Sweet Lou, There are times that Tmac does do it, but they are not consistent, too often he will still settle for a 20 foot shot over a double team. As I said, he is getting there, but he has not crossed the threshold yet of complete trust. I am hoping for a Hakeem like epiphany, where he went down with injury and watched his teamates come together without him to win games. Hakeem came back a completely different player....Tmac is not stupid if he sees the team come together and win, I think he may come back with a much better understanding of what team basketball really is...... It is not going one on one and passing to a guy when you are doubled....sure that is some of it, but it is more about passing at the right time to a teamate and letting THEM make the play, either shot or pass.....trusting THEM to make the decision. It is a lot different then thinking you should be making all of the decisions. Trusting them to shoot is a first step, the 2nd, and most important is trusting them and their decision making process. THEN...you have something special. DD
*BUMP*BUMPITY*BUMP*BUMP*CRA*****HUD*THUMP*BUMP*CRACK* "what the heck was that" - Bus Passenger Rocket Fans "Oh . .that is the T.O.F.s throwing TMAC's teammates under the bus again" - Bus Driver Adelman Rocket River
Tmac has not carried the team, he has led the team. And he has failed to lead it correctly. He is in the process of getting a good hard look at his career and what it means. It is up to him to look it over and fix the parts that are hampering him from becomming all that he could be. Hakeem did it, Jordan did it, let's hope Tmac can do it. TRUST......is the key. DD
It's fundamentally true that competence and dominance breed deference. McGrady at times has definitely had that effect on the team. But that's not directly the fault of the dominator. It's the fault of the deferrers. Plus, McGrady has always been good at passing and has always looked to make the right pass. You can't fault him at that. I have a lot of hope that he'll do this year what he did last year after being off the court for a while: watch the team, see what's working, and come back with a focus on fitting in rather than making the team fit him. His body is another matter. But his brain will be fine.
Agreed, but Will, the process of total trust was slowed due to Yao's injury last year, the team reverted back to a TMAC makes all the decisions mode. It is on Tmac, the coaches and the players to not let that happen again. DD
People must havent realized how scrubbish the rockets were outside of tmac/yao the last few years. Rafer was/is a starter, Juwan Howard was a starter, Chuck Hayes was a starter, and luther head was our leading bench scorer. Clearence weatherspoon was a starter. Deke is in his 60's, but still gave a great effort. Some people act like we had talent that could take us to the WCF every year. When you feel like keith bogans was a baller, then you know we had problems...Ryan Bowen??....seriously....for real, seriously?
You can't seriously be criticizing the way the Rockets played after Yao went down. They totally overachieved.
Actually I am, it was a very short sighted approach to winning a few games last year. The team should have stuck with the team ball approach so that they would be further along THIS year in the process, IMO. After Yao went down, the team was not going to win anyway, might as well start playing for the future. DD
I've given up trying to understand those posts. I think if you create a mythical world in which you're always right and never say much tangible that can be factually proven one way or another, then that's pretty much what we're up against. No reason to have a logical discussion with someone who's completely illogical.
Unfortunately we don't have anyone on our roster that qualifies as a superstar. Yao is playing as close to superstar level right now as anyone on the team has all year and yet he seems to have no problem buying into the team system. I don't think its is asking too much for TMac to buy into it as well when he comes back off of the injured list.
I find it hypocritical that "Tmac didn't lead us or carry us", but then later, in the same arguement, "he is responsible for first round exits". Last I checked its a team game, and it was the team that lost.
I think we should move the ball around, and try to get everybody involved. The more weapons you have, the greater your chances to succeed. However, when the defense figures out your offensive system over a 7 game series, you have to have alternatives. We have 3 this year. Yao down low is our most consistent option for points and easy shots. He shoots 55% from the field, 86% from the free throw line, and he gets our perimeter shooters wide open 3's. Tracy McGrady is by far our most talented and explosive player. He has the ability to put up 30+ points on any given night. He can see over the defense to pass the ball. He can drive to the basket and get his teammates easy layups and dunks. He also runs the pick n' roll great with Yao. He is also able to shoot off the ball or off the dribble inside and outside the 3 point line. However, he will settle for jumpers at times, and he can't finish the way he used to these days. He has become more of a playmaker, which he is still great at. Tmac is the one guy on this team that can carry his team offensively for 48 minutes if needed and IF healthy. Ron Artest is the guy who can change the game. Even if he's not scoring, his defense is tenacious and he will get steals to start fast breaks. Offensively, he is a mismatch vs. most wing players. He can post up, shoot off the dribble, and drive to the basket as well. He is not as good of a playmaker as Tmac, but he is a willing passer. He can score in bunches, and carry a team to victory when he's got his shot going. Our role players will not always hit their shots, therefore our offense will not always work. Even when teams double our Big 3, they may not hit their shots, but our Big 3 are talented enough to breakdown a defense or score over a double team if they have to. When all 3 guys are playing, don't expect much of our offense to be run. We have 3 very talented players, and we have to take advantage of the mismatches they create most nights.
Exactly the point of the thread. Basketball is a team sport and most effectively played as a team sport and not when one player try's to carry the team.
There is a much deeper understanding of team dynamics and basketball, once you understand it, you will figure out the posts. Playing TEAM ball is the only way to succeed in the playoffs. Tmac has not learned to trust his teamates completely yet.....until he does, he will eventually hurt the team in the playoffs by dominating the ball and making the team too easy to defend. Wash, rinse, repeat.....history. DD
I'm just curious if you know how many FGA per game McGrady averaged in the playoffs, especially when Yao also played. I don't seem to recall a lot of 10-30 nights, but I could be mistaken. Any tangible numbers to back-up anything?
