Tracy McGrady: Not exactly a team player
by grungedave on Dec 27, 2009 10:26 AM CST
in Random Commentary
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PrintDear Tracy McGrady,
kindly go f--k yourself with a rusty chainsaw.
For those that aren't aware of the current situation, a quick recap:
Last February, two days before the trading deadline when the Rockets were very much in discussions with other teams for trades (possibly including McGrady), T-Mac goes doctor shopping and then announces to STEPHEN A. SMITH that he's "done for the season" -- even though Daryl Morey, Les Alexander, Rick Adelman and none of his teammates were informed of this before before McGrady's public declaration. So, McGrady undergoes season-ending knee surgery. Mircrofracture. He's nowhere to be found. Not so coincidentally, the Rockets beat the Blazers in 6 games in May and then take the Lakers to a 7th game, sans McGrady.
Fast forward to a month ago. The Rockets have had a surprisingly successful start to the season, and McGrady declares (without first clearing it with the Rockets, of course) that he's ready to play. In a childish response to his employer disagreeing with this assessment of readiness, McGrady puts on his uniform before a game with the Timberwolves. Even though he's inactive and Adelman and Morey had no intentions of playing him that night. I guess this is McGrady's way of showing leadership?
Shortly thereafter, in a move the team probably didn't want to do to begin with... the Rockets finally let McGrady play. But only in 7 minute bursts. This is apparently a plan that McGrady is fully on-board with. At first. Until he decides (once again, without telling anyone else inside the organization) that he's again ready to play and that he wants more minutes. Furthermore, he's tired of these "cameos". So he complains to the media. Again.
Cut to yesterday.
Tracy McGrady is informed by Rick Adelman that he will not be receiving any increased minutes or playing time. This shouldn't be surprising because McGrady can barely get across halfcourt whenever the Rockets are on a fast break and McGrady isn't exactly a defensive stalwart at the other end. Nevertheless, McGrady pouts and has an adult temper tantrum. In the form of "I'm taking my ball and going home." So McGrady -- being the ever-present team leader that he is -- leaves the team during a road trip. He simply walks out.
Yet here's what McGrady said to the media when asked about his situation:
"I'm a player, man," McGrady told the Houston Chronicle. "I don't make these decisions. I just abide by whatever they bring to me. That's the plan. I'm not going to argue and fight with them -- just run with it. I felt it was time [to increase the routine of playing seven to eight first-half minutes]."I'm not going to cause any confusion or confrontations. As a player, that's what I felt. They obviously feel different. That's what I have to roll with."
So.... uhhhhh.... leaving your teammates hanging out to dry while you whine and cry about playing time is "abiding by whatever they bring to you"? Walking out of practice during a road trip to go home is "not going to cause any confusion or confrontations"? I guess that's just how you roll, T-Mac. Passive-aggressive as always. And for those that want to say "but he had permission! He was just going home for his son's birthday!!" -- please name me another player on the roster who (a) would ask for any such special treatment, and (b) would actually receive such permission from Daryl Morey and/or Rick Adelman.
Good riddance I say. I was sick of the cameos, too. If anything, McGrady was taking time away from Jermaine Taylor and Mike Harris (and potentially Von Wafer), and you don't hear those guys bitching about their playing time while they abide by their roles and wait for their chance to contribute to the team.
At this point, McGrady has truly morphed into "TracyMcGrady'sExpiringContract". As a person, he's useless to the future of the franchise. Daryl Morey simply needs to decide what is best for the organization in terms of the $23M invoice floating out there. The only good news? Next year that number is $0.
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i don't think
this one is all on mcgrady. i agree, he’s being petulant and childish and there are probably less than five other nba players who would actually be arrogant enough to ask to leave the team if they knew they weren’t playing, but at the same time, i really don’t like the way the rockets are handling this situation. announcing that we are going to bench him for two games has no positive effects on the team unless we are on the verge of a trade and he’s no longer needed. it only causes a bigger distraction than he already has been and really destroys any chance that he’d come back and be a producing player. i was one of the people who thought that a healthy, invested mcgrady could be of service to us, and now clearly we’re never going to be getting that. hopefully this means that we’re finishing a trade for him because otherwise he just becomes a truly useless waste of 23 million, as opposed to the probably useless waste that he was before this incident.
useless?
T-Mac’s expring contract puts the Rockets in a VERY enviable position in July. Assuming they don’t trade him. And I see few trades that would benefit the team without having to also sacrifice Scola, Landry or Battier.
Right, but
even with TracyMcGrady’sExpiringContract off the books, we still have to re-up Scola, who is a free agent in 2010. Also, Lowry is restricted this year.
