It ruined the Shaquille O'Neal-Kobe Bryant pairing in Los Angeles, but Tracy McGrady won't let it derail Houston's title hopes.
With McGrady and Yao Ming, the Rockets resemble the Shaq-Kobe Lakers - one team, two superstars. One player has to be "the man,'' and O'Neal and Bryant both demanded that role.
McGrady doesn't care.
"I never did,'' he said. "I had no choice (in Orlando) but to go out and carry the team, because I didn't have Grant Hill. When I came here, I've got a big guy that I can go throw the ball to and he gets 25 shots a night and I could defer to him.''
When McGrady joined Orlando from Toronto, it was thought he would be Hill's sidekick, but Hill never stayed healthy.
McGrady turned into one of the league's most explosive scorers while playing for some bad teams, but he's never advanced beyond the first round of the playoffs. He said he believes the way to make it happen is by riding on the back of his 7-foot-6 center, who McGrady says is playing at an "MVP-caliber level.''
"I'm all about winning. I'm a very unselfish player,'' he said. "For me, it's all about getting Ws. I've won scoring championships. I don't care about none of that stuff no more. I'm at a point in my career where I just want to win ballgames. So if that's going out averaging 12, 15 points and we're winning ballgames, so be it.''
Not everyone agrees that a player who won two scoring titles and is one of league's most talented offensive players is best served being a No. 2 option.
"For (Houston) to go to the next level, Tracy McGrady cannot be the second man on the team,'' announcer Doug Collins said during TNT's telecast of the Rockets' game against the Bulls last Thursday. "He has to be the dominant guy on this team and not run away from the responsibility of being their best player.''
McGrady's way is working now. Yao has dominated, and the Rockets, who struggled last season when both players frequently were hurt, look like a contender in the tough Southwest Division.
"I think it's death with either one, because they're both capable of winning the basketball game,'' Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said. "It's a matter of pick your poison.''
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source : NBA.com
Friday, August 31, 2007
Who’s ‘The Man’ in Houston? McGrady Says, ‘Who Cares?’
Elson Suffers Fracture Of Left Eye Orbit
Elson was examined earlier today in San Antonio. He will have surgery within the next week. Elson is expected to be able to resume limited basketball activity one week after his surgery. Elson should be cleared for full contact by mid to late September. The injury will force him to wear a protective face mask throughout the 2007 preseason.
Krzyzewski Has Bryant's Back !
LAS VEGAS -- On the court, Kobe Bryant has been a ferocious defender for Mike Krzyzewski in the FIBA Americas Olympic qualifying tournament. Off the court, Krzyzewski is an equally strong defender of Bryant.
The bond between player and coach was formed when Bryant considered coming to Duke rather than jumping directly from high school to the pros. It was strengthened when Krzyzewski considered leaving Duke to coach the Lakers after Phil Jackson's departure in 2004.
And it has been sealed now that they are finally united on the U.S. basketball team.
While Bryant has been heavily criticized for his meltdown after the NBA season, when he went back and forth on his desire to remain a Laker, Krzyzewski is sympathetic.
"I would always want guys who would want to win," Krzyzewski said. "The fact that he's frustrated because they are not winning at the level he would like, I think that's a good problem. I'm sure the Lakers will work things out. The thing about Kobe is that every thing he does is so public. It's the scrutiny placed on an individual who has won three world championships and is considered the best player in the world. That goes with the territory.
"Krzyzewski says he has been there for Bryant behind the scenes.
"It's not so much you give advice," said the coach, "because to give advice, you have to have knowledge of the situation. What you want to do is give support, say, 'I'm behind you. Stay steadfast in what you want to do.'
"The two also spoke when it was Krzyzewski's future that was uncertain.
"When I was considering the Laker situation," Krzyzewski said, "he told me he loved the Laker organization and if that's what I wanted to do, he wanted to work with me. No pressure or anything like that. What came across during that time was his love of L.A. and his love of the Laker organization."
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source : latimes.com
Brandan Wright: Getting Ready For Life In The NBA
On Draft Night 2007, the Warriors made big news by trading Jason Richardson to the Charlotte Bobcats. And while initial reactions to the trade have centered on the six-year veteran, much less attention has been given to the player landed in exchange for Richardson - rookie Brandan Wright. Still more than two months away from seeing his first NBA regular season action, Wright wasn’t just a throw-in in this deal. He was the deal.
"We are very excited that we were able to get Brandan," Warriors Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Mullin said on draft night. "We targeted him from the outset of the draft and we feel that with his athleticism, length and ability to block shots, he fits perfectly into our up-tempo style of play."
Although he’s just a rookie, Wright is well aware of the fact that he has some large shoes to fill.
Wright joins the Warriors with quite a pedigree. The No. 8 selection in the 2007 NBA Draft, the 6-foot-10 forward played one season for one of the premiere programs in all of college basketball at the University of North Carolina. Wright did more than just hold his own with the Tar Heels.
Bobcats Re-Sign Jeff McInnis
Charlotte Bobcats Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Bernie Bickerstaff and General Manager Rod Higgins announced Wednesday that the team has re-signed guard Jeff McInnis, who became an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The Bobcats acquired the 6-4, 190-pound Charlotte native in a January 3, 2007 trade with the New Jersey Nets.
McInnis appeared in 38 games for the Bobcats last season, averaging 4.3 points, 3.3 assists and 1.6 rebounds. In three starts, he averaged 10.3 points, 5.0 assists and 3.3 rebounds, including a season-high 17 points on January 20 against Atlanta.
McInnis, who left the University of North Carolina after his junior season, was selected by Denver in the second round (37th overall pick) of the 1996 NBA Draft.
He has played in 522 career games for seven different teams over his 10 NBA seasons with career averages of 9.9 points, 4.4 assists and 2.1 rebounds split between Denver, Washington, L.A. Clippers, Portland, Cleveland, New Jersey and Charlotte.
source : NBA.com
How Kohl Sealed Deal With Yi
Sen. Herb Kohl is accustomed to the intricate circles of influence in Washington, D.C
On Wednesday, Kohl became a power broker in a different sphere as he sat in Hong Kong with Chinese basketball star Yi Jianlian and his representatives at the Peninsula Hotel.
Kohl, the owner of the Milwaukee Bucks and the team's president, was integral during the negotiation process as the Bucks reached agreement with the 7-foot Yi, who signed a multiyear deal with the National Basketball Association franchise.
The talks, which included Bucks general manager Larry Harris, ended about 3 p.m. in Hong Kong (about 2 a.m. Wednesday Milwaukee time).
Now, instead of a long stalemate dragging into training camp or beyond, the Bucks can begin making the plans that will include the No. 6 overall pick in this year's draft.
Early Wednesday morning, Kohl said Yi and his parents, along with Guangdong Tigers owner Chen Haitao, were impressed with the Bucks' "willingness to literally go the last mile, which is to come here."
Harris and team vice president Ron Walter also were present for the meetings with Chinese basketball officials, including Chen. Both Harris and Walter helped persuade Yi and his agents, easing their doubts over his role within the team.
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source : jsonline.com
