What is going on with Tracy McGrady in Houston?
Roughly two weeks ago a local television station in Houston reported that McGrady's ailing knee required surgery and he was being shut down for the remainder of the season. Then the Rockets officially denied the reports and said Tracy would continue to heal and would likely play later in the year. Having not played since the first report Tracy McGrady then went on a medical opinion safari, seeking out the second, third, and fourth opinions of as many medical professionals as possible from the sounds of things.
Finally, an ESPN report stated that McGrady told them the consensus opinion was that the knee does require surgery and that his season is officially over...except it isn't. The Rockets were apparently unaware of this diagnosis and are all but refusing to let T-Mac go for the year. Leslie Alexander, the Rockets owner, even released this gem of a quote:
"Daryl (Morey, the Rockets general manager) and I were talking this morning. We both discussed how great Tracy is in the playoffs. There's very few people who have the ability to step up their games in the playoffs and he does. So we're not looking to run away from Tracy."
First of all, how do you not burst into laughter reading this quote? As a Magic fan, I know first hand how 'good' McGrady has been in the playoffs. McGrady has taken a team to the post-season seven times. Of those seven times he has a combined zero wins from all his teams. zero for seven in the playoffs is not exactly raising your game for the playoffs on a consistent basis. Usually you have to get out of the first round at least once for someone to make such glowing remarks about your playoff track record. The closest Tracy has come to getting out of the first round was in 2003 with Orlando when he had a three games to one lead over the heavily favored Pistons (Magic were the eighth seed; Pistons were the first seed). Incidentally, that was the first year that the first round was changed to a best of seven format. So the three games to one lead that would have been a series victory a year before went to a game five, which continued on to a game six, and finally to a deciding game seven...all Orlando Magic losses. Way to raise that game Tracy!
Secondly, if this guy is such a pivotal part of your team as he appears to be for the Rockets why are they so against him getting healthy? If the man needs surgery on his knee get him some freaking surgery. Am I way out on a limb in thinking that if something is wrong and you have the means to fix it you should fix it? Here's some advice for the Rockets: Shut Tracy down, nobody needs him for the playoffs (clearly). You'll be doing him, and probably the team as a whole, a giant favor going forward. Just let this strange story die already.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
The Winds Are Changing
I've got to admit, I have grown tired about writing about myself and have decided to stop doing it on this blog. I have found it increasingly hard to get motivated about sharing my personal status as it is not only intensely boring but mostly depressing as well. For these reasons I have decided to change this blog into a topic related affair. I figure I will go the path of sports blog since that is what I seem to read about online the most. That doesn't mean that on occasion, when the right topic should arise, I won't deviate from the sporting world but I plan on at least narrowing down the focus of the blog. Let's get things rolling with the new focus.
NBA
It's All-Star weekend which roughly marks the halfway point in the season. Some interesting stories have started to develop at this point as well. Not being a sports writing professional I am going to start with the Orlando Magic due to an overwhelming personal bias. Jameer Nelson's shoulder injury was a huge blow to a team that was emerging as a very serious contender in the East. After briefly sharing the honor of best record (for one day) the Magic have lost three of their last five since Nelson went down. Few teams need the All-Star break as bad as Orlando at this point.
Another basketball story is that of the Hall of Fame finalists being released today. Sixteen finalists made the cut and though unlikely all could get in under the voting structure for basketball's hall. The headliners of this class include Michael Jordan, who is widely considered the best player of all time; John Stockton, who retired as the NBA's leader in career assists and steals; and David Robinson, who had an amazing career with the San Antonio Spurs that included steady production in addition to being one of four players to post a quadruple double in the NBA. I would be shocked if any of these three didn't make the hall this year and it would be a shame. All three of these players had tremendous careers and provided countless hours of entertainment for me as I began to gain interest in sports as the nineties progressed.
