# T-Mac Thread



## mtlk

> After eight months of rehabilitation on his surgically repaired left knee, Tracy McGrady(notes) has told Yahoo! Sports he plans to return to the Houston Rockets’ lineup on Nov. 18.
> 
> After several league sources informed Yahoo! Sports of McGrady’s timetable, the seven-time All-Star forward confirmed he planned to make his season debut against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Minneapolis next week.





> “Excited to get back and compete at a high level again,” McGrady said in an email to Yahoo! Sports. “For a full year I had to play on one leg against the best and I couldn’t compete with anybody the way I was feeling.


:bud: :whatever:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AgrXsZ72sqgTRHnAYLxDy1i8vLYF?slug=ys-mcgradyreturn110909&prov=yhoo&type=lgns


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## Spaceman Spiff

*Re: T-Mac planning Nov. 18 return!*







At least I'll believe it when I see it


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## OneBadLT123

*Re: T-Mac planning Nov. 18 return!*

^ lmao


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## mtlk

*Re: T-Mac planning Nov. 18 return!*



> One source close to McGrady says he’s “*still feeling a little pain” in his knee*, but the front office and coaching staffs are encouraged by his progress. Houston general manager Daryl Morey declined comment, but suggested the organization would have something formal to say soon.



:microwave:


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## Dre

*Re: T-Mac planning Nov. 18 return!*

This means he's going to get traded.


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## Ballscientist

*Re: T-Mac planning Nov. 18 return!*

Tracy should not return so early. She needs to wait until Yao comes back in March 2010.

At that time Duncan is tired, Ginobili is not in good condition. then knock them down in April.


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## Cornholio

*Re: T-Mac planning Nov. 18 return!*



> The Rockets, however, said neither they nor McGrady knows when McGrady would go through a full practice, much less a game.
> 
> McGrady’s announcement were contrary to comments made by Rockets general manager Daryl Morey, who said had said earlier Monday that there is no timetable for McGrady to play and that he would not play until he can be checked out in the Rockets next full practice Nov. 23.





> Morey had said that the timetable could be changed and that McGrady could return earlier or later than expected. But he said that the team had not set the Nov. 18 game, or any other date, as a target for his return to the games.
> 
> "Obviously, we’ll want the doctor to see him in a full practice, that situation," Morey said. "We’re sort of taking it day-by-day, how the team is looking, how he’s doing and what the doctor is saying.
> 
> "I don’t think there is a specific day. We did announce that day because it was our best guess at the time. It could be earlier and it could be later. It’s just when the doctors and everyone agrees he is 100 percent He has been practicing off and on with the team. Once the doctors say he is OK and he’s 100 percent, and we feel he is 100 percent he could return."


http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/6711927.html


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## mtlk

*Re: T-Mac planning Nov. 18 return!*



> In his blog, McGrady praised his teammates' for their strong start to the season. But he had stolen the attention from their play and put it back on the guy who is not playing. Worse, while *Morey has said McGrady is not going through full participation in practice*, McGrady said in his blog "I have been practicing, training, and rehabbing hard for my return to the court.
> 
> "*I'm going full speed at practice and am not being held out of drills anymore*. I'm hoping to get out there as soon as possible, and with everything that my doctors have been telling me, it sounds like that will be sooner rather than later."


http://blogs.chron.com/nba/2009/11/mac_back_next_week_he_thinks_s.html


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## 77AJ

*Re: T-Mac planning Nov. 18 return!*

Great News! I'm a big Mac, and Rockets fan. 

Landry , Battier, Brooks, and Hayes are the best!


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## Spaceman Spiff

*Re: T-Mac planning Nov. 18 return!*

So much for having more people


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## gi0rdun

*Re: T-Mac planning Nov. 18 return!*

Aw man I liked this no real talent team. Now if we start winning games people are gonna say it's T-Mac.


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## Cornholio

*Re: T-Mac planning Nov. 18 return!*



> “It's a target date,” McGrady said on Tuesday. “I didn't say I was coming back; I said it was a target date just like we have a date to have the MRI on the 23rd. Everybody is blowing it out of proportion like I'm guaranteed to come back. I want to play, so that's what we're targeting. I've been working out every day, improving every day, and that's what it is.
> 
> “It's not a guarantee that I'm coming back. It's a target date.”
> 
> He also said, however, that he would not rush his return and indicated that he does not expect to play until the week of his scheduled MRI, Nov. 23.
> 
> “I'm not in a hurry to get back on the basketball court,” McGrady said. “I want to make sure that when I do get back that I'm there to compete at a high level. I don't want to rush it back. I want to take my time.”


http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/6713302.html


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## mtlk

*Re: T-Mac planning Nov. 18 return!*

Adelman says McGrady not close.




> "He's been able to practice and doesn't have the pain he had last year," Rockets coach Rick Adelman said Tuesday. *"He still has a long ways to go as far as running the court and moving defensively."*





> However, McGrady backed off that statement on Tuesday, saying instead that Nov. 18 was just a *"target date."*





> "Coming off that surgery, you're not going to have the quickness you had before," Adelman said. "He's done OK. But he has a long way to go."


:shutup:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4643120


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## Ben

*Re: T-Mac planning Nov. 18 return!*

Confusing thread, but I'm sure Adelman'll do the right thing and get him back slowly, get him to full health first. 

When he comes back though, we'll see how Houston do this season. They've started off great, but if T-Mac can offer a new dimension, and someone who can maybe finish down the straight, they'll get a playoff spot no doubt.


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## Cornholio

*Re: T-Mac planning Nov. 18 return!*



> “There is no timetable,” Adelman said. “Though it looks like there's been a lot of timetables out there the last day or so, there hasn't been for me.”
> 
> Though McGrady said Tuesday he's in no rush to return, Adelman understands if McGrady is impatient.
> 
> “The biggest thing in talking to him is he doesn't have the pain he had last year,” Adelman said. “He still has a long ways to go as far as running the court, moving, defensively, those types of things. The biggest thing in his mind is last year he had a definite limp. He does not have that. Coming off that (microfracture) surgery, you're not going to have that explosiveness. You're not going to have the quickness.”


http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/6714455.html


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## Spaceman Spiff

*Re: T-Mac planning Nov. 18 return!*

Beginning to look like Brett Favre minus the 24/7 reality show.