Then in 2011 Yao will need money (assuming he picks up next year’s option), as will Battier, Landry, Hayes, and AB.
All of those add up to either someone(s) having to be let go to get a good free agent, or Morey increasing everyone’s money and forgoing another “superstar”.
How many Biletnikoffs does he have? NOT TWO!
assuming we resign our players
we don’t have enough cap room to land a free agent. we have 37 million on the books for next year, so assuming carl, luis and lowry combine for something like 15 million, which i think is too little, we’ll be at the cap. so keeping mcgrady and letting him expires only allows us to have the same team next season, plus a potentially healthy yao. i don’t have a problem with that, but i think we’d be selling ourselves short if we didn’t at least try to trade him
Everyone loses...
Whether or not it’s time for TMac to go, the Rockets are dumb not to use this paid-for asset while he’s available… Even at 85% – 90%, for 10 – 15 minutes a night (until he’s 100% and can play 30 – 40), he’s better than most others at his position, and that will enhance his trade value if it comes to that. I don’t blame TMac for taking advantage of the Rockets’ stupidity, if it helps him rest, get healthy, avoid any other injury, and be worth more at contract time… he’d be dumb to pass on the opportunity, and he’s not dumb….
i agree
this one cant be all on mcgrady..
he may have done his share of messing things up.. but the team isnt doing anything to every1;s life any easier.
i want him to play more.. play his way back into shape.
send him in 3rd quarter when things are going down… instead of cameo roles
play his way back into shape?
You must be kidding. It’s not on the team to use real games to allow a player to get back into shape. Too much is at stake to experiment with a player who isn’t 100% ready to play.
im not saying give him 20+ a game
but 10 would be nice
But how are you.....
100% ready with just practicing in practice and not playing real ball during a game? I don’t think others who had this surgery just got 100% outside the game, playing more is what gets you in shape, I don’t mean play the whole game and never come out but a player does not pick up his momentum until he has played awhile while being in the game, no good player comes out in the first minute and is hot. So i will have to disagree with you on this one, and really the Rockets Management is not handling this right either, like comment above, this can not be good morale for the rest of the team, and obviously there is something a little bit wrong with what is going one now, because a good team shouldn’t barely beat a below 500 team, come on, so the starting five is good but still there is something missing.
Um Boston lost to a medicore Philly team a few weeks back...
Just saying. It’s the NBA.
injured players
always use real games to play themselves back into shape. when guys come back from long term injuries, the only way to get them back at their best or to see if they can get back to their best is to actually play them. you don’t get healthy and in game shape by sitting on the bench.
practice play.....
is nowhere near the same as actual game play, which is needed to determine how much more you need to work your ass to play at the NBA level. not NBA practice level.
"Welcome back T-Mac baby!!...I believe."
VY (to all his haters/doubters): "I love ya'll too!!"
"Titans & Texans fan, dont bug me w/your petty b.s., life's confusing enough."
Well beyond that,
because of the insanely screwed up schedule, the Rockets have barely practiced in the last two months. So integrating TMac is even more difficult. That’s why patience was being urged by the Rockets – they can’t even get him set into the various schemes in practice, because they haven’t had a chance to get any.
by numbers...
T-mac is $23 mil, B. Cook is >$4 mil. that’s enough to get a mid-level players and Scola and then some for 2011…
but i am GM, it’ll NOT sign anyone else besides what we already had (minus the 1st two i mentioned previously) because Scola will demand more $$ and he’s worth it.. say around $7-9 mil? AB will demand the same for 2011, so let’s extand his contract next year.
i am sure. Landry might ask for the same by 2011……
don't bully me, i am from the D(etroit)!!!
and i don't care what you guys said.
i said T-Mac’s not “ready” ready to play. and playing him 7 min is a good call. might be able to put him in 3rd Q for another 5 min, that i agreed.
he looked slow & stay outside most of the time. not saying he was a paint attacker in his old days, but he’s lot more active.
was it me or he actually lost some weight?
don't bully me, i am from the D(etroit)!!!
exactly
he’s actually attacking the rim. i agree he’s not much of a defender, but he’s hustling on offense and playing active basketball, and that’s a big upgrade from last year. looking at those six games, i think he played very well and giving him something like 15 a night would have been reasonable.
You hate him, we got it quite a long time ago...
but as usual, when it comes to McGrady your points are too one-sided.
2 points that may be considered .
