T-Mac probably didn't think it all the way through (his new jersey number)
by grungedave on Jul 12, 2009 11:42 PM CDT
in Random Commentary
68 comments
Ummm, hey, Tracy... I hear you decided to don a new uniform number. Like Kobe or something.
So, now you are going to be #3? Um, okay, whatever you want.
Just one problem. What's the point of getting a new jersey number when you're probably never going to suit up for the Rockets ever again? Or is "3" to signify the number of minutes Daryl Morey will allow you to play before he trades you in February? Just wondering...
Or did you have your tailor put a "3" on the suits you will be wearing while watching from the bench?
(and yes, I know the number supposedly has to do with your work in Darfur - which I really do commend you on. I just can't pass up this opportunity to poke a little fun at you. It's the offseason... and I can only run the photo of you in the trainer's room reading Vogue so many times.)
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Waddayaknow
We posted at the exact same time.
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"I think girls are probably just better shooters." - Steve Novak
by Tom Martin on Jul 12, 2009 11:51 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Tracy
Why do you hate this guy so much? People don’t get microfracture surgery just to get it. He got it so that he can come back and hopefully help his Rockets get back to the playoffs. Tracy brought a lot to the city of Houston. Sure he didn’t bring the Larry O’Brian trophy here, yet, and if that’s why you hate him so be it. He guided the Rockets to the 2nd longest winning streak in NBA history, without Yao. There was never locker room discord until Ron came, but oh, that had to have been T-Mac.
What are the chances that T-Mac is actually a good guy, and doesn’t hate Houston, and tried his hardest in the playoffs, and just came up short? I relate to that struggle, I relate to his story. Maybe it’s that he gets a 20 million dollar paycheck? So what? You aren’t paying it; if Les likes Tracy, and Les is paying him 20 million, then why can’t you like him?
Here is a list of Rockets greats that have never delivered a championship to Houston:
Ralph Sampson
Moses Malone
Yao Ming
Rick Berry
Rudy T. (as player)
Elvin Hayes
Charles Barkley (laffs)
And then we can get another list going of all the other Houston sports heroes who haven’t delivered.
There are more. There are a lot more.
How does Tracy make elevate his numbers in the playoffs if he isn’t trying harder than normal? Does he do that to make it look like he is trying hard but actually he does it to purposefully lose? Pretty elaborate don’t you think. Does he go to seven games just to fail on purpose in the seventh game? So he fails, SO WHAT? ALOT OF US FAIL. DONT HATE A MAN FOR FAILING. HATE A MAN FOR GIVING UP. AND TRACY, UNTIL THIS SEASON, AND WE ARE NOT HIM SO WE DO NOT KNOW THE PAIN THE INJURIES CAUSED, NEVER GAVE UP (ps that wasn’t yelling, that was just like an elevated tone)
I just beg, man, think about why you hate T-Mac, and you will realize, maybe, you just might hate yourself.
You can reply here or in email or not at all.
PS I love your website and appreciate all the work you put into it, just had to comment on T-Mac. I genuinely think he has accomplished a great deal for Houston sports and admire his character on and off the court.
by ainsworth on Jul 13, 2009 7:54 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Of that list that you posted
How many of them
1. Never got out of the first round
or
2. Failed to get there teammates involved in the offense in the playoffs
I’ve said it a million times, Tracy McGrady is a good guy, (a really good guy when it comes to charity) but he has failed as a Magic and as a Rocket to do his entire job. That’s okay, lots of guys do, but very few of them do it on such a massive level.
I see this everytime McGrady is criticized, and while I understand that it’s going to happen, I guess I don’t get it anymore. Everyone knows why some people have given up on McGrady, but it’s always just dismissed. This isn’t some kind of vocal miniority thing, I’d venture to say most Rockets fans feel that he let the team down. He went to (by my count) 8 doctors before one of them told him that he MIGHT benefit from microfracture surgery. I for one hope the guy does benefit, but it’s still a long shot. He is the kind of guy that just the mental thought that it could might do as much for him as the actual surgery though, so that’s good too.
