Correct. And has McGrady ever shown a prediliction for not doing so? He is, without question, the best passing wing in the nba. Brooks should have a career year coming...a stat-flated year...but a career year nonetheless.
Tracy Mcgrady is <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9ecPXW9BRNQ&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9ecPXW9BRNQ&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> Or Dwyane Wade maybe? Heck half the league would be great fits next to those guys Its like how Chuck Hayes was a good fit next to Yao as far as his own effectiveness and complimentary styles. But together and individually could still stand to upgrade. Though in Brooks case he's better than Hayes at his position. I know what you're saying though. Its kinda like Eric Snow and Kevin Ollie next to Iverson setup. They take the brunt of the ballhandling and guarding bigger players and allows Iverson to roam free as a scorer. Except in this case its a quality player in Tracy McGrady.
I don't know if I could see him turning Chuck Hayes into a passable offensive threat like T-mac used to...
Aaron Brooks was the starting point guard on a rocket team that took the eventual champions to 7 games w/o Tmac. A team that could have quite possibly beat the lakers had it not been for Yao getting injured. So in response to your post; even though Aaron Brooks will most likely benefit from McGradys play making ability, he does not need him on the floor to be a effective starting point guard on a contending team (which I consider last years rocket team to be).
I remember last year when Rafer was suspended or injured or something and when AB started next to Tracy, we were VERY effecient.
Isn't it funny how after a handful of folks scream the same falsities repeatedly, they somehow become accepted as undeniable truths? There's a lot one can criticize Tracy McGrady for. If anything, there's a much greater case to be made that he's too passive and unassertive for a player of his talent. But somehow, last year it became accepted that he's some selfish ball-stopper who hampered the development of the great talents surrounding him, unwilling to relinquish the ball... I fully agree with the OP's primary assertion. A healthy McGrady is pretty much the ideal fit next to Aaron Brooks. The former's strengths allow the latter to focus on what he does best - score the basketball and attack. Tracy makes the passes and sees the angles that Aaron Brooks can't and hides his flaws and allows him to be himself. By extension, Aaron Brooks is the backcourt running mate Tracy never had. He's wasted away the prime of his career playing next to an aging Daryl Armstrong, Tyronn freaking Lue, Charlie Ward, and Rafer Alston. This point needs to be underscored. A broken down Bobby Sura looked 10 years younger for the half season he played next to Tracy. Make no mistake about it, Tracy's greatest strength is his passing and basketball IQ but he simply has never had the personnel to fully make use of these gifts. Put last year's Aaron Brooks on the '05 and '07 Rockets and they advance. The Rockets have had literally zero reliable options outside of McGrady in the playoffs. Unfortunately I only agree in theory. I said Tracy would never regain his form and I'm not wavering on that stance just on the basis of his trainer's reputation. All we can really do is wait and see how he looks when he comes back. Even then, it's best for he and the team to part ways. With Yao's injury, we desperately need to start over and dealing a 30 year old McGrady is probably the quickest route to infuse some young talent.
Why don't you believe he will ever regain his form? I believe he was averaging around 27 ppg 2 years ago in the first 20 games. Then he bruised his left knee in a game against Dallas, which was the origin of his current problems. He dealt with on and off pain that season, but fought through it enough for our 22 win streak, as well as putting up some gaudy numbers in the playoffs. The injury was not serious enough for doctors to hold him out in the beginning of last year. They allowed him to play through the pain. He was obviously not able to. Whether that is because he has a low pain threshold, or the injury was misdiagnosed, is up to debate. I believe it may be the former. In any case, the microfracture surgery just performed is on a non-weight bearing portion of his knee, which by all accounts he should be able to recover from. At least more smoothly than other types of microfracture surgery. Add to that, he is working with a very credible trainer, and we have already seen him dunk flat-footed. And this is 3 months before the season starts. I think he has as good a chance as any to recover. That may not be the Orlando Mcgrady, but the 04/05 version? I believe it's possible. Of course this is all conjecture, but I was just wondering why you are so adamant. As for trading him for young pieces, I am not sure about the feasibility. It's no secret that Mcgrady's trade value is not very high, unless a team wants to dump salary. Do you really think we can acquire legitimate young talent in a salary dump? Otherwise, we probably won't be able to get fair value. In the end, the best thing we can get for Mcgrady is probably... Mcgrady. Maybe a ~10M version instead of the max, which really wouldn't be a bad player to have, even considering the injuries. And back on the topic at hand, if keeping Mcgrady means dramatically increasing the value of one of our other assets[Brooks], then maybe it is the most sensible course of action after all.
the rox are moving in a different direction period. let brooks run the team let the young guys do what they can, we may not have a dominant inside presence like rox fans are used to(from moses to hakeem to yao)but thats alright, this is the chance for the rox to go up and down the court and do fast breaks like a crack head yearns for crack all the time. we still have a good defenseive team, except for a shot blocker. if the young guys mature and tmac can give u atleast 70 to 80% of what he was, the rox will suprise the league and the world.
