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Is a T-Mac that hasn't been played a more trade-able asset than a T-Mac that gets limited minutes?
Adelman says team can’t afford to carry McGrady
For a decision to be based on something so simple, the question of when Tracy McGrady will play basketball quickly grew complicated.
After all the drama of his declared target date now two weeks past and insistence that he is ready, McGrady has returned to Rockets practices and continued to travel with the team, hoping for his chance like so many players on the fringe of a roster.
Rockets coach Rick Adelman said again on Wednesday that there is “no timetable” for McGrady's return. There is, he said, one criterion to meet for McGrady to make his season debut. McGrady, Adelman said, must be ready in Adelman's estimation to help the Rockets win.
As uncomplicated as that seems, however, the decision seems more about basketball than health considerations, with the Rockets wanting McGrady to improve in private workouts and team practices, rather than to move his next step of rehab to actual games. McGrady's most recent prediction about when he would return had him playing by the Rockets' current road trip. That now seems unlikely.
“We have to keep talking about it and evaluating it,” Adelman said. “It's more than just throwing him out there. It's how is it going to affect our team, how is he going to help us, how many minutes can he play. All those things I feel in my mind I have to be certain about.”
The decision has been made more difficult, Adelman said, because the Rockets can no longer afford a step back if McGrady works his way back on the court.
“Last year, we were able to work him in, even if he struggled some, because we had Yao (Ming), we had Ron (Artest); we were pretty good,” Adelman said. “This year, how much effect will he have on us? That's what I'm trying to judge now. He's coming along, but you want him to be able to go out and do well and us do well, so it's a win-win situation.
“Tracy wants to play, but we want to be very cautious about it. We tried that last year, when he was in and out of the lineup. We want to be sure when he is there, he doesn't have any setbacks. When the time is right and we feel he is going to be a positive addition, we'll make that decision.”
Not a distraction
The Rockets, insist, however, that there has been no distraction from McGrady's moving closer to the court or contending he is ready to be there now. After knowing for months that they were have to play without McGrady and Yao Ming, they play now with McGrady's availability uncertain, but said they are not concerning themselves with the timing of his return.
“Somebody could start thinking about it, but we're not coaches to decide,” Luis Scola said. “We're not his knees to decide when he's going to be helping us or when he'll be able to do what he was doing forever.
“We just need to play through. Right now, he's not on the team. We can't do anything about it. He looks good. We have to worry about what we have to do to win with the team we have.”
Fewer changes
Last season, when McGrady and Artest went in and out of the lineup, sometimes shortly before tipoff, the continually changing lineups became a distraction. The Rockets had 17 different starting lineups last season; one this season. Eventually, they do seem to expect another change, even if there is still little clue about when that will be.
“I never played with anyone who has had microfracture (surgery), so I don't have a baseline,” Shane Battier said. “The things that make him special — his court vision, his presence — are still there. Obviously, timing will be an issue.
“We haven't seen him go up and down. But he doesn't look too bad.”
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl...kn/6750354.html
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Is a T-Mac that hasn't been played a more trade-able asset than a T-Mac that gets limited minutes?
Use him as an assistant coach
I call horse . Everything in quotes is positive.
Quote: “Last year, we were able to work him in, even if he struggled some, because we had Yao (Ming), we had Ron (Artest); we were pretty good team,” Adelman said. “This year, not so much"...
i wonder would the situation change if yao was in tmacs position atm out injured and contract year, would he get the same treatment like tmac up for trade and , or the rockets just hold onto yao cause they dont wanna upset china = revenue....
Yao has never been a diva. He just works hard unlike Me-Mac. Of course the Rockets want to keep him. Aside from making a lot of money for the Rockets, Yao is a great player when "healthy". At least now they know how many games and minutes he can play. Now that we know he typically gets hurt around 70 games, I'd say go 15 percent below that and play him about 60 games in the season to save wear and tear on his feet and legs.
The goods.
Smell a trade coming, coach Adelmen probably just wants to frustrate T-Mac and have him demand a trade. If this continues and he doesn't demand a trade it's probably because he knows he's damaged goods. I've been saying for 3 yrs that the Rockets should trade T-Mac for another star player while he's still a star.
They've been trying to trade him, but they have been getting garbage offers. They want Kevin Martin, but will wait til he gets healthy and most likely make a trade for him because Sacramento is playing well without him, and are looking to move his contract.
If rick considers him a timing bomb to chemistry, then a buyout deal may be the best ending for both sides imho. The free T-Mac would sign with a team he believes to reward him a championship ring, something he's never gotten close to even. Spurs would definitely be behind none in the pursuit for T-Mac once he comes free, given how disappointing has been so far. And I don't think a well-rested T-Mac would bring anything negative to the Spurs chemistry, especially considering T-Mac is probably one of the only two HOF caliber players active that still haven't got a ring. Anyway it's still too early for him to fold up his career imho, since AI also has chosen to stay.
As to the Rockets side, T-Mac may give up some contract-guaranteed cash if a buyout deal is reached and the young players have been playing well. Anyway the Rockets had already ended their decade-long shame of 2nd round, and they're not supposed to go anywhere further than last season considering the uprising powers in west and the re-energized traditional contenders.
Buy him out, let the Lakers Sign Him, He Comes off the bench and wins a championship
no reason to buy him out. Insurance is paying us for every game he misses. We'll just keep him on the pine and shatter his hopes. No biggy.
Question....How in the heck did Houston get Scola?
Ssssssssshhhhhhhhhh! We don't talk about that here, Camper.
Seriously was it Bonner plus 10 million dollars for Scola?
I asked once, and it was like I was an Indian.
The Rockets have acquired forwards Jackie Butler and Luis Scola from the Spurs for point guard Vassilis Spanoulis and a 2nd round pick in 2009. Butler hasn’t gotten much of a chance to show what he can do in the NBA yet. He played in 11 games (2 starts) last season for the Spurs and he averaged 9.4 minutes, 3.7 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. He shot well as he hit 45.7% from the floor and 90% from the free throw line. Butler has played in 69 NBA games (2 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 12.3 minutes, 5.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. He has made 53.9% of his shots from the floor over his NBA career and 77.5% of his free throws. Scola is a 6′9″, 230 pound power forward who was drafted by the Spurs in 2002. He has played overseas and has done well so the Rockets have high hopes for him.
http://www.rocketslocker.com/2007/07...rom-the-spurs/
...Oh, my.
That pick ended up being Blair right? If last night was any indication maybe that trade equals out a little.
Yeaah...At least Scola isn't scared of bats, though
ACLs are overated
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