The Rockets still need T-Mac
Tracy McGrady (photo. Marc Morrison)
Just … don’t.
Don’t start with the “T-Mac was holding the Rockets back,” and the, “I knew they’d win as soon as he was gone” nonsense, because it’s not even clever or correct.
In the simplest terms, yes, one of Tracy McGrady’s teams finally got past the first round of the playoffs, and they did it while McGrady was nowhere in sight. And so to some, the easy conclusion is that the Rockets won BECAUSE Mac was out, when the truth is that they won DESPITE Mac being out. To look at it another way, is anyone saying Orlando won last night because Dwight Howard didn’t play? Or is it really that they won despite Howard’s absence? The same applies for Houston and its superstar.
So why were the Rockets able to get past the higher-seeded Blazers this year when they’d dropped so many first-round series against lower-seeded teams in the past?
* For starters, this Rockets team was ready to get over the first-round hump — with or without McGrady. Yao Ming, Shane Battier and Ron Artest came into this season determined to do better, and have mostly stayed healthy and focused in that pursuit. The role players — Scola, Landry, Brooks, Lowry, Hayes and Wafer — have all stepped up throughout the season and the playoffs, a contrast from so many instances in T-Mac’s career where teammates have failed to pull their weight. And Rick Adelman, a Coach of the Year candidate, figured out how to win with this roster. Adding a healthy T-Mac to the equation would have only made the Rockets better.
* Second, the right opponent fell into Houston’s lap. Not only were the Blazers a good matchup for the Rockets, but the Blazers were also a classic playoff upstart, a young squad who had to lose in the first round this time: just like the ‘07 Magic, the ‘08 Hawks, and (as much as I hate to admit it) the ‘09 Bulls. The Blazers would have lost to the Jazz in a seven-game series this year, maybe even the Suns if that’s how the seeding had worked out. It’s not a knock; it’s just not their time yet. Do you think the Rockets really would have lost this series if they had T-Mac slapping up 20 points, five boards and five dimes per game and trading crunch-time buckets with Brandon Roy?
Don’t fool yourself: The Rockets could still very much use T-Mac, and if he were magically ready to play when they have to go to L.A. and take on the Lakers, they’d be thrilled to have him. Houston is averaging 92.5 points per game this postseason; the only teams lower than that who are still playing are Miami and Atlanta. Meanwhile, the Lakers are dropping 106 points a night. You don’t think Houston could use McGrady’s 28.5-ppg postseason scoring average?
That’s one misconception about McGrady: that he chokes and shrinks in the playoffs. In reality, Mac’s postseason numbers (28.5 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 6.2 apg) are better than his regular season numbers. But how many times was he in a series that his team was definitely supposed to win? Check the three postseasons in Houston: In ‘05, the Rockets were seeded lower than Dallas, and lost a Game 7 on the road. In ‘07, they lost to a Utah team that went to the Western Conference finals. Last year, they lost to that same Utah team in a tough six-game series.
Just answer me this: What exactly is it about T-Mac and his game that prevented the Rockets from advancing in previous years? What serious argument can you make that Houston would have beat Dallas in ‘05 or Utah in ‘07 and ‘08 if McGrady hadn’t played?
In the next round it’ll become clear. When the Rockets offense goes stagnant for stretches and they need somebody to create buckets, they’ll miss McGrady. When Kobe is slinging daggers and the Rockets don’t have a counter-puncher, they’ll miss McGrady. And if you wanted to see the best possible series you could see between the Lakers and Rockets, you’ll miss McGrady, too.
May 1st, 2009 at 10:18 am
zaboo says:
In the words of Borat……..NOOOOOT!
May 1st, 2009 at 10:20 am
adam ivy says:
i think all the “they won because he left” people forget that this seasons TMAC wasnt a good player at all, he was hurt and really hasnt been the same for 2 years… this season because of the knee he couldnt do anything cause he couldnt move with it… a healthy tmac makes this team a number 2 seed easily… but about the game last night wafer showed some balls showing up and playing with a bulging disc in his back… did you catch artest post game conf. if not check it out, instant classic
nba.com or just go to clutchfans.net and watch it
May 1st, 2009 at 10:23 am
Eduardo says:
Nice post A.B.
I just want to say that it’s not a smart decision to rule out the bulls already. If you ask me I’ll tell you Boston has everything to knock them out, but the thing with the Bulls team is that they are a little bit crazy and that turns them into an nonsense team, and I truly believe they are capable of pulling a nonsense win over the C’s.But that’s just me.
May 1st, 2009 at 10:23 am
doc says:
Man stop trying u aint got no followers on this bullshit.Ya man a fucking choke artist.Who gives a shit what he averages in the playoffs.He can average that easy.Its more to a game than stats.Offensive fluidity and shit like that.They basically traded your man for Artest and we seen who the better player is.
May 1st, 2009 at 10:24 am
doc says:
Htown with T-Mac 20-15 Without 37-15-STOP IT!
May 1st, 2009 at 10:28 am
Abe504 says:
Excellent article, t-mac do be catchin alot of slack sometimes, alot of people just dick ride whoever is hot for the moment, it wasn’t that long ago that t-mac was throwin up great numbers, he just been injured lately. Believe me, if gilbert arenas can come back and play on a bionic knee, this dude can come back no problem.
May 1st, 2009 at 10:28 am
RAY says:
Great and necessary article.. However, I get the feeling that the people in Houston aren’t going to see it this way..
The fact, is Darryl Morrey and the GM have done a fabulous job getting additional quality players so that they can beat a young team like the Blazers.
Let’s face it, last year, if Rafer had not missed three playoff games last year, the Rockets could have beaten the Jazz..
If we trade a healthy Mcgrady, I really fear the consequences. Imagine facing that guy in another Western Conference team, like the Suns, Spurs, or the Mavs..Be Careful what you wish for.. cuz u might actually get it…
May 1st, 2009 at 10:30 am
zaboo says:
adam ivy has a good point tmac’s been hurt for a while. When he did play this year he was hobbling around looking like gary payton in his last year. Slow as can be. The problem with Austin’s point is that yeah a healthy Mcgrady would be awesome, but that Mcgrady hasnt existed for a couple of years. I for one am tired of hearing tmac say my back (really any other body part can be used here) feels the best it ever has and this is the year we go far. I’m sure his teamates, the owner, coaches & staff have gotten tired of hearing that as well. It’s time to move on as the rest of the rockets clearly have.
May 1st, 2009 at 10:33 am
Scott says:
A couple years ago this would’ve been a real arguement. But the reality is that TMac really couldn’t help the Rockets as much as you like to preach. If anything he’d take away minutes from players who have EARNED their minutes this year, point in case Von Wafer.
The Rockets had 2 guys who hurt their chances when it came to playoff ball. Those guys were Skip and Tmac. They just didn’t fit the ‘team ball’ style that the Rockets endure. They both have too much of a me first style and that seriously clashes with the Rockets style. Skip was traded, and we’ve seen how Aaron Brooks has taken over the starting spot, doing a damn good job.