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## OneBadLT123

*Re: T-Mac planning Nov. 18 return!*

He wants to get back and start playing cause it's a contract season. I think the hurry to get back and earn his next paycheck is whats motivating him to return. Not basketball, which would be sad.


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## mtlk

*Re: T-Mac planning Nov. 18 return!*



> This time T-Mac sent out an e-mail to inform the basketball world that he would be making his season debut on Wednesday in Minneapolis. Then he said it was just a goal. Then he said he was misunderstood.
> 
> Another one of those embarrassing misunderstandings that seems to follow T-Mac around like toilet paper stuck to the bottom of his adidas.






> Like when McGrady proclaimed his devotion to the Orlando Magic franchise and then abandoned it by sitting out the final 15 games of the 2004 season because the team was mired in the East cellar. Later he openly admitted to a national magazine that he didn't always play hard for the Magic.





> Like when McGrady said, "It's all on me" prior to the 2007 first-round playoff series against the Utah Jazz and then, after the loss, said "It was never on me."






> Like last year when McGrady came into training camp vowing to play his way into shape following an offseason knee surgery and then merely played a cat-and-mouse game in and out of the lineup that held the whole Houston Rockets' organization and season hostage.






> When Ron Artest said last week on his visit back to town with the Lakers that his one-season stay in Houston was "very challenging," he was referring greatly to the daily diva routine of McGrady. Last season, T-Mac often kept his teammates guessing whether he'd play on any given night almost right up until the opening tip.






> Even when McGrady finally decided to shut himself down for the season to undergo the microfracture procedure on his left knee, that decision came just a week after he had declared himself "back" and was not even considering surgery. The Rockets got the news by watching TV and reading it on T-Mac's Web site.


.
.
.
.
.
.​
*Now T-Mac is back with another chorus.​*



:frenchy:​


http://www.nba.com/2009/news/features/fran_blinebury/11/12/mcgrady/index.html


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## Cornholio

*Re: T-Mac planning Nov. 18 return!*



> The scene before the game was pretty amusing. Tracy McGrady had picked Wednesday for his "target date" to make his season debut. The Rockets have been steadfast since September that they were not going to even consider a timetable until an MRI Nov. 23, but he had said something about the 18th and they had repeatedly shot it down.
> 
> So McGrady went through his now familiar pregame workout. He looked pretty good, too. Then while Rick Adelman was doing his pregame interviews outside the locker room, McGrady walked out in uniform, as if he really was going to play.
> 
> Adelman had already said nothing has changed, even saying again there is no timetable. Though the Rockets only dress 11 players these days, McGrady remained on the inactive list. Before long, McGrady was back in the locker room, changing back into his jeans and a sweater, and after the game, laughed at himself for putting on the uniform as if it were a Halloween costume.
> 
> "I just wanted to see what it felt like," he said. "It's been so long."


http://blogs.chron.com/nba/2009/11/rockets_97_wolves_84_winning_t.html


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## Basel

*Re: T-Mac planning Nov. 18 return!*

mtlk, please fix your sig. Thanks.

Whenever he returns, I hope he's at 100%. I still have hope for him that he can contribute in a big way.


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## lakeshows

*Re: T-Mac planning Nov. 18 return!*

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_y...ug=aw-mcgradyinjury112009&prov=yhoo&type=lgns


Yahoooooooo said:


> After months of growing discord and mistrust between the Houston Rockets and their once-franchise player, Tracy McGrady(notes) and coach Rick Adelman engaged in an emotional and sometimes loud closed-door confrontation about the star’s uncertain status on Wednesday night, sources told Yahoo! Sports.
> 
> 
> Tracy McGrady hasn't played for the Rockets since Feb. 9 because of microfracture left knee surgery.
> 
> The argument was precipitated when McGrady arrived at the Target Center in Minneapolis so determined to have a substantive discussion with his coach that he dressed in his game uniform and undertook his pregame routine as though he had been activated after missing 41 straight games with microfracture surgery on his left knee.
> 
> As McGrady walked back to the locker room after shooting with his teammates on the court, he passed Adelman in a corridor and his appearance in uniform appeared to surprise his coach. The fact McGrady had asked the equipment manager to bring out his uniform – especially on the Nov. 18 date that he had recently told Yahoo! Sports was his target for a return – clearly had his coach’s attention.


More proof T-Mac is an idiot: He doesn't tell the coach anything at all before he sent out that email earlier this month about returning and after they tell him no then he continues and still doesn't tell coach or anybody on the team (other than the equipment manager lol) that he's going to suit up and he expects to magically play? Then he gets into a shouting match with the coach about it? What's been unclear from the team? Everything I've heard from the team has been the same the whole time which is they will decide after the MRI later this month and definitely not before then. The news with T-Mac though changes hourly depending on his mood like someone with a bad, like realy bad case of PMS.


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## Cornholio

*Re: T-Mac planning Nov. 18 return!*



> “It's not even an issue,” McGrady said. “If coach tells you something different, I'd be surprised. I'm here to play basketball. I'm not here to be a distraction. I've been through enough of that drama last year. I'm not going to let it start this year, at all.”
> 
> McGrady said that voices were not raised during their conversation.
> 
> “No question about it,” he said. “I'm not that type of person and you know coach is not.”
> 
> Adelman did not seem upset on Wednesday. McGrady had gone through his usual pregame workout before he returned to the locker room and later changed into his uniform while Adelman conducted his pregame media interview. Adelman later laughed when told that McGrady was in uniform.
> 
> Adelman said on Friday that when they met, the conversation did not get loud, but that McGrady did not want to wait for next week to make his season debut. McGrady could not have played at the time he put on the uniform on Wednesday because that night's inactive list had already been turned in.
> 
> “I knew I wasn't going to play,” McGrady said. “I saw my uniform. I was excited. I put it on, like a little kid. It felt refreshing to put it on because it was in sight.”


http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/6731426.html


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## mtlk

*Re: T-Mac planning Nov. 18 return!*



> Originally Posted by *Cornholio*
> “I knew I wasn't going to play,” McGrady said. “I saw my uniform. I was excited. I put it on, like a little kid. It felt refreshing to put it on because it was in sight.”


