It is not passing the ball right after the defender hedges on the screen. I'm sure for whoever watches the games, when Tmac is in a pick and roll situation, if he dribbles to the side of the pick, the screen defender usually hedges on the screen showing hard to prevent Tmac from getting any dribble penetration. I've seen this happen ever since he came to Houston in 2004. Usually the screener is completely open right when the defender hedges on the screen for the pick and pop. Coaches even in high school teach players that when faced in a situation like this to pass the ball back to the screener after he has faded out for the open mid range jumper. I honestly have never seen Tmac once in his 5 years in Houston make a pass like that. He either dribbles past the hedge defender and attempts a mid range jumper, passes the ball away, or attempts to drive to the basket. The screener who fades whether it be Yao, Scola, or Landry, is completely open for the 15-20 ft jump shot almost every time because teams are so concerned with impeding Mac's progress. I think after years of film, teams have finally figured out that Tmac never does this and they completely use it to their advantage. Tom Thibodeau has done this to Tmac every time they've played. Perkins shows hard after Yao sets a pick and Tmac doesn't pass the ball to Yao who is always open for the midrange shot if he decides to fade out and not roll to the basket. Obviously, something so simple can be corrected through film study, but the question I ask is how come I haven't seen Tmac do it more often? I just don't get it. Hopefully you guys get what I'm talking about. If not, just watch old games or future games and you'll see what I'm talking about. If I'm wrong in the future and they have corrected this issue, feel free to lock this thread up. This isn't another bash Tmac thread, I just don't understand how something so elementary, taught in high school basketball, is something Tmac never does. I think this is a decent concern because we'd get a lot of easy buckets if Tmac did things differently.
Tmac always seems to end up sandwiched and settling for a fadeaway in those situations. When you watch someone like Nash run a P&R, he always seems to have enough separation to make a safe pass. With Tmac, I'd like to see him make that pass but it always seems risky because both defenders are basically bodying him up. Is it possible that teams will hedge Tmac harder because he's better at elevating for the jump shot? Like I mentioned a bit ago, most teams don't try to double up on Nash on the P&R. They tend give him a fair amount of room. I think that passing out of a hard double after a screen is harder than passing to the screener when both defenders aren't fully committed to either the ballhandler or the screener.. Good food for thought either way.
i think i might have to agree with you on this subject. i always say to myself...why not a behind the back pass to landry or scola and let them drive straight to the basket? good point
Tmac's jumpers suck at this very moment due to his knees couldn't provide much more elevation to get his shot going . That's the problem cos he probably wants to find his rhythm through heatchecks . That defender comes off the screener might hedges harder mac than we can imagine . Hope mac could pass more to the wide open guy to shoot the god dang jumpers . That gotta help.
But the screener never tries to go for the mid range shot , they always cut all the way to the basket (Yao , Scola , Landry , Hayes). Juwan Hoawrd used to stay for the midrange jumper and T-Mac gave him the ball all the time , believe me I have seen it , both in Orlando and in Houston.
Teams always scheme to make Nash a scorer. He is too good a facilitator. The Suns are much harder to stopr when he is roaming around creating opportunities for others to score. So they give him decent looks for long jumpers. You've also got to remember that Amare is usually the picker and he is much more dangerous in open space than anything we have at PF or any other frontcourt position for that matter.
Well if true that he doesnt locate open men, this sure undercuts what's considered McGrady's strength of being a good passer and facilitator doesnt it. Rafer really doesn't pass the screen roller that much either. Just hard to think that McGrady still gets decent assists numbers even though he doesnt find people.
we need more threads like this ...seriously I dont know why Yao is always the one that comes out, if we get landry to come out, maybe it will work better since his mid ranger is pretty reliable, and he can get to the rim (most recently seen in the clippers game). Tmac and Landry need to run pick and rolls more often
I seem to remember a couple of years ago, TMac running the PnR with Hayes to good success, with Hayes cutting to the basket. Now that you mention it, I don't where that went to. Or for that matter when Hayes became such a liability on offense. Maybe when the other teams realized any foul would solve the problem.
For some reason Tmac does EVERYTHING off the drive....he doesn't pass to the popper on the pick and pop, he doesn't cut off the ball much....he seems to be married to the dribble. If Rick wants to get his offense working, he has to get Tmac to buy in......if he won't than Rick needs to drop trying to get it installed. There is a reason that when TMac went out last year the team committed to the offense and it started to work. Tmac, as good as he is....is part of the problem. DD
I have noticed that Tracy tends to bog down quite a bit when teams double him on the PnR, but I didn't realize he never makes that pass. I'll look for it in the next game.
pick-n-ROLL, or pick-n-POP. mcgrady or not, i don't see enough of the second part. and the most basic play in offense has so many variations. puzzling.
Tmac doesn't make that pass, and Rafer never passes to the cutter..... It is strange......Rafer makes the pick and pop pass (It is safer)...and TMac makes the riskier cutter pass..... Simply odd. DD
Because T-Mac has the better "court vision" in those situations, making it easier for him to see the openings. Want to know what's odd? The fact that Rafer gambles on defense going for the steal in the 1 on 1 situations, but not "gambling" in the PnR by attempting a pass to the cutter/screener. Don't mind getting scored on, but care enough to not have TO's? Not right, you gotta do both things right. *Not a bash*
The screener most of the time cuts to the basket and doesn't pop. Especially when its hayes or yao setting the pick. Seriously though, the pick and pop is the least of our problems.
WEll it seems to me that Yao is always the one who comes out...His man is always huge. You have to realize that those guys are in a way pushing Mcgrady to keep dribbling.
This is bull...when our offense was at its absolute best last year (22 game win streak), T-Mac had the ball in his hands almost the entire time, making plays off the dribble. T-Mac's problem is making sharp cuts when he is on the weakside, not when he has the ball in his hands. As for this topic, as a poster previously mentioned, T-Mac made the quick pass to the screener when Juwan was here. That was one of T-Mac's favorite plays, and it made Juwan semi-reliable. Yao showed last year he cannot consistently hit the midrange, and doesn't feel comfortable there. Landry doesn't get too many minutes with T-Mac. T-Mac hits Scola for a lot of jumpers, but Scola's only sweet spot is the baseline jumper.
Come on DaDa, you gotta agree with this? I know what the OP means, and sometimes I myself ask the same question, but never is too strong a word. Yao himself has said (or told coaches) that he isn't comfortable chillin' way out at the 15-20 ft. range. Adelman tried it early last season, didn't work, so we switched to Yao back in the post where he's so effective. T-Mac does hit Scola off the PNR but only to that baseline, as Nitro has mentioned. T-Mac also finds Landry at a decent clip. For dunks and jumpshots. Don't get me wrong, I know what the OP is talking about. I agree that too often he does get trapped in that situation and bogs down the offense. I just think you have to look at the situations as well.
