Personally, I wouldn't be upset if McGrady was still a Rocket player next year. I'd be upset if he was starting in the early weeks or having extended minutes in games because I don't trust his health but he has been a good player for us when healthy and has helped us win more games then lose them.
I think you are reading into things. Where are you getting this? That quote says nothing more then what it says, that it was a surgery that wasn't completely necessary but will let him play without pain. And what....please tell me what you expect to get for t-mac's expiring contract? I am not saying there is 0 percent chance t-mac gets traded....i am saying Morey is going to do what he thinks is best, and I doubt he will get an offer he is willing to pull the trigger on. And the surgery was to a non-weight bearing part of the knee. John Stock had major knee surgery and returned and played well. T-mac's surgery itself was not major. Microfracture surgery just takes a lot of time to recover from because that cartlidge has to regrow. I am surprised he went that route by the way. There are other ways to go that seem to be better. Anyway, I don't think you know any better than anyone else. Who would we get for t-mac's expiring contract? Tell me please. And don't say Corey Maggette.
I may be wrong but like alot of this conversation surrounds what we as fans see that T-mac is a ball hog and that the team is not efficient with him out there. Very stat based in some cases, generally from observation. Was it me or Morey is the one that is always calling him efficient or his decision making is top notch? I think I've got the two mixed up but Morey has never commented on T-mac being not efficient
It has less to do with Tracy's diva temperament, and more to do with his chronic health problems. Morey would be negligent to give a habitually injured player a contract extension. That's really all there is to it. He's gone. BTW, isn't it nice to not have to worry about this stuff anymore? We all know there are general managers who would stupidly make the mistake of re-signing Tracy, and wrecking the franchise for years, but Morey's not one of them.
DD's question was name 1 WING player that has come back from major knee surgery and played well. john stockton was not a wing player, and you dont need great knees to run the pick and roll and pass. i would also like to ask for the 2nd time why you think if we traded tmac we would only get garbage players in return. 23 million dollars is alot of money for Morey to maneuver. he has done excellent with far less money and giving him more money to work with will allow him to work more of his magic. another question, if tmac doesnt get traded, do u think the rockets will be interested in signing him to another max contract? i dont see that happening. do u think any team out there would sign him to a max contract? i dont see that happening either. You think we wont get good trade value for tmac, but the reason is because no other team thinks he's valuable. As DD pointed out, tmac's contract is of greater value than tmac right now. trade him, get something in return rather than letting him walk after next season. i agree with u that we won't get a player as good as healthy tmac in return, but a solid player or players that actually play are better than a tmac trying to work his way back. u keep bringing up the jazz series where tmac played great. yes he played great, but LIVE IN THE NOW, he isnt that player nor will he be anymore. Plus, that Jazz team then lost to the lakers in 6. we just took essentially that same lakers team to 7 games without tmac at all. i hope tmac gets traded. if he's a rocket next season, i will root for him and hope he contributes to the team. but do you think he will be able to contribute enough to be worth 23 million?
This is all great and dandy....unfortunately, none of this **** matters. It's all a mind set issue for this guy.
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I understand people want Tmac traded. I understand that it is a possibility but I just don't know who in their right mind would trade for the guy. If I'm the Hornets and Clippers or anyone I would be willing to only trade someone who has an insanely crappy contract and maybe not even that great of a player. I just don't know why we would want that. I am seriously trying to put myself in the shoes of another team. Do I really want Tmac's Contract and why. If the Rockets act desperate to trade him what do I really offer them. That is where I am getting at. I just can't figure a team that's desperate enough to pick up an injured wingman that isn't a sure thing. Even with an expiring contract. what does that leave them in 2010 unless they keep their stars and trade us scraps.
Our best chance would be with McGrady though. McGrady still an asset The Rockets have a host of role players who can get it done, but don’t let their few moments in the sun fool you into thinking they’re better without McGrady. Sans Yao for the last half of the season, McGrady carried the Rockets to more wins in 2007-08 (55) than they managed this season (53). Add McGrady and Yao to the mix, and the Lakers would be home for the summer instead of facing the Nuggets tonight in the Western Conference finals. If the Rockets could trade Yao for a superstar, that would be good. If they replaced Artest with a tough-minded star, that would work. If they could trade McGrady for a star, that would be nice. Then again, their best shot at having a great season in 2009-10 probably lies in keeping all three.
Fact of the matter is, expiring contracts, especially huge one's like Tmacs are very hard to trade. Look at players like Marbury, Lafrentz, and Szerbiak. People kept talking like they were giant assets that could be used to steal talent from cash strapped teams. Marbury gets bought out and gets the Knicks nothing, and Lafrentz and Szerbiak dont get moved and nothing happens for the Blazers or Cavs. Not saying the Rox wont or cant trade Tmac, but its not going to be as easy or beneficial as some people think.
Those guys were not in the same ballpark as Tmac, and not to mention, the economy has drastically changed. Don't bet against Morey. DD
I got 2 players for you!! Basically, what you are trying to get at, is if there has been a player that play does alot of running and stopping that has come back from microfracture surgery. And the answer issssssssssssss YES!! Jason Kidd- a fast break point guard, who had a pretty good year last year. Plus, he said he would like to play another two years, which would make him 40 yrs. old. Amare Stoudemire- a fast break power forward, who continues to get up and down the floor better than most power forwards in the league(Also a player most Rocket fans would love to have, if he became available) Also, according to what the doctors and the Rockets are saying, T-Mac's surgerical proceedure was not as servere as those two players Sorry DD and Yaoforprez
Marbury, at least, had a similarly sized contract. Though he clearly was a headcase nobody wanted to deal with. The things Morey has going for him are Tracy's overall contract size (as noted, it is a huge potential savings for someone), the fact that due to the injury, I'd guess it would be covered by insurance until he is healthy enough to play (which could be for >50% of the year) - so a team would be getting immediate cash protection, if not salary cap protection, the economy, and the sliver of hope that Tracy might still have something in the tank when he comes back healthy, and might be loyal to whatever team trades for him. Still, it won't be as easy as auctioning him off. My guess is there will be some "issues" with whomever we get in return. For example, TMac for Michael Redd + Gadzuric. The issues being Redd is injured a lot himself lately and Gadzuric is so ridiculously overpaid its laughable. But it might be something Morey decides to do. Hope Redd and Yao stay healthy, resign Artest, and see what happens.
I am also having trouble coming up with a player over 40 who came back from a major knee surgery. Statistically, players over 30 are past their prime. With or without surgery, expecting an over 30 player to regain his prime form is a fool's paradise.
actually, i believe so too DD. but that's not how the NBA world works. and tracy is still our most talented and best perimeter player when relatively healthy (yes still) and if we can't get anything decent (a playmaking wing +/- backup C), morey just might keep him.
The difference between KG and Tracy is strictly between the ears. One is a mentally tough SOB who plays hard on every possession and the other is not. Call me a hater, but Im calling it the way I see it. To come back from microfractive surgery is very tough. Is Tracy strong enough mentally to come to terms with the fact that he's not going to be the player he once was? Can he deal with the fact that he is not going to have nearly the explosion that he once had? IS he strong enough mentally to change his game and adapt to the skills thats he's lossed because of injury and age?
