Welcome! Please take a few seconds to create your free account to post threads, make some friends, remove a few ads while surfing and much more. ClutchFans has been bringing fans together to talk Houston Sports since 1996. Join us!
ROCKETS GAMEDAY
Strong test at Toyota Center tonight as the Rockets take on Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and the New York Knicks. Come join Dave and David Weiner (@BimaThug) for live postgame!

LIVE! ClutchFans on YouTube

Welcome ClutchFans Live

[CHRON] Tmac from ORL Coming Back?

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by LongTimeFan, Dec 21, 2005.

Page 1 of 3

LongTimeFan Member

Joined:

Oct 6, 2001

Messages:

7,757

Likes Received:

963

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/3539115.html

It's time for Swift to shine
Absence of Yao puts pressure on power forward as Rockets return

By MOISEKAPENDA BOWER
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

Considering he was the most ballyhooed of the Rockets' offseason transactions, Stromile Swift has yet to draw the spotlight.

The saga involving Tracy McGrady's ailing knee and balky back garnered a lion's share of early attention, as has the avalanche of injuries in the Rockets' backcourt — Bob Sura, then Rafer Alston, Jon Barry and Derek Anderson in succession.

Yao Ming absorbs some of the glare, a consequence that comes with being a 7-6 center representing the most populous country on the face of the planet.

As for Swift, the power forward's slow start drew the ire of some and initiated trade rumors. But Rockets fans have had more pressing issues.

And with Yao out for upward of six weeks following Monday's surgery to treat osteomyelitis in his left big toe, the brunt of expectations has landed squarely on Swift's shoulders.

How Swift performs with Yao sidelined will draw analysis and scrutiny.

"I'm just trying to pick up the slack," Swift said. "More rebounding, blocked shots — just be better defensively. Hopefully I can bring some offense, and hopefully we can keep it going. We've been playing really well together lately, so hopefully we can just keep it going."

The Rockets will be hard-pressed to keep pace with their recent 5-1 trip should Swift not make a leap forward. Offensively Swift had begun to show signs of life and, not coincidentally, his production spike coincided with the Rockets' five-game winning streak.

During the run of victories over Boston, Sacramento, Portland, Golden State and Seattle, Swift averaged 10.2 points and shot 55.5 percent (20-for-36). Additional minutes will come with Yao and Dikembe Mutombo, who suffered a dislocated and lacerated middle finger on his right hand Sunday against the Los Angeles Lakers, out of the mix. The Rockets expect Swift will boost his production.

The problem comes on the boards.

Swift has had just one double-digit rebounding performance this season, grabbing 12 boards against the Phoenix Suns on Nov. 23.

Little against the Lakers
In the last four games, Swift posted eight rebounds — and zero while starting for Yao against the Lakers.

Over the same four games, Swift corralled one offensive rebound in 77 minutes.

"When you're in a four-man rotation, you can live through the ups and downs and inconsistency of any player," Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "But you take two of those four out of that rotation, and you've got to be responsible to your team every night, not to play great — you can't totally control if you play great — but to be alert, aware, active, aggressive and play a hard, smart game. That's for everybody. It's nothing new.

"You have to be even more responsible to your team because there's less room for error. If he's not successful or not doing those things in a four-man rotation, that's like the other three guys — you can take one out and plug one in.

"When you're in a basic two-man rotation — him and Juwan (Howard), with Lonnie (Baxter) sort of trying to pick out a good matchup — you need to be accountable and responsible."

It remains to be seen whether Swift can help offset the loss of the 12.5 rebounds that Yao and Mutombo, who could miss at least a week of action, combined to average per game.

T-Mac to carry offense
At least one of Swift's teammates has volunteered to help.

"As long as I'm in that uniform and out on that court, we'll be fine," McGrady said. "Everything is on me, and I will lead these guys. I will get back to being the old Mac like I was in Orlando where I was basically just going out and averaging 30-something points.

"If I don't do that, we won't win. It's just plain and simple. With all those guys out, if I don't go out and if I do that, we won't win ballgames, so expect that."

mk.bower@chron.com
ROCKETS SUMMARY
Time to give
Having returned from an exhausting six-game trip, the Rockets spent Tuesday afternoon spreading holiday cheer.

Tracy McGrady and Dikembe Mutombo roamed the halls of Memorial Hermann Children's Hospital and led players as they made room-by-room stops.

Derek Anderson, Juwan Howard, Ryan Bowen, Lonny Baxter and Moochie Norris also entertained patients and staff.

The Rockets also stopped by to visit Yao Ming, who had toe surgery Monday in a nearby part of the Texas Medical Center.

"Just to come down here and bring some joy, some smiles on faces, just some old Kris Kringle spirit, I want to be a part of that," Norris said. "I'm a big kid at heart."