The last story I want to mention is the Shawn Marion to Toronto for Jermaine O'Neal. Sure Jamario Moon follows O'Neal to Miami and Marcus Banks is packaged with Marion but clearly that's not the substance of the trade. Miami really needed a legit center type which Jermaine is if he can stay healthy. Don't get me wrong Udonis Haslem is a solid player but he's a PF not a C. Marion certainly helps Toronto athletically and should give them some good rebounding and perimeter defense from the Forward slot. This trade really works for both teams, and I have to admit I like it from a fantasy standpoint also. I have Chris Bosh in my league and with JO leaving town he should control the paint in Toronto even more now. I also have Haslem and while O'Neal will certainly take some boards from him I am hopeful that he will also take some of the pressure off Haslem. Now teams have to put their centers on JO allowing Haslem to be the cutter and free ranging rebounder he used to be when the more well known O'Neal was in town.
MLB
It's a little early for baseball news as most teams are just now starting spring training sessions and haven't even begun playing spring games yet. However, due to the era we live in now it is apparently never the wrong season for steroid news, which is most unfortunate. Clearly the big news on the steroid front right now is Alex Rodriguez admission. 2001 to 2003 is a pretty long time frame to only have one tainted sample, which goes a long way for putting the flaws of the whole MLB drug testing program at the time. Three years of steroid use for a player of that magnitude is a fairly large scar for the league, especially when he was an MVP winner or candidate every year in that span. It is a sad fact to learn that he was on steroids as he is a great player regardless and was one of the best players in the league when he left Seattle for Texas in the first place. I don't care much for the Yankees but I do like A-Rod (stems from my time as a Mariner fan early in my baseball life). It is my hope that Alex becomes a poster boy for the post steroids era. What I mean by that is this: He admitted to using them, so we all know he did, but what he does now is crucial. He needs to cooperate with the league offices as much as possible and if he leads the league in one statistic this season it should be drug tests taken. If he takes a large number of drug tests this season and has a good season it would serve as an example to the rest of the league that there can be life after steroids.
Aside from Alex himself, I think that baseball's drug testing should be mandatory and more frequent than once or twice a season. Considering the history this league is unfolding with steroids I don't think it is unreasonable to want monthly testing, is it? Of course not, didn't think so. Also, I need to ask who the brainchild was that decided to make samples collected for drug testing anonymous? Who is the sales genius that proposed this terrible festering pile of an idea and got the higher ups to think it was a good idea? Amazing. We took drug tests when I was playing basketball in high school and when we were done filling the cup there was an underpaid school nurse waiting outside the stall to write your name on that cup with a giant black marker. What's wrong with that system that the MLB doesn't believe in?
NFL
Not a ton of news here yet as it is very early in the offseason. I will get more excited in a week when the NFL combine statistics start pouring in. It is ridiculously fun to sit and dive into tons of 40 times and try and decide which player is helping and hurting themselves by being examined like some sort of equine. Odds the lions get the first pick wrong again this year? I'm going with something in the area of 2 to 1 as I am guessing they take Stafford. I really don't think that there is a QB worth taking at the top spot even if your starting QB at this point is Dan "I'm not sure where the endzone ends and I begin" Orlovsky. The right move is trading down, but who wants to jump up and how badly? Who knows.
Until next time sports fans, take care of yourself and don't inject foreign hormones into your blood streams unless you want to make the baseball hall of fame! Errr...wait...
NBA
It's All-Star weekend which roughly marks the halfway point in the season. Some interesting stories have started to develop at this point as well. Not being a sports writing professional I am going to start with the Orlando Magic due to an overwhelming personal bias. Jameer Nelson's shoulder injury was a huge blow to a team that was emerging as a very serious contender in the East. After briefly sharing the honor of best record (for one day) the Magic have lost three of their last five since Nelson went down. Few teams need the All-Star break as bad as Orlando at this point.