:flamer: :frenchy:


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## Cornholio

*Re: T-Mac planning Nov. 18 return!*



mtlk said:


> :flamer: :frenchy:


Beat you! 


PS: Fix your sig, please. Thanks.


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## mtlk

*Re: T-Mac planning Nov. 18 return!*



Cornholio said:


> Beat you!
> 
> 
> PS: Fix your sig, please. Thanks.


What the problem with my sig.?


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## Legend-Like

*Re: T-Mac planning Nov. 18 return!*

I think this may cause some concern. The last thing we need is distraction. All that left with Ron last year.


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## Spaceman Spiff

*Re: T-Mac planning Nov. 18 return!*

Am I the only one who thinks nothing of this!?


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## mtlk

*Re: T-Mac planning Nov. 18 return!*

The drama continues.:boohoo:


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## Cornholio

*Re: T-Mac planning Nov. 18 return!*



Spaceman Spiff said:


> Am I the only one who thinks nothing of this!?


Nope. If he comes back, great; if not, great too.


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## jdiggidy

*Re: T-Mac planning Nov. 18 return!*

On the radio today they talked about how the Rockets could file insurance claim once McGrady missed 42 or 43 consecutive games in a row. This would allow them to recoup up to 80% of his salary. I think they said that tonight's game against Atlanta would be 43.

The organization isn't trying to hide anything. They have been saying all along that he wouldn't be cleared until after the MRI on Nov 23rd.

Interesting!


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## hroz

*Re: T-Mac planning Nov. 18 return!*

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-mcgradyinjury112009&prov=yhoo&type=lgns


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## mtlk

*Re: T-Mac planning Nov. 18 return!*

*By RICHARD JUSTICE *



> You think I'm kidding? McGrady stormed out of a meeting with general manager Daryl Morey a couple of weeks ago and followed up with a tense conversation with coach Rick Adelman this week. Relations with trainer Keith Jones are said to be less than wonderful.





> Wait, there's more. McGrady apparently believes owner Leslie Alexander would rather collect the insurance money on McGrady's $23.3 million contract than have McGrady in uniform.





> Alexander might not always do the right thing, but his heart always seems to be in the right place. If the Rockets believed McGrady could help them win, there's almost no doubt McGrady would be in uniform.





> McGrady informed Morey he was ready to play in games. Morey told him he wasn't ready to play based on what Adelman and his staff had seen in practice.
> 
> McGrady took his campaign to Adelman on Wednesday and got the same answer. McGrady denies the discussion got heated, but it was telling that he wasn't on the bench that night. He was off pouting.





> McGrady apparently knows he's not healed from knee surgery, but rather than complete the rehabilitation on the practice floor and in the weight room, he'd like to do it in games.
> 
> The Rockets went down this road last season. One day McGrady was playing, the next day he wasn't.





> If McGrady returns, the Rockets will be allowing one individual to set the agenda. The Rockets wouldn't be able to play as fast because even when McGrady was healthy he didn't like a fast pace.
> 
> He likes a half-court game. He likes the ball in his hands at the end of the 24-second clock. The Rockets would lose chemistry, pace and possibly teamwork.





> If you're wondering why the Rockets don't trade him, the matter is complicated. In a normal economy, teams would take McGrady because an expiring contract creates room under the salary cap.
> 
> But teams are being squeezed by declining ticket sales, sponsorships and the like. To trade McGrady, the Rockets would have to take on another bad contract or series of contracts.





> The Rockets would love to trade McGrady, 30, for a player around whom they could build, but those players aren't being shopped.





> *Regardless of how McGrady leaves, he will leave. He's done here.*



*:wave:​*
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/justice/rockets/6732407.html


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## mtlk

*Re: T-Mac planning Nov. 18 return!*



> McGrady checked in on Saturday, said he had a *sore back *and was told to stay home, do his stretching exercises and that they would check him out on Sunday.



You got to be kidding me.:shutup:

http://blogs.chron.com/nba/2009/11/rockets_113_kings_106_getting.html


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## Ben

*Re: T-Mac planning Nov. 18 return!*



mtlk said:


> You got to be kidding me.:shutup:
> 
> http://blogs.chron.com/nba/2009/11/rockets_113_kings_106_getting.html


Doubt he's ever going to have half a season without any little injuries anymore, which is a damn shame.


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## mtlk

*Re: T-Mac planning Nov. 18 return!*



> The examination planned for Tracy McGrady on Sunday, a day after he did not attend the Rockets' home game against the Kings because of a sore back, was postponed until today, team spokesman Nelson Luis said.


*:lol:*​
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/6734440.html


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## Cornholio

*Re: T-Mac planning Nov. 18 return!*

The MRI is scheduled for today. Better have everything done in one day.


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## Cornholio

*Re: T-Mac planning Nov. 18 return!*



> *Update on Return*
> 
> I want to keep everyone posted on what’s happening, so here it goes. It’s looking as if I may be back on the court this week. I know there were reports going around that there were issues with me and the coach but there isn’t. Together, we are looking at the best scenario on when my return should be, and we are hopeful it will be this week. The team is playing great together and getting me back out there is a decision my coach, doctors and general manager will help make.


[T-Mac's blog] Read more


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## mtlk

*Re: T-Mac planning Nov. 18 return!*



> All is good here and again, I appreciate your support, love and continued encouragement. Hopefully, *you will see me back on the court playing this week.*



:wait::whistling:​


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## Spaceman Spiff

*Re: T-Mac planning Nov. 18 return!*

Has he even practiced!? Is he in game shape to play 35-40min without running out of gas!?


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## Cornholio

*Re: T-Mac planning Nov. 18 return!*



> Uh-oh. A certain 6-8 Rockets forward had to miss practice on Monday. No, it's Shane Battier (sore foot) Tracy McGrady is practicing, btw.





