T-Mac out 3 weeks (UPDATE: Audio from Rick Adelman)

What was he doing in the offseason? According to our team doctors, he needed to strengthen his knee by playing games.

Tracy doesn't want to play "hurt." If his knees are just a strength problem, what was he doing in the summer?

I'm sorry to sound like a pessimist, BUT... every game counts, especially in the west.

It doesn't matter about homecourt advantage because we suck at home. It is more about getting the highest seed possible. We want to play teams that are lower seed, and easy to beat. Not a team where it may be a rebound or shot that makes a difference.

Every game counts. The Spurs game we lost, counts. The Pacers game we lost, counts. Every game counts. We keep saying, "oh it's just the beginning of the season," but we should learn from our last season. We could have been in 1st seed, all it took us was to win some easy games in the beginning, like the Philadelphia game and several others.

I just can't believe a veteran star like McGrady does not understand this.

Wouldn't it be nice to go to the 1st round as the CLEAR winner?

 

Oh wells, maybe if we get the old duo back, we can win some lol.

Steve Francis + Yao FTW!!

 

finally, i'm glad he is sitting out a couple of weeks. Be back by jan 1st. By the way let artest sit for a week too and rest that ankle.

 

I can't make sense of the world for you, but you do realize that Yao Ming has missed a lot more time as a Rocket than Tracy McGrady has, right? You did watch the Rockets win over 50 games for two years in a row where Yao missed more than 30 game, right? Tracy McGrady carried the team the last two years while Yao was injured. Don't take my word, just look at the record.


While I'm posting, a lot of people in thread are displaying incredible pettiness, ignorance and mean spiritedness. It's completely disproportionate. I am ashamed that I am a fan of the same team with the way some of you morons are acting. All of you internet warriors have accomplished exactly *nothing* in sports and I will wager you haven't exactly lit up the sky in the rest of your lives. Yet, you ascribe the worst motives to someone has been a great Rocket. He lifted the team on his back time after time, is clearly injured and is doing the right thing by sorting this out now.

 

Exactly, do some of you guys want him to come on the court score like 6 points, not be able to drive, and have limited minutes? If he comes back 100 percent thats the best. Tracy's thinking April, so am I, some of you aren't

 

I think we came to an understanding the the team doctors dont know what they are talking about. The most recent doctor told him to keep off it for a couple weeks. You have to be healed up to a certain point before you can continue to heal while playing. I guess he didn't reach that point yet.

 

Wow, a little big shocking but you never know with T-Mac.

Obviously, if he really needs it and if he will come back really 100% than I am okay witht that and everybody else should be too. I was a little bit frustrated with his poor performances after good ones. He needs to be consistant.

The thing is. Let him sit now, it is better to have him 100% for the playoffs. But he really needs to REHAB HARD. I mean, don't just sit at home and watch tv just resting that knee. DO YOUR WORK, HARD WORK. Do it every day and really, come back 100%, that is what we want to see.

 

By your logic that every game counts "especially in the West," I would interpret that to mean that the race is so tight in the West. So, assuming we even make the playoffs, all top 8 teams will be good anyway. Trying to face a 6,7, or 8 seed won't mean as much as it will out East for example.

I think all a team really wants to avoid in the playoffs is playing the team that is the best/hottest at the time. Namely, most likely the Lakers. Hopefully it will be us. Only time will tell.

Being a clear winner does nothing for this team. That's pretty obvious. They need to go out and play the games. And right now, for this team and for himself, he needs to sit. It's really not that many games. I know 3 weeks strikes anger into most people. but count the games, it's not that many.

 

You are right by saying it won't mean as much to play the 6,7,8th seeds as in the East, but... I would have loved playing Dallas or Denver last season during the 1st round, rather than Jazz.

And if we are thinking about April, what about our rotations and chemistry?

Rick needs everyone playing and time to get his rotations right. Chemistry is gained through playing together.

With Tracy sitting 3 more weeks, that is 3 more weeks it'll take us until we see the same chemistry that was in the 22 game winning streak. It'll take us 3 more weeks until Rick finds that right rotation.

