hmmmm... bad bad. didn't notice the grimace if he did. sopcast tends to be a bit blurry. anyhoo, don't think it's rustiness... just a matter of playing with folks that he's only played several games with and that he won't be on the floor with on a consistent basis.
ChutchCR is right. Tmac did grimace when he hit the floor on that play and I don't think he enjoyed it much. Overall, TMac does not seem to be able to take contact and hit the floor as well as MJ or Kobe. I am just a bit concerned, hopefully he does not have to take too many hits this season.
Bored or not bored is one thing, and losing athleticism is another. If an athlete is in tip top form, even sluggish movements look less sluggish than they were meant to look. Yes, I think T-mac is having problems playing with Yao. If you watched a couple of the plays, he decided to pass on the wings again and ignore Yao when he was under single coverage. When T-mac wasn't there, the offense was much sharper. The ball would always be in Yao's hands first. Then when the defense collapsed on him, he would kick it out, and then the perimeter players would swing it around for an open shot, or create opportunities for Yao to repost. I am a much bigger fan of starting the offense from the post, than starting it outside. Missing a challenged <10ft shot is much more desirable than missing a challenged 18ft jumper. For one, there is a greater chance of going to the charity strip, and it also allows you to get back on defense when needed.
CCR, i was at the game, and i agree that tmac didn't look like himself after that fall... he struggled to get up and down the court, looked a little tired or lazy during deadball periods...i started to point that out to my friend around the 3rd qtr last night...i hope he is alrite
BTW, This poll mixes 2 questions and that makes it hard to vote. 1) Does Tmac look rusty? I'd say, Yes, a little, but no more than to be expected at this time of the year. 2) Does Tmac look 100% healthy? No. I don't think he is 100% or will be 100%.
its funny that some of you guys say he's bored because jvg complained about the offense being sluggish last night. I do think he has lost a little explosiveness but he does look healthy.
i still haven't seen any proof that shows he's lost any athleticism. saying he's lost most of it is absolutely ridiculous. he looked spectacular in his first game attacking the basket and i'll wait till see what he does when he actually cares about the outcome. either way, there's no need for him to be the orlando t-mac. we're arguably better off if yao is the man on this team. grimacing means nothing. take a look at other players when they fall, don't let last season make you paranoid. t-mac took a hard fall and clearly didn't like it but i didn't see an effect in his game. if you think he was sluggish, remember he played a lot in the first three quarters just to get his minutes in before they took him out. you can even catch him smiling later on in the game.
Is there something wrong with this poll option? "He looks rusty, and seems like he may not be as healthy as he claims." Doesn't that pretty much cover what you just said? I thought I did a pretty good job providing poll options, without using like 10 of them.
He is still as talented and good as ever, he's just a little rusty, it is the preseason. Physically he's looks to be in the best shape he has been in a Rockets uniform, and he is motivated. Can't wait till Nov 4.
honestly i didnt notice a thing until you mentioned it and if I HAD to criticize something about him I guess it would be that he doesnt look like he is trying his hardest out there but for preseason its understandable, I guess you might say he looks rusty too but remember how long of a break hes had from basketball
I voted that he looks fine because to me, he does. He still isn't playing hard enough to be a great player. Play D, drive to the hoop, become a winner when it matters the most. That's my expectation of Tmac.
Just call my name and I will magically appear. lol T-Mac is not as explosive as he was 5 years ago. Every player experiences that. It's a matter of biology and it's not unique to T-Mac. He was the most explosive player in the league and even at 90-95% of that explosiveness he's still supremely athletic. What happens now is he doesn't go for the spectacular finish and saves his energy for other aspects of his game like defense. He is saving himself for the real season. He has learned to pace himself throughout a game so he can play 40+ minutes more effectively. Sometimes, that slower pace makes him start the game slowly and it takes him a while to get into the flow of the game. There's no question that his high gear is there. He's just disinterested with preaseason and doesn't not want to sustain any injuries in meaningless games. He is ready for the real season to start.