> There is another member of Rockets' drama absent, however. Rick Adelman had a personal matter to attend to. Elston Turner running practice.


http://twitter.com/Jonathan_Feigen


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## mtlk

*Re: T-Mac planning Nov. 18 return!*

T-Mac can either push us over the hump with his play-making and shooting abilities, or he can drag us down with laziness and Me-Mac attitude.aperbag:


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## Cornholio

*Re: T-Mac planning Nov. 18 return!*



> "He went through the workout today, started and he finished," said Rockets assistant coach Elston Turner, who ran practice with Rick Adelman off to attend to a personal matter. "But it is still a process. We have to bring him back slowly."
> 
> McGrady, however, said that while there is work to do on his game to make up for the time off the court, he is ready to play whenever the team allows it. He said he does expect to make his season-debut "soon" and said that "soon" could be this week or on the four-game road trip Nov. 29 through Dec. 5.
> 
> "I feel I can play, but the coach and the GM obviously feel different," McGrady said. "They run this team and until they feel I’m ready to play, then I guess I’ll be watching."


http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/6735829.html


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## Cornholio

*Re: T-Mac planning Nov. 18 return!*










> “I do know that our regular guys have been going at it since the end of September. So if you look at in terms of a timetable, this is basically Tracy’s training camp as far as catching up and being ready. It’s good to see him. Everybody would like him back, he’s an All-Star but we want him back like the All-Star Tracy McGrady.”
> 
> As far as T-Mac’s performance during the nearly two-hour long practice, Turner described it as being about what you’d expect from a player who has not seen game action in more than nine months.
> 
> “There’s some fatigue factors there,” said Turner. “In spurts he looked good and in spurts he didn’t. That gap goes along with the territory. Conditioning is one factor. When you come back you have to not only know the plays, you have to be physically ready to play. And if you are physically ready to play then there's the cardiovascular part of it. It’s all part of the process of getting back. It’s a long season and we’re going to take our time. We all have his best interests in our thoughts.
> 
> “He’ll continue to practice and he’s had a good attitude. He’s working with the guys. We will bring him back when we feel that we can consistently not miss a beat.”
> 
> McGrady will undergo an MRI Monday evening in order to make sure his knee is healing as hoped. The results of that procedure are expected to be known either late in the evening or early Tuesday morning.


http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/tracy_mcgrady_returns_rockets_2009_11_23.html


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## Cornholio

*Re: T-Mac planning Nov. 18 return!*



> Source tells ClutchFans that Adelman has no interest in playing T-Mac. Zero. Says: "This isn't going to end well"


http://twitter.com/clutchfans/status/5991854307


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## Spaceman Spiff

Clutchfans overblows everything since they hate T-Mac over there(but love Steve Francis)

I'm taking that with a grain of salt

It's simply T-Mac says he's ready to play, and Adelman says he isn't. I'm with Adelman on this and in no rush to get him back.


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## mtlk

> By Monday, when he completed that long-awaited Nov. 23 practice, he said again that he was ready. He is entitled to have an opinion that differs from his bosses'. He is even entitled to express that opinion since he was asked. It was not as if he called a press conference. But it still came off as another effort to talk his way back on to the court.





> McGrady might not have noticed all these years, but you can't talk your way onto the court. He never had to, of course, but all those years he was the star, plenty of his teammates have not gotten the playing time they thought they deserved. They had to wait and work and hope their chance came.





> McGrady is practicing again. That's how you get back on the court. Prove it. Be great. Whip Chase Budinger off the dribble. Stick jumpers in Shane Battier's face. Play your way back.





> McGrady wanted to know what is wrong with wanting to play. The problem is that everyone wants to play. *You get what you earn in sports, not whatever you want.*





> It's not clear if McGrady has to be all he ever was. His days as the league's top scorer might be forever behind him.
> 
> He probably does not have to reach that level to play. He might, however, have to be able to be the guy Ariza has faced the past few seasons.





> It does seem ironic, however, that last season McGrady said he needed a mid-season training camp and returned to declare himself ready to go after the hard work he had put in, and this season he said he is ready without a training camp. All indications are that he worked hard to rehab after surgery. In the NBA, *that gets you ready to go to work, not necessarily to play.*


http://blogs.chron.com/nba/2009/11/tracy_mcgrady_asked_we_answere.html


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## Cornholio

> *McGradyism: How I learned to stop worrying*
> 
> "What's McGradyism?" you may ask. Put simply, McGradyism is the attempt to foist our own preconceived narratives and categories on reality (a related concept would be "Scrappyism"). These discourses are created from a position of power - that of the professional sports journalist or high-profile blogger - and inform and create the way sports fans view their favorite teams and players.
> 
> McGrady - because he is McGrady and the McGradyist understands who and what McGrady is - is evil, coniving, and lazy. He is the serpent in the garden by which we define and create the separate category of the "Yao" or "Battier" - the "team player" versus the "Me-Mac." This is the discourse of power utilized by the McGradyist. Meanwhile, an allied discourse - the McGrady versus the "team" - is created to further define McGrady as "chemistry-destroying." The "team" and "McGrady" have diametrically opposed desires and interests as a necessary part of their mutually antagonistic existence. This division is sharp, and McGrady cannot possibly cross over into the category of "team."
> 
> What a McGradyist does is look at the information provided - whether by another journalist or by direct observation - and reinterpret it in the context of these discourses. Any information that falls outside of the self-confirming nature of the discourse is disregarded. If McGrady and the team appear to be allied, then this is merely a mask for their "obvious" antagonistic relationship.


Full post (Everyone should read this)


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## Spaceman Spiff

Any word on him!? Nov 23 came and went without a peep. Where's the MRI results!?

I agree with that article above. It's like an indirect jab at Clutchfans. Everyone has this negative perception and without any valid reason.


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## OneBadLT123

yeah clutchfans is a mess over there regarding the situation.


