Getting Inside
For the third time this season, Ron Artest specifically pointed at Tracy McGrady, calling for McGrady to do more.
But this time, though Artest walked the comment back into a compliment, McGrady seemed tired of the critiques.
In Toronto, Artest said McGrady needs to be “more of a dog.” In Boston, he said McGrady tends to cruise and rely on his talent.
This week, he said the Rockets’ pursuit of a more consistent defense needs to start with McGrady.
He softened the comment considerably, but he did begin by pointing at McGrady.
“Tracy has to step it up on defense too,” Artest said. “He’s very
inconsistent on defense, so he has to get better. I’m sure he’ll get
better with his knee getting more healthy. This was the best I’ve seen
him, today.
“It’s going to start with Tracy. It’s going to start with guys like
Michael Jordan, Kobe (Bryant), LeBron (James). When I was in
Sacramento, it started with me. It will start with your leaders. It
will start with him, and also Yao (Ming). Then it filters down to the
other guys.”
A day later, McGrady said that Artest might not have been wrong about what he said but was wrong to say it.
“We’re doing too much talking,” McGrady said on Saturday. “We have
to play some basketball and get some wins. This is not the time to
point a finger here and there on what somebody needs to do. No. We all
need to step it up.
“It starts with everybody,” McGrady said. “I understand what he was
saying and I think if he had a chance to word it again he would have
said it in a different way. It starts with Rafer (Alston), myself, Yao
(Ming). It starts with all of us. You don’t just call one guy out. I
understand what he was saying, though.
“We’re doing too much talking. When things are not going well,
everybody wants to say things they normally don’t say and that’s what’s
happening now. We have to win and stop doing too much damn talking.”
This is the shot in the arm the team needed ...... McGrady took it to heart ......watch this guy explode second half of the season !! Artest provided the ammunition needed to fire up the leaders in this team....... Watch this team play defense again !!
Getting Inside
For the third time this season, Ron Artest specifically pointed at Tracy McGrady, calling for McGrady to do more.
But this time, though Artest walked the comment back into a compliment, McGrady seemed tired of the critiques.
In Toronto, Artest said McGrady needs to be “more of a dog.” In Boston, he said McGrady tends to cruise and rely on his talent.
This week, he said the Rockets’ pursuit of a more consistent defense needs to start with McGrady.
He softened the comment considerably, but he did begin by pointing at McGrady.
“Tracy has to step it up on defense too,” Artest said. “He’s very
inconsistent on defense, so he has to get better. I’m sure he’ll get
better with his knee getting more healthy. This was the best I’ve seen
him, today.
“It’s going to start with Tracy. It’s going to start with guys like
Michael Jordan, Kobe (Bryant), LeBron (James). When I was in
Sacramento, it started with me. It will start with your leaders. It
will start with him, and also Yao (Ming). Then it filters down to the
other guys.”
A day later, McGrady said that Artest might not have been wrong about what he said but was wrong to say it.
“We’re doing too much talking,” McGrady said on Saturday. “We have
to play some basketball and get some wins. This is not the time to
point a finger here and there on what somebody needs to do. No. We all
need to step it up.
“It starts with everybody,” McGrady said. “I understand what he was
saying and I think if he had a chance to word it again he would have
said it in a different way. It starts with Rafer (Alston), myself, Yao
(Ming). It starts with all of us. You don’t just call one guy out. I
understand what he was saying, though.
“We’re doing too much talking. When things are not going well,
everybody wants to say things they normally don’t say and that’s what’s
happening now. We have to win and stop doing too much damn talking.”
This is the shot in the arm the team needed ...... McGrady took it to heart ......watch this guy explode second half of the season !! Artest provided the ammunition needed to fire up the leaders in this team....... Watch this team play defense again !!