This. LOL @ people who actually think that McGrady will be sitting on the bench doing nothing while Ariza plays 36 minutes a game dribbling awkwardly and jacking up bad shots. (Yeah, still NOT a fan.)
morey and adelman are both gaga over budinger. no way t-mac's getting his minutes. t-mac may play a few games before morey pulls a great trade which primes us for a deep playoff push.
Either they will expand the rotation or one of Battier will probably play PF sometimes. Didn't Battier play PF when he played for Memphis at times?
We really need a center.....to help with Chuck... Are there any centers out there that we could get for TMac's contract? Camby + a player? Kamen? Biedrens? We are a center away from contending but it has to be a hard working one that plays within the team game. Camby would be the first choice then Biedrens. DD
Andersen loses his minutes. I think we'll see more small ball with Battier at the 4. The very small Brooks-Lowry backcourt will lose minutes, too.
mind you, tracy is not going to play more than 20-25 minutes in about the first 10-15 games or so. but yes, i think he'll take away some of lowry's time (b/c adelman seems to like playing 2 guys who can dribble and create at the same time hence brooks and lowry combo). we might even go small and have battier at PF. i think chase will still get minutes. he's too valuable.
And who exactly will close out games for us? If we had a closer in the LA game, we win. LA had one named Kobe and they went to him over and over to get the W.
I think we will develop a closer, and all we needed against LA was another penetrating dribbler on the court with Brooks. If Budinger plays that game the Rockets win by 10.... DD
I really dont understand while people assume there will be an odd man out? We are playing a 8 man rotation with a few min for Andersen so the guys are playing tons of minutes. Tmac will distrubute the playing time talking about 5 min from each guy. I do agree though that it may be just a showcase to see what he can snag or if he can still play to make Battier tradeable.
unless tmac shocks the world and returns to elite form, i honestly think he will be traded. probably with andersen to get out of his 3 year contract, and most likely for some hight inside.
ya, a PF/C who is athletic and strong defender no need for T-Mac he'll spoil the chemistry of the team
You guys are crazy thinking that tmac will have to fight off chase for minutes. Chase is a rookie, he'll sit.
Uhh, Yao is out for the year, Tracy is out for an extended length of time, that's already known. Gasol's timetable is much shorter then that, he should be coming back soon.
I think T-mac will decrease Ariza and Chase's minutes. Not just one player. Chase is proven to be very valueable and im sure Rick Adelman sees that. No way chase is going to be stuck on the bench...
Odd man out? Check this out: T-Mac comes back in full strength, starts the game as "point-forward" "playmaker" ala Scottie Pippen or Magic Johnson. Brooks Ariza T-Mac Scola Hayes Effect on Offense: Less TO's, More dribble penetration and outlet pass to perimeter shots, Brooks and Ariza can run more with T-Mac playing like "Magic Johnson". Hayes and Scola can now cut more inside and be easily spotted by T-Mac. Other teams will now have to defend the perimeter more since T-Mac is more accurate than Shane on the 3pt area. Effect on Defense: No problems on the defensive end, Hayes and Ariza can cover for defensive lapses of T-Mac, Brooks can also focus more on defense since the offensive burden has been lifted off a bit from him. Lowry Budinger Battier Landry Anderson Effect: More depth off the bench with Battier taking the leadership role over the 2nd line-up. He and Lowry can initiate defense while Budinger, Anderson, and Landry focus on offense. Now are you looking for the odd man out??? Answer: NOBODY on the Houston line-up, Only but the fools who just don't believe on the talent that T-Mac will bring to this team when he comes back, are the ones odd man out. Ever wondered why Morey and Coach Rick gave a timetable on T-Mac? Nope not because he is not yet 100%. Nope not because he will be traded. It is because they wanted Brooks and Ariza to develop more into the offense! Rick have already said that they wanted Ariza to shoot more, And Brooks to initiate the offense more. And when they do in time for T-Mac's comeback, It's SHOWTIME in Houston! If nobody still believe in T-Mac's recovery, please watch Arenas and Jermaine O'Neal. The three of them worked out in Chicago. Look how they came back strong this season. Still don't believe me? Then you're a fool!
I agree that we would have won by 10 if Chase played in the LA game. But while I agree with that, I think that it is extremely short sighted to dismiss what a healthy T-Mac could potentially add to this lineup. I honestly do not see anyone on this team that can develop into a closer, particularly from the perimeter. As noted by the end of the LA game, Brooks is just too small of stature to do it on a consistent basis and Ariza does not have the handle for it. All other issues aside, a healthy T-Mac playing basketball is a greater benefit to this team this year than the value of his contract, which seems to be the primary focus of everyone wanting him out of town. Adelman had stacked rotations in both Portland & Sac-Town, yet he always managed to get guys on the floor that deserved to be there and I believe that he will do the exact same thing when T-Mac comes back. So let's just enjoy the ride into the playoffs, cause it's gonna be that kinda season in H-Town...
Depending on the other team, I could see Battier plaing the 4: Brooks Ariza Tmac Battier Scola But at this point, i'm just not sold on the idea that Tmac even has a place on this team. I see him getting moved at the trade deadline to a fringe team who needs to clear the cap space. I always liked Camby. He'd look great with the second unit playing along side Carl, Chase, Ariza, and Lowry.