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## mtlk

> McGrady has returned to Rockets practices and continued to travel with the team, hoping for his chance like so many players on the fringe of a roster.
> 
> Rockets coach Rick Adelman said again on Wednesday that there is “no timetable” for McGrady's return. There is, he said, one criterion to meet for McGrady to make his season debut. McGrady, Adelman said, must be ready in Adelman's estimation to help the Rockets win.





> As uncomplicated as that seems, however, the decision seems more about basketball than health considerations, with the Rockets wanting McGrady to improve in private workouts and team practices, rather than to move his next step of rehab to actual games. McGrady's most recent prediction about when he would return had him playing by the Rockets' current road trip. That now seems unlikely.





> “We have to keep talking about it and evaluating it,” Adelman said. “It's more than just throwing him out there. It's how is it going to affect our team, how is he going to help us, how many minutes can he play. All those things I feel in my mind I have to be certain about.”
> 
> The decision has been made more difficult, Adelman said, because the Rockets can no longer afford a step back if McGrady works his way back on the court.





> “Last year, we were able to work him in, even if he struggled some, because we had Yao (Ming), we had Ron (Artest); we were pretty good,” Adelman said. “This year, how much effect will he have on us? That's what I'm trying to judge now. He's coming along, but you want him to be able to go out and do well and us do well, so it's a win-win situation.
> 
> “Tracy wants to play, but we want to be very cautious about it. We tried that last year, when he was in and out of the lineup. We want to be sure when he is there, he doesn't have any setbacks. When the time is right and we feel he is going to be a positive addition, we'll make that decision.”



I think Adelman going to make T-mac earn his way back, and I like that.




http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/6750354.html


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## Spaceman Spiff

When he came back after missing a couple weeks in 07/08 he came off the bench for the first 3 or 4 games and worked his way back in.


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## Spaceman Spiff

Now this guy tries to break a story

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-tradebuzz120309&prov=yhoo&type=lgns



> The Rockets continue to offer Tracy McGrady(notes) in a trade, but that will be a difficult proposition considering he’s the highest-paid player in the league ($23.2 million) and no one has seen him play in nine months. Houston seems *willing to take back a longer-term contract for McGrady*, but most executives believe his high salary makes it hard to put together a package.
> 
> Rockets GM Daryl Morey and coach Rick Adelman don’t want McGrady back with the team, and have insisted that he isn’t physically ready to return to the lineup. McGrady would love a trade, but knows he must start playing again for it to be possible.


So he's insisting Morey is gonna take long garbage contracts for T-Mac and **** up his chances at one of the biggest free agent periods ever. There's nothing attractive out there right now to trade for. This is not a case of addition by subtraction. T-Mac is not a distraction(unless you live on Clutchfans) that he must go by any means.


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## OneBadLT123

If we are not going to trade him for something that helps us out, I would rather not trade him at all. No sense in bringing in garbage for something we could just let expire. Letting him walk is better than bringing in dead weight.


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## mtlk

> So when Adelman tossed out the idea of McGrady playing Wednesday against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, McGrady agreed that might not be the best way to begin his comeback from microfracture surgery.





> *“I told him I could throw him out there against LeBron next Wednesday, see what level he’s at,” Adelman said facetiously. “He didn’t think that was a good idea until he’s completely healthy.”*





> I feel good about the talk we had and where we stand and what he’s trying to do. He’s looking out for me and my best interests as far as getting back on the basketball court. And because we have a young team, we just can’t throw me out there like that. I’m looking forward to getting a few more practices in and seeing what happens.”





> Adelman said there is no timetable for McGrady’s return, but he said he does not want to bring McGrady back for four games in five nights — a stretch the Rockets begin Dec. 15 — but that when McGrady does come back, it likely will be off the bench.





> We anticipate him playing,” Adelman said. “It’s our 20th game. It’s not like we’re 60 games into it and he hasn’t played. This is the toughest, toughest part of our schedule. It’s a ton of games, and a ton of games on the road. There’s so many questions I want to be sure we have answers. Right now, medically, everything looks good. Now, it’s how does he keep improving?





> “I told him … maybe I made a mistake because I wasn’t involving me at the time (McGrady was frustrated). We talked last week, and I told him that and I think he felt better with that. It’s a tough situation.
> 
> “The more we can play at a decent level and work him back in, the better off we are in the long run. I know it’s going to keep coming up, but it’s what’s best for the whole group, him included.”



Adelman handling this smartly.
When McGrady returns, his effect on the team should be positive, and that means timing it right and working him back in slowly,and his return will help the team.



http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/6755400.html


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## mtlk

> Thu, Dec 10th 2009, 16:39
> Thank you!
> 
> Hey fans,
> 
> I just wanted to extend a huge thank you to the best fans a player could ask for. When I saw the first results for All-Star voting this morning, I was blown away. I know it’s early on in the voting, and there’s a long way to go, but it was an awesome feeling when I heard. I’m honored and humbled that you all have shown me so much love and you continue to support me through everything. From the messages left here on T-Mac.com and on my Facebook page, to all the votes that you have cast for the All-Star game, it’s truly amazing how dedicated and supportive you all are, and I can’t thank you enough for your kind words and the encouragement you send me each day. It makes me that much more determined to be the best player I can be when I get back out there.
> 
> Speaking of getting back out there, I’m sure you are anxious for an update. We’re still taking it day by day, but the organization and I are optimistic that I’ll be back out there soon. We aren’t targeting a specific game, but my coach and the trainers and I are working to determine the best time to make my return. As a competitor I want to be out there so badly, but at the same time I trust coach and the staff to help me make the decision that’s in the best interest of my health and the team. It’s still early in the season and everyone has stepped up and the team is playing great, so there is no need to rush things. I’m feeling better and more comfortable every day in practice and I’m getting my fitness back, so it’s just a matter of time now.
> 
> *Hopefully you’ll see me out there soon!*
> 
> Anyways, thanks again to the best fans in the world!
> 
> Mac


I hope so.


http://t-mac.com/tmac/blogDetail/2188


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## mtlk

> Not only does Houston star Tracy McGrady not want to be dealt by the February trade deadline, his first choice is to return to the Rockets next season.
> 
> You read that right. Despite all the friction McGrady has had in the past year with the Rockets and despite the fact he will be a free agent next summer when many teams will have salary cap room, McGrady said he wants to re-sign with Houston.





