I have tried to forgive McGrady...

[djohn2oo8]

For this:
(Look at his effort)

TjbkXewxlGI


But here he goes again!


ORLANDO – Tracy McGrady (http://www.fanhouse.com/tag/Tracy+McGrady+/)is tired of this monitoring-of-minutes thing. He wants playing time, and he wants it now.

He didn't ask for a trade Wednesday night after his sixth consecutive 7-8 minute stint, but he sounded awfully frustrated with his situation in Houston.

"How'd you like my cameo?'' he asked sarcastically after the 102-87 loss to the Magic (http://nba.fanhouse.com/team/magic). "It's time for me to play. Whoever gets me now is going to get a hungry-ass player, a hungry-ass player. I don't care if I have to go to the damn moon to get it. It doesn't matter.''

McGrady is coming back from microfracture surgery on his left knee last February, playing his first of six games Dec. 15. Even before Wednesday's tip-off, he said it was "time to start bumping up the minutes.''

It didn't happen.



McGrady hit one of his four shots for two points when he played the last seven minutes and 30 seconds of the first quarter. In a victory Tuesday in Houston, he had 10 points and 3 assists in the 7:50 of playing time he also received in the first quarter.

"It's frustrating, knowing I'm ready to contribute more,'' he said. "But this is what they want. I'll play my seven minutes, lace them up, do what I can for seven minutes, then sit down and become a cheerleader.''

McGrady, who becomes a free agent this summer, is the league's highest-paid player at $23.2 million. He told Chris Tomasson of FanHouse earlier this month (http://nba.fanhouse.com/2009/12/17/mcgrady-wants-to-re-sign-with-houston/) that he wants to remain in Houston, although that possibility is looking more and more unlikely.

"I'm not sure what to think now. If that's the case (he's not in Houston's plans), why play me seven minutes? If they want to showcase me (for a trade), give me 15-20 minutes,'' he said. "This is a contract season for me. I have to think about that as well.''

Houston coach Rick Adelman (http://www.fanhouse.com/tag/Rick+Adelman/) scowled after the game when asked about McGrady and his playing time possibly increasing.

"Let's talk about the game. We've talked about it (McGrady's minutes) for six games,'' Adelman said. "I want to see how he plays. That's what we're looking for.''

McGrady, 30, said he is pain free, and he looked aggressive with the ball. Although he admittedly doesn't have the spring in his legs like he once did, he move reasonably well.

"I was cool with this plan when they agreed to bring me back,'' he said. "But I know my body. And I feel fine. It's time to start increasing my minutes.''

Before the game, McGrady talked about free agency, about the long-shot possibility of returning to Orlando, where he played for four seasons and won an NBA (http://nba.fanhouse.com/) scoring title. He grew up in nearby Auburndale, Fla., and still has family close by.

"Would I consider coming back home? Of course I would. It's home. I'd never rule that out,'' he said. "But the first option still is Houston.''

The thought of playing alongside cousin Vince Carter (http://nba.fanhouse.com/players/vince-carter/3248) made him smile Wednesday. He even joked about where he would live if he signed again with the Magic.

"Vince loves playing here, living in his big old house. I told him -- hypothetically-speaking -- if I was to come back, I could rent out his guest house.''

McGrady spent much of the pregame warm-up time talking with Carter at center court. They shared a laugh on the court when they were guarding each other late in the first quarter.

He didn't even warmup with the rest of the team when they emerged from the locker room at halftime, taking a seat on the bench by himself.

During the team huddle between the third and fourth quarters, McGrady grabbed the game ball and practiced spinning it on his finger like he was doing a Harlem Globetrotter routine.

"Right now, I'm just playing my cameo role,''

http://nba.fanhouse.com/2009/12/23/mcgrady-tired-of-these-cameo-roles/?xid=si_nba

[21_Blessings]

He's not supposed to be mad about not playing?

[djohn2oo8]

He's not supposed to be mad about not playing?

First of all, Adleman is taking him back slowly from a major surgery, and it is clear that he is still not himself. Second, someone needs to tell McGrady that he is NOT the coach. Third, what has he done lately to deserve more playing time? Well, he did announce his surgery before even telling the front office because he was about to get traded. He SHOULD NOT complain for coming back slowly because the Rockets could have sat him out for an even longer period for the insurance money. Fuckin diva

[Culburn369]

You grew it...You chew it.

[21_Blessings]

First of all, Adleman is taking him back slowly from a major surgery, and it is clear that he is still not himself. Second, someone needs to tell McGrady that he is NOT the coach. Third, what has he done lately to deserve more playing time? Well, he did announce his surgery before even telling the front office because he was about to get traded. He SHOULD NOT complain for coming back slowly because the Rockets could have sat him out for an even longer period for the insurance money. Fuckin diva

Mcgrady is a diva and a piece of shit.

But in this situation he has a legitimate gripe. Houston has made it clear they plan to trade to him. Adelman is giving him Sasha Vujacic playing tim. Surely you realize why he's upset.

[djohn2oo8]

Mcgrady is a diva and a piece of shit.

But in this situation he has a legitimate gripe. Houston has made it clear they plan to trade to him. Adelman is giving him Sasha Vujacic playing tim. Surely you realize why he's upset.

But this is not the way to go about it, every time he has a problem he goes to the papers, and his good buddy Stephen A. Smith.

[Double-Up]

You grew it...You chew it.

You sucked it, now fuck it.

[Double-Up]

Mcgrady is a diva and a piece of shit.

But in this situation he has a legitimate gripe. Houston has made it clear they plan to trade to him. Adelman is giving him Sasha Vujacic playing tim. Surely you realize why he's upset.

