Florida Today: T-Mac earned these boos (Warning: Plenty of sour grapes)

True, Matt jackson is a hack and almost as immature as Steve. I thought John and Lance painted a more fair picture. No hate from them. THe interview will be on Rich Lord's show, which is before the Rome . . . err Matt Jackson show. I think Lord and Vandameer are more objective.

 

I know the Chronicle writers are more professional and very objective. I just can't stand some of the 610 hosts and callers who hide behind their mikes and phones and clown a guy that busted his ass for the city and actually wanted to be here. They claim he is childish and a crybaby but those people are worst because they don't come out and say it when that person is around. It's easy to be a "BIG man" when your talking to an invisble audience. I could easily point out flaws, and there are many, in the 610 hosts but that would be pointless. I just hate how they act all high and mighty just b/c they have their own show. Get a life dudes.

 

What difference does that make? He still slacked off while under contract because he didn't get his way. Is that acceptable? I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree with what is acceptable as far as efforts by professional athletes.

KG's showing had nothing to do with effort, he just needed to get over the hump.

I think J Oneal is a star that is just a notch below Ducans and such. There are not enough Stars to be had for every team. I wouldn't mind building a team around him (not saying that I would trade Yao or TMac for him).

Yes, Shaq was lazy, but he and the fans knew they would make the playoff and that the playoff is truely what matters. When your team is not an automatic for the playoffs, "giving up" are 2 ugly words for fans. Shaq became complacent because he was already that much more dominate than others. Did TMac became complacent or did he just "gave up" because he didn't have a good team.

As a fan, in what order of importance would you list the following:
1) winning games with your best player giving his best effort.
2) winning games with your best player not giving his best effort.
3) losing games with your best player giving his best effort.
4) losing games with your best player not giving his best effort.

I am quite sure most fans would list them just as they are. Shaq was #2 on that list and last year, TMac was #4 on that list. Had TMac been on the #3 list, I'm sure he would've heard a lot less Boo's.

You got me on Kobe. Selfishness overshadows all else.

I ask you this, if Yao (or TMac) is out for the rest of the year from this point on (meaning no playoff hopes), and the other dynamic duo start playing lackadaisically for the remainder of the season, wouldn't you be pissed? I know I would start booing after awhile.

 

What i wanna know is the definition of 100%. Last night before the game, Charles, Ernie and Kenny read tmac's quote about slackin off and then they mention how tmac said the game was gonna be a playoff atmosphere. Then, Charles says, "well, its not gonna be THAT intense," or something similar to that.

Let's face it, the only time players give 100% is during the playoffs. If they played as hard as possible, every game would have that same intensity, and then all the players would get burned out and injured after a third of the season.

Remember when Francis said, "I never realized I had the energy to play hard on both sides of the floor."? Why was Barkley such a bad defender for his whole career? Because he didnt put that much effort into it.

Do you guys think Tim Duncan is really giving 100% this year? He goes through stretches (like when we beat them) where its like he's lolligagging it up and down the court.

We all know the Pistons have been cruising all year, and don't even get me started on Shaq gaining weight in the offseason, and always getting minor injuries throughout the course of the season.

These people need to stop acting so high and mighty about the effort issue. No one can give 100% all the time. It was definately dumb for Tmac to admit to slacking off, because every hater on the planet is going to use that quote against him until the end of time. His team sucked, there was nothing to play for, and he obviously was already thinking about moving on. No one would want to subject themselves to a team with such horrible management. Mike Miller was the best teammate Tmac ever had in Orlando, and they traded his ass after like 3 playoff appearances.

 

Well, let's see, TMac slacked off last year. Did he do it the year before that? How about the year before that? If my team suck that bad, I'd asking myself why the hell the management of my team got me a team that sucks this bad. As I've said, the KG situation:

Scenario #1: KG carried the Wolves to the playoffs several years WITH NO HELP. He can't carry them further. It ain't workin'. He said he wanted help and threatened to walk. Team realizes they need him and got him the players he felt can do better. He takes a pay cut so the team can get those players. Next year, not a blip of complaint and WC Finals.

Scenario #2: TMac carried the Magic to the playoffs several years WITH NO HELP. He can't carry them further. It ain't workin'. He said he wanted help and was ignored. He said the next year and was ignored. He finally got serious the 3rd year, said he wanted help and threatened to walk. WastedBroad gave him the finger and said he's worthless and the moronic crew in Orlando started going off on him.

I mean, gee, I wonder why he walked. I wonder why he doesn't try.

There are those that said he quit on his team. Well, why wouldn't he? Yeah, he could have played through his injury. For what? Obviously his team quitted too and they ain't gettin' nowhere. Even if they won every game hence on they would have finished out of the playoffs. I mean, that's really worth risking getting his knee re-aggrevated and Dwight Howard.

 

That's just it-- TMac's contract WAS up. It was over at the end of last season... that's why we had to sign him to a NEW contract.

You see, TMac had the courtesy to let his employers know that he would be moving on and wouldn't be signing a new contract with them. Much like a 2-weeks notice, only it was more like 6 months.

This way, instead of suffering crippling blow like they did when Shaq simply left years earlier, Orlando had the opportunity to get something besides salary cap room in exchange for TMac. They got Weisbrod's beloved "warrior" Francis, Doug Christie and Cato. Not too shabby.

Did his demand help the Rockets? Hell yes. No way the Rockets could have signed TMac to a contract if we still had Francis and his lot on the team. But it also helped the Magic. There was no one TMac's decision DIDN'T help.

But that's not the real issue, is it? The real issue is TMac's admission that he did not give 100% each night. Well, let's lay aside the fact that this guy was trying to beat teams like Dallas and Indiana by himself. Let's lay aside the fact that the fans and media were already turning on him for not leading a team of nothings to greatness. Let's lay aside the fact that he was so miserable that he openly considered retirement.

There's no excuse for his behavior, but TMac is not an "excuse" kind of guy. He gives frank anwers to questions. When he says things like, "I can get my shot over anybody," he is not boasting. He's simply being honest. We know he's being honest because we've watched him do it. TMac doesn't pretty up his answers or give the tired old cliches that don't mean anything. He's straightforward. When he got asked about a delicate situation in Orlando, he gave a frank answer that everyone had already known was true for over a year, yet when TMac SAID it, they got angry. Sometimes his frankness rubs people the wrong way.

I understand why Orlando is peeved at the guy. He makes a great target and scapegoat. But I don't CARE. I never judged Clyde Drexler on his accmplishments in Portland and I never judged Olajuwon on his failures in Toronto. I will judge TMac as I judged them, by how he plays for the Houston Rockets.

Thus far, he's been flawless.

 

BY PETER KERASOTIS
FLORIDA TODAY

 

*lol* That is pretty funny. A picture really does say a thousand words ( think that's it, right? *hehe*).

 

Forget it man, it's a losing battle. The Mac apologists are out in full force.

 

I wold like to see the board's reaction were that Franchise doing that to the Houston fans in TC.

 

????

 

so let me get this straight then, it's ok for you to call Farnchise whatever name you feel like because he was traded away, yet when Magic fans get on Mac for wanting out they're deemed to be bitter and have sour grapes.

 

You'll notice that those fans look like they want to give him high fives, shake his hand, etc.

In any case, I know how the board would react....since we're Rocket fans and all.

 

i re-read this. wow!

 

Why are you campaigning to smear T-mac? You're trying to convince everyone he's some kind of virus so that we all want to trade him.

Your whole plan is flawed because the more this spreads, the lower his value becomes.

 

Good work.