http://blogs.chron.com/franblinebury/2006/12/no_time_for_shrinking_violet.html Can't say I disagree. Mcgrady needs to play like the player he said he wanted to be when they lost to Dallas, but instead he's acting like a sissy. Do us all a favor and help Yao out more than just passing too please Assistant coach Gundy. Do what you do best and score the ball too.
Unlike Kobe T-mac's dribbling is not as good as it used to be. It seems slow...He barely dunks... That is what worrys me.
Need to clear one point, T-Mac's score is fine. However, his big problem is his FG%, He need to get that above 45% because he takes the most shots in the team. In order to do so, he need to attack the basket more rather than just jumpshot.
I was thinking the same thing as FB watching Kobe go off on the Jazz. The disparity between the two is greater than its ever been, I don't think TMac is a top ten player anymore. Biggest difference between the two is Kobe has a higher % jump shot because he takes more mid-range jumpers and he explodes to the basket on his dunks. TMac is in love with the 3 point jump shot especially that one from the top of the circle and he glides to the basket on his dribble penetration. I dont't like Kobe's character but as a player he has my respect, if he's not playing he's practicing and it shows in his recovery from his injuries and repetitive tasks like his FT shooting and his jump shot. I want to see the TMac that was a 2 time NBA scoring champion again.
I am just wondering why T-mac is always a slow starter? Does he work hard enough during the off-season? By the way, if T-mac is 90% of the T-mac in Orlando, Rox should be at least 12-3 instead of 10-5.
His scoring is low due to missed shots not to passing too much. He took 26 shots last night. He missed 17 of his 26 shots. If five of those missed shots went in, he would have scored 33 pts. He led the team in field goal attempts. Yao had 11 attempts and Battier had 10 attempts. His scoring would have gone up if he took over 30 shots that night. It wouldn't be by much, if he maintained the same pace.
you would think that T-Mac, after watching all of the Kobe highlights, would have a fire lit himself [if not already], and would use the ESPN Kobe-loving as motivation to work harder. T-Mac's shots are not any harder to get than Kobe's. if anything, Kobe has to work harder b/c he plays so consistently well and, thus, continues to keep getting double- and triple-teamed. furthermore, he's the alpha b**** on his team - the Yao of the Lakers, if you will - so he has to shoulder the defense's focus all by himself. there were a couple points during the PHX game where Mac kept missing shots and wasn't really getting double-teamed, much less triple-teamed, anymore. i'm waiting on T-Mac to rebound, waiting for that 04-05 playoffs T-Mac to arrive, and i'm still hopeful that he will, but it's hard not to lose hope.
Yeah... T-Mac was the first person I thought of when I saw Kobe's highlights as well. T-Mac criticised Kobe earlier in the season, saying they were in the same situation and he felt that Kobe had lost a step. That may or may not be true, but it obviously hasn't taken away from Kobe's competitive nature, drive, or game. T-Mac should take notes.
You guys are not understanding Tmac's situation. It isn't that he isn't trying to score or that he is too scared to drive to the basket, but rather that he is an old man at the age of 27. He has lost his ability to explode past defenders, to dunk over people, and shoot difficult jumpers. He isn't getting the same lift on his jump shots that he used to and this makes shooting over a defender much more difficult. He is very fragile by nature and this is clearly seen by the fact that he suffers a minor injury (ie cut tongue, bruised hip) almost every other game. He just isn't the same player he was in Orlando or in 04-05 for that matter. What sucks is that the Rockets were counting on him to be a franchise player for the next 4-5 years, but it turns out he only gave us 1 good year of production.
The problem is that tmac is always trying to be the savior. He just keeps shooting to try his luck in the game. Thing doesn't work in this way. He should practise his shooting during practice but not in the game. If he can understand that his jump shots are no good any more, he may try to pass more and penetrate more. Rockets will then be better off. Unfortunately, most of time he gets lost during the game and keeps shooting and of course the result is miserable. In addition, our perimeter shooters suck. %wise, Head and Rafer are not good shooters at all. Novak is a great shooter but play no defense. what we need are a bunch of consistent perimeter shooters and a great passer around Yao so that we can play inside out. The game becomes much easier while playing such way. Vspan may be the answer, I hope.
