[Chron] Tmac tweaks ankle, hints he might miss games.

Injured or not, TMac has reached that stage of his career where he'll have more off nights than we're used to ... where he won't have lift, where he can't get to his spots quick enough, shots aren't falling, etc...

I still believe McGrady is a valuable threat on offense at any stage of the game; he hasn't really transitioned his offensive game to be equally potent while leveraging less raw abilities. The good thing is that he's got strong options to use his court vision and playmaking abilities.

I hope to see at least 1-2 more years of dominance from the guy but all great players start to decline. The ones that really love the game and have luck on their side can continue to play well; the ones with the injuries tend to fade quicker

 

Exactly, he is still a very good player. One of the best ball handlers at his height, a nice midrange game, a good finisher, and good at drawing fouls. Not to mention all the experience he has. He knows how to play the game.

Can he take over games at will like he used to, no....but he shouldnt have to anymore.

 

He will be back.

 

At this stage of TMac's career you can't expect him to play 82 games every year. If he needs to take a few nights off to heal physically/mentally that's what he should do.

The goal this year is to get out of the first round and go much further in the playoffs. We should always keep that in mind.

 

It's still hard telling myself McGrady isn't what he used to be .

 

He was playing fine until he teaked his knee. Though it's really been bothering him. If you watched the game, right before the 2nd quarter ended T-Mac fell down after jumping for a rebound and then fell down after bumping into a screen. He was on the floor for a little before he got back up and starting limp/running around again.

He was playing well right before the tweak though. He was 4/6. He only took two jumpshots I believe and he made one of them, the rest were all layups/attacks on the basket. His shot selection was fine. It's not like he was sucking and then asked to be pulled out...

The team was playing really well though. I'm glad they'll be able to pull weight when/if T-Mac is out. Yao was 7/8...but he had to work surprisingly hard to get those 8 shots. We need to find a way to get him the ball easier especially against a team like the Thunder...

 

Man, it is frustrating. He said he felt fine, so hopefully there won't be anything serious in that knee. He was cleared to play in Phoenix so I expect the doctors once again will let him play.

Man it is frustrating because his second name have been injuries. Every season it happens once again and what can we do? Man he is kinda stupid to, he was obviously 'cold' after halftime and there is no reason why he should warm up. It should be the key for him.

As I said, I hope the knee is fine and it will get close to 100% by the start of January. He was playing well and we need him. I only hope he is fine and will not be forced to miss any games, and what is important his knee won't get worse by playing.

Damn, it should be enough for us (fans) and for him.

 

QFT!!! ASDF@#$@Q#%!#%

 

He's not playing vs DAL...if he does though, wow.

 

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Remember two years ago, it was his back? Every 2 or 3 games, he'd go up for a jumper, then grab his back when he landed and head for the bench.

The good news is that the solution to this year's problem is simple: McGrady just needs to go to Waco and find a magic knee doctor. <BR>

 

Maybe I'm a little "off" here, but "My knee is feeling right" is in a small way reassuring. I wonder if he tweaked it and mini-Mac---his fragile, easily-bruised, need-any-excuse-to-sit psyche---kicked in.

We really can't be having this crap. I'll be the first jerk to state we should have traded him, and wouldn't mind if we still could---obviously to some team looking to clear cap space in 2010, while we give up that impossible dream and build for the next several years.

In the meantime, back to the At-Least-It's-Better-Than-Suffering-the-Texans reality of it all. Shane is gonna start practicing with the team again (so they said on TV last night), so maybe he'll step back on the court within a couple weeks and start giving us 15 minutes or more a night until he's (knock on wood) getting into game shape. And Von Wafer, I like this kid and now he can get some minutes.

 

i just cant believe some of the guys here.

if you had a bad back, a bad shoulder and a bum knee, how do you think you'd feel about playing? if you dont love the game, you would beg not to be put in. yet every single game, he's out there.

if he doesnt love the game or houston, he would have asked to have that surgery on his shoulder before the season, and not bother to play this season. he would have still been paid and just sleep all the time. yet, he didnt go ahead with the surgery because he wants to play.

if he doesnt have the passion to play ball, would he be taking shots? of course not. you'd rather pass the ball and stand around. but tmac takes jump shots, drives if he feels his knee can take it. granted, he may not be able to dump 30 every single game, but at least he tries to make shots. and if he can't, he creates scoring opportunities for his teammates.

if you were a scoring champion before, and you could drill shots from everywhere around the court, wouldnt you feel frustrated if you cant drain 3pt shots like you used to? wouldnt you feel frustrated if you're slower than you used to and cant drive by your man or chase after your defensive assignment like you used to? tmac loves playing basketball, but his body isnt what it's used to be. he wants to win, but his body isnt cooperating.

stop comparing him to kobe, pierce, kg, etc. those guys dont have a bad back, a bad shoulder and a surgically repaired knee all in one body. even with those health issues, he still shows up every game and tries to prove he's still that unstoppable guy from orlando.

how come you guys are so angry about yao playing too much minutes on his surgically repaired foot. how about tmac? why dont you beg the coaching staff to limit his game to 20-30mins a game since he's got it bad more than yao? yao has a bad foot. cmon. tmac has a bad back, a bad shoulder and a bad knee. shouldnt he be entitled to more rest? it's not as if he got those injuries not playing ball. and he got most of them during his stint as a rocket. doesnt that show his dedication to houston?

 

Regular people go to work every day with those aches and pains and they don't earn in one year what T Mac earns in one game.

 

Everything is going to be o.k.

 

So, he should not complain or feel hurt, right?

 

If we don't want him to express frustration in his body and performance, then we should stop complaining about it as well. Agreed?

 

hopefully. I hope MRI will show that everything is fine and he will be cleared to play. He has a day off and hopefuly he will be ready. He really looked better moving on the court. At the beggining of the season he had been limping a little bit, but since that time he has been moving a lot better.

But if he needs to sit oit is better to do it now. We wanna have everybody 100% when playoffs time will come.

 

"Back to square one"
_____

Great.

 

Good thing he's taking an MRI. I'd feel better if Artest and Yao take one also. Take no chances.

 

If Tmac is hurting he should sit.......


But, what if the MRI shows no damage? And this is just a guy who is scared of every ache and pain, and thinking it might lead to more surgery?

I conceded it may be something but why is it that he had minor arthoscopic surgery that normally takes about 2-4 weeks to heal, and it is still bothering him 6 months later?

Could it be that the extra weight he gained during the summer is causing him some problems?

Could it be that he is out of shape, and is dealing with aches and pains that should or could have been worked out 4 months ago with proper rehab?

Funny how Yao is pushing himself in his rehab, same with Battier and Alston, but TMac took the opposite approach it seems and it is hurting him and the team.

I hope the MRI shows no damage, and that it is all in his head....which is where I am guessing it is.

DD