Actually, JVG called T-Mac the 2nd best swing man behind Kobe. His Top 3 this season were: 1. Kobe 2. TMac 3. Manu
Just for those two seasons in Orlando he should be in the Hall. Some of the most efficient and dominating years anyone in NBA history has ever had. Although his team didn't win squat. I dunno what to make of that, honestly, he just didn't have any help. Grant Hill was always injured.
McGrady at most can get back to his 1st year as a Rocket athleticism, which was very good. But along with that take better shots and make around 45% like in his Orlando days.
I really don't want to hear all this anymore. If I am not mistaken KG did not make the playoffs last year with the Wolves because he didn't have a good team built around him. Kobe didn't get to the finals until Gasol was with him. All of a sudden Odom becomes free to make shots and so does bynum. TMac still has it in him. Let's get him a back up so he isn't logging insane minutes every game. Let's get him a real second or third scorer to help out. With a legit enforcer to help Tmac out this team will go places. What really goes through my mind is why don't we have a gm/owner that's willing to put pieces together to build a championship. Dig into those pockets and get TMAC some help. Yao is great but he is no Shaq or Hakeem at their prime. I still see this as TMAC's team. That 22 wins said it all. We definitely need a third player who can help TMAC out.
That video is just sic! What i notice is, TMAC just doesnt seem as fluid nowadays - hampered by too many injuries, perhaps.
i dont think tmac's skill level has diminished that much. His biggest issue has always been the mental game.
Well I don't think he can be excatly as great now as he was in Orlando, but he can be a lot better than he was for example 3, 2 seasons ago. He just needs to stay healthly. It is tough to play with bumped knee, sprained shoulder. He just needs to be 100% healthly.
Am I the only one who thinks that the NBA never reall considered T-Mac as a "superstar"? I mean during those seasons when he was scoring champion, they still gave credit to other like VC and Kobe. I hate to say it, but Kobe is the most overrated player in the NBA. He is playing the best ball right now, but he isn't the most talented. When you see Kobe shooting 8-27 and missing free throws, or LeBron or any other favorable player, the media ignores it. But when a less favorable player that hasn't been out of the first round because of his team not getting the talent he needs mights shoot around 33%, he is called a choker, and disappering act, and not doing enough for his team. Kobe wasn't even really known until he won championships with the great help of Shaq. He gets WAY too much credit for what he has done. I bet if you put Orlando T-Mac where Kobe was, there will be 5 straight championships, maybe more. It is just annoying for me to watch Kobe successful when he hasn't really accomphlised anything on his own. That MVP award he won was BS, we already know CP3 should have won that, he hasn't really won a championship on his own, he was a puppet of Shaq, no JUNIOR in the NBA can co-lead a team to a championship. If I were one of the older players like Fox and Fisher, I would be kinda mad this young cat that the fans hyped up is getting credit and we are not. He isn't that talented, he isn't a MVP, and sure as hell isn't a TRUE champion. Sorry, I just had to talk about it. After that BS I saw Sunday(Game 5).
It is just the way the NBA decides to market certain players in the league. Like personally, I believe Bynum is still a scrub. But since he is on the Lakers, he gets so much credit and is in the spotlight.
Yea, people don't understand how great he was those years (and how terrible the rest of his team was). There's only a handful of players who have EVER had a single season as good as the one he had in 2003 and I know the reason why (I know it sounds crazy but its true). I've never seen a perimeter player at that age as fundamentally sound as he was. The step backs, spins, and fakes that he was doing MJ didn't do til he was in his prime and wasn't as atheletic. He was at his atheletic prime and was as fundamental as a vet. He was never as atheletic as Lebron/Kobe/Wade/MJ or others were at that age, but he had the skills. No he's so far behind those types atheletically that its amazing that he can still be effective.
T-Mac will never be the MVP. Why? Because he doesn't feel like playing half the time. If the Rockets are in a position to have an MVP candidate, it will be Yao who actually brings it every night (assuming he stays healthy as well).
T-Mac is a great player and still isnt done. He just really hasn't had a great opportunity in houston to suceed yet. Yao was raw the first few years, and then this year Yao was injured. The supportingcast wasn't there until this year. Having Rafter and Yao out really hurt us this year, and I know this sounds dumb, but I really believe Steve Francis, if healthy, would have been that scorer we could of had off the bench. and for those of you who say he is washed up, he showed that he can still do it against the suns earlier this year. Sometimes its hard to stay motivated, but Steve had his kid, family stuff is in the past, he is where he loves to play so if he resurrects his career anywhere its in houston. I just really feel we will have a good team going in 2008...the problem is, the nba was kind of low on top tier teams for the past 5 or 6 years, but now with the rise of the lakers and the celtics. As well as the jazz suns spurs and hornets... the blazers are up and coming.. the level of competition is back like it was in the mid 90s (Magic, Knicks, Bulls, Rockets, Jazz, Spurs, Suns etc.)
I think Tmac is just lazy and unmotivated because he has Yao. Pretty much his mentality was obvious that he gotten tired in Orlando because he was a one man team and now with Yao, he's just slacking off.
Now that he's older, it doesn't seem like he looks as athletic or as interested compared to when he was younger. Kobe was able to keep this same level of play up over the years whereas Tmac declined. He's still a very good player.. lets hope he is able to regain the focus and conditioning next year. Probably will never be the same player, which is a shame because Kobe is older and still plays just as good as his younger self.
It reminds me of the 05 playoffs against the mavs in game one where he took over that game and hit the game winner ah good times