1.
ever thought that the view he may have taken this time to ask for permission to go home instead of playing paltry minutes may be from the eyes of his son? What will a boy that young think of when its his birthday and his father ain’t there because he will have to play 7 minutes…not even a whole game. We may understand that, but will a young boy? And its not like he darted off without saying anything…he DID get permission. And to your point, A) its not that special a treatment as you think it is. B) probably anyone with a suddenly diminished role who desperately asks and for a valid reason. The only reason its such a big deal is because its mcgrady.
2.
the cameo thing…He’s not the first one to label his playing time as such. I’ve seen, read and heard news labeling his playing time as cameos. He does read news about himself doesn’t he? probably just worked itself into his speech.
The rest of the article, some I agree with. Especially the Media announcement for the Microfracture Surgery. But yes, I do think the surgery was necessary he just didn’t go about it professionally.
oh please
No one gets to randomly go home to be with family during an NBA season. It’s part of the trade-off of being a professional athlete.
lol dave everything you post has something to do with hating on rafer ot t-mac.
Rockets>>>>>>Jazz
Texans>>>>>>>Titans
Super Mario>>>>>>>Vince Young
by Rockets 4 Life on Dec 27, 2009 11:49 AM CST reply actions
or* t-mac
Rockets>>>>>>Jazz
Texans>>>>>>>Titans
Super Mario>>>>>>>Vince Young
by Rockets 4 Life on Dec 27, 2009 11:49 AM CST reply actions
It's a frustrating situation for everyone involved
McGrady (understandably) wants his minutes increased. Adelman (for good reason) doesn’t want to do this. McGrady feels he’s ready, but he clearly isn’t. And, given his statements about what his doctors have told him, it doesn’t seem wise for him to be playing much, anyways.
We’ll see what happens Monday.
Still, the outrage seems misplaced to me. Put yourself in his position. You’ve spent the last nine/ten months going through surgery and rehab, and you think you’re ready to play. You know on some level that you’re not totally up to speed yet, but you think that extra playing time will get you there. And yet your team – which ostensibly pays you all that money to put you on the court – refuses to let you try. From his perspective, I can see why these short stints on the court would seem totally unsatisfactory.
by Only_A_Lad on Dec 27, 2009 12:14 PM CST reply actions 1 recs
Agree, the hostility is really not necessary, especially from Dreamshake, dedicated to all things Houston Rockets...
The Houston Rockets are not about hostility or anything negative , that is what makes them a great ball club!
great post
the only thing i sort of questioned was about him being ready. he’s definitely not 100 percent, but i think that’s only going to come with more minutes, if it’s going to come at all. i think we need to start increasing his playing time now or never because we’re not even sure if he’s ever going to be t-mac again, so the sooner we find out the better. i think 15 minutes a game for then next few is reasonable, it’s not like he’s been killing us when he’s out there. he’s struggling on defense but playing well on the other end of the ball, so at worst he’s canceling himself out. i’m just of the opinion that we might as well try and get something on the floor for the 23 million we’re giving him, and the only way of knowing if he’ll be able to give us that is if we start upping his minutes.
O_a_L
Please explain how/why a player of high-profile like McGrady can just up and leave the team in the manner he did. You of all people aren’t dumb enough to buy the “it’s his kid’s b-day” story.
I don't buy it for a second
…however, if you read between the lines, I think McGrady is just as frustrated as you are with the situation. He isn’t even being worked in at any increasing rate. I think there should be a timetable, however rough, set up for both sides to just shut up, get over it and figure out how the 2nd half of this season will unfold.
Or trade him. But I would seriously, seriously doubt that Morey will simply let the contract expire.
I don't
that’s clearly a story used to save face.
My point is not that this is somehow typical/usual/acceptable. My point is that Tracy’s frustration (and his actions) is understandable. I understand why he feels like he should have more minutes, so I understand why the fact that he’s not getting more minutes upsets him, as well as why he doesn’t want to continue the current plan.
I sympathize with his feelings, even though I think Adelman/Morey/the Rockets have done the right thing throughout this. Thus, I don’t feel particularly outraged.
dig deep
seems like you just took everything from the surface of what you heard or what yahoo reported and ranted from it, it seems like all these rockets fans pay more attention to what the media has to say rather than what the coaches and doctors and gm have said, which is close to nothing, if T-mac was as big of a distraction as most of you make him out to be, im pretty sure he wouldve been shipped out a long time ago, I’ll provide you all with links, so you can know more of the story
on t-mac’s “injury”, there is a conference that exists…oh yes, there is
i didnt think Houston was that boring for yall to make nothing out of something
i wonder when are we gonna start talking about Yao and his injuries..cause apparently
before T-mac got to houston, the rockets were one win away from winning a championship with the “most dominant” center ever right
by mcgadget on Dec 27, 2009 1:25 PM CST reply actions 1 recs
I agree
most of the “cancer” talk seems to be the product of speculation from outside observers, rather than anything revealed by the team or McGrady.
