History Repeated
Tracy McGrady (photo. Marc Morrison)
A multiple-time NBA scoring champ abruptly left his team in the middle of a road trip yesterday, amidst rumors that the longtime superstar and the organization couldn’t come to an agreement on his playing time and role on the court. No, this isn’t Memphis, and this isn’t Allen Iverson. This is about Tracy McGrady, who after being told he wouldn’t play in Houston’s two games this weekend (at Nets, at Cavs), left the Rockets and went home. Nobody affiliated with the Rockets has officially said whether this is one of those, “Call me when you decide to play me, trade me or buy me out,” situations, but it seems obvious enough, right? McGrady has been kept on a strict diet of 7-8 minutes a night since returning to the lineup a couple weeks ago, and while he was saying all the right things at first (“I’m just happy to be back,” etc.) predictably grew frustrated with such a minimal role. Do you think the Rockets are doing the right thing by letting T-Mac walk, or should they make some concessions and see what he’d do with more minutes? … With that backdrop of a story line, the Rockets went to New Jersey and went about their business of handing the Nets another loss. It was actually close down to the final minute, before Aaron Brooks broke a tie with a baseline driving layup with 37 seconds left, then hit four free throws down the stretch to ice it. Carl Landry put up 26 points and nine boards off the bench … Since Kobe seems bent on racking up degree-of-difficulty points now, we’re surprised he didn’t think of the fall-down-the-steps-at-home thing before Ron Artest, just so he could go out that same night and score 25 with a broken arm and an eye patch … In the third quarter of Lakers/Kings, Kobe took a shot to the funny bone in his right arm, and when he came back for the fourth, was playing mostly with his left; he actually tried to hit a game-winner on a turnaround left-hand jumper/hook that got rejected. (Never mind that Shannon Brown was wide-open within Kobe’s line of sight, and Brown would’ve been able to swing it an an open Derek Fisher.) Kobe did redeem himself by picking Tyreke Evans (18 pts, 9-23 FG) at the end of regulation … Kobe’s right arm regained its usefulness in overtime, where Pau Gasol’s tip-in with 0.4 seconds left saved the day for L.A., who pulled away in double-OT when Kobe (38 pts, 16-30 FG, 4 stls) hit a couple threes despite claiming he couldn’t feel his right arm … Granted, Kings coach Paul Westphal had been away from the League for a little bit before this year, but somebody should’ve told him sticking Donte Greene on Kobe in OT wasn’t a good idea. The kid went in for reconstructive surgery after the game to have his face re-attached … You may find this surprising, but the Suns and Warriors combined for a ton of points and played, um, less than a ton of defense. It was 71-70 at halftime, 132-127 at the end, and would you believe that was with Steve Nash recording only nine assists, Amar’e Stoudemire getting only nine points, and Don Nelson sneaking only two beers during the game? … Monta Ellis (33 pts, 10 asts) went even-up Nash (36 pts, 9 asts) in their shootout, but Monta got a little more support and got the W. Monta actually went scoreless over the last five minutes while Nash hit a couple tough shots in the lane to get the Suns within two points in the final seconds, but after Anthony Morrow hit a free throw, Nash missed the potential game-tying three on the wing … But if you thought that game was a display of gunning, Monta, Corey Maggette and the rest had nothing on Jeremy Hazell. In Saturday’s only D-1 college game, Hazell, a junior wing at Seton Hall, took NINETEEN threes against 6th-ranked West Virginia in a wild overtime loss. Hazell dropped 41 points on 14-of-33 shooting, including 4-of-19 beyond the arc and a triple that forced OT with six seconds left — the capper on a Seton Hall comeback from 10 points down with one minute to go. The Mountaineers’ talent won over in the extra frame, though … Other big NBA stat lines from Saturday: Al Horford beasted the Pacers for 25 points, 19 boards and five blocks; Joakim Noah posted 17, 18 and four swats in Chicago’s win over the Hornets; Kevin Durant dropped 30 as OKC got past the Bobcats; Tim Duncan’s 26 points helped the Spurs take out the Bucks; Jason Terry scored 23 in Dallas’ win over Memphis; Deron Williams had 27 points and eight dimes (including one half-court lob to Ronnie Brewer that Brewer finished with a reverse double-clutch dunk) in a win over the Sixers; and Corey Brewer scored 27 to lead the Wolves past the Wizards … And did you see what Ryan Hollins did in that one? Basic pick-and-roll in the fourth, Hollins got a running start at the rack and went airborne on Andray Blatche, putting his knee in his chest like Tom Chambers did Mark Jackson and cramming on him while almost looking down into the rim. One of the dunks of the year, one of the dunks where Blatche would have a hard time getting a teammate to look at him the next time he went to the bench. Just brutal … We’re out like Mac …
December 27th, 2009 at 8:06 am
Josh Tha roc says:
Is carl landry an all star?
