Ball Control
Tracy McGrady is damn cool. Do you know why? While he and Kobe (and Wade and James) have very similar stat lines, one huge difference (that popular culture won't admit to) is that T-Mac's ball control is just damn better.
(And please, don't retort with things like Kobe has 3 rings. First, I want to specifically talk about ball control. And second, Shaq won those rings and you know it. And if you don't, go watch a higher volume of games - you didn't watch enough games. Just watching 1 game with a big 3 doesn't make you a great "clutch player" or even a winning cause. There were plenty of games where Kobe missed a lot of shots in the clutch, and he certainly wasn't responsible for distorting the offense. Shaq is a huge huge communist style tax upon a defense!!)
Anyway, ball control sets McGrady apart from everyone else with talent. People like D Wade, AI, Kobe, LeBron (all guys with similar assist levels and scoring averages) - all have Turnover Ratios that put them ranked around 50th in the league. Well actually .. Kobe and Dwade are in the 50s, AI is in the 30s. LeBron is in the 20s. Tmac? Tmac sits proudly at #1. He has the single lowest turnover ratio in the league (for a SG +/-). It is ridiculous. He just doesn't lose the damn ball. And last season wasn't a fluke. He has basically led or come close to leading the league for most years in the league. None of the others have even come close.
Now lord knows I don't think T-Mac is the best of the bunch. And I think, if careers develop properly, LeBron being the best on that list won't even be a question. Barring severe injury, D. Wade being #2 on that list won't really be a question either.
But what I am saying is, there is something to be said for someone who can put up these 25/6/6 style numbers while being utterly in control of the ball. We know all of these guys can slice through defenses at will and are damn talented at it. McGrady, though. Damn. He is a lot like that new Adidas commercial they have about him. Runs through an obstacle course of rain, fire, and all hell, but he just elevates above it all, with dragon wings, for a jumper. Phenomenally clean at it and rarely gets stripped. Seriously, it is very in-the-vein-of Michael Jordan.
(And please, don't retort with things like Kobe has 3 rings. First, I want to specifically talk about ball control. And second, Shaq won those rings and you know it. And if you don't, go watch a higher volume of games - you didn't watch enough games. Just watching 1 game with a big 3 doesn't make you a great "clutch player" or even a winning cause. There were plenty of games where Kobe missed a lot of shots in the clutch, and he certainly wasn't responsible for distorting the offense. Shaq is a huge huge communist style tax upon a defense!!)
Anyway, ball control sets McGrady apart from everyone else with talent. People like D Wade, AI, Kobe, LeBron (all guys with similar assist levels and scoring averages) - all have Turnover Ratios that put them ranked around 50th in the league. Well actually .. Kobe and Dwade are in the 50s, AI is in the 30s. LeBron is in the 20s. Tmac? Tmac sits proudly at #1. He has the single lowest turnover ratio in the league (for a SG +/-). It is ridiculous. He just doesn't lose the damn ball. And last season wasn't a fluke. He has basically led or come close to leading the league for most years in the league. None of the others have even come close.
Now lord knows I don't think T-Mac is the best of the bunch. And I think, if careers develop properly, LeBron being the best on that list won't even be a question. Barring severe injury, D. Wade being #2 on that list won't really be a question either.
But what I am saying is, there is something to be said for someone who can put up these 25/6/6 style numbers while being utterly in control of the ball. We know all of these guys can slice through defenses at will and are damn talented at it. McGrady, though. Damn. He is a lot like that new Adidas commercial they have about him. Runs through an obstacle course of rain, fire, and all hell, but he just elevates above it all, with dragon wings, for a jumper. Phenomenally clean at it and rarely gets stripped. Seriously, it is very in-the-vein-of Michael Jordan.
posted by arun at 1:11 PM
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