With McGrady shutting it down for a while we are going to see if once again if Adelmans offense runs more efficiently with out TMac. When TMac went out last year the offense appeared to actually improve. The ball movement we were lacking through out most of the season suddenly appeared to show up and players who seemed to be just standing around previously appeared to be getting more involved with the game. When TMac came back last year the offense continued to move the ball well for a while, but slowly converted back to the pre-TMac injury offense last season where everyone just sort of stood around behind the arc and watched TMac. This year it was been well documented that the 1st string offense did not run the Rick Adelman offense as well as the 2nd unit. Players like Brooks, Landry and Von Wafer seem to have played their best and thrived with TMac off of the floor. I’m not saying that there is not mitigating reasons for the offense to be less efficient with TMac on the floor. We all know that Yao, TMac and Shane all started the season injured and Ron was new to the team while the 2nd unit had the benefit of running Adelman’s offense all pre-season with few injuries. So it seems natural that the 1st unit seemed to have more trouble with Adelman’s offense than the 2nd unit. Or could it be that TMac dominates the ball and the rest of the offense tends to stand around to see what TMac will do instead of running the Adelman offense the way it is suppose to be run? As a Houston Rockets fan I want both Yao and TMac do exceptionally well but I am more interested in the Rockets doing well even if that means the team has to change the roles of one of the team’s primary players. So the question now is how can TMac best serve the Rockets when he gets healthy? Option 1: he goes right back into the starting rotation moving either Shane or Ron to the bench. Option 2: The starting unit stays just like it is now with Ron at the 2 and Shane at the 3. Bring TMac off of the bench for scoring punch with players like AB, Von Wafer and Landry to make up what could be that absolute best bench in the NBA. Option 3: Trade TMac. He can bring an athletic big man to back up Yao and point guard that could potentially grow into Rafer’s replacement. Portland could offer a combination of Petteri Koponen (draft rights), Channing Frye, Travis Outlaw, Nicalus Batum, and Raef LaFrentz (major cap relief) for TMac and Head. Chicago could also offer some good packages that would include point guard and big man help. Personally I would go with option 2 and see how that works going into the trade deadline. If it works then we go into the second half of the season looking great if not then I explore option 3.
Yeah this has been discussed many times and it is important. Last season, T-Mac came back into the lineup in more of a plug and play style. He adapted to the team and the team's offense and we took off. Then we lost Yao, but the role players continued to play well so we continued the win streak. Then the role players stood around watching T-Mac towards the playoffs. In the playoffs, most of the players disappeared and it was once again T-Mac and maybe 2 other Rockets vs. 5 Jazz players. I think we see if T-Mac is once again ready to adapt to the offense. I don't think he had a problem. Earlier in the season, he had no problem changing his game to post up/ stand still 3 pt shooter (which he did pretty effectively). But as Hmm pointed out, that could only be because he doesn't think he can play to his potential, and when the thinks he can, he'll go right back to his normal ball-dominating game. It has yet to be seen. I'm pretty interested. For now, let the team roll. We have an easy schedule and this team could build confidence playing weak teams like GSW, etc.
when we play the better teams, you'll wish tracy came back earlier (denver game is a simple example). tracy has to start. ron is just extremely inconsistent (much more than tracy when he's at his worst). and ron can't create off the dribble. and when tracy's healthy this year, our team has looked dominant for stretches. tracy will be fine. he'll fit into any scheme just fine.
Tmac chose the right time to get injured, its a cupcake of a schedule, samething happened last year when the streak began. Tmac knows when to take time off, when the team gets it going and adds Tmac, it will place Artest on the bench, he will thrive with the more athletic unit without Yao and hopefully without Tmac, just him Battier, Brooks, Landry and Hayes.
Put him back into the starting line up along with Alston, Battier, Scola, and Yao. Have Artest come off the bench.
Valid points. I would much rather have a healthy TMac suited up every night. But I have to say that I am loving what I am seeing out of the starting unit right now. Not saying that it will not continue if a healthy TMac is inserted back into that unit but I think I would really like to see him coming off the bench on what would be the best and most potent bench in the league. That does not mean TMac would not get his 30+ minutes a game or close out games if we need hiim to.
