CHRON: Tmac seeks rhythm in Rockets' revised offense

http://chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/5204851.html

T-Mac seeks rhythm in Rockets' revised offense
With body feeling great, McGrady can target adjustments

By JONATHAN FEIGEN

If Tracy McGrady did not feel so good, he might be worried.

Even when his body betrayed him, the ability to score always remained loyal. For now, it is enough he said that his body is right. Conditioning is good. The back is cooperating. His faith is unshaken that if he has that, the rest will soon follow.

"I feel pretty good," McGrady said a day after the Rockets' first preseason game. "Physically, mentally the best I've felt in a long time going into a season in the preseason. I was telling the guys (Tuesday) night, when I came out of the game, I wasn't tired at all. We pretty much got up and down in that first quarter. I think my conditioning is at its best.

"I feel pretty good moving forward."

He did not look or feel sharp, struggling at times with his touch and his feel for the Rockets' revised offense. He made just one of five shots, just two of six free throws. But he said that will come in time. No matter the offensive style, it always has.

"Good thing we do have seven preseason games so I can get some sort of rhythm," McGrady said. "That's the good thing about preseason. No matter how much basketball you played throughout the course of training camp and in the offseason, when you get out there against other teams and the strategies are different and the pressures are different, you have to get some sort of a rhythm.

"My timing and everything are off a little bit. Come Oct. 30, I'll be ready."

There are adjustments to be made, but coach Rick Adelman said things will not be as different for McGrady as they appeared Tuesday, when the Rockets didn't run any set plays in a 94-92 loss to New Orleans.

That will change, with McGrady getting the ball more often in positions similar to last season. But he also will be used differently, with roughly three weeks and six preseason games to become as comfortable with the new as with the old.

"It's an adjustment for him," Adelman said. "I also think that's something I have to take care of. I have to be sure he's going to get the ball in his hands in situations he likes.

"That's what we did (in practice Wednesday), kind of create situations where he can get the ball. A lot of stuff they did last year was really good. Jeff (Van Gundy) did a really good job with them. I'm not throwing that stuff away. I'm not that stupid. But I want to add things.

"That's what Tracy has to learn. He can get a lot of the same things, but where we're moving the ball instead of standing. That's what we're trying to get so it's not just his defender and four other people staring at him. He's got an opportunity to take his guy without that happening."

McGrady's 43.1 percent shooting last season matched his best since the 2002-03 season, though it fell off in the playoffs.

Adelman expects McGrady to remain "a high-volume shooter," though he's unlikely to average the 24.2 shots he took per game in 2002-03, the first of his scoring championship seasons. He averaged 20.8 attempts last season.

"We have to have him as a high-volume shooter, same as Yao (Ming)," Adelman said. "Both those guys have to get their touches and their opportunities. But I'd like to see them get it where they are not surrounded by people, where they're not the focal point (of the defense)."

Yet, for all the shots he has taken in his career, with as much variety and simple volume, McGrady said this is different.

"For me, it's sort of a new way of getting shots," McGrady said. "I was always having the ball in my hands, creating shots not only for myself but for my teammates. In this system, I'm playing off the ball a lot. I'm sort of on the receiving end. It's something it's going to take me some time to get comfortable with.

"This is the first stage of our offense and this system. Right now, it's a five-man offense. Everybody is involved. We haven't put in set plays for myself and for Yao . I'm not worried about playing off the ball. The shots are going to be there for me."

McGrady was not worried about anything, yet, knowing that with adjustments to be made, the mind was willing as long as the body remains able.



The only thing i care about from this article is that tmac is feeling good MENTALLY and physically.

 

he didn't say that last yr. he was coming off an injury. every other year yes

but at least he looks like he looks good. he never looked good in preseason last yr and i wasn't talking about shooting, just physically he looked like bonzi to start out last yr.