Tracy McGrady: Making Most of Minimal Minutes, Aiming to Prove Worth

That is not the point ABC, the point is that the Rockets can not afford to wait on him to be healthy, or rather they will move on with their healthy players if Tracy can not help them win now.

THAT is the point.

If he is not able to help, then why even play him, especially if his efficiency remains in the crapper.

No excuses, either he can help win games, or he can't..........this is not a charity team.

DD

 

The point of giving him a few minutes a game, is getting him back into game shape, so he can actually
help the team. Of course he's not ready yet, he just came back from microfracture surgery, he's only
now getting back slowly into game shape. When he gets his shape back, he will actually help the team, but
don't you think you're expecting too much from a guy who just came back from microfracture surgery?

 

the same guy who kept saying melo had an and-1 on tmac to prove he played bad defense despite all the proof. what are you trying to say about your feelings about tmac? i thought you were simply a critic, but some recent comments are just ridiculous.

dude i'm being realistic. 8 minutes a game for 4 games on a guy who's playing with a new style of offense for the first time in 7-8 years, several new players with new roles, coming off the bench, just coming off an injury, and simply just trying to fit in... yes, DD, judge him with all those factors coming into play.

*** for your information, the year before amare came back (failed in his first attempt), HIS TEAM WENT TO THE WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS. so they don't really need him to be successful. so again, after 3 scoreless games, if they would evaluate him like you have with tmac, they would be more than stupid. ALSO, THE SUNS LOST 4 STRAIGHT GAMES THAT YEAR WHILE TRYING TO INCORPORATE AMARE to start the year.

nobody is saying tmac shoudl get a ton of minutes. but with all those factors combined, 8 minutes are not enough for him to be who he really is (or at least get back to it). he finally tried in the last game, but as you can see, 8 minutes are not enough to catch a rhythm. or get any consistency.

 

ok this is a fair point. and i agree with that.

but the team is NOT going to sit him on the bench after playing him already. adelman knows this type of injury and tmac even said adelman brought up the chris webber incident with him. there's a reason tracy hasn't said a word publicly about playing 8 minutes a game.

 

I have a problem with you nitpicking at his stats when you just said a few posts earlier:

If you ask me, in this short minutes T-mac has been doing a lot to incorporate himself within the offense. You been preaching all this time about how T-mac only wants iso situations, how he doesn't move, etc etc but yet he is attempting to fit in with this team rather than them fitting in with him. It is early, but who could expect T-mac to have average better stats when he has been passing the ball, setting picks and not taking as man shots.

Trying to fit in with the team is probably "doing everything to win". Who cares if he doesn't have stats, just from observation alone this team has looked good when T-mac enters the game. He could probably do a better job contesting lay-ups on the fast break, but I'm not going to point at that and forget that he is actually trying out there.

 

ElPigto,

Making shots is doing everything to win too.

We don't need Tracy McGrady as a better passing Ryan Bowen.

If he is not going to be healthy this year, and help this team win, then he should not be on the floor, period.

Because the Rockets do not have a vested interest in helping him for next year...

Therefore, IMO...and that is all this is...opinion, he needs to step it up considerably during his short time on the floor.

I want to see him diving for balls, playing hard on both ends, and moving off the ball...that is how he earns more minutes.......nothing else.

DD

 

What's your point?

Budinger is injured, who else can Adelman play? Ariza and Battier cannot play 48 minutes.

 

Then Ariza should be at what? 13mpg?

 

Lowry gets more time, maybe bring in Mike Harris or Garret Temple.

or if Adelman wants to increase Tracy's minutes to give him a bit more time, sure, down with that too.

LOL - maybe, but at least he can move around on the court and play defense and run a break.

DD

 

Bottom line - either Tracy can help the team win, or he sits.

That is it...

He has a few more games to prove he can help, or I think he goes back into the deep freeze.

DD

 

Why wouldn't we want him being a passer, that is arguably one of the best facets of his game. His shots will start falling. So far he hasn't hurt the team. I would say he has helped them when he is playing so how exactly is he hurting the team right now. Maybe we can evaluate this 20 games from now, look at an overall record and then make better conclusions.

 

I'm for letting the guy play as long as he is here. Excluding the Denver game, I feel his presence on the court has been neutral but I see the potential there. No doubt about that.

All he can do right now is make the smart passes and take open shots on offense and hustle and scramble on defense. He has done all of those things for the most part. I get the feeling that it will be a few weeks before we get true glimpses of his old athleticism and months before you can routinely do what he used to. But it will happen.

Right now, I would rather have him on the floor than Trevor Ariza unless there is a quick, offensive minded wing player to be covered. That is one area where I don't think McGrady will ever be competent again (he was fading fast in his lateral quickness before the injuries). Any other time I think the Rockets are better with McGrady's passing and dare I say it, better shot selection, over Ariza.

Methinks it's time for McGrady to make a permanent switch to SF, by the way.

 

You think they will play better than Tmac?!

Plus, the rockets are over lux tax limit, if the rockets sign them, they need to pay double money.

btw, I read your yesterday posts, you seemed to think tmac did fine. Why do you change your idea?

 

I think he is improving, yes....that doesn't mean I think he is helping all that much.

To me he has been treading water.

Actually, if Adelman decides to play him more, I am ok with that, espeically since Cbud is injured.

But, I honestly believe Tracy has to show something....MORE than being nuetral to earn his way into the rotation.

He has to make better decisions, hustle on and off the ball, and yes, shoot better.

If he can't do that, I honestly think the experiment will end and he will be traded as a contract.

This time, it really is..."All on him"......he needs to step up his game.....it is now or never here in Houston, IMO.

DD

 

People were afaid of Tmac destroying chemistry. But, if the rockets trade him, it would be a big trade. How can you sure the new players wouldn't destroy the chemistry and be able to play in Adelman's system?!

 

In everything there is a risk....it all depends on the players you get back.

You can not be afraid of risk, that is the stuff that makes champions.

The only failure, is never trying.......

Don't be afraid to fail.......

DD

 

Gradual increase in minutes and game conditioning? There's still some risk in playing him extended minutes no matter how much anyone wants to see him, or how much he helps or hurts the team. A healthier Allen Iverson is sitting out of games getting his knees drained out twice, playing big immediate minutes off a long layoff. 25 minutes a night for McGrady could prove to be detrimental if they're not cautious.

As long as the coach and McGrady sees light at the end of the tunnel with their strategy, I dont see the big problem with his 8 minutes. IF the idea is to gradually increase them.

 

Yes. Playing Tmac is also a risk. If he can be back to his old form (even 80%), it will be a big help to the rockets.

You cannot be afraid of risk!

 

I wonder when we play the Lakers in the first round....will Tmac give up? You know he is their biggest fan...the Lakers I mean.

 

Thank you for contributing absolutely nothing to the conversation.