Rockets one on one practice video on 12/7, including Tmac

i dont think he looks sharp, but he definatly looks like he is moving better

 

It's going to be a timing thing for him and also the mental factor of trusting that his knee has healed. To me he looked good in the video, I could care less if he was making shots or not, he was moving very well and heck of alot better than last year. I look forward to him coming back.

 

mcgrady never said he was killing people in practice, but as far as going up and down the court, he can do everything he couldnt do last season, but that his rhythm would be off. and that it would take him time , mabye coming off the bench to work himself back a couple of games.

 

I know he never said that. I said he should be doing that if he is truly ready to come back and play. If he can't outplay Shane, Trevor and Chase then why bring him back?

I know there is a dimension to the game that a player does not get back until they get a few real games under their belt but based on what I hear from the players guarding him in practice and from what little bit of video we have seen he has more to work on than just getting back into a rhythm. I believe Battier even said as recently as last week that he doesn't know how close McGrady is yet because he has yet to see him "go up and down" the court.

 

that's what people don't get. there's a reason tracy knows and is fine with coming off the bench. and he has said HIMSELF that it would take him a while to get back to what he once was (i'm assuming what he thinks he's capable of doing on the court).

technically, HE CAN PLAY. and i'm sure he can play better than last year. and that's why tracy came out and said what he said, which is stupid b/c we don't want that tracy.

but his movement is more than just fine. he looks GREAT moving-wise. that's as quick and fluid as i have seen him since the start of 07-08 season.

but yes, you can see on the first layup attempt. he beat his man with ease but didn't even try to dunk the ball. he was freakin' wide open for god sakes. we've seen him dunk, and yet he didn't attempt to dunk that lol.

making shots will come. yes, it will come easier the more he trusts his knee. and the trust can only come in real game situations.

i look forward to him playing in a few weeks in a limited role off the bench. and i expect him to do great things a month afterward.

 

ok fine. let's keep it simple then: he can't do his job. he hasn't been able to do his job since dubya was in office. personal feelings aside, other teams don't care that he's playing okay for someone coming off major surgery. in order to be of any value, he has to play better than someone that's currently playing, play defense, do all the things the rockets are doing that involve playing basketball at a high level. he can't do any of those things currently, and i don't think he'll get back to a level where he can do any of those things better than the people that are already on the team. if we are 1/4 of the way through the season and he still cant jump or shoot, what gives you hope that he'll be back at a high level soon enough to get integrated and contribute to winning, NBA level basketball?

there - no personal bias.

just because you disagree with me, does not mean that I don't have a valid opinion. I am free to state my opinion just as you are. in my case, I always do my ebst to share information with this board and represent it as accurately as possible. when Steve Francis made his comeback with the rockets, it was just as unpopular for me to say he was done. but i said it anyway, because it was the truth. in this case, i get more frustrated because there is little to no evidence to support a case that tracy will be able to contribute, but people believe it blindly. all of the evidence should lead a rational observer to conclude that 1) tracy is nowhere near ready, 2) the rockets don't have an interest in sacrificing minutes for their young core for the sake of tracy's next contract, 3) there is vitriol on both the management side and tracy's side about the way the last two years have been handled, and 4) both parties are better served by the rockets and tracy parting ways. none of that involves tracy playing basketball here, and that is where the largest amount of truth should point you.

i understand this. where are you seeing that tracy can still do this? what evidence do you have that the version of tracy that is on this team demands a double team and spreads the floor? he can't even jump. he can't shoot. he is not going to be that guy any time soon. if you give me the tracy from 2006, then sure, okay, i understand your point. unfortunately the level of deterioration of tracy's body does not allow him to perform as you want him to. everyone who watches him noted it too. he didn't drive. he took his one-step inside the arc jumpers. he lost elevation. you all complained about these things at the time too. don't pretend you didn't.

one datapoint of anything is not proof. i could come up with single games where kobe failed too. i guess that means he does not count as a closer either?

i have seen him play more than you guys, his current "basketball abilities" cant help this team. that video was about as good as i've seen him look, and he still looked bad. you think those abilities are useful? he has innate talents yes, but so does greg oden. he cant use his talents right now either.

