"It's a good bet this will be a season of highs and lows for swingman Tracy McGrady.

A low came last week during the Celtics game, when he thought for a moment his career might be over.

Then there were the two consecutive games where he was a catalyst for the Pistons -- including their first win of the season Friday night, when he started at point guard in place of Rodney Stuckey, who was out because of a disciplinary measure.

Then came Sunday, when he didn't play in the second half of the Pistons' 102-97 victory over Golden State after scoring one point in 9 first-half minutes. But McGrady, 31, is happy to be playing after he felt something in his surgically repaired left knee during Tuesday night's loss to the Celtics.

"In the Boston game, I went up for a rebound and I felt something in my knee. That's why I asked to come out of the game," McGrady said after Saturday's practice. "So I'm sitting on the sidelines, I'm thinking, '(Dang), this might be it.' I was emotionally ripped, tears actually coming out of my eyes. ... I just saw my career come to an end.""