Elevating your numbers in the playoffs isn’t always what it seems. The Rockets have been a team both in JVG and Adelman’s years. And those numbers came at the detriment to others numbers. They also didn’t come in the 4th quarter of many games.
And I appreciate dissenting opinions, and wouldn’t try to censor someone for them (as long as they are well written like yours).
Oh, and Yao was there for 12 of those 22 wins in a row, so he didn’t do it without Yao at all.
www.TheDreamShake.com Co-Founder and Writer
by UofTOrange on Jul 13, 2009 8:10 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
To answer your first question:
1. If the real goal is the Larry O’Brian Trophy what does it matter which rounds they got too? If the goal is to win the championship then you have to classify failure as anyone who doesn’t win it all (so Sampson, Moses, Deke, are all right there with Tracy). That’s how I look at it at least.
2. I don’t understand this; his assists go up as well, and that is with his teammates shooting percentages going down. (Also, what is your view of Ron Artest if you feel this way about Mac?) I’m pretty sure his shooting percentage and overall PER go up as well although I would have to check that.
I think it’s dangerous to mix expectations with desires. You get selfish when you think that you deserve something (in this case the Larry O’ Brian), so much so that when you don’t get it you have personify your dissapointment, someone has to pay. I just hate to see someones name suffer so much for something that is really not all that up to them, basketball has as much to do with chance as poker(seriously).
Look at the game summary for the last 2(5 if you want) minutes of game 7 of the 07 playoffs. I think the outcome often effects our judgement in an unfair way.
Also, I think it is a stretch to say that the Rockets were a team under JVG. They were T-Mac and Yao and other players. I never really saw the chemistry I have seen the past two years with Adelman, who I think made them into a team, who all cared for each other. Agreed?
I also don’t think that it is a coincidence that the year we shed ourselves of the Luther Head contract is the year we made it past the first round. In fact I would go as far as to say that Ron had nothing to do with it and that had everything to do with it.
Check, mate.
by ainsworth on Jul 13, 2009 8:49 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Like I said
A lot of guys have failed, but not on the same level. And I think we all know that failing in the first round is worse than failing in the second, no matter how you look at it
www.TheDreamShake.com Co-Founder and Writer
by UofTOrange on Jul 13, 2009 10:37 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
If only because failing in the second round means you didn’t fail in the first.
"He walked 18."
"New league record!"
"Struck out 18."
"Another new league record! In addition he hit the sportswriter, the public address announcer, the bull mascot twice...also new league records! But, Joe, this guy's got some serious shit."
by Elephande on Jul 13, 2009 1:42 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
But you still fail.
You don’t win anything for getting to the second round. You don’t win anything for winning the second round. Therefore, you lose. Ralph, Moses, Scottie, have no more to show for their time in Houston, than T-Mac does.
By the way, Luke Walton has gotten to the second round. So has Mike James. That makes them true warriors right?
by ainsworth on Jul 13, 2009 1:56 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
If my goal is 100%
And I get 50% is that better or worse than the guy that got 70%?
Luke Walton nor Mike James are their teams superstar, apples to oranges
www.TheDreamShake.com Co-Founder and Writer
by UofTOrange on Jul 13, 2009 3:00 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
but we arn't grading them
so while i agree that i was comparing apples to oranges, you are now comparing tests to tournaments.
by ainsworth on Jul 13, 2009 3:07 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
LUKE WALTON & MIKE JAMES
Both have won titles, so that would amount to something!
"It's who we are," Battier said. "I don't think we're going to get the love of the six foot blonde bombshell. That's what the Lakers are here for. It's alright, I like our demographic."
by DREAM34 on Jul 13, 2009 6:11 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I agree...
I really don’t think he gave up, I think he was so mad at himself for not being at top of his game because of the injury. I really don’t think he failed, we all have failed, I know I have, and we all MUST FAIL to get back up and bring yourself to where you know you can be. We must not criticize every time someone does not pull thru something that we had hoped, that is why we have so many fare weather fans here in Houston, like you have posted about and I have seen so many times on so many post, we must lift these players up and congratulate them on all the hard work they do, I have seen heart in all of them and for that I am greatful! When it is our turn to bring that trophy home, we will.