December 27th, 2009 at 8:07 am
ab_40 says:
wow tmac i’m surprised by his actions. I hope hegets some minutes when they get back in houston or that they trade him for scrubs. orlando would love to have him coming of the bench instead of jj redick. maybe a three way trade with indiana, houston and cleveland.
the lakers sure are in a lot of close games this year. and how great is it to have a fuul arco arena again… more cowbell
December 27th, 2009 at 8:12 am
POPPI GEE says:
Houston Up!
Give T-Mac his minutes!
December 27th, 2009 at 8:14 am
Chris says:
Hollins dunk over Blatche:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sovcym69QfA
December 27th, 2009 at 8:18 am
BRUCE says:
4 for 19, flashbacks of John Starks!
I attended the Sacramento Kings game. Before the end of regulation, Tyreke dribbled way too much! In the first overtime, Kings were leading by 7 with 2:39 to go. Arco Arena was going nuts, victory was coming! Doggone Lakers was toying with the Kings! In the 2nd overtime, Kobe was raining 3, unconscious!
December 27th, 2009 at 8:22 am
BRUCE says:
Carl Landry is not an All-Star. I am not sure of his position but he is not a 5. Dude might be a 3 or 4.
If dude plays the 3 — Spot belong to Melo and Durant!
If dude plays the 4 — Spot belong to Timmy and Gasol!
December 27th, 2009 at 8:40 am
BENNYHILL says:
I think Gasol will be selected as back-up 5…
And while I don’t think he will make the team, Carl Landry seems legit…
If anyone is the smoky from Houston it may be him
December 27th, 2009 at 9:19 am
Pet Society Help says:
Give McGrady his minutes, that’s what you pay him the millions for. If not, let him go and sign that mexican romel beck, the nba is dedicating this season to latino fans anyway.
December 27th, 2009 at 9:34 am
Gabriel Brogden says:
Let TMAC get money elsewhere. Somebody wants him.
Plus he’s classy…so clubs know he’s not a head case.
My 6ers stink. I mean, they f***in’ stink. I mean, they bathe in raw sewage, drink spoiled milk, bottle up morning breath and spray it on for cologne, and their pores reak of sweaty feet. I hate the product I’m seeing on the floor. I hate the fact that Eddie Jordan is the coach. I hated that move in the summer. I hate that move now.
Jordan Farmer gets 10 minutes of tick in a double overtime game. Two words for him – DEAD LINE.
@#4 Chris — }}} Thanks! Thanks a whole bunch!!
December 27th, 2009 at 9:36 am
Gabriel Brogden says:
Just saw the Hollins dunk. That sh** was nasty.
Cottamn!! That sh** was kray zay. Cottamn.
December 27th, 2009 at 10:32 am
chief youngblood says:
Landry is the 6th man of the year lock , right ?
December 27th, 2009 at 11:06 am
Bron42 aka Had Springs before slamball says:
Tmac already said he’d be happy to go back to orlando. I don’t get why their dickin over his minutes. Hes playin decent, he sat out mad games like they wanted, since he came back the teams still winnin and he was sayin all the right things. Let dude go to the celts or back to the magic with his cuz and stop wastin his time.
I like the hollins dunk, he had a nice one the other day 2 and then I remembered he’s 6′11.
No talk about gasol grabbin thompsons arm and throwing him out the way on that tip in play? Lol
December 27th, 2009 at 11:09 am
Doug says:
yeah dime kobe “claimed” his arm when numb.GTFOH.bron dick riders if would’ve done that you guys would’ve applauded him.You think Kobe wanted to go to double OT against the Kings.He didn’t take but one shot in the first overtime and his right arm was just hanging he wasn’t even using it.If he had use of that he would’ve buried them in regulation. You guys kill me over there at dime…such a east coast bias that you sound ignorant at times…Kobe is staging injuries?..please
December 27th, 2009 at 11:12 am
Doug says:
Bron aka Had Springs before slamball than we’d have to talk about the football player turned basketball player Broxton for the Kings that kept pushing Laker players into the stands when they were in the air just so he could get a rebound.
December 27th, 2009 at 11:17 am
Gunner J. Matthews says:
Its hard seeing T-Mac being treated like this since he’s my favorite player but as long as the team is winning…….Still, if he’s healthy enough to play, why not play him? Carl Landry is almost a lock for 6th man. Thank goodness I scooped him up on my fantasy team on Thursday
December 27th, 2009 at 11:18 am
Austin Burton4 real says:
Should the Cavs consider trading Lebron for Tmac? I mean, if Bron might walk away for nothing this summer, at least you could replace 95% of his production….TMac and Shaq on the same squad? Sheeeiiiooot….minimum 8-peat.
