Possibility of T-MAC being waived?

[Pmeehan]

Been a long time reader of this site, just was kinda lazy in making an username until now. I picked up this article off of HOOPSWORLD

McGrady Out In Atlanta?

You could have seen this one coming from a mile away. In fact, it was a little surprising when the Atlanta Hawks signed Tracy McGrady After all, he was right in the middle of a player revolt in Detroit last season and he is well beyond his prime. Now, with 38 games in the books, there are rumblings that McGrady has already worn out his welcome in Atlanta; in fact, HOOPSWORLD’s Lang Greene says he wouldn’t be surprised if the Hawks waived McGrady. Atlanta already has another similar player on the roster, one who is much more of a leader in the locker room and who is all about the Hawks.

“I’ve started to get a little time, and I think since it’s second half of the season may see me kind of get in the rotation and do some things,” Jerry Stackhouse tells HOOPSWORLD. “Right now it’s just a group bitten by the injury bug. Obviously, Al (Horford) going down is tough and Joe (Johnson) is a little banged up now, but we’ve got a pretty good group. We gave ourselves enough of a cushion in the beginning to be a part of the top eight in the East and with the guys who were saying if we put the veterans on the team this year that we feel that if you get us in a series, you never know what can happen.”

One player Stackhouse has made a point of reaching out to is Josh Smith, who seemed to be on his way out of Atlanta at the end of last season. Instead, Smith is flourishing and is even one of the team’s leaders this season.

“I think he’s still growing in areas,” says Stackhouse. “He has so much talent, and that’s what you can’t give up on with Josh. It’d be easy to say ‘alright, let’s just move him,’ and then he goes and it clicks in at the next stop and you’ve got to look at that every night when you had it in house. That’s kind of the dilemma with Josh. You know you’re going to get some uneasy moments from time to time, but for the most part he’s really about it man. He wants to win, he’s competitive and I really relate to him and sometimes it’s just handling it. How he handles his emotions and his frustrations sometimes, it can rub people the wrong way and bruise them. He’s happy-go-lucky. He thinks it’s just the heat of the moment and we can just move on from it, but you can bruise people and I think he’s learning that. He’s learned to kind of control his emotions a little better and it’s good for our team. The better Josh Smith is, the better the Atlanta Hawks are.”

Even as Stackhouse enjoys his role as a player with the Hawks, he understands that those days are numbered. He’s already starting to get a feel for what life after the NBA might be like.

“It’s almost like Larry (Drew) gives me a lot of room to be able to still almost be an assistant coach with this group; kind of show them and bring some things defensively that I learned from different coaches. I kind of have a voice not only as a player, but somewhat in a coach’s role. I think it’s a great transition for me. I’m getting a chance to see guys otherwise that I wouldn’t see, just being in the studio talking about them on NBATV or whatever outlet that is. I’m actually getting a chance to see this next generation of guys on the floor, see what they can do, so I think it’s just going to help that transition whether it’s broadcasting or possibly coaching, or GM something. There are some opportunities there, so we’ll see where it takes me.”

Jerry Stackhouse has long been one of the NBA’s class acts, and no matter where his road leads he is bound to find success. For now, he looks like the player most likely to replace Tracy McGrady should the team choose to go in a different direction.

Edited March 7, 2012 by Pmeehan

[Admin]

Glad that you decided to join up ... just a friendly reminder but please add a link to where you found the article.

http://www.hoopsworld.com/nba2-the-new-jersey-nets-next-move

As to the topic, I don't know it seems difficult for me to believe that T-Mac has become a disruption as he had Josh's back regarding the All-Star "snub" and his teammates seem to play well with him on the court. But I guess you never know. I know the Hawks will have to waive someone if they don't make a trade since we're over the luxury tax by a little bit.

[bird_dirt]

if tmac goes, you know marvin won't be.

[Swatguy]

I know the Hawks will have to waive someone if they don't make a trade since we're over the luxury tax by a little bit.

What is a "little bit" ? $100,000? What would the tax be another $100,000? Is that insufferable for ASG?

[Randy]

Scary thought - is this why Stackhouse has been playing more lately? I hope not. The whole problem is Stackhouse is not playing nearly as well as TMac. Might be a nicer guy, but that doesn't help you win games.

This sounds to me like a pile of baloney. T-Mac may be a problem, and he may not be back next year, but it would be pretty shocking to see him cut loose now or in the near future.

[Admin]

What is a "little bit" ? $100,000? What would the tax be another $100,000? Is that insufferable for ASG?

It's not that as much as it is getting money back from the league for being under, which I think is about 1.5 million or something. Definitely nothing to sneeze at but probably not so much that it should cost us a player who contributes.

[capstone21]

Thats a shame. I like the things Tmac brings to the roster off the bench.