Agreed, but he's coming off microfracture surgery, he has to be limited for his own benefit...he's in a contract year and doesn't give a fuck about the team right now or he would have came into shape and rehabbed last year when we acquired Ron Artest.

[badfish22]

reminds me of J-HO :bang

[Indazone]

I don't care what T-Mac says. It's what he does on the court. Does it warrant more playing time? He has never been very good at being politically correct. He speaks his mind. He wears his heart on his sleeve. Sure he is understandably frustrated at his lack of minutes but Rick doesn't want to disrupt the chemistry of the team and will work to see how T-Mac fits in along side some of the players like Ariza.

It is clear that Ariza cannot take on the primary scorer's role much like Pippen without Jordan. The Rockets and RA are not stupid. I think Adleman has pretty much told it like it is. I don't think the man is being dishonest. He's working T-Mac into the motion offense slowly. Letting T-Mac play himself back into a rhythm.

Just watch. I think Adleman starts to increase the minutes in the second half of the season. T-Mac is just being T-Mac and wearing his emotions on his sleeve. Everyone knows this by now and so they should just take it with a grain of salt.

[ulosturedge]

McGrady has made millions doing nothing the past couple of years. Nobody owes him anything. Let him earn his minutes just like everyone else. Can't believe this dude is crying already.

[21_Blessings]

I

It is clear that Ariza cannot take on the primary scorer's role much like Pippen without Jordan. .

Pippen had a MVP like season as the primary scorer the year Jordan first retired.

[Culburn369]

Good to see the Rockets in perpetual turmoil: Wafer taking a caca on Adelbrained. Adelbrained taking him back after he took a caca on him. Ariza blowing up & getting suspended for it. Double getting his gay on with dj. TMAC taking a fit and making out like a 5,000lb elephant. Adelbrained pretending he doesn't see the 5,000lb elephant.

ha, ha.

[Double-Up]

McGrady has made millions doing nothing the past couple of years. Nobody owes him anything. Let him earn his minutes just like everyone else. Can't believe this dude is crying already.

^ This guy speaks the truth. We don't owe him a motherfucking thang.

[Culburn369]

...Cept all those millions.

tee, hee.

[GuerillaBlack]

First of all, Adleman is taking him back slowly from a major surgery, and it is clear that he is still not himself. Second, someone needs to tell McGrady that he is NOT the coach. Third, what has he done lately to deserve more playing time? Well, he did announce his surgery before even telling the front office because he was about to get traded. He SHOULD NOT complain for coming back slowly because the Rockets could have sat him out for an even longer period for the insurance money. Fuckin diva

This part actually isn't true.

[Double-Up]

Good to see the Rockets in perpetual turmoil: Wafer taking a caca on Adelbrained. Adelbrained taking him back after he took a caca on him. Ariza blowing up & getting suspended for it. Double getting his gay on with dj. TMAC taking a fit and making out like a 5,000lb elephant. Adelbrained pretending he doesn't see the 5,000lb elephant.

ha, ha.

Odd comment coming from a child molester. Maybe you won't be so cocky once LeBron nuts on your face and declares you as his property.

[Culburn369]

Hey, Double, you and the boys can heist that argument (for McGrady) from the Spurs retards about how Dick isn't worth the money he makes so they ain't morally responsible for it.:lol

[Double-Up]

Hey, Double, you and the boys can heist that argument (for McGrady) from the Spurs retards about how Dick isn't worth the money he makes so they ain't morally responsible for it.:lol

But McGrady expires after the year you dumb fuck.

[Culburn369]

Odd comment coming from a child molester. Maybe you won't be so cocky once LeBron nuts on your face and declares you as his property.

Don't get upset, sonny. It's Xmas don't you know.

ha, ha.

[Culburn369]

But McGrady expires after the year you dumb fuck.

That's still $18 more million. Just say: "if he wasn't worth that money then we wouldn't a paid it to him and therefore it hasn't happened. Like TV."

:rollin

[Double-Up]

That's still $18 more million. Just say: "if he wasn't worth that money then we wouldn't a paid it to him and therefore it hasn't happened. Like TV."

:rollin

Funny you can talk, see Lakers 2004-2008...more overpaid players than we ever had this decade. :lol

[Double-Up]

Don't get upset, sonny. It's Xmas don't you know.

ha, ha.


You're a piece of shit that has no life, I'm working stacking paper while you're fucking little kids. :lol:lol:lol:lol:lol:lol

[Culburn369]

But, we've rung since then. You ain't.

[Culburn369]

You're a piece of shit that has no life, I'm working stacking paper while you're fucking little kids. :lol:lol:lol:lol:lol:lol

Yer a little kid?

tee, hee.

[Double-Up]

But, we've rung since then. You ain't.

My life doesn't revolve around NBA games. They don't win, fuck it...and fuck you too. That's it, we're done. :lmao

[Culburn369]

Sure.

[Indazone]

T-Mac will be back by post season time. Drama from T-Mac's mouth or not. He just doesn't know how to play the game very well on the political side.

[milkshakeballa]

mcgrady in a laker uniform

tee hee


in all seriousness...i will bet someone money IRL up to $750 that one of the following is in an LA Laker uniform next season:

1) Tracy McGrady
2) Manu Ginobli

[Culburn369]

The Lakers wouldn't want McGrady. And I can't believe that Manu would ever sign there.

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

Do any of these Rocketfans know how hard Yao is working to get healthy?