I love the site also, so well done by many and so many great fans!! Let’s make it more positive and informative. The level is higher. GO ROCKETS!!
by kmbrly429 on Jul 14, 2009 12:03 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
My problem with Mac
My problem with T-Mac this year was not some blind hatred thing. Rather, my main problem is the lack of professionalism he showed throughout the year. Lee already mentioned the fact that he went opinion searching from doctors, but the other thing that irked me was the fact that he went to his blog to tell us that he was hurt. Rick Adelman, Morey, and Les found out about the surgery via the media. That is just ludicrous. Oh and one other thing, what were you saying at the bottom? Luther Head’s contract being gone was the reason why we got out of the 1st round? I feel like it doesn’t help your case when you’re trying to reference some sort of curse related to Luther as the reason for our suffering.
All these boundaries - Africa, Asia, Malaysia, America - are set by men. But you don't have to look at boundaries when you are looking at a man - at the character of a man. The question is: What do you stand for? Are you a follower, or are you a leader? -Hakeem Olajuwon
by SlatonShuffle on Jul 13, 2009 9:30 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Well to answer your last question first
That was only a joke, kind of. (why it was at the end and not really attached to anything)
Anyways, If i am not mistaken, Yao also went and looked at more than a few doctors before having an idea about what he was gonna do, does that make him unprofesional?
It was MAJOR surgery, of course he wanted more than one opinion.
Morey or Les has recanted the media’s portrayal of the events that led up to Mac’s decision and the announcement of that decision about getting surgery.
I just think that if you believe everything you say about Tracy, you have to put it on Yao too. He is in the EXACT same boat as Tracy.
Oh, and opinion searching for the doctor that would give him microfracture surgery, what a BUM!
(bums typically have surgery that require months and months of INTENSE rehab)
There was a reason he went from being able to dunk in 07/08 to not being able to dunk in 08/09(though he had one jam), and that was because he was INJURED. I really don’t get why when T-Mac says he is hurt, all you doctors out there say he isn’t. That is just baseless and ignorant. Stop having unfounded opinions devoid of anything but ‘Richard Justice/Jerome Solomon facts’ that originated with their hate-mongering of a man who probably called them sub-par journalists at one point and who now have a personal vendetta against him.
by ainsworth on Jul 13, 2009 10:03 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
There is a huge difference btw what Yao is doing and what Tracy did
Tracy was trying to find someone that would do the microfracture surgery. Yao is trying to find someone that won’t tell him he has to retire. One guy wanted to play more than anything, the other didn’t.
www.TheDreamShake.com Co-Founder and Writer
by UofTOrange on Jul 13, 2009 10:39 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
And I do think Tracy was hurt
But I believe it was due to the lack of effort he put into his rehab. And that caused the need for the microfracture surgery
www.TheDreamShake.com Co-Founder and Writer
by UofTOrange on Jul 13, 2009 10:40 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I get that and I agree
I also don’t think he put as much effort into his rehab as he could and should have. He messed up.
I don’t see how someone who gets surgery so that they can play without pain(T-Mac) is different than someone who gets surgery so that they can play without pain(Yao, I mean at the end of the day it’s ONLY a foot injury, haven’t people played in the superbowl with a broken leg? what a wussy). Without that surgery Mac might have never come back. He still might not, it isn’t easy to come back from microfracture surgery. The fact that he got it however, and by all accounts, including Morey’s, is ahead of schedule and doing better than expected should show that he is dedicated to basketball and improving his health. I think it is next to impossible not to jump to the conclusion that hey, maybe this guy actually has some desire to play basketball. Maybe he isn’t actually a hack and maybe he was actually injured.
But that would actually be too convenient; superstars don’t get injured, and they certainly don’t make mistakes.
Question: How does not getting traded by the Rockets benefit Tracy so much that he would fake an injury as serious as one that needs microfracture surgery and then actually go through with the surgery? That wouldn’t even make sense if Tracy McGrady was Ron Artest.
His money was guaranteed one way or the other.
by ainsworth on Jul 13, 2009 11:00 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
my problem
I really liked T-Mac as a player until February of last year.