how do you know, since you readily admit you are not privy to them?

what do you think I get, exactly, out of having such a negative opinion of tracy? do I get paid? do I get . . . anything? do you think i'm trying to earn tracy-hate boxtops or something? seriously, the only thing i get for getting into conversations about tracy is accusations like this. it makes my life more complicated to say these things, not simpler. do you think there is joy in being accused of lying, making things up, and being a jerk all the time? well there isn't. i relay what i find because supposedly this is a bbs full of people that care about the HOUSTON ROCKETS. I share what i want to share, and let people believe what they want to believe, but it is human nature to get frustrated when someone shares information that they are under no obligation to share and are treated like crap for doing so.

on top of that, what does your "basketball information" tell you right now? he just isn't very good. ok? so we agree then. moving on . . .

that's the difference between me and you. no matter how much i might want to believe that tracy is committed and cares about the houston rockets, and has a high likelihood of returning to form in a productive and constructive manner, i know it isn't true. you have the luxury of hoping i am wrong, and biased, and evil, and have some nefarious plot against tracy. i don't.

 

well thats one bit of information Mcgrady did not get. he thought he would be cleared after the 23rd, but now adelman has talked and told him they planned on playing mcgrady when they felt he could have a signiificant role without hurting the team, and now everything seem to be fine..

 

T-Mac does look better in that short video than he did at any point last season. But I think that we should all temper our judgements from this video. T-Mac supporters & haterz should remember that this is FIVE minutes after practice; not Five minutes during the HEART of practice. It is very encouraging to see him moving better. The shots falling will come with repetition. I am excited about him coming back and the possibilities that will come with that. But a starting role should be the least of anyone's concerns, especially his. He needs to come back in a reserve role. Honestly I feel that he is a better fit as a veteran presence for the 2nd unit and should be a part of the game closing rotation because of his basketball acumen.

 

if mcgrady cant jump and shoot, we have bigger problems than we thought

 

Tracy was moving well but playing awful.

Brian Cook for MVP!

Landry was wreckin like usual.

Lol at C-Bud dunking on battier.


At least T-Mac showed that he cared on that missed turn around bank shot.

 

He looks rusty. But that's not a problem. He can easily fix that.

 

Brian Cook.... HE'S THE ONE

 

While there are some points that I will agree to disagree with you on, I respect your position. I can agree that there are alot of questions regarding Tracy and everything around him as far as coming back. While you and some others feel like he is not worth it or only view him as an expiring contract, I hold out hope that he will be able to comeback and make a positive contribution to this team. I agree that I have no factual basis for my position other than my belief in his basketball acumen, but just as you believe you what believe, so do I. And I don't have any personal issue with you or your position. I just thought the forum was about basketball and not personal feelings.

 

First off, thanks for posting the video.

Tracy looks off with his shot, but this im not going to judge anything with this video. He does look quicker than last year though.

For all those people judging the video, don't because than Brian Cook should be starting.

 

im starting to believe Brian Cook looked good because he wasnt tired after practice, kinda similar to how he isnt tired after games if you know what i mean

 

In fairness, there were a lot of missed shots (including lay ups) by supposedly healthy players not named T-Mac. Too much attention is being placed on this as opposed to what others have pointed out, that he can actually move around on the court better than last year.

I am pleased with what I saw in the video.

Thanks for posting the video.*

I find it funny that Battier can make this comment "'We all look good in half-court situations, playing one-on-one,' Battier said. 'He has a ways to go. … When he comes back, he comes back.'" Because from what I saw, he looked the worst out of all of the supposedly healthy players. For all of the complaints about Ariza's handles, I am surprised that little is said about the lack of Battier's.

 

http://sports.sohu.com/20091208/n268763177_3.shtml

More updates. They said McGrady went really hard.

 

http://bbs.hoopchina.com/1039782.html

 

i don't think any of us cares for battier's offense. we all know what he can do already.

 

his elevation looks pretty good from the damn pictures. i guess that video didn't capture the entirety of the 1-on-1 after practice.