Eh...
I think you’re too slanted on this issue. I didn’t read the comments above but I’m going to give you my two cents.
Most of the arguments you’re making against McGrady for what’s going on this season is inferring. I understand what he did last season with the surgery wasn’t the best course of action. This season, however, it’s hard to put the blame entirely on T-Mac.
Imagine being one of the league’s premier players and greatest offensive threats. Through a bunch of terrible injuries and arguments, you make it through to feeling healthy and pushing yourself in the offseason and feeling as if you are ready to play. Tracy McGrady obviously felt that he had to go more than halfway and try to force his way a little to show Adelman and the Rockets front office that he belonged in the rotation once again. It’s probably a reason why he went to find Tim Grover and revolutionize his way of training.
He does all of this in the offseason to try and get back into shape and become a leader on the Rockets once again. This 8-minute routine is the right thing to do for McGrady at this point. I understand that Adelman is trying to ease McGrady back in and trying to see how he flows with the team. The only issue is, after these 8 minute games, Adelman has yet to increase the number of minutes no matter how T-Mac is playing. I feel as if Adelman should steadily increase the amount of minutes and add a minute or two every other game or something.
From what I’ve read and from what I’ve seen, I haven’t seen T-Mac in the way you are trying to portray him in this post. I see how, as a Rockets fan, you can be extremely angry with T-Mac. I’m a devout Rockets fan as well, but I think everyone is blowing this leave by McGrady a bit out of proportion.
Correct me if I’m wrong but, didn’t the Rockets send McGrady home following the game against the Magic? They were trying to figure out what to do with him and he was frustrated with the situation too. His little outburst in the media about his “cameos” was not that bad either. He didn’t transfer the blame over to his teammates or Adelman, but just felt as if he deserved more time because 8 minutes is hard to show any sign of improvement. When someone puts a mic to your face and asks you questions about how you feel about something, chances are you’re going to respond or face a fine from the NBA.
I dunno if I covered all the bases, but I think we need to step back and just watch to see how this unfolds and understand the whole situation from both sides before jumping to conclusions and throwing T-Mac under the wagon.
by T-Mackin on Dec 27, 2009 2:05 PM CST reply actions 1 recs
send him home?
McGrady up and left. The Rockets are just trying to do damage control by saying he had permission to leave to be with his son on his b-day. You are mighty naive to think otherwise.
What I said was
“Correct me if I’m wrong but, didn’t the Rockets send McGrady home following the game against the Magic? They were trying to figure out what to do with him and he was frustrated with the situation too.”
If I’m referring to the wrong part, my bad.
" send him home?
McGrady up and left. The Rockets are just trying to do damage control by saying he had permission to leave to be with his son on his b-day. You are mighty naive to think otherwise."
That was your response.
This comes back to what I originally stated, you’re making inferences and assumptions that can’t be made. You’re presumption is that they’re covering up McGrady’s leave by stating that it was “damage control”. There is no proof that this is close to true. This is you being ignorant and blaming T-Mac.
fine.
Here are a bunch of links from journalists that follow the team indicating that McGrady up and left first… and the “permission” came later.
http://blogs.chron.com/nba/2009/12/rockets_98_nets_93_grappling_w.html
http://blogs.chron.com/sportsjustice/archives/2009/12/what_do_the_roc.html
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4772672
http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/11767/tracy-mcgrady-saga-whats-next
http://deadspin.com/5434856/of-ridiculous-contracts-and-insubordination
and we can’t ignore Skeets: http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/TBJ-Ep-490-Mirth;_ylt=AtVSL3iPJCYH2JzQr.KGwe28vLYF?urn=nba,210614
Quotes from each
1st link: “For now, the decision to end the seven-minute cameo experiment led to McGrady requesting that he be permitted to return to Houston in time for his son’s birthday on Sunday. He had nothing much to do on the road trip, so he figured there was no reason to stick around and the Rockets didn’t see much reason to make him visit Cleveland.”
States that he asked for permission before leaving
2nd link: "Yes, he bailed on his teammates this weekend. When Rick Adelman wouldn’t give him what he wanted, McGrady got mad and left. "
Doesn’t really say whether he got permission, but I’ll give it to you and say this article states that he left without permission.