December 27th, 2009 at 11:22 am
no j mayo says:
@15…ever heard of Jamal Crawford?
December 27th, 2009 at 11:23 am
Rafa23 says:
lol @ landry being a lock for 6th man of the year. at this point he should get it, but its not like crawford or terry are that far behind…
December 27th, 2009 at 11:38 am
Dragonyeuw says:
I can’t see any future there between the Rockets and Tmac. The lingering resentment between the two sides will impact team chemistry, and really the team has moved on without him. Yao is a different kettle of fish, big men are at a premium and harder to replace than a talented wingman. So the Rockets will find a way to incorporate him whenever he returns. I can’t really see Tmac back in Orlando either, wasn’t that a nasty split 5 years ago? How ironic would that be to reunite with Vince, 9 years later and both past their primes of being the main guy?
December 27th, 2009 at 11:57 am
Spliff 2 My Lou says:
Hollins dunk was sick. But Blatche doesn’t have to worry. The chances of anybody making a Ryan Hollins poster anytime soon is less than the chances of anybody buying one and hanging it up.
December 27th, 2009 at 12:12 pm
common sense!! says:
dunno about tmac being past his prime, since hes been back hes looked good and Tim Grover is a healer.. kobe was killing it yesterday but the kings pissed me off, cant they finish a game, tyreke was a double agent down the stretch and in OT sinkin worse than shiny socks..
man nash is ‘THE BRAIN’ on O but hes lack of D is frustrating, but blame that on his genes..
Man free TMAC, most entertaining player of the last decade along with wade.. at his peak he made shizzle look so easy..
December 27th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
Name (required) says:
Id like too see Tmac get some PT, but its way too soon for him to be making a big deal about it. the Rockets are winning and he cant be fully in game shape yet, also why are they gona start fuckin up their rotation for a player who isnt coming back next year. if he wants to play right now he has to earn his minutes.
December 27th, 2009 at 1:59 pm
K Dizzle says:
Some of you posters funny as shit. Talkin bout TMac classy and all that junk like that matters to the Rockets if he can’t produce his 25-5-5 lines anymore. Rockets play harder than any other team in the l, POINT BLANK. They move the ball around and on any given night, Brooks, Scola, Ariza, Battier or Landry might kill you, but you’ll never know who it is til the game is over. Mac ain’t really been known to move the rock around and sell out on d like theses boys do. If they holdin dude to 8 minutes per, something’s up.
Unfortunately, here comes the reality check:
McGrady is the highest paid dude in the l at 23 mil+, dude comes off the books at the end of the season. Mac and Yao only dudes on the squad makin more than 6-7 mil on the payroll.If Yao can’t make it back, that’s ANOTHER 17 mil off the books next summer. I say that to say this: Tracy ain’t goin nowhere. I been hearin Houston tryin to pick up a max player this offseason so if they can wait dude out and grab a Bosh, Wade, JJ or one of those dudes, they will. They need his salary off the books, no ifs ands or buts about it.
One more thing: Haters need to stall on that “Gasol is real good but he soft bs” Shit is tired. My man avg’d like 15 boards a game since he got back, averagin like 17 points on barely 10 shots a game and then one bad game against the cavs, now he soft?
Go ask Jason Thompson if dude soft cuz he got gripped and tossed like a rag doll at crunch time by Pau. Yeah, it was a foul, but the refs phuck’d us on Christmas, so we had some love comin.
@ Dime – no love for Tyrus Thomas comin back and lookin like an allstar last night? If he keeps that up, Bulls are gonna be legit…
And carl landry nice (damn near carryin my fantasy team) but let’s hold off on the 6th man of the year talk cuz Crawford, Earl Smith III lol and Jet been doin work too and on better squads. It’s 6th man of the year, not the first 30 games…
I’m out. Lakers alllllllllll day
December 27th, 2009 at 2:01 pm
da man says:
I don’t think anyone was insinuating that kobe is guilty of faking injuries. He’s got the perfect excuse now. If he wins, it’s because he’s gritty and tough. If he loses, he has a broken finger and it’s throwing him off, etc.
Lakers fans see the great record but it’s fool’s gold. They’ve played almost half their home games before new year’s. that’s nuts. factor in their record against the contenders and their love of playing down to the wire with the mediocre teams, and that’s not even considering their lack of a bench. kobe isn’t going to get any healthier as the season goes on. He needs to consider managing his minutes. I know they want the number one seed throughout the playoffs, but it does no good if he’s falling apart by then. kobe has amazing endurance and is tough as nails, but time catches up to everyone.
The lakers are still the favorites from the west right now, but as proud laker hater, it warms my heart to know that they more than likely won’t repeat.