> "I feel we can be a competitive team night in night out and compete with the best of them. ... This is a great fit for me. My family likes it in Houston, my wife and kids. And this is where I want to be.''





> "At this stage of my career, it's all about winning. I don't care about a max contract or nothing like that. I want to play basketball, and I want to win. ... There's no question (about wanting to return to Houston). I don't want to put all my eggs in one basket, but definitely this is where I'd love to be.''





> "I think it's just common sense that people are going to write that,'' Adelman said of McGrady not returning next season. "And it doesn't surprise me because he's the highest-paid player in the league and he's coming off a major injury. What's going to be the future for him and for the team? I don't think anybody can answer it. Certainly I don't know if it's going to be 20-plus million dollars (McGrady makes next season).
> 
> "Look at the Allen Iverson situation. The landscape has changed. I can't answer that question." Adelman said. Iverson made $20.8 million last season but settled for $3.1 million to start the season with Memphis. After being released from his contract with the Grizzlies, he signed for the league's minimum with Philadelphia.





> McGrady, who asked Wednesday and was granted the task of guarding Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony (and then had heaps of trouble), admits he won't return to full strength this season.
> 
> "Definitely I'm saying I'm pushing 90 (percent now),'' McGrady said. "I won't be 100 percent this year. It takes a year with microfracture surgery to really get back to yourself. But I'll be pretty doggone close.''





> "He's been hurt for over a year and then really hurt for two years because he played hurt last year,'' Adelman said. "We've waited a while until we're sure. We wanted to see. I really wanted to see what we had (with Yao also out) and how we were going to come out as a team, and we're still learning about our guys. We've had so many guys who are taking on different roles. And Tracy has been out a long time. For me, we're just trying to evaluate and see where he fits. We have so many unknowns.
> 
> "We're trying to change the way we play a little bit and get our younger players to improve this year. And, if we can keep improving and keep being a factor and effective, then we start adding good players back and we're a better team than we were before.''



I would sign him for MLE money for 3 years.


http://nba.fanhouse.com/2009/12/17/mcgrady-wants-to-re-sign-with-houston/


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## Spaceman Spiff

90%.... I would be cool if he could be at least 70%. 

It's cool that he wanted to guard Melo. The effort was there last night however, but a struggle is to be expected after playing only 15min since Feb. 

He definitely wasn't the reason we lost last night though. Ariza was bull****tin when T-Mac came in.


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## Cornholio

> But the bottom line is this: The Rockets are taking calls on McGrady, and the Knicks are one of the teams making them. For now, though, the deal-killer in this equation is New York's insistence on including Jeffries, whose line Tuesday against Charlotte of 11 points, six steals, five rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a 3-pointer -- along with his effective man-to-man defense against Bobcats point guard Raymond Felton -- did nothing to alter the Rockets' opinion of him.


TrueHoop


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## Spaceman Spiff

What are the Knicks offering for T-Mac!?

Nothing on that roster spells "Morey Move"

I say just let T-Mac expire and take it from there. No need to bring in a poo poo platter. He's not a cancer to say throw him away for some used condoms. Take the money next season, bring in 1 or 2 big name free agents, get back Yao, and sign T-Mac for MLE money.


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## Dre

He's got an awful contract but I imagine he'd fit right into your nucleus. I just couldn't stand him in DC though.


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## Cornholio

> Daryl Morey is determined only to make a move that benefits this season and next. He won't strip-mine the team this season to load up for later, and he won't think short-term either. And don't think for even a second that the Rockets are showcasing McGrady. This will be a "slow process" McGrady said. A slow process is not a showcase. Besides, Morey did not even know Rick Adelman had changed his mind and decided to start playing McGrady until after Adelman announced it. If the idea was to showcase someone, the GM probably would have something to do with it.
> 
> Morey would, however, take on a bad contract if he has the right deal, and if it comes to it, he almost certainly will have to.
> 
> The most likely scenario would be for him to try to get some young player with star potential and accept the lousy contracts of others that come with him. (Is Anthony Randolph that kind of guy? And if he is, would anyone take $20 million worth of contracts just to get him?)
> 
> Mostly, however, nothing is really heating up, if only because there have been conversations for months. Nothing that matters really has changed. That McGrady is ahead of typical microfracture recovery schedule doesn't hurt, but his seven or eight minutes a night, especially moving the way he is so far, isn't going to inspire anyone to change an offer.


http://blogs.chron.com/nba/2009/12/nuggets_111_rockets_101_more_t.html


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## Cornholio

I don't think we need to worry. If Morey makes a trade, you know he'll get the better end of the deal (No matter what the "experts" say).


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## mtlk

Thanks Cornholio 






I respect Adelman because he was trying to do what was best for the team and T-mac.


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## mtlk

> Though he has taken just three shots, making one, in his two games back, Tracy McGrady said that just playing both ends of a back-to-back with no knee pain or physical difficulties was progress in his comeback from microfracture surgery.





> “Considering we played (Tuesday), I think the biggest question is can I come out and get up and down the court without pain in my knee,” McGrady said. “I felt fine. I wasn't favoring it. My knee was holding up fine. I tend not to think about it when I'm out there playing.





> “More than anything, mentally, trying to get over it, knowing that I played a whole half a season (last season) favoring my knee and thinking about it every time I stepped out on the basketball court. It was a mental block.”





> “It's going to affect what's going on with the team,” Adelman said. “That's what we're trying to be very aware of. Can we still keep a rhythm? Can we still play the same way? That's probably the biggest thing. Guys are used to playing at certain times.”









http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/6776537.html


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## mtlk

*McGrady to sit out Rockets' next two games.
Decision about future playing time to be made after road trip.*



> Rockets guard Tracy McGrady, who said on Wednesday that he wanted to increase his playing time, *will instead not play at all tonight against the New Jersey Nets or Sunday in Cleveland*.