3rd link: “In a strange twist to a story that has had its share of weird plot turns, the Rockets said McGrady received the team’s permission to fly back to Houston, in part so that be could be home for his the birthday of his young son, Laymen.”
The Rockets said he was given permission
4th link: "McGrady asked Adelman for an increased role, and the coach told him no. That prompted McGrady to leave the team Saturday following their morning shootaround at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J. "
Once again, it doesn’t state whether the Rockets gave him permission to leave. I take this one since I gave you the last one ;).
5th link: “It’s not that Rick Adelman doesn’t want to give the ostensibly healthy T-Mac more minutes. He just doesn’t want to do it at the expense of another, better player’s minutes. So while they bicker, the team sent McGrady home from the Rockets’ road trip.”
Key phrase: The team sent McGrady home
I love Skeets and watch TBJ whenever they post. The video they made was on Wednesday. They make the videos in the morning and post them the afternoon of. The situation with McGrady didn’t arise until after the Orlando game on Wed. Skeets was talking about how T-Mac isn’t wanted by the Rockets right now, like fruitcake.
So to tally the score (just for fun): 5-1. If you have another link, we can take this to seven games, but I only need 4 wins to take the series, sooooo….. I win?
by T-Mackin on Dec 27, 2009 7:38 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
T-Mac in the Army
What is wrong with folks? I agree totally that they need to play T-Mac just a little bit more .Look at all the other players that had the same surgery….Amar’e Stoudemire, better than ever, Chris Webber…pulled his weight after the surgery. T-Mac deserves a chance to get well, after everything he has done for the team. Where was Yao when they made history with the 22 game winning streak???/ What about game seven in the playoffs against Utah, if I remember correctly…T-Mac pulled out 40 points , if Rafer wouldn’t have got hurt, I do believe T-Mac would have gotten us out of the first round. A team consists of more than just one player. Calling Tracy childish is a joke, if anything….the team is treating him like a child, or a soldier. If I was Mac, I would get out of dodge and go to a team that respects and appreciates his game. I hope he will get back to 100% , and prove everybody wrong. He is one of the best players of all time, I have faith that he will get back to his old self. When it is all said and done, Rockets will need him as they go deeper into the season. To T-Mac get somewhere where you can get that ring that you deserve.
Go T-Mac.
he's an employee
Employees do what they are told. Simple as that. T-Mac doesn’t have the discretion to announce his own role or minutes. He has to shut up and do the job he is told to do.
dude wat is up wit u???
if u knew you were better than somebody at your position (Ariza) then you would be upset too if you werent getting as much pt…Adelman said he wants to put the best team out there thats give them the best chance to win and putting Ariza out there for 40 minutes clearly isnt going it.
by vikesfan4lyf on Dec 27, 2009 9:51 PM CST up reply actions
goddammit, speak English
The following are not words: “wat” “wit” “u” “pt”
This is not a text messaging service. Speak in full, complete sentences please.
This, David, is a variant of "leet speak".
It is interesting as it is signifier of a cultural subgroup that has developed solely by means of electronic communication.
I think I can translate, and reply.
Tracy McGrady has in no way proved he is the superior player to Trevor Ariza, or Shane Battier THIS SEASON. Perhaps if he didn’t throw hissyfits and worked his way into being a productive member of the team, he could show that he deserved the bulk of the playing time. But he’s not interested in that, evidently. He wants what he wants, and he wants it now. Like a baby.
Stoudemire? Webber?
Stoudemire is no where near what he was pre-surgery.
Webber’s career – by his own admission – was ruined by microfracture.
get your facts straight.
Oops my bad
Don’t think it was game seven, twas the game they got eliminated from the playoffs.
Sorry
this article is hilarious
grungedave, are you serious? You act like wanting to play, having reconstructive knee surgery, and seeing your son on his birthday are bad things. I can’t believe I wasted my time reading this article.
You would be a perfect candidate if Fox News was hiring. News at its finest!!!!
Fuck You Stacey Mac
You are banned from Music City Miracles.
Happy Now Tits?
You are banned from Blogging The Boys.
Tracy got permission to go home and be with his son for his birthday over Christmas...
whats wrong with that?? If he’s not going to be playing anyway why should he have to sit on the bench when he can do the more important thing and be with his family for the holidays. He did get permission.
"Every time you turn on ESPN you see Bama" - Earl Thomas' answer when asked what excites him most about the National Championship.
To all Houston sports fans, Houston is the 4th biggest city in America, there will be traffic on the way to your respective sports game. Come Early, Be Loud, Stay Late.
it's called "damage control"
NO ONE gets permission to leave games to be with family unless they are gravely ill. Not Kobe, not LeBron, not even MJ. McGrady bailed on his team and Morey and Adelman are taking a hit by saying they gave him permission because they have to make it look like T-Mac isn’t a complete malcontent as they try to salvage trade value. Stop being naive.