Alas, one day before the trading deadline, when Morey was furiously trying to make deals… McGrady tells SAS – and not his teammates, coaches, or even Les Alexander – that he is going to have microfracture surgery and be out for the season.
In one fell swoop, McGrady violated the Godfather’s code: never tell anyone outside the family what you are thinking.
McGrady whined to the press, and in the process severely limited Morey’s leverage in making trades. Once teams knew the Rockets HAD to make a deal, the price went up for any player we asked about.
Not cool. I simply can’t trust McGrady anymore.
by grungedave on Jul 13, 2009 9:41 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Is it just me?
Or is his tie ridiculously long in that picture
Check out nickandroll.blogspot.com
by n1ck34 on Jul 13, 2009 10:20 AM CDT reply actions 1 recs
Forget it, ainsworth,
I’ve been saying the same shit to them for the past seven months.
Your friendly neighborhood Dream Shake mod.
by Only_A_Lad on Jul 13, 2009 11:51 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
What do you know ;-)
www.TheDreamShake.com Co-Founder and Writer
by UofTOrange on Jul 13, 2009 1:53 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
waiting for....
t-mac to make his comeback, hoping he can go at his rehab strong and come back to shut all the haters up. a HEALTHY t-mac is just as good as kobe (yeah i said it!), when mac is 100% or close to it hes one of the best in the NBA one on one and not many defenders can stop him. and one more thing, the reason teams were able to double on yao is because we didnt have that go to guy at the end of games that could demand a double team, let me make it even clearer for everybody. WE DIDNT HAVE TMAC. everybody can use him to blame so they can make themselves feel better, i saw a man that DID play with heart for us and with all the injuries ppl get caught up in the “he has no heart” bs. hope he comes back and proves everybody wrong. can’t wait til mid season next year.
"Waiting for the return of the Mac"
by kg_2005 on Jul 13, 2009 3:00 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
The guy has heart
I don’t doubt that at all. In fact, he’s very long on heart and that’s what makes him so likeable. But he doesn’t have work ethic, especially not in the weight room. That’s as much if not more to blame than the actual injuries
www.TheDreamShake.com Co-Founder and Writer
by UofTOrange on Jul 14, 2009 9:58 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well.....if you know this for sure...
Let’s help him get there! Everyone needs a small push or pushes to get to a better place!
by kmbrly429 on Jul 14, 2009 12:17 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'd love to!
www.TheDreamShake.com Co-Founder and Writer
by UofTOrange on Jul 14, 2009 12:37 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
you knew better and still did worse
(and yes, I know the number supposedly has to do with your work in Darfur – which I really do commend you on… I just can’t pass up this opportunity to poke a little fun at you.
So you knew it was inappropriate, yet you commented anyways. Sometimes a little restraint is good for the soul. If ever there was a time to show some self-restraint, this was it. It’s perfectly acceptable to let ill-timed humour go you know.
by j-smoove on Jul 13, 2009 3:35 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Not only that...
but the post wasn’t even funny.
by Rajko on Jul 13, 2009 3:48 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
to be fair, Dave
the “I hate you, McGrady” thing is pretty played-out at this point.
Your friendly neighborhood Dream Shake mod.
by Only_A_Lad on Jul 14, 2009 1:07 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
odd
considering I never used the word “hate” with “McGrady” like…. ever. I hate that he’s sold out the team on numerous occasions. I hate that he’s going to make $23M and not contribute. I hate that he hasn’t lived up to his promises.
but I don’t hate Tracy McGrady.
by grungedave on Jul 14, 2009 1:23 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
sold out his team on numerous occasions?
by ainsworth on Jul 14, 2009 1:29 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Dave thinks
that, somehow, McGrady’s surgery-decision would have remained a secret known only to the Rockets when they tried to trade him in February. So when he told the nation, he “sold the team out” by “killing their leverage.” I’m not entirely sure how this works, since:
1) Everyone knew McGrady was looking for a surgeon to perform microsurgery several weeks before the decision
2) The Rockets, if they knew about his decision, would have to tell any team trading for him about it. So if they were trying to “call our bluff,” as it were, they could easily have rescinded their offer when they found out in an attempt to get the Rockets to come down on their asking price.
