Tracy McGrady Leaving The Rockets

[ManUp]

My point was not to compare the respective players mentioned. My point was not to throw out all the great players in the league. Notice I did not mention Dwight Howard, Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzski, Steve Nash, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Brandon Roy, all of the Big three, etc., etc.

The five players I mentioned, and I guess you could throw Vince Carter into that mix and former player Stephon Marbury, is that each of them built their game around the Michael Jordan image of a basketball player that David Stern then turned into the definition of a basket media star. Stern created a generation of ball dominant, shoot first, pass second, the offense starts and stops with me, I can't be fouled and never call a foul on me, I'll play defense when I want not because I have to, non-team oriented more me oriented players. I really have despised that type of ball player for a long long time.

So, I hope that makes things clearer. I never meant to insult anyone's intelligence.

While I would agree in your displeasure of the promotion of "I" and not "We", I don't think it's fair to put Kobe, Lebron, etc in the same category as Iverson, T-mac, and others (Steve Francis, Marbury, Carter, etc).  The latter players mentioned don't know how to win, at all.  Nor do/did they play both ends of the court or work on any basketball skill other than shooting.  Their existence on a court does not necessarily mean the team is a better team.  I would contend that a team with Lebron, Kobe, and some others you alluded to is a better team with them on it.  And that's not just because the "rules are catered to them."

While Kobe and LeBron are much better players than the others I listed, they are still the same type of player. I don't dislike the players so much as the type of player. Just because Kobe and LeBron are good enough in that role as a player to successful doesn't mean that they are not that type of player. I would also contend that Lebron, much like Carter early and Wade without Shaq, has only had regular season winning success in that role and not post season.

Very few players can pull off the MJ role in basketball at the star level and win championships. Kobe has but he also played with the most dominant center of his time for 3 of those 4 titles. Wade did but he once again played with the most dominant big man of his era. No one else has been able to pull it off. The Spurs, the Pistons, the Celtics, and the Magic Lakers and any team prior to 1980 were all team oriented teams to win the title.

For me, I say get rid of the "type" of player these guys are and NBA basketball will get much better.

Where does Dirk Nowitzki "type" fit in your analogy of players?

Not sure what you mean. He's definitely not the ball dominant, all about me type of player. He's a great team player that is very versatile in his game. He's not constantly demanding the ball or trying to create off the dribble or making the entire offense revolve all around him.

McGrady isn't the ball dominant player you make him out to be, and is every bit as versatile as Nowitzki. The only issue a person could really have with McGrady is that he doesn't always give the effort. He's as willing a passer as he is a scorer, he rebounds, and can defend when he wants. The rockets think they don't need him due to their recent play-off success, but they are easily better with him than without him.

[Finkelskyhook]

Addition by subtraction for the Rockets...McGrady plays when he feels like playing.  He is the antithesis of the team Adelman has built.

[Rondo_is_better]

Its impossible to know if McGrady is still the great scorer he once was without seeing him play extended minutes for about 20 games. He's been injured for so long, it make him a question mark. If the Rockets don't want him, though, that's pretty telling. They have been seeing him in practice. If he was still "Tracy McGrady" then they'd probably be playing him right now.

[makaveli]

Say whatever you want about Tracy, but he scored 13 points in 35 seconds against the San Antonio, that was one of the most impressive things I've ever saw.
I think this will settle down, and he'll be in starting five come February.

[Redz]

Looks like he's played his last game for the Rockets for sure

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/6789894.html

[Chief]

This should be something Minny should look at. They could trade Blount, Cardinal, Wilkins, and the rights to Ricky Rubio (I think you can do this) for the McGrady.

On paper, Minny looks pretty good.

Love
Jefferson
Brewer
McGrady
Flynn

[guava_wrench]

My point was not to compare the respective players mentioned. My point was not to throw out all the great players in the league. Notice I did not mention Dwight Howard, Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzski, Steve Nash, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Brandon Roy, all of the Big three, etc., etc.

The five players I mentioned, and I guess you could throw Vince Carter into that mix and former player Stephon Marbury, is that each of them built their game around the Michael Jordan image of a basketball player that David Stern then turned into the definition of a basket media star. Stern created a generation of ball dominant, shoot first, pass second, the offense starts and stops with me, I can't be fouled and never call a foul on me, I'll play defense when I want not because I have to, non-team oriented more me oriented players. I really have despised that type of ball player for a long long time.

