SB Nation User Blog: grungedave

Did I miss the song??

grungedave — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:05:29 -0000

More photos » by Pat Sullivan - AP

5 days ago: Oklahoma Thunder's Etan Thomas (36) tries to block a shot by Houston Rockets' Chase Budinger (10) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Nov. 6, 2009 in Houston. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)

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Chase Budinger: 6-10 FG (2-4 3pt), 16 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block tonight.

sing it again, rookie beyotch!!!

Who is to blame for the loss to the Lakers? You may not like the answer.

grungedave — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:21:40 -0000

The Lakers were an overwhelming favorite heading into Wednesday's game. The Rockets, however, surprised and confused the defending champs by playing aggressively and not backing down to anything. Not even with significant height disadvantages at every position.

Yet in the end, it came down to Kobe Bryant simply being better than everyone else. And he may have had an additional edge that none of the currently healthy Rockets had...

"What is that?" you may ask. Well... it pains me to say, but we might have to lay a bit of blame on the namesake himself. Yes, Hakeem Olajuwon spent part of the summer tutoring Kobe on sophisticated post moves and footwork. Things which Kobe used to shred the Rockets' 4th Q defense on Wednesday.

It makes me happy that Kobe would seek out Hakeem's help.

But it makes me sad that these trade secrets would be used against Hakeem's hometown team.

Oh, I can't stay mad at you, Hakeem! You rule.

The Sports Guy's phone call to Daryl Morey (the secret recording)

grungedave — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:40:07 -0000

[scene: Daryl Morey at the office hard at work reviewing box scores, 100 page spreadsheets and his own super-secret player ratings formula. It's his version of coffee and the morning paper... ]

Daryl Morey: [looking at the Rockets/Lakers box score] F--king refs! How do we not get a single free throw attempt in the fourth quarter on our home court?!?! F--k!!!

suddenly the phone rings.
[Morey looks at his caller ID - the number is 213-SPORTS-G]

Morey: *sigh* [answers phone] What do you want, Simmons? I'm kinda busy right now.

Bill "the Sports Guy" Simmons: Yo, what up, Dork-E? Tough game for you guys last night. I DVR'd "America's Next Top Model" so I could watch. Um, I mean, I made the Sports Gal put it on DVR. Gotta pull rank sometime, am I right? But seriously, you need to front Kobe Bryant there at the end. You just can't let him beat you. Letting the Lakers win is almost like a loss for the Celtics, am I right? Did you see the Celtics are 6-0? I never doubted KG!

Morey: [interrupting] Did you just call me "dorky"? And how did you get through? I thought I had your number blocked last week?

Simmons: Ahhh, no way brah - I said "Dork-E", like the letter "E". It's "Dork Elvis" shortened, you get it? It's funny. I give all sorts of crazy funny names to all my friends... Hench, J-Bug, Hopper...

Morey: [overtly annoyed] Bill, the Elvis thing wasn't funny the first time you said it. Nor the 100th time. Don't you have a book to shill or something?

Simmons: Yeah! Did you see? My book is #11 at Amazon! I check this every day you know...

Morey: I'm sure you do. Bill, I'm kinda busy, what do you want?

Simmons: I wanted to know if you read my book! I sent you a free copy! Did you read it?

Morey: [stares at unopened box in corner of office....] Uhhh, yeah, ummm, I'm still in the middle of it. It's kinda long, you know.

Simmons: [boastfully] It's over 700 pages long! It can stop a bullet too! Or as I like to say: it's the Bill Russell to a bullet's Wilt Chamberlain. I wanted to make BIll Russell the #1 player of all time in my completely arbitrary ranking system, but my editors wouldn't let me put that in my book, so I just went with Michael Jordan.

Morey: [dismissive] Well, you know, Michael Jordan is by most statistical observations the best player of all-time. By far. It's not even really much of an argument. Besides, Bill Russell played in a league with only 8 teams and a de-facto racial quota system in place.