The Rockets’ “leverage” was gone when he decided to have surgery, not when he announced it.
Besides, both the Rockets and McGrady say it was simply a misunderstanding, and I think it’s far more rational to take them at their word than to start trying to read extra meaning into those words.
As for the “numerous occasions” bit, I have no idea, either.
Your friendly neighborhood Dream Shake mod.
by Only_A_Lad on Jul 14, 2009 1:47 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
how is it inappropriate?
I ripped on T-Mac because he deserves it as a basketball player who comprises upwards of 25% of our salary cap. In poker parlance… he’s “dead money” just sitting there.
The fact that Tracy is involved with the Darfur campaign is nice and all, but it does not provide him immunity from being a complete and total dickhead when he violated protocol and announced his (IMO unnecessary) surgery to SAS and not to those affiliated with the Houston Rockets.
Was Tracy hurting last year? Yeah… and 8 different doctors told him that pain would be part of the initial recovery process from his knee surgery. Remember – last time was the FIRST summer T-Mac ever had surgery. Problem was, he didn’t want to rehab and fight through the pain. So, he started doctor shopping looking for someone to tell him microfracture was the way out. When it’s quite possible that a typical rehab effort would have precluded the need for additional surgery.
Either way, T-Mac’s time in Houston is limited and I’m going to use this forum for messing with him the same way he messed with my team the last 1.5 years. That doesn’t mean he’s not a “good guy” overall or that I hate him… it just means that I no longer trust him to be a good teammate or to help the Rockets win basketball games.
by grungedave on Jul 14, 2009 12:53 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
the same way he messed with my team the last 1.5 years.
Yeah, delaying surgery so he could lead the team into the postseason. What a dick.
Your friendly neighborhood Dream Shake mod.
by Only_A_Lad on Jul 14, 2009 1:05 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
and then...
To be a total pussy in Games 1 and 2 against Utah. His running away from the ball on offense was quite impressive.
by grungedave on Jul 14, 2009 1:24 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
irrelevant
Your friendly neighborhood Dream Shake mod.
by Only_A_Lad on Jul 14, 2009 1:39 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I like a healthy McGrady.
I have nothing against him when he’s in form. But he handicapped us with his “playing schedule” last season. When he finally opted for surgery, it was the right call, but he picked the wrong time to do it.
I like McGrady, but I have no problem dealing him or letting him expire in order to pick up more talent. As long as we don’t undervalue McGrady in moving him (which won’t happen), a trade is fine with me. But if he plays well, by all means, keep him around til he expires.
The Dream Shake ...on Twitter.
"I think girls are probably just better shooters." - Steve Novak
by Tom Martin on Jul 13, 2009 4:35 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
the hate goes a bit far
i dont know much abt t-mac i only really started to follow the rockets much these past 2 years.
I think hes a good player. and def. an asset to the team at least from what ive heard.
hey a 13 in 35 type performance cant come from a bad player right.
im hoping for a healthy t-mac to come back and make his impression on the game.
by AlDe2356 on Jul 13, 2009 5:38 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Steve Francis does not approve of this
contributing nothing substantial to your blog, since 2008!
by misterterrific on Jul 13, 2009 7:51 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
I like Ainsworth
Ainsworth is on his biz. It seems like everyone in Houston wants to put the Rockets woes on T-Mac. In 2007 he was third team all-nba. It’s not one players fault that a TEAM of 12 players cannot win when it most counts. Look back at McGrady’s stats from the last series he played against Utah. 40 points is what I remember from game 7. If he’s hurt he’s hurt, what do you want him to do. Yao has done nothing for us either, when’s the last time he finished a season. He can barely dunk and consistently gets outrebounded and gets his shots shoved down his throat by smaller players, I repeat consistently. So if T-Mac should bear the load of winning a championship alone shouldn’t Yao.?
by Shawn F on Jul 13, 2009 10:19 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
That always gets said about Game 7
What’s ignored is how he dissapeared in the last 5 minutes of the game and decide to run around and chuck jumpers instead of maning up and going to the hole.
