McGrady is Jordanesque

[Timberwolf]

I think it's interesting that McGrady does not get that much pub like Kobe, AI, Lebron, or even Dwayne Wade gets. I have no idea why. This guy is my favorite basketball player. I just love watching the guy play. When he is hot, there is no stopping the guy period. It showed tonight in the Rockets/Wolves game as McGrady just took over the way Jordan took over with the Bulls. Tracy McGrady beat the Wolves. McGrady played like the best player in basketball. I keep saying when he is hot, there is no stopping him. McGrady showed leadership. He showed a kick-ass attitude. He showed that he can do the little things. He showed he can do well offensively and do well defensively. He can feed the ball to others. He knows how to make free throws. He can be so Jordanesque when he wants to. It's stuff like this tonight is why I like him over Kobe. It came down to him. When he wants to be the dominant player in the game, it's all over. He was the reason why the Rockets won. He did what MVPs and best players have to do in a spot like this. When he is hot, just sit back and relax because there is no way anyone can stop Tracy McGrady.

When all is said and done, people will talk about McGrady in the same breath that they talked about Jordan in terms of play, athleticism, leadership, and all. I have grown to like McGrady's game going back to last year. I just see something in him that will make him successful. He has that proverbial "it" in him to really do well.

If the Rockets win a championship, it will be because of the growth and the level of excellence in McGrady.

[lal4l]

Kobe destroys him EVERYTIME they play

[cxlx]

McGrady is great. Kobe is great. But I wouldnt put them on the same scale as Jordan. As least not yet. Kobe cant win without Shaq. And dont forget, McGrady was a total baby when he was in Orlando and demanded a trade if he was unhappy. Jordan first few years was miserable, until he learned to trust his other team mates, then he was unstoppable. Jordan would win regardless of whos on his team and he would never demand a trade. Jordan is not only a great dominant player, but hes an icon. People who knows squat about basketball has heard of Michael Jordan. I dont believe that Kobe or McGrady will ever be that big. Just my opinion.

[Timberwolf]

I might have been overzealous a little with McGrady on MJ. With that said, this guy is really starting to break out as a player though. I see some of the things I saw out of Jordan that I see in McGrady in terms of being a hot shooter and going to the hole.

McGrady did not handle his situation well in Orlando. With that said, there might have been stuff behind the scenes that we may not be aware of. That does not excuse McGrady mainly because he is a paid professional that should do his job. I know John Weisbord, the former Magic GM, constantly questioned McGrady's game a lot so that may have set McGrady off a little.

McGrady has plenty of basketball years in him to be in Jordan's level. He is still relatively very young. I think being associated with the veteran players will only help McGrady's development. I like what the Rockets have done in assembling talent around T-Mac.

[Timberwolf]

Kobe destroys him EVERYTIME they play

Didn't McGrady pawned Kobe couple of years ago at a regular-season game at Orlando? He scored like 42 points off him.

[rockin500]

mcgrady jordanesque? :laff: thats gotta be one of the funniest things i have read in ages.

[Timberwolf]

Why is it funny? There is still plenty of time for him to reach that level. There is something in him that I think that can match McGrady's level. When McGrady is hot, there is no stopping him similiar to Jordan. McGrady is as versatile as Jordan as he can beat you in so many ways. I think he has improved on defense tremendously under the stewardship of Jeff Van Gundy. When I see McGrady play at a high level like I saw last night, I think it's a reasonable comparaision.

[rockin500]

how is it not funny? You base it off of one game that he beat the wolves. The world doesnt revolve around how a player performs against a minnesota team.

mcgrady doesnt have the killer instinct that jordan had. Even as a rookie he had that but without any form of a team, yet he could drag them to the playoffs before pippen and grant got there. McGrady has never been the equal of jordan on the defensive end either.

Jordan was the best player in the history of the NBA, McGrady has a loooooong way to go to reach those heights. He first has to develop that killer instinct. plus make his defense a lot better in addition to his scoring prowess.