[The Franchise]

The article was a paste job. This is the actual interview after the Magic game.
UJ49M223kkI&feature=player_embedded

[SenorSpur]

Maybe McGrady has a gripe, but he's got no collateral, as far as I'm concerned. This is the same guy that "dogged it" in Toronto, in order to force the FO to trade him - which they finally did. This is also the same guy that quit on his teammates toward the end of his stint in Orlando, where he failed to lead them to the playoffs. It was a tough situation with Hill's injuries, but T-Mac compounded the situation by complaining and bad-mouthing the organization, in yet another attempt to force a trade. He got his wish and proclaimed things would be different. Now, he were are again. He's worn out yet another welcome with yet another team.

I have to side with Djohn and others on this one. McGrady is a talented, funky, piece of shit. He's got no track record of success, is a poor leader, and worse yet, he quits when things aren't going his way - as evidenced by the video.

[sook]

The article was a paste job. This is the actual interview after the Magic game.
UJ49M223kkI&feature=player_embedded

yea i don't get it. This was the same day, unless mcgeady has split personalities how does that work out?

[djohn2oo8]

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Rockets guard Tracy McGrady, who said on Wednesday that he wanted to increase his playing time, will instead not play at all tonight against the New Jersey Nets or Sunday in Cleveland.

Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said the team would wait until it returned to Houston after the weekend back-to-back to consider any changes to the rotation.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/6787617.html

Trade his ass for a box of cookies...Naturally, the cookies are tougher

[Culburn369]

You grew it....you chew it.

[blink]

youre an idiot djohn. you choose to copy and paste what you want and ignore the fact that tmac said he's willing to do whatever the coach or organization wants. he said he's just a player and he wants to play but will do whatever the coach wants him to do.

yeah man, he sounds like a diva there....... not.

[djohn2oo8]

youre an idiot djohn. you choose to copy and paste what you want and ignore the fact that tmac said he's willing to do whatever the coach or organization wants. he said he's just a player and he wants to play but will do whatever the coach wants him to do.

yeah man, he sounds like a diva there....... not.

Son, are you done blowing McGrady? McGrady is one of the biggest divas in sports. So that's why he complains about his playing time when he just came back from a MAJOR surgery?

1) Going to the papers multiple times before even talking to your coach is a definite sign that he is in fact an attention whore

2) Criticizing Adelman after the 07 playoff series, AND LANDRY

3) Quitting in the Toronto game last year

4) Battier has said himself that McGrady does not play defense, and when Battier needs help, all McGrady would do is point to Shane

5) McGrady would sit out half of practices while coached by JVG

6) Like before the Orlando game, McGrady would warm up apart from the team

[djohn2oo8]

Adelman is a players' coach, and when you piss off a players' coach, you are not worth a shit

[djohn2oo8]

Oh yeah, and allegedly McGrady went to Alexander's office and cried because nobody liked him

[Cant_Be_Faded]

How long ago was that toronto game?

[Culburn369]

How long ago did the Mavs go upside your cocksucker 4-1?

[djohn2oo8]

How long ago was that toronto game?

last year, but that game he didn't even try

[iggypop123]

get rid of him if they dont want to play him. he is clearly healthy why are the rockets looking for revenge on tmac. he gets alot of money but what can you do

[Indazone]

let me know when that chucking d-bag Ariza can do this.

It's time for T-Mac to play

10 pts in 7 min

mBfs5jCWWdQ

[djohn2oo8]

Yeah, and whenever he gets the ball, say goodbye to the ball movement, therefore leading to a decrease in shots for Landry, Scola, Brooks, Lowry, Budinger (when he comes back), basically inhibiting the growth of the team

[Indazone]

So you're saying Ariza gives us good ball movement? :lmao

[Indazone]

look I"m going to call it like I see it. Sitting a healthy T-Mac love him or hate him is equivalent to sitting Kobe or Lebron and saying the team is better.

[djohn2oo8]

So you're saying Ariza gives us good ball movement? :lmao

At least Ariza plays defense...McGrady needs to dominate the ball to score, Ariza just needs to shoot while his feet are set

[djohn2oo8]

look I"m going to call it like I see it. Sitting a healthy T-Mac love him or hate him is equivalent to sitting Kobe or Lebron and saying the team is better.

:lmao Ladies and gentlemen, the most idiotic statement ever posted on Spurstalk....Reality check, McGrady does not have the work ethic of Kobe, those teams need Kobe and LeBron to win, the Rockets DO NOT need
McGrady

[Indazone]

You are just a T-Mac hater Djohn..calling it like I see it.

[djohn2oo8]

You are just a T-Mac hater Djohn..calling it like I see it.

How am I a t-mac hater when he brings this on himself? He should just shut the fuck up and be complacent with 8 minutes until Adelman increases his minutes. Complaining to the media without talkin to the coach first has been proven effective in increasing playing time :rolleyes

[Indazone]

What does that have to do with what comes out of his mouth? All I am saying is that a healthy motivated T-Mac is an exceptional talent. You play the dude.

[djohn2oo8]

What does that have to do with what comes out of his mouth? All I am saying is that a healthy motivated T-Mac is an exceptional talent. You play the dude.

He has to EARN playing time back. You just can't go and start him just because of what he USED to be, and he has to earn even the playing time he was getting back. The games that he will sit out are basically a 2 game suspension for continuing to run his mouth, and he will be back after that, so chill out

[Venti Quattro]

McGrady is very much a usable at this point but he doesn't belong in Houston's system.

[djohn2oo8]

Apparently, Tracy left the team to attend his son's b-day party?

"So Tracy McGrady leaves the Rockets for son's birthday party. Hey makes sense to me. He has usually done what he wanted when he wanted." about 1 hour ago (http://twitter.com/richardjustice/status/7072288771)from UberTwitter (http://ubertwitter.com/)

http://twitter.com/RIchardJustice

[Pistons < Spurs]

Adelman and the rest of the Houston braintrust are complete dipshits. Their treatment of T-Mac and his recovery couldn't possibly play out any worse than it has so far. Their obviously and blatantly trying to stick it to him with this whole 7 minute garbage. You don't sit a talent like McGrday if he's able to compete. They're acting like little school girls and not doing what's best for the team. If they dislike him that much, give him minutes, and shop him. But don't play games.

