T-Mac: Don’t question my toughness
Tracy McGrady (photo. Marc Morrison)Ten days after he said he’d be sitting out three weeks to rest his problematic knee (and back, and shoulder while he’s at it), T-Mac plans to play in tonight’s Rockets/Warriors game, which tips off on ESPN at 7:30 p.m. EST. In the Houston Chronicle, Mac addressed the injuries and the haters:
“People question my toughness,” McGrady said. “They don’t know what I went through just to make it through the season last year and through the playoffs. My knee was jacked up, very jacked up. All the talking, it’s quite funny to me. If people really knew what I went through to even suit up for the playoffs last year, that’s credit I don’t get for trying to go out and win for my team and for this organization.
“I can’t stop (the criticism.) I’m not going to go in a dark closet and hide by any means. It’s funny that people want to come up with their own assumptions of me. They don’t know what I go through. Yeah, I’ve missed some games. I missed a lot of games. It’s not like I’m trying to go out there and hurt myself. That’s how the body is sometimes. It breaks down. You have injuries. It happens.”
Anyone who knows my basketball fandom knows I’m a huge McGrady supporter. I fully believe that, when healthy, T-Mac isn’t very far behind Kobe in terms of talent and production. He can easily drop 30 points on any defense, and his playmaking ability is superior to Kobe or just about any other two-guard in the League.
When he’s 100%, where do you think T-Mac rank among the League’s elite players?
December 12th, 2008 at 10:25 pm
TomGfromCanada says:
T-mac still whining.
December 12th, 2008 at 10:52 pm
joe says:
grow some balls t-mac…ya little beyotch.
December 12th, 2008 at 10:59 pm
Jay says:
I don’t think Mac is a sissy. But he’s just injury-prone as anybody in the league, which isn’t that much better.
December 12th, 2008 at 11:12 pm
sans says:
I think the genes that Vince and T-Mac share make them more prone to injuries.
December 12th, 2008 at 11:15 pm
Lady Luck says:
TMac looked pretty good that 1st quarter. Big ups to Tracy for trying to get back out there for his team. Hopefully he is not rushing back too soon. Tracy has always tried to play through his injuries. Unfortunately for him, he has a bad back which is the worst injury to have. Additionally, his knee and shoulder injuries could not be avoided. I think some of the criticism that he receives in unjust. If you look at his game when healthy he is one of the best players. Definitely top 5. His passing ability as well as his creativity with the ball is superb. He is a good on the ball defender. When his jump shot is falling it is butter. And he can get to the rim with ease. He is one of the more versatile players in the league. Hopefully he can get his injuries healed and get back on the court to silence the haters with his game.
December 12th, 2008 at 11:17 pm
Lady Luck says:
Some make it seem as if he is intentionally getting injured, as if he wants to sit on the sidelines and not be able to contribute. He is obviously a competitor and a great player. I’m sure he wants to be out there with his team.
December 12th, 2008 at 11:41 pm
laballer says:
i guess if your name is tracy you cant exactly be that hard right? no im messin around..i dont remember the last time he really played healthy..and for someone to play that many games injured and through the pain..you gotta be somewhat tough right? i mean anyone can get injured..any career can take a turn like grant hill or penny..the point is he is still tryin to play..i guess you gotta give some credit for that..and yes when healthy he is definitely one of the best SG in the league..
December 12th, 2008 at 11:50 pm
Amar says:
I don’t question his toughness, just his ability to (for whatever reason) win 4 games out of 7 in the playoffs.
December 12th, 2008 at 11:59 pm
Dagomar says:
If he’s 100% (which he’ll never be again):
Tmac is a top-ten swingman. He himself admitted much of his game is based on athleticism, and that he’s lost much of that athleticism. I tend to disagree, simply because he’s a good shooter with good size and good playmaking ability, all of which does not necessarily rely on athleticism. Even in his prime T-Mac was never an especially good leader, defender or clutch player. Personally if fully healthy at this age I’d rank him around Melo in terms of effectiveness. In his prime I’d put him in a top-four with Lebron, Kobe, and Wade.
December 13th, 2008 at 12:08 am
ball till i fall says:
TRACY MCGRAFDY = GOAT WHEN HES HOT! 14 IN 31 SECONDS
December 13th, 2008 at 12:31 am
JCARR says:
t-mac is top 15… nothing like when he was in the magic
December 13th, 2008 at 12:49 am
mnaovarath says:
tmac is tough hands down. how many of you can go play on the highest level of basketball while injured? not many. we don’t know they pain he’s going through. if you’re so good why aren’t you out there playing instead of online critising him? point proven. I gotta respect him for still trying and not giving up. lets just hope he’s not rushing it too much.
December 13th, 2008 at 1:06 am
smity far away says:
wow…seein marcus williams is like seein bigfoot
December 13th, 2008 at 5:15 am
D.H. says:
well he almost pulled off the triple-double tonight . . . 24-10-9 . . . lesson learned; don’t piss him off . . .
December 13th, 2008 at 5:30 am
alvin says:
pleas don’t go 2-11 tom…
December 13th, 2008 at 8:31 am
one66soul says:
TMAC is biatch!
December 13th, 2008 at 9:33 am
freshouttatime says:
at one time tmac was my favorite player, i still like the dude but as opposed to his orlando days where he had to bring it virtually every night, the houston phase of his career is shadowed by injuries interspersed with periods of great ball playing.
that said, if you read this tmac, why respond further to criticisms? the people who support you understand, the media and popular opinion is fickle like a baby, so just keep it out of mind and continue doing the things that are in your control
December 13th, 2008 at 11:35 am
bballinca says:
T-mac = big bitch!