Another basketball story is that of the Hall of Fame finalists being released today. Sixteen finalists made the cut and though unlikely all could get in under the voting structure for basketball's hall. The headliners of this class include Michael Jordan, who is widely considered the best player of all time; John Stockton, who retired as the NBA's leader in career assists and steals; and David Robinson, who had an amazing career with the San Antonio Spurs that included steady production in addition to being one of four players to post a quadruple double in the NBA. I would be shocked if any of these three didn't make the hall this year and it would be a shame. All three of these players had tremendous careers and provided countless hours of entertainment for me as I began to gain interest in sports as the nineties progressed.
The last story I want to mention is the Shawn Marion to Toronto for Jermaine O'Neal. Sure Jamario Moon follows O'Neal to Miami and Marcus Banks is packaged with Marion but clearly that's not the substance of the trade. Miami really needed a legit center type which Jermaine is if he can stay healthy. Don't get me wrong Udonis Haslem is a solid player but he's a PF not a C. Marion certainly helps Toronto athletically and should give them some good rebounding and perimeter defense from the Forward slot. This trade really works for both teams, and I have to admit I like it from a fantasy standpoint also. I have Chris Bosh in my league and with JO leaving town he should control the paint in Toronto even more now. I also have Haslem and while O'Neal will certainly take some boards from him I am hopeful that he will also take some of the pressure off Haslem. Now teams have to put their centers on JO allowing Haslem to be the cutter and free ranging rebounder he used to be when the more well known O'Neal was in town.
MLB
It's a little early for baseball news as most teams are just now starting spring training sessions and haven't even begun playing spring games yet. However, due to the era we live in now it is apparently never the wrong season for steroid news, which is most unfortunate. Clearly the big news on the steroid front right now is Alex Rodriguez admission. 2001 to 2003 is a pretty long time frame to only have one tainted sample, which goes a long way for putting the flaws of the whole MLB drug testing program at the time. Three years of steroid use for a player of that magnitude is a fairly large scar for the league, especially when he was an MVP winner or candidate every year in that span. It is a sad fact to learn that he was on steroids as he is a great player regardless and was one of the best players in the league when he left Seattle for Texas in the first place. I don't care much for the Yankees but I do like A-Rod (stems from my time as a Mariner fan early in my baseball life). It is my hope that Alex becomes a poster boy for the post steroids era. What I mean by that is this: He admitted to using them, so we all know he did, but what he does now is crucial. He needs to cooperate with the league offices as much as possible and if he leads the league in one statistic this season it should be drug tests taken. If he takes a large number of drug tests this season and has a good season it would serve as an example to the rest of the league that there can be life after steroids.
Aside from Alex himself, I think that baseball's drug testing should be mandatory and more frequent than once or twice a season. Considering the history this league is unfolding with steroids I don't think it is unreasonable to want monthly testing, is it? Of course not, didn't think so. Also, I need to ask who the brainchild was that decided to make samples collected for drug testing anonymous? Who is the sales genius that proposed this terrible festering pile of an idea and got the higher ups to think it was a good idea? Amazing. We took drug tests when I was playing basketball in high school and when we were done filling the cup there was an underpaid school nurse waiting outside the stall to write your name on that cup with a giant black marker. What's wrong with that system that the MLB doesn't believe in?
NFL
Not a ton of news here yet as it is very early in the offseason. I will get more excited in a week when the NFL combine statistics start pouring in. It is ridiculously fun to sit and dive into tons of 40 times and try and decide which player is helping and hurting themselves by being examined like some sort of equine. Odds the lions get the first pick wrong again this year? I'm going with something in the area of 2 to 1 as I am guessing they take Stafford. I really don't think that there is a QB worth taking at the top spot even if your starting QB at this point is Dan "I'm not sure where the endzone ends and I begin" Orlovsky. The right move is trading down, but who wants to jump up and how badly? Who knows.
Until next time sports fans, take care of yourself and don't inject foreign hormones into your blood streams unless you want to make the baseball hall of fame! Errr...wait...
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