I agree that no one gets permission to leave games. But T-mac might have actually gotten his permission from Morey and Adelman since he is just playing 7:30 a game and is in the air regarding where he is with the team.
I dont think its smart to ask off when youre trying to get in good with a team and get more minutes. But I dont think about it because I imagine how frustrated T-mac is.
I dont think they have children. ahahhaa im jk
Id assume because T-mac is still treated like a superstar, seeing as anything he does is top story news. Superstars get their way.
Its whatever.
I think someone forgot to give you the memo
T-Mac ain’t a superstar anymore. He’s paid like one, but he ain’t one.
Houston will not be able to get equal trade value for T-Mac
that will be to our liking. We will take a hit somehow. But I’d be willing to lose money than jeopardize the whole team’s performance and camaderie. This season has been truly amazing and T-Mac should not take away attention from that. The coaches and players have done a wonderful job; even the national media is sitting up and paying attention.
Let him go and let’s move on! If he plays for another team, he will be brilliant in short bursts but he is a long long way from being the player he once was or could have been. He doesn’t fit the team culture anymore.
T-Mac
You reporters are so stupid and ignorant. What have you accomplish b y reporting this story. T-Mac has be loyal and faithful to this team. You want the leadership of this team to throw him under the bus, because He had an operation for His health. You have open the door for every team to do the same to people who has contributed so much to the success of this team. It is impossible for this team to finish in the top to with McGrady. Sure they are are playing good ball without him, But if you remember they were playing good ball with Him also. You for got last year’s record. What are you going to do with Yao, if you get rid of T-Mac, are you going to get rid of Him also. The team is good but there are no ONE Stand out that can bring a championship to Houston. Rick is doing a great Job with what He has, but He donot have a Championship calibier team. If you are going to rebuild get rid of everyone that brought you, including Yao. Wait five of six more years for a champion ship. This is not about who is getting time. This is about winning. 7 games above even is not anything to boast about. Houston should hope that T-Mac does make it back in great strenght. Shame on the management team and Rick for even thinking about trading T-Mac.
ummm, what?
I have no idea what you just said.
But for your information – we are not “reporters” here. I am merely commenting on the latest of situations where Tracy McGrady is being a drama queen and taking attention away from his teammates unnecessarily.
also
Please, please do not tell me you are capitalizing “He” and “Him” as a reference to McGrady. He is not God. This I can guarantee.
Mm..disagree
Tracy McGrady, whether you like it or not, could help the Rockets right now.
when mcgrady steps on the court
it seems like its easier for everyone to get open shots and his vision helps distribute the ball the best out of anyone on the team
by vikesfan4lyf on Dec 27, 2009 9:56 PM CST up reply actions
My take on T-Mac situation
If the Rockets don’t want to play him then they need to find a way to get trade him. However, no smart team out there is gonna want to trade their own good players for a player that hasn’t shown he has fully recovered from a knee injury. The only way the Rockets will be able to trade T-Mac is when they let him play 20-30 minutes a game to ‘showcase’ him.
I believe if they keep him on the bench as the season continually progresses, he will ask to be traded asap. If not, he will asked to be cut/released from the team. If the Rockets don’t fulfill his wishes, he will be a distraction. One thing for certain, the Rockets don’t want to just let his contract expire by the end of this year and get nothing for him. That will be the real tragedy.
buy out
Best option for t-mac impasse is via a buy out. Rockets buy out the rest of his contract, which the org might not do as it can cost more than what they can save. Other option would be t-mac buying out his contract the way wafer bought his way out of his olympios contract. T-mac is a rich man, he can afford it. After then he can sign cheap with a team that can showcase his talents, call it an investment for a bigger contract than what he can get at present.
TMac ain't paying the Rockets anything significant to let him go.
And I don’t see how the Rockets benefit from a buyout. Teams get screwed by long-term contracts that stick them to a player they don’t want (B. Cook), so I don’t see what’s wrong with the risk that players who sign long-term deals could end up in situations they don’t like either.
Dave
Players DO get special treatment for holidays and special occasions. The entire lakers team got permission to not fly to Sacramento overnight, as per league rules, to see their families for Christmas. Your argument, at best, is just straight up not true.
Second, the spin on whether mcgrady up and left or got permission is too unclear to make a definitive statement on.
