T-Mac: I can go out and be healthy and play through the whole playoffs"

alright, fair enough. what do you want to happen though? trade for a superstar of mcgrady's level, who's always healthy, and just as good as him? unlikely. yao alone will not get the job done, the role players are not creative enough, hence they need the skills of tmac to win. you can't trade tmac for a solid starter, ala Jefferson from the Nets, as it would completely destroy the rockets offense.

admittedly, having to worry about mac's back is quite stressful. but he's only missed 8 games so far, after missing nearly half the season last year, so i'd say he's not that bad. the injury bug is part of basketball, you can't expect them to stay healthy the entire season, and if they do, its the exception and not the rule. yes, i know its a chronic back problem, and it will degenerate. but right now, it's good enough for another 2-3 years, and we should make the best out of it.

 

That has nothing to do with anything. This isn't a Yao vs Tmac thing. Tmac has one reoccurring health problem. This problem will last him the rest of his career and life. It is a huge concern and could only be getting bigger.

I hope Tmac proves me wrong in the playoffs. But I think most people here are kind of turning a blind eye on the problem and are relying on wishful thinking.

But if it is a problem during the playoffs, where do we go from there?

 

exactly. i'll believe it when i see it

 

I am a lot more concerned about Yao than Tmac. He seems to be having these unexpected, random, awkward bone fractures.

At least Tmac's injury is well known and can be managed

 

If you followed him in his Magic career, Tmac played a whole playoff series without missing any games on a bad back. That was against the charlotte hornets, he scored 30+ ppg in that series. Did his teammates show up? No.

 

methinks that mac's teammates, past and present, were caught with their pants down when asked to contribute because they were too busy gawking when he was carrying them. it seems to me that they get caught up in how good he is that they start getting lackadaisical; they go through the motions instead of playing hard.

 

That's super duper. I'm kind of worried about this year though. But thanks.

 

Hey just throwing it out there for people who doubt he can play in the playoffs through this back pain.

 

Maybe the relevent question is : Do we want to win as many games as possible and obtain the highest possible seed, Or, do we want to make the playoffs with our team healthy and welll rested and then see how the chips fall?

If our strategy includes the first scenario maybe JVG needs to play TMac 35-38 minutes a game on a non back-to-back situations and maybe 30-32 minutes a game on a back-to-back schedule. And use him judiciously in an OT situation.

If our strategy includes the second scenario then we need to use TMac as little as possible, maybe around 30-35 minutes per single game and 28-32 on a back-to-back scenario. And when the game is either won or lost immediately pull TMac and the other starters and let the rest of the team, especially the rooks get some playing time.

Personally, I favor the second scenario. So we end up the eighth seed. If everbody is healthy and have played together for awhile I pitty the team who plays us. We will run them off the court.

 

If JVG refused to tank last seasn even when it was obvious Rockets won't make the playoff, I don't think he would ask the players to go easy on a few games.

 

I agree !! He keeps saying its nothing and I'm fine then he goes off for 40 + one day and then the next day he is hurt again....I wish the best for T-Mac and I hope he can play as many games as possible but I still see him missing another 10-15 games this season. His Back problem is not going to go away !! You can't fix it just try and contain it...

 

With a healthy Yao and T-Mac we can beat Dallas and Phoenix...GUARANTEED !!!

 

When I watched the game against Dallas, it looked to me like a classic example of too much rest during the game... quite opposite of what most are saying.

When he was warmed up in the 1st he went off for 21... got some rest.. scored 8 in the second...

Halftime... and the cooling off ensued until he was too tight in the same muscles that had previously been loose and warm...

Then he exits stage left, and hasn't returned until (maybe) tonight.

When muscles in the back are warm, they must not cool down too much, while at the same time must not be overexerted...

It is a fine-lined "green zone" that must be learned by both T-mac and his coaches/trainers.

I would also question his pre-game and in-game hydration. It appears that some cramping took place... this is unacceptable when you basically have all the technology you need to prevent it. The trainers should further go through an extensive cool down workout after each game to ensure minimal tightening after games, especially after game one of a back-to-back... and they must MAKE Tracy do this. I can easily see where the team's stars may be less likely to receive the disciplinary, preventative maintenance from a team trainer, simply because of the media sessions, etc. I trust this has not really been the case, but, given the results and the recurrence of the problems... I'd guess it has.

I believe his statement relies more on the training staff and a high level of communication between himself and the coaches about it... He can make that happen, but my worry is that JVG has never shown all too much sensitivity to players' comfort levels or any real desire to have a rotation deep enough to find the green zone.

Just my "trainer past" 2 cents. Carry on.

 

You have my stamp of approval.

 

t-mac should just wait till the play-offs come. aint no point in fackin his back up in the regular season.

 

With Yao not due back until March, are you really willing to allow the Rockets to play for 6-8 more weeks without either of their stars in the lineup?