I was talking with some friends about the TMac situation, and what the organization is doing about it. Clearly Tmac hurt his image last year, and he needs some seriouis PR work to get the fans on his side. Now we fans are fickle, and willing to forgive and forget if an athlete with skills can help the team. It is for this reason that I think the Rockets are downplaying his comeback from surgery and I believe Tmac will be ready at or near the start of the season. I think the Rockets know this, and will use it as a lever to help build back up his image.....something like "Look how hard he worked to get back so fast"...type of deal. It just seems logical, there has been so little about his rehab etc, and Morey usually just alludes to him.....rarely really talks about him......which is like the player sitting at the holdem table with a pair of aces.....suddenly the talker, gets quiet.... That is exactly what this feels like. I think Tmac will be back and the organization knows it....and that is why they are not rushing to dismantle the roster, they know that Tmac could play well, Yao might come back and this could be a shock the world tour 2010... At least that is what Joe-boo told me when I gave him some rum. DD PS. Zero views and already a one star rating....YEAH !
I agree, but I don't think Yao can return. Even if he wanted to, what happens to all that insurance? T-Mac could scare us all in 2010 and be the top scorer in the league. Since all the top teams in the league have added more firepower, their stars will lower their points per game percentage and have to share the ball. But what about us, we got no one to score.
What you're saying does sound logical, but that doesn't mean its most likely what is going on. My theory -- McGrady is on schedule to come back somewhere in the middle of the season, perhaps near the all-star break -- is no less logical, even if it may be less interesting. I guess I've trained myself to lower my expectations dramatically when it comes to McGrady. Even if he's physically in decent shape at the start of the season, knowing him it will take him several months to get in shape "mentally".
Oh, I agree, I could be completely bonkers, but those pictures of him on the court and working out with Grover, combined with the relatively minor microfracture procedure, and it being only July make me think he is further along than they are willing to let on. Whenever Tmac is asked he says training camp, Morey always makes it seem much longer.... It just seems there is more to this story than is out there, and it would explain why they are not willing to gut the team and start over, just yet. DD
Agreed. T-mac (sad to say) will be seen as the X factor for the season. If he can push us to a playoff run it will help his image and I'm sure his image on the GARM.
The Rockets don't care how we perceive TMac. They're not talking about his rehab because there's never been any set time table. It's always been he could be back at the start of the year, or not until Feb. Maybe not even back at all. They're in no rush to trade TMac because worst case scenario is, he doesn't play, insurance takes care of most of his contract, and we have a 23M expiring. He comes back, great. Also, Yao is done for the year. This theory sucks
Aren't you assuming they don't care about winning? I think the Rockets do care, and thus would do everything possible to continue winning. If TMac was coming back, and you can not deny his talent, then why not downplay it, and then shock the NBA with a quicker lineup led by a guy with talent and something to prove. It is just a theory.....it could indeed suck....but it would be a great story. DD
Now McGrady is all of a sudden coming back?? 1st you ranted all during the playoffs and beginning of the offseason how McGrady has played his last game as a Rocket blah blah blah now your saying He'll be back?? or Lord how things have changed
The Rockets do care about winning, but, they don't care about how we percieve TMac. We can all agree, TMac is NOT coming back after this year. So you're saying the Rockets are trying to help TMac's image, by not hyping up his return, so when he does return, it'll be shock and awe for us fans, how great he's worked to get back, ....only to trade him at the deadline, let him walk in the summer? Also, the Rockets are going to a quicker lineup by happenstance. Not choice. TMac or no TMac
I think Morey is simply downplaying the Mcgrady talk simply because he views him as a major trade asset at this point. I really don't see a situation where Tracy remains on the team for the 2010-2011 season. If he plays great, he'll want great player money and someone other than the rockets will give it to him. If he plays poorly we won't want him. It seems like he wants to trade him and as an injury insured expiring contract there isn't much that playing can do to help his trade value.
You just don't come back from micro-fracture like that. Granted he will have had 8 months of rehab, but he won't start the season. He might come back by all star break but one thing that he won't do is come back early from an injury anymore. He wasn't ready last season because he didn't do the work he needed to do and his knee never felt right to him. It doesn't matter whether he was fine or not, he believed he did and he went to a doctor that would give him the surgury. He's not going to do that again. Him and Yao will be healthy by next 2010-2011. Tracy will try to get into the second half of the season because he wants another big contract whether from Houston or someone else but he won't be at peak performance this season. I think Morey doesn't talk about him because Morey got burned and doesn't want T-Mac on the team. He has talked about trying to get an extension with Yao not with Tracy, I think he's looking to trade that huge contract for long term stability. By the time T-Mac is ready to come back he could be playing on another team. Once the trade deadline starts approaching and teams with stars like Wade don't do as well as they hoped, they will try to get something in a trade before they lose their All-Stars for nothing.
It has nothing to do with me or my opinion about Tmac, I am just speculating on what the Rockets are doing. John Stockton came back from the same surgery in under 3 months, Tmac's was on a non-weight bearing portion and considered very minor...you may be right, but we shall see. DD
No.....I am not, I am speculating on what the organization is doing regarding TMac.... It has nothing to do with how I feel, and everything to do with what the organization is doing. Maybe Tmac is too polarizing a figure to have a legitimate discussion about here on the board........ Try reading this in context and take personalities out of it...... This is not a "What do I feel about Tmac" thread, it is a "What is the organization doing regarding Tmac" thread. That is the difference.... DD
I figure he will be back before mid season... but I don't know how soon before... maybe mid november? I agree with durvasa... physically he may be ready, but mentally is always questionable. I'll believe it when I see it.
I see him coming back at the beginning of the season as well. The workout photos this month sold me. Remember Tracy is at his best when he's attacking the basket, lets see if he's physically and mentally prepared to do that this upcoming season. I still think the guy needs a sports psychologist more than a Tim Grover.
so the Tmac theory is sit back and enjoy the show by being optimistic? How could this even be a Tmac theory. Why not the Yao theory as he is the one that is out for the season. Or the DM theory as he is the one holding all the cards. Or even the Les theory as he pays the bills. Heck it should be DD's theory as you are the one that came up something with essentially nothing.
Actually, I think this is one of you better threads. Reading between the vague lines put out by the organization and the very scant info we get on TMACs rehab makes me believe he is aiming to be ready for the start of the season, that the Organization puts out the timeline for the all-star break only as a worst-case scenario in order not to get fans' hopes up as TMAC is always a roller-coaster situation anyway. Time will tell but I think you might be on to something here.