At the Ronald McDonald House, a home away from home for families of child patients, Jon Barry, David Wesley, Rafer Alston, Luther Head, Stephen Graham and Stromile Swift split time signing autographs and posing for pictures.

And when the time came to dole out Christmas presents, the Rockets played the role of Santa Claus and his helpers.

"They need to see some positives, so it's good to come here and try to touch lives," Head said. "Hopefully we'll do something good and hopefully they'll get something out of it. We want them to have as much fun as they can so we can feel like we did something for them."

As wide-eyed as the children and their parents were in sharing a moment with NBA players, the Rockets were clearly touched, too.

They appeared poised to sign most anything and were overjoyed by the opportunity.

"It humbles you just to see this," Head said. "It makes you think that whatever problems you may have, it isn't that bad. It definitely gets you in perspective"
Click to expand...

#1 LongTimeFan, Dec 21, 2005

couch_pot8o Member

Joined:

May 17, 2003

Messages:

1,161

Likes Received:

3

i think what he meant about that is from the time being, he has to be the old tmac that needs to score 30+ points in order for his team to win. lets face it, half of the team is out with injuries, we dont have a real center, no real point guard.. so it does look like the orlando magic team that tmac left 2 years ago. theres no second option for the team right now so tmac has to carry ALOT of load.

#2 couch_pot8o, Dec 21, 2005
Manila Member

Joined:

Sep 3, 2002

Messages:

129

Likes Received:

0

Hope he doesn't have to be like Kobe in their recent win against Dallas where he needs to score 62 points... more than half the team's total

Everyone should really step up including Baxter and Graham so that the team could really benefit from this situation.

#3 Manila, Dec 21, 2005
ClutchCityReturns Member

Joined:

Apr 26, 2005

Messages:

13,640

Likes Received:

3,240

GOOD!

He can start by looking off a wide-open Ryan Bowen and just taking the shot himself. I'd rather him shoot with people hanging all over him like Gulliver than have him pass to Bowen.

#4 ClutchCityReturns, Dec 21, 2005
Texas Stoke Member

Joined:

Aug 16, 2002

Messages:

5,743

Likes Received:

18

I like TMac's confidence but thats going to be pretty tough to do because there will be times when JVG has no other options but to play Mutumbo and Bowen at the same time which will make it almost impossible for TMac to score unless he plans on playing 1 on 3. But who knows with TMac. Give him 35 shots a game. he's a guy who scores in bunches. if he gets hot here and there throughout the game, he can't be stopped.

#5 Texas Stoke, Dec 21, 2005
blazer_ben Rookie

Joined:

May 21, 2002

Messages:

6,652

Likes Received:

0

I'm expecing T-MAC to erupt for 40 plus against the raptors.i just rememberd, mike james is gonna gonna be back to. i liked james, but rafer once is back and fully fit, will prove us why he was the better deal.

#6 blazer_ben, Dec 21, 2005
real_egal Member

Joined:

Nov 20, 2003

Messages:

4,433

Likes Received:

260

Texas Stoke said:

I like TMac's confidence but thats going to be pretty tough to do because there will be times when JVG has no other options but to play Mutumbo and Bowen at the same time which will make it almost impossible for TMac to score unless he plans on playing 1 on 3. But who knows with TMac. Give him 35 shots a game. he's a guy who scores in bunches. if he gets hot here and there throughout the game, he can't be stopped.
Click to expand...

I am sure we all know that it's all on him now. If he doesn't score 30+, we can't win. But I just hope that he could be more diplomatic about it, just to encourage his teammates, and show some confidence in them. He's basically saying that with all the guys out, the rest can't do a damn thing, although it's close to truth, no need to say it in their faces. Even if he scores 40 a night, he still needs contribution from other guys. I am sure DW and Head will perform well. Hopefully Howard and Swift can step up as well. In my opinion, it doesn't hurt to give your teammates some praise in the media, especially those role players.

I am a little bit tired of all the leadership talks in the media, just too much. Maybe just me.

#7 real_egal, Dec 21, 2005

Rocket River Member

Joined:

Oct 5, 1999

Messages:

66,835

Likes Received:

34,467

hhhhhmmmmmm interesting

I don't care .. . but don't leave in the 1st round
that is all I care about right about now

Rocket River

#8 Rocket River, Dec 21, 2005
TMac640 Contributing Member

Joined:

Jan 10, 2005

Messages:

5,484

Likes Received:

2

Rumor has it we're about to swap Francis, Cato, and Mobley for McGrady, Lue, and Juwan Howard.

#9 TMac640, Dec 21, 2005
Rockets34Legend Member

Joined:

Jun 12, 2002

Messages:

24,374

Likes Received:

23,506

Let T-Mac score his 30+ points. As long as the rest of the team contributes (Head, Swift, Juwan - scoring; Wesley and Bowen - penetration and hustle), we'll be just fine. We don't need another Kobe - I in team...

