Uhhh, one problem there is that t-mac is no mj. If mj called out rip or kwame, they better damn well listen to the 6 time champion and consensus GOAT. T-mac has no legitimacy to be yelling at anyone else about how to become MVP. He never did it himself.
you hit it on the nail. tracy has done more b/t this partnership than yao has (in terms of importance to the team). it would be extremely foolish for yao to ask the team to trade tracy after a frustrating 30+ games or so. you think tracy likes to carry a team with 2 INJURIES requiring surgeries yao? but if we do trade tracy, i hope we get some expiring contracts for 2010, b/c we all know we ain't gonna get jack for tracy with all this drama/injury concerns.
Holy smacks....Rockets don't play till Saturday..... Guess I'm going to have read up on more bull that's happening behind the scenes
It doesn't matter what Tracy has done in the past. The fact that he was more important to this team than Yao was doesn't excuse his current actions (if they are true.) If he is half-assing rehab, and his whole injury gig was a charade, then Yao, along with everyone on the team, has the right to want Tracy traded. Keep in mind that from what is written in that article (our only official source), it doesn't seem like Yao went to the front office and pulled a Kobe vs Shaq.
REGARDLESS Tracy Mcgrady's Poor rehabbing is absolutely unacceptable. I wouldn't say I want him out, I'll give him this two weeks but if he doesn't come back better with a full rehab program everyday. His out
i still feel weird when doc rocket says there's no going back b/t tracy and yao? umm, if anything in the boston-rocket game, tracy was cheering mostly FOR YAO. when yao made that last putback, tracy was one of the first one up to congratulate yao. when yao made that 3pt play near the end of the thunder game, tracy was seen visibly PUMPING HIS FIST. or when tracy made that soft layup in the first half on the fast break, yao actually STOOD UP AND CHEERED for tracy. are these signs of these 2 jumping the shark with no return? you'd be the judge. i think doc rocket is right in that there is CLEARLY a ton of frustration (b/c this is a team game and not knowing who is going to play each game is frustrating). but he really exaggerates the dislike right now b/t tracy and yao. for the past 4 years, we've all seen tracy said this is yao's team and he's the best center. and we all know tracy wants yao to be the best he can be and vice versa. i think tracy putting pressure on yao b/c tracy knows he has struggled mightily this year and they have to depend on the big fella to carry us. and most posters are right: with tracy's missing games and performing poorly, it's hard to resonate with them.
BSwith a big B and a big S. Aldridge sounds like he is putting a story together with half truths and a lot of imagination!! Our injured/unfit players are now getting sufficient time to get fit/well and we all hope that they will rejoin the team as soon as possible
Kwame may have turned out to be a bust, but Rip turned out great. And Rip has repeated mentioned how he learned how to be a better NBA player because of MJ.
actually richard hamilton demanded a trade b/c he didn't like the pressure playing under MJ's constant naggings. and kwame brown's confidence hurt so bad that he sucked forever. i'm sure tracy says it positively. but you're right, tracy hasn't accomplished much either team-wise for him to say much. but if any player wants you to be the best you can be, i don't see any fault in that. if any rocket fan right now sees yao and has a chance to sit down with him one-on-one, wouldn't you say things like: "yao, you have a chance to be great. i just wish you'd do these things more (dunk, be more aggressive, shoot over double teams...)"
i've defended tracy, but learning this, it has really disappointed me and i don't blame anyone on the team for being "frustrated" with this. but this is not a hard issue to overcome. tracy just has to start working hard NOW and get back on the court and help this team. he simply cannot let go of an opportunity to win with this talented team.
David Aldridge's article is posted on NBA.COM So New York Daily News is one thing, but the freaking official site of the league is another.
i really wish it were true though. if they hated each other like kobe and shaq did, maybe when they go out and play, they try to out-perform one another. shaq said recently he actually wanted to fuel more of that (as he reminisces) b/c it forced them to go out and try to out-do each other -> bring the best out of one another. tracy and yao have been too nice out there on the court. maybe this will really kickstart something.
Look, like t-mac1 said, if I could sit down w/ Yao, I'd tell him to dunk, be more aggressive, grab the boards w/ 2 hands, keep the ball up high, and hit the open man in the chest w/ your pass. Every casual fan would do the same. But if t-mac is yelling it at Yao to deflect the blame away from himself, he needs to get real and look at himself first. Rip got better because the messenger had a lot of credibility. It's like the difference between Yao getting advice from the Dream vs. getting advice from Dampier.
i think tracy has been telling yao to do this FOR YEARS. it's not just this year when he starts struggling. last yr, tracy said this is YAO'S TEAM. if that's not directly putting all the pressure on yao to take over the team (and tracy played better last yr and carried the team), i don't know what is.
I dunno, whenever I watch NBATV, I get the feeling that's what state television looks like in North Korea. Everything tends to be glossed up in a weird way. On the other hand, I wonder why the nba would want to sow discord btw Yao and T-mac. I'm inclined to believe the report given the tone of the press release by morey and Ron's recent comments about t-mac.
As an aside, flashback to the summer of 2004, and this thread title was probably everyone's worst nightmare.
Aldridge != the NBA. Aldridge is just a reporter trying to serve up a "scoop" who happens to work for NBA media.
McGrady is a phenomenal talent, and barring a trade, I think he must take a leadership role for this team to succeed. But in order to be an effective leader, he first needs to hold himself to the high standards he may wish to hold others. He hasn't proven to me that he's ready to do that, especially this year. You bring up Michael Jordan, but Jordan expected as much from himself as from any of his teammates, if not more. I don't think McGrady is anywhere near Jordan in his self-discipline, conditioning and focus. He hasn't even proven himself to be Yao's equal in these aspects, IMO. Besides, from what I've read of Jordan, I don't think his tendency to criticize his teammates is necessarily something to emulate. (I think Kobe Bryant is figuring this out.) It's hard to argue with Jordan's results, but there are better ways to communicate and be a team leader. Anyway, if Doc Rocket is right, the best thing McGrady could do right now is stop trying to talk the talk. Show us your walk, T-Mac.