Third, as others have said, playing your way into shape is how almost all players come back from an injury. Its not like we have a championship team here that has that delicate of a balance, so why not see how this group functions with a talented wing player, which will be expected of them next year if we sign a free agent. This team, as you have said yourself, is not that good. Ariza in particular is not that good. Increasing playing time is not 100% guaranteed to damage team chemistry, much less destroy it, so the risk is not at all that great. An increase to 20 a game is not at all that damaging if those minutes are taken mostly from ariza and some from battier.
And to those who point to his inability to defend great players, ask yourself that same question about brooks, landry or really any of the guys on this team who aren’t good defenders but can do something else to contribute to the team, just like those guys.
Wafer . . . again. (Marv Albert, HOU v. CLE Feb 2009)
-one of the FEW at Toyota Center who has the Wafer jersey
by olivarezq1 on Dec 28, 2009 12:46 AM CST via mobile reply actions 2 recs
and yet
Only McGrady got to see his kids…. not Battier, not Scola, not anyone else. So you are comparing apples and oranges here. Rotten, stale oranges at that.
Battier, Scola, and everyone else on the Rockets team
is not getting evaluated over a 2-day road trip. They also weren’t given permission to leave. The difference is that T-Mac’s situation is very different from the other players on the team. They know their place and know their roles. McGrady has been in limbo and asked for more minutes. He just asked for more minutes. No arguments there. The Houston front office along with Adelman decided they needed time to evaluate the best next step. This led to their permission for McGrady to take a leave as they evaluated.
You’re twisting words and making strange comparisons that don’t work anymore. I don’t understand how no one else on this topic has brought this up against you yet. The majority of one doesn’t apply in this situation, sorry.
mcgrady
Why is everyone trashing Mcgrady? So he’s injury prone, so is Yao Ming! and there is no guarantee that Yao will ever be healthy for a full season..I checked the numbers on this FEEL GOOD story and the rockets are 13-2 against teams under .500, but only 5-11 against teams above .500. In addition, the rockets are 3-8 against the likes of the Cavs, Lakers, Spurs, Nuggets, Magic, Suns, Celtics and Hawks…as much as I love the Rockets for their grit and determination, I think they are making a big mistake in believing they don’t need a superstar to get them to the next level…right now Mcgrady is the closest thing to that, so why not let his play this season determine his future? What do you have to lose? He has 23 million dollars that could potentially come off of the Rockets’ books next year…Just play the guy already and see how it works, unless you can get a superstar player in return, because trevor ariza is not a star in this league and he will never be, although he is a great piece to a supporting cast.
by bozack99 on Dec 28, 2009 9:59 AM CST reply actions 1 recs
dude, you need to calm down...
… i don’t think you should be writing in this blog anymore, if you’re gonna bash its own players.
Take it easy on Tmac, it’s not like he’s done nothing for this team.
what?
Are you seriously telling me what I can and cannot write on my own freakin’ blog? Get the fuck outta here with that nonsense.
lol
again, i quote: dude, you need to calm down…
first of all, i didn’t tell you what you can or cannot write on your blog, i just voiced my opinion
and second, how about a little less hostility towards your readers. I’m mean seriously, you appear to be an uncivilized cave man, cussing with your foul language.
dude
If the word “fuck” bothers you, I suggest you get the hell off the Internet ASAP.
by grungedave on Dec 28, 2009 7:27 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
My only question about the Rockets handling of this:
Is there any reason not to clarify a specific timeline for TMac’s rehab? i.e. “We will give him the current 7-8 minutes for 1 month, then increase his time up to 20 minutes slowly over the next 6 weeks…”
If there’s a clear medical-based plan in place, then I have no sympathy for TMac at all. If there really is no medical basis for reduced minutes and no plan to ever give him more regardless of his play, then I understand his frustration only to a point.
I also think the numerous posts here offering “they should at least increase his minutes to XX” for reason Y, are silly. If you’re not a medical doctor, I think it’s fair to say none of us can comment intelligently on the best use of TMac at this point.
Why hating only on TMAC?
If you want to talk about ego; did you forget Adelman? The guy who was made TMAC questioned him in Utah series. Said he wished Deke was in the game for rebounding. Got mad TMAC didn’t think he’d play in preseason. He did as Adelman complained. How he overplayed TMAC the next season and said he just needed to get over the pain? Oops; that resulted in season ending surgery. So TMAC announced it early. He apologized. I doubt he did it to avoid a trade. Like Houston indicated anything to him. As they aren’t now; likely. Please. You happy with a 18-13 record…really? Then fine, trade TMAC for expiring contracts. Don’t hold him hostage cause you are mad. Wouldn’t that make you the child?
