After seeing T-Mac repeatedly being the best player in our team during the playoffs and raising his game to new levels everytime...no, I haven't given up on t-mac. As a matter of fact Yao is starting to frustrate me for the first time. Yeah, he puts up numbers but this year those numbers don't tell the whole story. He is not dominant like he used too. T-Mac has played bad game this season but he has had several dominating performances as well. How about we wait and see what happens? You don't want to be eating crow come the playoffs.
I'm ready to let him go in exchange for an above average PG and maybe a first round pick. I don't mean an All Star PG either. Just a guy who can do what Rafer does AND shoot 45%+ I don't believe in Tmac as the type of player to get this team to the Finals. If he becomes 100% healthy tomorrow and never gets injured again I still don't believe he can do it. He has already shown that he lacks the mentality to lead a team to the Finals. Worse than that, he has shown that he is unable to be an efficient 2nd or 3rd option on offense. I don't think he even cares anymore. He doesn't care that his legacy will be of a guy who can't get out of the first round and is considered soft by his peers and the fans. He doesn't care if he isn't earning his salary and he doesn't care about winning.
I think you pretty well said it. If I was going to give up on Tracy, it would have been in 06' when a lot of us wondered if he would ever even play at a high level again. Yao's play is troubling, but I think as the season goes on he'll round into form.
I would make a stipulation that he has to play in at least 65 games a season or the salary will be cut in half that year. Don't get me wrong I like Tmac and I want to see him retire in a Rockets jersey but if you can't play a majority of the games, getting paid that kind of money I think we could do better out there for that kind of money. Reliability goes a long way.
I'm really curious why do people want to write off T-mac so quickly. His show he can be our first option, our best player in the playoffs. His also shown he needs help to lead us to the playoffs and as other great players can attest he can't do it alone (Kobe Bryant circa vs Suns don't remember which year). I'm not trying to be a Yao hater or an Artest Hater but what exactly have those two shown in any playoffs? I haven't seen any evidence from Yao he can step it up in the playoffs or be a reliable first option nor be a good second option. Artest hasn't shown he can be a good third fiddle nor a play solid team ball with our pieces. Why the hate fellas? All three of them suck, lets just trade them all. Their track record speaks for themselves.
for people who's saying he's injury-prone, well yes. but like you said, he's only missed more than 15-16 games once. and this year, he'll probably just miss 10-12 and will be fine come april.
Only a moron would give up on T-Mac for good, at this point or any other in the foreseeable future. Seriously, why pick now to give up on him? Furthermore, Tracy is essential for our playoff hopes and without him (even if he only plays 50 games and in the playoffs) we can very well give up on a title in the short term. Even though he's not Mr. 30pts a night anymore, and there's no denying he is oft-injured, when healthy (which is actually more than a lot of you give him credit for) he can still be a playmaker, leader, and someone who makes the team undeniably better. And come playoff time he always becomes a different kind of player; stretching his game from good to great and becoming the leader we need to win playoff games. Granted, he has never made it past round 1-but no one can really say that is because of his performance... because he has consistantly played out of his mind in the playoffs. Down the stretch is when T-Mac will prove to a lot of you doubters that his continued employment in Houston is well founded. He's eventual return is gonna be vital in getting this team a high seeding; so, be ready to watch in amazement as the T-Mac of old re-emerges in the playoffs to take over games and drop science on his opponents in what will hopefully be a successful playoff run. That said, if the Rockets underachieve and fail to get out of round 1 again this season... then I'll consider joining you nay-sayers, and seriously considering the merits of rebuilding-including whether or not keeping T-Mac is the right thing for the team. Until then though, I will believe Tracy is a player we need, and that he will continue to be a vital piece of our championship puzzle.
Maybe it's just me, but I think it's funny that the thread starter's name is "RaferMadness", but Tracy is the one he's given up on. Haha, I like to think Rafer leaves this team a bigger hole than Tracy does.
When Tmac's contract runs out, he's in a perfect position to resign with us on the cheap. He could take like 7-10 million for 3-5 years. Which, he's clearly worth. As bad as he's playing right now he's still shooting 40% and averaging 17 a game, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, and you know that he's not going to finish the season this way.
So he's out a week. Big deal. *IF* he can come back better, then I say give him 2 weeks. Injuries are a part of sports. T-Mac has his fair share, but he has only had one season with us in which he missed a significant number of games. Our record showed how bad we are without him. Kobe + Yao doesn't guarantee jack. As great as I think Kobe is, if he were in TMacs place here in any of the series we've had so far, I don't think the ultimate outcome is any different. Of course, this is just my opinion.
Oh yeah, let's just trade LA Barry, Head, and T-Mac and have them send us Kobe-I'm sure they'll be totally down for that deal! Gosh, why didn't anyone ever think of this brilliant idea before!? Sab, did you even think before you posted your reply? I know you weren't directly suggesting we go out and get Kobe but why even say what you said? It's not a reality, will never be a reality, and is a statement of certainty that, if it ever did happen, would be anything but a sure title. Come on... you reactionaries and mentally ill that form 50% of these forums (making the level headed 50% sick from ignorance) need to get a life with all your ridiculous topics and posts. Ya'll need to try to recognize some of the problems the team really has, and stop moronically whining about the ridiculous, user-created B.S. crisis of the week.
