Tracy McGrady is really a great all around player who is not great at scoring?

On this team Tmac can't score 19ppg and we are going to win games. To do this 1) we would have to have a "consistant" 3rd scorer each and every night. Right now it is by committee and is very unreliable. And 2) we would have to have Yao scoring 25ppg at least. And 3) we would have to be able to manufacture easy points via transition which we havent been able to do.

I think Tmac is a great set up man and love to see him make plays for others. That's huge. But this team with their lack of scoring still needs Tmac to take a lot of shots. Ultimately we need Yao to take the bulk of the shots, carry the team and then have Tmac in the "closer" role like Kobe was with Shaq.

 

Duece,

This is a very big if...but what if Yao turns into a 24 - 26 pt a game scorer? I think 19 would be more than enough from T-Mac would, especially if he became more of a distributer and was able to be more selective on his shots.

I also think we will see Battier's scoring go up. Memphis was a lot deeper than Dallas and Battier was not the clear number 3 scoring option on that team. In Houston he will be the clear number 3 scoring option...at least for the 1st part of the season.

 

Capt'n HEYPARTNER Sparrow

Rocket River

 

How the heck can anyone call a player who averaged 32 efficient PPG in a season a SECONDARY STAR?

What Tracy did in 2002-03 was ridiculous offensively. Only a handful of different players might have had a superior offensive season. Tracy definetly has talent to be an elite scorer of all time if he could stay healthy. I really think that has been his main problem. I don't see how he could play so incredibly well in 2003 and then get progressively worse practically each season after. The system doesn't drop your quality of play and consistency THAT much.

I have to beleive McGrady's health has held him back. Has he ever been healthy as a Rocket? Only period I can remember looking like his 03 self was in the 2005 NBA Playoffs. Anyone else agree or have any insight to this health issue? Isn't McGrady capable of being the best perimeter player in the NBA (unless Lebron turns into MJ)?

 

Nice analysis but in the end its all about winning. From what i have seend when Tmac plays and if he scores 20-25+ Rox win most of the games. When Rox loose its because role players do not contribute or Tmac has a bad night.

 

As a YOF, I am not afraid to say the obvious, TMac, at his best (02-03), wasn't as good as Kobe or Lebron. And ever since he's plagued with his back, he's worse than Wade, PP, Payton among others.

 

U obviously have not watched Tmac play to make this assumption.

 

What do you know, numbers do lie!

A healthy TMac can score at will. When he is on, he is virtually unstoppable.

 

Well I know this much........T-Mac got back to back scoring titles and then had his most productive all around year in the NBA his first year with the Rockets so barring last years injury I'd have to say the guy is pretty dang good. Stats are ok to look at as one piece but you cannot solely base your decision on just stats...

 

Wow! We are back in that wonderland of the 6th dimension where this thread began - Tmac does not score as efficiently as Tmac!

Dude! Lay off the bong today!

BUT I get your point - and I don't totally agree with it. I don't think this comparison is quite apples to apples. I don't think Tmac (the first one I think) has ever had the suporting cast of Kobe - Shaq, the Lakers titles. Even here Tmac had only the bright shining season of the end of the 2005 season where MJ, Barry and Wesley even approached being really good - and Yao had not yet had the lightbulb go off in his head.

As far as Moneyball goes, team chemistry is still important. I do not believe you can combine 8 guys strictly based on great +/- and Roland ratings and end up with a team that can play together. There is still an art to being able to bring together the right rotation that plays well together.

Extreme example? Steve Nash and Robert Parrish - Parrish could not move fast enough to fit in (joke).

 

I have two game observations that relate to this thread:

1. Like many have said, McGrady doesn't go inside enough, and shoots too many contested perimeter shots. Now, there's no player on the team I'd rather have taking contested perimeter shots, and at the end of the shot clock, it's necessary. But often I think McGrady would do better by taking shots in the flow of the offense than calling an Iso and trying to create himself.

2. The offense, outside of McGrady, often stops moving when McGrady gets the ball. It's almost as if the three guys not named McGrady or Yao decide to camp in a spot and wait for either McGrady or Yao to make a play or receive a pass in that spot. This makes defensive rotations easier and forces McGrady into harder scoring situations.

 

Another criticism I have is sometimes McGrady seems to get a bit too impressed with himself. If he happens to make a couple perimeter shots, for instance, he'll often take an unnecessarily difficult shot just to see if he can make it.

 

Oh so that's what he was thinking.....

I was wondering what was going on inside his head and now since you are here we know! Or was this based on a lunchtime conversation you had with Tmac?

Just curious.

 

Usually, if it's tougher, he'll make it.

Anyways, I'll disagree with you Van Gundlier in a way, I don't think T-Mac should limit himself to any certain point per game margin. I think he should what the team needs, though I am not going to argue in what circumstance. Say, just say, if we land Rashard Lewis, he's going to get around 16 here, T-Mac's 25,26ppg will go down to about 23,24ppg. That's just an instance

Though I think T-Mac isn't just a scorer, we saw that in the playoffs of 04-05 and season of 04-05, and 05-06. His presence alone draws so much attention, he was(prior to alston) our best ball han dler, arguably our best matchup defender(easily our best man on man defender when concentrated). He is our most clutch player.

But ultimately, to be a player in T-Mac's caliber you have to be that all-around, 25/5/5/1.5 . So it's nothing that surprises me or thinks differently of Tracy.

 

Not looking at stats/numbers or anything...don't really have the time at the moment. This much I do know --

Every now and then, it's T-Mac time. And that means he's about to score a bunch of points, and there ain't jack the defense can do about it. There are very few players in this league who are capable of doing that -- scoring at will regardless of defensive opposition. And that is what makes him a great scorer. Overall stats be damned.

 

PAYTON??? surely you mean peyton, right? maybe if yao can become edgerrin james, then tmac can put up those #s.

 

Wow! You must hiding in a closet all these years and just come out last season. Right? Good timing. I don't blame you for making such an absurd statement.

 

btw, this thread is a classic example of paralysis by analysis. put simply, tmac is a great all around player. great all around players are inherently capable of being great scorers. name one "great" player in history who was not capable of being a great scorer.

 

Bill Russell.

 

Name me a great player that wasn't all-around?