> Morey said the decision to hold McGrady out of the next two games was temporary, based in part on *McGrady’s dissatisfaction with the previous routine.*





> “Where we go next deserves a lot of discussions and talking to Tracy, and figuring out what the best next step is,” Morey said. “Tracy didn’t feel like this is working in terms of working him back in. We want to develop the best next step. *We’ll figure out what's next when we get back to Houston.*”



Is T-mac has played his last game as a Rocket?




http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/6787617.html


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## jdiggidy

Man, it has been a while. Houston will not trade TMac unless they get something of serious value in return. The only trade I could see them making would be for Bosh now. They would have to take on either Hedo's or Barganni's contract IF Toronto considered those long term deals to be to long and bad for their team long term.

As far as Anthony Randolph is concerned, is he really better than Carl Landry who is the man for Houston in the post right now?

This team is six games over 500 thirty games into the season. If the playoffs started today we would be the 6th seed. It's nice to see that the organization is in such a good position as far as this drama is concerned.

If TMac wants to continue being a little BEOTCH then he can rot at the end of the bench as far as I'm concerned. It just sucks that he will take up a roster spot that we desperately need.


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## stojakovic

jdiggidy said:


> They would have to take on either Hedo's or Barganni's contract IF Toronto considered those long term deals to be to long and bad for their team long term.


i don't really think they'd ever trade bargnani and they wouldn't want to see turkoglu walk away either. 




jdiggidy said:


> This team is six games over 500 thirty games into the season. If the playoffs started today we would be the 6th seed. It's nice to see that the organization is in such a good position as far as this drama is concerned.


yeah, it's almost unbelievable.


as far as this whole t-mac thing goes, i think he's gonna end up at new york and nate will make it to houston together with curry...probably?


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## Spaceman Spiff

I'm actually with T-Mac on this one. Not that he should get 40min, but at least give him a 15-20min run.

I disagree with how it's been handled. The only way I see it coming to this is if T-Mac said something like "play me x amount of minutes or don't play me at all".


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## mtlk

> feel sorry for Tracy McGrady. I could scream about his selfishness, but this thing goes way beyond McGrady caring more about himself than the team. There's a real element of sadness in this deal.
> 
> Yes, he bailed on his teammates this weekend. When Rick Adelman wouldn't give him what he wanted, McGrady got mad and left. In that moment, *he revealed that he's only a member of a team as long as its in his own best interest.*





> But he's 30 years old and on the verge of being considered a has-been. Think of how that must feel.





> All we know for sure is that McGrady is a shell of the player he once was. Is he capable of being great again? That's the thing no one can answer. Meanwhile, the Rockets are playing and winning and doing things almost no one thought possible when they prepared to play a season without Yao Ming, Ron Artest and McGrady. Back when training camp began, we didn't know how good these Rockets would begin.





> We're now looking at these Rockets differently, but we sitll have no idea how good they're going to be. They enter today's game at Cleveland with an 18-12 record, sixth-best in the Western Conference. They've survived a brutal early schedule on a 49-victory pace. Now they play 12 of their next 17 at home.





> *It probably is killing McGrady to see how the Rockets have moved on without him. Their stunning success probably hurts him far more deeply than he would admit even to himself.*





> These Rockets are passionate, unselfish and tough as nails. Those are three traits they didn't always have when Tracy McGrady was their cornerstone.





> *So there's no place for McGrady. He wants to play more, but the Rockets don't think he can help.*





> *What do we do now? The Rockets surely are desperately trying to trade him, but a tough economy has made an expiring contract less attractive than it would have been in previous years. If the Rockets trade him now, they're going to have to throw a Chase Budinger or Carl Landry into the deal. Daryl Morey is unwilling to do that.*





> Not that these meetings matter. Adelman thought he and McGrady had reached an agreement in their previous meeting. McGrady would trust Adelman to do what was best for both the Rockets and him. Almost immediately, he began complaining that he needed more time.





> *If I had a guess, I'd guess McGrady will not be back on the bench when the Rockets play New Orleans Tuesday night. I just can't see him putting the uniform back on after this latest dustup.
> 
> I just hope someone in his camp is telling him the truth. That truth is going to be tough to hear. It's that he has no allies in the locker room, none on the coaching staff or front office.
> *



*:wait:* :frenchy:


http://blogs.chron.com/sportsjustice/archives/2009/12/what_do_the_roc.html


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## OneBadLT123

And so comes the end of the Tmac era in Houston. 

Keep it up Mtlk man you're doing awesome with the updates!


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## mtlk

OneBadLT123 said:


> And so comes the end of the Tmac era in Houston.
> 
> Keep it up Mtlk man you're doing awesome with the updates!



Thank's *OneBadLT123*.


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## mtlk

*Funny youtube about T-mac*









:lol:


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## HB

*Tmac done in Houston*



> Just before Christmas, one front office executive told his video coordinator to cobble together the footage of Tracy McGrady’s(notes) comeback. The executive had watched most of those unmemorable 47 minutes, but wanted to make sure that he hadn’t missed something. The evidence was incomplete, but the conclusion unmistakable: T-Mac is no longer an impact player, just an expiring contract.
> 
> “That said, how am I supposed to tell anything off the minutes they were giving him?” the executive said.


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## Legend-Like

Things are looking very grim for T-mac here in Houston and to think he use to be a franchise player.


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## mtlk

> Tracy McGrady has been cleared to take an indefinite leave from the Houston Rockets after the former All-Star's representatives and Rockets management agreed to work together in search of a trade for the disgruntled guard, according to sources close to the situation.





> Sources close to the process told ESPN.com that multiple phone discussions Monday between Rockets general manager Daryl Morey and coach Rick Adelman in conjunction with McGrady's lead agent, Arn Tellem, led to a *mutual agreement that both sides would try to hatch a workable trade before the league's annual trading deadline on Feb. 18*.





> The Rockets, according to sources with knowledge of the team's thinking, *refuse to consider buying out the remainder of McGrady's $23.2 million expiring contract*, which would enable him to become a free agent.





