"Tracy McGrady was sweating through his workout clothes two hours before Tuesday night's game against the Magic at Amway Center. His pre-game routine was once headphones, horseplay and a nap.

"I never used to do this," he said, a smile crossing his face. "Now I'm old."

Warming up his body and a repaired knee is a concession to age and vulnerability.

There have been miles accrued and hard roads traveled since T-Mac broke into the NBA as an 18-year-old high-school wonder out of Auburndale in 1997.

McGrady sat in a chair that would later become the bench for the Detroit Pistons, his third team since his bitter split from Orlando six years ago.

It was here he blossomed into a superstar and a scoring champion, dazzling from the beginning and defiant at the end.

(We could rehash the whole T-Mac vs. The Hockey Guy feud, which triggered Tracy's trade to Houston, but even Magic fans are over it. They barely booed T-Mac when he entered the game late in the first period.)

Today, on a rebuilt knee, he is trying to rebuild what's left of his career. It's a long shot, at best.

"No question, I'm pretty much pain-free now," said McGrady, who underwent microfracture surgery two years ago. "It's all about playing. Just trying to get that feeling back of being comfortable on the floor.

"Before, I was out there trying to play on one leg."

McGrady said he's "far ahead of schedule," coming off the bench for the Pistons and averaging just 4.3 points and 16.8 minutes per game.

There were times when he wondered if retirement was his best option."