McGrady has answered the medias questions with apparent calm, not acting like a jackass despite his displeasure with the whole situation.

[Culburn369]

Oh, Lord, this pitiful soul is back. Go back to the room that the Spurs built ya, turdhound.

[djohn2oo8]

Adelman and the rest of the Houston braintrust are complete dipshits. Their treatment of T-Mac and his recovery couldn't possibly play out any worse than it has so far. Their obviously and blatantly trying to stick it to him with this whole 7 minute garbage. You don't sit a talent like McGrday if he's able to compete. They're acting like little school girls and not doing what's best for the team. If they dislike him that much, give him minutes, and shop him. But don't play games.

McGrady has answered the medias questions with apparent calm, not acting like a jackass despite his displeasure with the whole situation.

Apparently McGrady has nuthuggers everywhere...Coming back from microfracture surgery and immediately starting is the way to go then, huh?

[djohn2oo8]

My apologies to Tracy McGrady. He apparently didn't leave the Rockets. Instead, he was sent away. Stay tuned for more details. 8 minutes ago (http://twitter.com/richardjustice/status/7074038136)from web

“Tracy didn’t feel like this is working in terms of working him back in,'' Daryl Morey told @Jonathan_Feigen (http://twitter.com/Jonathan_Feigen). This isn't going to end well.

http://twitter.com/RIchardJustice

[Hops]

My apologies to Tracy McGrady. He apparently didn't leave the Rockets. Instead, he was sent away. Stay tuned for more details. 8 minutes ago (http://twitter.com/richardjustice/status/7074038136)from web

“Tracy didn’t feel like this is working in terms of working him back in,'' Daryl Morey told @Jonathan_Feigen (http://twitter.com/Jonathan_Feigen). This isn't going to end well.

http://twitter.com/RIchardJustice

WTF?!? There better be a good trade

[Pistons < Spurs]

McGrady, Adelman disagree on role


Tracy McGrady left the Houston Rockets and returned home Saturday after being told by coach Rick Adelman that despite McGrady's wishes, his playing time would not increase.

In a strange twist to a story that has had its share of weird plot turns, the Rockets said McGrady received the team's permission to fly back to Houston, in part so that be could be home for his the birthday of his young son, Laymen.

But there clearly was an impasse between McGrady and Adelman about what the next step should be in McGrady's comeback from microfracture knee surgery, and the Rockets said the situation would be readdressed Monday after the team returns home from a back-to-back set against New Jersey and Cleveland.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out: Where do we go, and still keeping the rest of the guys moving forward?" Adelman said. "It's kind of a balancing act in trying to figure it all out, and I do not have the magic answer. I wish I did."

McGrady played short stints of 7 or 8 minutes in each of Houston's previous six games, then asked that his workload he increased. Adelman refused, and the situation reached a new juncture after the team's morning shootaround Tuesday.

"I'm a player, man," McGrady told the Houston Chronicle. "I don't make these decisions. I just abide by whatever they bring to me. That's the plan. I'm not going to argue and fight with them -- just run with it. I felt it was time [to increase the routine of playing seven to eight first-half minutes].

"I'm not going to cause any confusion or confrontations. As a player, that's what I felt. They obviously feel different. That's what I have to roll with."

McGrady has the highest salary ($23.2 million) of any player in the NBA and is in the final year of his contract, and several other teams assumed the Rockets were showcasing McGrady for a trade. But Houston general manager Daryl Morey has insisted that is not the case, saying the decision to bring back McGrady and limit his minutes was Adelman's, and there was no urgency whatsoever to trade McGrady.

Where the situation goes from here is a mystery.

"It's just an unknown," Adelman said. "And I don't have the answer for it. I just thought he was unhappy with that situation, and I was uncomfortable trying to go forward and jump-start it again.

"I don't blame any player for saying I want more, and that's basically what he wants, and right now I'm not sure how to do that."

This is the 30-year-old McGrady's sixth season with the Rockets, who have been one of the NBA's surprise success stories this year as they go through a season of transition without Yao Ming (foot surgery) and with McGrady two seasons removed from being a productive player. The 12-year veteran appeared in only 35 games last season before undergoing surgery on his left knee Feb. 24.

Of McGrady's six appearances this season, only one could reasonably be called a success -- a 10-point outing at home against the Clippers last Sunday.

"You know, he was a great player," Adelman said, "and you could go and run the offense through him and all the other guys benefited from it. But now if you're going to do that, because of the injury and the rehabilitation coming back, he suddenly can't do that and we can't go to that. And now that that's happened, it's tough. So we're trying to see if we can't keep a flow where he can still get his touches yet we don't have to put the whole onus on him right now, and that's the dilemma. We need to play a certain way, and he needs to get a feel for what we're doing. And we knew it was never going to be easy." http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4772672

[Sigz]

I think his lazy eye has had an overall effect on his game.

[sook]

Adelman and the rest of the Houston braintrust are complete dipshits. Their treatment of T-Mac and his recovery couldn't possibly play out any worse than it has so far. Their obviously and blatantly trying to stick it to him with this whole 7 minute garbage. You don't sit a talent like McGrday if he's able to compete. They're acting like little school girls and not doing what's best for the team. If they dislike him that much, give him minutes, and shop him. But don't play games.

McGrady has answered the medias questions with apparent calm, not acting like a jackass despite his displeasure with the whole situation.