Meanwhile the loss of Tmac means all the hype around him not getting out of the first round was mute. Lessening the hype around the team, and letting them focus on the TEAM.
I’ve always been a big Tmac supporter, but ever since he left Toronto, he’s taken a lot more of a me first attitude, and he had to in Orlando. Even at points in Houston.
The point is, this Rockets squad is a true team. Players like Tmac and Alston disrupt that mentality, because thats simply not their mindset going into a game. Are they horrible players for it? Not at all, would they help out other teams well? of course, look at what skip has done for the Magic. Tmac could help out another team for sure. But these Rockets are only going to win if they all buy into the team first theme that has given them their success the past couple of years.
The difference this year is that they added Artest, a guy with superstar game, but who has become a team first guy for them. Tmac is a scorer and a superstar (or was), and that mindset doesn’t lend to team first philosophies. Just ask AI.
May 1st, 2009 at 10:34 am
QQ says:
Damn. So I guess it deserves it’s own article, eh?
Again, I’m gonna post what I said in previous articles bout TMAc.
This is for Austin. You asked me this: “What about T-Mac’s game PREVENTED the Rockets/Magic from advancing in the past?”. I gave an answer in the previous post, but I’m taking it here for you to see.
‘What is wrong with TMac?
His heartless jacking, his lack of drive, his tendency to put the blame on others when they where losing instead of carrying his teammates and take all the blame, his frail leadership skills, his unwillingness to defend, and his lack of heart.
Damn, Austin. That was either TOO easy or that question was just TOO dumb.
PS: First fucking time the Rockets reached the 2nd round in 12 years. THEY WERE WITHOUT TMAC. THEY WERE WITHOUT TMAC. THEY WERE WITHOUT TMAC. THEY WERE WITHOUT TMAC. I repeat. THEY WERE WITHOUT TMAC. And all you fucking ‘apologists’ are still fucking riding his balls. LOL at your delusions and douchebaggery.’
May 1st, 2009 at 10:35 am
zaboo says:
Amen Scott.
May 1st, 2009 at 10:36 am
QQ says:
Another one. This is a response to rangerjohn:
“@ ranger:
TMac is probably watching his 13-points-in-less-than-one-minute vs the Spurs clip in Youtube to ease the pain. If you can’t carry your team when it matters, just watch the highlights that the little kids love.
And props on saying that he can’t carry his team. TMac’s wife, also known as Austin Burton, told me this: ‘You can say Houston doesn’t need him, because obviously they advanced without him, but to say he was one of the reasons they’d lost in the past, explain that one’.
Losing in the first round for several consecutive years while being the ‘leader’ of a team is reason enough to say that he IS one of the reason they lost in the past. Losing one playoff series, I’ll take that, but NEVER winning a series, DAMN, definitely that is NOT coincidence. If all you TMac apologists take off your fucking fanboy goggles for a minute, you could see the reason for yourselves: TMAC DOESN’T PLAY WITH HEART. HE CANNOT FUCKING LEAD. He doesn’t have it in him. He is too soft. He will find excuses instead of taking it as his own battle. And this fucking attitude hurts his team, and now that he is gone, their game is flowing.
Austin, point fucking explained. See ya.”
May 1st, 2009 at 10:36 am
Hugo says:
Ridiculous …
“You don’t think Houston could use McGrady’s 28.5-ppg postseason scoring average?” falls on the same terms as:
“You don’t think Dallas could use Stackhouse’s 19-ppg scoring average?
No and no. Because none of them is able to do that anymore, and also T-Mac kills chemistry right now on this team, he doesn’t care at all, look at him coming out of shape at the start of the season. And for some unknown reason, since T-Mac turned down the season by anouncing he would have microfracture surgery (killing any chance they had of trading him and helping the team) the Rockets got on a great run and are playing very well since that.
Just to see how a good a teammate he is, read this:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/159593-tracy-mcgrady-doesnt-believe-rockets-will-win-title
May 1st, 2009 at 10:38 am
rangerjohn says:
austin, i normally like your stuff, agree with al ot of what you post but not this time. tracy is more of a ball hog then ron ron by far. it is hard to make the extra pass when the 1st guy you pass to wants to be the hero. his shooting % drops 6% in the playoffs while his ppg goes up 4 ppg. what does that mean? he is taking more shots but not making them. and not making a lot of them. what does that mean? it means he is taking shots away from his teammates.
tracy stagnates the offense, he slows dow nthe ball movement, and he doesnt get his teammates involved. “but his assists go up” sure 1 assist but his minutes go up 5 minutes per game also.
bottom line, in 7 yrs of playoff exits on 3 different teams there is only one common denominator, TRACY MCGRADY! it is simple math. and as for your “d howard” comment, it was one game not a series, and not 7 series!
May 1st, 2009 at 10:39 am
zaboo says:
Tmac should’ve caught the same bus Rafer got on.
May 1st, 2009 at 10:42 am
Rusty Shackleford says:
The thing is Houston would love to have McGrady back IF AND ONLY IF he was CONSISTENT. Thats what all the critics say about his performance and the numbers speak for themselves. I am a McLady hater but its more because he’s just been a big pussy this season and his little ankle injury might cost this city a championship.
No he cant help it, but there is no class or sportsmanship on his part to try to be there for the fans or moral support for the team. EVERY game this season after Mutumbo got hurt, he has been out there with the players cheering them on.
Where’s T-Mac?
Oh I forgot, hes at home being a little bitch.
May 1st, 2009 at 10:42 am
E$ says:
Who?!? We good - 2nd Round Bound!
May 1st, 2009 at 10:44 am
Michorizo says:
The Rockets need Stevie Franchise
May 1st, 2009 at 10:47 am
rangerjohn says:
hugo, the surgury is something i forgot to mention. good point, how many times has he been mentioned in trade rumors at the deadline and how many times has he come up lame ir just played like crap just before, making his 21 mil a year for an injury prone player undesirable to other teams. i dont think it is a decission he makes, i think it is subconcious (?sp?). the rockets could get so close to winning a title with just about any other player making his money!
May 1st, 2009 at 10:49 am
QQ says:
What’s that the sound I just heard?
Oh, it’s sound of Austin Burton getting owned by his readers..
May 1st, 2009 at 10:50 am
nerditry says:
@Adam : Big co-sign. It’s the same reason that all the coaches you’ve seen before keep getting hired and guys like Maggette still are able to sign big contracts. General Managers and Presidents of teams have a long memory for certain names and once you’re in there, it’s hard to find yourself on the outside.
Why else would Tyronn Lue get signed by the Magic during the season? He stinks and as soon as the Magic could pry Rafer away from the Rocketse, he’s seen almost no action. We’ve seen how utterly bad Marbury has gotten after sitting for so long and the Celtics still signed him.
McGrady puts up bigger numbers by taking away from his teammates. He’s like Iverson, like Steve Francis in that they will get assists and rebounds, but they come as a result of that player having the ball too often.
It’s not like TMac has Antonio McDyess’ heart and we’re waiting to see what kind of player he is post-injury. Ron-Ron is the anti-Tmac on that team and they needed it.