[Timberwolf]

Okay then what do you think of T-Mac last year in Game 1 against Dallas or several other games in the playoffs against Dallas? How about when he scored like 55 points in several occasions with the Magic particularly the one against the Wizards? Or 45 points against the Nuggets last year. The fact this guy is capable of scoring more than 35 points a game is hard to do in basketball. His assist ratio is pretty darn good too with the number of points.

To show you how important McGrady is, Rockets didn't win a game when he was injured. Now that he came back, the Rockets are winning again. You would think the Rockets would win some games without him considering their roster is pretty deep.

I think when he is hot like he was last night, you could sense players get frustrated in defending him as they get lulled into seeing him throw shots like that.

McGrady is definitely getting to that level for sure. I think this is going to be his year in the playoffs.

[lal4l]

McGrady has NEVER been out of the first round. He isnt as clutch as MJ or even Kobe for that matter. His defense isnt even that good and he is gonna wear out soon. His knees are giving him problems and he has a history of back issues.

Plus I hate how he is such a baby...

[Timberwolf]

Not being clutch? What do you think about last night's performance, Tony? I figured you saw the game. That was awesome, wasn't it. What about in the playoff series against Dallas? He basically was the only one who showed up in that series. MJ has had his first round dissapointment when he was T-Mac's age. When all is said and done, McGrady will win lot of rings. It takes time. It took KG forever to get out of the first round.

Jeff Van Gundy always raves about McGrady's D all the time.

[rockin500]

face it, TW, he's never going to be in jordan's class. he has to reach Kobe's class (who i cannot stand) before he can even start sniffing that upper stratosphere.

[Timberwolf]

I think T-Mac is a lot better than Kobe, Ray. You saw what Kobe can do when he has his own team and so far, it has been a disaster. At least, T-Mac has showed that he can lead his team to the playoffs. Kobe advanced far, but again that was with Shaq. Kobe has to lead his team to the playoffs.

Time will tell if he is in Jordan's class, but he has the makings of it.

[lal4l]

His knees are going out he has tendenitis.... He is not a sure thing for the long run....

[Timberwolf]

Tony: I had a little discussion about McGrady with a good friend of mine at a board that I post. I cited about why McGrady is a lot better than Kobe. I ripped Kobe at that same board the other day and Sealy and I discussed about which player is better than Kobe. I cited Tracy McGrady is better than Kobe and now I am just obessed with him. Sealy disagrees with me, but 9 out of 10 basketball fans would prefer Tracy over Kobe. It's why I decided to post about McGrady.

http://www.mnsportscentral.com/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=52&topic=1289.msg6981;topicseen#msg6981

Another thing if I was the GM of the Timberwolves and Carroll Dawson offered me a trade proposal of KG for Tracy McGrady, I would do it in a heartbeat. I love KG, but I love McGrady better. Guys like McGrady don't grow on trees. Jordan and McGrady are hard to come by.

[lal4l]

He is a terrible leader. KG is a WAY better leader. T-Mac is amazing no taking it away from him but until he can be a captain he wont be like you make him. He is a loser, he wanted to leave his team.

GET OUT OF THE FIRST ROUND!

[Btownball]

McGrady is no where near Jordan. I think he might be the most talented player, but he's not the best. His heart wavers too much. Sometimes he's lights out and unstopable, but he disappears too. And COMPLETELY disappears. Other great players do other things when their game is not coming to them but McGrady gets lazy. Not enough heart to be Jordan.

[lal4l]

Exactly! I could agree he might have the most TALENT but that doesnt make him the best player! He doesnt have the work ethic!