Simmons: [defensive] I don't know... Russell was a Celtic, man. And Jordan didn't win 11 rings. Did you know Russell was even the head coach at the end of that championship run?!?! Also, I was talking to Adam Corolla recently and he had this theory about basketball in the 1950s and 1960s........

Morey: Adam Corolla? The sidekick from the Man Show? That fuckin' guy?

Simmons: Hey, he hates it when you call him Jimmy's sidekick. How do we know Jimmy isn't Adam's sidekick?

Morey: Fair enough. Not that I give 2 shits either way. [lengthy pause] Look... Bill.... I gotta get back to this. I have to re-adjust some efficiency formulas today. Then I have to meet with Battier to go over game charts and our plan for stopping Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday.

Simmons: [having a fan-gasm] Ohhh, you can't stop Durant and the Zombies. No way. He's going to lead the league in scoring this year. And he's only 21! There is no ceiling for him.

Morey: Surprisingly, Bill, the recent numbers tell me all we gotta do is dare Durant to shoot from beyond 23 feet... and his +/- ratio suggests he might actually be hurting the Thunder. This is why I am crunching numbers today.

Simmons: No... no.... no. But enough about my man crush - what's this formula you are working on? Maybe we can write a book together about it? I mean... when I'm not scouring box scores and video so I can make my NFL picks!

Morey: Bill, it's secret. I think you can understand that. I only share this information with Shane. And yeah, awesome job going 4-9 with your exemplary research on NFL games last week.

Simmons: Hey, it was an unlucky week for my gambling manifesto. Shane? You mean Battier? What's with the two of you? Are you two dating or something? Come on, what's all this super secret stuff? You should be more like me - I make all my gambling formulas public!! Besides, I promise I won't use your basketball formula against you when I am GM of the Timberwolves. Promise!

Morey: [lauging] You as the GM? I thought you liked Ricky Rubio - why would you want to fuck up his career by being his future GM?

Simmons: Ahh, it's not like I could be worse than David Kahn. And I love Kevin McHale, but... you know. And Ricky would love me... we could watch all sorts of TV shows together that I am way too old to be watching. Couldn't you just see him as a guest star on 90210? Or maybe I could use my connections to get him cast on the Real World during the summer break?

Morey: You have got to stop watching that shit, Bill. I mean, I'm not the man you are at 40 yet, but... even I've grown beyond soap operas masquerading as teenager drama.

Simmons: [nearly in tears] but... but... I want to be cool!! I have to be hip!! It's just like in that movie Almost Famous. How will the other cool kids like me if I don't stay current with what's going on in pop culture?

Morey: [looking for a quick escape] Yeah, ummm, you are exactly like William Miller... you even have the same first name... uhhhhh...

Simmons: I'd never sing "Tiny Dancer" though.

Morey: Of course not.

Simmons: Well, anyway, I wanted to see what Dork Elvis was up to before I had my meetings with all the super-famous directors that are part of ESPN's 30-for-30. I recruited all of them. Me. Myself.

Morey: Seriously, stop with this "dork Elvis" shit. Just stop.

Simmons: [completely unaware] It's funny. It's a funny name. Okay, check ya later, Dork-E!

/hangs up/

Morey: ...... fucking finally. Now I can get back to work. I simply must figure out the proper measurement and ratio for incorporating "incompetent referees" as a variable into my secret formula. Next time we see the Lakers... they won't know what hit 'em. Moneyball can kiss my M.I.T. ass after I perfect this plan. Math, ftw.

Guess who is in first place? That's right!

grungedave — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:55:08 -0000

Things I never thought I would be able to say after Opening Day:

Guess who is in first place!!!??

The Houston Rockets!!!!!