May 1st, 2009 at 10:50 am
QQ says:
What’s that sound I just heard?
Oh, it’s the sound of Austin Burton getting owned by his readers.
May 1st, 2009 at 10:56 am
kevin k says:
Skip to My Lou was the true reason behind the Rocket’s failures. He is and was a cancer to the team. He sucks, cant shoot, can’t defend, and shoots the ugliest floater ever. Freaking Andre Miller had a series of his life against Orlando… The same Miller that had his ankles broken and his shot tossed by a rookie… You wonder why the Rockets always lost to the Jazz is because they had the best PG make foo of Skip. It’s not Tmac, it’s Skip’s fault.
May 1st, 2009 at 11:00 am
QQ says:
@ 21:
Then why did the Rockets lost in the first round back in 2005, when Bob Sura was their point guard? Skip was not there. TMac was there.
May 1st, 2009 at 11:06 am
Student Of The Game says:
As a Laker fan, I am relieved beyond belief that the Rockets took out the Blazers. The only team in the West I was afraid of was the Blazers, and the Rockets just did our job for us… Good look Houston, we might let you last 6 games instead of 5 now.
May 1st, 2009 at 11:15 am
iLL Mago says:
Even though I respect a lot of what Austin writes and posts….i mean……hey, everybody deserves their opinion but this thing on TMAC is pretty dumb.
Austin, Are you still over your first GF? And I don’t mean Seattle!
May 1st, 2009 at 11:21 am
me says:
they’re better without tmac, but it’s not his fault. they have a more fluid offense that uses yao more, an inside out game that works. their other players get more into the game because there’s no one to defer to. This is a team that plays better without a superstar because it has a lot of other good parts, kinda like how detroit would have been if they traded for iverson 3 years ago.
May 1st, 2009 at 11:28 am
JA says:
With both T-Mac and Alston on the Rockets, they were getting WAAAAAAAAAY too many points off the perimiter shooting at a 35-40% clip.
Not having Tracy there has forced the Rockets to go inside to get more of their buckets, and Scola (and his 56% shooting) has emerged as a result.
Could having T-Mac back help them? Yes - provided he didn’t just jack shots, and played within the team concept. Would he be capable of that …. not so sure.
May 1st, 2009 at 11:30 am
craig990 says:
I so agree with this Article and I have been arguing this all season!
People say.. “T-Mac takes bad shots and takes shots away from people.. without him the Rockets can play team ball”
WTF?….. Sooooooo Artest doesn’t take bad shots?.. Doesn’t he bussup shots out of nowhere just to take them? Does he make his teamates that much better than T-Mac?…NO
T-Mac creates opportunities for his teammates.
When teams start the front Yao.. then what?.. Who would the Rockets get offense from?.. You all say.. team ball.. and Von Wafer but really.. who else on that team can create a shot and score the ball?… Who would you want trading baskets with Kobe in the 2nd round?…. Von Wafer…or T-Mac?
The problem is… We have never seen a Healthy T-MAC, YAO, and Artest combo… This year doesn’t count because it was apparent that Mac was injured.
Role players Arent supposed to score and carry the load of scoring. Team Ball?.. in the playoffs.. your Superstars take over.. they set the tone, they win the series…. thats what will happen when Rockets face Lakers.. Kobe will be a superstar.. and who do the Rockets have to respond especially when they double Yao?
Von Wafer…….?
Artest.. who’s shot has been God Awful?
I prefer a relatively healthy Tracy Mcgrady..
May 1st, 2009 at 11:31 am
BillyJack says:
They’re definitely better without T-Mac. You say his scoring average has gone up in the playoffs, but I’d like to see his FG% in the playoffs. Just because he jacks more poorly selected shots, it won’t help his team win.
May 1st, 2009 at 11:37 am
alex says:
i agree with Ranger on this one. Tmac is disruptive on offense and he’s useless on defense. He takes away minutes from Battier, and will take away shots from Scola and everybody else.
Nonetheless, I think Houston’s a better team when Tmac’s on the floor, playing the role of Von Wafer - a scorer on the 2nd unit.
May 1st, 2009 at 11:45 am
QQ says:
@ 27:
But the ROCKETS fucking won and are now in the 2nd round, which TMac never brought to this team.
You could make all the arguments about injuries, and other stuff, but at the end of the day, it’s all about one thing: TMAC NEVER LEAD HIS TEAM TO THE 2ND ROUND.
May 1st, 2009 at 11:46 am
craig990 says:
Alex… are you an ass?
T-Mac is disruptive on offense..
name me one superstar that is not, at times????????.. Name me 1!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kobe has a Kobe mode where he says.. eff the triangle.. Wade sometimes want to doo too much.
Lebron is a stat grabber.
Shouldnt your Star take the most important shots?.. regardless of who he is taking shots away from?.. Heck Kobe takes shots away from Pau, Fisher, Vujacic at times.. at they are all capable of scoring
May 1st, 2009 at 11:47 am
Metropolitan's Finest says:
LOL Ya’ll are bad…
He is still asleep on the West Coast and Austin’s gonna wake up to all this hate.
I’ma go out on a limb and say the T-Mac was Not the reason he didn’t get out the first round.
1. I mean the teams he played against were just better.
2. The players he was matched up against were just better.
3. The coaching before this year was just weaker.
4. T-Mac wasn’t healthy before this year, well he’s not healthy this year either.
5. I really don’t have an argument, to be honest … he is not a player you want to make the focal point
May 1st, 2009 at 11:47 am
bobbys says:
terrible terrible article.
if t-mac were on this team he’d be shootin 41% jacking up the majority of the team’s shots. Yao wouldn’t be getting the ball and artest would be the 3rd option when he should be sharing the first option with Yao.
T-mac is over the hill and was an overrated star when he was in his prime. He couldn’t stay healthy, he had no heart, and he was inconsistent. He also quit on his team (admittedly) so many times it’s finally good to see what this team can do with SOLID leadership from Yao and Artest, 2 guys who don’t pretend like they’re in the Kobe, LeBron, Wade, Duncan category of players.
If T-Mac were there this team would resemble the Lakers, with 1 superstar and a great supporting cast, which wouldn’t work because the superstar isn’t even all-star caliber at this point. Now that he’s gone, this team is more like the championship Pistons team, with good but not great players creating a balanced, work-hard, hustle environment, something they could never foster with T-Mac setting the tone. Now they’re not as good as that Pistons team, but this mode fits them better and if they dump T-Mac’s contract somehow and pick up another solid piece they might get over the hump.
May 1st, 2009 at 11:52 am
Jay Jay says:
I like Austin’s points and in thoery T-Mac is an asset, but in reality he does kill team chemistry.
It’s a shame T-Mac didn’t have this support cast in previous (playoff) years …ie Yao, Ron and Battier.
May 1st, 2009 at 11:56 am
karizmatic says:
@bobbys
I have to say Yao Ming is a superstar. He’s probably the second best if not the best center in the league. Actually I think he’s the best. Name a center better than Yao. Tim Duncan doesn’t count.
