Proposal: 1. Trade Tracy McGrady to the Rest Rehab Headclearers for absolutely nothing. 2. Play Yao Ming, Ron Artest, Shane Battier, Luis Scola, Aaron Brooks, Carl Landry, Rafer Alston, Von Wafer, Brent Barry, and Chuck Hayes. Dikembe Mutombo and Luther Head available as needed. That's a pretty darn good lineup to go to war with for the next two months. (Thank you, Daryl Morey.) 3. Shortly before the playoffs, acquire a player who can take us from a strong team to a very serious championship contender. I know, it sounds crazy. But you won't believe who'll be available: Tracy McGrady! And get this: Morey can get it done for absolutely nothing! I know, McGrady has his flaws. He's been lame and lackluster for the Houston Rockets. The fans there are actually dying to get rid of him. We can get him for zilch (we'll have to pay his salary, but it's a net wash for our cap), and then we can rest him till he's back to reasonable condition. He might need some time with a shrink, too, but we can work on that while he's recovering. Did you see what he did, injuries and all, in last year's Rockets-Jazz series? The guy's a beast. Couldn't carry the team without Yao, but with our squad, plus Artest, he won't need to. Think about it. I know he's got a history of injuries and whining, and his contract's too big. But he's a game-changer (how many available players can you say that about?) and his stock is at an all-time low. Now's the time to grab him.
Great idea, the only flaw is whether or not Tmac buys in for the good of the team. And whether or not having him around is good for the overall mental health of the rest of the players. What do you do with Tmac while you go to war with the other players? And if they have been in the war, do they want a replacement general coming in late in the season that changes the dynamic of the overall troops? But I love the premise !! DD
Que? Que Pasa? Taco Bell? I'm a bit confused, but that's because I didn't sleep last night and am not putting too much effort into the sarcasm. But sure, I believe McGrady is a game changer. It would be nice to have him win a championship with the Rockets because that's what most "REAL" Rockets fans would like, but I think we should start looking at Plan B. The bottomline is: can you actually defend a $21 million dollar player that cannot "lead" Yao Ming and Ron Artest deep in the playoffs? The bench isn't too depleted, either. I am the biggest T-Mac fan and would love to see someone prove me wrong. Hopefully its none other than Tracy McGrady himself. That would be lovely.
Good concept, but I truly believe a team can't win a championship w/o team chemistry. I would not mind giving him a month or 6 weeks off, but we'll need him, IF he's relatively healthy, for at least the last 20 games leading up to the playoffs. But giving him time off for a period, for his physical AND mental issues, I dont mind.
Time off ...of course meaning the trainers are busting his arse in rehab, and he is actually working hard.....and buying into the team concept. DD
The problem with this idea, of course, is that Tracy is blocking that trade. He would rather come in every three or four games to go 2-12 from the field. Last year was totally different. He doesn't even look the same. He looks old and fat this year. That pack of wieners on the back of his neck is growing faster than ever. He is not in shape and doesn't have the drive to get to the physical condition he was in last year. So...it is what it is...Tracy MacGrady is not the player he one was, nor will he ever be.
I know he hasn't had them and I was planning on reposting, but I am posting, of course, under the assumption that we are looking into the future. I'm a bit lazy, so take it however you like, but T-Mac's career is this post-season.......
The time they have to re-adjust themselves around Tracy could be killer. I'd dread a pre-season mode Rockets trying to click together appear in the playoffs.
I agree and I will say this: the Rockets need to sit T-Mac from now until the All-Star break. They need to do it for the good of the team's chemistry NOW, and make it absolutely clear to McGrady that they expect him to come back after a month's worth of all-out rehab in as good a shape as ever, and ready to dominate like the old T-Mac (from last year, so not that old). I really think such a move will benefit the team on an overall level, and will give a chance for the rest of the guys to develop some chemistry, then McGrady would have to come back and just fit in.