Southwest Standings

	W	L	PCT	GB	STRK
Houston	3	1	.750	0	Won 3
Dallas	2	1	.666	0.5	Won 2
San Antonio	2	1	.666	0.5	Won 1
New Orleans	1	3	.250	2	Lost 2
Memphis	1	3	.250	2	Lost 2

(updated 11.3.2009 at 8:56 AM CST)

........... these guys amaze me every single game. I've never been so happy to be so wrong about a team.

Hey, Utah - your team just got beat by a bunch of midgets. HAHAHHAHAHAHAHA!

grungedave — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 04:32:35 -0000

Damn that felt good.

The Rockets overcome Joey Crawford and his band of misfits to beat the s--t out of the evil Utah Jazz. It would have been a 20 point plus victory, but Brian Cook entered the game and ruined that... final score is 113-96. Suck it, Utah!

Seriously, Utah had a massive height advantage at most every position. They had home court. They had Deron freakin' Williams (who is really, really good and sadly misplaced among the rogues he has to call "teammates"). And, as noted, they had Joey Crawford and the other two refs that couldn't possibly be any worse than the replacement refs from pre-season. All of that........ the Rockets overcame. They could not - and would not - be stopped. Not even in Utah, where Rocket dreams went to die in the past.

Dear Daryl Morey,

I was wrong. About everything. I should never have doubted you.

This box score is just awesome though. Its beauty is in the simplicity and all-around consistency. I want to frame it.

Chase Budinger, ftw. My new favorite albino rookie went for 17 points, 5 rebounds and all sorts of clutch in the 2nd half. Then there's Chuck Hayes - who at this rate may lead the NBA in steals for the regular season. Chuck went for 12 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 assists. On 6-8 shooting. Seriously, Utah, you let Chuck Hayes nearly get a double double on you. There's only one way to properly respond to that:

Look at the box score again. The Rockets put 8 players in double figures. EIGHT. That never really happens with our team, and yet that might be a regular occurrence with this unselfish roster. 50% shooting as a team (and a robust 52% from beyond the arc. Nice!). Even better? The undersized Rockets out-rebounded the Jazz 46-38. It's true. I couldn't believe my eyes either. Utah only got 8 offensive rebounds. EIGHT. So much for a size advantage. The Rockets have a heart advantage (not to mention a karma advantage).

The only way this could have been better would have been if Joey Dorsey got to play... got a gorilla dunk... and then impregnated all of Salt Lake City. To mark our newfound territory.

pwn3d, bitches.

Reminder: Rockets @ Utah Jazz tomorrow

grungedave — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 22:55:50 -0000

Tomorrow, the Rockets travel to the least interesting place the NBA has to offer. Utah.

Consider this your first reminder.

I really, really hate the Utah Jazz.

GO ROCKETS!

At least the Rockets didn't trade for Shaq

grungedave — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:04:50 -0000

I know I've been pleading for the Rockets to acquire a real, actual 7' tall or bigger center. It hasn't happened yet, but there could be worse things in life I guess.

(David Andersen is not what I had in mind, but he looks to be a good acquisition once he learns that forearm shivers and hip checks don't really go unnoticed in the NBA. But I digress...)

On that note, I would like to say I am very, very glad the Rockets never made any attempt to acquire Shaquille O'Neal. At the very same time, am I the only person who is highly amused by the fact that the FatAss has "helped" the Cavaliers and King James to a sputtering 0-2 start? Including a loss to the Raptors. We all know it can't be LeBron's fault......... and I can't wait to see who Shaq tries to blame for this (because we know that it couldn't possibly Shaq's fault for getting in the way!)

I can't wait until the FatAss gets the Braylon Edwards treatment for messing with LeBron James' world.

Rockets/Blazers: Game observations and bullet-points

grungedave — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:42:42 -0000

More photos » by Don Ryan - AP

15 days ago: Houston Rockets guard Aaron Brooks, right, and Kyle Lowry sit on the bench during a break in the second half of their NBA basketball game against the Portland Trail Blazers in Portland, Ore., Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009. Brooks scored 19 points as they lost to the Blazers 96-87. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)

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Recapping games and doing "journalist" type stuff... so not my thing. I'd much rather just rant and rave and post my observations and things I see that the Richard Justice types never will because ~~he is~~ they are too busy using Google Images to search for incriminating photos of Brad Mills. I mean, how else do they keep their jobs in this economy? Anyway...