 

I dont think it matters what team we play first, as long as it's not LA. We will have to play them eventually, but if Tracy and Yao can win a playoff series, I think their confidence will increase dramatically and help against LA. If we play LA in the first round, it could go either way (and im being optimistic since im a Rockets fan), but if we can meet them in the 2nd or 3rd round, I believe our chances increase.

 

I'm not doubting you sir. I am simply stating Tmac is a drama-queen vagina.

 

I have the same sense of urgency. At the same time, it is 10-11 games or so he'll be missing. It'll be good for the team to play without him. When he rests, we don't look so great. They have yet to figure that out. I think Brooks, Artest, and Landry will change that this year.

Of course, I wish we could get it all straightened out already. but that's just not going to happen. Tracy tried to start the year to get off to a good start. We were really only missing Battier (a main part of the rotation).

We really have no choice. If having to wait 10 or so games on building chemistry and a rotation means he comes back stronger, I'll take that trade-off. I just hope he comes back like he says he will. Mcgrady has always spoken his mind and truth, to a fault of many fans. So I'll take him at his word. I just hope he doesn't make me feel like a fool believing in him.

 

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NO LAYUPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Ok,

Here are my thoughts on the 3 weeks out for Tmac after throwing the bloody bones and reading DD's tea leaves.

TMac was having doubts about his knee and what the Rocket's medical staff was telling him so he went in for a 2nd opinion. This was a good idea because Tmac needs to feel completely comfortable to play to his utmost abilities. Dr. Andrews confirmed that he needs to strengthen his knee, and the best course of action is to strengthen the knee with rehab and playing reduced minutes.

The Rockets and TMac talked it over, and decided to do more than that, instead of just letting him rest a week, and then slowly work his way back in, together they decided it was better to give it 3 good hard weeks of rehab to strengthen it, and to get TMac back in shape.

At the end of the day, Tmac is more comfortable, he gets in better shape, and the trainers can work his butt out to get him ready to finish the season strong.

In conclusion this will be better for the team, and more importantly, Tmac's pyschy......

It is a win win for all involved.

Could it have been done over the summer? Probably, but that point is now moot, it is what it is...and this is the best course of action for all involved.

Get better Tmac....I don't want to touch those bloody bones again.

DD

 

He got his second opinion and the prognosis was the same.

Then all of a sudden he is out for 3 weeks?

Was the decision made after a practice session? He's still limited by his knee. So was it that his pride couldn't take the idea of playing at a lower level anymore even though his presence on the court would still help the team win? Is it all about pride?

This suggests it is:
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid823425601/bclid853723710/bctid2917234001

 

So his injury was more serious than people thought. According to this report, T-Mac out 3 weeks, "McGrady said doctors told him that his knee would require 6 to 8 months to heal."

It's the 7th month now since his surgery, so he did come back a little too early, pre-season was the 5th month after the surgery. I understand that athletes need to play through injuries at times, but not at this early of the season. He should have sat out the 1st month until the knee fully heals, it's not like the team was in desperate need of him this early.

Anyone know the exact date he had the operation?

 

So he is gonna miss something like 10 games. Looking at the schedule, we should win most of the games. This month looks pretty easy for us so it is a really good time for Tracy to sit.

The toughest games are against Denver (but in Houston) and maybe against GSW. The other games should be won.

As DD said, hopefully those will be 3 weeks of HARD WORK for Tracy. Maybe he could play now, but what if he wasn't right areound March? Wat if he wasn't 100%? It would be a real dissapointment. So it is better to make sure NOW that he is gonna be 100% when it counts.

 

Bottom line, at this point the guy's a distraction.

Best possible outcome is that the Rockets get it working without him, like last year, and he can come back and plug into the offense.

 

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6143110.html

Rockets give T-Mac another week off to put his mind at ease but he decides he'll take three instead without consulting them?

 

did you say before that tmac tmac won more games without yao than yao did without tmac was because deke was playing like all star. well, yao got artest now...and landry and scola...let's see if yao can lead this team to win 10 straight and settle the debate.