Dal Vs No

[Guest JohnDenver]

I'm not sure why I'm defending him, I don't really like McGrady, but I'd put him at a level right below Kobe. Look what Kobe did after Shaq left, no talent, miss the playoffs, and get knocked out in the 1st round a couple years in a row. Now with talent, he's the #1 MVP candidate. T-Mac has a dude named Scola, a playground baller, an old Bobby Jackson, and an even older Mutombo. I think Yao's a great piece, but geez, why not give T-mac even a little help?

I don't know what you see in Yao to call him dominant. He's good for sure. Better than most 7"5 and up guys. But he's always going to be injury prone, you can't be that big and play minutes like he does. I don't watch the Rockets that much, but when I have I can't recall ever seeing a game and thinking that Yao was dominating.

All that being said, I hate the Rockets and hope T-Mac never makes it out of the first round.

I concur.

Big men don't usually take longer to develop, they normally are either good or they are bad, then they burn out quick. You don't see too many 7 ft true big men in the league after the age of 30. Their bodies' give out and they can't depend on a jumpshot (like smaller forwards or guards) to keep them in the league. Shaq is the exception.

I wouldn't bet the farm on Yao.. I think T-Mac is just like Kobe.. when hot, he is hot and looks unreal. When not hot, he needs talent around him. That is why it is a team sport.. Too bad Kobe can't ever understand that, but that is a different topic.

[greenminer]

When not hot, he needs talent around him. That is why it is a team sport.. Too bad Kobe can't ever understand that, but that is a different topic.

Can someone pass this on to D-Wade, please? like 2 years ago would be PERFECT timing.

[Green Mean]

I'm gonna say that T-Mac has had good talent around him...hell he has had Yao for some years now and the supporting cast has been pretty good. He just has not gotten it done. I think it will be up to Yao as to how far the Rockets can go.

[Quoner]

I'm gonna say that T-Mac has had good talent around him...hell he has had Yao for some years now and the supporting cast has been pretty good. He just has not gotten it done. I think it will be up to Yao as to how far the Rockets can go.

Why is Tracy McGrady not getting ripped for his stupid comments about doing all he good last night?

At least when he was younger he had the balls to guarantee victories. Now he just sits around making excuses. If this ends in a sweep, he may need 40 sports psychologists to get his head right for games besides East Coast basement dwellers.

He is so talented, but he has not made a basket in the fourth quarter of two games.

I make jokes, but this year, Dallas and Houston share the same pain.

[Green P1]

Hot sports prediction: Avery and Ron Washington will share the spotlight & shame when they are each fired on March 3rd.

Edited April 23, 2008 by Green P1

[Green P1]

I'm gonna say that T-Mac has had good talent around him...hell he has had Yao for some years now and the supporting cast has been pretty good. He just has not gotten it done. I think it will be up to Yao as to how far the Rockets can go.

Other than Yao, who'll I agree to disagree on, give me the name of a guy you'd call "good talent." All I can come up with are complete spares.

[Quoner]

Hot sports prediction: Avery and Ron Washington will share the spotlight & shame when they are each fired on March 3rd.

That seems like an awfully long time...

[Eagle1855]

Other than Yao, who'll I agree to disagree on, give me the name of a guy you'd call "good talent." All I can come up with are complete spares.

Well you obviously haven't watched much Houston basketball. The supporting has been ultra-spare until this year when they've picked up a couple solid players. Luis Scola comes to mind. As does Carl Landry. I see a lot of potential in both of these guys, both of whom are rookies (one technically, one literally).

The Rocket's problem this is year is simply not having the presence in the middle and the easy buckets Yao provides. That's an added dimension they severely miss. That and Utah is a good team. All these Rocket's fans are jumping off cliffs down here and nobody seems to recall the fact that they are missing their BEST PLAYER. Take the best player off any of the top teams in the West, doubt they'd fare a whole lot better. I don't blame McGrady, though I know that's the really chic thing to do right now. They are just getting handled by a better team. Same goes for Dallas.

I agree with Quon, this year, Houston and Dallas share one another's pain.

And GD if the Spurs don't keep winning. Someone needs to go Tonya Harding on Duncan...

[GreenBat]

Someone needs to go Tonya Harding on Duncan...

Don't hate the player, hate the Game.

[Quoner]

Well you obviously haven't watched much Houston basketball. The supporting has been ultra-spare until this year when they've picked up a couple solid players. Luis Scola comes to mind. As does Carl Landry. I see a lot of potential in both of these guys, both of whom are rookies (one technically, one literally).

The two draft picks right before the Mavs picked Nick Fazekas? Hot Carl Landry and Big Baby.