December 13th, 2008 at 11:59 am
QQ says:
Tracy. Shut the fuck up.
You’re a basketball player in the best league in the world. In a way, you are a celebrity. People are gonna notice you, critique you, and put every single thing you do in a microscope.
Hundreds of players before you experienced (and is still experiencing) what you are going through right now. The only difference? The do not fucking talk about it. They just play, proving the haters wrong, using the their game, instead of their mouth, as the medium of proof.
If Jordan, back in 88-89, whined about the haters telling him he can’t carry his team against the Isiah’s Pistons, we would had never seen the Legend. But, damn, MJ used his game to tell the haters non verbally ‘Fuck you, bitches’ and after the dust has settled, 6 championships and the greatest baller ever emerged.
In short, fuck your whining and play, pussy.
December 13th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
GEE...I tired says:
top 5
December 13th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
Austin Burton says:
@QQ — At the same time, you don’t know the circumstances under which T-Mac made the quote. If you were in his position and someone asked you a direct question about your toughess being up for debate, would you just walk away or duck the question? One thing I like about T-Mac is he will answer things straight-up and not dance around it. The difference with MJ is that reporters were scared to ask him tough questions, otherwise they’d be scratched off his preferred list of guys he’ll actually talk to.
December 13th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
Kevin K says:
If you compare the Tmac when he was in Orlando to current players… he would be up there with the likes of Kobe, Lebron, CP3, and D Wade. That said… the only reason he is so injured prone is because of his lack of conditioning. People that play ball should know how much strain the game has on the body. In order to perform at a high level especially in the NBA, you need to keep up with the conditioning in the off season to stay in top shape. Thats why guys like Kobe, Lebron, and Dwade are best of the best. Talent + Effort.
Tmac is a scrub who has all the talent and no effort. If you watch him play, you will see him bend down, grabbing his knees, and being out of breath after 2 min into the game. You will never see him hustle, run back on D, or run a fastbreak. You will see him take slowass baby steps and shoot contested jumpshots instead of driving in to the hole. He is a whiny scrub. IF tmac worked just as hard as Kobe, I will say Tmac is better due to his superior playmaking skills for his teamates.
December 13th, 2008 at 8:25 pm
asmaticasiatic says:
I feel his pain, twisted my knee( still waiting for swelling to go down before getting a MRI)trying to put in a offensive rebound playing pick up at the Y. Never know if your game will be the same after severe knee injuries…
December 13th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
Johnny V says:
Better than Kobe. Hands down. No doubt.
December 14th, 2008 at 5:32 am
doc says:
T Mac wont never be 100 percent so the what ifs are irrelevant. Somebody give that man some painkillers and steroids pronto.If u gotta answer heart questions every 10 minutes and u not one of those Hank Gathers dudes,chances are u are a bitch.
December 14th, 2008 at 6:39 am
AB_40 says:
why all the power terms people it’s not like you can say it when he’s standing right in front of you? lil too much testosteron in the fingers lately huh.
I think when healthy he’s still a top 10 talent in the leauge the problem is that he doesn’t even remember what it feels like to be healthy and if injuries set you back time and time again it’s hard not to be timid and go 60 instead of 100 percent on the court especialy when you know you can kill most of the guys guarding you. I’m not saying it’s all in his head right now but he must feel a little twisted when he steps on the court just to know that he’s still in pain. The other tough part is, off course he’s a good shooter (his midrange game has disapeared?) and a great playmaker but his game relies on athleticism. That being said when you’re injured sometimes you don’t even feel the pain you’re just being timid about it, you know playing your game and that’s what happened to Tracy Mcgrady. I love the man’s game and that nobody gives him credit for dropping 40 15 and 7 in that final game is beyond me.
December 14th, 2008 at 8:36 am
Dre Baldwin says:
T-mac has the tools but save for a couple seasons in Orlando has never used them to approach Kobe’s level. He doesn’t have the mental or physical toughness to compete for a title, and we all know this.
People criticize bc he’s a max player, playing next to another max player, and they can’t win a playoff series! Criticism will come with that.
December 15th, 2008 at 3:22 am
Patrick Corcoran says:
T-Mac is a complex tragedy unfolding. He’s so young compared to legends of olde, but his NBA body is nevertheless failing him at a predictable pace. And he’s under the spotlight all season long as we all cheer it on.
Folks talk like he’s weak today because he’s unable to put up 30/5/5 every other night. Sure, McGrady’s best days of taking over ball games are behind him, no doubt. We want to see him as young because he’s not even 30 yet. But the reality is that he is already in his 12th season in the league. Magic Johnson retired after his 12th season, Larry Bird after his 13th. (T-Mac is about 700 points behind Magic in career scoring by the way… that alone is worthy of a universal STFU.)
McGrady hasn’t won anything in the post-season except contempt. That sucks for him. But anyone who pays attention knows that he plays at unholy levels in the playoffs. The reason his teams lose in the playoffs is because his teams are not as good as the teams they are trying to beat. Seems weird to hold that against him.
December 15th, 2008 at 4:11 am
Haqq says:
FUCKK ALL YOU HATERS.
T-MAC is one of the greatest players, and deserves all the respect. He is trying his best and best to come out and contribute to his team, if that means INJURED… HELL YEAH he still going to come out and try his best.
He’s just addressing all the fucking haters that talk shit. Like half these DIME comments, by dumbass dickriders that dont know two shits about the player.