true but i think when you start going from great 6 to 9M role players to 15 to 20M players the jump is because of the ability to close which ariza doesnt have, not saying tmac is the greatest closer but when hes on his game hes up there with the kobes, wades and lebrons, ariza might someday have that type of ability, i dont think so personally, but right now he doesnt come close to bringing what tmac can bring if healthy IMHO
Tmac says HOPEFULLY we will see him back on courts this week. The guy has been working his tail off to come back and anxious to play. He has a right to express that on his own blog. Let's not make a big deal about it. The Media and fans need to take a chill pill. Just enjoy the curret Rockets team who are mentally strong enough to handle any kind of drama some people think Tmac is creating.
It's far too early to tell what player combinations are ideal. If versatility were everything, Landry and Scola would be our starting frontcourt and Hayes would be coming off the bench. Hayes is our most one dimensional player by far, but his role is important. The idea of having Brooks/Tmac/Ariza/Scola together sounds great because there are four scoring threats that can create for each other, but there's only one ball to go around. We already score over 100ppg, we just need to improve our efficiency and reduce turnovers. Our defense, on the other hand, is fairly poor. Even though he's lost a step, I'd take Battier's defense over Ariza's defense, which is mostly steals. Of course, Tmac may not even help us at all.
If they were retired and we were comparing the two players, I would totally agree with you. I think you'll see TA's percentages go up as he gets into his upper-20's. But since we are talking about this season and the future, I'd rather have Ariza's 18 shots vs. Mac's, only because of the rest of the package that comes with it. TA is a team player who plays above average defense, and is still young. Mac....not so much.
Assuming Tracy comes back health, with his head straight, and not cancering up the team, (and these are huge assumptions) he WILL help this team. How he is going to help though is another story. He will make this team better by being a creator on offense rather than being a scorer. We have one of the highest scoring teams already because we push the ball and get alot of easy baskets. However if you have watched the games, our half court offense can be a bit ugly at times. This is where Tracy can help with his pick and roll play and his passing ability. This has been discussed before but I think AB would flourish with T-Mac handling the ball more. Ariza would also benefit in not having to handle the ball. Now the key issue is can Tracy run with our offense in a fast paced system or will he be the ball stopping T-Mac we've come to known the past few years?
I agree w/wingcommander87. T-Mac's latest update gives the appearance that everything is level-headed & under control. I'm still wondering where all of that info in the Yahoo Sports article came from? If it came from Tracy or 'his people', this latest communique is the bi-polar opposite from that one (lees than a week ago). There is progress, though. He acknowledges that his coach and team are part of that decision process. In the T-Mac update, there is also 'old dog syndrome', if you will (can't teach an old dog new tricks...). If you read between the lines, T-Mac is saying that he will be back on the court this week. Yet, there is still the team practice today, the MRI today, and evaluation from his coaches on T-Macs performance in said practice. T-Mac, again is trying to dictate. He obviously has a problem accepting that he does not dictate when he will play. His health, i.e. his ability to go 100%, to play defense and to stay in the line-up once he returns is the deciding factor for T-Mac paying time. T-Mac has control of his rehabilitation, his performance on the court, and all of his actions. He does not have control of the decision for when the coaching staff decides that he meets the team expectations that all of the players are held accountable to as well. I think that we will know more once reports come out about today's practice, but if Adleman just said less than a week ago that T-Mac was a long ways away, I doubt that T-Mac would play in a game so soon.
Everyone that Grover has worked with that I know of has come back to some form of their older self, or better. I doubt that Tmac will be his first recorded failure. With that being said, I don't see how anyone can mention Ariza and Tmac in the same breath when it comes to talent or who you would want taking shots for your team. Tmac is in a contract year, has a lot to prove and is still ten times more naturally gifted than Ariza ever will be. But, I do agree that the court will be the final determining grade for him this year, not opinions.
It looks like he's trying to convince himself. No way Morey and Rick let him back on the court until he's dominating in practice and based on what's been said, he's no where near that level. I think Shane outscores him in practice. BTW, the Shance is growing old right before our eyes. He at least had a 1" vertical, I think his vertical is negative now Tmac, please be quiet and let Adelman and/or Morey tell us when u will be back on the floor. No more posting from you and please stop trying on your uniform before games like a little kid getting new clothes for Christmas.
But wouldn't it be awesome if he somehow played against Dallas and helped us significantly to put a real whipping on their azzez! :grin:
I think it's possible that Tmac could dominate in practice today, he is just that skilled. And does Shane really score in practice? Or just play defense? I don't think Tmac's comeback is ala Steve Franchise! He's not in that bad of shape or position with just having a lot of his old fans wanting what isn't remotely possible.
Thanks for posting. Glad it got cleared up. I slipped the other day and fell on my ass, it's still sore. No homo.
Book this. T-Mac will not play against Dallas this week and we will still kick their 'azzez', as you put it.
Apples to oranges. It's not expected of Ariza to close games. We close by committee these days; heck, lately it's been Lowry/Landry closing it out. Besides, I'm not the one that drew inaccurate McGrady/Ariza comparisons first. I am simply responding to them. Again, apples to oranges; $22M to $6M. McGrady obviously has more skill, but it's debatable whether he gets the most out of it or helps the team any more.
For people that are convinced that McGrady will make this team worse: Suppose he had been playing since game 1 for the Rockets, and right now we were sitting on an 8-6 record having not won consecutive games since game 3. Would you guys really be satisfied with that?
I have doubts that we could be 8-6 if he were playing since game 1. He is supposed to raise the level of play for his teamates, so in your scenario....no, I wouldn't be satisfied with that. The fact that they are 8-6 with no star and no real size is a testament to the guys who are playing. Are you convinced we'd have a better record if Mac has been there since game 1?
