Florida Today: More on T-Mac & Hill Comments

Well, at least we aren't the only fans who think Wisebrod is a dumbass. He is getting ROASTED in the Orlando Sentinnel:

McGrady and the Magic spark plenty of mail

June 27, 2004

Magic should beg T-Mac to stay

I have to say that I hardly ever agree with you on any issue, but your article (Mike Bianchi, Whole organization failed to build team to keep star, June 19) on Tracy McGrady's leaving could not have been more to the point. I have to wonder whether Tracy would be leaving if we had a GM who did not use the newspapers to force Tracy into a corner. John Weisbrod giving Tracy an ultimatum was the stupidest idea ever.

He should've been kissing Tracy's feet while begging Tracy to stay. That's what any halfwit idiot out there would have done, let alone the supposed GM of a basketball team about to lose its star player.

I thought the Magic had learned their lesson when they lost Shaq eight years ago; I thought that maybe they would actually make the superstar feel wanted this time.

Obviously this Magic organization is hardheaded, to put it lightly. Only when Tracy leaves will the Magic realize that finding another scoring champion is a lot harder than they think. Maybe this is how superstars are treated in hockey, but someone at the Magic should've let Weisbrod know that this is the NBA, not the NHL.

Daniel Liss
Maitland

Weisbrod should be blunt

Once again I find myself puzzled by your column (Mike Bianchi, Whole organization failed to build team to keep star, June 19). Did you learn nothing from the NBA finals this year?

You chastise John Weisbrod for his blunt dealings with McGrady. I applaud Weisbrod. It is about time somebody dealt with T-Mac for what he is. He is a tremendous talent but he is also lazy, a quitter, a spoiled little brat who quits playing when the going gets tough, he is not a team player, he is not a team leader. T-Mac let Weisbrod and fans know what kind of a man he was when he quit on us all.

Way to go Weisbrod, get whatever you can for the talented but whining wimp and move on.

I wrote you several years ago about T-Mac being lazy and a quitter and you wrote back and said I was wrong. Look what Detroit accomplished with a bunch of team players, several of them Magic castoffs in John Gabriel's constant attempts to appease T-Mac.

The Pistons won with defense, which T-Mac doesn't like to be bothered with; they won with toughness, which T-Mac is not; they won by sharing the ball, which T-Mac does not do; they won by playing unselfish as a team, which T-Mac neither knows how to do nor is interested in learning how to do.

T-Mac will go to another team and be just another spoiled, pampered "superstar" who makes a lot of money but doesn't have what it takes to be a real winner.

I said it some time back and I repeat it now. The Magic need to get what they can and move on. Thank you, Mr. Weisbrod and Mr. DeVos.

Gary Crile
Summerfield

Magic should move

I'm a Magic fan since 1989. Even made it to one of the finals nine years ago. It was incredibly exciting, but what a fall from grace.

I knew Tracy was leaving and there is basically no team left. Rebuilding will take years and we don't have that much time. It's time for the Magic to move, maybe to Tampa. They are a world championship town and have millions of fans to draw upon, or maybe even Las Vegas. To my knowledge they don't have a pro team of any sort.

Anyway, goodbye, Magic, it's been fun.

And please, don't bring Kobe to Orlando under any circumstances.

Bob Socks
Titusville

History tells us . . .

Has anyone noticed what happened the last time a defending NBA scoring champion was traded? Buffalo did it in 1976 (Bob McAdoo). Two years later, the entire franchise departed the city (for California), and went on to become the hands-down most poorly operated team in the NBA. Is this in the future for the Magic? DeVos and Co. have openly spoken of the possibility of a move. Are we soon to gaze upon GM Weisbrod and the St. Louis Magic?

As a side note, being out of state for a bit makes one appreciate the Orlando media (Shaq polls and all).

Brian Davis
Durham, N.C.