[cxlx]

Y'all know what makes Jordan so great? His determination, his heart and his brain. The first year he won the shooting title, they criticized him about his lack of defense. The year after, he wins the defensive player of the year. Jordan always proved people wrong. I do like McGrady ALOT, but Hes not even close to Jordan. He truly reminds me of ARod. Arguably the best player in the league, but cant win a ring. Until they do, they will always be known as a jinx.
The closest player (but not there by far) to Jordan in the league right now is Lebron James.

[Baseball Guru]

McGrady is a puss... He was ALWAYS whinning in Orlando:hmm:

[cxlx]

McGrady is a puss... He was ALWAYS whinning in Orlando:hmm:

And hes the one that chosed Orlando and left a very talented Toronto team (at that time) to make more money. And stop being in Carters shadow.

Oh another thing that makes Jordan so great that noone in this league can come close to, was his loyalty. Loyalty to his team, his coach, his teammates, the city of Chicago and most important, his fans.

[imgreat95]

I can count on one hand how many times I have seen Mcgrady play. In fact, pronbably on one finger. BUT, I loved the NBA back in the Michael Jordan days, so i know a little bit about that team. I am basing this just on what you have said. timberwolf, about McGrady.

You have said over and over again in this thread that McGrady is a good p layer but can be a great player "when he wants to." That right there, to me, puts him in a never ever ever gonna be CLOSE to Jordan category. Why?? Because Jordan was great ALL the time. Because he WANTED to be great all the time. He got up for every game regardless of who the opponent was. He may have had off nights, but he showed up to try and be the best and put on the best performance every night.

The truly great ones are not only great "when they feel like it." They are great all the time.

[Baseball Guru]

Good post Shon and very true... Too often T Mac dogs it....:nono:

[lal4l]

Oh another thing that makes Jordan so great that noone in this league can come close to, was his loyalty. Loyalty to his team, his coach, his teammates, the city of Chicago and most important, his fans.

CX, have to disagree... IF he was so loyal WHY did he go to Washington. He should have played with the Bulls on his comeback tour. That bothered me! Also, Reggie Miller to me or John Stockton would be those loyal people your talking about.

[cxlx]

T, are you serious? Michael Jordan was an OWNER!!!!! To me, the reason why he came back was to help a (his) struggling team. He was like the ONLY veteran on that team. Im pretty sure if he was an owner of the Bulls, he would have done the same. Michael's image is forever etched into Chicago. He might have been a Wizard, but his heart will always be in Chicago. I really doubt that there is one Chicago Bulls fan out there that is or was mad at Michael for playing in Washington.

[rockin500]

CX, have to disagree... IF he was so loyal WHY did he go to Washington. He should have played with the Bulls on his comeback tour. That bothered me! Also, Reggie Miller to me or John Stockton would be those loyal people your talking about.
jordan was an owner, there was no way he was going to be able to own with reinsdorf in chicago. and the only way he would come back with the bulls woulda been if Phil were still there and some of the other pieces (ie scottie and Kerr)

bob, there are plenty of bulls fans who thought it was stupid, but not me. he'll always be a bull in my eyes and he just had to scratch an itch though, his team sucking ass had to factor strongly in the decision.

jordan wants to run his own franchise (or he did at any rate), tony. thats why he took up the job with the wizards.

[lal4l]

Did he even try to go back to Chicago really? Not being a smart ass just dont know haha.... Why would he not try to go back to Chicago. And curiousity! How much did he paid over in Washington? I heard he got screwed that when he went back after he retired as a player, he went to go back upstairs and they said his services were not needed! Not cool... Used him big... DID HIM NASTY

[rockin500]

chicago was cool with him. he had asked and was rebuffed there.

[supab]

Simply put tracy doesn't have it, is see him make mistakes all the time. When he gets hot his jumper is wet no doubt!!!!! But his basic feel of the game is what I question. It looks like he plays the game preprogramed and thinks about what he's going to do. The best players feel the game and play mostly off reaction. Example of the way the game should be played, and this player has always been good is.....Steve Nash. If tracy had his body with steves basketball sense then he would be heading towards jordans level