I didn't watch much of either game last night because turning it on and seeing a clear out being run for George was enough to let me know the game was not worth watching before I even saw the score.

New Orleans/Spurs and Lakers/Jazz in the next round? Its not a bad group of teams, but I think somehow we backed into the worst combination of the four best teams from a viewing standpoint...

Meanwhile, Boston is debating if they can win the next two rounds with only four players and no pants.

[Green Mean]

Other than Yao, who'll I agree to disagree on, give me the name of a guy you'd call "good talent." All I can come up with are complete spares.

Well I dont know who you are considering spares but over the last couple of years they have had:

Shane Battier

Mike James

Dikembe Mutumbo

Luther Head

Rafer Alston

Cuttino Mobley

Steve Francis

David Wesley

Luis Scola

Bobby Jackson

Juwan Howard(A younger and better one)

These are all guys that are very good role players and can easily contribute to any team. On top of that they have had great coaches too. Rudy T, JVG, and now Rick Adelman. So if you think these guys are or were spares during their time then I dont know which team is a right time from top to bottom for you.

[Green P1]

Well I dont know who you are considering spares but over the last couple of years they have had:

Shane Battier

Mike James

Dikembe Mutumbo

Luther Head

Rafer Alston

Cuttino Mobley

Steve Francis

David Wesley

Luis Scola

Bobby Jackson

Juwan Howard(A younger and better one)

These are all guys that are very good role players and can easily contribute to any team. On top of that they have had great coaches too. Rudy T, JVG, and now Rick Adelman. So if you think these guys are or were spares during their time then I dont know which team is a right time from top to bottom for you.

Every team needs spares, and there's some decent spares on that list, but there's no legitimate 2nd/3rd guy there.

Edited April 23, 2008 by Green P1

[Green Mean]

Every team needs spares, and there's some decent spares on that list, but there's no legitimate 2nd/3rd guy there.

When you already have Yao and T-Mac you dont need that total 3rd guy. All of those guys I mentioned are either starters or big contributors of the bench. They are not spares. Of the bunch, Mobley, Battier, Scola are frontline starters for just about any team.

[Quoner]

When you already have Yao and T-Mac you dont need that total 3rd guy. All of those guys I mentioned are either starters or big contributors of the bench. They are not spares. Of the bunch, Mobley, Battier, Scola are frontline starters for just about any team.

I wish you were a GM so I could make trades with you.

[Green Mean]

Someone needs to go Tonya Harding on Duncan...

Being a Mavs nut its hard seeing the Spurs dominate like this when we were so close to one. But I love Duncan and I love the Spurs. They know how to play and moreso they know how to WIN. Duncan is definitely one of the greatest players of all time. His numbers wont show it but when he wants he can pour in 40/15 in any given night. But I think his rings will show is greatness and how dominant he was and still is today.

[Quoner]

They broke McGrady's brain: http://deadspin.com/383614/tracy-mcgrady-i...mes-feel-lonely (via the Houston Chronicle)

"It's my fault," McGrady said. "It's my fault we missed free throws. It's my fault we lost both games. Blame me. It's my fault we fouled to tie the game up. That's my fault. It's my fault they get easy layups. It's my fault we're not executing well on the offensive end. It's my fault a couple people in the stands ordered Heinekens and they got Budweiser. It's my fault. I'm sorry."

"It's my fault. Everything is my fault. It's my fault. It's T-Mac's fault. Everybody's blaming me. The Suns (for being down 2-0 to the Spurs). I mean, everybody. That's what it seems like. It's my fault. I'm out there by myself."

[Eagle1855]

I actually LOVED his rant. I don't care if it's anti-team or whatever else. Especially the part about the beers in the stands. What was even better was that if you hear the audio of the quote, he just rattles it all off like he had rehearsed it.

If you live in Houston (or have been listening to Houston sports talk in the past 3 days) your ears would have been subject to a barrage of Houston fans whining ad naseum about McGrady not doing enough (I guess being an assist away from a triple double counts for nothing) and how he's the problem, blah blah blah. It's nothing new for Houston fans...when Steve Francis was here, HE was the problem (actually, that one might have been half true). When it was David Carr, he was to blame (actually, that one is ALSO half true). When your team fails over and over, fans get bored and find someone to blame. Whether fair or unfair, McGrady has become the scapegoat for the Rocket's playoff ineptitude.

Nobody seems to remember they're missing a 7'6" presence in the middle. Drives me crazy almost as much as AK47 (or 'Emaciated Drago') and the Utah Jazz. BTW, how underrated is Deron Williams?