May 1st, 2009 at 11:56 am
rangerjohn says:
craig
lmao never seen a healthy yao/tracy/artest together and this year doesnt count? so what year does count?
here is the thing, in the last 5 yrs (granted not all games together) tracy has shot an averge of 20 shots per game while yao has shot an average of 14.5 shots per game. (but he is not a ball hog) to compare, kobe in the last 5 yrs has shot an average of 22 shots per game and with the exception of last yr and moreso this year, everyone has called kobe selfish. labron who has had ZERO help till this year averages 21 shots per game. so tell me why is tracy jacking 20 shots per game with arguably the 1st/2nd best center in the league? would shaq have taken that crap from kobe in 1999-2003?
tracy is bad for any team UNLESS he came in on a “manu ginobili” type set-up, about 8-10 mil a year off the bench which ANY TEAM would love to have.
May 1st, 2009 at 12:01 pm
karizmatic says:
@rangerjohn
It’s not how many shots the feature player takes it’s when he takes the shots and what he does in the meantime. LBJ sets up so many player on his team it’s obvious he makes his teammates better. On a lesser scale T-Mac is doing this…at times particularly in the last couple of years he was considered a little selfish especially given that he had an emerging big time center on his team. Mind you Yao in previous years was not the force he is now…he’s just coming into his own. Not to mention he was injured a lot too. Kobe on the other hand made it his MO to freeze out his teammates and break offense to socre as opposed to scoring within the flow of the offense and setting his teammates up when necessary. This is why although Kobe takes only a couple more shots than the other guys he gets the label of selfish.
May 1st, 2009 at 12:04 pm
craig990 says:
@ Bobby
WTF?????????????????????????????
You just lost all credibility..
If T-Mac was there.. Artest would be a 3rd option.. agreed!
But then you said.. Artest should be sharing 1st option with Yao..Ummm nooo
Do you watch Artest play?.. he doesnt really have an offensive game. He can’t create for other people.. and again.. this season… his shot has been GOD AWFUL!
Artest cannot be a 1st option..thats just silly. I dont think anyteam he ca go on right now.. where he would be a 1st option on offense.
2ndly T_mac isnt All-Star caliber at this point.. agreed.. because he has been injured!.. but if you look at it.. D-Will has never been an All-Star… so.. how much of a deference would being an All-Star be?.. would T-Mac being an All-Star really mean anything?
May 1st, 2009 at 12:09 pm
bobbys says:
karizmatic: in no way was i dogging Yao. He’s great and I’m very happy this has become his team. As I said, I’d much rather have a team with Yao at the helm than T-Mac. Yao always works hard and always gets the respect of his teammates which is more than anyone can say of T-Mac.
But with that said, he’s not a superstar in the sense that he can singlehandedly carry a team through the playoffs. The list of guys who can do that is very short, off the top of my head i would say only these guys can do it: Lebron, Kobe, Wade, Duncan, Nowitzki. Even great players like KG, Yao, Howard, etc. might be able to take over a single game, but I don’t think they’re capable of doing it over an entire playoff run.
Also, you say that Yao isn’t the force he is now in previous years, but look at his career stats.
2005-6: 22.3, 10.2
2006-7: 25.0, 9.4
2007-8: 22.0, 10.8
2008-9: 19.7, 9.9
It looks like his numbers have actually dropped this season. Yao was tearing it up in 2006. He’s always been good, it’s just that T-Mac didn’t fit in the same system as him (like Kenny and Charles have been saying for years)
May 1st, 2009 at 12:14 pm
karizmatic says:
Point well taken…I would shorten your list though. Lebron, Wade, and Duncan are the only ones that can single handedly carry a team through the playoffs
@ craig990
Artest should not be a number one option on any team but to say he has little offensive game is incorrect..he is a beast in the post. and can shoot out to the three, when he is inclined he also can create shots for his teammates…his problem is not skills his problem is his state of mind.
May 1st, 2009 at 12:18 pm
rangerjohn says:
bobby (#38) you ahve to take into consideration that yao only played and average of 53 games in all the season you mentioned except this season. less games makes averages change drasticly
May 1st, 2009 at 12:24 pm
karizmatic says:
Lol.. I am redeemed! Also Houston is quite frankly better this year than in previous years.
May 1st, 2009 at 12:27 pm
kevin k says:
@22 QQ
the same Sura that never played a game afterward due to his injuries
the team that had Scott Padget play 30+ min
the team that had David Wesley and Mike James get heavy minutes
It’s a miracle that they even went to 7 games against Dallas
May 1st, 2009 at 12:42 pm
isotope says:
I totally agree!
Lets not forget he was without Yao last year. I think we its no argument that he’s not the best LEADER of a team. He’s not going to LEAD a team to a championship, not even a playoff series win. That doesnt mean he’s not a good enough player to help take them there. His best chance was in that 7 game series when Stern and the league and a vendetta against Yao and Van Gundy. He was balling, but he wasnt the only offensive option. In orlando, he was it. Even Kobe couldnt get out of the first round with a group of scrubs.
May 1st, 2009 at 1:02 pm
isotope says:
and chicago swept the heat (with Wade AND shaq) in the 1st round of 2007. So Wade couldnt do it either. We’ll see about this year.
May 1st, 2009 at 1:03 pm
POPPI GEE says:
Well put AB
I was busy writing my own defense in Smack not knowing an article was here.
Anyway I will just repost
Houston Up!
Knew the T-Mac haters would be out in fool force today. So I will address it even as it is beneath me. I am only on Houston time though, cause Orlando didn’t really matter to me.
K saying T-Mac had basically the same squad is really reachin. Even the players and coaches on the team now say it’s a totally different squad than any Mac played with in Houston. Course they just play on the team, so a blogger would know better than them?
O4-05 Pimpin had JVG system to go into and wonderful players like Juwaun Howard, Mike James, David Wesley, Ty Lou, Jim Jackson, Yao, Ron Barry and Vin Baker. Ain’t no closeness or basically the same squad in that. Still they over did it on em and went 51 - 31 and lost to Dallas in the playoffs 4-3. Not that bad considering Steve Franchise never did better as a Rocket with that squad either.
05-06 Same coach and a few different players. Worst record. Mind you now T’s best years were in Orlando and he started with back pains and other physical ailments. Which has probably been the greatest defender of all against him. Now you have Alston, Chuck Hayes, Derek Anderson, Stro Show, and Luther Head and still the good ol Ju Howard, David Wesley and Yao. Still a very different system and team from what is currently there. Didn’t even make the playoffs that year I believe.
06-07 Oh boy! The year Rudy Gay was there and gone. Still under JVG and now we add Shane Battier, Bonzi Wells, Steven Novack and Kirk Snyder. Still got good old Ju Howard, Luther Head and Deke. This year went 4-3 vs Jazz in playoffs. Hard fought series but still you ain’t gonna tell me that is close to the same squad. No Scola (you know how valuable he was this 1st round this year) no Ron, no Landry, no Brooks and no Wafer. Again mind you, Tracy ain’t sittin out in these playoffs like many key players for different teams this year he was putting the team on his back with not being his best.
07-08 Deuces JVG it’s been real. Now we got Pretty Ricky!
