He didn't and couldn't block a trade. His value was the contract, not the player. Their goal was this year to be players in the free agency sweepstakes. Rod thorn and kiki set the course once the kidd-jefferson-carter trio kept failing. Thorn has to always feel he's getting the better end of the deal and morey is also a hard bargainer as well. Thorn wanted more than what morey was willing to part with. Thats the story and i don't know why people keep saying he blocked a trade with surgery. NJ wanted to dump carter and his declining skills for a contract.
Oh snap! T-Mac and the Bulls are gonna win the Championship? Better get it while its still available! http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=186534
They added Ronnie Brewer, CJ Watson, Kyle Korver and Kurt Thomas as meaningful additions. And, though he mentioned it, they added Boozer - who will be most responsible for any up-tick in wins given it addresses their most immediate need, low post offense. So they're already a better than .500 team without Boozer and T-Mac, and certainly a better than .500 team with Boozer added in. Tracy thinks that if he gets added in to the puzzle, they become a 71-11 squad? It's lunacy I tell you.
I interpreted it as meaning they'd be 30 games better than .500. 56-26 seems optimistic, but not crazy.
Even so, they could be 56-26 without McGrady....or 60-22...or 50-32. That's not to say I don't think a player should claim they will improve a team. You have to believe in yourself, etc. But they way he said it was ridiculous...as if he (him first, of course) and Boozer together would be the ones helping the Bulls take that next step. Here's what a sane person says: "The Bulls have a bunch of nice young talent that got them to the playoffs last year. They've made a number of strong moves in the off-season, picking up Boozer and adding to their backcourt. I've been working out really hard this offseason and am ready to add to their squad and help them get more wins. I'm excited about battling for a starter spot". Or something like that.
Maybe that would've been a better way to word it, but it doesn't seem like a big deal either way. I think as usual, there posters here who are always on the lookout for reasons to trash McGrady, who's really not a relevant player at this point. No reason to kick a guy when he's down.
It's only logical and reasonable. By the same token, I can still boo Scottie Pippen, even though I understand he's had some financial issues lately. I view basketball as a business. I am the customer. I helped pay Tracy's salary. And a VERY nice salary it was. In return...well, it ended poorly.
They have a lot of new players coming in. In a place where ppl are going to try to define their roles in a pretty deep team and think its a mistake to bring in Mclazy. He can potentially cause some chemistry issues for sure. And how funny is it that Mclady and Boozer would be in the same team lol. After those Jazz Rockets series and also that one messed up commercial <object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QPizIEX66PY&hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QPizIEX66PY&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>
You mean like this? "This was a great team, a pretty good team, without adding myself and Carlos Boozer, and some of the key players that they added this offseason," said McGrady, who worked out for the Los Angeles Clippers last week. "You bring a coach in like [Tom] Thibodeau, who's very defensive minded, very smart and knows the game, knows what to get out of his players. "I think we can be really good, I really do." ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported that, according to a source, the Bulls are prepared to sign McGrady if he proves to be sufficiently healthy, and if he is willing to accept a bench role. "I won't have a problem, but that's not what I'm really shooting for," he said of a potential reserve role. "I think, yeah, if I was the player that I was in a Knicks uniform, I would have no problem coming off the bench, but I've worked extremely hard and I'm far from being that player. Trust me." "I feel good," McGrady said. "I've been battling to get back to rare form for two years, coming off of microfracture surgery, and it's been a tough road. But I feel pretty good compared to my last game I played in New York. "I was still going through the rehab process, and I'm definitely a long ways away from what I used to look like. So I'm very, very confident in what I'm going to be coming up in this upcoming season."
tmac's quotes are often misintepreted. and i knew this board would be all over this. i sincerely hope he does well. and it's great to see that he knows he has to prove something or else he sees the bench.
Uh, you conveniently left out that batcrap crazy part - you know, where he attributes somewhere between a 15 and 30 game improvement (depending on how you look at it) to him and boozer. There is no interpretation necessary on that.
