You guys are getting ridiculous with the hate. Comparing Tracy to Scottie? When did Tmac actually demand a trade and diss the whole organization? He actually likes playing in Houston. Did Tracy ever diss a teammate and call them a "loser", "fat" or "not dedicated to winning?". You need to read up on your Quitten/Rocket history before comparing Tmac to him.
When did Pippen ever do this? <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Mk4QufbyJhI&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Mk4QufbyJhI&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> BTW - McGrady disses his teammates all the time. He also made fat jokes about Charles. The similarities to Pippen can't be denied.
After reading through a few pages let me tell you just how completely SHOCKED I am that a thread like this with positive intentions turned into an anti-McGrady flame fest. Look, I'm not going to sit here and defend his actions, play damage control or try to minimize his disastrous 08-09 campaign. Those elements speak for themselves. From a fan's standpoint we had every right to be frustrated. Wanna know what else speaks for itself? The sheer fact that the fans, AND ONLY THE FANS, are the only ones still bitter towards McGrady. The organization has gotten over it. It's water under the bridge. Get over it.
You're reaching there, buddy. Pippen dissed a guy who took a HUGE paycut for him so he could get his big contract....the guy who kept defending him even though he played like a scrub all year. And that Moon play is so overblown. I've seen many nba players watch a guy run for a fastbreak dunk and not do anything. What did you expect him to do? Karate chop him? The guy was injured, he wasn't going to do anything but get posterized.
wow, you must be a big tmac hater. how about telling people why tmac made fat jokes back at charles instead of giving a one-sided bias comment
The fans are the ones who support the organization; without them, the organization can't last very long ....
I feel McGrady doesn't get credit for playing well at times in Yao's absence and especially for coming back last season from his back injury, but this year he was very disappointing. He has got a lot to do to convince us in the upcoming season provided he gets healthy.
This isn't the greatest logic because then we can take supply and demand into consideration. If you don't go, other fans will go (assuming that the team is winning). I really doubt that enough Rockets fans will stop going because of a single player. Teachers like to complain about athletes' salaries, but it's simply supply and demand. Let's say you along with 100 (or 5,000) others here boycott the Rockets...I assure you the sun will still rise. Do the fans in general have power? The answer is yes. The owners want to please them. But the fact is -- and it's unfortunate -- but some INDIVIDUALS feel way more important than they really are. And they speak like it, too.
Basketball is a team sport at the end of the day. The largest stakeholders are his teammates. If they are over it we should be the bigger man and get over it too. I cannot imagine a situation where we as fans deserve to not be over it if the team is. Look honestly unless Yao Ming or Artest et al came out and said they want Mcgrady out im over this issue
McGrady is not Pippen but he came as close to him as anyone has since his departure. For one, he disrespected the organization when he announced his surgery through a blog. Then there is this beauty of a quote: "I haven't been the guy who's been fortunate enough to play with Shaq, to play with Tim Duncan. I always seem to have average teams...'' I don't think anyone can know for sure whether the organization is over how McGrady handled everything. His actions have obviously affected his stature with the organization ... he is not an untouchable anymore. I think he's pissed off Les if you ask me. The ramifications? Your guess is an good as mine. Like someone said, these news reports of him working hard are good whether he stays or goes. I can't speak for antisonic but I believe the majority of the fans will tolerate him if he stays. Their love for the Rockets is bigger than their dislike for him and I think Morey knows it. What McGrady did is repairable if he plays motivated and checks his ego at the door ... look at Bryant when he threw the Lakers under the bus that one summer and look at him now with the fans. I rather move on and use his expiring contract because I am not as blindly optimistic as others that he can stop letting his moods affect his performance on the court and make it last past a short term situation (contract year). He is 30 and is set in his ways. But that is just my opinion, I will understand the reasons in whatever Morey decides.
People defending Tmac are either: 1. One of Tracys probably 15 to 20 accounts that he uses to pretend there is still a contingent of "logical" fans that support him. 2. Wayne Hall, who obviously is not a smart man. To be able to declare someone physically rejuvinated and then have that person fail physically is at the very least an indicment on him. 3. People that watch too many youtube highlights are are blinded by offense (of which McGrady is just slightly above average in every category but passing.) "Hey I know, Tracy plays great when Yao is out!" So did our guys this year, without both of them! And, Tracy and Yao are not that good together. That inflates both of them, when playing without the other respectively. Kobe was tea bagging on Shaq and ownership. He did not like Shaq and while that is not impressive in my eyes, he may have had reasons and obviously it payed off for Jerry Buss in more ways that one. Kobe did not float a lot of quotes just throwing his team under a bus. Tracy did that at least 2 times this year, and throughout his career. Tracy is toxic, and when Yao Ming says he likes this teams "intensity" and Ron, Shane, Luis, Chuck etc are the epitome of that, to me, that comment is a direct dig at McGrady. If the team wants him gone, do it.
