I've seen one heat check(didnt see the game last night) from T-Mac in the past 5 or so games. Do not confuse heat check with a shot I like to call time-out forcer. Its when the Rockets(not just T-Mac) have scored a few possessions in a row, built a lead in the 6-10 pt range, and right after a turnover. Its a transition 3, and if it goes in, will force the other team to call a time-out. In this situation(similar to a quick 2 for 1 shot) these are good shots for him because his man is backpedaling so he is not really contested. The reward far outweighs the risk in this regard. You can feel the momentum building in the Rockets' favor so its a gamble. But its a good gamble, because even if you miss the shot, you dont lose nearly as much as you gain from it going in. BTW I saw Kobe do this twice in the game against the Spurs. He was 1 for 2.
I see about 1 per quarter on average.....he used to make em with regularity but nowadays if he makes 1 in 5 games it's a pleasant surprise....suffice it to say that opposing teams haven't been calling those timeouts on cue
I never got this fascination with heart, this is basketball and it is based on 3 things. skill, height, and atheleticism I think people want to live in this dream world where tmac lost all his heart and agressiveness (somehow at the same moment he started dealing with constant injuries) and started performing worse. He has average atheleticism now and he is performing like it. That is why he can't score as much, that is why defenses can key in on him, no it won't change (it'll get worse). I know he's still young but his career has been riddled with injuries...some of you guys act like you've never seen a player decline before. Why get angry about it? I never heard people in Phoenix saying Penny Hardaway needs to take it to the rack. Stop it. He just can't play at that level consistently anymore.
Paul Pierce is a GROSSLY UNDERRATED Player .. .and always has been Unless I'm mistaken . . I thought he was a Perennial All-Star All-NBA - Which was T-mac last year 1st team or 2nd team? Rocket River
T-Mac's shooting is really going downhill. I dont know what's T-Mac excuses. T-Mac's FT is terrible too. Tim Duncan has better FT% than T-Mac this season. T-Mac's production doesnt match his salary, which is almost 30% of the total Rockets salaries. The bang for the buck on T-Mac is low yield.
LOL - so you are over there too, eh? I could not believe it was that one sided. Given a choice between Tmac and Dirk other team's fans chose Dirk by a landslide...says a lot about what people think of Tmac doesn't it. As for Tmac, his ppg would be about the same if he just shot a decent FT percentage. DD
If you're asking for a trade, then I'm sorry to say, that you, sir, are an idiot. I think when he really really wants to, T-Mac can play as good as anyone in this league. He's always had heart, and he's always tried his best, it's just his body has betrayed these last couple of years. It's hard for him to put his body into the work and fatigue that he wants to, although he does it at many times. If you play 40+ minutes a game, and don't want to rest so that you can try to help your team, then you have no problem with your desire to win. The problem is simply T-Mac's body and athleticism.
T-Mac was 2nd team and 5th or 6th in MVP voting. Not underrating PP, the man is good if not great, but there's a difference between All-NBA and All-Star.
Yep allstar is a popularity contest while All NBA is a more serious selection from my point of view. There are great players that have very few 1st and 2nd All Nba selections.
So... we shouldn't try to trade a player that's past his prime and can't sustain motivation? That's idiotic?
No...you won't get near the value.. you shouldn't think about "if we got equal value back" either because you won't, you rarely ever do when trading a declining star.
I disagree. If anything, it just validates every single criticism against McGrady. If other teams don't think he's worth it, why should the Rockets?
I'm not a member and don't post, I just go there about once a week or so to see what's going on. But yeah, those results definitely surprised me. It's true Tmac is on the decline and it's a known fact failing is a habit. But the ironic thing is you're still forced to fear him. You just don't know what game he'll decide to bring.
i really do think so... obviously its a factor but not as big a factor as people make it out to be. all 3 of those players were very atheletic but lacked the skills that people thought they had. Vince Carter especially was put on this pedastal when he first came in the league but he was never a very skilled player. He was a very atheletic guy who could shoot and was a decent height for a SG. If you watched him and tracy play together you could see the differences. Tmac has always been much less atheletic and much more skilled. He almost always makes his move from the triple threat which is the only way for a smarter player to beat a more atheletic defender. Vince Carter goes to the crossover alot or just blows by his man. J.R. Rider was also an atheletic beast that lacked the skills. If you watch the way that all these players with heart score its always barrelling over the defender because their bigger-faster-stronger (especially in lebron's case) and when tmac gets a few dunks in (usually on a guy who was smaller or slower or weaker) or drives in (usually on a guy who is slower) there's always hords of people talking about how much passion and heart he played with that night. Basketball is much more about physical abilities and matchups than people understand. Tmac losing his atheleticism really makes him an easier matchup, plain and simple.
Heart is not really what people are talking about, it is more about a competitive nature. A person that is hyper competitive and hates to lose.....those are the players that become superstars and maintain that level for years because they just can not stand to lose. Believe me, I understand those people. DD
I meant that other teams wouldn't take a chance on a player with such an injury ridden past and declining atheleticism. They know he has talent now but how long will it last? If the rockets are trading someone who gives them so much now they want someone back who can be close to as productive now with the possibility of getting better and i don't see any team going for that. I don't think a tmac trade, because of his injury history and declining effectiveness, would make sense for either team. It would have to be a shaq type deal where the rockets get a good player and have the possibility to free cap space. I don't see a team being as foolish as the suns for us. ...and yes, the shaq deal was a bad deal, they traded a great defender/scorer and went from the 1 seed to the 6th for a turnover prone center.
