isnt this exactly what happened? after what happened last season w/ tmac and his health the rockets would not be stupid to allow t-mac to dictate his timetable and rush back out there or 'play himself into shape'. thats what they did last year and look what happened.
I think if your going to pay a player 23 mill than play him, i understand they are trying to keep him on the injuried list long enough untill the insurance kicks in, but the rockets obviously from the past games come out swinging and fall off towards the end of games... i think we should have tmac atleast coming off the bench with limited minutes and finishing them off. he would be well reseted throughout the game.
I know I'll probably get flamed by some irrational haters but I think it is important to throw this out. First, I have to state that I am a Houston Rockets fan more than a T-Mac fan. I like what a healthy T-Mac can bring to this team but, at the same time, I do not really like his PR / media-relations skills. With that being said, I am merely trying to provide another prospective on this matter but not pointing fingers at anyone or defending anyone. I think we all need to look at the video in this thread in order to get an unbiased idea of what really happened during this "T-Mac Saga": http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=177775 Keith Jones and Dr. Clanton explained it very clearly that they tried everything with T-Mac to get him through his knee problems which first started during the training camp of 2007. Both them and T-Mac thought he could play through it so he did so; it didn't work, so they tried giving T-Mac medications and lessening the loads on his knee by having him not playing back2backs. Jones and Clanton also said that with T-Mac's injury, he experienced extreme pain in his left knee in sudden spurts - meaning he could play but he didn't know when that extreme pain would kick-in. I think that partially explains why T-Mac was so inconsistent during the 08-09 season, he would play well for a few games and then have setbacks for the other ones (e.g. the infamous Toronto game). Again, I am not trying to defend him but I don't think any of us has experienced injuries like this and the extreme pain that goes along with these types of injuries; imagine what it would be like if you don't know when a painful sensation, such as getting hit at the knee by a baseball bat or something, would kick in and you are trying to play physical basketball at a high level - I think no one would be able to run up and down the court with confidence, much less doing high loading activities such as cutting to the basket, moving laterally to defend opponents, and simply jump. So everything that the Rockets' medical team tried with T-Mac didn't work out at all, both T-Mac and them tried to seek other medical opinions. This was the reason why they went to see other doctors and doing different tests last year (again some said it was caused by T-Mac's diva-ness and lack of trust in the organization but the fact is, as Jones said clearly, both the medical team and T-Mac agreed to seek alternative opinions.) Regarding the announcement of the micro-fracture surgery, Jones said it clearly: it was an honest misunderstanding between T-Mac and the organization - T-Mac called Jones and the organization after getting opinions from the doctors in NY and Chicago but he didn't hear back from them; hence thought the organization was aware of the situation and on the same page as him; as a result, he went ahead and announced the decision. Bottom-line: T-Mac tried to play through the injury because, I quote again from Keith Jones, "he wanted to be with his teammates and didn't want to leave his teammates out there." It didn't work out so they tried various other options. As it turned out, those options didn't work out as well. So they looked for alternatives. In the end, they opted for micro-fracture surgery. I think the media played a huge role in the misunderstanding and spun the story so that people will notice and talk about it. I think this interview (the video in the link) clears up a lot of the mis-perceptions that we have about this saga. Yes, T-Mac is r****ded when it comes to talking to the media and handling PR matters (one would think that he'd have a PR team for that, lol) but he wasn't the "pus sy," "diva," or "quitter" that most of us think he was if we put our biases aside and really try to understanding what he was going through (i.e. playing on a troubled knee that would give him extreme pain in sudden spurts). We should just be a good fan base, continue to support the whole team (yes that's including T-Mac since he hasn't been traded yet), and give the man another chance to redeem himself. I think us fans can be more constructive then throwing out hatred and harmful comments: if T-Mac does get traded because Morey thinks he can get something better in return, we should be support our organization's decision while being a class-act at the same time in wishing T-Mac a brighter future on another team; on the other hand, we should try to support a player that has tried to play through his injuries to make a come back and play strong for the team. I don't know if you guys realize this or not, the best option we have for the upcoming free agency is resigning a healthy T-Mac, since we won't be able to sign Lebron, D-wade, or even Chris Bosh, with the mere cap space we are going to have.
Sorry folks but the only thing that really matters is winning a championship. So getting out of first round only delayed not winning a championship. I don't want our team to be the basketball equivalent of being bridesmaids. The only team that can be happy about last year is the NBA champion Lakers.
