[Indiana Statesman]An obviously bitter Indy writer's thoughts on the TMac trade

Gee, you think this guy would've written a slightly different account of TMac had the Pacers been successful in trading for him?

His article deals with some of the movement this offseason. Shaq, TMac, Cavaliers, plus other comments and predictions. I've only copied the intro and the Rockets' portion of his assessment here:

http://www.indianastatesman.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/10/27/417f395facec8

Familiar faces in new places for NBA season
Drop a gem on them


By Henry Boguslavsky
October 27, 2004


A lot of folks dread the winter months ahead of us.

I LOVE IT.

Not because I like seeing my own breath or making out with my chapstick lip balm twice a day. No, it's mainly because baseball begins its much-needed hibernation, and attention diverts to basketball arenas near you.

A special year awaits, NBA fans. The 2004-05 season will be one to remember. Several familiar faces will be in new cities, sporting new colors after a busy offseason full of blockbuster trades.

Here's a list of the top three offseason moves that will make a sudden impact when the regular season begins Nov. 2.

2. T-Mac and the franchise swap

After posting the worst record in the NBA last season at 21-61, the Orlando Magic was forced to trade their whiny megastar Tracy McGrady. Surprisingly, it turned out to be a brilliant move for the Magic, who were involved in a seven-player trade with the Houston Rockets this June.

The Magic got all-star Steve Francis, a capable Cuttino Mobley and Kelvin Cato. The Rockets received Tracy McGrady, a washed-up Juwan Howard, Reece Gaines and a joke for a point guard, also known as Tyronn Lue.

At first, the thought of Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming joining forces, it was easy to tell who got the best end of the deal. But looking closer at their roster, you'll notice a lack of depth. The two next best players are Jimmy Jackson and former Heisman winner Charlie Ward. In a deep Western Conference, they'll be lucky to finish in sixth place.

Although McGrady has a rare talent for scoring at will, his competitive will is, um, pitiful. After all, this is the guy who said he was so excited to be in the second round of the playoffs before they got past round one (and yes, you guessed it, they lost three straight games 4-3).

Even his cool new Adidas commercial can't change my view.

The Magic, though, might be a team to shake up the East, where only the Pistons, Pacers and Heat are guaranteed playoff spots. Not only did they receive three Rockets starters in the big June trade, but they also have several other reasons to smile.

With the first pick in the 2004 draft, the Magic selected high school sensation Dwight Howard. In five preseason games, Howard is scoring 13.6 points per game with eight rebounds per game (I know, I know, its preseason. But hey, he's 18, and he's been producing). They also drafted St. Joe's Co-National Player of the Year, hard-nosed point guard Jameer Nelson. The underrated Nelson will prove to be an instant spark off the bench. The Magic also scooped up shot blocker Tony Battie and a role player in Stacey Augmon. But the most important piece of the off-season is the return of "the forgotten one" Grant Hill. Even if he's not 100 percent, Hill is still a decent player. He is not nearly the hooper he once was, but is still an experienced player who could fit in with this interesting mix of team members.

I see the Orlando Magic squeezing into the playoffs just one year after winning 21 games.




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After reading this, I'm really bummed out and I really regret the trade because I didn't realize TMac sucks and the garbage we got as throw in won't amount to any help at all. Do you guys have any words of encouragement that might help me get my hopes up again about this deal and the Rockets' outlook?

 

"The two next best players are Jimmy Jackson and former Heisman winner Charlie Ward."

On a positive note, based on last year's Charlie Ward, wouldn't it be great if the writer is correct and this year's Ward is indeed better than Howard, MoT, Sura, Lue, Spoon, Boki, the towel boy, etc?