Abridged
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Rockets teammates, however, have spoken to McGrady throughout the season about his erratic effort. Rockets general manager Daryl Morey and coach Rick Adelman have spoken with him at least twice in the past two weeks, including since the game in Toronto on Friday. McGrady, however, has struggled while dealing with the soreness still in his left knee. Teammates say they need more from him, though always add that they need it when he is healthy enough to bring it.
"It’s going to come down to Mac getting healthy and then Mac’s got to kind of be more of a dog," Artest said. "Yao is definitely doing his part.
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After Friday’s game, however, Alston went so far as to suggest the team issue fines for poor effort, a step Morey said the team has not taken. Alston had said then that the team is "not at all" on the same page. On Saturday, he would not go as far as to say it is splintered, but did say that Saturday’s effort could serve as an example.
"We all know we should be on the same page, but if you look at the four or five game, you have lackluster performances. You get blown out in two games. At times out there, guys take it upon themselves. You get down and try to come from behind, guys try to get more aggressive and try to take on more of a scoring load, rather than stay within the scheme of the offense."
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So how much fine will Alston accumulate by the end of the season?