Personally I thought this was the year they were going above and beyond. I thought they had the coach and the players to get it done. New System and now they had Landry, Brooks, Scola, Stevie Franchise, Gerald Green, Bobby Jackson, and still had Yao, Deke, Shane, Alston and Novack. That year with injuries T still managed to do his thing and the regular season was nice. 55-27 and the second longest streak in the NBA ever. Crunk!
Playoffs come along and Yao is out ENTIRELY! Jazz again 4-2. Still most always blame Tracy for not moving on and not Yao oddly. No Ron and Yao for playoffs so I still don’t see how they are close to the squad that advanced this year, cause they aint.
08-09
Now this squad is still under the great system of Rick and now have Ron and Von to go along with Hayes, Landry, Deke, Yao, Brooks, Alston for some time, Lowry, Scola and Barry. Time and injuries have taken there toll on T and he still tried but ended up hindering more than helping THIS year. To even think that T was more of a hinder than help in the previous years is nuts considering he is who often took them as far as he could. So he calls it quits and the team still does very well. Playoffs hit and they advance T was cool enough to sit on the bench and even chill with the team and what not.
So haters you can hate and debate and what not but the fact is dude still advances with the team. It ain’t all the Rockets advance but T. On the simple basis of him carryin the squad for so long it’s good to see them actually go and make it happen without him carrying the load. Sure I wish he could have been on the court. Dude is an outstanding player and he has done well.
Oh and if after this surgery T-Mac gets to more of healthy than hindered. That is yo a## Mr. Postman!
Haters enjoy ya self! Houston UP!
May 1st, 2009 at 1:06 pm
MSkittle says:
Him being out gave the role players room to grow.
May 1st, 2009 at 1:08 pm
Ian says:
Austin lol what is this crap since qq repoested his argument heres mi question again. Is it coincidence that the rockets lose tmac and advance and that the spurs lose manu and loss? Remind me again how tmac is better lol. Tmac belongs in the iverson group sorry austin. Doc this is the first time ever we agree i think.
May 1st, 2009 at 1:09 pm
d says:
rangerjohn and whoever else said that TMac stagnates their offense is dead on. Dude loves to iso and it kills the team. Yeah, 20, 5 and 5 is nice, but how much BETTER does he make his teammates. The rockets are the best when they move the ball around and get everyone involved. And that’s how Knee-Mac has been the last two years. Too many isos, too much dribbling out the clock. His role players are better this year, but Von Wafer wouldn’t have had a chance to shine without Knee-Mac going down.
So while statistically he might be better for this team, if he continued to play the same way he did this year and last year, there’s no chance this team’s fate will change much against the lakers.
May 1st, 2009 at 1:10 pm
QQ says:
@ craig990:
Hey Austin, is that you? Stop using different nicknames.
‘Role players Arent supposed to score and carry the load of scoring. Team Ball?.. in the playoffs.. your Superstars take over.. they set the tone, they win the series…. thats what will happen when Rockets face Lakers.. Kobe will be a superstar.. and who do the Rockets have to respond especially when they double Yao?’
You are saying this DESPITE the fact that the Rockets actually WON with their ROLE PLAYERS. That’s just too damned ignorant. Have you watched the same game I was watching??? THEY WON. Period. Without your so called superstar. THEY STILL WON.
And you are talking bout Kobe being a superstar, and the Rockets have no one to respond. But here’s the deal: all the years your ’superstar’ played, HE DIDN’T WIN ONE FUCKING SERIES. And here you are, doubting the Rockets who actually won one. Give some damned respect. With or without a superstar, they did their jobs and WON. They fucking WON. That’s one thing your ’superstar’ could never say.
@ 42:
‘It’s not TMac, it’s Skip faults’.
Those were your words. And now you’re saying all these other reasons?
So if it’s not Skip, it’s Scott Padgett. It’s an injured Bob Sura. It’s a never-healthy Yao Ming.
Damn. When the Rockets are winning, yall hyping TMac up like he is the best player ever, but when it comes to face the fact that he never lead his team to 2nd round, yall giving excuses, even blaming the fucking role players.
The general should ALWAYS take the blame after a lost battle, not the riflemen or some other fuck.
May 1st, 2009 at 1:13 pm
Ian says:
Poppi sorry but the players can talk out their asses to defend a teammate doesnt mean shit that they say its a diff team. Team record says it all.
May 1st, 2009 at 1:26 pm
rangerjohn says:
iso,
kobe did take the # 1 team in the league (record wise) to a game 7, and had a 3-1 lead in that series before colapsing. tracy has yet to be in a situation like that.
May 1st, 2009 at 1:29 pm
POPPI GEE says:
Team record does say it all and so do the facts that they are a different team and nothing of what he had before. Even if you count last year, which you can’t really. Yao was out the playoffs.
You can try to make it seem another way but it aint. It’s a different squad, different coach, different circumstances. It ain’t been T, he been giving his.
May 1st, 2009 at 1:46 pm
Russ says:
Great Arcticle couldnt agree more
May 1st, 2009 at 1:48 pm
QQ says:
@ GEE:
TMac has been given ALL the tools so he could win.
Not happy in Orlando because he gets no help? Traded to the Rockets with a superstar center. STILL DID NOT WIN.
Not happy with JVG’s slow offense that limited his ability to score? Signed Rick Adelman, whose selling point is to focus on his supertars’ skills and let the role players do the dirty job. STILL DID NOT WIN.
This year, Artest is playing like a crazed madman who hurts his team with his jacking (BUT plays with heart and defends) and Yao Ming still can’t rebound against smaller players (BUT plays hard and gives his all every game). WON IN THE FIRST ROUND, AND ADVANCES.
May 1st, 2009 at 1:52 pm
craig990 says:
@ QQ
No im not Austin
furhtermore.. let me just say.. The Houston Rockets are my fav NBA team…I love those guys.. no homo
But as a Houston fan.. and I saying that the Rockets.. We are not better without Mac… I elated that we got out the 1st round.. but with this team.. If T-Mac was there and healthy.. we could challenge the Lakers and possbibly win the Championship.
Im not against the Rockets.. im against the fools that say this team is better without T-Mac
I keep hearing BULL about him hogging the ball, and will take bad shots… but.. isnt that what they said about the Celtics with Pierce, Allen and Garnet?
Im pretty sure T-Mac would change his game a bit.. for th betterment of the team.. Fact is.. he never had a team like this before… It’s a pitty he was not healthy enough to show that he can lead them into GLORY!..
This is a better Houston team than years best.. not because T-Mac is out.. but because guys came in and guys improved. But can U imagine how much better they would be with a healthy T-MAc?
not the T-mac everyone assumes he will be.. not working with the offense, jaking shots etc… but workin with the offense and being that capable force on offense?.. Having him instead of Wafer to go against Kobe and Co.
Houston is not better without T-Mac.. this team would be Great with him.
.. I can’t believe people don’t see that…
And some ass up there talking about T-Mac being in the Iverson category is just plain stupid!:|
T-Mac doesn’t mess-up team chemistry. He doesnt cry and whine if he doesn’t get his way.. He doesnt mess up once known as championship teams…. He didnt tank on Houston.. like A.I did in detroit.. the fuk is wrong with yall?