Holy hell the Rockets look tiny next to the Blazers! Granted, most teams are going to look small going up against a front-line of Greg Oden, Joel Przybilla and LaMarcus Aldridge. Those dudes are TALL.
After this season is over, the whole world will finally appreciate how much of a badass Yao Ming is. For all the criticism he's taken for being "soft" or "overrated" or "slow defensively," only in his absence will people truly understand how great he is.
Okay, so maybe Luis Scola won't go 20/10 this year. You have to look for your shot more to get 20 points and the Rockets appear to have adopted a more democratic sense of offense. This may or may not be a good thing.
Did Carl Landry shrink 3 inches in the off-season?
Kyle Lowry showed why the Rockets won the Rafer Alston trade .0001 seconds after it was made.
For all the pre-season hype and talk, Pops and Joey continue to be non-factors in the rotation. Against a big team like Portland, you would think they would get more court-time.
David Andersen had about a 5 minute burst in the 4th Q where he actually looked really, really good. Is this what I can expect for the next 81 games? If so... I'm completely on board.
Chase Budinger can dunk? Must have learned that playing volleyball...
Greg Oden did get 12 rebounds and 5 blocked shots. But, uhhh, we basically handed that s--t to him. The dude is a monumental bust for a #1 overall pick. He can't run or shoot. And after 2 years in the league, you'd thnk he'd have at least some modicum of an offensive "go-to" move. And yet....... all he has is that stiff-legged, line-drive hook shot. Not exactly inspiring stuff. Somewhere Durant is laughing.
Everyone is praising Chuck Hayes for playing amazing last night. And yes, for Chuck Hayes, that was one hell of a good game. The problem is that Chuck Hayes at his absolute best is only about 65% of a competent NBA center. We may be "solid" on team defense with Chuck, but the Blazers still out-rebounded the good guys 51-33. Yes, the Rockets only got 23 defensive rebounds the whole game. That is bad. It's not Chuck's fault, but his personal disadvantages are representative of the entire team's defensive problems. "Doing your best" works just fine in little league (at least that's what my parents told me), but this ain't little league.
As for our biggest acquisition - Trevor Ariza - he had a quick offensive burst in the first quarter. Then he kinda disappeared. His defense was "okay"... Outlaw was just on fire and no one was gonna stop that without earning a suspension for illegal cut blocking. But, Ariza has one major flaw in his offensive game: he has no handles. Ron Artest may have looked sloppy dribbling the basketball, but he was so strong that you couldn't take it away. Ariza looks very fluid, and yet - he can't dribble with his left hand and Portland just attacked him every time he put it on the floor. I am not sure how we hide this in the future.
Nice to see Rick Adelman in post-season form asleep on the bench at crucial times.
Luis Scola, Aaron Brooks and Trevor Ariza just found out how tough life is in the NBA when you don't have a Yao, Kobe, McGrady, Artest or Gasol around to take attention away from you.
On that note - someone needs to tell Aaron Brooks that we don't care if he is 0-6 from deep - you HAVE to take that open 3 pointer at the end when it's available. Do you think Reggie Miller passes up an open three even on a cold-shooting night? Hell naw!
In the end, we should all applaud the Rockets for fighting back in the end. They were down 20 early in the 4th Q and could have easily gone Tennessee Titan (and by that I mean "giving up completely"). Instead, they fought back with important contributions by the new guys. That was inspiring. If only there was an NBA genie that could grant my wish to make everyone on our team 10% taller. Or at least make every other team 10% shorter.
Big game tonight. We get to see how the "run and gun" new look Rockets match up against a team that's been running and gunning to moderate success for decades: the Warriors.

