How ironic and appropriate that Fran Blinebury would write an article about a Rockets team that seemed on the verge of greatness only to see it snatched so suddenly and cruelly from their grasp. The Rockets last two games are a capsule of history repeating itself; of a season catapulting away. And in case we missed it, Blinebury saw the irony and wrote the tale for us all to connect the dots. But like the WMD in Iraq, somehow we had faulty intelligence. Maybe the Rockets have WSD - weaponless, self-destruction. This year's Rockets team is more than snakebit by injuries, more than a team with no identity, more than a team with no seeming direction... or should we say less in all three cases? If they had at least made a competitive game of it against Phoenix last night then Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming could have returned home and enjoyed playing in the All-Star game in front of their fans. Now, I suspect, they will be embarrassed to do so. I know I would be if I were in their shoes. The Rockets folded mentally in short order with the physical soon to follow. And the maddening question is: Is there really a leader on this team? Is Van Gundy a leader that they rally around? I don't think so. Is Tracy or Yao that leader? If they are, so far neither has consistently accepted the role. At least Sam Cassell showed his fire and desire, his disdain for losing, two nights ago and got tossed from the game. Where is the passion on this team? The Rockets were definitely taken aback and rattled by the fast Phoenix start. But I didn't see much emotion from any of them as they were being slapped around the court by a damn good team. Tracy McGrady has said in the past that he just "tries to enforce my will on the game." Are his off-the-court problems really keeping him from doing that? For all his apparent strides this season, Yao is lost when it comes to being a leader. It is not his fault considering the culture he comes from. There is no mental toughness on this team because there is no real leader and no real passion. If you want a study in leadership you look at a Larry Bird who spent hours in the gym just shooting and shooting and shooting; playing with a hurt back for several years, a Michael Jordan or a Magic Johnson who lived and breathed basketball to a degree that allowed for little else in life during their career. What is it about being a Houston Rocket now that seems to stifle this kind of leadership? This passion? Hakeem certainly had it. It's too easy this broken season for the Rockets to go passive, be slapped around with little reaction. And history may be repeating itself with McGrady. He is a gifted athlete but maybe he just doesn't have the fire required to drag his teammates along with him to greatness like Hakeem did. He himself said last season that the team was full of nice guys and that Bobby Sura was the real bulldog that gave the team fire. If nothing else a leader is driven. In the city of astronauts we need some aliens to land in Toyota center and say, "Take me to your leader!" Only I'm not sure anyone would know who to take them to at this point.
I'm not necessarily referring to the content itself, but this is a well-written thread with a great title to match -- you definitely deserve props for it. 5/5. It does suck that neither T-Mac nor Yao are fiery leaders... I'd say Yao less than T-Mac, but neither qualifies. It is without a doubt a team weakness. But they are extremely talented, and if you can get fire from a guy like Sura (who was signed on the cheap), they hopefully can get it elsewhere. Sadly, Rafer Alston may have to be that type of presence.
Yao was being tripled teamed tonight, so there was not much he could do. The Suns are going to give him fits. With him being 7-6, you're just going to have to live with that. On most other nights, this isn't a problem. He played on a bum toe the first few months and didn't complain. Since being back from his injury he has looked better than ever. Tonight was not about him being passive; it's just the worst kind of matchup for him. I agree for the most part though, we do need some passion. But more than that, we just need to be consistent. JVG preaches consistency, but for some reason it is not getting thru.
Thank you, Clutch. I appreciate the compliment. As you say... what a shame that the with all the talent no one can also emerge as the leader so desparately needed. This is what frustrates all of us who want so badly to see that talent blossom.
I am very disappointed in Tmac right now. After a month of terrible games from him, he comes out and says that a personal problem is affecting his game? Does this mean his back is not bothering him? He's been playing so terribly that I assumed it was a physical problem. But then he tells Sager that he would show up to the arena and then ask himself if he should even be there? What the hell is that? Sure, no one knows what the personal problem is, but is that an excuse for not attacking the basket, or for throwing up ugly weak shots when he does? At least humor us and pretend to be a competitor. If he's gonna be honest and tell interviewers that there were times where he half-assed it or times when his mind wasn't in the game, then I would rather him just lie and blame a freakin injury. I'm sure he's going through a tough time in his personal life. His problems have obviously gotten him down. However, he's gotta battle through. Be like Brett Favre and throw 5 TD's the day after his dad died. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and play some damn ball.
Nice read in the first post. Man tonight was sad, I can't believe we were as bad as, well....we were. Not a nice night to be a Rockets fan, but whatever. WE arean't that far out of the playoffs but it will take a hell of a push. We aren't going to play .800 ball for the rest of the season. I hope this is a wake up call and stays on the minds of the players until next wednesday. WOuld be nice to have Sura back.....
With leadership like that, it's no wonder that it's tough to win. Watching Tracy is so much fun when he's in the zone, it feels like it's not even fair to the other team. I really thought Tracy had become the leader the Rockets desperately needed last season when he won Game 2 against the Mavs, but his recent comments honestly sound like he has lost his desire to win or even play. I realize he's just a man like any of us and I can't walk a mile in his shoes, so I can't blame him for his feelings. All I know is that the team feeds off of his demeanor and will go nowhere unless he takes them there. It's a big disappointment, but I guess that's the season in a nutshell.
I don't buy T-Mac's claim that it's something personal that is causing this. There might be some personal issues he's dealing with, but that's not why he is struggling. It's physical. He doesn't look disinterested out there. It's physical. He just looks slow and...human. We're talking about a man who used to be an absolute animal athletically just 2 years ago and he is getting his shot blocked and struggling to drive around mediocre swing men. I hope to God it's a personal issue, but my eyes tell me otherwise. It's the back.
Tmac is selfish. There will never be another leader in his team though himself is a bad leader. JVG thinks every talented NBA player is as worthless and useless as himself. Both are losers. Count Yao out here. He is just a p***y.
Wow, you just have such a great handle on the english language. Considering the thread starter took some serious time and thought to what he wrote you should, at least, do the same in your replys.
I remember an article within the last year (I think it was the Chron) saying that he had lost like 7 family members in the last 3 years or something like that. That Craig Sager interview reminded me of it...
That's sth. I want to say about Tmac too. He is the lead of the team. And he took too many ill shots against a team like SUNs which in turn might have discouraged his teamates. Had he attacked the basket every time he got the chance, it should have not been that ugly.
