How is being determined to maximize the athletic gifts you have, and listening to the condition of your body being weak minded? It's called reality. Ignore it, deny it... it's not going away.
I think we've been talking about this on the BBS for a while now ~ his game is changing, but he'll adapt and play strong.
Maybe he would like to re-write his contract and give the Rox back the money they paid for a superstar. Then we could buy some guys to go around him and help him up and down the court. All-kidding-aside, if he is not playing like a superstar and IMO he has not been this year then he shouldn't be paid like one. We should get our money back and be able to buy him some help. It has been widely stated and agreed that as long as Tmac and Yao are on this team we won't have cap space to get other really good players. Tmac is not really a leader so exactly how is he going to play smarter? He is a better-than-average to good player today, but that is all.
To say that McGrady is no longer a superstar because of his play through five games is both unfair and ridiculous.
It started to make me sad but after seeing him against the Bucks the other night. He looked so much more like himself it wasn't even funny. I don't know why he gets these notions in his head. He has not played basketball in a long time so he is a bit rusty and he is still capable of doing so much. As the season goes on his jumping and quickness will improve as it already has this season. I am not worried if he truly has lost some of his athleticism, but for now I DONT BELIEVE A WORD OF IT. It is the same with Kobe, yes he doesn't look as explosive as he used to, but he will in due time just like TMac once their injuries are behind them. I personally think it is all in his head that he is not as fast as he was but in the 4th quarter he blows by any defender that is on the court. Keep your head up guys!!! He will be back oh yes. Maybe JVG should limit his minutes like he has been doing lately. Like maybe 36 minutes or so. Hurry up Bonzi, get in shape.
I agree. And quite moved by what he said. Hope that tmac and Yao both keep healthy and lead Rockets deep into the playoffs!
tmac will be a better player for this team with his new style of YAO FIRST OPTION attitude. but he will still be able to put up nice numbers throughout the season , and probably a few more 30+ games when he needs to.
I think the change in TMac's game has already begun. A lot of the plays that we run for him are different than the way he has played in the past. We're running multiple screens instead of relying just on the pick and roll. Mac is posting up guards more regularly. He's also being more careful when he takes it to the rim. Instead of attacking from the center of the court, he attacks from an angle, minimizing his contact. These are smart adjustments that should help prolong his career.
Definitely agree with this. The worst thing about how our draft played out last summer was not getting Roy. We may end up with other regrets as well, long term, although I love that we got Battier. Regardless of how McGrady plays the next few seasons, and I think if he's healthy, we'll be thrilled with his play, it'd be nice to have a young stud growing up with the team. If our two guys stay healthy, we won't be seeing anything near that kind of pick, unless we get one in trade, or manage to trade for a gem in the rough. Heck, we may have a gem or two in the rough already, and they're still being cut and polished.
Spot on JBC....mostly. People need to stop living in Fantasyland. TMac IS NOT MJ....and he's not going to be the player he was.That said Tracy will adapt SIMILIAR to how Jordan did. There is reason for plenty of optimism though...MJ didn't have Yao. Because of Yao Ming,Tracy won't have to do the heavy lifting.He is more than capable of finding and filling his role that will help lead us to titles.
Yeah, now if only, through some stroke of luck and draft-night wackiness, we could find an athletic, young, stud swingman who might develop into an All-Star around 2009. Someone who might not be 100% polished this very second, but who has the tools to contribute, and will be around 24 when T-Mac hits 30, ready to pick up the slack. If only we had that kind of opportunity. Oh. Wait.
Tmac is a SMART basketball player and will be productive as his athleticism wanes a bit. Now Steve Francis...well.......that is another story. DD
I'm not saying he is the dude, but Kirk Snyder has all the physical tools to be a go to guy. He needs to work on his jumper, being consistent with it and getting it off a little quicker, but he has a great body for taking a lot of punishment, a lot of physicality, and playing a lot of minutes and he is great at finishing with the bball. He also has all the tools to be a very good perimeter defender. I for one sure hope he develops and keeps working on his game. I think if he does, he makes Bonzi obsolete. On the point of Bonzi, he is really going to have to pick it up to justify any sort of contract next year. If I were the Rox, I would not even consider him for my MLE, even if he comes back strong at the end of the season. I think we've already seen what he is all about and as soon as he gets his money, his conditioning will go to pot again and he will wind up injured just eating up cap space. Yeah, he had a great series against San Antonio. So what. He's gotten way too heavy and obviously his metabolism is not going to be what it used to be. He will battle the bulge for the rest of his career. I just don't think he' a team guy. I would try to move him and Sura's contract for Maggette. We'd probably have to throw in our pick in that deal. I think at best Bonzi is a 1 year rentaplayer and he isn't even going to give us anything until February. By then, he may be so far in JVG's doghouse he never sees the light of day.
TMac has been through a lot recent years. He's got quite a few close friends and relatives who died and i guess he is still haunted by the premature second-round a few years back. He still has a lot to do to shut up those critiques. But I think he's going to get the money off the back as a Rocket and very likely this season!
True that Jordan didn't have Yao. But he had Pippen, which was just as good of a sidekick IMO. I noticed against the Grizz, Tmac did this move where he dribbles past 2 defenders with between-the-legs-from-behind and then dished it nicely to Skip. The first thing I noticed was how slow that move was. It was almost like slow motion. But despite all this, he still managed to get by the defenders.. and quite effectively at that.. so I'm not gonna complain.
This makes me really sad, he's only 27... But it's good to see how he has matured, and looking to want want Wade and LeBron and the likes are acomplishing.
A couple of thoughts: I think by the time NBA stars reach their late 20s they lose a half-step, not a full step. They are just a tad slower and less explosive than they were but still very dominant athletically. It isn't about age it is about wear and tear and minutes played. The article makes what I have always thought was an obvious point. Guys who jump straight out of high school and start playing big minutes in their first couple of years are going to have a lot more mileage than a guy who comes out after playing college ball for 3-4 years. On the other hand, look at guys who join the NBA later in their careers like Mobley or Mike James. Those guys have less mileage on their bodies at their age then most NBA stars and you can see that they retain(ed) their athleticism longer. Jordan had lost a half step when he won his first title. Watch the guy at age 22 and then age 28 and you can see that he wasn't quite as quick or explosive but he was off course a better overall player and probably didn't peak until his third title. I think what these guys lose in athleticism they make up for with experience and confidence. Hakeem was the same way, as a few have mentioned. Now with those points I think you can say that Kobe and Tmac have certainly lost that half step. Bryant is a better player now than ever but he certainly isn't a quicker or more explosive player. Tmac has this season to show us if he is a better player despite losing a touch of his athleticism.