I am no big fan of tmac's but your right. If they don't want him on the team they should have said it a while ago, don't make the guy wait and build the suspense up like this.

Its wrong and they basically just let him go.

[Many PackYao]

I'm really hatin' the way Analman is handling this.:bang

[sook]

im quite surprised...mcgrady has kept his calm/

[Indazone]

This really is no different than what NY did to Marbury but at least he deserved it. T-Mac worked his ass off to get into playing shape.

[Indazone]

Look the Rockets aren't going anywhere this year. Everyone knows that. Just play the man and try to get as much as you can out of him. Playing T-Mac will bring the fans in too. Adleman sucks at looking at the big picture.

[djohn2oo8]

Look the Rockets aren't going anywhere this year. Everyone knows that. Just play the man and try to get as much as you can out of him. Playing T-Mac will bring the fans in too. Adleman sucks at looking at the big picture.

Adleman is a HOF caliber coach who gets the most out of what he has. McGrady is not his type of player. Fans like you make me hope McGrady gets traded to the Nets or T-wolves

[Indazone]

Adleman is a great coach but we need to get 23 mil worth of trade for him or keep his contract and let it expire for 2010. You trade T-Mac to a playoff contending team as a half year rental. He'll be a free agent in 2010 anyways. So you have to showcase the man. How is sitting him showcasing him? Plus he will sell seats

[Indazone]

If I were to do a trade I'd try to get a big man to back up Yao. The only teams that would pay his salary would be a playoff contender trying to get up to LA quality. If we could get say Okafor or Nesterovic for him then I'd say go for it. Maybe you could trade T-Mac for Bosh but I doubt Toronto would do that right now. They can simply wait till 2010 for the T-Mac sweepstakes.

[djohn2oo8]

Adleman is a great coach but we need to get 23 mil worth of trade for him or keep his contract and let it expire for 2010. You trade T-Mac to a playoff contending team as a half year rental. He'll be a free agent in 2010 anyways. So you have to showcase the man. How is sitting him showcasing him? Plus he will sell seats

Showcasing one guy means taking shots and minutes away from other guys who have earned it...For the last time, he NEEDS the ball to dominate

[Indazone]

Showcasing one guy means taking shots and minutes away from other guys who have earned it...For the last time, he NEEDS the ball to dominate

The only way the Rockets have a snowball's chance of going up against Los Angeles, Boston or Cleveland this year, is to get a big man. T-Mac is the only way to do it. Otherwise, just let his contract expire which isn't fair to him either. We need a big man period.

[sook]

Showcasing one guy means taking shots and minutes away from other guys who have earned it...For the last time, he NEEDS the ball to dominate

True, but that doesn't mean you play games with the guy's head. Besides ariza jacked up 30 shots today and made 7.

And stop with the toronto game nonsense, fans like you sounds like you watch a fraction of the games when you capitalize on just one. It was bad, get over it, it was one in an 82 game season.

[sook]

I think Yao missing almost every season, all those games, is much worse than a dumbass toronto game.

Nope never doubt Mau Zae Yao or he will eat your children.

[Indazone]

Yao is good for about 50-60 games per season. If I were Morey, the plan should be to never play Yao on the second part of a back to back during the regular season. He needs more rest than a regular player and get a backup center who can bang in the post. Anderson is better playing like Bargnani throwing up three pointers and every now and then cutting down low for a wide open shot.

Just imagine if we had oh say Nesterovic, Yao and Anderson as interchangeble parts :)

[sook]

anderson has me surprised he is playing really well. :wow

So far Aaron, Carl, Lowry, Bud, Scola, and chuck are friggin awesome players that are critical pieces for a championship roster that would do awesome with an all star bigman (not named Yao) because he is too slow and is the antithesis of the offense anyways

[Indazone]

Bosh is perfect for the Rockets system but Yao is a force down low and love him or hate him, the dude alters shots and clogs up the entire post defensively. You still can't teach tall and he's way better than any other NBA player of his size. Manute Bol he aint.

You could run a twin towers offense with Yao/Anderson Bosh/Yao or Bosh/Anderson. All great options.

[Indazone]

Here is a new tidbit. Comments?


Adelman said he does not know when he will return McGrady to the rotation but seemed to expect McGrady to become effective for the Rockets again.

“A player of his caliber, he’s smart; he’s got skills other people don’t have,” Adelman said. “They’re in him. All the things he did before that came easy, suddenly, they’re harder.

“When you try to incorporate that into your game as a team, that’s the thing I’m struggling with. I’m trying to figure it out. As talented as he is and as smart as he is, once he gets going, he’s going to find a way. I don’t know how long it’s going to take.”

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/hotstories/6787617.html

[duncan228]

Tracy McGrady saga: What's next? (http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/11767/tracy-mcgrady-saga-whats-next)
By Chris Sheridan

In case you missed it, Tracy McGrady is no longer with the Houston Rockets (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4772672).

Physically, that is.

And perhaps only temporarily.

But if you want to start speculating on whether this separation will lead to a divorce, you'll have to wait a couple more days to have anything of substance to go on.

Coach Rick Adelman said McGrady's status will be re-addressed on Monday and/or Tuesday when the Rockets return home from a two-game back-to-back road trip that began with a 98-93 victory over the New Jersey Nets on Saturday night and concludes in Cleveland on Sunday.

Team sources said they expect the meeting(s) will involve Adelman, McGrady, general manager Daryl Morey and perhaps agent Bob Myers to discuss what will be the best way to move forward regarding McGrady, who wants his playing time increased after being limited to 46 total minutes in six games since he made his return from microfracture surgery on his left knee.

