McGrady shows signs he could be in decline
10:59 PM CST on Saturday, November 22, 2008
David Moore
Dallas Morning News
One of the most explosive, exciting players in the league is missing.
It's too early to determine if this is a slump or the first signs of a star in decline.
Tracy McGrady isn't himself these days. Even if he wasn't the first to tell you, a glance at his stats would reveal something isn't right.
His average of 15.9 points for Houston is a nine-year low. McGrady is shooting below 40 percent for the first time in his career and has already failed to score in double-digits four times.
McGrady, 29, had surgery on his left knee more than six months ago and still grapples with a loss of leg strength. There are 42 players in the league who average more points.
Are you sure we're talking about Tracy McGrady and not Tracy Morgan, that guy on 30 Rock?
"I feel like I can get to the basket," McGrady said. "I feel like in spurts, I can go out there and play normal. I can't jump [well] right now, but when I'm out there, I really try not to think about it."
It's hard to look at McGrady early this season and think he's the same player.
"We've got to get him to a point where he feels confident, and he's got to get to a point where he feels confident in how he moves," Rockets coach Rick Adelman said.
"Right now, he's having a hard time. On the floor, we would play pick-and-roll. It used to be something he could do so easily. But right now, they're just jumping so hard, so it's tough to come off and find people he used to find. That's something we have to live with right now."
Houston is using McGrady more as a facilitator than a scorer. He is the Rockets' best passer. But his average of 4.3 assists is also at a nine-year low.
McGrady feels out of sync and suggests he might need a few more touches, a few more minutes, to get going. Here's the conundrum if you're Adelman: Do you give him more minutes knowing the wear and tear can catch up to him over the course of the season, or do you use this opportunity to transition him into a new role?
McGrady's and Yao Ming's durability has plagued Houston for years. Ron Artest will ease the nightly demands on both players. He's a temperamental time bomb, but his presence will make the Rockets a little less reliant on McGrady for success.
The key is to get all three on the same offensive page.
Houston has scored 100 or more points in a game only twice. The team's average of 91.7 is five points less than last season and ranks among the bottom five in the league.
Yao's scoring average of 16.9 points is the lowest since his rookie season six years ago. The Rockets must get him the ball when he's on the move. When they wait until he's stationary, it allows defenses to double-team and force him to pass.
Forward Shane Battier, recovering from off-season foot surgery, hasn't played. Houston misses his ball movement, 3-point range and defense.
"We haven't been real happy offensively," Adelman said. "We've struggled with ball movement and shooting the ball. It's been difficult getting into a really good flow. We haven't been as good defensively as we have been last year.
"We have a lot of work ahead of us."
The same can be said of McGrady.
"It's a different role for me," he concedes.
We'll soon find out if that role is by design or defined by a decline in skill.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcont...e.3be7118.html
Signs? LOL, the dude has had it tattoed into his forehead.
The doctors and organization say it is mostly mental and that he needs to strengthen his knee by playing.
Tmac's problem is that he is scared, and is just not going all out.
They are worried if he sits, he won't be dedicated to his rehab....which, uh was proven over the summer by his not...uh...doing the rehab.
DD
Mcgrady will miss most of this season....again
Does McGrady top the "What could have been list" of active players?
Him and his cousin Vince.
I don't see anything to make an article about. McGrady has never been a great player.
Sad truth is, I agree. This is a guy who even when healthy does not have the ability to lead a team to greatness, and thats in spite of the fact he's perennially injured.
He had arthoscopic surgery, the team says he needs to play through it to strengthen his knee, he says he wants to sit.
What a prima donna panzy.
DD
Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?McGrady is shooting below 40 percent for the first time in his career
TMac is 29 going on about 83.
you my friend are an idiot.
I'm just like the next guy getting pissed at mcgrady for being a vagina, but give him credit for shooting the ball around 50% and making 5 threes vs Washington in the 4th.
If he needs to take time off during a memphis game or something, I'm all for it because he doesn't need to prove how tuff he is to re s like you when you saw what happened to Yao last season.
I don't even have to say anything to this post, you are a renowned dumbass.
Mcgrady on decline is better than 85% of the league
*not talking about stats this early yr either*
Dude, you haven't been around long enough. SD is this guy:
Dude, you haven't been around long enough. SD is this guy:
you realize he's doing a bit and baiting people, right?
yessums
And you want me to ask Clutch to get you back in...ROFLMAO !!!!
The point is that Tmac is a wuss...and now that things have started to go well, what does he do?
"I need more touches"
Followed by
"I may need to shut it down"
The guy is like Peter crying wolf.....
The sooner he takes a back seat the sooner the team can start winning consistently because as a leader, he sucks.
DD
I'm still banned after 2 months ...
wanna know the sequence of events?
Banned 2 wks..
Unbanned.
Upgraded to a member the next day
Banned later on that same day while not even having made a post.
2 months later...
What kind of fan site messes with people like that?
Anyways....I'm tired of your teenage girl self pmsing, crying about how if someone wants to take a game off or not it's the end of the world.
If you're as good of a rockets fan as you claim to be you should at least know this by now...
1) Never listen to anything McGrady says.
Take a deep breath and don't take an Antisonic type of approach when it comes to matters like these.
i don't care what topic this is or who is it about but this statement right here is pure gold.
I dont know if McGardy is an all-time great but for aw hile he WAS te 2nd best perimeter player in the league behind Kobe true mostly it was for scoring kinda like a lattter day George Gervin or Dominique Wilkins but Nique wasnt on the all time 50 even though he was healthier than McGrady I would say Mcgrady is in category with Paul Pierce but Pierece is more durable has a ring Finals MVP and is now sure HOF'er Mcgrady still borderline ...and if he could have stayed healthy (much like grant Hill) he would of been a shoe-in.
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