December 27th, 2009 at 2:29 pm
QQ says:
Funny to read comments saying the Rockets are the one doing the bad thing here.
You know what, as an NBA fan, seeing that T-Mac is just reduced to a punchline nowadays, I’ll let my hate take a rest, and rally for him for a while.
But come on now? His squad started playing hard when he was NOT the leader. Yall fans out there, you just gotta admit it. He was UNREAL on his prime, but yall gotta admit, in the last few years, he just stopped trying. He just stopped playing hard. All the years, all was given to him because of his skill. But when he got hurt, he just wouldn’t show that killer mentality, for him to get back.
Maybe yall are right. Maybe some other team will pick him and he’ll play like a beast or become a decent contributor. But for now, and for the Rocket’s sake, I think they deserve to have a hard working squad that will play their hearts out everyday. And for now, be happy for your former Squad, Tracy. And stay away.
December 27th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
Dirtball Rotten says:
nba live 93 Tom Chambers action, that dunk was crucial, Blatche should be ashamed
December 27th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
Bron42 aka Had Springs before slamball says:
@qq, sayin they play hard without him is kind of a stretch. If you remembr he was the one leading them in that 22 game win streak back in the day. So it’s not like he is a bad leader. They were just sorties in the past. People can’t blame him for that when he went and led the team in almost every stat. That bein said when he went down, of course other guys r gonna step up as leaders, that’s how sports work. Carl landry was the same time of hard nosed player/leader in college. So was Arron Brooks. So I don’t get y people r surprised OR tryin to blame it all on tmac like he is purposly sittin out. Dude wants to play and help the team. You don’t see him demandin to be the man. And people hardly admit the rockets r to s better without ya since he’s a blackhole in the post and 6′7 landry is almost duplicating his stats with more blocks.
December 27th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
Bron42 aka Had Springs before slamball says:
And gasol is still soft. So he pushed a second year player? If that was kg everyone would say it’s classless. Dont get confused that gasol is suddenly s tough guy since he’s on a stacked team where guys can’t just bully him and win the game. That’s all u had to do in Memphis. Get tough with him, if the lakers ain’t have 5 other stars to add toughness he would still be a push over
December 27th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
12thMan says:
I think it’s ridiculous NOT to play Tmac for at least 20 minutes a night if he can handle it, his HAS to shoot it at a higher percentage than Brooks and Ariza just chuckin’ balls at the hoop.
I also think he made the right move by refusing to travel with the team, they pulled the rug out under him, and not the other way around.
December 27th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
wifey says:
DIME I buy ur magazines every month, HUGE fan but you guys are some legit Kobe haters/Lebron dick riders
December 27th, 2009 at 7:46 pm
Chris Ballz says:
Carl landry will win 6th man of the year.
Wen does pat mills get bak in action??!
December 27th, 2009 at 8:25 pm
Ian says:
bron
gasol isnt soft imo
December 27th, 2009 at 8:41 pm
Gabriel Brogden says:
@23 KDIZZLE – I didn’t really think about all that concerning TMAC. Good Points.
December 27th, 2009 at 10:41 pm
Mark says:
A Warriors vs. Suns shootout? It’s like Dennis Rodman and Mike Tyson singing “This Little Light of Mine.” I never would have seen it coming.
December 28th, 2009 at 12:57 am
Pakman says:
Noah is the only player this season with 7+ rebounds in each game (minimum 20 games)
December 28th, 2009 at 5:30 am
shaz says:
never been a big fan of droopy eyes t mac. . . We had him in toronto and didn’t do shit, granted the man skyrocketed next year in orlando but he’s never been outta the first round. . . Newer superstars replaced him as NBA elites. . . He should first just contribute in the 7 mintues he gets, noone will deny him his minutes if hedoes that. . .
December 29th, 2009 at 3:04 am
gregory says:
I don’t think McGrady and Iverson behaved similarly. Iverson was ridiculous. He didn’t play all of preseason, barely had practiced, missed the first few games and then complains about not starting. That’s a guy not having a clue.
Mcgrady just wants the charade of token appearances to end. It’s not like he’s demanding 40 minutes plus, just to play more than 7 measly minutes. That’s not asking for much. It makes sense to gradually work a player coming off injury in but the key word is gradually; over time the minutes have to increase as he gets in better game shape and physical shape. McGrady showed that by displaying better quickness and then to told that he still wouldn’t be getting more time is absurd. What, not even 15 minutes? Come on. And I’m not even a McGrady fan, just indifferent mostly. If you’re not doing that, then it’s like you’ve only activated him to stop him from complaining about not being activated. They’re not treating him like he’s a member of the team because they’re not making a serious effort to integrate him in.