Magic need new GM

Finally, the Sentinel published an article that put into writing what I have been saying for months. We need a GM who recognizes BASKETBALL talent, who knows how to finesse the star players so they want to stay here, who knows how to hire a coach who can develop talent to their greatest ability.

We do not have that right now. We also need a coach who has proven he can coach a team to victory. We clearly do not have that.

We need an owner that can quit using excuses and prove by his actions that he is willing to do whatever it takes to put a winning team on the floor. We do not have that.

Because of all of the mistakes in the past, we are working from a severe handicapped position, but losing one of the top five players in the league in Tracy McGrady and now finding out that it could be the team who has decided they want the trade . . . this is insane!

This mistake will take a very long time from which to recover. Last season's biggest mistake was letting Darrell Armstrong go. Everyone but the people who chose to let him go knew that. The Magic are about to make an even bigger mistake.

Cheryl Purcell
Orlando

Heartbroken fan

I love the Orlando Magic, and Tracy McGrady has become my favorite player without a doubt. Despite that, I am sick over the leadership of the Magic and their comedic qualifications.

Just as well, I have been sick with the effort put forth by McGrady. I wanted to see him slay the league, à la Michael Jordan, but I've never seen any superstar show as much lack of heart, effort, and leadership as Tracy McGrady. The day he is traded will be tough for a die-hard Magic fan like myself who wanted to believe in him, and only got to see him put in some breathtaking years before, ultimately, quitting.

Rick Weyers
Eustis

Blame management

I feel the management has not been spending the money they could have. We don't spend enough money on the team and we make dumb decision on our first-round picks. We all remember Ryan Humphrey. Wow, that was a good pick.

Clinton Stanley
Orlando

 

It's one thing to just say the deal isn't done and another to say that nothing may happen at all or that nothing may happen until August while the rest of the world is telling everyone who will listen that it is going to go down this week and everything from Francis' byc status to Lue's opt-out clause tells us that it will HAVE to happen soon.

 

I don't disagree, however, there is going to be a point where the Rockets HAVE to say, "Thanks, but we've waited long enough. Trade T-Mac somewhere else." We cannot sit around all summer waiting on a deal that may never happen. It would be an absolute disaster for this franchise given the fact that Francis will very likely have to be dealt SOMEWHERE and we have pressing needs including a trade exception that is moving towards extinction every day.

I know that they hold the cards here and I get that. What I'm saying is that they aren't just affecting the Rockets with the delay. They are also causing many others to sit and wait for something that may or may not happen. They may think it is fine, but I can guarantee you that they are the ONLY one's who have no problem with it and every other team, player and agent in the league is watching.

 

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/spor...s27062704jun27,1,7045806.story?coll=orl-magic
http://www.floridatoday.com/!NEWSROOM/sportstoryS0627MAGGICAL.htm
http://www.floridatoday.com/!NEWSROOM/sportstoryS0627GRANTHILL.htm

 

I actually think it has been a combination of things...

1. I think they really have held out to see if they would get better or different offers. Because T-Mac has let it be known that he only wants to sign a long-term deal in Houston (though he might also consider Indiana), it has hampered their ability to seek different deals.

2. This is their best player and one of the best in the league. They lost out on Shaq and don't want to screw this up. Being deliberate, they probably assume, will help soothe their fans' concerns.

3. The draft was a big deal because they had the #1 pick. They wanted to bask in that glow just like all teams do when they get to pick #1.

4. Francis opened his big mouth and made them think twice. The deal probably got done sooner if it weren't for that. Wisebrod and Francis both had to do damage control to clean up the mess in Orlando.

5. No doubt they want to see if the Rockets will budge. I'm sure they are hoping they can get something additional if they push it long enough.

I think the cat is pretty far out of the bag on this one. The fact that Hill made the comments he did is going to put the Magic management in a pretty tight position if something doesn't happen soon. I mean, are they calling Hill and Francis and his agents all liars? Something has to happen soon. This August 10 bull**** is...well...bull****.