What kind of idiot would trade such a good playoff player?? All he's ever needed was some help in the playoffs for us to advance.
we get this all the time. remember last yr the first 10 games yao went out, our offensive efficiency went THROUGH THE ROOF and some posters actually suggested we play "better" without yao ming .do we not start yao when he comes back this year? i don't think so. i think it's a natural knee-jerk reaction to say these things b/c we have played well offensively the past 2 games. and it's fine. but tracy is our best playmaker. as time goes on, teams will adjust (the better teams). when they adjust, the lack of a great playmaker will show and we'll miss tracy. again, last yr we also played an extremely soft schedule without tracy (4 games v. knicks and wolves). the last 2 teams have had a combined 7-28 record. i think we're good enough to survive tracy through this stretch. but you'd be wrong if you think you prefer artest starting. that can only give artest the green light. despite his good game last night, artest still struggles to get good shots and he still shoots 42% (and THAT'S A GREAT GAME for him). he needs to go to the bench, know his role, learn that role, and play that role.
The way I see it, we should consider the current Rockets team without McGrady, and when we do have him in the side on the rare occasion, he is just a bonus. Come the end of the year though, that's it, trade him.
It is kinda easy. This guy earns 21 millions for a single season so that says something. Plus he is probably the best player on this team and he is obviously making the team better. When McGrady is healthly there is no way he is comming off the bench. It is not like last season. Last year Tracy played limited minutes and came off the bench because he was INJURED
People, T-Mac isn't injured his knee can't get any worse right now, he's rehabbing it...When T-Mac comes back he'll be able to run the break and the offense more, he posted up before because he didn't want to use alot of effort with his knee so banged up.. When he comes back he'll have more athletic abilty, more strength to run around screens and cut, he'll def. go back into the starting line up...He's gonna be the closest to 100% when he comes back or maybe around 90-95%, he'll be able to do the things T-Mac's known for with a healthy Artest, Battier, Yao, and T-Mac this team will look even better than it does now
I think Ron will take a more Tmac like role in his absence for the next few weeks, getting more touches and paint shot attempts rather than be a spot up shooter like he was when Tmac was playing, and since we have an easier schedule in those games the option to leave Tmac on the bench will gain popularity with a lot of people on this board because Artest will play better without Tmac than with. However, I think Ron on the second unit with Yao, Tmac, Battier, Scola, and Alston starting is the best long term strategy. As many other intelligent posters have alluded to, our second unit runs the Adelman offense better than our first unit does, and Tmac does not run the Adelman offense as well as Ron does. Although who starts and comes off the bench is not as important as who plays the majority of the minutes together as a unit in the game and in crunch time.
ron's been having that role the entire season. as a result, only 2 good-great games. so it's obvious he can't play that playmaker/scorer role. he needs to be a 3rd/4th option and that'll be better if he comes off the bench.