So, I hope that makes things clearer. I never meant to insult anyone's intelligence.

Stern did it? I consider this a very problematic post.

There have been dominant scorers in the league since before Stern. The only difference is that people buy more jerseys now and pro leagues have online all star voting. There are also more media outlets fighting for an audience. To get an audience, you put out the media that people want.

Blame coaches if you don't like the style of play. They are the ones who run their offense through their scorer, like with LeBron and TMac. They let those players dominate the ball. It took Doc to make Pierce play off the ball more.

It is not Stern's fault that people don't watch Duncan/Spurs games. Look at NBAtv and the fan voting for games on Tuesday. It is the fans who are responsible for exalting the individual, not the league.

I would also go pre-Jordan and focus on the cult of the individual when talking about 'Bird and Magic saving the NBA' though they both had hall of fame teammates.

I would blame AAU basketball and the beauty of the sport itself for problems in playing style. I would also blame a general change in how Americans feel about authority, which makes it harder to coach players. You can see this in any place of work, not just on sports teams.

I would also ask, what players sneakers? This has nothing to do with Stern, but plays a role in presenting the player to the public. It also gives us insight into what players generate $. This means that media sources can get more audience by having features on those players and lots of highlights.

I would also blame Jordan. Young players watched Come Fly With Me and wanted to play like him. Stern had nothing to do with this. The media also craved another Jordan. It wasn't Stern who was calling players the next Jordan. It was us, the fans, and the media.

[WeMadeIt17]

Whoever gets him gets the curse and does not get out of the 1st round.

[dark_lord]

[WeMadeIt17]

If you could get a billion TP's You deserve it! Wow acutually Laughed out loud on that one!

[dark_lord]

If you could get a billion TP's You deserve it! Wow acutually Laughed out loud on that one!

thanks....its a good one

[QuinielaBox]

T-Mac should go out drinking with Vin Baker, smoke dope with Mark Blonut, Join Fatione Walker in Vegas, or go fax his resumes to the New Zealand Basketball Association. Or maybe he can convince the Clippers to trade Blake Griffin and 20 million dollars of cap fillers for him (DOH).

[Greenbean]

Listen Tmac's game is what it is. Before his injury troubles, you couldve switched his and Paul Pierce's places and he wouldve fit right in on the big 3 here. He was effective in 1 on 1 situations and had tons of offensive skill. Pierce figured out how to fit into a team oriented system and Tmac can too. Hes not a head case but he does deserve more than the 10 minutes a game he is getting now if he really is healthy. Unless he is demanding the ball and expressing desire to hoist 25 shots a game, let the man prove or disprove he can still play.

[RJ87]

Say whatever you want about Tracy, but he scored 13 points in 35 seconds against the San Antonio, that was one of the most impressive things I've ever saw.
I think this will settle down, and he'll be in starting five come February.

how many years ago did he do that?

I have no doubt that he can still score, but Houston is playing really solid ball right now. Can't fault them for not wanting to fix what's not broken.

[soap07]

While Kobe and LeBron are much better players than the others I listed, they are still the same type of player. I don't dislike the players so much as the type of player. Just because Kobe and LeBron are good enough in that role as a player to successful doesn't mean that they are not that type of player. I would also contend that Lebron, much like Carter early and Wade without Shaq, has only had regular season winning success in that role and not post season.

Okay, I'll take the bait here. Has Lebron won a ring? No. But he brought a garbage cast of characters to the Finals and has been out of the first round numerous times with an inferior supporting cast. But let's take a step back and look at the larger point of your post.

I'm curious as to what part of Lebron's game is evidence to your assertion that his brand of basketball is bad for the NBA, similar to Allen Iverson. (Note: I understand that you weren't comparing talent levels - but that both players' brand of basketball isn't good for the NBA). If anything, more younger players/up and coming NBA players should strive for Lebron's style of play.

Lebron certainly works hard off the court. His defense has significantly improved since his rookie year. His rebounding has improved, in relatively the same minutes, from 5.5 to about 7 per game. His outside shooting has gone up from 29% to about 36% this year. Even his passing has improved. He definitely plays hard on both ends of the court and is universally considered a very good teammate. He certainly isn't selfish on the court. What about his game is not good for the NBA? I understand that you feel he is an arrogant player. Okay, well, that's a professional athlete for you.


Lebron plays hard, works on all facets of his game and is a very good teammate. What more do you want out of an NBA player?