GO ROCKETS!!!

Ruminations from the Bench: Can Joey survive cut day?

grungedave — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:15:07 -0000

[scene: Rockets practice on Homer Simpson's favorite day of the year: cut day]

Joey: Oh yeah! Good day today. After today, I never have to see the likes of any of you b*tches ever again.

[Joey dunks the ball with no one guarding him... tries to rip the rim off... then glares in the direction of Romel Beck, Garrett Temple and Will Conroy.]

*warning: language NSFW after the jump*

[David Andersen overhears Joey's boasting and ambles over to investigate further]

David Andersen: [to Joey] Good sir, do you find it appropriate to so openly discuss the future of these mens' livelihoods on such a stressful day? Some of us may not be here as of tomorrow. I find it rude to be so brazen when conversing about such matters.

Joey: Hey, fuck you token white boy! What do you give a shit? I only have one more day to haze these rookie beyotches. Cause Joey ain't a rookie no mo', so Joey have to haze 'em. [A figurative light bulb goes off in Joey's head] Correction!! Joey have to haze and gorilla dunk.

[Shane Battier walks in]

Shane: [to Dorsey and Andersen] Hey, fellas, did you hear the bad news? They had to release Brent Barry. The Clippers wouldn't trade for him, and we didn't really have a spot for him here anymore. I guess Daryl had to clear space on the salary cap. Nonetheless, I'm gonna miss Brent.

Joey: [curiously] What do you mean by "salary cap"? You mean that dorky dude you talk to before every game wears an actual hat when he hands out our money? Shit, I'm gonna make him wear this hat whenever he gets around to paying my gorilla dunk bonus.

Joey: You see, it's funny because that little midget has been The Grinch to me for a fuckin' year now. He won't pay up. Even though I get the girls drippin' wet when I dunk. That's like a promotional event all on its own. They don't need no "bobblehead" day for Joey. Nah, fuck that. On Joey's Day, the rims be the only thing bouncin' up and down. Okay, maybe them titties, too, when Joey bust out his wad of $20s. Then Joey gonna blow his wad. If ya know what I'm sayin'.

Shane: Yes, Joseph, I do know what you are saying. You do not have to ask me every time. But, seriously guys, it's going to be weird around here without Brent this year. We are already missing Yao and Dikembe. Oh, wow, I may be the oldest guy on the team now! [note: He is.]

Joey: Too old for the club now, huh? Sucks to be you, bitch. Come to think though - yeah, I'm gonna miss Brent Barry. White boy taught me all about the Internet and even took me to this music event where the white girls all showed their tittays to the idiots trying to play. Shit, no white boy can play bass. It's sad. Not the white girls though. Joey be enjoyin' that very much.

Andersen: This Brent Barry sounds like quite the interesting chap. I already feel a void for never having the pleasure of learning from him.....

Joey: Shut the fuck up, EuroRook. He was cool, but he wasn't that cool. Bitch be creepy and shit. I couldn't take him to the club or none of that shit. My boyz told me his picture was on some list where they couldn't let him in. Girls be terrified of him. Can't hang with white boy after that.

[/Assistant Coach R.J. Adelman enters the building. He's looking nervous.]

R.J. Adelman: [frantic] Uhhhhh, Joey. Umm, I mean - Mr. Dorsey. Hey, ummm, uhhhh, my dad... ummm, I mean, the Coach -- he needs to speak to you. He said bring your playbook, too.

Joey: [annoyed] Who the fuck are you?

R.J.: Uhhh, I'm one of your coaches, Mr. Dorsey. I sit right next to you on the bench most of the time.

Joey: [contemplative] Oh, yeah, you be the asshole that keeps blocking my view of the front row poon that Joey be scoutin'. You see, Joey always keep his head in the game. You bitches may not let me play on the court 'cause you don't wanna pay my gorilla dunk bonus, but Joey always be aware of the girls that were there to watch him. Always. You best be sure of that! So whaddaya want, cockblocker?