McGrady asked Adelman for an increased role, and the coach told him no. That prompted McGrady to leave the team Saturday following their morning shootaround at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J.

It remains to be seen whether McGrady will ever wear a Rockets uniform again, although one team official said Houston does not have any concrete trade offers on the table that they'd deem acceptable while still allowing them to maintain about $8-9 million in cap space (they could have even more space -- "max space" -- if they renounced several key players) to use in the summer of 2010.

"This is my fourth year being in Houston, and as players, whoever is in uniform that night, that's who we go with," Rockets forward Shane Battier said. "But there's been so many injuries, a lot of drama the last couple years, so for me and the guys who have been here, you just get the mentality that all that extracurricular activity and all the injuries, you can't worry about it. And so we've got to go with the guys who performed tonight, and that's the way we've been able to survive."

Does this speed up the timetable on a resolution between McGrady and the Rockets, whose victory Saturday night improved one of the NBA's more surprising records to 18-12?

"I don't know. I think a lot if it has to do with what the front office is thinking. We have a lot of good young players, and when you have a guy like Chase Budinger who's playing really well, and Trevor (Ariza) is developing, it's tough to take minutes away from them. It becomes a numbers game at some point," Battier said. "But Tracy has been nothing but good in the locker room, so I don't think this is a case where he's causing turmoil in the locker room. He's kept his mouth shut, he's worked hard and supported his teammates, and that's the promising part of all this."

Stay tuned.

[Culburn369]

Good to see the Rockets showin' their collective asses.

[djohn2oo8]

Here is a new tidbit. Comments?


Adelman said he does not know when he will return McGrady to the rotation but seemed to expect McGrady to become effective for the Rockets again.

“A player of his caliber, he’s smart; he’s got skills other people don’t have,” Adelman said. “They’re in him. All the things he did before that came easy, suddenly, they’re harder.

“When you try to incorporate that into your game as a team, that’s the thing I’m struggling with. I’m trying to figure it out. As talented as he is and as smart as he is, once he gets going, he’s going to find a way. I don’t know how long it’s going to take.”

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/hotstories/6787617.html

Translation: There aren't any good deals out there right now...We are gonna have to wait until the trade deadline

[monosylab1k]

McGrady for Dampier, Carroll, & Shawne Williams.

[Double-Up]

McGrady for Dampier, Carroll, & Shawne Williams.

:lol

[djohn2oo8]

What do the Rockets do with McGrady now? There's no easy answer


I feel sorry for Tracy McGrady. I could scream about his selfishness, but this thing goes way beyond McGrady caring more about himself than the team. There's a real element of sadness in this deal.

Yes, he bailed on his teammates this weekend. When Rick Adelman wouldn't give him what he wanted, McGrady got mad and left. In that moment, he revealed that he's only a member of a team as long as its in his own best interest.

Yes, he's the NBA's highest-paid player at $22.8 million, so he's not a sympathetic figure in the way most people see sympathetic figures.But he's 30 years old and on the verge of being considered a has-been. Think of how that must feel.

All we know for sure is that McGrady is a shell of the player he once was. Is he capable of being great again? That's the thing no one can answer. Meanwhile, the Rockets are playing and winning and doing things almost no one thought possible when they prepared to play a season without Yao Ming, Ron Artest and McGrady. Back when training camp began, we didn't know how good these Rockets would begin.

We've seen a team grow and get better by the day. Carl Landry has emerged as an impact player. So have Chase Budinger and Kyle Lowry and Aaron Brooks. Adelman has done a brilliant job making all the pieces fit together. He may one day look back on these Rockets as one of his proudest accomplishments.

We're now looking at these Rockets differently, but we sitll have no idea how good they're going to be. They enter today's game at Cleveland with an 18-12 record, sixth-best in the Western Conference. They've survived a brutal early schedule on a 49-victory pace. Now they play 12 of their next 17 at home.
It probably is killing McGrady to see how the Rockets have moved on without him. Their stunning success probably hurts him far more deeply than he would admit even to himself.

These Rockets are passionate, unselfish and tough as nails. Those are three traits they didn't always have when Tracy McGrady was their cornerstone. He was once as gifted as any NBA player, but even when he was at his best, there was something missing. McGrady's legacy is that he never won a playoff series. We can rationalize all the different reasons, but the bottom line is clear.

He's incapable of playing the way they're now committed to playing. Instead of turning this team into a training camp for McGrady, Adelman wants to keep moving forward.
So there's no place for McGrady. He wants to play more, but the Rockets don't think he can help.
What do we do now? The Rockets surely are desperately trying to trade him, but a tough economy has made an expiring contract less attractive than it would have been in previous years. If the Rockets trade him now, they're going to have to throw a Chase Budinger or Carl Landry into the deal. Daryl Morey is unwilling to do that.

Adelman and McGrady will meet again before Tuesday's game to determine a course of action. Adelman seems unlikely to promise more playing time, and McGrady has been unwilling to accept less.
Not that these meetings matter. Adelman thought he and McGrady had reached an agreement in their previous meeting. McGrady would trust Adelman to do what was best for both the Rockets and him. Almost immediately, he began complaining that he needed more time.
If I had a guess, I'd guess McGrady will not be back on the bench when the Rockets play New Orleans Tuesday night. I just can't see him putting the uniform back on after this latest dustup.

I just hope someone in his camp is telling him the truth. That truth is going to be tough to hear. It's that he has no allies in the locker room, none on the coaching staff or front office. Some fans still believe, but that's because they're seeing McGrady for what he once was or what they'd like him to be instead of what he actually is.
http://blogs.chron.com/sportsjustice/archives/2009/12/what_do_the_roc.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+houstonchronicle%2Fsportsjust ice+%28SportsJustice%29

[monosylab1k]

:lol

Yeah I know it's hilarious....the Rockets are getting so much in return for a player averaging 3 points a game. The Mavericks would be idiots to make that trade.

