Have you seriously thought about when you post? Let's imagine what if TMac averages 12 points and 3 assists per game for a month. Do you think the rockets are going to win similar amount of games like now? Won't the coach change the game plan so that TMac won't be the initiator or closer? If the change of game plan leads to more wins, won't the team continue to use it? Then coming playoff time, will the coach all of a sudden make TMac the focus of the offense system again so that he will score 25 plus and assist 7 plus? You have to care about the regular season as it is also the way the coach and team learn what's the best combinations/strategy!
I think it's their way of keeping their hopes alive. However there is a saying in spanish, "Lo que mal empieza, mal termina." In english: What begins bad, ends bad. You can't put little effort in the season and expect good results in the playoffs. That kind of approach will catch up with the team. It will show up in the seeding, in the playoff rounds themselves. You form the habits that will make you successful in the playoffs in the regular season.
We've seen otherwise in sports. Teams catch fire in the playoffs and turn good seasons into great ones. Happens all the time. Exhibit "A" of that happened here in 1995.
T-Mac should do whatever is best for T-Mac, he should not risk permanent injury to his knee. If he is paranoid about injuries to the point that he is unwilling to play where others would, that should be a consideration for other teams considering signing him when his contact is up. But when it comes to your health, I don't presume to question anyone since I am not in a position to know what's going on. All of this behavior, T-Mac sitting out, the Rockets and Feigen trying to shame him into playing since they can't do anything else, it's all perfectly reasonable, rational behavior.
If T-mac doesn't think he's effective unless he feels better, then why are u guys calling for him to play? If he doesn't believe he can be effective... he won't, and he'll hurt the team in the process. I've always thought that T-mac has the opportunity to transition his game to become a big PG (Magic-lite) when his athelticisim erodes, as his supreme court vision is still the best on this team. I'm not saying his high-flying days are completely done, but if he does want to continue to play in this league and contribute at an all-star level more many more years to come, he could focus all his attention to turning his game into this. Of course, he himself has to want to do it. If he doesn't believe he can, its useless to argue about it.
he is completly right. I AM SURE it is not about his knee. Maybe it still is a littl bit of a problem, but not as much as they try to tell us. It may be about shape, but the big part of it is in his 'head'
Remember when we all thought Hakeem was lying about injuries in 1992? Remember when the GM said as much and was "this close" to trading him to Miami for Seikaly. That was cool.
I also said the sky was blue. It still is. I'm not saying Tracy is Hakeem here. Reading is FUNdamental!
So why bring up Hakeem in a Tracy thread if you're not making a comparison? This is like your complaining about Francis being talked about in the Francis thread.
Only one team in NBA history has won the championship without homecourt advantage in any round. It is just too big of a hill to climb, but yeah, anything can happen, I guess, it is just not likely to happen. DD
I'm bringing up the situation. People questioning an injury...that it was Hakeem makes the point a little more forcefully, though, I'll grant you.
Home court hasn't mattered for them the last 3 times in the playoffs. I could see them beating anybody in the first 2 rounds, except maybe the Lakers, if they're healthy... and even then, they'd give the Lakers a real competitive series. But if they're not healthy in April, they won't win.
Exactly. You can talk about positioning all you want...but this team doesn't have that luxury. Not with the injury-prone nature of its best players.
<embed src="http://services.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f8/716758716" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashVars="videoId=5196017001&playerId=716758716&viewerSecureGatewayURL=https://console.brightcove.com/services/amfgateway&servicesURL=http://services.brightcove.com/services&cdnURL=http://admin.brightcove.com&domain=embed&autoStart=false&" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="486" height="412" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" swLiveConnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed> <embed src="http://services.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f8/716758716" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashVars="videoId=5831446001&playerId=716758716&viewerSecureGatewayURL=https://console.brightcove.com/services/amfgateway&servicesURL=http://services.brightcove.com/services&cdnURL=http://admin.brightcove.com&domain=embed&autoStart=false&" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="486" height="412" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" swLiveConnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed>
Excatly. We haven't taken adventage of HCA past two years, it tells something. Of course it is important, but it shouldn't be 'THE MAIN' thing.
