[Yahoo] Rockets don't want McGrady back, continue to try to trade him

Same writer for McGrady unsure whether Rockets want him. I don't believe him.

 

people need to understand the healthy mcgrady (the player) was productive for us.

if you dislike the guy because of his unprofessionalism last year, that's totally understandable and acceptable. but to associate what he did last year (when he was truly injured) and diss the way he played when he was healthy is fairly ignorant in my opinion.

the dude was always an all-nba player for us when healthy. isn't that what you want out of your best player when they actually play? perform at an all-nba level?

 

Agree 100%.

 

and my stance on the way the team played hasnt changed at all, this team on the floor is all about heart, hustle, teamwork more than anything else....thats how the team played during the streak.

The streak was made possible because of increased contributions from Scola (who happened to be inserted into the starting lineup during the crazy run from Jan to end of the streak), Landry (before his minor injury), Rafer (yes rafer did step up after Yao went down)

Dont get me wrong Tracy did play a role in that streak as well but you are taking a sample of what 22 games (but more like 10 after Yao went out) of where Tracy was on a Rockets team that had to play from a hustle/teamwork standpoint to continuing winning since its had a talent deficiency. Think about it on a team then with rookies, and role players once Yao went down all the credit when to him for the streak. I mean pretty much everytime I turned on SportsCenter if they were talking about the streak it would be a picture of McGrady and how 'his rockets' were proving everyone wrong. You think Tmac didnt LOVE that attention?


What about the rest of his 12 year career? What about the rest of the season that year once the euphoria of winning wore of and the whole "its on me" ordeal? What about all the problems of last year that happened?

It would different if that was march 18, 2009 when that was posted/streak happened but it was 2008. Way too much time has passed since then and way too much has happened with McGrady and the team.

Adelman started to more of his team oriented offense LAST season not the first season he was here (for the streak) since there was an adjustment period. Tracy didnt really like the new offense, tracy didnt rehab right, tracy decided when to play and when not to play, tracy had his own mini-training camp mid-season, tracy declared he was back, tracy declared he needed surgery without telling his employers first. Tracy has thrown his teammates under the bus. I mean ALL of this is Tracy no one else.

To me Tracy see this opportunity of a team that is much like the team that was on the streak for the last 10 games. A team that no one expects to win on any given night against any given opponent but yet they still do somehow through grit and tenacity and hustle. He could come in and play and if the team still manages to win games with him stopping the flow of the ball and taking shots away from other players and upping his own production even if the rockets makign the playoffs as an 8th seed praise will be heaped on him for leading a team of "nobodies" to the playoffs. You think that sort of good press doesnt mean anything in a contract year? He wants that spotlight. I am sure the coaching staff and the rest of the know this and feel that it would be a total discredit to all the effort of all the players on the team that really put in the hard work and dedication to the whole team for a good record.

Tracy is all about his own image, its always been like this the only thing that has changed is that Les and the front office has decided that he should probably be treated like the grown man he should be instead of coddled like a child. They've seen that they can win without him, they've seen that this team will play hard even without Yao this year and continue to impress and win.

The Rockets dont need Tracy anymore to win and they havent for a while, somehow Tracy thinks differently.

The Rockets do need more talent though, his contract is the best way to acquire it

 

i have yet to see him play for an entire season a different way...once he became a star (so disregard the toronto years) he has played that way and has had success (save that one horrid season in orlando)

"That way" that I am referring to is where the offense primarily runs through him, being a dominant ball handler

but last year it was pretty obvious when Adelman started to put and more pieces of his offense into the team (remember every person that were part of those kings teams said the offense isnt a 1 or 2 season process but it will take about 3-4 season for it to come to its full potential) McGrady didnt want it.

the first season Adelman was his the team was still more centric around Yao and McGrady and then McGrady (after Yao went down) than it was last season when all his issues arose.


I would be more than happy to see Tracy out on the court blending in with the rest of the team perfectly because with him we have a chance to make the playoffs, a real solid chance and maybe even fighting for HC (yes thats how talented of a player Tracy is) but there is no consistency in Tracy's past to say that he will do such a thing in the future.

