Bruno
12-23-2006, 08:18 AM
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA122306.07C.BKNspurs.notebook.366c68d.html
Web Posted: 12/23/2006 12:39 AM CST
Mike Monroe and Johnny Ludden
Express-News
Houston guard Tracy McGrady missed his sixth-straight game Friday night with back spasms.
McGrady wasn't even inside the AT&T Center to watch his teammates play the Spurs. Instead, he remained in Waco, where on Thursday he began working with a back specialist who has had good success helping other athletes, including tennis star Andy Roddick and Olympic sprinter Michael Johnson.
McGrady is hoping the exercise and stretching regimen he is undergoing in Waco provides relief. Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy has a more difficult time finding hope.
"No, I'm not hopeful," Van Gundy said before Friday's game. "I'm not, because I'm realistic. Tracy obviously is a great player, and yet I'm not focused on him because there is nothing I can do about his situation."
The Rockets have managed to win games without McGrady and must focus more on how they managed that, Van Gundy said, rather than waiting for him to rejoin them.
"Sure, I'm concerned (about McGrady)," Van Gundy said. "It's not just that. My concerns have been since last year. Nothing's changed. To think that it was going to be cured over a summer, no. He's got issues and he has to manage them the best he can and we have to manage them the best we can. Yet, we can't wait on him to play well because we don't know how long it's going to be. We just have to get ready."
The Rockets have blown big leads over their six-game stretch without McGrady, a span that has produced four losses.
"I think we know what we have to do," Van Gundy said. "Right now I'm not sure we're willing to do it long enough to outlast other teams. The thing we're really missing is the thing that really sets San Antonio apart right now, which is their penetration. Tracy is our penetration game."
Brotherly love: Brent Barry's older brother, Jon, worked Friday's game as an analyst for ESPN.
Jon pledged to "jab" Brent as often as possible — similar to the way he treated him as a child.
"I beat him more than the others," Jon said, referring to his two other brothers, Scooter and Drew. "I remember the best shot I got on him. He turned the corner and was running up the stairs. I came around the corner and dived halfway up the stairs and got him with a fist right in the middle of the back.
"He just melted down the stairs like the cartoons. It was the best."
Welcome back: The Spurs will run into a familiar face tonight in Oklahoma City: Devin Brown.
The Hornets signed Brown on Friday to help offset the loss of injured players Bobby Jackson, Peja Stojakovic and David West.
Brown, who spent parts of three seasons with the Spurs, hasn't played anywhere since Golden State waived him shortly before the start of training camp.
Jackson could return next week, but Stojakovic is expected to be out at least two months after undergoing back surgery. West also could be out that long.
"Devin is a proven NBA player and he'll help strengthen our backcourt with his ability to play both the shooting guard and the small forward positions," Hornets general manager Jeff Bower said in a statement.
Web Posted: 12/23/2006 12:39 AM CST
Mike Monroe and Johnny Ludden
Express-News
Houston guard Tracy McGrady missed his sixth-straight game Friday night with back spasms.
McGrady wasn't even inside the AT&T Center to watch his teammates play the Spurs. Instead, he remained in Waco, where on Thursday he began working with a back specialist who has had good success helping other athletes, including tennis star Andy Roddick and Olympic sprinter Michael Johnson.
McGrady is hoping the exercise and stretching regimen he is undergoing in Waco provides relief. Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy has a more difficult time finding hope.
"No, I'm not hopeful," Van Gundy said before Friday's game. "I'm not, because I'm realistic. Tracy obviously is a great player, and yet I'm not focused on him because there is nothing I can do about his situation."
The Rockets have managed to win games without McGrady and must focus more on how they managed that, Van Gundy said, rather than waiting for him to rejoin them.
"Sure, I'm concerned (about McGrady)," Van Gundy said. "It's not just that. My concerns have been since last year. Nothing's changed. To think that it was going to be cured over a summer, no. He's got issues and he has to manage them the best he can and we have to manage them the best we can. Yet, we can't wait on him to play well because we don't know how long it's going to be. We just have to get ready."
The Rockets have blown big leads over their six-game stretch without McGrady, a span that has produced four losses.
"I think we know what we have to do," Van Gundy said. "Right now I'm not sure we're willing to do it long enough to outlast other teams. The thing we're really missing is the thing that really sets San Antonio apart right now, which is their penetration. Tracy is our penetration game."
Brotherly love: Brent Barry's older brother, Jon, worked Friday's game as an analyst for ESPN.
Jon pledged to "jab" Brent as often as possible — similar to the way he treated him as a child.
"I beat him more than the others," Jon said, referring to his two other brothers, Scooter and Drew. "I remember the best shot I got on him. He turned the corner and was running up the stairs. I came around the corner and dived halfway up the stairs and got him with a fist right in the middle of the back.
"He just melted down the stairs like the cartoons. It was the best."
Welcome back: The Spurs will run into a familiar face tonight in Oklahoma City: Devin Brown.
The Hornets signed Brown on Friday to help offset the loss of injured players Bobby Jackson, Peja Stojakovic and David West.
Brown, who spent parts of three seasons with the Spurs, hasn't played anywhere since Golden State waived him shortly before the start of training camp.
Jackson could return next week, but Stojakovic is expected to be out at least two months after undergoing back surgery. West also could be out that long.
"Devin is a proven NBA player and he'll help strengthen our backcourt with his ability to play both the shooting guard and the small forward positions," Hornets general manager Jeff Bower said in a statement.