.500 = 41-41 41 + 30 = 71 That's what I interpreted. Of course, knowing T-Mac, he probably meant something else entirely. He's just not that bright. He was still a joy to watch, which is why when he played in Orlando and Houston (superstar days), he was my favorite player. Dude is smooth; he's the evolutionary George Gervin (stolen from Bill Simmons). Unfortunately, his talents on the court don't seem to translate anywhere else. I'm still rooting for him to do well because I'd like to see him play at a high level for nostalgia's sake. I haven't really found a favorite player to root for post T-Mac, and having him play well for just one year would be amazing.
why is it always the media and posters here take tmac's quotes out of context? the exact quote was: "Without me, without Boozer, they're a .500 ballclub. And with the guys that they added, if they add me, I think we'll be 30 points better. I think we'll be a better defensive team with Thibodeau, who I played with for three years. So [the Bulls] have a really good chance of being good. The city should be excited about this team." props to Major for posting it here: http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?p=5476715#post5476715
T-MAC to Bulls unlikely. http://blogs.bulls.com/2010/07/it-seems-doubtful-the-bulls-have-mcgrady-in-their-future/ hehehehehahahahhehehe
RIP "T-Mac"? http://www.chicagotribune.com/sport...-0727-bulls-chicago--20100726,0,2486746.story Bulls McGrady's top choice, but feeling may not be mutual Sources say free agent shoots ball well during workout but doesn't move with much fluidity By K.C. Johnson, Tribune reporter 9:15 PM CDT, July 26, 2010 Tracy McGrady left the Berto Center on Monday without a contract offer after working out for roughly an hour and then meeting with Bulls management after lunch. This time, it wasn't McGrady's choice. Ten summers after flirting with the Bulls before joining his home state Magic in free agency, the seven-time All-Star told reporters joining Derrick Rose and Co. represents his top choice as he tries to resuscitate a career derailed by microfracture surgery on his left knee in 2009. According to two people who witnessed the workout, McGrady shot the ball well but didn't move with much fluidity or exhibit superior conditioning. Andy Greer, who served as an assistant with the Rockets along with coach Tom Thibodeau when McGrady played there, led the workout. Those two coaches' familiarity with McGrady, as well as Rose's public lobbying for him that stems, in part, from their shared agency, represent McGrady's best chance at landing a Bulls offer. Yet no definitive decision has been made, and one league source who spoke with Bulls management said he wouldn't be surprised if the Bulls passed. Another source said management has considered a non-guaranteed deal near the veteran's minimum of $1.35 million if an offer is made, but that an offer is unlikely. "I'd fit in well," an amiable McGrady told reporters. "I'd bring what I know about the game and my athleticism and versatility. Knowing my smarts for the game, leadership, anything I can add to help these guys over the edge. "Without me, without (Carlos) Boozer, they were a .500 club. With the guys that they added, and if you add me, I think we'll be 30 points better." McGrady played just 30 games last season and, barring an injury to a rotation player, almost certainly would be reduced to a spot bench role should he land the 12th contract on the Bulls' roster. "I won't have a problem, but that's not what I'm really shooting for," McGrady said. "Yeah, if I was the player that I was in a Knicks uniform, I would have no problem coming off the bench. But I have worked extremely hard and I'm far from being that player. Trust me. "It's up to me in training camp to prove I'm a starter." McGrady downplayed a question about his reputation as a selfish player who affects locker room chemistry. "Thibodeau was with me for three years," he said. "If I was a bad locker room guy, I don't think he'd have any interest in bringing me here. People around the league know me and know I'm not that type of person." Physically, McGrady said he feels far better than during his Knicks stint last season. "I've had my time where I was a really big name and top player in the NBA with endorsement deals," McGrady said. "But eventually none of that stuff really matters. What matters now is contributing to this club if I'm a part of it and trying to win a championship." kcjohnson@tribune.com
Man, I figured that if nothing else, the guy would be in great shape. It's difficult to believe that after all this time he doesn't have his legs under him. Pretty sad, really, to have things come to this pass for McGrady. Say what you might about him, and I've said plenty since he treated Houston so badly, when he was healthy, pre-injury, the guy was one of the best basketball players on the planet.
Not even his greatest detractors would say the guy wasn't a good player. When he was not injured and still had his athleticism, he was definitely a top 5 player. I have always maintained that he had all the tools and natural talent to succeed; a long, athletic 6'8" wing with great court vision, amazing athleticism, and a pretty good shot. He was an amazingly talented specimen and would have been something amazing if he had the mental fortitude and maturity to temper and polish all that natural talent, making everything he failed to accomplish with our beloved Rox that much worse. Instead he burns bridges with teams, didn't rehab properly, and is now a broken down diva who thinks he still has it like AI.
Give it up man. According to you we mis-interpret of all of this diva's quotes. I don't hate the guy, but after years of saying stupid things over and over it gets tiring and annoying. I loved the guy for his glory years in Houston but the way he burned bridges with his fans here was plain wrong. I'll never defend him again that's for sure.
