I hate a team so much just because their scrubs walk around with swagger. I'm glad to see Boston gone and I hope La is next.Somebody on our team should have slapped Sasha Vua ahh who cares. The self pro claimed "machine" i'd rather play 4 on 5 then pick him up.
Well Black, you need to prepare yourself for the day he is traded. He is done as a Rocket, IMO. So, if the front office DECIDES to jettison him, you are ok with that, right? I mean, leave it to the FRONT OFFICE to make that decision... DD
Exactly, who wants him? We aren't going to just trade him because we want to trade him... we want something in return... Nobody is willing to give up anything. Also, Les has said he likes T-Mac.. he wants him back on the team next year (this was near the trade deadline).. and Morey sure as hell isn't ready to give up on him with what he's been saying lately with the off season questions.
I pray that there comes a day when this board bridges the gap between what T-Mac was, what he is, and what he will probably be going forward. My thoughts on McGrady in 2009/2010: -Loads of people using the "Hey! Stop talking about the McGrady we saw this year, because he wasn't healthy!" card. If you're hoping for a ready to go McGrady in 7 months, there's sobering news. The list of guys that regained their form after microfracture surgery is short. The number that didn't miss a beat upon return from rehab is pretty much non-existent. Webber was an unmitigated disaster the season he came back. Penny was DOA. Kidd couldn't score very well, and he was the best at recovering thanks to his no-air game. Amare is the best case scenario yet for the surgery, and his return was ugly in 2006, and it took him another year after that before he was putting up the numbers he had before. McGrady had already devolved from a playmaker into a playstopping volume shooter, pacing himself and opting for easy to come by shots rather than attacking the rim. You can only create for others if you're attacking the rim or posting up, and McGrady ceased doing both well before this surgery. Now he's facing what is almost certainly going to be a one-year transition period where his athleticism isn't there. -What is on McGrady's mind upon return? I'm sorry, but I can't put much faith in McGrady's commitment to this team. Not after all we saw this season, climaxing with the way he rubbed the entire organization raw with his surgery announcement. I'm particularly concerned that McGrady may plan on using the 4 months of his return as an audition for perspective 2010 suitors. My nightmare is the Webber scenario - the Adelman Kings were having a phenomenal year without him, but when their "leader" and top "playmaker" returned, he sent their train right off the tracks. Webber's self-centered focus ruined their chemistry to the point that Peja and Divac were absolutely through with the organization, Divac leaving that summer and Peja sulking until he was traded to the Pacers. I'm sorry, but I can't ignore that possibility. And yes, that is an additional concern on Adelman - he does not or can not rein in his top guys. When Webber came back and decided he was going to take all the shots he could rather than fit in, Adelman didn't or couldn't control him. Just like he didn't or couldn't control McGrady's Antoine Walker impression this season. -"McGrady doesn't have to score to help us, he's a playmaker!" As noted above, no he's not. Not anymore. He's as much of a playmaker as Steve Kerr was, now that he's adopted Steve's "no drive, just go with the deep ball" offense. -"We need a closer!" I agree. I don't think McGrady qualifies anymore, once again due to his disinclination to go to the bucket. A closer is one of two things: a) an assassin in the clutch like Reggie Miller or Ray Allen or b) a guy that will attack the rim and either get to the line or find a shooter open. McGrady was the never the former and, once again, has ceased being the latter. Paul Pierce is (was) a huge 4th quarter guy because he got himself to the line, most seasons averaging between 8 to 10 FTA per game. McGrady generally averages half that number. Don't go to the rim and you don't go to the stripe. -Being honest, I hope he comes back in January and we trade him a month later. I don't believe there is a market for a guy due $23M in this economy, expiring or no. Not with this large a question mark over his future. I think we have to wait until the deadline to find a team desperate to get into the 2010 sweepstakes and willing to take him as a 2 or 3 month rental. There's also the possibility that we're best off just letting him and his salary come off the books in a year. We won't be under the cap, but we could still potentially S&T him (probably at a salary closer to $12M) at that time. In Morey I trust.
I know. The team progressed, individual players developed all because they were given the minutes, touches and shots needed. How much do you think they would have developed with McGrady taking their minutes and reducing them to being spot up shooters? Do you think that style would have beaten Portland or taken LA to a game seven? How much confidence would Brooks have if he spent the season playing camped out behind the three point line? How confident would Wafer have been had he spent the whole season on the bench. What about Scola being a focal part of the offense at times? That would have never happened because McGrady would have initiated the offense at the top of the key and either kicked it to a shooter or missed a jumper. McGrady only allows one-dimensional offense but he is not good enough to carry a team offensively for a series. It is not hard to see how much better this TEAM is than it was when it was the stand around and watch McGrady show.
Also, for the original post, Clutch, I concluded the same thing you did in a post a few weeks ago ... http://bbs.clutchfans.com/showpost.php?p=4468756&postcount=101 McGrady, for all his exciting skills, is numerically a liability. He's a volume shooter who is relatively inefficient. In addition, the rest of his teammates tend to go to sleep when he's playing (not blaming anyone, just making the observation). The one thing I can see as a possibility, is that the team has developed enough of an identity AS a team that McGrady's return wouldn't make him the focal point of the offense by default. But I have a hard time imagining McGrady working away from the ball and making hard cuts, or setting screens for people on a regular basis.
I don't think they will move him. But if they do, I'm cool with it as long as I feel like we got something decent in return. I know, relative terms. I guess point being, many of us are TMac fans, this is true. But I think most of us are Rockets fans first. We just all choose our favorite players on the team. Much like I was sad to see Steve and Cat go, I'd be sad to see McGrady go. And much as I still cheered Steve and Cat on, I'd do the same for McGrady if he were to don a different uniform. There should be no question that we'd of course cheer the Rockets first and foremost. I actually think that's why you get so many people in defense of McGrady. For some of us, he's our favorite Rocket. So if you dog on him (sometimes rightfully so), you are dogging on our favorite player on our favorite team. It's like if your kid did something bad, you know he/she did bad, but you defend them b/c they are your kid. Flimsy analogy, but I tried, hahah.
Wafer and Brooks averaged double figures from the start off the season. Those numbers went down when they force fed Yao anyway.
There is such a gulf in understanding asset management on this board it is mind boggling. You can trade Tracy, there will be numerous teams looking for the cap relief his contract will allow. There are 2 questions. 1. Do you trade Tracy? 2. What can you get if you do? I am 100% certain they will explore trading him, and if the right offer comes along, he will be gone. If not, the Rockets may roll the dice and hope he gets healthy, the problem with that is that he is an UFA after this year, and his value to the Rockets goes down SIGNIFICANTLY.... If he is not going to get a contract extension the team would be smart to move him now. DD