R.J.: [terrified] Like I said, Joey, umm, sir, my dad wanted me to tell you he wants to see you in his office. Please don't hurt me.

Shane: [completely messing with Joey] Hey, Joseph! I think maybe he's trying to tell you that Coach finally has your "gorilla dunk bonus" check! I think you should go verify this. What else could it possibly be?

Joey: [overly excited] Fuckin' A! It's about mutha fuckin' time! Joey gonna go collect his bonus baby now. Joey gonna make it rain down like a hurricane tonight. Joey already be hard as a rock just thinking about it.

[/Dorsey leaves the court to go meet with Coach Adelman. The real coach, not his son who only has a job because of nepotism and the NBA's blind eye to DUIs]

R.J.: Thanks for that Shane. I thought he was going to try to stuff me through the rim. Again...

Shane: Not a problem, li'l coach. Is Joey really gonna get cut?

R.J.: How would I know? It's not like they tell me anything. [sulking] I need a drink. See you guys later.

.....

[scene: Rick Adelman's office. Daryl Morey is also present for the meeting with Joey Dorsey.]

/Joey enters the room

Joey: Where's my gorilla dunk bonus, bitches?

Adelman: How 'bout you just sit down, Joey. And where is your playbook? I thought R.J. told you to bring your playbook with you?

Joey: Playbook? The fuck are you talking about!?!? Joey don't need no playbook. Joey have one play: Gorilla dunk. Boom. 2 points. Do you really need me to write that shit down? Joey consider that a trade secret though.

Adelman: [perplexed] But I did give you a playbook, Joey. Where is it?

Daryl Morey: [frustrated] Joseph, you do realize we have to fine you $5,000 if you lost your playbook. There is vital information in there that other teams may want from us. Bill Simmons calls me every day just to look at it. It's really fucking annoying. Like I don't have better things to do... anyway. Joey, where is your playbook now?

Joey: [clueless] I sold that shit on E-Bay!! You should blame that white boy Barry. He showed me how to use the Internet. And when you bitches refused to pay my gorilla dunk bonus last year, Joey needed some scratch. So he sell the playbook. Problem solved. Bitches got their fill of the Dorsey Fin that night. I guarantee you that. And now you want it back? Too bad. You had your chance to bid on it. I thought you white boys would have known that since you're so good with computers and shit.

Morey: [/eyes narrowing... anger rising...] You WHAT?!?!? Holy shit. All my secret data and complex formulas are out there for anyone to see now? #@(#(*@&#!!!!

Joey: Hey, you should have paid me my bonus when I asked you the first time.

Morey: Goddammit, Joey - for the last time - there is no such thing as a "gorilla dunk bonus"!!! And even if there was, you only dunked one time the entire season last year, so we wouldn't owe you anything for that.

Adelman: It's true, Joseph. You only dunked that one time against the Nets.

Joey: [conceding nothing] Maybe so, but that dunk was worth 1,000 dunks by any of your other players. No one can do what Joey do. Besides, there being only one instance of such a dunk -- that adds value to the incident. Battier taught me all about supply and demand. Only one dunk by Joey means more demand for it. And I have mass gorilla dunks stored in my supply - and I demand you pay me for it. It be simple economics and shit. It's your own fault.

Morey: [trying to calm down] But there was never any contractual provision that we had to pay you extra for that, Joey. Didn't you read your contract?

Joey: Joey don't get paid to read. I learned that at Memphis. Besides, Joey got himself an agent. And his agent say that anytime I gorilla dunk it would be a bonus to me and my team. And to Joey's chances of gettin' his dick wet after the game. Of course.

Morey: But...... your agent never told you there would be monetary compensation for that, did he?

Joey: Bitch, I'm not negotiating with you anymore. Give me my mutha fuckin' gorilla dunk bonus check! Battier said you had it here! Joey ain't playin no mo'. PAY UP!