In all sincerity, I feel your points are invalid. We could have the most potent bench if we move Yao to the bench as well. Should we do that? Yes, the first team didn't work well with the offense when T-Mac was playing, but there is nothing to indicate that T-Mac was the reason. In fact, there is much more indication that Artest is not good for the offense unless he is the focal point of it. T-Mac should play 30-40 miutes per game. The offense may be pretty without him, but we also miss a lot of shots. The goal is to win. Pretty basketball hasn't won any titles since the showtime Lakers, and they had a terriffic defense. This team had no problems with a starting line up of Rafer, T-Mac, Battier, Scola and Yao. In fact I believe the line-up is undefeated or close to it, right? Regardless of the system we want to run, this team wants to win. That line-up won. So if that means going back to Yao/Tracy, then that's that. But that doesn't mean we can't run the motion-centred offense when those guys are resting. It doesn't mean that adding Artest and Brooks won't give us a potent offense. There is absolutely no argument to the starting line up of Yao, Scola, Battier, T-Mac and Alston. The group has been near perfect. Why would we change that? Just so the coach can have his way? With all due respect to him, we want wins, no matter how they look. What we can do is let Ron come off the bench and play big minutes, while Brooks and Landry help him dominate other second units. In a nutshell I'm saying it's ridiculous to look at your 3 options until a starting line-up INCLUDING Battier fails. Nevermind failing, it was the winningest starting line-up in the league last year and has not been tested again this season. I fail to see how we could scratch it. It's quite obvious to me, at least, that Ron will be returning to the bench where he will have a much bigger impact. He will get his shots without worrying about Yao/T-Mac, while also making the game much easier for Brooks and Landry. The 3 of them will fill in where we lacked last season. The following areas: 1) The ability to yank Rafer's ass out of games. It makes Rafer a better player and means we don't have to suffer if he's struggling. 2) Depth. T-Mac can rest his knee and the team can take care of easy business while he's out. This will allow the team to be healthier come playoff time. 3) Additional motion in the starting line-up. The starting line-up can introduce more motion than last season, just not a huge amount. This will be done by playing with the bench players in games and practice. It will give our star guys the confidence to pass and our other rotation guys the confidence to make shots. I could be mistaken, but it seems to me that your personal opinion is that T-Mac needs to prove that the starting lilne up of the Houston Rockets is succesful when that has ALREADY been achieved. Don't forget that we were a 4th seed and without Yao in the playoffs. The only move that THIS team needs to make is get a 7-footer for Yao to practice against and whol will take some pressure off him in blowouts, overtimes, and harsh-schedule periods.
There's no rule saying 1 offense only for the entire team. Starters run the "JVG" slow it down to good results. 2nd team runs the Adelman offense to good results. I consider that versatility. Important thing is when its crunchtime, the team knows what players to go to. My 1st option. I'd even think of moving Scola to the bench, have Landry move in kinda like AC Green replacing Kurt Rambis for the Lakers years back. This seems to be an idea people are into more and more, having a super strong bench and diluting the starters...the 1st team kinda sets up the pins, the 2nd team comes and knocks them down. I'm not into that. Especially how if McGrady might be the main culprit of playing "his" way against the system, he could very well disrupt the chemistry for the 2nd team. Here's the part I responded for...I certainly wouldn't do that. Frye and LaFrentz would be kinda nice compliments behind Yao. But it could just take Head and another player to get back a Channing Frye type. Or resign Mutombo to get the same talent level Outlaw and Batum would add plenty redundancy at the 3 with Battier and Artest (unless you don't resign Artest). Depending how you view Brooks he's already kinda a potential Rafer replacement. And I'm thinking the only way to replace Rafer is to just trade him. And more importantly none of those are impact players for a Tracy When Healthy McGrady type to get over the hump. Also if it matters, dont even need to add Head to get all the above. Just McGrady for it to work http://www.realgm.com/src_checktrade.php?tradeid=4853033 This is assuming the Rockets presently have enough to contend for a title. Looking great to me is having the team performing how it is now and a healthy McGrady to add to it. Not Travis Outlaw and Petteri Koponen
How much is McGrady worth in a trade these days anyway? I mean, with his injury problems, his fat contract and the fact he has never been able to take a team past the first round of the playoffs, how much would a team offer for him in the first place?
Do what we did last year. Have him come off the bench for a few games to work himself into a rhythm with the team and then start later. Move Ron to the bench when the time comes.
The ball movement is no different except that Tracy makes plays. Ron was able to make a few last night, that was good. The Rockets success hinges on getting Yao established early, and then he picks apart the D. OR, if Yao is not starting well, Tracy or Ron need to start demanding doubles. On top of that, it matters not if Rafer, Battier, etc. aren't making the shots created for them. If Tracy is healthy, you start him, no question. Every coach at every level would do that.
i think that's exactly what adelman should and will do... if he's healthy he should be no worse than what he was last year, and that's pretty freaking good. the starting lineup wasn't a problem last season and you're adding yao ming to that group. artest and the improvement of brooks now makes the bench solid as well.
