May 8, 2007, 12:18AM
Standing pat not the way to improve
By RICHARD JUSTICE
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle
I sometimes get the feeling Tracy McGrady says what he thinks he's supposed to say
instead of what he actually believes. On Monday, some truth slipped out.
At least I think that's what happened. I actually have no idea why he'd throw a teammate under the bus the way he did. Maybe that's his definition of leadership.
It happened when McGrady was asked one of those routine questions about what the Rockets could do to improve. He could have said a dozen different things that would have offended no one. He could even have said that he needed to get better.
Instead, he pointed a finger at perhaps the hardest-working, most decent player on the team — power forward Chuck Hayes.
"I think we've got to add a couple of pieces to our team — athleticism at the four (power forward) position," he said.
Ouch. He also said the Rockets needed a backup point guard and "another guy who can create when I'm out of the game." Those are safe, vague recommendations. Those recommendations hurt no one.
Question of heart
He's right that the Rockets need a better power forward. They also need a starting point guard and a lot more depth. They've got more needs than they're likely to fill in one offseason.
But their No. 1 need would be for Hayes to transfer some of his heart to McGrady. If all the Rockets had more Chuck Hayes in them, they would have spent Monday dealing with the Golden State Warriors instead of answering questions about an uncertain offseason.
Let's begin the postmortem there. It'll lead into a discussion of Jeff Van Gundy's future, but first a word about McGrady.
Of all the things that should be troubling the Rockets about their playoff loss to the Utah Jazz, McGrady's name is atop the list.
No one can argue with his numbers (25.3 points, 7.3 assists and 5.9 rebounds per game in the playoffs). No one can argue that the Rockets need to get better players around him.
McGrady must take charge
But it would also be hard to argue that he's going to be the guy to lead the Rockets to a championship based on his playoff performances in 2005 and 2007.
Against Utah, Games 6 and 7 were there to be won. McGrady failed to deliver either time. And let's be clear about this: It's on him.
That's who he's supposed to be. That's why the Rockets wanted him in the first place. They believed he'd take over games the same way Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan did. He wants to be considered alongside Tim Duncan, Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant, but so far he hasn't delivered the way those guys have.
Instead, he settled for jump shots when he should have been relentless in the paint to force the action. He made no plays on the defensive end, either. Except for Game 5, he didn't change the outcome.
McGrady said all the right things Monday about the hurt he felt and about gearing up for another run next season. Those are just words. The Rockets are kidding themselves if they're not looking at McGrady differently these days.
Lots of work for Morey
Three years ago, they were convinced that placing McGrady beside Yao Ming would create the foundation of a championship team. They now know they need much more. They need more players who care as much as Hayes cares. They need players willing to penetrate the lane and create plays. They need players capable of knocking down clutch shots. They need quickness, too.
McGrady and Yao may yet be part of a championship team, but it won't happen if the Rockets don't add toughness, speed and perimeter offense.
They can't be looking at Rafer Alston and Luther Head the same way, either.
Neither produced in the playoffs. Kirk Snyder played his way out of the playoff rotation.
In Daryl Morey's first offseason as general manager, he has a laundry list of work to do and little salary-cap room. If you're thinking McGrady should be traded, you're not living in the real world. Trading McGrady would mean taking two or three bad contracts from someone else. In effect, the Rockets would be starting over.
What will Van Gundy do?
That's where Van Gundy enters the picture. I'm guessing he won't return to the Rockets.
That's nothing more than a guess, because he isn't saying. I spent a half-hour in his office Monday afternoon and came away with a picture of a guy truly torn about coaching.
"I love basketball, but I hate what it does to me," he said at one point.
He's a terrific coach, honest with his players, conscientious and strategically sound.
The Rockets probably won't hire anyone better, though visions of Larry Brown surely are dancing in Leslie Alexander's head.
It's true that a split developed between Alexander and Van Gundy last summer, but it's unlikely their differences will have anything to do with whether Van Gundy stays or goes.