Whats that saying the greatest indicator of the future is one's past? (something like that)

 

so are you saying you wouldn't want lebron james with this current style of basketball? lebron has played the same way mcgrady has (offense being run primarily through him with him being the dominant ballhandler, even moreso in the playoffs)--though i would put it as players who haven't had the chance to play with a deep/balanced team?

just a hypothetical question

 

Its good you have your opinion and thats what this voard is made up of, opinions. I always say you have to replace talent with talent and if you don't do it, you're going nowhere. I see what you're saying, but this team full of heart and playing with talent is basically a .500 team to me. Now I've never said thats such a bad thing, its just a thing. Its also easy to say this guy stepped up and that guy stepped up and it wan't all tracy and i agree with some of that, but when teams have to focus on a guy, it makes it alot easier on teammates. I also know that its not important that guys like each other in pro sports. What i do know is guys on the court block out side shows and they know if a guy can help them win games. I think they should trade tracy,yao,and shane and start over, yet people will have you believe that yao is going to be fine, shane is the glue, and tracy is tracy from 3 yrs ago. Well, i can tell you that none of it will equal a ring because none of it is true. now we can piddle paddle around and take some avaerage players with smaller contracts and hope brooks or chase turns into a all star level player which is fine by me because thats more realistic than thinking yao or tracy can be the lead dog on a ring team.

I can play this whole morey vs the league gm thing right now and i can't paint one scenerio where the rockets get good players back without taking on a 3 yr anchor. Now we've seen other teams move these anchors, but if its so easy, then why raef and wally didn't get moved last yr? Better yet, why is cook still on the squad?

 

Go and watch orlando days when mike miller and armstrong were there. He played off the ball alot and was more akin to a screen shooter. Now at times, of course coaches will divert and put the ball the ball in his hands, but in houston under jvg, it was exclusively keep the ball in his hands. Last yr he had 0 lateral movement and that had more to do with him not moving that not wanting to move.

 

Not sure if this is the right thread for this to be in, but in Jon's blog, someone asked if T-Mac was going to play against Cleveland, and he said possibly the Philly or Toronto road-trip is when they would maybe let him play. I'm not sure how to copy the link and post it, but I thought I would share this with ya'll.

 

I have been saying the same thing since Yao went down. This stuff will never get us a ring. Nor can Tracy be moved for a star even if he is packaged with a couple of guys. Cook is here because no one wants him.

 

I understand where you're coming from, but let's keep it simple. If a healthy Tmac plays, will he improve our chances to win on any given night or not? He is still an unique talent, with his passing ability and court awareness, and he can still draw significant defensive focus from the opponent that can make life easier for others on the team. What I am saying is, if he is capable to help us with a better chance to win games, then why not let him play and help us win games? It doesn't matter if he has his own agenda, as long as he is helping us win games, why not?

 

You are a smart man. Raef La French and Wally Serbiak were supposed to be traded for a king's bounty. Why did that not happen? Because all the offers were unsatisfactory.

If Daryl Morey makes a trade with Tracy McGrady, prepare to be disappointed. These big expiring business contracts are always thought to be more valuable than they actually are, hence they just expire.

 

The value of the expiring contract depends on the upcoming free agent market and the salary cap. The next FA class will be the best the league has ever seen.

 

I think people are mixing their hatred of McGrady's personality with his basketball abilities. I can totally sympathize with people having problem with how TMac handles himself and the team.

BUT to say that his playing style is selfish is simply revisionist influenced by the perception of his selfish demeanor. A healthy McGrady will make this team better, although it might take some time for him to adjust. And whoever thinks this current team (which I love to watch) can ever develop into a title contender is delusional.

Either Morey can pull out some miracle deal (extremely unlikely in light of all these negative reports "leaking" out) to trade TMac for some star player, or we wait a few years hoping to pick up a young stud through the drafts.

Guys, put down your hatred and think rationally how much a sour relationship between your star and your coach can damage the near future of the team. I still don't understand why some Rockets fans seem so happy to know that Adelman doesn't like TMac.