> One source said that the *Rockets' anti-buyout stance is so deeply rooted that they plan to keep him on the payroll even if a deal can't be struck before the trading deadline. *
> McGrady must join a team by March 1 in order to qualify for a playoff roster.





> Sources said that the sides have agreed for now that the best compromise is allowing McGrady to leave the team to work out on his own and stay ready in case a deal can be struck. The Rockets, meanwhile, will be hoping that *McGrady's departure will spare his teammates and coaches from the distraction of daily questions about the two-time scoring champion's status.*





> ESPN.com reported Saturday that the Washington Wizards had reached out to the Rockets in an exploratory manner about a* possible Gilbert Arenas-for-McGrady swap, but Houston has no interest in such a deal.* Arenas ranks as one of the league's most difficult players to move with four seasons left after this one on a mammoth $111 million contract and a history of knee problems to rival McGrady's.





> It's conceivable that Houston's trade options could expand once the trading deadline draws closer, but the agreement to let McGrady leave the team immediately eases some pressure on Adelman, who was admittedly struggling to find openings to work a rusty McGrady into a rotation that has been so successful without the seven-time All-Star and injured center Yao Ming.





> Although he was healthy enough to play in only 35 games last season, *McGrady insists that his next team will be getting a steal no matter what his modest numbers suggest* -- he's averaging just 3.2 points on 7-for-19 shooting in his brief cameos -- and in spite of ongoing concerns about his surgically repaired knee.
> 
> "*Whoever gets me is going to get a hungry ... player*," McGrady told the Chronicle. "I don't care if I go to the damn moon. It doesn't matter. I've been hungry since I came back from my surgery.



http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4777423



Whoever gets me is going to get a hungry ... (player)


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## Spaceman Spiff

Oh well.... thank you T-Mac, you made me a Rockets fan.


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## mtlk

*Trading T-Mac will be Daryl Morey's toughest assignment*.




> Daryl Morey has been absolutely brilliant during his time as general manager of the Rockets. His overhaul of the roster has resulted in a team that's an absolute joy to watch, and he has done it without a high draft choice or big-ticket free-agent signing.
> 
> He got Aaron Brooks at the bottom of the first round, Chase Budinger and Carl Landry in the second. He worked tirelessly to get Luis Scola from the Spurs and had the guts to trade a starting point guard on a team headed for the playoffs because he believed in Kyle Lowry.





> This season began with virtually no one thinking the Rockets could make the playoffs without Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming and Ron Artest. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Despite a brutal early schedule — they've played 19 of 31 games on the road — the Rockets are on a pace to win 48 games.





> Now he has his toughest assignment. Once upon a time, teams coveted an expiring contract because of the cap space it helped them create. Since McGrady is the NBA's highest-paid player at $24 million, the Rockets considered him a nice bargaining chip.
> 
> A tough economy has made teams much less willing to take on big money. *Morey has discussed McGrady's names for weeks, but has been asked to include a Landry or Budinger in the deal. This he's unwilling to do.*





> Two things have made a trade more difficult. One is Rick Adelman tired of McGrady telling him one thing behind closed doors, then going to the media and something something else.
> 
> And there's the player himself. McGrady simply hasn't looked like a guy still capable of playing at a high level. He may get there in a few weeks or next season, but at this point, there's no reason to believe.





> *Adelman is in a contract year*, too. He didn't bench McGrady because he doesn't like him. He benched him because he didn't think McGrady could still help the Rockets.
> 
> The Rockets could trade McGrady if he couldn't play. Some team could take him and collect the insurance money. The Rockets probably could trade him if he could play 30 minutes a night at a reasonable level. Instead, they're stuck in between not really knowing what they have.





> *In Morey we trust.* That's the bottom line is this deal. Whatever trade he comes up with for Tracy McGrady will make the Rockets better now or at some point in the future. That said, this is a tough one.



Yes,in Morey we trust.
So Adelman is in a contract year.:wait:

http://blogs.chron.com/sportsjustice/archives/2009/12/trading_tmac_wi.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+houstonchronicle%2Fsportsjustice+%28SportsJustice%29


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## jdiggidy

Let the rumors begin.


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## mtlk

*Moving McGrady won't come easily, if at all​*


> The calls started coming in on Tuesday, and they will keep coming now that teams know the Rockets intend to trade Tracy McGrady.
> 
> That's how it is in the NBA. Teams sense weakness - an injury, or suspension or in this case, a request for a trade - and they try to pounce.





> For a few minutes, Rockets general manager Daryl Morey might have wondered if by agreeing to at least try to grant McGrady's request for a trade and give him a leave of absence while he tries, he had diminished the offers he will receive.





> Given a few more days in front of microphones, McGrady would have said again how he felt about his limited minutes, and probably more pointedly than he did a week ago in Orlando. The Rockets might not have wanted to go public with their plans, but something was going to go public, anyway. And teams trading for McGrady would be chasing the contract rather than the player, anyway. No matter how well he comes back, for this season there is no way he will be a $22.5 million player.





> There is no increase in urgency now that they have taken this step. If anything, now they don't have to make a move. McGrady won't be around. There is no chance of him being disruptive or a distraction. There can be no public pressure to play him, no media inquiries about his minutes, no McGrady comments suggesting he could do so much more than he is being allowed to do.
> 
> *The things that might have pushed the Rockets harder to making a deal have now been eliminated.*





> They would take the kid with promise, sort of Joe Johnson when he left Boston to go to Phoenix and no one seemed to have an inkling of what he would become. That would really mean the Rockets would have to take back some heavy contracts, but if they liked the players' potential enough, they'd do it.
> 
> The other possibility might be just an exchange of expiring contracts, a chance to get help this season, and for another team to see what McGrady can still do.





> Special as his skills might still be, without quickness off the dribble or explosiveness at the rim while coming back from microfracture surgery, he was not going to be a guy to build around, and he does not seem suited for the role player job.



Yes,T-mac is not the player he used to be.



http://blogs.chron.com/nba/2009/12/rockets_108_hornets_100_moving.html


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