[djohn2oo8]

McGrady was to be in uniform for those 2 games, but instead chose to leave, he WAS NOT sent home

[Tracy left the team when Adelman refused to commit to playing him the minutes he wanted to play. McGrady was to be in uniform for both games.--Richard]

[McGrady chose to leave.--Richard]

Houston Chronicle writer Richard Justice
http://blogs.chron.com/sportsjustice/archives/2009/12/what_do_the_roc.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+houstonchronicle%2Fsportsjust ice+%28SportsJustice%29

[Culburn369]

Total bedlam in Houston. Good to see.

[The Franchise]

Anyone watching Ariza stink it up, and Mr. intangibles become invisible in most games, and not seeing where Tracy can get his minutes from is retarded. He has been the good soldier and played within the system in his short stints, and looked pretty good in doing so. I think Tracy is a bitch, but he's a bitch that makes the team better so I'm willing to accept it. Shane Battier and Ariza should each give ten of their minutes to McGrady, because that would put another weapon on the floor for the Rockets (neither of these motherfuckers are instilling fear in anyone). Rick Adelman is a good coach but this shit seems to be personal on his part. Using the weak excuse that he doesn't want to another Chris Webber situation makes no sense because the severity of the two injuries is like night and day. McGrady had a 2 mm spot of cartilage wearing thin on a non-weightbearing part of his knee. Doctors said other than that, the rest of his knee looked extremely healthy. Chris Webbers knee was bone on bone (as bad as it could possibly get) and they were pretty much having to drill holes to replace 95% of the cartilage in his knee. It's almost like comparing a firecracker going off in your hand to a grenade doing the same thing. IMO Adelman is being a bitch about last year.

[Double-Up]

Yeah I know it's hilarious....the Rockets are getting so much in return for a player averaging 3 points a game. The Mavericks would be idiots to make that trade.

Think about it, as an expiring contract we would a wing scorer. Plenty of teams are losing big money and will deal a good player say like a Kevin Martin, because he has a long deal and we can take another bad contract off their hands. Trust me we will get what we're looking for in time.

[nuclearfm]

McGrady and Scola for Jefferson, Mason and Bonner

[Culburn369]

It's almost like comparing a firecracker going off in your hand to a grenade doing the same thing.

Either way the wife will be opening the ketchup bottle henceforth.

tee, hee.

[Double-Up]

:lmao

So you would trade one career injured pussy, for another. Great.

It was an example fool.

[Double-Up]

McGrady and Scola for Jefferson, Mason and Bonner

We don't want your garbage.

[Venti Quattro]

McGrady for Bynum, Vujacic and Walton

[Double-Up]

McGrady for Bynum, Vujacic and Walton

Sure, why not? :lol

[Double-Up]

No one is going to help the ghetto Rockets. Some team will get a steal, most likely an Eastern Conference team.

If worst comes to worst we can send him to the Knicks for more expirings then watch him break down while trying to play uptempo basketball.:rollin

[Venti Quattro]

Sure, why not? :lol
Throw in Scola there, we'll throw another role player and we have a deal

[Double-Up]

I'm still butthurt from the Cavs ass whopping...

Artest scored 13 points and fouled out while guarding LeBron James in the Lakers' 102-87 loss to Cleveland earlier Friday.

[Double-Up]

Throw in Scola there, we'll throw another role player and we have a deal

Shannon Brown.

[djohn2oo8]

No one is going to help the ghetto Rockets. Some team will get a steal, most likely an Eastern Conference team.

???

[djohn2oo8]

Ariza is shooting 37%, and is the main reason the coach feels there is no need for TMAC...:lmao

T-Mac is the main reason that there is no need for T-Mac...Didn't you say yourself that they don't need McGrady? Budinger is also a reason they don't need McGrady

[Indazone]

Fact remains, this season everyone knows Rockets are not going to win the Championship with the roster we have. T-Mac is a chip. I say showcase him and see what he's got in the tank. Maybe he's not the T-Mac of old right now but how does a basketball player get into a rhythm, get their timing back, get into game shape? You play them.

Look at the big picture. Get some big pieces for T-Mac. At least a number one draft pick right and some players. You have to play the man to showcase him. Maybe he'll prove all the naysayers wrong and help the Rockets make a run into the playoffs. Lets at least see what he's got and the rest of the league too. Worst case is that he sucks. I can't see right now how he could possibly suck worse than Ariza.

[Chillen]

Chicago/Houston - Salmons, Miller, Hinrich for T-mac, Battier works under ESPN trade checker. I doubt Houston would ever do that deal though.

[duncan228]

McGrady finished in Houston (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AiUZjJFofNHyfoof9JUVbGm8vLYF?slug=aw-mcgradyrockets122809&prov=yhoo&type=lgns)
By Adrian Wojnarowski

Just before Christmas, one front office executive told his video coordinator to cobble together the footage of Tracy McGrady’s comeback. The executive had watched most of those unmemorable 47 minutes, but wanted to make sure that he hadn’t missed something. The evidence was incomplete, but the conclusion unmistakable: T-Mac is no longer an impact player, just an expiring contract.

“That said, how am I supposed to tell anything off the minutes they were giving him?” the executive said.

So Rockets coach Rick Adelman told basketball’s highest-paid player this season – $23 million – there were no plans to increase his role beyond the eight minutes per night, that they had witnessed nothing that warranted his insertion into the regular rotation. Once T-Mac opened his mouth and wanted his minutes elevated, he did his general manager and coach a favor: They had an excuse to tell him he was deactivated for the weekend games with New Jersey and Cleveland, that this awkward arrangement was unworkable.