May 1st, 2009 at 1:59 pm
SWAT says:
@ gee and @ austin…you knew wht kind of response we were gonna get when this article was posted. there really is no use arguing. GREAT ARTICLE AUSTIN!! I completely agree with you…Von wafer is a 2nd rate mcgrady…and dude fills his role nicely. But you’re right i would love to see Mac out there, especially come this next round. “Welcome to Houston BABY!”-Tmac
May 1st, 2009 at 2:01 pm
Eduardo says:
I’ve read many arguments,and they’re good arguments in fact, but you guys are forgetting one major thing that really changes all the rest. T-Mac is not a healthy guy, and that affects is leadership(i’m not defending he is a Great Leader), his game, his will, everything. He hasn’t been healthy for many years. In this situation we can blame for example the Houston Rockets GM for paying him a lot when you know he is a guy with a lot of “if”’s attached.
I’m not particularly in love with T-Mac and I’ve never been, but one thing I know fo’sure, the T-Mac everyone is talking about around here is not the real one,we are talking about an injured,out of shape,out of rythm T-Mac.
And to be honest, I’m afraid we’ll never see Tracy McGrady full steam.
May 1st, 2009 at 2:03 pm
Ian says:
theres some ass up there that thinks tmac doesnt fuck up chemistry what a fool. Tmac=iverson
May 1st, 2009 at 2:04 pm
QQ says:
@ 55:
How would you know that he wouldn’t mess up team chemistry? How would you say that he will ‘workin with the offense and being that capable force on (defense)’? Because all the years that he was THE superstar in Houston, he NEVER did these things. He keeps on jacking shots, he is not willing to play defense, and he messes up team chemistry, plain and simple. Playing 5 consecutive iso plays certainly hurts team chemistry.
You are a Rocket fan? That’s surprising. Damn. Then why don’t you show respect to these Rockets that actually won something, and stop making predictions about what TMac could have done versus the Lakers today, because he never did those things when he was the man and when he had the perfect opportunity to do so.
May 1st, 2009 at 2:06 pm
Ian says:
Hell ill go even deeper and say that this is like if the rockets traded tmac for artest and artest led them to the second round. Some ass up there is talking like this is the orlando tmac
May 1st, 2009 at 2:09 pm
craig990 says:
@ QQ
when did he have an opportunity to do so?
Playing with Bobby Sura and Dvid Wesley and Ryan Bowen?
or how about playing with Mike James or Scott Padget or Stro Swift?
May 1st, 2009 at 2:15 pm
QQ says:
@ 55:
Last year. When they were on a 22 win streak, actually earned the No.1 spot in the West for a couple of days, and has the best momentum in the world. Yao was injured but the role players were clicking, and the bench was balling.
So… What happened? Oh, another first round exit. I see.
May 1st, 2009 at 2:16 pm
QQ says:
Oh.. my bad.
@ 64.
May 1st, 2009 at 2:18 pm
Taj says:
The last couple years he played hurt and held his team back, although his numbers weren’t bad. With all the injuries, the team learnt to play without him, gelled better and now here they are! TMAC had deteriorated exponentially since then, so I do think that they are better without him.
May 1st, 2009 at 2:20 pm
SWAT says:
ian boy your facts or even your fake scenarios dont make sense. Look at the numbers and see how dope it would be with mac on the squad… even with his bad back dude was dropping 15 pts and at the very least 6-10 dimes. you telling me tht wouldnt help at all…at the very least he would make the def honest because thy never kno when mac (or his back would allow) might choose to light them up
May 1st, 2009 at 2:24 pm
Ian says:
Lol swat im sorry i didnt know u just could add a players number to a team total. Doesnt tmac take shots away from other players getting those 15 ppg?? Talk to me about hisdefense??? Wow i can just agine adding iversons 25 ppg to the spurs instant ring we are goin to avg 122 ppg. I dont care for tmac and everyone has a diff opinion but why the insults?
May 1st, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Ian says:
Btw fake scenarios??? What r u talking about i said better record without tmac and the ones defending him are the ones using the fake scenarios make some sense
May 1st, 2009 at 2:27 pm
POPPI GEE says:
QQ
Like I said before I don’t discuss Orlando days cause those don’t figure into my fight.
Still with Houston, for you to say
TMac has been given ALL the tools so he could win, is right. Last year and this year he had them. It’s ashame that he, again is very fragile I will say that, didn’t have them working WITH him during 1 year (Yao out) and this year he was to beat up to go on.
Don’t act like the tools of the last 2 years been there right when he got to Houston and everyone has been intact every playoff series cause you know it aint true.
@ SWAT by the way you right I knew all this was coming the minute the buzzer sounded last night.
Yao ain’t even been as dominate as he has been this year in the past. Ron has been healthy so you can’t compare the two.
Honestly all the haters have no real or valid points outside of dude is fragile and pimpin is more of a hinder than help when he is very banged up.
Aside from that there is no argument, defense or debate that a healthy T-Mac given the same parts that advanced last night vs. the same squad could go on.
And the bottom line is, well the bottom linesss are that he ain’t never been 100% healthy in Houston with all those tools, so again haters your points are void.
Other bottom line is he is still part of the team that did advance, so he advances as well.
Until someone can find me where a healthy and shiii I will even say half healthy T had a Ron, Scola, Brooks, Yao and Wafer and Rick … oh wait you can’t.
Woooooo! Rockets won! This a championship this year for me! Pop Bottles! Laugh at haters!
Austin this the best article you ever done. Course I am bias lol.
May 1st, 2009 at 2:29 pm
SWAT says:
haha no disrespect fam…and i was referring to when mac was playing at the beg of the season. i wll agree tmac isnt wht he used to be but he was under JVG a good def player…his bk betrayed him (again) this season but yall cats forget how nice tmac was/is. and i dont understand your spurs reference…are you saying iverson with the spurs =a chip…LOL!! “WHERE THEY DO THAT AT?!?” haha i dont ever see iverson buying into pop’s game plan and being 2nd to parker….EVER
May 1st, 2009 at 2:34 pm
Ian says:
Swat lol i wouldnt want iverson near the spurs i just tried to say that u just cant add in the numbers of one player to a team it takes away from everyone else
May 1st, 2009 at 2:35 pm
rangerjohn says:
swat, go look up the depth chart for the rockets as it stand right now.
brooks
ron ron
shane
scola
yao
backups
lowry
wafer
(yahoo shows artest)
landry
hayes
now other then the anomoly of artest starting and playing backup to shane, where does tracy fit? where does he make the team better? maybe MAYBE off the bench at the 3 guard., but you dont put a 20 million dollar player on the bench.
he doesnt fit period. forcing a player into a situation that doesnt fit is bad news. ask detroit and AI.