Again, I truly like McGrady. I own 2 jerseys that aren’t Houston Rockets jerseys and one of them is an Orlando TMac jersey. This has to do with him last year and what he did to the team through lack of weight room/physical therapy dedication. His lack of desire has always been there. He’s been the last guy to the stadium and the first guy to leave every year he’s been a Houston Rocket. That is fine when you are healthy, but when you have injuries you need to rehab and you refuse to do it (not lifting weights for his shoulder until February when that was not the doctors suggestion for example) then it’s on you.
www.TheDreamShake.com Co-Founder and Writer
by UofTOrange on Jul 14, 2009 10:02 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
yeah well
I guess I can just relate to someone like that in pro sports. I don’t go to the gym either! Go Mac!
I understand he messed up last year. People mess up. The thing I get agitated with is when people paint Mac as some kind of person who has never cared in his career. He went from never having to really work and still be the man, to having an injury he had to work to recover from. I’m guessing his lifetime of, it will work itself out, it always works itself out, caught up to him. He did mess up. Sure, but we all do.
Also, you never really answered my earlier question. I asked what T-Mac’s motive for getting microfracture surgery was if it wasn’t so that he could come back and ball. Do you think he hates Houston so much, that he would fuck Darly Morey out of any possible trades by proclaiming himself done for the season; or perhaps, it’s that he loves Houston, too much.
I really get that you like Mac, I just know that if this discussion dies, work will take much much longer to get through.
PS. I heard Tracy has been working his ass off since surgery to get back on the court and produce for our Houston Rockets. In our darkest hour, the man, once vilified in the city of bayous will rise like the chosen one from the ashes of the fallen tower, and lead this great city to it’s long awaited prize.
A fucking parade.
by ainsworth on Jul 14, 2009 10:51 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
TMac and Microfracture
He was upset at the team for trying to trade him. He felt he had given his all to the Rockets and they were just throwing him away. I can understand that feeling, and I think it came from a very prideful person. While that wasn’t the motivation for the surgery, it was the motivation of the timing and how he did it. I think McGrady got the idea that he needed more surgery and instead of working out hard to rehab, that’s what he always had in the back of his mind. And once it became evident he wasn’t healed (whether rehab or hard work would have fixed it or not) he was going to have that surgery once he found a doctor that agreed with him.
I don’t think for a second that he wasn’t hurt. My problem was with the timing of his announcement, and how he went about doing it. I don’t believe for a second that Tracy is stupid, he knew exactly what he was doing. And to say he didn’t is to say that he is stupid, and he’s far from that. And to go along with him being hurt, why was he hurt? Was it his lack of work ethic? Or was the microfracture needed from day 1? We’ll never really know the answer to that.
I’ve heard he has been working hard as well, and I hope that is true. The sad thing is that pictures of him look like he’s put on weight and that doesn’t necessarily go along with that (doesn’t necessarily not go along either to be fair).
That said, I wish Tracy McGrady nothing but the best. He’s one of the greatest talents the NBA has ever seen and I had a LOT more great moments than bad with him as a fan. I hope he does come back, I hope he’s awesome. I hope the Rockets get a ton for him at the trade deadline and I hope the team he goes to kicks ass in the playoffs. Sadly, there is no scenario that I see where he’s a Houston Rocket after this season.
www.TheDreamShake.com Co-Founder and Writer
by UofTOrange on Jul 14, 2009 11:03 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah but...
Your argument here is that he didn’t want to rehab so he decided to have surgery? Microfracture Surgery. The most rehab intensive surgery you can probably get as a pro athlete and still recover from.
I just personally think the man deserves a little more respect for what he has done for Houston. Not everyone brings championships in the droves. I understand that we will probably never see eye to eye on the situation and i respect your views. I like that this is a community of, mostly, intelligent posters. You’re like clutchfans.lite.
by ainsworth on Jul 14, 2009 11:27 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I respect your opinion on it as well
I see no problems agreeing to disagree
www.TheDreamShake.com Co-Founder and Writer
by UofTOrange on Jul 14, 2009 12:05 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Sad.....
because this would mean we didn’t try. And hate to say it, if we do trade him, he will heal, get better, be a better player and be great again, this will happen.
