after the series against Dallas in 2005. What have you done the past 3 seasons since? Missed games due to injury, sulked over personal problems, complained about "depth perception" and added 2 more first round exits to your resume. Impressive indeed. This year you have all the pieces yet the story sounds eerily familiar. They say when the going gets tough. The tough get going. SO GET ****ING going. Whether that means you pack your crap and leave for another team or start playing with some intensity who knows. Only you do. Hopefully it's the latter.
McGrady is never fully healthy and motivated. That alone makes this nothing but a dream. Regardless, I'd rank all these guys ahead of McGrady as perimeter threats even when he's in "his best possible condition": LeBron Kobe Wade Pierce Paul D. Williams Nash Billups Joe Johnson Roy Ginobili Anthony Devin Harris Granger Hamilton Butler R. Lewis Kevin Martin Josh Smith Durant I include PGs in that list because I consider PGs that score and create to be "perimeter threats" as well, if not bigger threats. I also factor in efficiency, defense and health. I would take any player on that list for McGrady, straight up, financial considerations aside. It sounds ridiculous to say he has the complete package minus a significant aspect of what it takes to have a true complete package. That's like saying Hayes has the complete package (minus offense).
Actually no, it wasn't. Everyone thought it was a pretty dumb prediction to make, and they piled on him for pages on end. I find it funny how easily people on this board forget stuff. And this has nothing to do with McGrady's credibility. You can't just make broad statements like "you will never see McGrady make more than two or three explosive plays in a season or take over a quarter again". That, like last season's prediction, isn't exactly the smartest thing to say. Actually, you were wrong about him as well. Yao went down, and McGrady together with Alston were the two big reasons the streak stayed alive until it reached 22. The Lakers won 33 straight once. 22 straight isn't much of an accomplishment either. Trying to discount how the Rockets arrived in the postseason is as ridiculous as the prediction that they had zero chance of doing so. I don't know.
I can't say that. He was motivated and healthy enough to carry a talent defunct team to the playoffs two seasons in a row when a major piece (Yao) went down). Well I wasn't including PG's. If you add them T-Mac is still top 10 IMO. All of the bolded guys haven't shown that they are capable of carrying scrub teams to the postseason. Not one of them. Most really excel at one thing, but can't all score, rebound and pass like McGrady can (similar to what JVG always notes). You may have a case with Billups. But I can't see any of those guys carrying what T-Mac has carried to the playoffs the past two seasons (top seeds at that). I was speaking offensively. You can probably count on one hand the guards that have the complete package on both ends of the court.
I am well aware that many of those guys on that list don't have the same skill set as McGrady. The difference is that none of them have chronic injuries that keep them from being effective at whatever it is that they do well. Most of them haven't lost 50% of their athleticism, aren't nearly as overpaid and will still be playing good basketball when McGrady finally retires (my guess is right after next season). Others of them are far younger and would not only be an upgrade over the current McGrady but would also put the team in a better situation going forward. One hand is what it takes to count the top 5, where you ranked McGrady.
I guess the issue is still his knee then... I hope I don't jinx it, but I hope TMac's absense will NOT put too much load on Yao that he broke down again coming March or April. There you go.
Jeez. This site is like a knitting circle. Didn't we have this exact same rumor last year. Whether GOAT's totally unsubstantiated claim is true or not, this type of thing makes this board look bad. Does it really matter what is going on in Mac's personal life? It is amazing how a group of 4-5 posters can trade wild tidbits of speculation and weave it into an imaginary storyline. Like conspiracy theorists. McGrady faking all of his injuries for the past 4 years? Grow up, please. Even if this silly rumor that everyone has latched onto is true, all I have to say is that even a broken clock is right twice a day.
I am actually quite surprised Adelman and Morey finally sat McGrady down and had a lengthy conversation about what needs to be done. The news is nothing but positive for me, because I seriously thought they were just going to play mind games with each other the rest of the season and hope that McGrady would contribute on his own terms.
