Curtom: Sorry, for all of the great plays Tracy has made he is far from...
Bob Elliott: T-Mac gets extra points for playing through many injuries....
Timmy D: Nope, he is overrated. His got the skills but I dont think he...
Is Tracy McGrady a Hall of Famer?
I was cruising around Yahoo Answers today and found a question that I’ve heard a lot of people ask and debate:
“Is Tracy McGrady a Hall of Famer?”
I don’t try to pretend that I’m not biased, and so I normally just say yes to this instantly. I decided to really look at it and break it down with facts this time, so I set off to do some research. We’ll start off with the highlights and accomplishments:
- 2-time NBA scoring leader: 2003 (32.1), 2004 (28.0)
- 7-time NBA All-Star: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
- 6-time All-NBA:
- Shares NBA record for most three-point field goals made in one half with 8 (January 26, 2004 Orlando vs. Cleveland)
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- First Team: 2002, 2003
- Second Team: 2001, 2004, 2007
- Third Team: 2005
- NBA Most Improved Player Award: 2001
- Career 40+ point games (regular season): 45
- Career 50+ point games (regular season): 4
- Career 60+ point games (regular season): 1
- Career triple-doubles (regular season): 3
Early Career - Time in Toronto
In Toronto on teams with veterans like Damon Stoudamire, Doug Christie and (then) great scorer Vince Carter leading the team in scoring, Tracy became a lockdown defender and great role player. Lots of NBA fans know that McGrady has been one of the most prolific scorers in the game for the better part of a decade, but people may not always realize that McGrady can also play very tenacious defense.
This was first evident in his early career with the Raptors. As a young player behind Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady adapted to what his team needed and earned his playing time by playing defense. His three seasons in Toronto, he averaged almost 1.5 blocks per game, including an outstanding 1.91/game in the 99-2000 season.
Sidenote - It’s been reported that Jerry Krause, then GM of the Chicago Bulls, crafted a draft day trade with the Vancouver Grizzlies to trade Scottie Pippen for the 4th overall pick so that he could take McGrady. The deal was killed when Michael Jordan threatened to retire if his good friend Pippen was traded. Tracy McGrady ended up being drafted 9th overall.
Moving to Orlando
Orlando brought in Tracy McGrady in a sign and trade deal in August 2000. Slated to play sidekick to veteran star Grant Hill, McGrady took over a team filled with aging veterans after Hill was only able to play 47 games over the next 3 years due to the start of a string of injuries. With his breakthrough season, McGrady won the Most Improved Player award in 2000-2001.
In his 4 seasons with the Magic, Tracy became one of the most feared scorers in the NBA. He averaged over 28 points a game and won the NBA scoring titles in 2003 (32.1 PPG) and 2004 (28.0 PPG). Also becoming one of the few players in NBA history scoring over 60 points in a single game with a 62 point performance against the Washington Wizards on March 10th, 2004.
Traded to the Houston Rockets
Upon coming to the Houston Rockets in an offseason trade for Steve Francis, Tracy took on the role of facilitator for another superstar in Yao Ming. His scoring dropped to just over 24 points per game over his first four years in Houston, but he once again adapted to his team and showed that he was one of the premier ball distributors in the NBA with great vision and passing skills leading the Rockets in assists per game for 3 out of his first 4 seasons there. In the 2006-2007 season Tracy led the Rockets in assists and averaged 6.5 assists per game, which put him 12th in the NBA - ahead of noted passers Lebron James and Gilbert Arenas. This also put him in the top 10 in the NBA in assist percentage with 37.5%. All of this while still averaging 24.6 points a game.
In a game against the San Antonio Spurs on December 9th, 2004, Tracy McGrady delivered one of the most exciting and memorable performances in the history of basketball. Tracy hit four straight 3 pointers and a free throw to score 13 points in the final 33 seconds to win 81-80 in a game that even the Rockets announcers had declared over.
The Criticisms
Playoff Failures
Although his teams have reached the playoffs six times in his first 10 seasons, Tracy has never been to the second round of the playoffs. Many basketball fans and writers place this failure squarely on McGrady’s back. Tracy himself also took this burden personally, telling Steven A. Smith in an interview before the Rockets playoff series against the Utah Jazz in 2007 that any loss in the first round would be “on me”.
Although he’s never won, Tracy has put up good numbers in the playoffs. He has averaged 28.8 points per game and over 6 assists per game through his first 32 games. He also holds the Orlando Magic franchise record with 45 points in a single playoff game. Even with these great stats, there is a large contingent of people that contend McGrady will not be a great player until he breaks through in the playoffs.
Injuries
Seemingly plagued by injuries, there are also NBA writers who have taken to calling Tracy a soft player. Averaging 68 games per season through 2007, Tracy has suffered through chronic back pain and back spasms. In addition to his back spasms, there have been several other minor injuries including an injured tail bone in 2006, and shoulder problems in 2007.
Comparisons
Tracy McGrady is commonly compared to Clyde Drexler, another swing man that Houston once brought in to help a dominant center win a championship. Tracy and Clyde’s stats and abilities are very similar, with Tracy use his length and athletic ability to dominate smaller guards and small forwards in the paint.
Playing in the NBA today, McGrady is also often compared to Kobe Bryant. Two inches taller than Kobe, Tracy has shown a better ability to pass and distribute the ball, but Kobe seems more apt to take over a game and have huge scoring outbursts.
The Verdict
I think with the stats and some of the amazing performances McGrady has shown us over the past 11 seasons, there should be no doubt that Tracy will one day be entering the Hall of Fame. Basketball-Reference.com lists him as having an 88% probability to make the Hall, which makes him the 9th highest ranked active player in the NBA, and 59th of all time. At 28 Years Old, he has already had a great career, and with a few more productive seasons, there should be no doubt about McGrady making the Hall when he retires.
Sourceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tracy_Mcgrady
http://dimemag.com/2007/10/03/the-hof-watch-tracy-mcgrady/
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/12349-NBA-The_Great_Tracy_McGrady-100308
http://basketball-reference.com
http://flickr.com/photos/21624693@N03/2093371734/
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Good read man, no one but a hall-of-famer could score like he does in that video…I think it might take a try or 2 but he is in for sure!
Everytime I watch Tracy’s 13 points in 33s, I get goosebumps down my back. I remember watching that game…my mouth was dropped for at least 3 minutes during and after the entire ordeal.
Tracy McGrady once swallowed a live hand grenade to save some ethiopian infants from harm. And that’s why he’s a Hall of Famer to me…
TRACEY McGREEDY SUKS !!!!!!!
all t-mac needs now is a ring &hearts
T-Mac is the shit & they rest are just poop stains….. of course he’ll be in the hall of fame he’s just as good if not better as any player that dare guard his 6′8 223 frame is gonna either get dunked on like he did to shawn bradley or just stroked on like he does to everybody else.
T-Mac……… overrated……………
Nope, he is overrated. His got the skills but I dont think he has the attitude or achievements to be in the Hall of Fame, that is reserved for Legends and he isnt a legend
T-Mac gets extra points for playing through many injuries. It’s true the entire league plays hurt but with
Tracy his special ability to recognize what the Rockets need to get done, night in and night out, is most definitely Hall of Fame caliber.
BEthedefender
Sorry, for all of the great plays Tracy has made he is far from a Hall of Fame player. First, he has won absolutely nothing. Second, he does not play defense despite having the physical ability to be an outstanding defender. Tracy is the typical one dimensional player that lacks the desire to turn himself into a great all around player. The only way McGrady gets in is if he wins a championship. By the way, did I mention he is perennially injury prone?