I 100% agree with this, the onus would be on Tmac and how he would respond. Take his ball away from him, define a clear goal and agenda for him to get back on the court and as part of the team. If he slips up, you ship him out...but if he grows up and tows the company line the team is better off because of it. I think this may be the first time in his life that he is being held accountable by an organization and his teamates......and doesn't know how to handle it....well tough....it is past due for this to happen. DD
He bought in, for a while, but once Yao went down they went back to his comfort zone and let him dictate tempo etc.... If he buys in that would be great, but for some reason, this seems different, the other players reaction is more what I am worried about...they are the one's that seem to be bothered this year, not so much last year... DD
The problem right now with T-Mac is that he's at odds with himself. He knows he SHOULD sit out, and wait until he's fully healthy to return, but at the same time, he knows that the longer he sits, the more fans and the media are gonna jump on him for being soft. So in his mind, he's going out there and being a trooper for the good of the team, even though he's just a shell of himself on the court. It's gotta be depressing for him to know his capabilities, and just be physically unable to do the things he wants on the court. I can understand why he's been so down....this was supposed to the Rockets' year; this was SUPPOSED to be HIS YEAR. So far, things haven't gone his way, but patience will pay off in the end, and I think if he takes the time off that he needs, he'll come back stronger than ever. In the 4+ years of T-Mac in Houston, when have you EVER said he was a bad teammate? If anything, he has been the guy to sacrifice his game the most to make others around him better.....there is absolutely no reason to believe that he's given up on this team. Especially now, especially with this group. Last year he didn't give up....why would he give up this year? People are just over-reacting.
The question is whether he will play the team ball with heart? I will only keep T-Mac as long as he would buy it.
I would rather T Mac shut it down until after all star break, and then playing just fifteen minutes a game and coming off the bench. Once he starts feeling good throw him in the starting lineup and let the run begin. This is good for a few reasons: 1- Tracy McGrady gets a chance to rest that knee 2- The rest of the squad learns to be winners without McGrady 3- The confidence boost McGrady could bring would be enormous if handled correctly 4- Lets Von Wafer get much needed experience with this team in the place of McGrady Then going into the playoffs, we have almost no dropoff, maybe even an uplift on energy, when we sub out McGrady for Wafer. If you remember back last season in the playoffs, our problem was we had 0 scoring outside of McGrady. Guess what this year we have that we didn't last year? -A clone of a young McGrady in Wafer -Possibly the quickest PG and great shooter Aaron Brooks -A Healthy Rafer (remember, his injury is what held us back from havin a chance) -Ron Artest -Yao Ming -Brent Barry I know a lot of you have seen this season as a disappointment, I haven't as much. We have struggled yes, but once we find that groove, will we be scary in the playoffs. And Guess what, I think keeping htis roster intact and working with what we got, gives us the best chance to beat the Lakers. I don't care about any other team in the West, because I think with our guys we can take anyone in 7 games, The lakers have the crown. Battier has shown he is Kobe's krpytonite. The question is can the rest of our team figure the lakers out and can we win the west.
houston fans need to smarten up. if someone hasnt been healhty all season how is he gonna play like he should? tmac hasnt played like he should BECAUSE hes injured. he could play w/ more effort and enthusiasm or w/e you dumb piece'a ****s call it but that also means diving for loose balls, getting intense rebounds, etc, things that can easily re-injure his knee. once his knee is 100% we'll start seeing last years tmac. yall acting like he'll never be able to ball again. tmac will be a beast come playoff time.
Indeed it is not a problem can not be solved, TMac only needs to choose between 'PLAY HARDER WITH HEART OR REST LONGER AND COME BACK STRONGER'. I do not know what is in TMac's mind, this guy can not even handle things simple like this, no wonder he never stepped in second round.
This is one of your weaker points dada. Most people would say t-mac played awesome in the 2nd half, particularly after Yao went down. In fact, I thought it was his best playoffs ever and we almost pulled that Utah series out. I will take that 2nd half t-mac easily - we're a contender with that. Not sure you'll find a lot of peep agreeing with you here.
