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I posted this on the general board. I think after this year, having to lead the team without Yao, his tank will be a little empty. He should have declined this year with the injuries, but the current streak and him needing to lead the Rockets without Yao has given him a (temporary) adrenaline surge. Once the effects wear off I don't think he will have anything left. He could no doubt still average 20 points a game easily, but he just won't have the impact we are used to imo.

I get your point but i think he is only 28 years old, he still have 3 more years to start to go on decline.

Didn't we think he best years were behind him? Is this not his best year?

So this is T-Mac's last good year and it just so happens it was also Yao's worst year ever(according to our local genius CCYOFWTFLOL), COINCIDENCE?!

Nah I think he has plenty of basketball in him, he's not even 30 yet and other than injuries he's still got alot left in the tank. Now that his back hasn't been an issue for a while I don't see why he can't still play at a fairly high level if he has enough talent around him.

With Yao coming back(granted he's nothing but a really good role player am I right) and the other guys we have I think T-Mac can still get it done for another few years if he can stay healthy.

I'm not ready to underestimate him quite yet.

T-Mac is clearly already on the decline. He still should have at least 2 good years left in him though (the length of his contract). It just so happens that right now he is playing with the best team he's ever had and with the best coach he's ever had.

I wouldn't count on it.

Weren't there threads last season talking about how McGrady is washed up? He finished 6th in MVP Voting and on the All-NBA Second Team. There were even threads prior to this season.

You actually have to show decline TO decline, and so far he hasn't shown it in terms of what he's produced in the past couple of seasons. He's obviously not the player he was in Orlando but still a legit 25-5-5 player.

And I actually think McGrady never really showed signs of slowing down even before the Yao loss. Keep in mind he started the season extremely hot and then unfortunately got injured and was in and out of the lineup. Counting those games he left at haltime, he was still putting up similar numbers to the ones last year (which again keep in mind was good enough for 6th in MVP Voting and on the All-NBA Second) and now with Yao out and him being healthy he's obviously going to step up his game.

He's still 28 years old no matter what what mileage he has. I doubt this his last "good" season left.

what are you talking about? the reason he "looks" like he's declining is b/c when he plays with yao, he doesn't go all out and that affects his play, along with the injuries.

if he's injury-free, he could still be a top 5-10 player for another 5 yrs. dude is ballin' right now v. double/triple teams, plaing defense, hustling...

i'm sorry, but you don't get an adrenaline surge to put up 28, 6, 6 since yao went down. u may do that for 2-3 games, but not for an extended time.

with tracy, it's all about "confidence and motivation." right now, he has plenty of that.

it's just that he feels more pressure when yao went out and he knew he has the team to himself. strangely for me to say, but tmac is best when he knows it's his team only.

I am 100% sure Mcgrady has at least 3-4 good years left.
The thing that has given him the most problems was his back and he didn't have back problems for 2 years now (knock on wood).
He had 2 freak injuries this season but when he was healthy at the beginning of the season and now he has been playing like an mvp.

Confidence and desire. If he can play with those two things every game, you will see that he still has quite a bit left in the tank. He'll never be Orlando Tmac again, but he can still be a beast when he wants to. Whether he wants to or not has been the question with him the past few years.

This is def. not his last good year in the league, is he only 28 yrs old. Critics act like he is 35 with back troubles, well the back problem has gone away since last yr when he went to the waco doctor, since then hes been 100% with his back, but if its not the back, its something else

i also agree that tmac still has atleast 3-4 solid years ahead.

He's not done next year!

T-Mac has a lot to prove this year......with or without Yao, he has to pass first round

Lol, this is the same crap that people were saying about VC in Toronto.

Next year is a contract year for McGrady - he's probably going to have his best season as a Rockets next season.

etopn23 wrote:Lol, this is the same crap that people were saying about VC in Toronto.

Next year is a contract year for McGrady - he's probably going to have his best season as a Rockets next season.

lol i forgot about that. contract yr = every player's best statistical year

realfung wrote:T-Mac has a lot to prove this year......with or without Yao, he has to pass first round

In the East maybe. But I have heard media people say he gets a 'pass' if he doesn't advance this year b/c there is no Yao. Of course that could change depending on the seed we get or the opponent we play. Let me put it this way...I don't think anyone is gonna fault McGrady if the Rockets lose to the Suns, Mavs or Jazz. Or if we drop lower...nobody will fault him for losing to the Lakers or Spurs.

In fact Denver, GS and NO would probably be the only teams that if the Rockets don't beat that McGrady would get blamed for.

I don't think you quite understand just how good this Western Conference is. To enter the playoffs without Yao regardless of seeding is a great disadvantage to us.

Iggyemu wrote:-= original quote snipped =-



In the East maybe. But I have heard media people say he gets a 'pass' if he doesn't advance this year b/c there is no Yao. Of course that could change depending on the seed we get or the opponent we play. Let me put it this way...I don't think anyone is gonna fault McGrady if the Rockets lose to the Suns, Mavs or Jazz. Or if we drop lower...nobody will fault him for losing to the Lakers or Spurs.

In fact Denver, GS and NO would probably be the only teams that if the Rockets don't beat that McGrady would get blamed for.

I don't think you quite understand just how good this Western Conference is. To enter the playoffs without Yao regardless of seeding is a great disadvantage to us.

it doesn't matter if they don't blame him, the perception of him would still not change. tmac knows that and we all know that.

if he leads this team to the 2nd round, he will be considered a winner even if he gets swept in the 2nd round. i don't know, i just hope somehow someway the team can continue to do what it's doing (and we really need landry back) and tmac can do some magic this season.

i have always believed if he gets that monkey off of his back, we will see a totally DIFFERENT player, a tmac we may never see before.

nyk_buc wrote:-= original quote snipped =-
i have always believed if he gets that monkey off of his back, we will see a totally DIFFERENT player, a tmac we may never see before.

Not totally different, but yeah, the pressure will be off. Free flowing, determined T-Mac will be on 2nd round display, IF we get a good matchup in the 1st round and take care of business. Insanely tough conference tho', like Iggyemu said. Playoffs overall should be awesome viewing.

he hasn't even begun his decline yet..... him playing with his injuries and all.....

Talent-wise, no, this won't be his last 'good' year.
He just needs a sense of urgency and a source of motivation that will keep him going for the next few years. Hopefully, he can keep the same level of intensity until when he's around 32.