All TMAC is doing is what anyone would do after working hard in the offseason to return. Yeah, he wants to play for Houston. He’s been patient and away from the media confrontations. He realized they have no intention of playing him. They told him that he wasn’t playing the next two games. So he asked to go home. Why wouldn’t he? He is trying to get a trade so he can play and put all that offseason work to benefit him; in a contract year. Like any one of us would be different or wrong in doing that?
Houston: karma will come back to bite you. It is sad too; cause you have a great group of players…most contracts end within two years. Can’t afford them all. The best thing WOULD be a trade for contracts and maybe try to get a draft pick. But it is hard to sell TMAC if you don’t play him. Can’t tell much of anything in seven minutes. You are in essense shooting yourselves in the foot to save Adelman’s ego. The man known for failing to win it. Interesting. Houston worked hard when JVG was coaching. This isn’t anything Adelman did. Only what he is willing to take credit for.
Adelman is the problem. TMAC is just trying to move on. My god; let him.
move on?
He’s an employee, not the employer. An employee with no discretion at that. And yet he whines and complains every time something doesn’t go his way. The Rockets shouldn’t cater to his desires just because he’s unhappy. Why should they bend over backwards to make it easy on someone who has been a malcontent for 2+ years now?
absolutely.
TMac can quit his job anytime he wants, just like you or I. Give up future salary and he should feel free to walk out tomorrow with my blessing.
But he's been paid approximately
$144,000 per minute played this season. I don’t suppose he’s gonna walk out on that to, you know, get on the court somewhere, anywhere. (Not that I would, either.) But seriously, he’s being paid enough to follow instructions. I find this latest little snit very irritating. But nothing that can’t blow over – the Rockets have remained very calm – no war of words has developed.
I have a somewhat more cynical view of McGrady’s behavior than OaL, and I’d say he’s trying to exercise power, as he’s realized the Rockets are more in control of his destiny than he is. Last year, he took control (whatever the reason, or justification, he did). This year, well, the more he doesn’t play, the more he doesn’t look NBA ready, the lower any future deal will be for him.
Is the ultra competitive athlete in him annoyed, and ready to do more? Sure. Is the prima donna in him affronted that the Rockets have a big “TMac Days Left” calendar hanging up in Morey’s office with an “X” and a smiley face on each day that passes? Sure. But really, too bad. For whatever reasons, legitimate or not, Tracy McGrady simply hasn’t justified his salary for a large portion of his deal. None of this would be happening if TMac was actually the valuable commodity he apparently thinks he still is.
Me? If I’m a GM? I’d never give TMac more than a 1 year deal the rest of his career. Of course someone will. And I bet they’ll regret it. Maybe a two year deal? Maybe.
bleh
cussing = lack of good journalism skills. please leave off quotation marks for things not actually said.
whew ok got that off my chest.
tmac is a good basketball player. this pissing contest needs to end soon! put him to work so he can attempt to earn some of that salary!
yes, i wish he would have done more in his few minutes of playing time these past few games…shown some hunger, something, but this leads me to believe management is not being straightforward to him.
end the madness already. being a Houston anything fan is hard enough!
Didn't know if it merited a fanpost...
…but apparently the Rockets have agreed to let McGrady leave the team while the Rockets look for a trade.
Woj blurb here.
You people have no respect for one of the greats,
Mcgrady has and will always be one of the best players to play this game, you have to look at every situation he has been in, Toronto he was just a role player, Orlando he carried the team on his back, and Houston, well, the guy has been in and out with injuries and when hes in the game he makes an impact, regardless of what all of you haters think, if an ALLSTAR player asks for more playing time the coach should realize that means something, duh, hes ready to play. So dont hate he put houston back on the map……and when he gets traded and plays them i can gaurantee no one on that team can stop him.
uhhh
You can’t deny that McGrady intentionally slummed it his last year in Orlando to force his way out via trade. It’s a family trait… VC did it in Toronto, too. McGrady’s personal ethics leave a lot to be desired. I am not questioning his talent or his ability. I simply dislike him because of how he handles things as a professional.
Thanks, but now Thanks For Leaving
TMac did what he was hired to do for the team, but it’s time for him to go…
What I can’t understand, is why they’re talking about trading him for (or replacing him with) another Swingman or two…
With Yao’s fragile feet getting worse supporting his huge frame, we should be looking for a strong 7-footer to play now and then be Yao’s backup until his feet finally give out for good in another year or two…
We can’t win it all without a dominant presence in the middle, and we can’t depend on Yao to stay healthy much longer
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