We have been having a lot of talk about Tmac and his knee and shutting it down etc. I wonder what the board thinks.....do you guys believe that the injury is mostly physical or mental? I contend that he is hurt a bit, but he has to work through it mentally and gain confidence that his knee is not going to give out on him. To me, that is why the team, the GM, the doctors, the coaches etc all want him to play. They want him to get confident in his knee so he can go all out. Others think he has not sufficiently recovered from arthoscopic knee surgery back in May where they removed some loose particles. (At least they found no structural damage - whew). So, mostly mental, or mostly physical? Mods feel free to merge with any of the other TMac knee threads....I am more intersted in what people think...even those not discussing it. Thanks, DD
It's mental. There's no way that he can drive like he did in the Phoenix game. No way... He needs to work himself back into shape... Mentally.
There needs to be a third choice, "A little of both." I'm sure it's hurting him, but alot of the pain is probably in his head.
Due to T-Mac's history I would say 90% mental to 10% physical. I remember JVG on tv the other day commented that T-Mac thought his NBA career was over after the first year or so in the league. Mentally he is just an extremely weak individual. A good sports psychologist may be the trick.
When did he drive in the Phoenix game? He was either posting up or pulling up for 3's. The only difference in his performance in that game and his others is that he was hitting the shots he usually bricks. I don't know if it's mental or physical, but he hasn't shown anything in a single game this season that would indicate that the situation is improving, regardless of what it is.
That is what leads me to believe it is mostly mental, he is just not going all out.....he even admits he has felt good on some days and bad on others. I believe he is babying it.....the JVG quote talking about him being mentally right speaks volumes.. And he has driven, but for me, I just haven't seen the lift....yet...like he is just not willing to risk it. DD
I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and say it's physical. I think there's genuine pain, and I think some days are worse for him than others. The unpredictability of it is probably a frustration for him. There's always a mental aspect to it as well, though. Maybe all the various ailments he's had through the years is getting to him. I think he'd be perfectly happy to just sit out the regular season and try to come back fresh and ready for the playoffs -- but he'd get blasted for it.
I think its hurting him and limiting him every step he takes... I believe that his muscles on that leg and just generally are also out of shape following the surgery. Of course there are mental aspects of it as well... but generally, I think he's smart to sit out a little (1-2 months?), train himself up, and work on his health. Tracy already knows how to play the game, the only thing that matters (of course our record and Yao's foot matter) at this point is him being healthy for a deep playoff run.
That doesn't necessarily make it mental. Dwyane Wade said the same thing about his injury last season.
The team will need him come January. There is no doubt about that. Even the last week of December. They play Cle, NO, and Utah.
I knew someone would make this thread. I have a question. Does it matter what we think? I mean, we all have the same information. I would be interested if this poll went out to people involved with the rockets.
Let me put it this way...a bunch of you (including DaDa) said that he was faking the knee and shoulder injuries LAST SEASON 2 surgeries later..... But tracie being soft doesn't help...I realize that
rubbing some vagasil on tmacs temples might help remedy what is known as a severe case of vaga-sitis.
What they are saying in the press should give you the answer. What no one is talking about is the toll this will take on the rest of the players.....Yao specifically. He will have to share a bigger burden if Tmac sits, and this will probably cause him to break down. This is a team game, Tmac playing like he is now.....even as limited as he is playing is still helping the team...... I think him sitting is a bad idea.......but as I have said before if he sits, the training staff should work him harder than he has ever worked in his life. DD
DD you shouldn't ever expect the "press" give you the complete answer to anything. Either they don't know the complete answer or they spin the answer they get to make it more "worth reading" I voted mental, though I believe it's probably closer to 60-40 than it is 90-10.