May 1st, 2009 at 2:37 pm
SWAT says:
the fake scenario was in regards to you saying:
“Hell ill go even deeper and say that this is like if the rockets traded tmac for artest and artest led them to the second round. Some ass up there is talking like this is the orlando tmac”
I didnt understand tht
May 1st, 2009 at 2:40 pm
isotope says:
?ranger what? What about TMac in Orlando. Up 3-1 vs Detroit. 2003 I believe. Took the Pistons to game 7 and was up 3-1. What you got now?
and at whoever talked about TMac running ISOs needs to stop talking about what they know little of. When TMac was playing with Yao, both at full strength, and Van Gundy. Their bread and butter was the pick and roll.
May 1st, 2009 at 2:41 pm
SWAT says:
@ranger true 20 mil to be on the goon squad isnt right…but im not adelman so i cant tell you who’s time should be cut. it all depends on how the guys are playing. i mean damn adelman sent hayes in for one play the other night…so i mean if mac’s bk was good let him ride it out. now maybe our rooks (wafer, lowry) and maybe even scoal would be time on the court and not maturing but if mac is on anyone htwon fan will tell you i would rather have him than wafer in there.
May 1st, 2009 at 2:43 pm
Ian says:
Swat i said that because its like the only big diff from the rockets teams that lost in the first round and this team again just me
May 1st, 2009 at 2:44 pm
SWAT says:
sorry i meant to say : maybe our rooks and maybe even scola would lose time on the court and not get a chance to mature…but if mac is on anyone in htown fam will tell you that thy would rather have him than wafer out there-
sorry trying to do too many thing at once. LOL!
May 1st, 2009 at 2:49 pm
yoda says:
can’t read all replies, but ill say this. houston don’t need this year’s t-mac, because he was hurt and slow. but they could use t-mac from 3-4 years ago.
May 1st, 2009 at 2:51 pm
ruben says:
sorry but we got von wafer for when the rockets offense goes cold.
May 1st, 2009 at 2:56 pm
QQ says:
Funny seeing TMac and Von Wafer in the same sentence nowadays. LOL.
3 years back, yall cats are arguing if he’s better than Kobe. Now he is being compared to a D League staple, who was on 7 teams in 3 years. What upgrade!
May 1st, 2009 at 3:00 pm
JJ says:
“To look at it another way, is anyone saying Orlando won last night because Dwight Howard didn’t play? Or is it really that they won despite Howard’s absence?”
Funny you should say this when your site just posted this.
http://dimemag.com/2009/05/andre-miller-the-magic-are-better-without-dwight/
May 1st, 2009 at 3:01 pm
isotope says:
One thing the rockets dont have right now is clutch. someone who wants (and deserves) the ball down the stretch. Ray Allen could go 0-10 in a game yet make the game winning 3 pointer. And he’ll most likely get the bal because he’s proven it. Or at the very least he’ll draw the defense. Same can be said of Pierce, Wade, Kobe, Roy, Lebron, Manu, Arenas, Billups, etc. Rockets dont have ANYBODY that scares you like that right now. Nobody on this team (xcept maybe Yao) scared you offensively.
May 1st, 2009 at 3:02 pm
zaboo says:
If we had Dikembe from like 5 years ago that’d be great too, oh and put barry in that time machine as well.
Tmac as he is today in the real world and not in fantasy land does not fit on this rockets team. You can’t concentrate on stats, Zach Randolph with his 20-10’s wouldn’t help this team.
I was one of the first in the stands during his “welcome to houston” press conference but his time here is over.
May 1st, 2009 at 3:03 pm
isotope says:
QQ: thats cuz cats got short memory spans.
May 1st, 2009 at 3:06 pm
JJ says:
Also, you guys don’t get it, T-mac screwed the rockets over this year. If he didn’t sabotage the possible trades with his surgery “announcement”, the Rockets may very well be contenders with whoever they got for T-mac… maybe even his cousin Vince.
May 1st, 2009 at 3:35 pm
QQ says:
Nah. TMac just stinks.
May 1st, 2009 at 3:57 pm
POPPI GEE says:
Until someone can find me where a healthy and shiii I will even say half healthy T had a Ron, Scola, Brooks, Yao and Wafer and Rick … oh wait you can’t.
Yea no sense in waiting on that one then huh?
@yoda you are exactly right. And see my thing is, even when you go back those 3 or 4 years the supporting cast that T had ain’t at all what is on board now.
If anything I am a lil out of wack with management. Cause I am thinking…Ok you getting all these kudos and congrats for being smart to get Ron and pick good D League cats, and now you have made it a step up.
Still going back like Yoda said 3 or 4 years why couldn’t they go pull a trade then to get a Ron or Scola.
Management (conditioning and strength cats included lol) really let some good years of T …I don’t wanna say go to waste…but again all them years of toil dude ain’t had no Rons, Scola, Landry and Brooks and not even Skip sometime and a coach that could give a flip about O and was all about D mostly.
I am just saying it was certainly a pleasure to watch T do his thing, but in the same token it hurts cause management could have kept Rudy Gay and tried harder trade wise to give T-mac what is there now.
It’s all a miss in timing. When T was healthy he didn’t have it around him and now that T ain’t healthy all the parts to at least get past the first round are healthy and there.
And really this is a short term solution perhaps for maybe 1 more year of getting past the first round. Still I feel managment didn’t look long term, in regards to their star player.
Someone should have been of the mindset, hey lets do what we got to do and bite bullets money wise to get T-Mac all he needs while he is ballin, and get out these 1st and 2nd rounds now.
Rather than the cheap way of hey lets get T and let him carry the team and just put guys like Vin Baker, Juwuan Howard and David Wesley around him and pray for the best.
So this way they have taken has them in the position now of having a good squad but no player really making his own shot, and ballin enough to put fear in opponents the way Tracy had that respect.
Now management is prolly hoping that T will come back from surgery like that and can roll with the current crew. And no one knows what all that will be like considering you don’t know how good or bad T will come back.
Case in point look at what D Wade walked into his rookie year and then in only 2 years look at the change. Same should of and could of been done with T.
Resume hatin.
May 1st, 2009 at 4:02 pm
rangerjohn says:
swat, i livei n houston and have had season tickets for 4 yrs now so NOT every rockets fan in htown wants tracy. (and i am a spurs fan 1st and formost, but in houston you have to like the rockets)
iso, go back and read my post, i said kobe took the “best team in the league (record wise)” 7 with a 3-1 lead. tracy took the best team in the east, which was 10 wins less then the best in teh west (sa)and considering that 6 teams in the west had the same or better records then the pistons that year and considering the pistons got swept by the nets that year as well, nothing to brag about.
May 1st, 2009 at 4:16 pm
POPPI GEE says:
iso @ 83 I agree totally. Even Yao doesn’t really scare teams because you can double him or be physical enough to the point where he will let you have the position and the ball can’t be thrown in easily to him. Plus he is still at the point where you worry greatly about turnovers in key minutes with him and he doesn’t force his will on teams, because it takes this great set up to get him the ball before he can get going.
I will say he has drastically improved in passing out of doubles, cutting down on turnovers in critical moments and playing harder.
Still Rockets don’t have no one come time for a close game that scares other teams for real.
