Yao is playing great and his best basketball for Rockets. We are lucky to have him. Hopefully he can keep it up so we can make a serious playoff push. Tue/Wed's back to back is a true big test. However, if we want to beat good teams, we need both Yao and T-Mac. Yao can't carry us over teams like Spurs and Mavs alone. T-Mac has to become himself. Let's get T-Mac going along with Yao and the whole team.
What concerns me most is - what is T-Mac's long-term outlook? IMHO, on the day immediately after our season ends, McGrady should be on the operating table, getting his back fixed. He should take all summer to rehab and get in game shape. If he does nothing, his ailments next season will be worse than this season, and he will miss even more games.
Me too Drox. Man, I just watched a bunch of last season's highlights vids including hte TMAC dunk on Bradley. I miss his athleticism. He plays like an older player now. Vince Cater is playing like the Vince of old, and TMAC is playing like he's old. I hope we can get the TMAC of old back.
droxford, I don't think Mcgrady's condition can be fixed with surgery. According to various reports, it's not a structural problem. But I do think that Tracy could do with losing some of that weight that he put on in the offseason. He put a lot of weight and muscle last summer, and I don't think it's a coincidence that his back is acting up worse than ever. The best thing for Tracy's health might be to lose the weight and go back to SG instead of trying to matchup physically with SF.
I 2nd to m_cable, TMac's back is not something you can fix via on the operation table, it will be there with him, and we Rockets fans will have to learn to deal with it. The long term treatment is to gradually build the strength in the back, and always get it completely warm-up/loose before the game time. The touch part is that because it's so fragile, it's very hard to build the strength, or try to warm-up, you can re-agg the back by simply doing that.
Besides the obvious physical pain- the thing that worries me is that he is not mentally ready to drive to the hoop. That makes him just a jump shooter. I am not sure if anyone else noticed the videos of T MAC working out this summer ( and I remember someone postion a comment)- there was something awfully weird about the technique with the weights. I am not the expert on this- but he was not holding his body stable while he doing the free weigt regimen. Whatever it is acupuncture, hypnosis, green tea-we need to figure something out.
Yeah, I noticed that too. When I saw that I was like, isn't that the first no-no that they teach you in weight training?
I can understand his concern Back SUrgery ain't no punk I don't think ANYONE has ever come back from it to the regular form Rocket River
bulking up isnt bad for your back if you're playing basketball. its supposed to be worse for your knees. i think tmac was doing the frat-boy workout. just working out his arms, shoulders and chest. when those things bulk up and your legs and back stay the same, thats when either your back, or knees, or both get into trouble.
IF there is really no structural damage, then I think T-mac mental state may contribute to some of the problems. I think t-mac should start practicing yoga in the offseason combined with daily meditation and herbal bath to find his locus of control from within. He should also start to contemplate the topic of death. Like, what it really means to exist in this world, the existence problems. Then, I think he can be much fresher next season and play some transcendental basketball.
Totally sucks that he's being punished for just trying to bulk up to play the 3 and help his team. I pull for Yao to do well all the time, but I'm really hoping T-Mac can finally have success in the postseason and get through a seasonw without someone dying close to him. :\
I realllly want T-Mac & Yao to take it to the next level. If some how we can sneak into the playoff's whoever is in that 1 or 2 spots gona have a tuff time!
Is it me or has T-Mac lost a lot of weight? I remember seeing a pic of him wearing a wife beater at a club last summer, and he was menacing looking...I mean his arms and upper body was huge! Even last year when he first joined the Rockets, he was pretty big. Now he looks kinda slim, like a Scottie Pippen build.
Vince Cater is playing like the Vince of old, and TMAC is playing like he's old. I hope we can get the TMAC of old back. yes yes you are right. I just really wounder why they two can not healthy both at same time. Before yao come back, tmac play like old of him, I still remember he vs Lbron, vs Arnas, and then after yao come back, he play like a old Tmac. Unlucky Rockets and our fans. I miss second half of last season. I miss the season before last season.