#10 Rockets34Legend, Dec 21, 2005
TMac640 Contributing Member

Joined:

Jan 10, 2005

Messages:

5,484

Likes Received:

2

nWo34Life said:

Let T-Mac score his 30+ points. As long as the rest of the team contributes (Head, Swift, Juwan - scoring; Wesley and Bowen - penetration and hustle), we'll be just fine. We don't need another Kobe - I in team...
Click to expand...

BUT... there is a me.

Get it... me in team? but no I?

#11 TMac640, Dec 21, 2005
dabien1 Member

Joined:

Jun 26, 2002

Messages:

619

Likes Received:

0

real_egal said:

I am sure we all know that it's all on him now. If he doesn't score 30+, we can't win. But I just hope that he could be more diplomatic about it, just to encourage his teammates, and show some confidence in them. He's basically saying that with all the guys out, the rest can't do a damn thing, although it's close to truth, no need to say it in their faces. Even if he scores 40 a night, he still needs contribution from other guys. I am sure DW and Head will perform well. Hopefully Howard and Swift can step up as well. In my opinion, it doesn't hurt to give your teammates some praise in the media, especially those role players.

I am a little bit tired of all the leadership talks in the media, just too much. Maybe just me.
Click to expand...

Well I think Tmac is just taking responsibility as leader of the team.

I'm still counting on him looking for his teammates throughout the first half. Wes and HEAD have to step up. PERIOD.

Tmac could have the KOBE mentality and go 1 on 5, but I have a feeling he trusts his teammates more than Kobe does.

#12 dabien1, Dec 21, 2005
pgabriel Educated Negro

Joined:

Dec 6, 2002

Messages:

44,273

Likes Received:

4,008

talk is cheap. just win, you'll be alright.

#13 pgabriel, Dec 21, 2005

Visagial Member

Joined:

Nov 16, 2002

Messages:

1,463

Likes Received:

32

Yao's still in the hostipal?!

#14 Visagial, Dec 21, 2005
tigermission1 Member

Joined:

Aug 17, 2002

Messages:

15,557

Likes Received:

17

He's just trying to pump himself up, but I am pretty sure he's going to involve his teammates as well, probably unless they stink it up as usual.

#15 tigermission1, Dec 21, 2005
Qball Member

Joined:

Nov 9, 2001

Messages:

4,151

Likes Received:

210

To be fair, he shouldn't have made that statement. How many of us on this board would be taking shots at Kobe if he would have said that? Lakers suck more than Rox even with the injuries. The last thing we want here is the "old" T-Mac coming back. We're only defending him because he's a Rocket. I would rather have him call out Swift or Head or Howard than to say "I will get back to being the old Mac like I was in Orlando where I was basically just going out and averaging 30-something points".

#16 Qball, Dec 21, 2005
Mikeylu Member

Joined:

Jul 6, 2005

Messages:

1,111

Likes Received:

19

Any of yall think Tmac will match/beat kobe's recent 62 point rampage in these next games where yao/deke will be out?

#17 Mikeylu, Dec 21, 2005
tigermission1 Member

Joined:

Aug 17, 2002

Messages:

15,557

Likes Received:

17

Mikeylu said:

Any of yall think Tmac will match/beat kobe's recent 62 point rampage in these next games where yao/deke will be out?
Click to expand...

No, it was just an offensive explosion that great players tend to have every now and then. Kobe is a lot healthier than McGrady is, so I am not sure McGrady can do that and last for a whole game, he would break down physically.

Remember, McGrady is STILL trying to work himself back in shape and has shown signs of fatigue in the past few games.

#18 tigermission1, Dec 21, 2005

dabien1 Member

Joined:

Jun 26, 2002

Messages:

619

Likes Received:

0

Mikeylu said:

Any of yall think Tmac will match/beat kobe's recent 62 point rampage in these next games where yao/deke will be out?
Click to expand...

I really hope not. I dont want Tmac to have to score 62 for us to win. We're a depleted roster but still a TEAM. I'm sure Tmac will play his game, but I really hope Wes and Head step up and hit their shots. It is actually very simple....

#19 dabien1, Dec 21, 2005
LAYGO Member

Joined:

Dec 21, 2005

Messages:

1,257

Likes Received:

72

Visagial said:

Yao's still in the hostipal?!
Click to expand...

When I had surgery on my toe for osteomyelitis, it was a day surgery. I spent about 2hrs at the clinic.

They may have wanted to monitor Yao a little differently though.

I remember being conscious long enough to see my toe wrapped up in all this gauze that it looked like the cartoons when someone hammers a characters foot . . .

#20 LAYGO, Dec 21, 2005

(You must log in or sign up to post here.)

Page 1 of 3

Share This Page