His decision likely will be based on two things. First, does he want to continue to coach? Can he deal with a life in which he frets over the victories and is tortured by the losses? There will be other factors, but deciding if he has had enough of coaching seems to be the most important factor.
There are two lesser considerations. One involves Morey himself. He's a rookie executive on every level. He and Van Gundy don't know one another well enough to have a relationship.
Finally, there's the roster.
Could someone else get more out of McGrady and Yao? Van Gundy said he wants to think that through. He wants to consider if those players would respond to a new voice.
In the end, the Rockets will remain compe ive even with a new coach. Hiring the right coach would be monumentally important, but it's still about the players. It's about McGrady. It's about his ability to get it.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...s/4783963.html
I think Justice is reading too much into this -- he could've been just as easily talking about Howard -- but it would be nice if Hayes was in play this summer.
Thats uncalled for. You say that stuff behind closed doors to your GM, not to the media. Could you imagine Duncan saying, "we had a couple stupid fouls late in the game" after last years game 7 foul by Ginobili? TMac just trying to deflect blame now. He's the common denominator in all his first round exits, he needs to realize that.
I dont really think he was calling out Hayes, it is the truth that thy eneed to get better at the 4, they get no scoring from that position. Hayes is a nice player with a ton of heart and hustle, but he cant create his own shot and really has no offensive skills. But they need a point even more
Boozer ass raped the Rockets in that series precisely because they had no athletic big men to try to throw at him. The only person with the size to even try to guard him was Yao and Boozer just went around him every time. Hayes and Howard didn't have the strength or speed to try to stay with him on the block. What part of what McGrady said wasn't true? Big men are getting more and more athletic across the league. The Rockets haven't stayed up with that trend and it cost them this series.
That sounded more like Richard Justice angling to take a shot a McGrady than McGrady viciously attacking a teammates ability.
he did admit they need a better, more athletic power forward next season. i think he was attacking the throwaway comment and howard's disappearing act as well. justice likes mcgrady, for what it's worth.
I agree.
Stupid "story".
That is not throwing Hayes under the bus. That's a bull news angle. The Rockets DO NEED more athleticism at the four. Chuck Hayes is or at least should be just thankful that he's in the league at all for being a 6-6 unathletic power forward. Let's be real. In the West with Duncan, KG, Dirk, Gasol, Boozer, Brand, Nene, Randolph, if you want your team to compete, it needs a long, athletic power forward who can hold his own against those guys.
I don't think there's anything wrong with what T-Mac said in this particular case. He's still a choker and a chump for saying it's all on him and then assuming he was going to get out of the first round after the first two games. But, he said nothing wrong here, in my opinion.
Not sure you could tell that Justice likes McGrady based on that article....he basically called him heartless. And when I began to read the article, I thought McGrady's comments would be DIRECT and INCENDIARY....and they were much less than that. McGrady was asked a blanket question about how he thought they could improve and he answered honestly.
Hayes plays with heart and Howard too, but neither deserves to be a starting-calibur PF on a supposed championship-contending team. He was just saying the first "need" that came to his mind...it would be my first thought too.
i've been reading justice for a couple years now, and he does like mcgrady. he didn't like how direct that particular comment was, but i know he does like him. he even agrees with mcgrady's overall sentiment later in the article.
I remember when Richard Justice was one of the best sportswriters in America, before the Houston Chronicle had him sell out into an inflammatory hack who writes things solely to get a rise out of people, so the chron.com website can get more page views and blog hits.
I really wish he could find work at a better media outlet.
should have kept stromile swift.
McGrady also said they need a backup point guard. Was he throwing John Lucas and Luther Head under the bus?
Also, LMAO at how Bonzi totally screwed this team. Playoff Bonzi from last year might have made them the best team in the postseason.
he still writes some good stuff.
You think thets bad
Rememba when Yao first entered the league and espn.com had an article that said "Long before the King James Dynasty there was a forgotten dynasty: The Ming Dynasty" thereby implying that yao ming would have multiple championships?????
Rememba???
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