 

are you really trying to compare Lebron to McGrady?

they may play similar styles but have had FAR different results

Tracy: 40-50 win seasons 2nd round appearances: 1*
Lebron:40-60 win seasons, number of first round exits: 0**, Finals appearance, MVP


* Tracy McGrady did not play in any of the playoff games the year a team he was on advanced to the second round

**Lebron did not make the playoffs his first two years in the league


I am sure fans and the team would be a bit more forgiving if he had the same results and work ethic as Lebron

 

A lot of factors came together to make the streak possible, true. But you really think its a coincidence that the Rockets lost 2 straight home games before McGrady returns, and then with him in the lineup they win 25 out of 26? He was a big part of it, and it demonstrates quite clearly that he is capable of playing on a team that exhibits the qualities you value -- heart, hustle, teamwork, etc. And I don't remember him acting like it was all about him during the streak, though I can't blame him for feeling it was in some measure a vindication after all the hate he received earlier in the year.

The "its on me" was the previous season, under Van Gundy. That was a situation where McGrady was entering the playoffs for the first time with home court advantage, and for the first time the team around him was basically fully healthy. He felt it was his best chance of getting past the first round (and he was correct). He was expressing both confidence and accountability at once with that remark (effectively, "I believe we should win, and if we don't that's on me."). We usually associate this attitude with strong leadership, but McGrady says it and he's a punk. Go figure.

And, yes, let's go through his 12 year career. Its been a mixed bag. But along with the mistakes and poor decisions, he's made a lot of huge plays as Rocket, and people now want to throw all of that out the window like he's been this cancer the whole time he's been here. What the hell did the Rockets achieve in the several years prior to McGrady joining the team? Yeah, he lost in the first round against the Mavs, and twice against the Jazz. But he gave his team a better shot at advancing than any of those teams that preceded his arrival had. That should count for something.

I don't know what you mean by more "team-oriented" offense. Obviously if you add a star to a team full of role players, the ball isn't going to be shared as equally among the 5 players on the floor. That's how it should be. But, again, its already been demonstrated that McGrady could be a part of a team with all the qualities we're loving on this current team -- quoting you: "hustle, passing, teamwork, chemistry".

And I'm not just going to forget about what happened before last season (when he was actually healthy). McGrady was awful last year. Everyone acknowledges that, including him. If McGrady can play as he did before last season, when writers like Richard Justice were pumping him up as an MVP candidate (which I maintained was silly at the time), then why shouldn't we welcome that? And why shouldn't we be tremendously disappointed that the Rockets don't even want to give that a chance of working out?

They don't need Tracy, and yet they need more talent. Huh?

We can look at this in two ways. If its about ensuring that the role players currently busting their butt on the team get the full credit they deserve, then yeah I understand why you don't bring back McGrady. I see your point there. But if the goal is to actually address team needs from a basketball standpoint ... well, you said it yourself. The Rockets need more talent. But the most straightforward way to acquire it is not by trading McGrady. Its by playing him.

 

Hopefully we can deal his contract to Golden State for Monta Ellis (who's unhappy there) and somebody else..

I think Monta would be a good fit with this Houston team

 

Count me on the just let the man play wagon. I really don't see a trade working out.

 

Wow. I'm getting really upset when I have to read something like this. Man, this guy was scoring champ of the NBA TWO times and has been multiple Allstar and you are treating him like a piece of *****. This is horrible. Seriously. I mean, if you just don't like him, that's okay, everybody has an opinion, but give him at least some respect.
I just don't know why the Rockets are so reluctant to let him play. Just give him a chance. Of course there are all these IFs, but what if he comes back strong, scores 23 ppg, dishes 5 apg and grabs 6 rpg? What would you say then? And if he doesn't come back strong, fine, then we at lesast know where we're at. And on the other side, if we trade him and he explodes for his new team, RA and DM would be my most hated persons in the world.

I know one thing for sure: I will always wear my McGrady jersey with pride.

 

What is James' FG% playing the "similar style"? When it is the same, then you can compare.