Question for people who think rockets don't need mcgrady, Are you truly a rockets fan? I mean rockets as is are a good team, were a great team with yao, but with mcgrady rockets would be an elite team with his perimeter skills, so why wouldn't you want him playing? The reason I ask is because rockets never had so many weapons as before, it was always just yao and mcgrady mediocore role players, mcgrady these role players(22 gm streak), yao these role players (2nd round), we have not seen this team at full strength. Point is it would open up so many options for this team, where as RA offense isn't working, or yao's being fronted, we would still have a guy that can create something out nothing for himself or others. Mcgrady has the skill's to make us an elite team(when yao's back), so why would you want to trade him when there isn't anyone in return that rockets could get that's capable of what mcgrady can bring when healthy?
For cripes's sake, I'm not going to complain about a healthy T-Mac who we know will work within the system. But he's not healthy, is not the T-Mac of 2 or three years ago, and the Rockets organization is perfectly justified in taking as much as time as is necessary to get him healthy. You T-Mac fanboys act like the only reasons he isn't playing is because Adelman hates him or for insurance purposes, which is simply not true, as the guy isn't healthy yet.
Excellent thread title, though it focuses on only one player. No one player is above the team. If a player is not working out then why should the Rockets have to cater to that player?
You or I cant' judge if mcgrady is healthy or how good will he be, we haven't seen him on the court or nor do we know what he's feeling, but my point was about the future, when yao comes back I still believe this cast with yao and mcgrady can challenge the lakers in the west.
The issue is still what McGrady is getting paid, performance based on pay and team expectations based on pay. Overall McGrady has not been worth the money. Then it comes down to things like likability, professionalism, attitude, leadership, locker room influence, off court baggage, superstar primadonna personality, relationships with coaches, teammates and management...basically just how he comes across as a person. McGrady still gives Rockets its best chance to win, when relatively healthy. I think its all the interpersonal matters over time factored in heavily where he's just now plain annoying to be around. McGrady the superstar no one cares about, his teammates cant a get share of All Star success they want to win. McGrady the winner, cant say THAT about him. McGrady on-court, can take it but can also leave it. So it comes down to McGrady the man. He's probably seen as less than a professional to douche in the organization. But he's not Marbury/Iverson level of unsettling. It comes down to if the people around him are mature enough to just focus on the bigger objective. Thankfully it seems that way. His fate with the team might already have been decided. All in all its still on McGrady, if he'll commit himself to team goals instead of personal goals.
As a fan I could care less about "likability, professionalism, attitude, leadership, locker room influence, off court baggage, superstar primadonna personality, relationships with coaches, teammates and management, nobody's perfect", what should be the most important thing is winning that's what fans pay their money for, to watch there team win and mcgrady definitely helps in that category, because they have a better record with him than without.
J623, That was a real nice summary of the T-Mac sage... The biggest problem with this entire mess is 1) Communication 2) Honesty 3) Maturity This goes for both sides...
problem is, you guys think of players as mindless automatons. theyre people. theyre not just assets even if theyre being paid. i wonder how'd you feel like if your employer treated you like youre not wanted? and even if you were healthy and willing to work because you feel you can help improve the company, the bosses keep you from doing so and arent up front and honest with you? the reason why players have become selfish is because theyve realized that ultimately, the teams think of them as just assets. there's no loyalty and trust anymore. if the team thinks youre expendable for the whatever reason (financrial reasons, team improvement), then youre gone. i, for one, wouldnt like to stay with a company who doesnt trust me when i say, "hey, there's something wrong with my knee. those doctors that tell you there's nothing wrong with it, are missing something."
Sorry to be off topic but, I just wanted to say I really like your signature, I wish the "fans" on fb felt the same way, there is a kid on there who only posts stuff after a loss, and it usually invloves getting a new coach.
Four passes is the key and lots of playing time for likable white guys. If little Ollie can just come in and hit some clutch game winning free throws, then this team can fire on all cylinders. After all, the basket is still 10'. Coach Dale, I mean Adelman, sure knows how to run the picket fence. Everyone knows that's the secret. Other teams have the talent, but we have wishful Hollywood stories. And Hollywood always wins. Don't get caught watching the paint dry!
Please explain what color a guys skin has to do with anything? Because this reads like you are a racist. Shouldn't you only care about the team, not skin tone? Sometimes people on here make comments that show a bit of their true nature.....so sad for you Smooth, that was really weak. Still like your sig though, being that Morey said the exact same thing...... And, Hickory did win the championship - Great movie - dumb post. How is the PF you labeled Scrubola doing? And how are you feeling about that sig bet between Battier and Tmac? I ain't scared..... DD
exactly. both parties are at fault. but tracy made himself an easy target with his mouth. hopefully both sides can resolve this, either him playing here or trade.