Edited April 24, 2008 by Eagle1855

[Quoner]

I actually LOVED his rant. I don't care if it's anti-team or whatever else. Especially the part about the beers in the stands. What was even better was that if you hear the audio of the quote, he just rattles it all off like he had rehearsed it.

If you live in Houston (or have been listening to Houston sports talk in the past 3 days) your ears would have been subject to a barrage of Houston fans whining ad naseum about McGrady not doing enough (I guess being an assist away from a triple double counts for nothing, never mind the fact that the team missed like 10 free throws) and how he's the problem, blah blah blah. It's nothing new for Houston fans...when Steve Francis was here, HE was the problem (actually, that one might have been half true). When it was David Carr, he was to blame (actually, that one is half true). Wehn your team fails over and over, fans get bored and find someone to blame. Whether fair or unfair, McGrady has become the scapegoat for the Rocket's playoff ineptitude.

Nobody seems to remember they're missing a 7'6" presence in the middle. Drives me crazy almost as much as AK47 (or 'Emaciated Drago') and the Utah Jazz. BTW, how underrated is Deron Williams?

Talk radio is just pure shit 95% of the time, but I still enjoy it - just like message boards. I prefer d*** jokes peppered in with both formats, but hey, that's just me (and maybe a few others.)

Both of our cities have basically the same types of people making up the fan base and it is hilarious to sit back and enjoy. In Dallas, this all falls on Avery and his trap door plunge has been amazing to watch. He and Ron Washington get an absurd amount of venom for leading two flawed teams with deep-rooted problems - which I sometimes wonder is because they are not white and gentlemanly.

Back to the point, do you think Tracy is ready to force a departure within a year or so, is this just a cool, honest moment from a very beaten man?

[Quoner]

BTW, how underrated is Deron Williams?

Atlanta and the Bucks let Williams and Paul slip away.

And Mavs fans like to pretend that all the sudden Devin Harris did not get his ass handed to him every time he played either of them.

[Eagle1855]

Back to the point, do you think Tracy is ready to force a departure within a year or so, is this just a cool, honest moment from a very beaten man?

I don't think McGrady is going anywhere. I think he's just whipped and I think that was indeed a brutally honest moment. He's getting it from everyone, not just Houston media. ESPN completely glossed over the game he had and went straight to the fact that the Rockets are 0-2 and what that says about T-Mac. Im not saying it isnt fair, but the McGrady first round thing has become "the story".

It would be different if you had your other superstar playing and they were STILL losing but as things stand (current roster) we still haven't really seen what this Rocket's team is capable of. Maybe it's more mediocrity. Maybe it's a championship. The Yao factor is an excuse, but I believe it is a relevant one. As stated before, they've got some decent role players. Once Scola calms down and resembles less a spazz I think he's gonna be a really good player for the Rockets. A decent point guard wouldnt hurt, though it should also be noted they've been without Rafer (who is a spare, but he's the best SPARE we've got at that position).

You also gotta understand losing to the Jazz is about as bad as it gets for Rockets fans. It spans decades of frustration.

And Mavs fans ought to take a breather. As a Rocket's fan, I know it wouldn't be the first time the Mavs have been down 0-2 in a playoff series they would go on to win...

Edited April 24, 2008 by Eagle1855

[Green P1]

I think things might go better for the MAVS on Friday. I heard Del Harris called and gave Avery somethings to think about after Game 2.

[Green P1]

I'm done with J-ho.

Dude has completely lost his basketball IQ. How often does he have the ball in his hands when the shot clock goes off?

We all know b-ball players smoke weed in the offseason..... great idea bragging about it in the middle of your worst playoff slump ever. F-ing moron.

God I feel terrible for Dirk. How do you win a playoff series when your best teammate is a total f-ing ass?

It doesn't help when your coach just keeps forcing minutes on a totally ineffective Stack and Josh. I'm not saying Wright or anyone else on the bench is great, but in the second quarter when they were still in it he just keeps forcing Stack into the game.

If you ask me, Bass needs to start at the 3 next game...... if only to wake up J-Ho's sorry weed smoking ass.

My heart goes out to Dirk and Cuban.

[Green Gas]

I will stick with the Hornets in 5, got to feel like this thing needs to get exploded from with in and started from scratch. Avery is gone I have to think if we go down in 5. He needed to put time in as an assistant anyway.

[Green Mean]

The only guys I see that the Mavs need to try to go after now is a combination of Jermaine Oneal, Elton Brand, and/or Corey Maggette. Michael Pietrus is an option too but I cant see how this team can stay together and get their heads right back with ball again since game 3 of the 2006 finals.

[KingDL1]

A lovely end to a lovely season!