Tracy this is FRUSTRATING. If you want 3 Weeks, USE THEM.

Yep, if he comes back....great.......the team could use him.

DD

 

I just don't get his point. We really don' know enything. If we knew he hasn't been doing any rehab... but we damn don't know.

As you said, if he comes back, great. But he gotta be sure he wants it and SHOW it on the court.

 

I don't care anymore....just get him on the court and see.....Tmac is what he is......and no amount of apologizing or criticizing him is going to change what he is....

I just want him on the floor because the team is a lot better with him than without him.

DD

 

I want him on the court feeling and playing well

 

This is Frustrating! Tracy is playing with everyone's head, All drama. Who hates old girlfriends that always cause drama.

I'm playing, I can't play. I feel good, It hurts, I have a headache. Damn, make up your mind.

The team is trying to build some chemistry and now Tracy wants to put himself back on the court.

Just sit your three weeks and heal your body to where you feel comfortable and can actually play with talking about yourself.

IMO Tracy is poison too this team, always causing drama.

 

Tracy, Have you ever heard, "Say what you mean, and mean what you say?".

 

How sick would/will the playoffs be if Tracy came back and was near 100%. Imagine a Western Conf Finals with the Rockets and the Lakers. Tracy and Kobe. That would be one hell of a series.

He wont ever be 100% again, but if he can tough it out, the playoffs will be great.

We just have to get there first, and keep everyone healthy (I'm using that term lightly).

Keep him resting till he is ready. Keep a close eye on Ron's ankle, and if it gets worse, rest him too.

 

Probably a good point in time to stop opening and adding to these threads in that case. It's like this every time Tracy breaks wind in a different direction. He frustrates the fans and they frustrate this board.

 

Uh, excuse me...
..are you Ready?

Sorry...I couldn't resist...

I hope that Tracy McGrady really is who he appears to be, to me at least.

He's a kid that, when he got his first paycheck, made more money than most of us will in our lifetime. He hasn't had to really work for anything in his life, not in the sense that you or I work. Basketball is something he likes to do, and he's ridiculously compensated for it.

He is ungodly talented. So talented that, people who have been responsible for fielding competitive teams around him haven't even bothered. He's a good enough player, a dynamic enough player, that everybody is convinced that he should be able to beat NBA-level competition with their grandmothers.

He said and did things as a younger player that he probably regrets, but won't ever be forgiven for. His best effort or his worst will always be looked at through a different lens than he may intend.

He's going through the crucible here in Houston that he tried to avoid in Orlando, of being an anchor of a franchise. And you don't assume a mantle like that without paying your dues.

And a few other peoples' dues, too.

What Tracy McGrady is now is a very good player who wants to win. A player whose candor isn't as misleading as it is misinterpreted. Whose ability is never going to give anybody the impression that what it takes to win is not only talent and effort, but teamwork and shared responsibility.

He's a guy just like most of us, who isn't as bad anybody makes him out to be. Or good enough to do anything really worthwhile by himself.

For the record, I'm in McGrady's corner. I hope that the Rockets are in his.

Here in Houston, at least, he's earned that much...

 

Why is there any uproar over this?

He made up the 3 weeks timetable completely on his own. It's not like a doctor telling him he needs to lay off it to avoid reinjury - both Clanton and Andrews told him playing would HELP the knee. The problem isn't that there's a strained ligament or a stress fracture or a bone bruise; impact related issues that would worsen with shock; his knee isn't right because he blew off rehab and didn't restrengthen the muscles. He makes a hard cut or jump, and the knee doesn't respond fully. Laying off it won't make it better. But with McGrady, it needs to come easy or he skips out. It's who he is.

I'm not surprised at all that he's looking at returning. If Ron is going to miss some games (for a legitimate, medical reason), Tracy has the sense to suit up. He did the same two years ago. Had back problems, had no idea when he'd be back, Yao went down (broken leg) on the 23rd, Tracy was back the next game. Not a coincidence.