Adelman: [giving up] Joey, this whole meeting was simply to scare you into thinking that we might release you. Aren't you even the least bit concerned that you might get cut from the roster today?

Morey: It's true, Joey. Aren't you even the slightest bit worried that you wouldn't be on the team anymore? I mean, Pops has been outplaying you dramatically this pre-season and you haven't shown us much of anything. Why should we even keep you on the roster?

Joey: Joey? Cut from the team? Haha, bitches. You should at least make this shit plausible. Joey be the centerpiece attraction. Think about it: No Yao, no old guy who talks like that character Joey used to see on Sesame Street, and now you released Brent Barry, too. You need Joey. Who else are the girls gonna pay money to watch gorilla dunk? All you got is Joey. Now pay me my bonus, bitches.

Morey: [shaking head back-and-forth] You've gotta be fucking kidding me.

Adelman: I think I'm gonna go join my son at the bar. I don't need this shit anymore.

[/Morey and Adelman walk out... leaving Joey alone in Adelman's office]

Joey: [yelling at Morey and Adelman down the hall as they walk away] I'm not kidding, mutha fuckas!! If you don't pay me my gorilla dunk bonus NOW, Joey be goin' on strike!!! The fans are gonna be PISSED when Joey refuses to gorilla dunk!

Morey [to Adelman]: Fuck it, it's not like he was going to play anyway... let him go on strike.

Let's play the "what if?" game - today's topic: Tracy McGrady

grungedave — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 15:34:20 -0000

I know, I know... it's really dangerous to open up an actual debate on the hypothetical scenarios of Tracy McGrady. I mean, what if he really does return to the Rockets' roster this year and is actually allowed to participate in team activities? What if... what if... what if...? (I think someone once had some good advice for me on asking about things like this):

Nonetheless, with the regular season starting next week, I will brave the inevitable minefield and pose the question: What can we reallyexpect from Tracy McGrady this year?

My take? Tracy McGrady is on the downside of his career. This is not in dispute. He is also coming back from a (supposedly "minor") microfracture surgery on his knee. The list of players who have successfully recovered from any microfracture procedure is small. And even those players' "success" is debatable since none ever returned to their previous level of athletic ability.

As for McGrady, we can't ignore the previous season when he attempted to return from shoulder surgery and a "minor" (at the time) arthroscopic knee surgery. The results? Quite simply the most unproductive year since his rookie year - and since he only sat on the bench back in 1997, the 2008/09 season was certainly his most detrimental to his fellow teammates. Let's do the numbers:

38% FG shooting
37% 3-pt shooting
(note: nearly 1 in 4 of his FG attempts was from beyond the arc)
15.6 ppg
4.4 rebounds
5.0 assists
80% FT

... only his assist and FT marks were above his career averages.

The most damning stat of all? The Rockets escaped the first round of the playoffs. Without him.

So, it's safe to say you will never see this again:

But what about the 2009/10 season? It's all that matters right now and living in the past doesn't do any good (especially for our protagonist here).

Will McGrady average 20+ points a game? (No.)
Will McGrady stop shooting unnecessary 3-pointers? (No.)
Will McGrady participate on a team that makes it to round 2? (Ummm, maybe. I hope so this year.)

But what do you think?

update! Thank you to TrueHoop for the Monday afternoon link. Though I never once said in this post that Tracy McGrady would never be an all-star again. I don't think he will, but that is not the point of the article. I'm more concerned with how he fits into the current Rockets rotation (if he indeed does return).

Poll

What can we truly expect from Tracy McGrady in 2010?

10 games played; traded to Shanghai Sharks

103 votes

25 games played; traded to NY Knicks in February

296 votes

25-50 games played; Rockets win 35-45 games

418 votes

50+ games played; Rockets compete for playoff spot

659 votes

1 game played; karma returns and sends T-Mac back to reading Vogue magazine

109 votes

1585 votes | Poll has closed