Here’s to hoping we keep him and see what happens, I hear he has been working out and trying to get abck onto the court, and here’s hoping he is healing the right way and to him being the T-Mac we all know and can be again!! Good Luck to T-Mac and may you prosperous in your healing!
by kmbrly429 on Jul 14, 2009 12:27 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
This is TRUE and funny......but put into perspective!
PS. I heard Tracy has been working his ass off since surgery to get back on the court and produce for our Houston Rockets. In our darkest hour, the man, once vilified in the city of bayous will rise like the chosen one from the ashes of the fallen tower, and lead this great city to it’s long awaited prize.
A fucking parade.
by kmbrly429 on Jul 14, 2009 12:22 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Blaming Yao for not winning is absolutely laughable
Every single big man gets dunked on, a lot, period. Yao gets singled out because he’s 7’6 and foreign. Hakeem got dunked on by Kevin Johnson, does that mean he sucks? He got dunked on by Spud Webb too (the first Nate Robinson), does that mean every little guy owns him?
Yao has been injured, much like McGrady. The difference is that Yao has worked his ass off to get back ASAP.
www.TheDreamShake.com Co-Founder and Writer
by UofTOrange on Jul 14, 2009 10:05 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
And Mac gets singled out cause he is
6’ 8" black and rich.
by ainsworth on Jul 14, 2009 10:55 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
No one has brought race into this at all until just now
That’s so ridiculous that I can barely respond to it.
Tracy McGrady could be Brian Scalabrini white and he’d get the exact same criticism if he did the same thing. This has absolutely nothing to do with race, and it’s pathetic to state that
www.TheDreamShake.com Co-Founder and Writer
by UofTOrange on Jul 14, 2009 11:05 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah I was kidding.
I only brought that up because the post I replied to you stated, “7’6 and foreign”. Like my Luther Head argument that was a qausi-joke aimed at keeping the brevity of the thread.
Obviously if it was someone other than me I could understand you thinking they meant it.
Obviously it would be pathetic to state that and believe it.
by ainsworth on Jul 14, 2009 11:22 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Alright
You scared me there man.
I mean, there is TONS of racism left around the world, so I get that being a subject on occasion, just not this time.
www.TheDreamShake.com Co-Founder and Writer
by UofTOrange on Jul 14, 2009 11:25 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
To all those Anti- Tmac Haters
I dont know how many of y’all have actually talked to Rockets players about the T-Mac situation but i have personally talked to Deke and Battier about it and both of them have pretty much the same feeling about Tracy: They feel betrayed by their teammate and now, when he comes to watch the games they both said it was just awkward with him in the locker room and no one wants anything to do with him.
So, there’s an opinion from guys that actually matter…the players themselves
by Matthew T on Jul 14, 2009 2:03 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
"Anti- Tmac Haters"
we prefer the term “McGrady-Americans”
Your friendly neighborhood Dream Shake mod.
by Only_A_Lad on Jul 14, 2009 2:48 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I talked to Aaron Brooks
and he said T-Mac was awesome.
by ainsworth on Jul 14, 2009 2:22 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
I talked to Les Alexander
and he says he’s going to sign McGrady to another 5-year, $22 million contract. And then I talked to Luis Scola, and he says that Tracy McGrady is the kindest, bravest, best man he ever met. And then I talked to Yao, and he told me that McGrady is the only man he ever loved.
I love the internet.
Your friendly neighborhood Dream Shake mod.
by Only_A_Lad on Jul 14, 2009 2:44 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
you guys are funny, you sound like 10 yr olds, LOL!!!
by kmbrly429 on Jul 14, 2009 5:55 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Your face sounds like a 10 year old!!!