You know what? This has gotten way out of hand. My comments included. I am glad tmac is working hard to get back. And he is damn good when healthy. so we should all be happy that he is working because he had a legit injury last year and hopefully it is fixed. we ARE better with him. no doubt. he takes the pressure off of yao (who obviously needs it based on his injury this year - minutes logged - ability of other teams to key on him because of weakness surounding him) so that alone is a great thing for next year. not to mention the fact that the guy has moments to explode into one of the best in the nba. And even though it is occassionally, there are few that can do it. so i am pulling for him to come back healthy and better because it helps the cause. with him vs the lakers this year we would have had a chance. also with yao. but with both a legit contender for title. so let's focus on that.
I also want him healthy, but I think he lessons the chances of the team winning because of his style of play. He needs the ball to be effective, and he is a volume shooter, he is not an efficient player. I think the team is better without him as a unit...he is a better individual talent, but is a detrement to an overall team oriented concept. I would rather trade him for lessor talented players who fit in, are healthy and play within the team concept more..... Tracy needs to be the man, let him...somewhere else. DD
tracy's style of play was necessary for the lack of talent on the previous teams. it was only him and yao (and thus the offense primarily went through them). if you remember last yr, when he came back from his injury, he fit in fine and our offense was fine until yao went down. then we had to go back to a tracy-dominated style for us to do what we did (continue the winning streak and took the jazz to 6 games). i'm sure he saw what the team did. he knows his responsibilities aren't the same. one think i know is tracy can play multiple ways. this past year, his injury really limited him into a stationary player. unless he's going to continue to limp, he's going to play much better and can adjust to any offense. he's the only guy, along with scola, who can effectively play in the high post. he's the only guard besides wafer who can shoots off screens. and he's still easily our best playmaker when we need him to be. it's IRRATIONAL to think tracy will continue to have as much responsibilities as he did before artest got here, or the way scola/wafer/brooks develop. NO POSSIBLE WAY. the only time adelman will ask tracy to do extra is when our offense is stagnant when teams front yao (like when he was answering questions regarding when he misses tracy v. portland) or when teams need a creator down the stretch. that's the ONLY time i'm sure tracy will be asked to do what he has been doing under JVG. so DD, i think your way of thinking is flawed. tracy has played the way he has to play b/c he has to. there's no reason to expect JVG or adelman to draw more plays for rafer, luther, juwan... but there are plenty of reasons to get scola, artest, wafer, brooks, lowry more shots. it's like, should kobe pass more to kwame or gasol? do you want kobe to shoot more playing with kwame or gasol? relax. if he stays and gets healthier, he'll fit in just fine. i'm not worried about chemistry or whatever. what i'm worried about is the potential distractions the media will pile upon the team (will tracy stay? will he be traded?... those questions will be asked REGULARLY by the media...)
TMac1, It is all about him, he whines about his teamates, he whines about not having his touches, he whines about the coaches not having the right players in the game. Tracy just dominates the ball too much, his style is not conducive to winning in the playoffs, unless he had uber efficiency, and he is not that efficient as a player. Now that he is injured....AGAIN......it is time for the team to get a better fit overall. We can not have two injury prone star players....so one has to go, and we all know Yao is here to stay, so Tmac is gone. And honestly, it is all asset managment, the team can not pay someone $23 million and not get superstar play from him.....the money would be better spent getting a decent player...who will stay healthy...and play within the team concept. Tracy is all about Tracy.....the Rockets need team oriented players..... Even his teamates don't seem to like him anymore.....let him move on and resurrect his career elsewhere, if he can. DD
the way he opens his mouth is all about tracy and is very egotistical i agree. but i don't see that in the way he plays the game. there are NUMEROUS times when he tries to defer to yao way too much b/c he admits yao should be the #1 option since he's the more efficient player. there's numerous times when his shot is off and he would contribute with the rebounding and assists. like i said, he had to dominate the ball. with this group, he doesn't have to. but i do agree with you gambling with 2 injured stars is too big of a gamble. again, trading tracy IS an option. and it can be a VERY GOOD option. but he's not traded yet, and we don't know what is going to happen with him. like someone said, the fact that he's training hard will also help us (either if he's helping us or help us get better pieces in a trade).