Part of it is Tracy admirably wanting to keep the team afloat and not leave them out to dry. But the flipside of it is Tracy looking for spots where he can take in-season vacations and not take a lot of heat for it. He tried to do the same thing in April 2007, only to have JVG publicly call him out on it.

Tracy doesn't have a ton of desire or dedication. He can be amazing, but doesn't have it in him to so for 82+playoffs. He was lazy when he came into the league until his coach tore into him and got him to work in Toronto. He gave up on his team in Orlando, and got Horace Grant shipped out when he called him on it and called out Doc Rivers for allowing him to loaf. Jeff held his feet to the fire and got a lot out of him, but with a lack of tough leadership again, McGrady's old habits are back.

He is who he is, a semi-retired former star. I just hope that he plays hard while Ron's out before he goes back on vacation.

Evan

 

This is a great post on TMac....you nailed it.

DD

 

Wait, why are people b****ing? Is it because he's traveling with the team? My understanding is his status is unchanged. That he is still doubtful to play.

Something new happen that I'm unaware of? If he plays, he must be ready. If not, nothing changes. I guess I'm just confused.

 

Good Good post.

 

More on Tmac and his lack of committment to playing hard, from his days in Orlando.

Link to ESPN article about Tmac

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"McGrady came to Orlando in August 2000, traded by Toronto for a future first-round draft choice, and Magic coach Doc Rivers' first up-close look at McGrady was a little disconcerting. "We work really hard in training camp," says Rivers, "and Tracy was overwhelmed. He said that they never worked that hard in Toronto. From the get-go in Orlando, playing with intensity has always been a big problem for Tracy, both in ballgames and in practice."

Two seasons later and McGrady's work ethic remains a work in progress. "Last year," says Rivers, "I'd estimate that Tracy had 50 high-intensity games out of the 76 he played. It's still an up-and-down kind of thing, but he is getting better. Maybe he's up to speed in about three out of four games these days, and he's also working hard in most of our practice sessions."

Because almost all of the Magic's offense goes through McGrady, the vim and vigor he brings to his game is crucial for the team's success. "Tracy is our power source," says Rivers. "It's up to him to energize the rest of us."

Orlando's most veteran player is Horace Grant, and he agrees that McGrady's energy level is sometimes inadequate. "The thing is," says Grant, "that Tracy's still only 23, and his competitive nature is still maturing. And, yes, a young player can learn to play with greater intensity. It's a technique, just like good footwork or making an outlet pass. But time is running out. If Tracy doesn't learn to play all out all the time within the next two years, then it'll be too late. Nothing gets unfixable as quickly as bad habits."

Another teammate has a much more critical scouting report: "Instead of busting his butt on defense, Tracy likes to take short cuts. He gambles and cheats so much that he puts the rest of us in jeopardy."

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Sound familiar?

DD

 

Good post, have to agree. Can't wait to see what posts follow this.

 

Sounds way too familiar. The frustrating thing about TMac is that he is so unbelievably talented, that any of us would kill to have half that talent. Some people are born with a great love for basketball and are not as gifted physically. Others are born with great talent but not the love for the game. I believe TMac is in the latter. I truly believe TMac plays basketball because he is as good as he wants to be, but he does not love the game.

 

Did this really need a thread of it's own? This could've been a reply in the original thread reporting this news.

 

um he has ever said he was going to play? morey said he would "travel" with the team only and people are guessing he could play.

jon feign said most likely tracy won't.

 

most of your post are on point. but usually when tracy "returns" from his supposed vacations, he rarely goes back but keeps playing. his "vacations" only usually last 15 games a year.

 

TMac should stay behind and get his 3 weeks in before he decides to come back. This road trip will be perfect to test out SF3 and get Yao more touches down low without Ron and TMac. Yao needs to show he can win without TMac and Ron.