Tmac Benched (UPDATE - his lower back stiffened up on him)

Are you serious? Van Gundy was not my pick for coach, but give him more credit than that...JVG is not that stupid....

Sending a message? What kind of message? That I am a poor manager of superstars and will not hesitate to alienate them for petty issues-and am willing to hurt our team for pure personal spite?

Give Van Gundy some credit here. Tracy is hurting!

 

JVG has done this to players throughout his career, he is constantly criticizing them or leaving them on the bench to make a point.

Remember the comeback against the Lakers, just this year?

Just look at all the players on the Rockets who have clashed with Van Grumpy, and the fact that he has been harping on a lack of energy etc, then watch Tmac lolligag it through the first 7 minutes...

I think JVG was making a point....and I am proud of him for doing it.

Tmac, does slack off, by his own admission, sometimes a boot in the butt is better than a pat on the back.

DD

 

JVG just simply still has a little hang over on that last second posession during sunday's game. That's all! Fire his ass and bring on a legit contender coach. He just cost us a game against the Warriors!

 

I don't think he cost the team anything, the players weren't really trying so he went with a group that would give effort.

I admire JVG for this move.

DD

 

I think now it's close to 50-50, if the Rockets had home court it would be 65-35 IMHO

 

its tmac's back. this sucks.

 

Looks like all the hubub over whether T-mac was benched vs. hurt is moot now. Sportscenter highlights this morning zeroed in on the exact moment his back stiffened up. You can clearly see it. So no, JVG wasn't making a point.

 

From JF's blog:

JF's blog

 

He probably could've come back in but they both decided against it:

1. Playoff spot is already locked, the only place we could move is 4th(technically 5th, but better than Jazz) so risking anything more is not exactly common sense
2. Get role players some more minutes, there will definitely be times when we need guys to step up. We need to get these guys used to taking and making any open looks. Also, we never know if Lucas or even Vspan will be called upon to spark us off the bench.

 

Wow Zboy...I thought I'd never hear from you again. You seemed to be absent from the bbs for a couple months when McGrady took this team on his shoulders and then reappear when Tmac and the team has to deal with a little adversity. Let me ask you, between Kobe and Tmac who do you think has made his teammates better this season?? Oh and by the way, I've been calling for you- http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?p=2797819#post2797819

 

Well which is it then? That his back has been stiff for a week which is what Tmac said, or that it stiffened during the game, or what Kieth Jones said in that he was fine.

Whatever, these last 7 games are meaningless......and the players know it too.

DD

 

Yes, my clutchfans schedule directly corelates to Tmac's performance. Damn you have figured it out!

As for tmac carrying the team, why is that surprising? He did more in that regards when he was in Orlando. The real question is, unlike then, will he finally be able to take his team past the first round of playoffs?

Unless i have you mixed with someone else, If I remember correctly our discussion was about Tmac and kobe's heart, desire to win, and mental aspect of the game.

Last lakers Rockets game showed a lot. Kobe showed more mental toughness and heart than either of our stars. Kobe was forcing his will on the game while Tmac was settling for tough jumpers which he was missing mostly. Our two superstars vs. their one superstar and he damn near stole one from us. I am sorry but Kobe is on a different level when compared to Tmac.

 

My guess? Stiff to start...got stiffer in the game, enough for the coaches to hold him out the rest of the way.

 

I think that he was fine, maybe a little sore, and knew the game was meaningless, and got benched.

No need to risk it, let him rest for a few games, expand the bench......

DD

 

will kobe get out of the first round any time soon?
and how can odom shoot 75% yesterday and only took 11 shots while kobe took 33 and shot 40%?

if u shot as much as kobe, you're bound to hit a hot streak

 

Which is something people seem to want to never mention.

As far as the Rockets game, I'd hardly call 19-44 on another level.

 

I was joking about the first part but I can honestly say I really missed the opportunity to gloat in your absense

But anyway so I guess taking 50 shots in a game and scoring alot of points should be equated to having a greater desire to win...and let me remind you HE LOST THE GAME. Your one dimensional view of the game is pretty skewed if this is what you really believe. He has the mental toughness to score 53 but cannot keep his dribble in a halfcourt trap .
Meanwhile Tmac scores 30 points, dishes 10 assists and gets offensive scrubs like rafer alston and chuch hayes easy shots but don't give him credit for that. And don't try excuse the lakers based on the inability of their supporting cast or 2 superstars vs 1 (kobe wanted his own team remember?). Kobe is suffering from the same curse as tmac in orlando but as i recall correctly you didnt seem to give tmac a pass for his inability to win a playoff series and I'm not giving kobe a pass for not getting out of the first round without shaq either.

Oh and you said Tmac was settling for tough jumpers?? LOL...man maybe you should take a look at R2Ks clips see the shots that kobe was attempting on Shane Battier.

 

Not only has Kobe shown that with a dominant center he can get out of first round, but he has actually won 3 rings.

It is Tmac who needs to get out of first round. He finally has a dominant center playing beside him so no more excuses!

As for your second statement, if Tmac had those performances that kobe had, you all would be lining up to have his children.

You dont have to like Kobe. Hell I dont like Kobe as a person. He is a arrogant punk. But I do like and respect his game. If you are a NBA fan then I dont see how you can hate his recent performance.

Homerism gets in the way sometimes....understandable.

 

as good as yao can be, he isnt shaq right now.

 

I stand corrected - you make good points.