;-)
www.TheDreamShake.com Co-Founder and Writer
by UofTOrange on Jul 15, 2009 9:12 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
you sound like 10 yr old lol!!!
just kidding.
by ainsworth on Jul 15, 2009 8:11 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
its funny how everyone balks at the notion that microfracture couldn't have been the best option
firstly, you question his work ethic in the weight room. he spent quite a bit of time in there during this past season trying to get over the pain in his knee. that proved ineffective, so he went for the next procedure, that of which being microfracture. you can change the scope on the argument in order to contend that he didn’t spend enough time in the weight room overall, but i feel like his overall career is not whats in question here, its the past season.
i do sympathize, like ainsworth, for mcgrady because the guy has elevated his game in every possible way during the playoffs, and has never had a great team playing around him until this year. call it bad luck, but the fact that he was the most injured on the year the Rockets fielded a team more than capable of winning a championship, well, that really fucking sucks.
Wafer . . . again. (Marv Albert, HOU v. CLE Feb 2009)
-one of the FEW at Toyota Center who has the Wafer jersey
by olivarezq1 on Jul 15, 2009 1:34 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
From every single account, even the ones inside the org
He spent a lot of time in that weight room not doing a darn thing.
It’s not a secret that he’s not a hard worker. Lucky for him until this year it really hasn’t hurt him
Look, he just doesn’t have a “passion” for basketball. I’m okay with that, I mean, the guy was still a legendary player. But he’s not going to be a Rocket after this season no matter what happens, and I’m fine with whatever Morey thinks is best
www.TheDreamShake.com Co-Founder and Writer
by UofTOrange on Jul 17, 2009 8:42 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
this is why we give tracy shit
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mk4QufbyJhI
Mark it down.
It was Jan. 2, 2009, 1:16 left in the third quarter, when there was a seismic shift in the Rockets’ world, when the tectonic plates opened up and swallowed an era.
The official play-by-play sheet simply says: Jamario Moon slam dunk.
Anybody who was watching at the Air Canada Centre or on TV knows it was the precise moment that Tracy McGrady quit on the Rockets.
Yao Ming knows it. You could read it all over his scowling face as he sat on the bench through the final embarrassing minutes of horrid game.
Rick Adelman knows it. You could read it between the lines of his post-game comments when he said he would not talk about any individual performances.
Ron Artest knows it. You could tell that a week ago when Artest dragged his sore and ballooning right ankle onto the court to gut out an overtime win against the Jazz when McGrady made himself a late scratch during the post parade.
Leslie Alexander knows it and Daryl Morey knows it and every one of McGrady’s teammates knows it.
One could hope that Dikembe Mutombo was back in Houston watching and will arrive in Atlanta with his leadership in the form of a big stick.
Truth be told, it wouldn’t make a difference, wouldn’t matter. It would only elicit a few more whimpering excuses from McGrady and more disappointment down the line.
Oh, it was so much more than just 2-for-9 shooting and 4 points in 27 minutes. It was aimless shuffling around the court on offense and defense. It was standing five feet behind the 3-point line, feet rooted to one spot, and simply playing pitch and catch with the ball.
It was Moon driving in from the right side of the basket and seeing McGrady stop running, practically hold the door open and offering to carry Moon’s books home from school as he went by for a dunk that would have been more contested in the pre-game layup line.
“McGrady could have made some kind of effort,” said veteran play-by-play man Bill Worrell.
“You don’t just give somebody an open dunk,” said color commentator Matt Bullard.
For crying out loud, these guys are paid employees of the team and they had the guts and integrity to say out loud what everybody sitting at home and falling off their sofas knows.
It was the body language from the opening minutes of the game to the bitter, pathetic end that screamed out loud that McGrady would rather have been any other place on the planet than on that court with that team.
It is a waste of time and effort to go back over all of his empty promises and contradictions from the start of training camp or over his four-plus seasons in Houston.
Just say this: He is an extraordinary talent – T-Mac – who is capable of taking your breath away. Yet as a competitor – Tiny Tim-mac – he can be blown away in a gentle breeze.
This is not the first time that McGrady has revealed himself, having bailed out on the Raptors as an up-and-coming phenom and quit – flat-out admitting publicly that he didn’t try – on the Magic to get himself traded out of Orlando.
by elpizzysofresh on Jul 16, 2009 9:37 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
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