This farce needs to end.

When McGrady, his agent Bob Myers and the Rockets management are done talking over the next 48 hours, two sources told Yahoo! Sports they believe the likely resolution will be McGrady leaving the Rockets and returning to Chicago to work with renowned trainer Tim Grover at Attack Athletics gymnasium.

For T-Mac and the Rockets, this is a deteriorating partnership that’s becoming increasingly combustible. His comeback has been a futile, pointless exercise this season. “I don’t understand their plan,” one NBA coach said Sunday. “Why bring him back at all to play eight minutes? They should send him away because it’s obvious Rick doesn’t want him around.”

There are no imminent trades, but rival teams say the Rockets are willing to take back long-term money for the right trade with McGrady. Sources say they’ve shown an interest in Sacramento Kings shooting guard Kevin Martin, but the Kings want to see him play with rookie Tyreke Evans once Martin returns from a broken wrist in January. The Kings would likely want the Rockets to take Beno Udrith and Andres Nocioni with Kenny Thomas’ expiring deal, but none of that is happening.

There are no legitimate discussions, just the dead-ends the Rockets are finding for McGrady. In the near future, there just isn’t a trade for McGrady. It won’t be closer to the trade deadline in mid-February, when teams start to give up on the playoffs and are more apt to give up a good player in a cost-cutting move for T-Mac’s expiring deal.

Without McGrady and Yao Ming, the Rockets have been celebrated for staying in the Western Conference playoff chase. General manager Daryl Morey and Adelman are chasing executive and coach of the year awards, improbably winning 18 of 31 games to start the season. They’re winning with defense and rebounding, with balanced ball movement on offense. Yes, it’s delicate, and Adelman sees T-Mac as the bull in his china shop.

“I’ve got to be careful because our team is on kind of a bubble,” Adelman said. “If we start changing the rotation, we start changing the way we play, it changes the whole chemistry of the team.”

McGrady, 30, is a two-time scoring champ, a seven–time All-Star, and he’s assuredly on a dramatic decline. Like most great players, he’s the last to see it. He still believes he can work his way back into a good, useful player for the Rockets this season. It won’t happen. To think that they’ll come out of this meeting with Adelman agreeing to give McGrady minutes is pure foolery.

The possibility of a contract buyout isn’t expected to be addressed now with McGrady’s agent, because there’s just no motivation for Houston to give him one until the trade deadline passes in February. Unless, of course, T-Mac is willing to give back several million dollars to become a free agent now. Here’s the one issue with him working with Grover in Chicago until a trade happens: This is a difficult time of the year for the trainer to simulate true NBA competition. Over the summer, T-Mac could run with Dwyane Wade, Jermaine O’Neal, Gilbert Arenas – lots of top pros – but that isn’t the case in the dead of winter.

Nevertheless, there are no ideal circumstances in this saga, just everyone trying to make the best of a mess. Everyone just needs to stop fooling themselves, and split once and for all. All along, this was a farce. T-Mac couldn’t prove his worth with eight minutes a game and Adelman knew that. Spare everyone the make-believe, let T-Mac leave and check when a trade, or a buyout, frees him once and for all. Yes, this farce needs to end.

[lefty]

Mitch Kupchack calling the Rockets in 3,2,...

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

If worst comes to worst we can send him to the Knicks for more expirings then watch him break down while trying to play uptempo basketball.:rollin


Yeah just like Grant Hill broke down playing uptempo ball.

[iggypop123]

so are they going to buy him out?

[Pistons < Spurs]

Twitter:


wojyahoonba

tmac has left rockets as team and agent agree to work on trade, source tells y sports



stein_line_hq

just filed to espn: Rockets/t-mac's camp agree monday to work together in searching for a trade before the league's feb. 18 trading deadline

stein_line_hq

sources say rockets totally against buying tmac out but have granted him indefinite leave from team while team/tmac's agents pursue trades

[DPG21920]

I don't know what the Rockets could expect to get in return now. They have no bargaining power and they are also not in a rush to move him because he expires. Will be interesting to see how this shakes out.

[duncan228]

McGrady to leave Rockets, waiting on trade (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-mcgradytrade1228089&prov=yhoo&type=lgns)
By Adrian Wojnarowski

Tracy McGrady and the Houston Rockets have reached a mutual decision that allows him to leave the team while two sides try to facilitate a trade, likely ending the former All-Star guard’s tenure with the franchise, an NBA source said Monday.

McGrady and his representatives met with team officials earlier in the day after Rockets coach Rick Adelman made it clear last week he had no plans to increase the guard’s minutes. McGrady then returned to Houston with Adelman’s blessing before the

Rockets’ games in New Jersey and Cleveland.

McGrady had averaged just under eight minutes in six appearances after missing the first 23 games of the season while recovering from microfracture knee surgery. He is expected to return to Chicago and work out with trainer Tim Grover.

[DPG21920]

Also, the Rockets should try and move Yao as well. That would open up a lot of cap space.

[BadOdor]

Also, the Rockets should try and move Yao as well. That would open up a lot of cap space.

Yao's value does not stem exclusively from him actually playing.

[iggypop123]

ok so no buy out. i can see them getting talent but not on a expiring salary only basis.

[Venti Quattro]

Who would possibly get T-Mac right now?

[DPG21920]

Any team looking for a massive chunk of salary to fall off the books.

[Many PackYao]

He either wants to go back to Orlando or play for the Lakers.

[DaDakota]

Watch Golden State, Indiana, Sacremento, NY to look to get in on the McGrady sweepstakes.

DD