Dude, i can't argue with your assessment, but you are depressing. If you believe this, you might want to find another team to be a fan of. I hope you are wrong.
Have you actually watched all the Rox games or are you basing it on one or two you've watched like the TNT guys? T-Mac was explosive as ever vs the Bucks, Spurs, Knicks, Pistons...This talk that he has lost his entire athleticism is ridiculous! He is defering to Yao and trying to create for everyone else. His shot is not falling and his confidence is very low. Once he gets his rythm going, he will be unstoppable as ever. It's sickening how fast people jump off the bandwagon and jump onto the next hottest thing (currently Kobe who finally played well and scored 52 after struggling). It's sickening. T-mac missed most of last season and did not play basketball all summer long. He will be back in form before you know it and the Rox will be unstoppable with Yao and him dominating! Go Rockets, those Kobe fans can go root for the Fakers for all I care.
You should watch last night's game. This is a totally different Kobe than last year's chucker. He's pulling another MJ-esque routine. He actually gets his teammates involved and will yell at them if they don't take the open shot. Kobe's a changed player. They were down by 12 or so and once the team got back the lead at halftime, Kobe took it upon himself to close out the game in the 3rd. Just like how Jordan would let everyone else contribute and he would take over in the 2nd half. I don't expect McGrady to drop 50, 40, or even 30 points a night. I just expect McGrady to take over when it's needed. Heck, if he goes scoreless in the 1st half of a game and we're tied at halftime, and he puts up 17 points in the 2nd half to seal the win, I'd take that any day of the week.
yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh exactly dude. He USED to do it too...in his first season at Houston...
he can still do it. I still have faith in him. It's just let all that retirement talk when he was losing with Orlando. He needs motivation or something/someone to light a fire under his ass. I think if we continue to win, he'll see that we're inching closer and closer to actually having a shot at the title, and THEN he'll snap out of it and start Shawn Bradleying everyone.
How quickly people forget! Or possibly they just didn't know in the first place! Just to remind everyone, we are lucky to have Tracy McGrady as a player on the Rocket's Team, especially considering the fact that after last years damaged back and lack of game experience, there was uncertainty going into this season as to whether he would ever play again. Under this circumstance, McGrady is to be applauded for his efforts to over come his physical and emotional setbacks. His caution is understood by the Rockets fans and it is hoped that having this caution he will last out the season . If so he should gain momentum from month to month till he peaks in the Playoffs. There is also the possibility that he may never be the great athletic performer of former years but will still make a major impact on his team. Patience is a virtue AND MANY OF OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS NEED TO BECOME more virtuous CONCERNING THIS MATTER.
True that. As long as he's got faith and confidence in himself he'll be OK. If he doesn't believe in himself then nothing will come together and that's going to suck for this team big time. and YO YETTI good post. props man. TMAC SAID HE'S BRINGING HIS 'A' GAME AGAINST THE CAVS. i think i speak for us all when I say... I GOTTA SEE THIS.
tmac has a limited amt of time to influence the game and his legacy. At this pt, one could conclude tmac is missing the drive, the hunger to take his team to the next level...to effectively change his impending legacy of being the best player to never do squat in the post-season. My simple explanation is that he is trying for 2 things: Ws and health. Those 2 things will give him the opportunity to unleash the mother of all azz whoopings in the playoffs and put the league on notice that this year IS the year he and the current Roxs players and coaches win their 1st championship and les and carol and the franchise/city win their third. The reg. season for him is not to scare teams and the league with Kobe-like 50+ point scoring nights and create the hype in the reg. season. No, but rather prove that with some games Magic Johnson shows up and others TMAC (NBA scoring title winner shows up) and the team gets the Ws. This sets the stage for the playoffs for he and the roxs to bring it home. Think about it. Its a long season. If he or Yao go down or heck if battier goes down with a season ending injury, that is it....Rocks are done...period. He knows how fragile this can be.