May 1st, 2009 at 4:38 pm
isotope says:
this offseason will be interesting. Wafer’s going to want to get paid. Artest is going to want to get paid. TMac is still in the books and James White is signed to a multi-year deal. It’d be nice if they can keep the whole squad for one more year and see how it goes. Doubt it though.
May 1st, 2009 at 4:59 pm
POPPI GEE says:
True. Hope James White can get more time next year. He prolly won’t see the court vs. the Lakers.
Man how good is S. Brown fittin in with the Lakers. MSU reppin right there. He is like a perfect fit coming off the bench for their O and style. Plus he can D.
Rockets gotta be physical vs. Lakers to stand a better chance, no matter what that chance may be.
May 1st, 2009 at 5:30 pm
knock knock says:
lebron is overrated as he will not win a championship this year. his team is stacked being in the east and also has the easiest road to the finals. still, even with one of the best centers in the east, good 3 point shooters, one of the leagues HIGHEST payrolls, he will not win a championship. write it down—-
funny how people think lebron is amazing because of his stats, he plays POINT GUARD FOR HIS TEAM FOR CHRISTS SAKE–obviously for his height he better be getting some boards
May 1st, 2009 at 9:54 pm
dagwaller says:
Sorry, Austin. This just isn’t true.
This is more or less the same team as the last few years, only with Ron Artest at the 2 instead of T-Mac. THAT’s the “put it this way” point that YOU need to see.
The other part where you went wrong is when you said “healthy McGrady”. That just doesn’t happen anymore. Neither does 28 ppg.
May 1st, 2009 at 10:26 pm
Ian says:
knock knock
you a lakers fan right?
lebron stacked team???? dude take a look at kobes team and you said easy road to the finals bro utah , houston and prob denver comon now.
May 2nd, 2009 at 12:33 am
POPPI GEE says:
dagwaller you need to see post 48 as far as the team being more or less the same. No they aren’t.
Hopefully there will be a resurgence, either way I am a fan.
May 2nd, 2009 at 3:46 am
QQ says:
Rockets DON’T need TMac.
Just… Don’t.
May 2nd, 2009 at 6:28 am
AB_40 says:
as much as I love to see him play healthy and as much as I’d love for that dude to win WITH yao ming I don’t know if he’s welcome anymore in houston. But if he’s healthy and joins a young and upcoming team who could use an extra 30 point threat on the wing wow be affraid.
I hope he takes his time and comes back healthy next season or the one after that. because serious knee injuries take a while. trust me I’m in month 7 of 12 it’s boring as hell but I gotta keep my spirits up.
May 2nd, 2009 at 5:07 pm
POPPI GEE says:
AB_40 I heard a recent interview with him last night and he was addressing basically everything. Dude sounds real motivated to come back and he is trying to rehab correctly.
From my understanding the team and fans still want him, but just like everyone they want him healthy and helping not hurting. So if he can get back to at least 3/4 of what he was I would say that is really good.
Sun will shine!
May 3rd, 2009 at 2:39 am
QQ says:
No… They DON’T need TMac.
May 3rd, 2009 at 11:03 am
heartbreaker85 says:
sorry but you got it all wrong.
the rockets wouldn’t have won if t-mac was around because
1) their best and most consistent player, luis scola would’ve lost minutes had tmac been in the game (safe to say that adelman would try a lineup of brooks, battier, tmac and artest at the 4).
2) tmac cant play D, never did, never could. chances are he’d give up the points he made to travis outlaw/rudy or roy.
3) the rockets would just wait for him to create on isos and screens, instead of relying on their ball movement and crisp half court sets
t-mac’s no cancer, but he just doesnt fit with the rest of the guys. maybe in a von wafer, off the bench scorer role, or a 2nd guy to a great player but not in this ‘equal opportunity/spread the wealth’ rockets. else, he and artest would take shots from one another.
May 3rd, 2009 at 6:34 pm
bdk23 says:
Sure but is it ever going to happen?
May 3rd, 2009 at 11:04 pm
QQ says:
Agree with 102.
The Rockets DON’T need T-Mac.
May 4th, 2009 at 5:08 am
Goren says:
What a TMac apologist.
May 4th, 2009 at 9:28 am
QQ says:
@ 105:
The only thing Austin Burton has not yet done to show his blind and dumb love for T-mac is to write an article how he washes Mcgrady’s boxers after every game.
May 5th, 2009 at 7:49 am
my balls are danglin says:
their definatly stronger & deeper with a HEALTHY T-Mac. they did win 22 straight with Tracy. i thought he was a little bitch to until we all found out that 3 of the top doctors had misdiagnosed his knee problem. microfracture knee surgury is nothing to play with. look what it did to grant hill and penny hardaway. Remember Tracy is the best passer on the rockets team and is also the best post passer. they will problably need him healthy in the long run. but since DEK went down i think this team is motivated to do dammage in the playoffs this year for DEK’s sake.
the rockets kick that lakers ass last night!
May 5th, 2009 at 10:27 am
QQ says:
^Best passer?? The only time T-Mac will pass is if he sees ‘2′ on the shot clock, and his defender is all over his face. I’m sure John Stockton did not break the assist record by doing 15,800 of those.
May 5th, 2009 at 4:11 pm
Tracy is top 5 says:
How soon we forget about the 22 win streak the rockets went on last season with Tracy alone…or in other words…without YAO…without ARTEST.
Artest is a good player…but hes not as good as Tracy….PERIOD. It might even be a case of anything Ron can do, Tracy could potentially do better…even defense. Tracy earned his first minutes in Toronto being a defensive stopper.
Passing….tracy has a career avg of 5 assists….the same as their former starting point guard Rafer Alston.
Get a grip……gripe all you want about Tracy being injured but at his prime he was better than Kobe and Lebron.
May 6th, 2009 at 5:41 am
QQ says:
^ How soon did we forget that the 22 win streak was done in the regular season, and not where it matters, the playoffs. If the NBA was judged by the reg, Ricky Davis is an All-Star, the Suns have won about 3 championships and Mitch Richmond in his Kings days is the sickest baller ever.
May 6th, 2009 at 8:01 am
GR3Y says:
TMac’s issues:
Agreement with 102!
1. Holds the ball too long and makes offense go to outside in, especially given the next point
2. FG percent crappy
3. Brooks and Scola are less effective.
4. Mediocre defensively
May 7th, 2009 at 9:50 am
QQ says:
Fuck T-Mac and his fanboys.
May 7th, 2009 at 4:37 pm
Trop says:
If T-Mac was playing right now, and in full health, no one would even question who would the championship. T-Mac is a superstar and you cant deny that! No Team in the NBA could match up with T-Mac, Yao, Artest, and Shane. It Would Be over.
May 8th, 2009 at 8:50 am
QQ says:
^If only all other players gets free passes like that (If only Kwame Brown had a good post-up trainer, if only Damon Jones stayed with the Heat, etc.), then NBA would sieze to exist. You COULD FUCKING MAKE THAT ARGUMENT FR EVERY PLAYER IN THE LEAUGUE. You can’t make fucking excuses about every other thing that COULD have happened if only T-Mac was this, or that.