With 20/20 hindsight, if Orlando T-Mac was available now, would you want him?

For those of you who have seen my posts, I am one of the bigger T-Mac bashers on this BBS, so it is saying a lot when someone like me says that I absolutely would have done that trade knowing what I know today. Francis and Mobley were not going to take us anywhere and some change was needed. T-Mac was one of the best players at the time. T-Mac at the time was a complete beast that was oozing with natural talent. The guy could do anything on both ends when he applied himself. I am sure we all remember his amazing D on Nowitzki during the playoffs. What I would have done differently however, is I would have tried to surround him with better talent as well as gotten rid of him much earlier.

 

Brooks / Lowry
Thee T-Mac / Budinger
Ariza / Battier
Scola / Landry
Yao / Hayes / Dorsey

 

You're a mature one, aren't you?

 

This post gets my vote for Post of the Year. EXACTLY how i feel about T-Mac. He was so fun to watch, but he really did make you apperciate the Dream that much more.

 

this question is so pointless, lets have threads about players that have a realistic shot at bein on our team in the near future instead of old flamouts, k?

 

you mean a player's circumstances with 4 teams and zero playoff success

vs

a player like

Sam Cassell

Rockets - 2 nba championships
Bucks - Conference Finals
TWolves - Conference Finals
Clippers - won playoff series

would T-mac + Elton Brand = Clippers playoff win or T-mac asking for a trade? (I think T-mac asking for a trade)

It's not circumstance if it's your ENTIRE career spanning many teams, coaches, teammates and opportunities.

Come on dude, you there is no "If Hakeem"
there's only "Hakeem did"

 

guys like hayes and battier were the core of a star-less Rockets team this year that went 42-40 and the main players leading the way to two playoffs blowouts against the fakers after Yao got injured, so wat the hell are u talking about?

 

Did you even watch Rockets basketball prior to 2009?

 

With Luther, Rafer, Juwon and Bowen part of your eight man rotation, winning 55 games is practically walking on water.

 

If this poll's question means that we know what will happen to T-Mac in the later stages of his career, then I would LOVE to trade for T-Mac, because we can trade him away before all the injuries start to happen.

Imagine screwing the Lakers out of Kobe Bryant, or maybe the rights to LeBron James. XD

But sadly, there has not been a time machine invented.

 

At least I'm housebroken.

 

Of course. Then when he had his one stellar year trade him for someone else who ended up better or who wanted right now in free agency except back when they where younger and before Tmac started having his stock fall and injuries. That was the problem to begin with all along. They waited too long to notice that trend developing with him.

 

I understand your point, but you have to understand that when you say Francis and Mobley weren't gonna take us no where, that even with all Tracy's positives, being as you said "one of the best players at the time", or "was a complete beast that was oozing with natural talent"; he didn't take us anywhere. Even with all his oozing natural talent Orlando was ready to ship him off and labeled him "me -mac". It took the Rockets several years too figure out Orlando was right the whole time.

At the time there were many NBA teams that would have loved to have Francis, Mobley and Cato. So the question is did the Rockets get the best deal? or could they have gotten a better one?

Now Cato's salary was something the Rockets where trying to shed, but what if we would have shipped out Francis and Cato, kept Mobley and received a better piece than "Me-Mac". Someone who would have fit better, worked harder, been a better team player and not strapped the team down money wise for years. Maybe he scored less, but maybe he was a Morey-type player. A good deal, undervalued but a big heart.

All that being said, It's unbelievable that memories are so short. Tracy does not make a good team and all the Tracy apologist always say "What if?", "What if he would have had a better teammates?", "What if he stayed healthy?", What if he would have played with a great center?", "What if the depth perception at Toyota Center was better?".

Well it is, what it is. What if he would have played with Hakeem, Shaq, Jordan, Kobe, Wade, Duncan or Boston, LA Miami, NY, Chicago? To me again that sound like the easy way out. As Hakeem proved determination and hard work pay off.

Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, shame on you. Some always learn the hard way. Sorry, but hell NO!!

 

Pisses me off when fans don't realize Yao and T-mac failed not just because of health reasons but because they didn't have the roster like many other teams that won championships.

We had Rafer as our PG.........We had Luther Head, We had Ryan Bowen...google the roster and see who T-mac and Yao had to play with...Look at today's championship teams, they all have players who can play position from 1 to 5 really well.

Instead we want to blame it on health only....sure if they were healthy we could of gotten to the finals but to win it, i think our roster needed more help.

 

Not really, most people are missing the fact that he purposed the question on would you take Orlando McGrady in reference to how many people are gushing over us HAVING to get Bosh no matter what this offseason.

And, in hind sight, I wouldn't. I really liked McGrady when he was over here, but his MAX contract and health hurt us. If I had the choice today, given our current players and the obvious fact that we'd have to give up pieces to get him, I wouldn't take that gamble and don't want to by trading for Bosh.

 

Depends. Has he sustained the same injuries? Did he ever get a full 82 game run with Grant Hill by his side?

 

Regular season, but I'd bet McGrady has one of the highest Rockets career winning %s in games he played. It wasnt like the Hakeem era had 60 win seasons. Was a bunch of 40 and 50 win seasons.

Hakeem played on 5 Rockets teams that won 50+ games. McGrady 4. The McGrady teams just didnt have playoff chemistry. I wont give McGrady the "IF healthy" benefit of doubt, but it'd be silly to think McGrady wouldnt have helped advance in the '09 playoffs.

Like it or not, the McGrady era with Yao was the 2nd most REGULAR season successful in the franchise history. (The Moses Malone team was the 2nd most POSTSEASON successful in franchise history.)

 

Are you saying that Tracy's era was better than Hakeem's? To me it doesn't matter what the regular season record is, only what happens in the playoffs.
Hakeem was a rock day in a day out. Tracy well, let's just say he left alot to be desired.

As far as chemistry, didn't Tracy have something to do with that? And didn't Rafer make it to the finals with the Magic? While Tracy was still a 1st round and out while being a scoring champ. Did Rafer bring break chemistry to the magic and Tracy didn't bring it to the Rockets?

Tracy's era with the Rockets was very painful to watch, IMO.

 

Regular season doesn't mean anything as long as you make the playoffs. Only the playoffs and ring matters in the end. Who gives a damn about whether or not you have one of the best regular seasons. The Dallas Mavs are the perfect example of this. Also, you make chemistry by working hard with your teammates.