This questions has been nagging at me for quite awhile, and I really do not know. IMO he has been the best swingman in the league 2x (2002-2003, and 2004-2005), but injuries, lack of playing time, or being just a notch below have nagged his career, along with just missing the 2nd round of the playoffs twice. And as much as I hate it, last year might be an indication of the enxt few years. He himself said he only has a few years left in the tank.So basically his career is a very interesting one, and I do not know how he will be remembered or where he will rank among the other great players of this era. Opinions?
He probably wont be remembered by more than some of the hardcore fans. without the constant injuries he would most likely be remembered as an all-time great.
He will be rememberedd like Grant Hill. Awesome skills. But often injured, became less effective as his career went on.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (clangus @ Sep 23 2006, 10:18 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>He will be rememberedd like Grant Hill. Awesome skills. But often injured, became less effective as his career went on.</div>Other than last season T-Mac really hasn't been injured much. He also hasn't really been less effective either. He sacraficed his numbers to benefit Yao Ming.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (clangus @ Sep 23 2006, 10:18 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>He will be rememberedd like Grant Hill. Awesome skills. But often injured, became less effective as his career went on.</div>Yeah he would be something like that but hes going to be remembered more than Hill. Hill has been injured almost through his entire career. Tmac has had his back problems for like 3 years
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (AliG @ Sep 23 2006, 09:27 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>He will be remembered for the making the biggest mistake of his life:Not staying in Toronto with Vince.Thats how I will remember him. Hes a dumbass</div>Wow...
I'll remember him as the "If Only He Didn't Have Back Problems" player... He used to be titled "one of top 5 players in the world" (read it in Hoop magazine when T-Mac and Grant Hill were gracing the Orlando Magic scene). I still consider him a superstar, but can you say with a straight fact that he'll be remembered ten years from now? Maybe not even 5 or 6 seasons from now...
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>I still consider him a superstar, but can you say with a straight fact that he'll be remembered ten years from now? Maybe not even 5 or 6 seasons from now...</div>Is that a joke? Of course he will still be remembered 10 years from now, Flashy players like T-Mac rarely get forgotten. You dont forget a 6 time NBA all star.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BALLAHOLLIC @ Sep 23 2006, 09:38 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Is that a joke? Of course he will still be remembered 10 years from now, Flashy players like T-Mac rarely get forgotten. You dont forget a 6 time NBA all star.</div>Hmm... I wonder how Grant Hill has been forgotten by casual fans.
Grant Hill is not forgotten by people who have seen him play, We all have witnessed T-Mac's game. Our generation will not forget him.It's easier to forget a conservative player like Grant Hill rather than a flashy scorer like Mcgrady.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BALLAHOLLIC @ Sep 23 2006, 09:42 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Grant Hill is not forgotten by people who have seen him play, We all have witnessed T-Mac's game. Our generation will not forget him.It's easier to forget a conservative player like Grant Hill rather than a flashy scorer like Mcgrady.</div>Okay, okay. I agree. Geez.. You ruin the fun out of everything, don't you?
It's still to ealry IMO to tell anything about how he will be remembered he has some years to go.But yeah if his carrer ended now I would think of T-Mac as a hall of fame player BUT still got a a long why to go for I give any more info.
He was 5th in West in his first year with the Rockets, and pushed mavs to 7 games while he averaged 30/7/6, including a GW shot....all the while holding Dirk to way below his season averages. He hit a GW vs Pistons, and pushed them to 7 games in 2002/2003 playoffs, too. It's just that the other teams were considerably better and T-Mac didn't get the help throught the whole series'.
good topic.I think he'll end up being the extraordinary talent that just wasn't a winner. He has a step up now tho playing with yao.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (AliG @ Sep 24 2006, 01:01 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I cant believe Im saying this but I agree with S2S. He dont deserve the cover of NBA 07.Even if T-Macs team was 5th seed and pushed the Mavs to a 7th game in the series. At that time the Mavs were only a 4th seed and were not considered a contender like they are 2day because they would always choke in the playoffs. Every year, T-Macs teams are getting worse.</div>Umm no they aren't. He went from being on worst team in NBA to facing 4th seed in West in a year. And Dallas was certainly a contender, they only had like 3 losses under Avery Johnson when they met up, and the team had a pretty different look. When he played with Yao last year they were 21-10, and the whole year he wasn't even healthy. He missed a ton of games, first time in his career. Year before he was the best swingman in the league, and in 2002-2003 was best swingman in the league.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Nitro1118 @ Sep 24 2006, 02:22 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>He was 5th in West in his first year with the Rockets, and pushed mavs to 7 games while he averaged 30/7/6, including a GW shot....all the while holding Dirk to way below his season averages. He hit a GW vs Pistons, and pushed them to 7 games in 2002/2003 playoffs, too. It's just that the other teams were considerably better and T-Mac didn't get the help throught the whole series'.</div>Tmac disappeared against the pistsons. 8/20, 11/28 and 7-24 in the last 3 losses. Tayshaun played some great defense in game 7. Against the mavericks? Game 3 4th quarter1-5 from the fieldGame 4 4th quarter1-5 from the fieldCritical turnover with 11 seconds left, could've tied itGame 5 4th quarter2-5 from the field (even though he assisted on numerous shots)2 missed freethrows in the last 3 seconds, would've made it a one point gameSo yeh, tmac has been known to disappear.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Melo061 @ Sep 24 2006, 01:14 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Tmac disappeared against the pistsons. 8/20, 11/28 and 7-24 in the last 3 losses. Tayshaun played some great defense in game 7. Against the mavericks? Game 3 4th quarter1-5 from the fieldGame 4 4th quarter1-5 from the fieldCritical turnover with 11 seconds left, could've tied itGame 5 4th quarter2-5 from the field (even though he assisted on numerous shots)2 missed freethrows in the last 3 seconds, would've made it a one point gameSo yeh, tmac has been known to disappear.</div>He still played great in first 3 games, very clutch. And I believe it was game 5 in which Yao dropped a few easy passes to him by T-Mac down low. And in game 5 he missed first and intentially missed 2nd, in which I believe they did get ball back for one final shot (not sure though).He averaged 31/7/7/2 on 46% shooting for the series, 29PPG in the losses. His teammates were under-performing, and he picked up slack against a much better overall team. He hit a GW shot, sealed game 1 in in 4th, and has proven this year as well he is a clutch player.
Nobody will forget T-Mac. They might forget how he played, what he looked like, etc., but everyone in his generation will remember his name. He was just too good of a player to be forgotten.
It is a little early to tell imo. He still has a few more years left in his prime. If he and Yao can stay healthy than I believe Houston can easily make it past the 1st round. People seem to forget that the Rockets were expected to be a 55-60 win team last season before it started. They have enough talent to be successful. If he were to retire right now though I think he would be remembered for being one of the most versatile scorers in the league, clutch, and for the 13 points in 35 seconds.