Or... We could just let Aaron Brooks sit on the bench and have Kyle Lowrey start. Kyle is a pure point guard. Then, when Yao and McGrady are sitting on the bench to rest, Aaron Brooks can come in and take over the scoring duties for that unit. I think a Brooks-Landry combination on the floor is a lot more effective than a Brooks-Yao combination.
Two reasons: Mental and physical. Physically, a 30 year old Tracy is not going to have the explosiveness he once had, he was an athletic freak. And mentally he's probably going to have a hard time coping with some of the skills that he's lossed. That being said, the skills that Tracy will probably lose, 98% of most NBA players don't even have. We'll see his good days and his bad days, but the rockets are better with him then without him. He's going to have to change his game up a bit, maybe posting up more and playing closer to the basket. And I don't see any problem with that transition if he can get over some of the mental hurdles. Im happy that he's working with Tim Grover, it was a long time coming.
In most cases, 30 is not the age of decline, rather its where a player should be at his peak. But. In Tracy McGrady's case the amount of injuries he has sustained combined with the multiple surgeries are sure to bring his physical ability and athleticism down a few notches. I don't think he's going to last longer than 34, 35 at the most.
Agree, Im 6'0 tall and I could still dunk a basketball at 35yrs, but after 35 most of my athletic ability was all down hill. In Tracy's case I only see him playing a year or two more with all his prior injuries, but if he keeps training with Grover who knows.
A McGrady that needs to be double teamed is a thing of the past. I suspect almost all teams will play him straight up. McGrady, the clawless and toothless lion, is the poster child for potential wasted.
Well, obviously a healthy TMac would benefit a young PG, but I don't see it a a necessity. With no Yao and no TMac, this is a golden opportunity to see what AB can do for the Rox. This season is a very, very, very big one for AB. I don't think he is a backup nor do believe that's he's a '2' in a PG's body. Adelman saw enough of this guy to make it his very 1st draft choice as coach of the Rockets, despite many of us saying....."Aaron who? There must be a trade coming..." Since he took over the starting duties from Skip, the only problem that I had was A) decision-making B) getting the ball into Yao. The decisionmaking I knew would be a little spotty to start off with but he really grew on me during the last 2 weeks of the regular season and the playoffs. As for getting the ball into Yao, that won't be a problem this season. He burned Portland and Steve Blake in so bad that they brought in Andre Miller(upgrade?). Remember, the Roy/Blake combo gave the Lakers fits all season long and many 'experts', except for JVG, thought that not only would Portland defeat us, but the Blake/Roy combo would wipe out our backcourt and thehn go on to have a great series vs. the Lakers. AB showed flashes of brilliance in the Lakers series and I have high hopes and expectations for him this season. Plus the transition between the 2nd and 3rd year is usually when you find out how good (or not)that they will be. After the end of this year, if AB stays the same and there is no improvement, I will agree with the post.
Cxbby, we butt heads a lot, but I want to say what a well thought out post this was. Its also what I've been saying for a minute now. Tracy will never be the explosive,dominant wing he used to be, but what he can be is magic johnson like. When I use that term, its no disrespect towho I think is the greatestplayer ever. What tracy brings on court are some of those same elements with the court vision,passing, and decision making. He makes the right choice almost everytime with the ball. That's why I have said many times before despite the regular season success, guys like rafer,battier,and hayes were not good fits especially with tracy's decline in explosion. If the team, and they have, accumulate slashers and finishers, he is a helluva facilitator. Ariza,brooks,landry,scola all play better with tracy on the floor. He can't get to the rim on a consistent basis like he used to, but he can still get in the position that teams help enough that it frees someone up. What I am saying, adelman already know and that's the balancing act he's trying to do. In a ideal game situation, the offense is creating scores for players, not tracy. When game gets tight or needs to be closed, tracy has the ball and is the triggerman. Tracy needs to work it that way and it will benefit everyone.
